Where Did We Go Wrong?

[Elckerlyc]

Today I started reading Jerry Pournelle's King David's Spaceship.*
A first version of the story was published in 1971, so it probably was written sometime 1970.

The book about a Galactic Empire started with a Chronology (of Events That Went Before):
1969 - Neil Armstrong sets foot on Earth's Moon. - (Check)
1990 - Series of treaties between United States and Soviet Union creates the CoDominium.
2008 - First Interstellar drive tested.
2020 - First interstellar colonies. Great Exodus begins....


Even in 1971 this must have been a bit too optimistic. Right?





* And DNF after wrestling myself though chapter One (6 whole pages). But that's not a problem. Loads of other stuff to read.

 

[Astro Pen]

Well, that is what the future would have been like without corrupt politicians

 

[Harpo]

The first half of this:

 

[Harpo]

And here it is again, but better (and if any of it seems out of date, the song is over thirty years old)

 

[Astro Pen]

Donald Fagen also remembers the promises of the 1957 International Geophysical Year.

lyrics:

Donald Fagen - I.G.Y. Lyrics

I.G.Y. lyrics: Standing tough under stars and stripes We can tell This dream's in sight You've got to admit it At this point in time that it's clear The future looks bright On that train all graphite and glitter Undersea

www.stlyrics.com

 

[KiraAnn]

Where did we go wrong with what, exactly?

So many things have "gone astray" in my lifetime.

 

[Christine Wheelwright]

I was quite disappointed when 2001 came and went without an 'odyssey' in space.

The tendency to overestimate technological achievement seems to be a common human trait. This also explains fake 'technowizards' like Musk who make ridiculous estimations of progress and somehow get taken seriously by the masses.

 

[BAYLOR]

I was quite disappointed when 2001 came and went without an 'odyssey' in space.

The tendency to overestimate technological achievement seems to be a common human trait. This also explains fake 'technowizards' like Musk who make ridiculous estimations of progress and somehow get taken seriously by the masses.

I think this may have to do with his cameo in Iron Man 2 .

 

[paranoid marvin]

To paraphrase Douglas Adams, coming down from the trees was our first big mistake. In fact even the trees were a bad move, we should never have left the oceans.

 

[Astro Pen]

We allowed government to morph from a service to a dictatorship.

 

[Elckerlyc]

Money. You can achieve a lot when you chase a dream and have the funds, both available or willing to invest. But RL troubles and political choices made the money flow elsewhere.
Then again, not every dream is worth being chased into reality.

 

[BAYLOR]

To paraphrase Douglas Adams, coming down from the trees was our first big mistake. In fact even the trees were a bad move, we should never have left the oceans.

And of evolution , the Vogons said " Who needs it?"