In interweb parley, the future is often examplified with flying cars. It's like the litmus test for reality being the future or not. No flying cars, future not yet here.
I'd like to offer something that's very real and which exists right now and which is almost as cool as flying cars. Not quite, but almost. One of the recurring conversation jokes for years has been "e-something". E-exercize, just download it and get a workout without moving your butt. The E-stuff is even funny for people with very modest technology footprint, like my mom, who still finds the e-wine (USB wine tap) ad hilarious.
Almost like e-candy, a company that operates vending machines in the Stockholm metro has hooked their machines to the necessary networks, with the result that you can actually message the machine on the platform, from your phone, and get a drink or chocolate bar.
I'm sure similar things are happening all over. I read about the MIT coffee pot in the Hacker's dictionary and I don't think Stockholm is that exceptional. My point is simply this: Carrying a communication device in your pocket that lets you not only communicate with other people's similar devices but also to interact with various other devices around you to the point of making a purchase and getting a snack - that's the science fiction I grew up with. That means my future is here.
I stop to look at those machines almost every time I pass one. It's kinda distracting.
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