Figure 1 – The image is by Esther Bubley for the Office of War Information and is in the US Library of Congress and in the Public Domain in the United States.

There is an intriguing commentary in this past week’s New York Times by Farhad Manjoo entitled “Think Amazon’s Drone Delivery Idea Is a Gimmick? Think Again” The bottom line is that it’s coming. I have a lot of friends who tell me “that will never happen.” The that being automated drone-based delivery in that magic zone of the first 400 feet of airspace. Well, friends, it’s coming

Even before anyone talked about the “singularity” progress was marching on along four parallel, or at least complementary, paths: the push to transmit information (text), the push to transport voice, the push to transport images, and the push to transport material. All of this as fast as possible. And it is the definition of “as fast possible” that fades forever as the horizon.

Companies like FEDEX and Amazon have their business models set on rapid transport of material, of things. And friends, it’s coming. It’s coming because people want it.

So I am offering up today and image of Miss Helen Ringwald working the pneumatic tube mail delivery system in Washington, DC in 1943. Who woulda thunk it?