"It's 2012. We're 3 years away from Back to the Future II... and we're not even close!"
Judging by the fact that I was able to find the picture that leads this post, I'm not the only person who's considered this.
I vividly remember a 7-year old Are-G. sitting in the long-demolished Golden Ring Mall movie theater watching BttF II saying, "WOW! When I'm *counting on my fingers* 32 years-old (it's really 33-34, I was terrible at math then) there will be flying cars and hover boards and jackets that dry themselves. I can't wait!"Fast-forward 23 years. With current technology such as iPads, laptops, GPS devices, and the like, I can't help but feel a bit... disappointed.
This may be the nostalgia talking, but compared to ovens that rehydrate shrunken food, robots that pump your gas, and cars that soar through the skies, the technology we have today - while magical, awesome, and [insert marketing-friendly adjective here] in its own right - is kind of weak. No disrespect to all the hard-working individuals who've given us the scientific and technological advancements we enjoy today, and are far more intelligent than I - but where the hell is my hover board? I can do without flying cars. We have enough trouble keeping people alive on the roads. Can you imagine the potential nightmare with flying projectiles operated by blue-haired grannies and blue-haired goth kids falling from the skies and plummeting into your living rooms? But I can't stop wondering how cool it would be to have stuff like videophones and video games where you don't have to use your hands?
Wait a tick...
We already have some of those things. Services like Skype and Facetime let grandma in Teaneck, NJ see her grandchildren in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, they also let Quagmire in Quahog send streaming video of his giggity-parts to unsuspecting women across the globe. And Microsoft has already made hands-free gaming a reality with the Kinect. A few other things from Robert Zemeckis' fictionally futuristic 2015 have already come true:
- Nike manufactured the Air Mags...for those of you with disposable income like Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark
- There's a baseball team in Miami - but I'm not sure Miami residents know it yet
- 3D films are a (very unfortuate) reality
- Voice recognition is functional...unless you're Barry Kripke
Maybe I should have named this site "Waiting for My Hover Board...".
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You're so enamored with the technology that isn't available to the masses, but you're wishing for the wrong things, sir.
ReplyDeleteWhat you should be waiting for is you at the age of 65ish to come back in time, tell you he's a distant relative of yours, and hand you the 2040 sports almanac. Then you can just put that to good use and, as a result, buy your Air Mags, buy the Miami media market, buy your own overboard--shoot, your own MagLev train, and anything else you want, especially Mr. Fusion.
You see, BTTF isn't about the technological advances; sadly, it's about cheating.