If you take a moment to reflect upon the current technology we use today as well as life in general and compare it to science fiction (novels, short stories, movies, etc.) it is uncanny and rather scary how close to fiction we are.
Look at Game Shows. Stephen King wrote the story The Running Man where society has become so obsessed with game shows that the only way for a destitute person to get money was to participate in one of these shows. If you look at what's on TV today, a large percentage of it is reality shows, including reality game shows. Granted we have rules and regulations that ensure people are not seriously injured or killed. But we do seem to be precariously close to that line. How much would it take to cross over that line? Would we as a society welcome it as the new exciting fad?
So many writers envisioned the future to be filled with computers, robots and gadgets that were small and totally portable. Look around you right now. How many computers can you spot? How many portable little gadgets do you own? Communication can be done instantaneously worldwide with emails to computers, PDA's and even cell phones. There is a infinite source of information and communication called the World Wide Web which is accessible at any time through various devices including computers, PDA's, and cell phones. Wherever you turn there is an ATM with instant access to bank accounts, machines which are ever connected to the Internet, networked systems that keep companies in touch with their whole operation, nationally or worldwide! Factories are filled with robotic systems to help out with assembly and other such things. Computers control sooo much in our lives. How many of us pay bills or bank online now? How many shop for things online? How many store photos online? Our whole life can be accessed at the touch of a few keys!
And gadgets....cell phones used to be huge..remember that? Watch a few films from the early 80's if you can't remember what they looked like. Now there's the Motorola Razor...super thin phones! Handheld computers...called PDA's. Digital cameras that can store 100's of images and then transfer them to a computer or printer at the touch of a button. Satellite and cable tv that offer programs when we want them. DVR which allows us to have almost complete control over what we want to watch and when. Microwaves which cook foods almost instantly. Did you know you can order a pizza online? Dishwashers and washing machines which have PROGRAMS to help us clean better. And cars...that can connect you to live help through a little blue button. And that live help can unlock your car...REMOTELY.
Also now with all the terror scares they are pushing for those biometric id's in all the major airports. Think about it. Haven't you seen in more than one sci fi film, where everyone in the future has an implanted id which automatically identifies them and opens their whole life file to security systems EVERYWHERE they go? Thinking about that opens up the privacy issue, but that's a whole other discussion.
Also in other discussions...the morality of clones. More and more animals are being cloned. And attempts at human cloning have been done. Where do we cross the line of morality in our search for better medical technology?
It's just mind-boggling to think about how much we really do depend on machines, computers, and gadgets. Everything has a disk, a memory, a chip, a program. What would we do if an artificial intelligence suddenly arose from all our tinkering in technology and decided we were a nuisance (also been done in sci fi stories)? Think about it. It's possible...Anything is possible.
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