Judge — August 15, 1903 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This 1903 page satirizes a newspaper prediction that power could be transmitted wirelessly like radio messages. The cartoons mock this claim through humorous scenarios showing absurd consequences. The vignettes depict characters in various situations—a man rowing a boat, office workers, couples—with the implied joke that if wireless power transmission worked as claimed, everyday activities would become comically disrupted. One caption mentions "Anglar's hired man" rowing someone at Canarsie Bay, suggesting the technology would enable lazy or impractical behaviors. The bottom caption explicitly references the source: a newspaper claim about future wireless power transmission. Judge's satire suggests such technology was either impossible or would create ridiculous social problems if realized. This reflects early-1900s skepticism toward emerging wireless technology predictions, a common theme in period humor magazines.