Dear 1982:
In the future, we have fully automated bathrooms. We have toilets that flush automatically. We have faucets that turn on and off automatically. We have soap dispensers that dispense soap automatically. We have towel dispensers that dispense paper towels automatically, and we also have automated air dryers for your hands - although these are generally useless.
Other than that, pretty much all of the new technology revolves around accessing information and communications. There's this thing called the internet. It's easiest to describe it as a "thing," but it's really tricky, because it doesn't really physically exist anywhere in particular. It's a global network of computer servers that allows anyone with an internet compatible device to connect to it and relay information in some form or another. Pretty much everyone has a computer or two, these days - I've got three in my house - (to put that in perspective, I only have one TV) and that's the most common way that people put information on the internet. The "places" that these pieces of information are stored are called websites. There is a website for virtually any piece of information you want to have. You would think that this would give humanity some sort of amazing common knowledge boost, but the reality is, it's the most under-used and underestimated invention in all of human history. The internet is useful for shopping, and it's pretty much replaced the yellow pages, newspapers, and even - to some extent - TV. The thing about the internet, though, is that anyone can post anything they want on it at any time, so you have to be really careful about the type of information you get, and let's face it, most people are just to lazy to use that kind of discretion all the time. So the internet pretty much just gets used for social networking sites like Facebook (a website where you can stay informed about all of the mundane daily tasks that your friends do every day), to post YouTube videos (a site where ordinary people post videos of themselves or their friends doing ridiculously stupid things because there's a chance that a whole lot of people could find it funny - making whoever posted it what we call "internet famous"), or they find a few other morally questionable uses for it.
Speaking of famous... TV pretty much sucks now. Most people have cable or satellite, so the network shows don't get watched much anymore, and the bulk of the programming is what we call "reality TV." It's literally a bunch of TV shows about nobodies who are put in idiotic situations and do idiotic things. I could expound more, but I think it might actually break your heart. I guess if you look at, though, cable and satellite TV are really just more ideas that haven't lived up to their true potential. I mean, even though there are cable packages with literally hundreds of channels in their line-ups, the amount of actual quality programming is about the same is it is for you in 1982. All the rest of the channels are pretty much filled with pointless crap.
One of the biggest advances in technology has been video games. Yeah, like "Pong," or "Pac-Man." No, you don't have to go to the arcade any more to play them. A lot of people (not me, but a lot of other folks - mainly dudes) have two or three video game consoles in their home. The games they play can have story lines more elaborate than the most compelling movies, and graphics that are almost lifelike. They even have motion sensors now that can track your own movements so you don't have to use a joystick (we just call them "controllers," now). It's an industry that's worth billions of dollars, and there are a lot of people out there who spend way too much of their lives playing those games.
Speaking of movie plots, Hollywood has lost almost all of its originality. In the next few years (1982 - 1996) the entertainment industry is going to have some of its best ideas ever, and then it will run out of steam and Hollywood will spend billions of dollars doing re-makes of all of these movies and TV shows from your time. The problem is, the re-makes aren't nearly as cool, so just really the time to appreciate shows like "The A-Team," "The Dukes of Hazard," and all of the Stallone and Schwarzenegger movies while you can.
Music is a whole other thing. Records are a novelty now, although they are looked at as a very hip way to listen to music. Tapes are virtually non-existant. In a few years, Sony is going to invent something called the "Compact Disc." It will revolutionize the sound quality of the music, but it will only be the leading media for about 20 years or so. Most people now listen to music on little computer files called mp3s. These files allow people to have thousands upon thousands of songs loaded onto things called iPods (kind of like a Sony Walkman), and these songs are accessible to them at any time. The sound quality isn't nearly as good as CDs, but it beats tapes, and the convenience factor can't be beat. Oh, and because of the ease with which these files can be copied and shared with other people, it will become fiercely illegal to do so... So, cherish the next few years when you can make mix tapes for your friends and loved ones, because in about 20 years or so, people are going to start going to jail and paying huge fines for doing pretty much the same thing.
We haven't been to Mars yet, in fact, we haven't even been back to the moon, but we did build this really cool network of satellites called the Global Positioning System, or GPS. It basically allows anyone with a GPS device (either handheld or in their car) to know EXACTLY where they are on the planet at any given time. It's great for avoiding being lost. We also built an international space station with the Russians and a few other countries. Oh yeah, the USSR broke up in the early 1990's and now Russia isn't really our enemy anymore. They're not completely our allies, either - in fact, they can kind of be a bit of a pain in the ass sometimes, politically, but, we don't hate each other anymore. Oh, and I should probably mention in this paragraph that we finally have a black president. No, it's not Jesse Jackson. I'll let you be surprised.
I've been saving perhaps the biggest wave of technological innovation for last because it's nearly impossible to describe it without describing all of that other stuff first. Believe it or not, the biggest wave of technological innovation lies in telephones. Yep. Telephones. First of all, the phone as you know it, pretty much only exists in businesses and and a fraction of homes now. Most people use cellular phones as their primary means of communication. These phones are so advanced now, however, that a lot of people hardly ever even make calls on them anymore. The big thing now is "text messaging." Basically, its a short little written message that you send to your friends/family/associates over the airwaves instead of calling them. It's incredibly convenient when you're the one doing it, and incredibly annoying when other people are doing it around you. The other thing about the cell phones is that they're pretty much like little computers now. Yeah, I mean, everything I described above - the internet, TV, video games, movies, music, even GPS, can be accessed and used on a cell phone no bigger than the palm of your hand. It's pretty amazing.
You know, though... We've done all of this stuff with information and communication, but we haven't cured cancer or heart disease yet, or this other really bad disease you'll find out about in a couple of years called AIDS. We haven't even gotten to flying cars yet - which I find to really be a bummer. All in all, I think you'll find that for all the things that have changed in the future, a lot of things are still the same. Families still hug and kiss one another. Brothers and sisters still compete and fight with each other. Friends can stay more connected than ever - even if its not face-to-face. People still wage war. People still commit murder, rape and other violent crimes. People still abuse drugs and alcohol. People still hate over religion, race, sexual preference, gender, and disabilities. But a lot of people still just want to live out their lives and try to do the right thing, too.
I guess I just figured I'd give you all a head's up about the flying cars. Sorry if it bums you out as much as it does me.
I am the Reverend Humpy and I have approved this message.
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