What People 100 Years Ago Thought Life Would Be Like Now

 

We may think we're living in a world no one could have ever imagined, but there are some creative minds who believed they could see what the future might bring. Life one hundred years ago might seem like medieval to us now. Yet there were folks with eyes to a technological tomorrow.

One of the big themes people in the last century imagined were domed cities. We don't have those. Yet. It's something scientists and science fiction authors still see in our future based on pollution and climate change. We could at least control the climate inside the domes.

Everything flying. Whoosh! People thought cars, jetpacks, houses, even cities, would be flying by now and part of everyday life. While that still could be a possibility, it isn't as practical as it might have seemed. Now a vast system of ultra fast monorails to travel the world...

Robot helpers. While we aren't overrun by robots yet, more and more things are becoming automated. We're rushing faster toward that world. Finger crossed it isn't a Skynet future!

People thought we'd be able to control the weather. I think Earth is winning on that front. We need to use our technology to learn to adapt rather than control it. Though, wait... Wasn't there the rumor that someone did have a weather machine?!

We should have the moon as our playground, right? Folks a century ago thought we'd be taking regular recreational trips to our moon by now. While I don't see the moon as a playground, it would be a vied-for source for companies to mine materials. Though, then we'd have to imagine our world without a moon and the trouble its loss would cause. Mars seems to be our fascination for our next home these days.

What do you think life will be like one hundred years from now?

Science Fiction = science + imagination

When I'm inspired to write a science fiction story, it's almost always because of something I've seen or read in the news. Climate change, new technology, an immune virus, or a controversial change in laws. This is the spark that changes the future, and I wonder where it will take us.

Over a century ago, much of science fiction was written about the far future (500 years or more in the future). It was difficult to see humans in space or how fast the world would change. The genre has evolved, and these days, much of it is written about the near future (50-100 years in our future). We know how fast things can change, and it's frightening.

The rocket of humanity has blasted off, and most people don't see a bright future. Dystopian books are popular, but is this because so many folks have accepted our dismal tomorrow or because they're looking for solutions?

By exploring what is logically possible through science fiction, we can seek out solutions to problems happening in society right now. We may not have the technology or a society which demands that change, but it may inspire people to become scientists or sociologists. Imagination is just as important as science.

Welcome to the bookstore of 2015...

Let me give you a tour.

As we enter, notice how every wall is floor-to-ceiling glass, and how high the ceilings are. Don't you think the skylights and daylight lamps give the whole store a bright and airy appearance? Everything looks clean and fresh, and I think Apple inspired the design.

Forgive that jingling of alerts on my smart devices. As soon as the store detects one it downloads a series of information. Let me show you what that consists of, but since you aren't carrying one, help yourself to a loaner ereader from this receptacle. You are welcome to use it anywhere in the store at no cost. Just return it for recharging when you leave. See, now your device is jingling, so let's look at those alerts.

The store uses wifi, LTE, NFC or bluetooth, depending upon how you choose to configure your smart devices. Take a look at my ereader. The store has filled my home screen with a series of notifications. Here's the calendar showing today's events as well as those in the next couple of weeks. Oh, look: That book club and author signing look good but we have half an hour until they start.  After the calendar, we have store specials ordered by the categories and genres I like. Then we see a listing of newly available or upcoming books by my favorite authors. Sweet... there's a new novel by Misha Gericke due in 3 days. There, one click and I have it pre-ordered. At the end, we can scroll through this long list of recommendations. Oh, Book 25 of Backworlds by M. Pax came out yesterday and I hadn't realized.

Follow me. See how most of the store consists of clustered armchairs and couches? It's a perfect place to hang out. Let's sit a moment. Take a look at your ereader. We are now on the usual store screen. Looks a lot like Amazon doesn't it? You can search, browse, read, buy, review, anything you would normally do at home. One sec while I order the new Christine Rains paranormal collection. OK, now I want to show you that enticing coffee mug icon at bottom left.

The drinks page: From here we can order specialty coffees, soft drinks, alcohol, anything you like. I like red wine when I'm reading. OK, I ordered us some drinks and a waitress will bring them by in a few moments. Its identified our seats automatically and billed my card. Actually, it's smarter than that. I usually set it up to order my favorite drink the moment I walk in the store and the waitress can use GPS to locate me.

See those hi-res 4K monitors hanging around the store? I love to watch them. That one's running the bestseller lists by genre and that one's showing the hot buys today. Looks like Catherine Stine's new YA fantasy is selling like hotcakes. There's an interview with Cherie Reich on the one above your head, oh and look, there's that really neat trailer for River Fairchild's new fantasy. Awesome. There's a monitor in the arm of your chair if you want to pop it out and tune in to any of the content on the overhead monitors. Or you can bring it up on your smart device of course. Hang on a sec while I tag River's book trailer to read later. Ah, and Bonnie Louwerens book trailer too. On your own device you have access to some other channels. A fun one is to see what your friends are reading. What a surprise, Angela Brown is re-reading the entire Indigo series by Gwen Gardner.

Let's wander over to the bookshelves. Don't worry, the waitress will find us. Yes, there are real books in here. Most stores limit the shelf space to new release hardcovers, current NYT bestsellers and staff picks. Admit it, you can't stop buying physical books can you?

Don't like their selection? No problem, follow me to the back of the store. See these ten machines each the size of a dishwasher? Print-on-demand. You can print anything you like, ebook or not, and it charges your card directly. No shipping of course. Since Julie Flanders is doing a book signing in just 15 minutes now, let me print her latest book. OK, looks like it is number 4 in the print queue. I've got time enough to show you one other thing, come on. Oh, don't worry; the POD machine will notify me when it's done printing.

Many of these seating areas over here are set aside for book discussions. Book clubs can reserve them, no charge, or you can just sit down and start an impromptu discussion about any book or author. Enter the details on the iPad there and the store will advertise it. Just see who joins in. Tons of fun, and I've met a lot of friends that way. Remember the calendar when we walked in? The book club it mentioned is over there. These folks are busy discussing Ellie Garratt's fantastic new sci-fi series. I wish we had time to join in, but see this icon on our ereaders? It's the contact information for this book club, so I'll just ping them and maybe we can sit in on their next discussion.

Talking of pings, looks like my Julie Flanders book is ready on POD machine 7. Yes, here it is, still warm. Isn't that cover magnificent? According to the schedule, Julie is in auditorium three upstairs, starting in 5 minutes. Let's get up there, hear her reading and get this book signed.

I see you grinning. I knew you'd love this bookstore.

by Graeme Ing

(Image is a building in Shenzhen, China, courtesy of RandomWire.com)