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TechQuiet 10d · day 10

Essay traces tech visions from 1984–2004 magazines

A Substack post catalogs how old computer magazines imagined the future—and how predictions fared.

newest coverage 9d agosummary written 9d ago3 pieces73 likes & upvotes37 comments MastodonHacker NewsNewswires

What to know

  • The essay catalogs tech visions from 1984–2004 computer magazines, comparing ambitious promises (smart homes, AI learning, text-to-speech, robot pets) to actual delivery.
  • Many products arrived incomplete or underperformed: Smarthome required manual setup, Positronic Bridge showed no real learning, and Sony's $2,500 AIBO (1999) only partially matched decade-old wishlists.
  • The piece grounds analysis in period reviews, user accounts, and surviving artifacts, showing how marketing often outpaced engineering—and how some visions took decades to materialize.

Owen W. Linzmayer Product reviewerSteven K. Roberts Early modem userDavid E. Lindeman Game reviewerPeter McWilliams Accessibility technology userRaph Koster Game designer/musician

Essay traces tech visions from 1984–2004 magazines
tomorrowasusual.substack.com

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

Peak 3 pieces in 3h at Nov 2, 5 AM; 3 pieces over 10 days (1 article · 2 posts) Nov 2, 5 AM — 3 pieces · 1 article · 2 posts — Hacker News 1, Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Nov 2, 8 AM — quietNov 2, 11 AM — quietNov 2, 2 PM — quietNov 2, 5 PM — quietNov 2, 8 PM — quietNov 2, 11 PM — quietNov 3, 2 AM — quietNov 3, 5 AM — quietNov 3, 8 AM — quietNov 3, 11 AM — quietNov 3, 2 PM — quietNov 3, 5 PM — quietNov 3, 8 PM — quietNov 3, 11 PM — quietNov 4, 2 AM — quietNov 4, 5 AM — quietNov 4, 8 AM — quietNov 4, 11 AM — quietNov 4, 2 PM — quietNov 4, 5 PM — quietNov 4, 8 PM — quietNov 4, 11 PM — quietNov 5, 2 AM — quietNov 5, 5 AM — quietNov 5, 8 AM — quietNov 5, 11 AM — quietNov 5, 2 PM — quietNov 5, 5 PM — quietNov 5, 8 PM — quietNov 5, 11 PM — quietNov 6, 2 AM — quietNov 6, 5 AM — quietNov 6, 8 AM — quietNov 6, 11 AM — quietNov 6, 2 PM — quietNov 6, 5 PM — quietNov 6, 8 PM — quietNov 6, 11 PM — quietNov 7, 2 AM — quietNov 7, 5 AM — quietNov 7, 8 AM — quietNov 7, 11 AM — quietNov 7, 2 PM — quietNov 7, 5 PM — quietNov 7, 8 PM — quietNov 7, 11 PM — quietNov 8, 2 AM — quietNov 8, 5 AM — quietNov 8, 8 AM — quietNov 8, 11 AM — quietNov 8, 2 PM — quietNov 8, 5 PM — quietNov 8, 8 PM — quietNov 8, 11 PM — quietNov 9, 2 AM — quietNov 9, 5 AM — quietNov 9, 8 AM — quietNov 9, 11 AM — quietNov 9, 2 PM — quietNov 9, 5 PM — quietNov 9, 8 PM — quietNov 9, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quietToday, 8 AM — quietToday, 11 AM — quietToday, 2 PM — quietToday, 5 PM — quiet 1
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  1. 1
    “Once configured, the controller could run without the Apple. You still had to prepare the food.”
    — Article (on Smarthome I) · source
    1. 1 outlet The future in old computer magazines (1984–2004)

      first by HN Frontpage, 9d ago