AHC: Is it possible to make the year of 2000 like this?

Just wondering, if some POD in the 1950s were to happen where the future by the year of 2000 were to look like this
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http://blog.modernmechanix.com/miracles-youll-see-in-the-next-fifty-years/

Do you think that it could be done?
 
Well, breaking down the article you linked to:

Better Urban Planning: Not my bailwick, but I'm guessing we could do better than we did.
No Coal Smoke: We arguably did achieve that in the US. We haven't eliminated coal, but better filters etc. mean the sorts of smogs that we used to see, and still do in China, aren't really an issue anymore in most of the US. We might be able to replace coal entirely with gas for industrial process heat, but it would require earlier development of fracking and making the assumption that the more optimistic estimates for gas reserves are correct.
Super Streetlights: We could do this, it's just not every efficient.
Solar Energy: Not my bailwick, but I'm skeptical we could do much better than we have historically without massive government subsidies.
Atomic-Powered Passenger Ships: This could definitely happen as a technology demonstration, but it's harder to achieve as a commercial proposition. It would require significant developments in nuclear power technology, particularly in mass production. I'm inclined to think it could be done, but it would be difficult, and if you're able to make atomic energy that cheap you don't need solar.
Cheap Modular Architecture: Not my bailwick.
Depilatories Instead of Razors: No idea.
Cheap Bio-Sourced Plastics: No idea.
Disposable Dishes: Arguably happened.
Washing the House with a Firehose: This seems like a bad idea. Even if you could make all your furniture waterproof without major sacrifices in cost and comfort, there's still going to be all sorts of stuff about the place you don't want to get wet, like papers and electronics. Making your whole life waterproof is probably impractical.
Freeze-Dried Food: Arguably happened.
Synthetic Food from Cellulose: No idea.
TV Phones: Happened.
TV Shopping: Not that different from internet shopping.
Automated Manufacturing: Depending on the industry we're arguably already there.
Artificially Preventing Hurricanes: I'm not sure but I doubt it.
Supersonic Passenger Planes for the Wealthy: Happened. I suspect it might be possible to make it keep happening instead of dying with Concorde, but I'm not sure.
Cheap Subsonic Passenger Travel: Happened.
Personal Helicopters: Definitely not. No way you could make that cost-effective without radical changes in energy technology and automation.
Fax Machines: Happened, although organized differently from how they expected.
Better Antibiotics: Happened.
Life Extension: We've basically achieved this, just not in the way he expected.
Cheap, Effective Antivirals: No idea but I doubt it.
Heart Scanners: Happened.
Aerogel Blankets: No idea.
 

Grey Wolf

Donor
What exactly ARE those underground trains?

I imagine you COULD build those kind of houses within a dome, but it would be Hellish expensive, but it could be done in a one-off commercial venture, a sort of Model City

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
What exactly ARE those underground trains?

I imagine you COULD build those kind of houses within a dome, but it would be Hellish expensive, but it could be done in a one-off commercial venture, a sort of Model City

Best Regards
Grey Wolf

VAC Trains (vacuum tube train)

transcontinental supersonic Magnetic Trains who run through evacuated (air-less) vacuum.
with extremely high speeds, max 4000–5000 mph (6400–8000 km/h, 2 km/s)
 
nuclear cars, possible, but impractical until lighter and better radiation sheilding is invented. Otherwise you need to wieght your car down with so much lead and concrete it slows to a halt, or get nuked to death from a lightly sheilded reactor. Also, car crashes become mini-nukes.
 
nuclear cars, possible, but impractical until lighter and better radiation sheilding is invented. Otherwise you need to wieght your car down with so much lead and concrete it slows to a halt, or get nuked to death from a lightly sheilded reactor. Also, car crashes become mini-nukes.

I'm not 100% certain, but I don't think you'll ever be able to make one small enough to power a car. A train, a plane, sure, it's not necessarily a good idea, but you could do it. A car, no.
 
Something more interesting have all these technologies come about, but in a cyber-punk dystopian kind of way. For example Better urban planning. Better by who's standards? Better for the rich? Artifical food is gross and not very norishing but is given to the poor so the rich can afford real food. I could go on.
 
VAC Trains (vacuum tube train)

transcontinental supersonic Magnetic Trains who run through evacuated (air-less) vacuum.
with extremely high speeds, max 4000–5000 mph (6400–8000 km/h, 2 km/s)

Hahahahahahahaaaa!

No. I work with vacuum systems, and no way in hell is that going to be practical or cost effective for a very long time. Think the LHC turned into a railroad; it's just not practical to evacuate that much volume and keep it evacuated.
 
The car at the bottom looks like someone crossed a clothes iron with a speedboat while the house looks like a mating between tupperware and a Quonset hut.
 
again VAC Trains

Hahahahahahahaaaa!

No. I work with vacuum systems, and no way in hell is that going to be practical or cost effective for a very long time. Think the LHC turned into a railroad; it's just not practical to evacuate that much volume and keep it evacuated.

that was one reason why it never was build !
the others were the extreme high cost to build (hundreds billions of dollars) and keep it running (billions of Dollar)
also the Time factor to drill the tube transcontinental (decades or hundred years?)
Tunnel boring machine (TBM) are dam slow,

by the way,
they even study into use of nuclear power TBM who melt its way true the underground...
 
With enough resolve, inspiration and determination the American people can bring any doable idea from concept to reality ... with enough money.
 
Hahahahahahahaaaa!

No. I work with vacuum systems, and no way in hell is that going to be practical or cost effective for a very long time. Think the LHC turned into a railroad; it's just not practical to evacuate that much volume and keep it evacuated.

As Michel pointed out, that's part of why there aren't any systems anywhere. Conventional trains also aren't anywhere near fast enough to need it yet, too. (Well...there are some issues on Shinkanshen lines related to air pressure; tunnel booms, etc. But in general the point stands; just maglevs could get about a 200 km/h boost over steel-on-steel looking at Japan's version, without any fanciness)

However, you don't need an outright evacuated tunnel to get some advantage out of it. Just reducing pressure would let you go faster than normally, too.
 
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