The Jetson's Reality is Here?

Have you ever noticed that science fiction seems to precede science fact?  One example is the cartoon program from my childhood, "The Jetson's."  This futuristic cartoon had people driving flying vehicles, the entire function of the house was controlled by one switch, and when you spoke on the telephone you could see them and they could see you.  Their doggy walked on a treadmill in the house.  They seemed to live above planet terra firma, so the poor doggy couldn't be walked outdoors.

Then came the television program Star Trek, and the multiple series of movies Star Wars.  Each of these produced a futuristic altered version of reality.  At the time it seemed far removed from the reality that I experienced daily.  I was riding in a vehicle firmly attached to the earth.  I listened to my music on the radio, or with a scratchy portable radio.  My home was NOT connected to any sort of technology device, well their was a doorbell, which was sort of a technology thing, right?

Then came the computer.  It didn't change things over night.  It took a few decades for somebody to say, "Hey, let's make this thing smaller than an entire room!  Even longer still was the quantificational explosion of "Smart phones."  Imagine, the same ginormous roomful of computer equipment is now in a small box that can be smaller than my very small hands.

So did our genius inventors follow the movie and television possibilities?  I suppose this could easily turn into a "Which came first, chicken or egg," discussion but that is not so much the purpose of my post.  OK, possibly a little bit of the discussion of my post.

I mean, really, come on, does anybody else who was born in the 20th century ever marvel at the wonders of the twenty FIRST century?  We began the 20th century in horse and carriage, and ended it in airplanes.  That is quite the technological advance, without even discussing the mind blowingly amazing computer advances.

Ooops, I forgot to mention that long before the Jetson's and Star Wars and Star Trek was Flash Gordon.  That movie was made long before I was born but made popular again by the singing group Queen.  So maybe we can also give Queen the credit for the modern age that we live in.

 A challenge for you today.  Stop and think about the marvels of technology that we now take for granted. As a child I thought the telephone was a wonderful item to stay connected to friends near and far.  Now I can visit with dear friends from all over the world in seconds by computer.

In the medical world, we can transplant living organs into living bodies with dying organs.  There is a little computer that diabetics can wear that tracks blood sugars and even gives the injection of a number of insulin you program.  To cope with the pain of severe spinal damage, there is a tiny computer that is placed under the skin of your body.  It has catheters that go into your spine to deliver pain medication more effectively than taking a pain pill.  There are pacemakers to keep your heart beating regularly, there are prosthesis for amputees that can work through your thoughts.  The advances of medical science are exciting to witness.

Still in one of the Star movies (can't remember Star Wars or Star Trek) there was surgery performed with a machine that mended bones or operated on organs without opening the body.  I'm waiting anxiously for that advancement. 

I would also like the "Beam me up Scotty," development.  Just think of how much time we would save and how much money we'd save by beaming in minutes! 

What technological wonder would you like to see developed in our all too real world?