I love this stuff. The blog "Modern Mechanix" says that it covers "Yesterday's Technology Today"...so true. This site has tons of back issues of Popular Science, Modern Mechanics, and many more. Its just classic. One recently unearthed article, "40 Years in the Future" from 1968 has some really interesting predictions.
Some right:
"A business associate wants a sketch of a new kind of impeller your firm
is putting out for sports boats. You reach for your attache case and
draw the diagram with a pencil-thin infrared flashlight on what looks
like a TV screen lining the back of the case. The diagram is relayed to
a similar screen in your associate’s office, 200 mi. away. He jabs a
button and a fixed copy of the sketch rolls out of the device. He
wishes you good luck at the coming meeting and signs off."
"Computers also handle travel reservations, relay telephone messages,
keep track of birthdays and anniversaries, compute taxes and even
figure the monthly bills for electricity, water, telephone and other
utilities."
"Money has all but disappeared. Employers deposit salary checks directly
into their employees’ accounts. Credit cards are used for paying all
bills."
Here are a couple focused on learning:
"Most of this study is in the form of programmed TV courses, which can
be rented or borrowed from tape _ * libraries. In fact most
schooling—from first grade through college—consists of programmed TV
courses or lectures via closed circuit. Students visit a campus once or
twice a week for personal consultations or for lab work that has to be
done on site. Progress of each student is followed by computer, which
assigns end term marks on the basis of tests given throughout the term."
**Hey look you jerk patent grubbers at Blackboard...turns out someone ELSE thought of the LMS, lets see like 30 YEARS prior to you!
And weren't we just talking about this.....
"No need to worry about failing memory or intelligence either. The
intelligence pill is another 21st century commodity. Slow learners or
people struck with forgetful-ness are given pills which increase the
production of enzymes controlling production of the chemicals known to
control learning and memory. Everyone is able to use his full mental
potential."
Look, I know the deal. Sponsors and advertisers pay a good bit of money to have 
their ads included in those big, thick conference planners, I get it. So let's use scribd and docstoc to preserve the ability to include that kind of revenue stream for conferences and yet cut down on the default number of trees, etc used in the creation of these planners.
