From: Charles Hixson (charleshixsn@earthlink.net)
Date: Sun Jan 11 2004 - 17:10:47 MST
Perry E.Metzger wrote:
>"Tyrone Pow" <tyrone@ubermetal.com> writes:
>
>
>>UN Predicts 9 Bln People by 2300, Many of Them Old
>>Reuters, Dec. 9, 2003
>>
>>The human race could have 9 billion people by 2300, Japanese will live to
>>108, and Africa's population will explode while Europeans could dwindle, the
>>United Nations predicted.
>>
>>
>
>I imagine that in 1700, predictions about the astounding improvements
>in sail ships might have been around. Except for humor value, I don't
>really know what value such predictions have.
>
>Perry
>
If you mean that things like the China Clipper were predicted... they
were not only predicted, they were built! And simply as vehicles for
navigation they were superior to the steam ships of the time. But they
became more expensive to operate, so slower and cheaper technologies
replaced them. But as technological achievements those steam ships were
crude and ugly. Far inferior to the lovely clipper ships. (Well, also
the clipper ships probably had taken the technology as far as it could
go before, say, 1950 when new techniques and materials might have made
them practical again, had not their purpose been eclipsed by airplanes.)
Take this as fair warning: being technically beautiful achievement
isn't a guarantee of success. They appear to be largely forgotten.
Charles
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