My grandpa's 1950s article about 'home computers' finally made sense the other day

I was digging through some old boxes at my parents' place in Portland last weekend and found this magazine article my grandpa saved from 1954. The writer said computers would never be in homes because they're too complicated and people don't need to calculate that much. I laughed at first. But then I talked to my neighbor who's 78 and she told me she still writes checks at the bank because she doesn't trust online banking. It hit me different because for her generation, the prediction was kinda right. She literally has a smartphone but uses it like a flip phone. The article even said computers would require special training like a trade school, which is basically what coding bootcamps are now. Has anyone else found old tech predictions that accidentally got parts right?

2 comments

2 Comments

mason3611d ago

Wait your grandpa actually saved a magazine from 1954? That's wild.

wendy67422h ago

Do you still have that magazine? I'd frame it honestly, it's a cool piece of history. I've found old predictions like that are way more accurate than the futuristic ones, especially about everyday stuff like banking.