OK, they excerpted people in the past predicting the future
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimgs.xkcd.com%2Fcomics%2Fthe_pace_of_modern_life.png&hash=d7239f35b8b9a9dac035524922dd9853b1ebf32c)
Heh. Talk about perspective.