When I was young many many many years ago, I was excited about the future. I recalled thinking that I would still be young (relatively!) when the new millennium arrived. All those promised new inventions would be common place, and I could finally afford to own them.
Then, before you know it, year 2000 arrived. Like everyone else, I was part of a huge countdown party that night. However, unlike everyone else, there was this niggling thought in my mind. It took me a while to realize what it was. Where were the new exciting inventions?! What in the world happened?
Invention 1: flying cars
Yeah, yeah. Before you send me links on the supposed flying cars let me say that those are actually “driving aircrafts”. As in aircraft that can be driven on roads, which would require both pilot and driving licenses to operate. There is a big difference.
What I want, what we were promised, are the real flying cars. Something that looks like a car and drive like a car, but could take off into the sky. Best examples are Korben Dallas’s taxicab, and Doc Brown’s De Lorean.
Invention 2: robot butlers
Instead of cool robot butlers from Asimov’s I, Robot, we got clunky expensive Asimo. We want a robot to do housework, not falling off stairs.
Invention 3: fusion power
For a while, we almost had it. In 1989, it was reported that two scientists have achieved cold fusion. Of course, hot fusion was always a real possibility, but we couldn’t have million degrees nuclear reactor burning in every home, could we?
What we need are portable cold fusion reactors that could be fitted into everything. It would run on trash: cans, plastic, papers, banana peels… This will solved the entire global warming problem in one swoop.
Invention 4: artificial intelligence
In the 80s, AI was getting some promising revival. Great! We will have thinking machines soon, solving the world’s problems. AI will do all our work (with the help robots, of course) and drive the economy. Of course, fully controlled by Asimov’s three laws of robotics, so they wouldn’t turned into Skynet and Terminators.
So, what happened then? Why can’t I tell my computer to do stuffs? Why are we still mousing around?
Invention 5: moon base
OK, not technically an invention. But at least we got a space station, which is great. Except that normal people like you and I would never get the chance to visit.
Today, more than eight year since, the promised stuffs are still not here. There are more inventions we should have had now, but this topic has been joked about before, so I should quit while ahead.
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