In 1985’s Back to the Future, we travel through time with Marty McFly in a nuclear-powered DeLorean. Marty is able to do what man has wished to do since the beginning of time: control his destiny. In the first movie, Marty goes back to the past to save his parent’s marriage, and consequently his existence. In the lesser first sequel, Marty travels into the future to alter the paths of his offspring. While these films are obviously fanciful, they do present an intriguing question. In the year 2011, would we consider ourselves to be nearer to the technology seen in Hill Valley in 1955, or the second film’s futuristic vision?

First, we should ask ourselves where we thought we would be by 2011. Of course we’d have flying cars and hover boards by now, wouldn’t we? Yet here we are, still driving fossil-fuel burning cars, riding scooters and bicycles, whilst wearing fairly normal clothes. Basically, if you took a step back and looked at the way we conduct our lives, much of the technology we use today existed 70 years ago. The television was invented. Cars already had modern features like air conditioning and radios. Movies were shown in color. The Wizard of Oz, made in 1939 has special effects that rival many independent moviemakers today.

Many movies in the past, however, have prophesied some of the advances we use today.  Arnold Schwarzenegger was caught carrying a gun through a full-body x-ray machine trying to board a plane in Total Recall.  Airports are now employing very similar tech. In Minority Report, Tom Cruise deftly moves from image to image, mirroring the type of touch screen technology, 3D monitors and holograms that will exist – if they don’t already – in the very near future.  In 2001: A Space Odyssey, Pan Am flies the common man to outer space.  Virgin Atlantic is making that possible today for that same traveler, though they need to shell out $200,000 for a seat.

Some of the most amazing futuristic technology is used everyday:  Video phones and “Skyping” people on the opposite side of the world for free are commonplace.  We’re able today to clone sheep, cows and mice.  Are humans next?  The ethical dilemmas surrounding genetic engineering are being discussed right now.  However, if you looked out the window in the world we reside in today, does it look more like 1955?  Does your mental picture of life in 2011 match up to the reality?

In many ways, the future is now:  Video billboards, the internet following us wherever we go, mining data to learn how to relieve us of our advertising dollars.  We have 3D televisions and binoculars.  We can still go out to the movies, but it might very well cost you over $50 for a family of 4. Yet here is where the more things change, the more they do stay the same:  Chevy is still making fuel-burning convertibles, Universal is still cranking out movies, and you can still watch Back to the Future.  Only now you can watch it any time you want, anywhere you want – on your phone.