The Age of Magic and Wizardry

From my youth I remember Science Fiction stories of either a primitive man transported to the present, or a modern man transported back in time. In either case, the story line always describes the progress we have made with technology and how a primitive man stands in awe and disbelief of the world that is still in his future.

It is thought that man's knowledge doubles every few years, and the doubling period is reduced by half during every iteration. I suspect that would mean the definition of "primitive man"could be pulled in every few years. Instead of bringing a cave man into a world with cars, television, airplanes and telephones, the same effect could be obtained by bringing a 1980's person into today's world. In the early 80's my most high tech gadget was a digital watch that would show the time and date! Think of the changes that have occurred since then and within our lifetimes.

Cell phones are now ubiquitous. Many people are cancelling their landlines and relying solely on wireless service. The 1980's man would be fascinated by so many people walking the streets or driving their cars while carrying on a phone conversation. The computing power of a modern cell phone is more sophisticated than the computers used on the lunar landing vehicles.

Computers were around in the 1980's, but were thought of as a high tech hobby. Now every home has one, and most are connected to the Internet using high speed connections. Downloading movies, songs and even operating systems was only dreamt of in the 80's.

Did anyone ever think the VCR with their flashing 12:00 time display would ever become obsolete? It has. Digital Video Recorders integrated with electronic program guides are now more prevalent than any other type of video recorder. Don't commercials annoy you? They do me, so the DVR has completely transformed how I watch TV. Watching in real time is so 1990's.
Email has virtually replace the written letter, and is becoming the preferred distribution method for junk mail. I know that I get more advertisements via email than US mail. If the Postal Service was discontinued tomorrow, I would not care since I do not rely on it. I suspect we are seeing the last gasp of the service which will be discontinued within 5 years.

The only wires that are needed in most home are electrical. Phones are cordless or even wireless. Computers connect via WiFi connections. Video and audio services are moving to WiFi. Bluetooth is eliminating the need for wired connections to peripherals. Complete mobility is here for the technically savvy. Even our appliances can be connected wirelessly and report when they have a problem. In the business place, appliances such as printers and copiers actually call for their own service.

Devices such as cameras now have computing power never thought of a few years ago. Cameras can recognize the faces of the photography subject, and even trigger a picture when they smile. Soon, you will be able to purchase a camera that automatically uploads your digital pictures to your online albums.

How would the 1980's man react to these technologies that just scratch the surface of progress. I suspect that his reaction would be similar to the cave man's reaction to cars. That would mean that we, as 2010 people, will be awed by the progress we will see in 2020. We will see it as an age of magic and wizardry.