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On Back to the Future day, we’re still far from the future

Posted by Kat Farminer on 21st October 2015

As today reminds us of all the things we’re missing out on as consumers in the tech age, I think we should take a stand and focus all developer talent worldwide on helping us to relive our childhood dreams. Only when we’re all travelling to work on a hoverboard should things return to ‘normal’.

As someone working in the technology sector, I see a lot of ‘cool’ kit land on my desk or being dreamt about by the idea people, so as the day that Marty travels to in BTTF fast approaches, I can’t help but feel disappointed that more has not been done to make all of these visions become reality.

Yes, ok so we can all carry around our entire music collection in our pockets, on the same device that we can make calls on and take photos with, but you can’t seriously tell me I’m the only person who would give all that up for a flying car or self-tying shoes (I’m THAT lazy).

To recap on just a few of the things we are missing out on:

  • Holomax – 3D is going a long way to make this one easier to bear but it still has a long way to go
  • Hoverboard – it hurts, it just hurts that this is not readily available. I mean, the scooter craze for kids (and some slightly less stylish adults) just really doesn’t cut it
  • Self-tying shoes – Nike went a long way to making this happen and I applaud them, and I know I can just buy a pair of slip-ons, but I want to show off every time I get dressed in the morning!
  • Split-screen, voice-activated TVs in our homes – this is probably the most accessible in 2015, that is if you can afford one on top of the mortgage, since they cost about the same
  • DeLorean itself – last year I was lucky enough to catch a ride in a fully working DeLorean courtesy of Jason Bradbury and the Gadget Show Live. It was awesome and just the sight of a flux capacitor was enough to make a grown man or indeed woman weep, however, the fact I have not yet seen the day my parents fell in love back in the 1960s tells you all you need to know about the missing feature

If you’re with me and this list makes you pine for what could have been, I recommend you ditch the smartphone and start channelling your inner Marty McFly by donning an 80’s sports jacket. Either that or start saving the pennies now for when things finally do become reality, admittedly you might well be in your 80s by then, but we’ve all gotta have dreams.

Kat Farminer