The 1990’s animated comedy Futurama points out some pretty interesting things about our current world. This not-for-children cartoon was set in the year 3000, including robots, aliens, and the whole deal. Technology… here are some tech innovations you should be excited about.
It also involved floppy discs. Remember? Those really big chunks of plastic that could store a text document or two.
The shocking thing? Even in 1999, when the series made its debut, we could barely imagine the next big innovation and seemed to believe that floppy discs would last the millennium. Little did we know how quickly tech would take over and the insanely cool things that were coming our way.
Fast forward a mere 17 years (barely a legal drinking age), and we’re immersed in a high-turnover innovation economy. Lets take a look at some of most awesome communication trends that we wouldn’t have believed possible in 1999.
Wearable technology is one of the biggest hits — and biggest misses — of the past few years. The Apple Watch has debuted big, while Google Glasses have become a forgotten joke of what we thought was cool in 2013. But Snapchat Spectacles seem to be faring much better than their predecessors. These trendy sunglasses feature a built-in camera, allowing you to record 10-second “snaps” that you can share with your friends and followers.
Another big development is virtual reality. With a pair of virtual reality goggles, users could hop through space and time to experience a tailored environment of their choosing. The goggles cover the user’s eyes and ears and simulate an alternative reality that they can participate in. Pretty soon, people expect this to take over a wide range of things in our daily lives. Buying a home might involve a virtual tour, meditation might involve a tranquil background, and who knows how this might be used to socialize.
The internet of things has been hailed as the next big innovation to change the world. The premise if fairly simple; everyday objects (like fridges or traffic lights) would be able to send and receive information. We’re moving towards the world where fridges will message you when you’re low on milk. Moving past the frivolities of everyday life, the internet of things can optimize the ways we build cities, allowing, for example, street sensors to communicate with traffic lights, putting an end to traffic jams.
