Jeff Steele, Business Writer and Author

Avatars – Neal Stephenson, author of Snow Crash, told us a story about a “Metaverse.” In this “Metaverse, ” ordinary people could interact with each other in virtual representations. We now know this as online avatars.

TASERS – We all know what tasers are, what they are used for, and what they do. Two contacts touch a conductive object, usually human, and send an electrical current that stuns the person.

In 1911, Victor Appleton published a science fiction adventure book where the main character, Thomas A. Swift used a device known as an electric rifle. Which became known as the Thomas A. Swift Electric Rifle or TASER.

Replication – Recently, I was able to attend a 3D printing seminar. It is absolutely fantastic to see a human heart duplicated, and to see it in color makes the experience even more phenomenal.

Star Trek followers witnessed the crew using replicators. Those replicators are equal to our current 3D printers, or is that the other way around?

Global Surveillance – Always Watching! That is what Big Brother does, right? With an estimated 600 million cameras currently in place, just in the USA, plus more added daily. With technology such as Google Earth and GPS locations, it is very likely you are being seen even if you don’t know it.

In 1949, a novel titled “1984” by George Orwell was published. Talk about predictions! The book foretold of Inter-networked Cameras always watching.

Telecasting – It is hard to imagine life without TV, we enjoy knowing that at any time we can tune in to be updated on News, Weather, Sports and other topics of interest. When was the last time you had to wait for the newspaper to catch up on current events?

Jules Verne wrote a piece back in 1889 named “In the year 2889”. In that piece, he stated that one day, instead of reading the printed news, it would be spoken to you.

Now and Then – Nissan Leaf, riots, terrorism, life partners replacing marriage, school shootings, Rap music and a President named Obama. All sound very familiar don’t they?

In John Brunner’s Science Fiction novel “ Stands of Zanzibar” written in 1969, he speaks of all these things and even a President named Obomi, while describing the year 2010.

Communicator – Come on, it wasn’t that long ago that Flip-phones were the thing! They definitely were an advancement over any phone you had access to through the 1970s, right?

Inspired by the communicator device used by the crew of the Star Trek series, Martin Scott supervised the invention of the first mobile phone.

Bud of the earbuds – Take a look around you on the bus, train, subway, or merely walk down the street. Chances are you’ll see people listening to their music, e-book, or whatever piques the person’s interest. The point is that they hear through those tiny amplifiers known as earbuds.

In his novel “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury, Ray described “Thimble radios” and “Little seashells” as a size comparison. In 1953, the year that the novel was published, it had to seem like pure imagination, yet today, 65 years later, “Thimble radios” are commonplace.

The Information Age – There is no argument that the Internet ushered in a new way of life for the entire world. Terminology such as cyberspace, viruses, hacking, and virtual reality are heard all the time. But what about 1984 before the internet was even a reality?

William Gibson wrote a novel in 1984 titled “Neuromancer,” where he told about the Internet and such events a ten years before it’s time

That’s Smart – More and more people are controlling their homes from applications on their smartphones. The houses capable of using this tech is called a Smart home.

Personal Applied Technology or PAT was a robot in a 1999 movie name Smart House on the Disney Channel. PAT controlled many functions of the home through phone calls.

Loving the Suit Tony – Today’s soldiers have a unique suit option known as Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS) it is a huge benefit too. The TALOS can is a modern wonder in that it can it can genuinely enhance the soldier’s capability. Along with a particular cooling system to allow non-combat and combat use, it will transform to solid with an electrical charge. The suit will have computer enhancements to aid the soldier in tactical awareness. It can also deflect bullets.

Roll back to 1963, the year Marvel comics first introduced Ironman. Need we say more, except for maybe a thank you to Tony Stark?