Modern Technology That Surprises Those Who Grew Up in the 80s

As a child of the seventies, I often imagine how life in the 1980s could never have anticipated the pace of technological advancement we see today. One of the things I thought would remain in the realms of science fiction for much longer than it actually did is speech recognition technology. For instance, devices like my Google Home speaker, with its reasonably accurate speech recognition, were something I believed would not become widely available for a considerable amount of time. This, however, is just the tip of the iceberg.

Flying Skateboards Other Seemingly Impossible Inventions

Many individuals think about the convenience and thrill of flying skateboards, which represent a leap in personal transportation technology. While it seems unlikely today, it is a realistic prospect that manufacturers will begin researching and developing this concept for the future. The idea of personal hover devices is no longer the stuff of fantasy but a possibility within our grasp.

Reality Hits Home: Home Photo Printing and Automatic Translation

When I attended an ICT exhibition in Japan during the 1980s, I marveled at two particular innovations: the ability to print color photos at home and the automatic real-time translation between languages. Although these technologies were foreseeable, my estimate of how long it would take before they became widespread was overly conservative. Today, these technologies are not only a reality but are widely used in households around the world.

The Rise of Machine Vision Driverless Cars

Another area where I underestimated the speed of technological change is in machine vision and analysis of real-world scenes. A decade ago, I believed that these technologies would still be far from accurate and practical, but now they are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Alongside this, the driverless car, once thought to be a futuristic dream, is now being rolled out in limited numbers, particularly in constrained environments. This rapid advancement is both exhilarating and overwhelming for those who remember driving steam trains, as I did with memories of my childhood in the 1980s.

The Unexpected Emergence of Social Media

The one thing that completely slipped my mind when forecasting the future of technology in 1995, was the rise of social media. This unexpected explosion of digital communication and networking has revolutionized how we interact and share information, something that was unimaginable just a few decades ago. The influence of social media on our daily lives is profound, and it continues to evolve at an extraordinary rate, making it difficult to keep up even for those of us who have been closely involved with technological developments all our lives.

The Evolution of Computing

Reflecting on the evolution of computing, it is clear how far we've come. In 1988, when I first started using my Macintosh, it was a groundbreaking device that transformed the way I approached commercial art. Lan printers, optical scanners, and other computing tools that we take for granted today were not even a distant dream for the average home user. The transition from IBM DOS systems to graphically rich interfaces was nothing short of miraculous. And of course, the personal mobile phone—a device that has become an indispensable part of our daily lives—was a completely different world from that of a simple, 'dumb' phone that can't be easily tracked.

Conclusion: The Astonishing Pace of Modern Technology

Now we can FaceTime our loved ones who have traveled far away, something unimaginable just a few decades ago. From the black and white televisions of my childhood to full-color films on a tablet, the evolution of technology has truly been astounding. As I watch my nieces and nephews grow up in a world where smartphones and tablets are as common as books, I am reminded of how much has changed in the last eight decades. It is a humbling reminder of the rapid pace of progress and the endless possibilities that lie ahead.