Dial 9… for fun!

So here's another thing the stinkin' future promised us and never delivered, he thought bitterly: A computerized pub, ca. 1965. It doesn't look all that futuristic from the vantage point of today (or Today!!!, as BBC1 probably would have styled it) — I mean, push-button phones weren't an unimaginable prospect even in 1965. To be fair, though, in 1965 Britain was still trying to recover from the Blitz. In fact, the whole prospect seems to inspire a gloomy air. Take a look at the poor customers in this clip, who look like they're assembled for a wake, not an evening down at the local. Now that I think about it, I'm actually a little relieved the scenario sketched here never came to pass. I was once served a 7Up by a robot at London's YO! Sushi. I still wake up screaming. (Via How To Be A Retronaut.)