It seems to me that when I was young I expected more from the future than it has turned out to be. I remember speculations of flying cars or people commuting in rocket packs, Dick Tracy wrist radios, undersea or lunar cities, etc…
If you could explain to a person from the past how life now is different than twenty years ago and the major inventions that caused the changes, what would those changes be?
My take:
Instead of listening to records and cassettes we have cds which are easier to store and allow you to fast forward to the songs you want to listen to.
Everybody has cell phones which allow you to talk on the phone while you are in the car and tell people you are going to be late or annoy other people in a public place.
There is the internet which allows you to go on a computer and do catalogue shopping or read newpapers and magazines from around the world without having to pay for them. Also it allows you to write a letter to someone and have it get to them instantly.
There are lots of chain restaurants around and eating out is much more common.
There are small videocameras that allow you to tape your kids events with sound,
Other than that life is pretty much the same.
Let’s see, 20 years ago would have been 1983, I think. A lot of things have changed since then, not all of them good. People, known as disgruntled employees, shoot up a workplace. Students in schools shoot a lot of people because they couldn’t stand being bullied anymore. The terrible 9-11-01 attack in New Yorl, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania was unprecedented at least in this country. People in the USA seem to have gotten even more apathetic about voting and keeping in touch with their governmental representatives. Employers seem to be more concerned with the bottom line than with things like employee loyalty. So many corporate executives have embezzled millions of dollars from their companies that it is hard to remember them all. A lot of companies have declared bankruptcy, thereby not paying their creditors or employees. People who thought their retirement income was secure found that it had been stolen too many times. Hmmm, on second thought, it is hard to think of anything good that has changed.
New toys, same shit-slinging monkey.
Nearly all the personal computers in the world are connected to each other.
People can phone other people up from (almost) anywhere.
Computer games can almost simulate real experience.
More data can be stored in something as thin, and half the size of a credit card, than could be stored in a whole home computer 20 years ago.
There are 1000 TV channels (not all of them used) in the UK.
Almost any information can be obtained using a home computer with relative ease.
I think one of the most significant developments is that it is possible to literally never leave your home, yet have all of your material needs met. You can work, shop, and “talk” to your friends all via the web.