James Holsenback <nom### [at] nonecom> wrote:
> too bad we have to wait for some egghead to figure out how to convert 
> matter to energy then back ... hey 10/15 years ago the idea of a 3d 
> printer would have been considered a pipe dream, so I don't think the 
> eventual reality is /too/ far fetched.

Well, one shouldn't be jumping to conclusions by simply thinking like
"x years ago this idea sounded ridiculous, even though it's everyday
stuff today".

Sometimes that happens because the technology is feasible. For example,
people carrying what effectively amounts to less-than-wallet-sized
supercomputers in their pockets was basically an unthinkable dream
just a mere 20 or 30 years ago. (Modern cellphones are most certainly
supercomputers compared to even the fastest mainframes of 30 years ago.)

However, not all technology is feasible. 50 years ago it was envisioned
that by the end of the century we would have flying cars and that space
travel would be as trivial as taking the bus. Nope, it's still too
freaking expensive and dangerous to be in any way feasible. Maybe some
day, but it's still not looking very good.

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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