Waking Up In 2020: What FutureTechnology May Look Like

It seems like just yesterday I was the only person at my school that owned Apple devices.
I would walk the halls listening to my iPod while texting on my iPhone and feel like I owned the world (and yes, I own both an iPod and iPhone).

Daily I would have random people walk up to me and ask to see my iPhone closer and occasionally someone would ask if they could touch it (rarely though, did I ever let that happen).

I literally felt like I was the most technological person at my high school, and honestly, I probably was. Upon entering college in 2010 though, the tables have turned.

Those not texting on an iPhone or smartphone are looked at as crazy and God forbid you don’t have an iPod. Technology has become intertwined with our daily lives.

I use my GPS almost religiously while driving in Tampa because the area is so new to me, the radio has grown beyond annoying (why listen to commercials?), and I’ll admit I’ve never stopped at a tollbooth on a highway (ePass!).

Over the past decade, technology has taken over and I love it. I type away on my MacBook Pro in class, sneak the occasional text under the desk, and browse YouTube during those times in lecture when I just don’t care anymore.

Imagine life ten years from now; but first step back in time ten years, to 2000. You probably remember the distinct sound of your dial up modem connecting … (or not) to AOL.

You would cross your fingers that Grandma wouldn’t call because if she did you would be immediately kicked off the Internet. Loading a web page would take minutes, not seconds.

A gallon of gas was $1.60 and I can still hear my parents yelling about that as we would pull into the station. Life has dramatically changed in just ten years, and technology has played a major role.
So now let us imagine life ten years down the road.

Step into the year 2020. No longer do you carry a cell phone, wallet and keys. They are all built into one single device embedded in your clothing.
Answering a phone call is as simple as raising your hand to your ear. Paying at the grocery store is once again just a swipe of your hand.

Upon returning home, you have a detailed list of exactly what you bought, the quantity that remains and the date at which each item expires.
Any door that you have permission to open will immediately unlock, allowing you entrance without the hassle of finding keys at the bottom of your purse or pocket. These technologies won’t even be expensive, it’s something that every person will become accustomed to.

Anyone can walk into a gas station right now and purchase a fully functional cell phone for under $10.

Without the aid of automated technologies like GPS systems, typing programs and cameras, the average 2020 citizen will have no idea how to navigate, better yet live without technology. It won’t have a bearing on us in ten years though; we won’t appreciate life any more then because we will have grown accustomed to it over time.

I don’t look back ten years and think to myself, “Damn, Todd, I don’t know how you even functioned without Facebook and YouTube.”
I look back ten years ago and think of how the most difficult part of the day was riding my bike home from elementary school.

Nowadays, it’s finding your lost cell phone when you’ve had a few too many drinks in Ybor, forgetting your password for your bank account or trying to convince your parents the ‘sext’ you sent them was actually a forward from your “creepy suitemates.” (I’ve personally lived through this … miserable experience!)

In 2020, I predict we will no longer have to do these things: as we all know America is lazy and being lazy is awesome. In ten years I don’t want to be touching real keys on a keyboard anymore. Really, I don’t want to be touching anything.

I should be able to think what I want to write and have the computer type it for me. Automation is the key to the future.
I can’t wait for the day when my wildest dreams come true.

Though, honestly, my dreams will have changed and I will have forgotten about this article.
Watch out 2020, I’m ready for whatever you have to throw at me, be it some kind of new crazy cell phone, computer system or anything else “super techie” the inventors can think of.
I’ll be waiting!

Todd Sanborn can be reached at toddalan@me.com.