Where’s my flying car?

I remember watching Back to the Future when I was a kid and looking forward to riding on a hoverboard, getting a Pepsi from Ronald Regan, and flying around in my car. Here it is, 2008, and none of that has come to be (although getting a Pepsi from ‘Ronald Regan’ is feasible, I guess). Instead, I’ve found modern technology to be 2 things.

One, it is a gateway to the technology of my childhood. I have a highly portable device I can use to listen to music from whatever era I wish (and a source that gives me access to whatever music I want), play video games of yesteryear, watch movies and TV shows, and read books. All this on my PSP with it’s gorgeous HD LCD screen. The PSP is a gateway to the media of my childhood. Which brings me to my next observation.

Technology has put media at the center of my life. Books, music, games, TV, movies, podcasts, Youtube diversions (some longer than others), and blogs take up the majority of my time. And my PSP gives my access to all of it, it even has an internet browser. I’m obsessed with other peoples thoughts. Knowing what other people’s perspective is tickles me to death, and gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside. It’s almost as if I have a superpower that lets me read minds. Remember Quantum Leap? The show that had the guy that would travel from on dimension to another? If not, bear with me. This guy would jump to alternate realities and he had a guide that was with him no matter where he was. This guy’s name was Al. Al had a gadget that was the coolest thing ever, and I always wanted one. It was a handheld device that communicated with a supercomputer called Ziggy. He could use it to look up any fact or piece of information. Although I don’t have a gadget that does exactly that, I do have access to any database through the internet, and I can access the internet wherever I have a cell phone or wifi signal.

Although I’m not zipping around in a flying Dalorian like Marty and Doc Brown, I do feel like I have a piece of what I thought the future will be like. Unlimited access to information. Now if only I had a way to sort and prioritize it all……