Today is the day...

[Graham Kennedy]

Today is October 21st, 2015 - the day Marty McFly, Jennifer Parker and Doc Brown arrive in their DeLorean time machine from 1985. They almost crashed, what with the flying cars and all.

Where's my flying car? Where's my hoverboard? Where's my self-tying shoes, and how come Jaws 19 isn't being advertised by holographic sharks?

In all seriousness, has the rate of change in society slowed down? If a person from 1985 were to travel to today's world, they would probably find walking around to be a pretty similar experience. The cars would look a bit 'futuristic' to their eyes perhaps, the fashions would be a little different, but other than that what would really look any different?

Of course if they went into people's homes they'd be amazed at how big the TVs were, and how thin. And how many channels, stuff like that.

They'd recognise the computer on the desk, but the idea that it had a thousand times the storage and memory would be impressive, as would the ability to talk to and share information with people around the world so quickly and easily. Of course the mobile phones would be extremely impressive to them, as would things like kindles and iPads.

But is this the stuff of sci fi excitement? Seems to me that not all that much has changed in the last 30 years.

How about the next 30? What changes do you think will happen?

[McAvoy]

Computers become more integrated with the household. Instead of multiple computers off of WiFi for example, it will be handheld receiving devices working off of a central computer.

Batteries will be far more powerful. Possibly so powerful a house could run off of it for a while. Solar panels are cheaper now with any things having it like house and car windows, siding and roofs. Matured to the point where you can barely see it.

TV and the Internet is one and the same.

[sunnyside]

I think the pace of change has kept up, however as noted it's primarily in our phones.

The processing power in a phone is mind boggling, as are the data rates. Similarly they work with an impressive infrastructure, a global network of satellites so your phone knows exactly where you are and how to get to the nearest Chipotle, or that you could Skype with someone in Japan in near real time because fiber optic cables crisscross the oceans.

In terms of future predictions I think an underlying issue is power.

Fusion has turned out to be a much harder technology to develop than people might have predicted. Lacking such a potent power source kicked the legs out from under a host of other technologies that we would probably have.

Actually I think people from 1985 would find that we've taken a step back from what they would have thought easily possible. Chernobyl hadn't happened yet, and while the China Syndrome was out and Three Mile Island had happened, I think there was still some of the earlier fission optimism where we could have compact nuclear reactors powering your flying car or whatever, and much would be enabled by electricity "too cheap to meter". We've taken some steps back from there.

Similarly environmentalism and rising oil prices mean they might be unimpressed by our current vehicles. Sure their car didn't have a back up camera, but it might well be able to beat yours in a drag race. They also might not be able to stifle a laugh at a Smartcar. And how are people even supposed to wear their hats in our modern cars?

I think energy may drive the future as well. Will it be breakthroughs or shortages?

On that note, I quite enjoyed a short story called "The Calorie Man". In looking up who the author was it turns out that they've posted that story and some others one their webpage, presumably to promote their current books. Maybe give it a look.
http://www.nightshadebooks.com/Download ... ories.html

[Nutso]

One prediction that didn't come true.

[Captain Picard's Hair]

As a baseball fan there was one notable prediction in the film which it appears will come close but just miss: the Chicago Cubs will defeat a team from Miami in the 2015 World Series.

For the benefit of those unfamiliar with baseball lore, I'll detail this. This was among the sort of goofy/fun 'predictions' the film made in passing, since the Cubs have had a fairly dismal history as a franchise. Though their streak of misery wasn't as long then as it is by today, it was still a decades-long period in which they hadn't won or gone to a WS (last series win way back in 1908, series appearance in 1945). In fact those steaks are still alive to this day. On to the tantalizing near miss: that team is reinvigorated this year. Built on a wave of excellent young hitters, they won a lot of games, got into the playoffs and won the first of three rounds (where the World Series itself is the third and final). Alas, as of this writing, they are down three games to none in a best-four-of-seven series (iow, facing elimination) and down by six runs (a lot in baseball) early in the ongoing game. Thus, the odds are their run will end just short of the World Series. As an aside it happens that the team they're on the verge of losing to is the New York Mets (the team I follow), themselves coming back to life after a rather shorter spell of misery based on a wave of talented young pitching.

Technically, the prediction was dead before the Cubs got this far, because they can't play a Miami team in the World Series. There is in fact a team currently situated there (a newer franchise which didn't exist in 1989 when the film came out), but it is a team in the National League. Since the Cubs are also an NL team and the World Series by definition is the series between the winners from the National league and counterpart American league, there is no AL team in Miami which can play in the World Series.