Isn't the future now?...Joined again

[jeanette]

I was formerly Citali. But I have re-joined!

Just some basics about myself. My real name is Jeanette, I'm 42 currently a singer/songwriter. I am fascinated about the future, but it leaves me asking, isn't the future now? We have all the futuristic technology and innovations, things we thought were futuristic years ago now in our every day lives. Would love to read some thoughts on this!

[raklian]

I was formerly Citali. But I have re-joined!

Just some basics about myself. My real name is Jeanette, I'm 42 currently a singer/songwriter. I am fascinated about the future, but it leaves me asking, isn't the future now? We have all the futuristic technology and innovations, things we thought were futuristic years ago now in our every day lives. Would love to read some thoughts on this!

Welcome back!

[Vakanai]

I was formerly Citali. But I have re-joined!

Just some basics about myself. My real name is Jeanette, I'm 42 currently a singer/songwriter.

Yahello Jeanette welcome back!

I am fascinated about the future, but it leaves me asking, isn't the future now? We have all the futuristic technology and innovations, things we thought were futuristic years ago now in our every day lives. Would love to read some thoughts on this!

Yes and no. Most of the most advanced technology I have in my home haven't been futuristic since the early 00's - smartphone, tablet, and laptop; and on that last one I had to sacrifice so much storage capability just to get one with a touchscreen - it's insane that's not a standard on every computer yet. Beyond those I have two Amazon Echo Dots, which are convenient as smart radios/alarm clocks/white noise machines but the AI feels so primitive and often I have to reword commands or questions until I give up because it just doesn't understand.

Sure we have advanced AI we can interact with like chatgpt but you still have to sit at a screen and type and read, we can't just talk to it. And worse we can't even be sure that what we get back from it is factual or bs, accuracy is a big problem. We still have no commercially available home robot more complex or useful than a roomba. Self driving cars are only slowly coming out in a few select major cities and are still accident prone to a degree. VR is still very much in the gimmicky stage of its development, far from fivr status.

We might be in the future, but we're in the early days of the future. The days where AI is so good common people are freaking out about how good it is and scared to death that it'll come for "muh job!" thinking the future still needs to be a work to survive paradigm. We're not in the "actually experiencing the effects of AI" at all days, and might even be years away from it (with perhaps a few small exceptions in the art or good-with-numbers professions where AI really is eliminating jobs). Robots are still in the realm of industry only, and still seem so clunky and limited. Ready Player One feels decades away, and the Matrix or Sword Art Online even more decades yet. There's no single worthwhile anti-aging treatment available yet, and no word on when human trials might begin if ever.

Basically we live in the era where all these future things exist in labs, in articles, in the news cycle, and in apps, which is perhaps much more exciting than when they're everyday and commonplace - but for quality of life I'd rather be in the part of the future where they are commonplace and widely available.

[Time_Traveller]

Welcome back to FT.

[caltrek]

I was formerly Citali. But I have re-joined!

Just some basics about myself. My real name is Jeanette, I'm 42 currently a singer/songwriter.

Yahello Jeanette welcome back!

...

We might be in the future, but we're in the early days of the future.

...

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

[Vakanai]

I was formerly Citali. But I have re-joined!

Just some basics about myself. My real name is Jeanette, I'm 42 currently a singer/songwriter.

Yahello Jeanette welcome back!

...

We might be in the future, but we're in the early days of the future.

...

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

I'm sorry, but I don't get the reference.

[caltrek]

Yahello Jeanette welcome back!

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

I'm sorry, but I don't get the reference.

On my screen, the reference is to the quote "We might be in the future, but we're in the early days of the future."

What could be any earlier than the very first day (of our future)?

Edit: See also this video starting at 2:11: