In Douglas Copeland's "Microserfs", which is itself hilariously outdated at this point because it takes place in 1994, Copeland notes that any media about computers is almost immediately outdated. He was using the example of Time Life books, but it can apply to pretty much anything.
Like, say, instructional films done by AT&T in the '70s starring none other than William Shatner.
What's great about this, beyond the fact that it's William Shatner, is the child-like sense of wonder that someday, we may use a 386 processor and it would have the power of a God. You've got to wonder what those Bell Labs boys with that awesome facial hair would think of, say, an Alienware PC.
Check the film out on the next slide.
[ via the historians at Engadget ]
![[avatar]](http://p.uproxxcdn.com/photo/569/thumb)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/shatner1-150x150.gif)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/04/gammasquadkirkphaser1-150x150.jpg)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/02/shatner-150x150.jpg)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/01/mashup-ikea-monkey-william-shatner-twilight-zone-150x150.jpg)
I actually read “Microserfs” recently, and I didn’t find it “hilariously outdated.” It captures its own time, yes, but that’s what literature generally does. Do you read “The Great Gatsby” and wonder why the characters don’t have cellphones? Of course not. Actually, “Microserfs” might be MORE interesting now than it was when it was published, since it gives us valuable insight into a pivotal time in the digital revolution. I’ve never understood the gripe about works of fiction being “dated” simply because they reflect their own times. It seems like a double standard. If someone in 2011 made a movie about the 1970s and included all the clothes, music, and slang of that era, we’d praise it as being “well-researched” and “authentic.” But if an actual movie FROM the 1970s contained that exact same stuff, we whine about it being “dated.” It seems absolutely ridiculous to me.
How is this “hilariously outdated?” Normal (non-nerd) people often ask me, “How did we get here?” (meaning Facebook, e-mail, Google Maps, iPhones, etc), and it all goes back to this – semi-conductive metals that we cut into smaller and smaller pieces.
Nothing “hilarious” or “outdated” about it. It’s actually perfectly accurate for its time.
Also, 1980 is not “the 70′s”.
Flash fail. It appears to be u who is outdated, like that old flash thing ur using.
I agree with the question about what is outdated? If you really think about it we don’t have that much that is new or “modern”. We have had wireless communications since 1900, microwave transmission since 1945, hand held walkie talkies since WW2, satellites for 50 years, tv since 1920′s, gasoline engines since 1858, audio recording since 1890′s, air conditioning since 1902, tooth paste, razors, steam heat, sewers, man made fibers,all types of metals, plastics, electricity–all these and more since most of us can remember. The only real new things are the miniaturized pocket sized toys and gadgets, flat screen tv sets, and maybe a few others but they all use the above technologies invented many years ago. How can anyone say outdated or hilarious as anything new uses the old and anything old is new again!