My friends, it is time to break out your skateboards, grab a Pepsi Free, and crank up some Huey Lewis. Just don’t turn it up to 11. If you are reading this post and you are from generation X or older, you may be snickering right now. If you are not, or just familiar with my reference, October 21st, 2015 is the day that Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) went to in the future. At least in the movie, Back to the Future II.
That’s right, the future is finally here, and this day has been dubbed Back to the Future Day. Many theaters across the US and the rest of the world are playing the movies today, and the internet is a huge buzz with activities relating to the date. From prom parties being thrown in Latin America, to the Russians finally getting to see the the movies on the big screen for the first time, the Back to the Future series has made a large and lasting impact on popular culture. Though things are not exactly the way they are portrayed in the movie, it did make some predictions that came true.
Some of the more innocuous predictions are things we could not imagine our live without these days. Tablet creation and electronic payment methods like Google or Apple pay were conceptualized in the movie. Drones, though not exactly commonplace now, are shown doing some of the things they are actually used for in today’s world. Biometric locks were also predicted in the movie, but fortunately for us, we do not have to worry about thumb bandits amputating our thumbs to gain access.
Can you even imagine a sports bar without flat screen TVs everywhere? In the movie, they had large flat screen TVs, and they could be used for video conferencing. Popularity of microwave dinners also became huge in the 90s, and they are common now. On other predictions, the technology is not quite there yet. The bottom line is, some of the things that we regard as normal, were not so normal then.
If you are in the group of people that is going to dig out your copies of the Back to the Future trilogy, or if you are planning on going to a theater showing of the movie, look for some of the things I mentioned. For the rest of you, if you get a chance to catch the series sometime in the future, be sure to keep an eye out for the predictions I mentioned here. You may be surprised at what you find.
Just remember, with all the technology we have in 2015, protecting our privacy is even more important. A good way to do that is with a VPN.