Are you disappointed 21st century tech is not as advanced and/or as sophisticated as you expected?

@JGoldman10,

Quote:

In the '80s the only people who were using internet access were the U.S. military and commercial businesses. Businesses back then used what was referred to as "BBS".

Not exactly. Computer enthusiasts and other users could communicate with one another, albeit in limited ability and in certain cities.
https://gizmodo.com/what-it-was-like-to-be-on-the-internet-during-the-80s-1638800803

1 Reply

@Rebelofnj,

Hi Rebel. Thank you. I know there was a form of the Internet being used in the '80s but it wasn't mainstream and officially commercialized yet.

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@JGoldman10,

Wreck It Ralph had references to classic arcade games, but the film as a whole took place in two fictional games that were made in the 2000s. Nearly all of the references were on screen for a few seconds, with Q*Bert getting at least 2 minutes of total screentime.

There is also the book and later film Ready Player One, which relied on 80s pop culture for its plot. The book, though, featured more 80s video games as essential parts of the story, like Joust.

There is also Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which is set inside a early 90s game cartridge, and heavily features video game cliches.

Besides, it is very common that studios produce 2 or more competing films with similar premises. It has happened many times spanning decades. Last year had Captain Marvel (from Marvel Studios) competing against Shazam (formerly known as Captain Marvel).
2015 had three major spy films: Mission Impossible 5, James Bond: Spectre, and The Man From UNCLE. Oddly, all three films are part of franchises that started in the 60s (though the James Bond books were published in the 50s).

1 Reply

@oralloy,

oralloy wrote:

Rebelofnj wrote:
*Cars are now safer than in the past. Here is a crash test between a 1959 car and a 2009 car. End result: the 1959 driver would have died instantly. The 2009 driver would only suffer minor injuries.

There should be harsh criminal penalties for anyone who deliberately destroys a classic car, even if they are that car's lawful owner.

Where did you get the idea that the owner of any kind of car can not legally junk it?

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@Rebelofnj,

Wreck-it-Ralph was chock-full of old '80s and '90s video game references.

Pixels only focused on '80s video games.

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@JGoldman10,

I saw Wreck it Ralph. The references were only shown in the first act and at the very end, when Ralph is hanging out outside of his arcade cabinet. The second and third acts are mainly set in the fictional Hero's Duty and Sugar Rush games. For plot reasons, major character Vanellope doesn't make any pop culture reference or leave her arcade game to interact with the other characters.

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@JGoldman10,

Quote:

I was talking about "Bulletin Board Systems". Commercial businesses in the '80s used this.

While some businesses may have used BBS's, AFAIK; BBS's were primarily used by the average person, and anyone with an internet connection and BBS software could install that software on their PC and host their own BBS.

BBS's is what we had before "forums" came into existence. In other words, if you wanted to make posts to discuss a topic, you would do it on a BBS back in the 80's and 90's (because forums like this one didn't exist back then). In other words again, BBS's were the precursor to forums and "social media" sites.

So I think you've somewhat got your wires crossed as it were.

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@JGoldman10,

Quote:

Cellphones in the '80s and '90s had computer screens...

I don't think they used "computer screens", certainly not what we would call a "computer screen" nowadays.

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@JGoldman10,

I'm late to this thread, and I acknowledge I have read very little of it before this comment, but...

...as for me, I would like to see robots, computers, and other machines do as much of the work as possible. Everything that a machine can do better, faster, or more productively than a human...SHOULD be done by a machine. The only jobs that should be retained for humans are jobs that machines cannot do as efficiently as humans.

For instances:

No machine will ever do bartending as well as a human. Bartending means being able to see a need for a shoulder to cry on...much more than knowing how to mix a perfect martini. It means taking on the left-overs who were unable to connect during "office" hours.

No machine will ever give out TLC when needed the way a competent nurse can.

No machine by definition, will ever make a hand-made silk tie.

But damn near all the other jobs are better done by machines...more productively done by machines...and should be done by machines.

1 Reply

@justaguy2,

They had digital screens.

1 Reply

@justaguy2,

justaguy2 wrote:

Quote:
I was talking about "Bulletin Board Systems". Commercial businesses in the '80s used this.

While some businesses may have used BBS's, AFAIK; BBS's were primarily used by the average person, and anyone with an internet connection and BBS software could install that software on their PC and host their own BBS.

BBS's is what we had before "forums" came into existence. In other words, if you wanted to make posts to discuss a topic, you would do it on a BBS back in the 80's and 90's (because forums like this one didn't exist back then). In other words again, BBS's were the precursor to forums and "social media" sites.

So I think you've somewhat got your wires crossed as it were.

There was forums back then on such systems as CIS or Genie for two examples hell I met my former wife on a forums on CIS an of course AOL.

1 Reply

@Frank Apisa,

Hello Frank, nice to meet you. I don't know about you but I don't want a robot performing surgery on me.

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@Rebelofnj,

Hello Rebel. I'll probably watch Wreck-it-Ralph eventually, when I have time for it. I've read about through wikis and other online sources and have seen clips of it.

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@JGoldman10,

There is no sentient robot surgery machine.

Any robotics used in surgery, which are still rare to find outside of major hospitals and universities, are controlled by human doctors. They are also very expensive to use on a regular basis.

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@Rebelofnj,

I meant robots that are fully automated doing surgery.

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@JGoldman10,

According to a 2016 article about fully automated robotic surgery.

"Autonomous robotic surgery still a long way to go before it’s ready for prime time, however.

Dr. Keith Lillemoe, chief of surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said the technology needs to be tested in a variety of models.

“It’s something that’s clearly exciting, but we need to see more evidence,” said Lillemoe, who was not involved in the new study.

Even if evidence shows technology to be just as good as traditional surgery, people will need to factor in the cost of autonomous surgery, he said."

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-surgery-robot-idUSKCN0Y12Q2

1 Reply

@Rebelofnj,

I'm not going to trust any machines to do any kind of work on me if there are no humans operating them.

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@JGoldman10,

The article clearly state that don't expect any robots in the near future.

I doubt anyone here in this site can even pay for fully automated robotic surgery at this time.

You can also choose on what kind of treatment you want. Doctors can't force you to have robotic surgery without your consent.

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@JGoldman10,

The sequel is a bit different as the film is set in the internet and is filled with online references to real life websites. Despite the existence of other websites, the film uses fictional websites for the plot: KnowsMore, BuzzTube, and Slaughter Race, though eBay plays a minor role.

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@BillRM,

I think my point is still just as valid as what it was before.

But since we are splitting hairs...

"Forums" can also be used (and are) for at least some of the same purposes as "social media" sites are used for, and depending on how you look at it, could be considered a form of "social media" of sorts too.

Did you need to login into a BBS to be able to post here at A2K? If the answer is no (which it is), then the same point I made above is still valid.

0 Replies

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