---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At the present rate of technical…"
description: "\"“At the present rate of technical development, electronic mail is probably no more than one or two decades away, so in the Tehaneys' world of 2081 it w..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62c/gerard-k-o-neill-12872_taken-for-granted_at-the-present-rate-of-technical-develop_2977451.jpg"
---

#  At the present rate of technical development, electronic…

![“At the present rate of technical development, electronic mail is probably no more than one or two decades away, so in the Tehaneys' world of 2081 it will have been taken for granted long since.” quote by Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62c/gerard-k-o-neill-12872_taken-for-granted_at-the-present-rate-of-technical-develop_2977451.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62c/gerard-k-o-neill-12872_taken-for-granted_at-the-present-rate-of-technical-develop_2977451.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62c/gerard-k-o-neill-12872_taken-for-granted_at-the-present-rate-of-technical-develop_2977451.jpg)

> ““At the present rate of technical development, electronic mail is probably no more than one or two decades away, so in the Tehaneys' world of 2081 it will have been taken for granted long since.””

[Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Predicts that email will become commonplace within a few decades, illustrating how quickly communication tech evolves.

**In simple terms:** Email will become ordinary soon.

Key Takeaway

Adapt to new communication tools quickly.

Themes

technology future communication

Mood

speculative forward‑looking

Type

technological cultural

When to use this quote

- business communication
- education
- personal networking
- media strategy

Key Concepts

digital evolution social change

Questions to Reflect On

- How will you prepare for emerging communication platforms?
- What impacts might ubiquitous email have on privacy?

A Different Perspective

Rapid tech change can outpace regulation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[2081 Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/2081-taken-4614081/) [Decades Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decades-away-1330727/) [Electronic Mail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electronic-mail-1796694/) [Probably Decades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/probably-decades-4614079/) [Taken for granted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken-for-granted/) [World 2081](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-2081-4614080/)

## Related quotes

> [“There have been several attempts at setting up electronic mail systems within the federal post office administration, but all have failed, not for technical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/there-have-been-several-attempts-at-setting-up-electronic-mail/)

[Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/)

> [Whether you can go back in time is held in the grip of the law of quantum gravity. We are several decades away from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-thorne/whether-you-can-go-back-in-time-is-held-in-the-grip-of-the-law-of/)

[Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/)

> [Written communication is a tremendous help for me, and so when electronic mail was invented in '71, I got very excited about it, thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/written-communication-is-a-tremendous-help-for-me-and-so-when/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Somehow, when I wasn't looking, somehow because it's electronic mail, none of the basic grammar rules applied.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryjanice-davidson/somehow-when-i-wasn-t-looking-somehow-because-it-s-electronic-mail/)

[MaryJanice Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryjanice-davidson/)

> [In order to expand the gaming population, it is taken for granted that we need to offer games to satisfy veteran gamers. At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satoru-iwata/in-order-to-expand-the-gaming-population-it-is-taken-for-granted-that/)

[Satoru Iwata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satoru-iwata/)

> [Well, one thing, you got to stand in a courtroom and listen to a judge sentencing you to 25 years in prison before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-flynt/well-one-thing-you-got-to-stand-in-a-courtroom-and-listen-to-a-judge/)

[Larry Flynt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-flynt/)

> [Being taken for granted is an unpleasant but sincere form of praise. Ironically, the more reliable you are and the less you complain, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/being-taken-for-granted-is-an-unpleasant-but-sincere-form-of-praise/)

[Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/)

> [I'm fortunate in one way and I can take pride from the fact that I've consistently performed for 10 years, which is something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cavendish/i-m-fortunate-in-one-way-and-i-can-take-pride-from-the-fact-that-i-ve/)

[Mark Cavendish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cavendish/)

> [“This is perhaps as good a place as any to point out that what distinguishes many reformers from those who cannot accept their proposals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/this-is-perhaps-as-good-a-place-as-any-to-point-out-that-what/)

[Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/)

> [“My family had been denied the things his family had taken for granted. I had a natural talent for selling to people, but without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/my-family-had-been-denied-the-things-his-family-had-taken-for-granted/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

> [I can say across Europe that many principles that have been taken for granted here around free speech, and around civil liberties and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-can-say-across-europe-that-many-principles-that-have-been-taken-for/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Here today, may be gone tomorrow! Never take anyone or nothing for granted! Be sure to count your blessing daily because tomorrow isn't promised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surgeo-bell/here-today-may-be-gone-tomorrow-never-take-anyone-or-nothing-for/)

[Surgeo Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surgeo-bell/)

> [~ Loving the person who doesn't love you is called one-sided love. But loving the person just because that person loves you, it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince/loving-the-person-who-doesn-t-love-you-is-called-one-sided-love-but/)

[Vince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince/)

> [I love trade magazines - any trade's magazine: by entering into what is taken for granted in a world not your own, you better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/i-love-trade-magazines-any-trade-s-magazine-by-entering-into-what-is/)

[Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/)

> [“ving self and others is an every second of every day of every week, of every month, of every year gift that should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/ving-self-and-others-is-an-every-second-of-every-day-of-every-week-of/)

[Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/)

## More by Gerard K. O'Neill

> [“Next my guide explained that we would travel to Erie on an underground high-speed vehicle called a "floater," which ran in vacuum through a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/next-my-guide-explained-that-we-would-travel-to-erie-on-an/)

[Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/)

> [“At the other extreme, and far less threatening, will be the "house computer" of 2081. It will store all the information from all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/at-the-other-extreme-and-far-less-threatening-will-be-the-house/)

[Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/)

> [“few dozen" wise, unselfish sages,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/few-dozen-wise-unselfish-sages/)

[Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/)

> [“To minimize the sense of confinement, one of our video channels provided a breathtaking view of our journey, as seen from a helicopter flying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/to-minimize-the-sense-of-confinement-one-of-our-video-channels/)

[Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/)

> [We should ask, critically and with appeal to the numbers, whether the best site for a growing advancing industrial society is Earth, the Moon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/we-should-ask-critically-and-with-appeal-to-the-numbers-whether-the/)

[Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/)

> [“She showed me the controls for the stereo, the video, and the lights, and added that if I just spoke in a normal tone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/she-showed-me-the-controls-for-the-stereo-the-video-and-the-lights/)

[Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/)

> [“We is still banned in the USSR.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/we-is-still-banned-in-the-ussr/)

[Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/)

> [“It would be quite feasible to project materials from the Moon's surface down to Earth by means of electrically powered catapults or launching tracks,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/it-would-be-quite-feasible-to-project-materials-from-the-moon-s/)

[Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/)

> [“It's an established fact that the very few naturally gifted "born teachers" are enormously more effective than the great mass of those in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/it-s-an-established-fact-that-the-very-few-naturally-gifted-born/)

[Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/)

> [It is the hope of those who work toward the breakout from planet Earth that the establishment of permanent, self-sustaining colonies of humans off-Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/it-is-the-hope-of-those-who-work-toward-the-breakout-from-planet/)

[Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/)

> [“The venerable Walt Disney commercial empire had established around the turn of the century one of the largest "theme parks" in the country, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/the-venerable-walt-disney-commercial-empire-had-established-around/)

[Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/)

> [“All of the homes, shops, and office buildings in Waterford are linked by an underground package-transfer network that uses the "floater" technology. It takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/all-of-the-homes-shops-and-office-buildings-in-waterford-are-linked/)

[Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/)

> [“Once that day a chime sounded and the video told us of congestion two hundred kilometers ahead, near Chicago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/once-that-day-a-chime-sounded-and-the-video-told-us-of-congestion-two/)

[Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/)

> [“Before engineers and scientists had acquired experience with large quantities of liquid hydrogen, they were fearful of its explosive properties. Now, though, after several…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/before-engineers-and-scientists-had-acquired-experience-with-large/)

[Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/)

> [“Electricity has just two disadvantages: it is difficult to store cheaply, and it can be transmitted easily only on high-voltage lines, above the ground…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/electricity-has-just-two-disadvantages-it-is-difficult-to-store/)

[Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/)

[Explore all 51 Gerard K. O'Neill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/)

## More Taken for granted quotes

> [“ving self and others is an every second of every day of every week, of every month, of every year gift that should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/ving-self-and-others-is-an-every-second-of-every-day-of-every-week-of/)

[Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/)

> [I love trade magazines - any trade's magazine: by entering into what is taken for granted in a world not your own, you better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/i-love-trade-magazines-any-trade-s-magazine-by-entering-into-what-is/)

[Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/)

> [~ Loving the person who doesn't love you is called one-sided love. But loving the person just because that person loves you, it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince/loving-the-person-who-doesn-t-love-you-is-called-one-sided-love-but/)

[Vince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince/)

> [Here today, may be gone tomorrow! Never take anyone or nothing for granted! Be sure to count your blessing daily because tomorrow isn't promised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surgeo-bell/here-today-may-be-gone-tomorrow-never-take-anyone-or-nothing-for/)

[Surgeo Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surgeo-bell/)

> [I can say across Europe that many principles that have been taken for granted here around free speech, and around civil liberties and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-can-say-across-europe-that-many-principles-that-have-been-taken-for/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [“My family had been denied the things his family had taken for granted. I had a natural talent for selling to people, but without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/my-family-had-been-denied-the-things-his-family-had-taken-for-granted/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

> [“This is perhaps as good a place as any to point out that what distinguishes many reformers from those who cannot accept their proposals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/this-is-perhaps-as-good-a-place-as-any-to-point-out-that-what/)

[Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/)

> [I'm fortunate in one way and I can take pride from the fact that I've consistently performed for 10 years, which is something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cavendish/i-m-fortunate-in-one-way-and-i-can-take-pride-from-the-fact-that-i-ve/)

[Mark Cavendish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cavendish/)

> [Being taken for granted is an unpleasant but sincere form of praise. Ironically, the more reliable you are and the less you complain, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/being-taken-for-granted-is-an-unpleasant-but-sincere-form-of-praise/)

[Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/)

> [Well, one thing, you got to stand in a courtroom and listen to a judge sentencing you to 25 years in prison before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-flynt/well-one-thing-you-got-to-stand-in-a-courtroom-and-listen-to-a-judge/)

[Larry Flynt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-flynt/)

> [In order to expand the gaming population, it is taken for granted that we need to offer games to satisfy veteran gamers. At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satoru-iwata/in-order-to-expand-the-gaming-population-it-is-taken-for-granted-that/)

[Satoru Iwata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satoru-iwata/)

> [A small percentage of us had what we all want, someone to love us truthfully, someone who will be there for us no matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-santagato/a-small-percentage-of-us-had-what-we-all-want-someone-to-love-us/)

[Danny Santagato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-santagato/)

> [I tried to hold onto what we had, but you didn't even make an effort. You lied, you cheated, and left me to cry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-tried-to-hold-onto-what-we-had-but-you-didn-t-even-make-an-effort/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Another day, Another blessing and Another chance at life. Take nothing for granted and think of every breath as a gift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/another-day-another-blessing-and-another-chance-at-life-take-nothing/)

[Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/)

> [Take me as am, or watch me as I go. Your choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/take-me-as-am-or-watch-me-as-i-go-your-choice/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 765 Taken for granted quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken-for-granted/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“At the present rate of technical development, electronic mail is probably no more than one or two decades away, so in the Tehaneys' world of 2081 it will have been taken for granted long since.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gerard K. O'Neill"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/at-the-present-rate-of-technical-development-electronic-mail-is/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Taken for granted"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/at-the-present-rate-of-technical-development-electronic-mail-is/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62c/gerard-k-o-neill-12872_taken-for-granted_at-the-present-rate-of-technical-develop_2977451.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62c/gerard-k-o-neill-12872_taken-for-granted_at-the-present-rate-of-technical-develop_2977451.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62c/gerard-k-o-neill-12872_taken-for-granted_at-the-present-rate-of-technical-develop_2977451.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“At the present rate of technical development, electronic mail is probably no more than one or two decades…” — Gerard K. O'Neill",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Gerard K. O'Neill",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“At the present rate of technical...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/at-the-present-rate-of-technical-development-electronic-mail-is/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/at-the-present-rate-of-technical-development-electronic-mail-is/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
