jeffkjoe

I know we're NOT actually at 2015, but we're close enough.

BUT

If your 1985 self were to jump forward and see how the future actually turned out, would you be blown away as much as Marty was in BTTF II?


Has technology advanced far enough to wow a time traveler from the 1980's?


What do you think?

stvn1974

I have faith that the Cubs will let us down again.

RocShemp

With all the 80's remakes that have been (and will be) released, said time traveler might assume the time machine never worked.

Mike86

Technology wise we've come a long way and I think people from the 80s would be awestruck by the fact that most people own multiple computers, let alone smart phones, tablets, video game consoles with graphics that are way more advance than anything out in the 80s, the Internet, and a bunch of other stuff. Obviously though there's a lot of things that aren't quite there yet though.

UAIOE

I'm pretty sure my 1995 self would be blown away at the MP3 player I have. So my 1985 self would probably think its made of magic.

And this doesn't even get into all the crap my phone can do. Take the internet with you in your pocket? Both would think its magic.

Both would be mad that there are no hoverboards or flying cars. Still can't predict weather, and lawyers are still around.

But we did get a Pepsi Max.

MrSmearkase

Has Max Spielberg started production on Jaws 19 yet?

JackBurton

Nike designer says self-lacing 'Back to the Future' shoes will arrive in 2015

LINK

Rockmjd23

Obviously the flying cars are the biggest absence, but even in 1989 people knew flying cars weren't going to be around by 2015. It was just a movie gimmick. Same goes for the other "hover" technologies seen like the Hoverboard, hovercams ,automatic dog-walkers, and that back brace that George was in.

Some of the other things are just pointless, like the auto-drying adjustable jacket. Why would anyone need that? The neon curbs on the streets were stupid too, same with the window shade video screen.

I think we're right around where the TV was. They make tvs that can watch multiple channels at the same time, it's just that people don't really want to watch tv that way. Also the wall-fax with the dot matrix type would be laughable today.

PenguinJoe

Apparently there is really an 80s Cafe.

http://badassdigest.com/2013/02/05/b...-a-real-thing/

johnnysd

Not even close. There are little things that are different like the internet and cell phones, but even they are adaptations of technology that existed back then.

Ash Ketchum

If my 1985 self could see my 2015 self, he'd start eating better, exercising more and doing yoga right then and there! And he'd have quit his job if he'd known he'd still be there in 30 years.

(And he'd have bought stock in Apple!)

GuessWho

The fax machine on my wall is out of paper.

GuessWho

Makes total sense.

In the mid '80's I remember 1950's throwback diners being all the rage... a retro place honoring an era 30 years prior is nothing new or surprising.

taffer

Not graphics, but BTTF did predict hands-free controls such as Kinect...

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/KMy1zO8m8sM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

GuessWho

^^ aww, young Frodo

The Bus

Why, I remember using my smartphone in 1984 and wishing it had more RAMs!

Rockmjd23

Though it was 1994

PenguinJoe

Remember when it was cool when people had car phones, now everyone has a mobile phone.

UAIOE

I don't ever recall car phones being "cool". I seem to recall them always being pretty synonymous with yuppies.

That was one of those things that I knew was 100% going to happen.

nickdawgy

The watch multiple channels at once thing came true.

UAIOE

I seem to recall the multiple channels on the TV were specialty channels.

I doubt Marty Jr. would anticipate his request for "Arts & Entertainment Channel" would get him "Duck Dynasty".

HellTrack

Well, considering that when my 1985 self was around that there was no internet, VCRs were barely around, and tvs weighed hundreds of pounds, I think I would be blown away.

Hiro11

Our concept of the future in the 80s was still the future of things. Things that fly, things that auto-lace, things that hover. Back then, we didn't understand that the future was actually more about bits and less about atoms. In some ways I'm disappointed that we don't have self-drying jackets, Hoverboards and the like. In other ways, those concepts of the future seem ridiculously small minded. Overall, I'd argue that the current reality of having almost every American walking around with access to a live-updated version of the sum total of human knowledge in the palm of their hands is much more impressive than a flying DeLorean.

GuessWho

In 1985, watching the movie Back to the Future, I had no idea I'd have a phone that plays the movie Back to the Future.

SuckaMC

Where's my Black and Decker rehydrator?

"hydrate level 4, please"