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August 31, 2007 By Chad Vander Veen
Our July 1993 issue rocked. Forgive the lack of modesty, but we really nailed some of the day's emerging technologies. For instance, contributor Jim Warren wrote a feature titled The Year of the Internet. Indeed it was. Warren presented a brief yet comprehensive history of the Internet and explained the mysterious new tools that we, a mere 14 years later, cannot imagine life without.
That same issue also featured a story by Tod Newcombe that looked at the future of highway transportation. The article began by describing a scene set in 2013 Chicago recounting a typical morning for a commuter. Newcombe told readers of dash-mounted navigation systems, complete with voice, video, touch-screens and GPS. Now travelers also have access to other tools, such as real-time traffic information, collision-avoidance alarms and automated toll systems that sync with transponders on cars.
There were, of course, some miscues; like the story that promised the Internet would enable widespread telecommuting. The Internet does, of course, make telecommuting an easily achievable reality. Unfortunately it's the employers - public and private - that have not kept pace with the technology.
Our ability to sense the future was unusually well honed in 1993. Our August issue featured a story that predicted many local governments would find themselves "unprepared for their pivotal role in the high-stakes wiring of America's neighborhoods," and the story warned that many could "make mistakes that could plague them for decades."
Contributor David Aden told readers of new audio triangulation techniques that would enable law enforcement to use acoustic data to pinpoint the location of gunshots. Such technology is still making headlines. It was featured recently in our magazine and in the April 2007 issue of Wired.
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