Way back to the future!

Hussein Shobokshi There is a grand celebration taking place to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the huge hit and popular movie “Back to the Future – Part II,” the movie series, which achieved over the years a cult-like following, managed to dominate the pop news item once again although this time from a completely new and different angle. The movie, which belonged to the comedy genre, attempted to predict the future. Exactly the date it attempted to predict was Oct. 21, 2015.  Amazingly enough, the movie got many things ‘right’. The movie predicted smart homes, robotic gas pumps stations that are being tested today and soon to be seen practically, movies that are being presented in IMAX 3-D and magnetic hover board technology is turning into a reality. The movie was right in predicting drones technology, voice activated appliances, flat-screen televisions and video conferencing that are all realities today. It is no secret that some of the most famous books and movies have been the inspiration to design the future. Works by Arthur C. Clarke and Carl Sagan attempted to give views of how the next days would be like.  Dick Tracy, the famous comic detective as well as the Jetsons futuristic comic series all provided valuable imagination on how the future will look and feel like. Predictions are all over the place on what the future will hold. It is clear that people will own few things and sharing will be more common. The car as the main mode of transportation is not going to be the case as mass transportation becomes smarter and more efficient (two Scandinavian capitals Oslo and Helsinki want to be car-less in 15 years). Restaurants will be operated by a maximum of two people as automation becomes better and more reliable. Cashiers will be a thing of the past with mobile payments becoming the most reliable method. Robotic systems will construct buildings and roads, which will last longer with fewer cars on them. Doctors will be something closer to a repairman using biometrics and data crunching to properly diagnose from the home. It will be amazingly different if all these futuristic dreams come true!