[Poll] Is It Tomorrow Yet?

[thefourthvine]

I have been watching All Things Kirk and Spock lately, including some of the original-cast movies. Which means that recently I saw The Wrath of Khan. Now, I've talked before about my history with the pivotal scene in that movie, but to summarize: first time I saw it, in Killa's vid Dante's Prayer, Best Beloved had to narrate the whole thing for me so I knew what was going on, and I didn't get why she was teary. Later, after I came to know Spock through fan fiction, I was the one getting teary. This time? Watching it in the actual movie? COMPLETE MELTDOWN. I sobbed and sobbed and sobbed, and I knew what was coming. But - SPOCK. SPOCK! And then Kirk loses it in an elevator. Oh my GOD.

But that is not my point. (I just can't talk about anything without talking about Spock these days.) My point is that I realized, watching that movie, that it seemed totally reasonable to the makers of it that by 1996 we would have:

• Genetic engineering of complex traits in humans
  
• Long-term cryogenics from which you could reliably be, you know, unfrozen
  
• Prolonged deep space trips featuring (frozen) humans

Those of you who remember 1996 (and if you do, think on this: there are now teenagers whose excuse for not remembering 1996 is that they weren't born yet) will probably also recall that we did not have any of those things then. And, in fact, we don't have them now. And it's not like we're expecting them next year, either.

This, taken in conjunction with a recent post on my friends list, made me think about the future. Are we in it?

(For extra credit, please list your favorite Signs of the Future (either realized or not) in the comments.)

[Poll #1508335]

Comments

[melpemone.livejournal.com]

This is totally not the future. For one thing, I own and love this t-shirt (http://www.threadless.com/product/63/Damn_Scientists) and I believe every word of it. Secondly, flying cars aside, I have always believed that it's not the future until paper-thin programmable LCD screens are cheap and plentiful. I will believe it is the future when I see an advertisement for someone's garage sale or lost puppy in looping .gif format, tacked to a power pole. I do, however, believe we're very close to it. Give it five years.

I also have this firm idea about going to buy a noodle-based dinner from a street cart in the driving rain, wearing a trenchcoat and dodging lurking weirdos with mechanical body enhancements, but there was probably far too much Blade Runner in my childhood.

[anatsuno.livejournal.com]

Two, two! With noodles.


(iow: yeah.)

[juliet]

The first time I saw moving adverts on the Underground (on the way down an escalator in Tottenham Court Road station, specifically), I had a moment of genuine "wtf have I just been magically transported into Transmet Future?". Absolutely shocked me rigid.

Unfortunately all the moving ads on the Underground are *rubbish* (they are not making the most of the medium!), but hey.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

THAT IS A WHOLLY AWESOME T-SHIRT. *wants*

And I would totally support the mechanical body enhancements and robotic dystopic in exchange for good street cart food in my area. Those are just my priorities!