I think one of the big mistakes that we make is to assume that our current/future was destined to be what it is, and that an alternative, any alternative, did n

I think one of the big mistakes that we make is to assume that our current/future was destined to be what it is, and that an alternative, any alternative, did not take place because it was "less efficient", "not as good", etc. This completely ignores the effects of chance and fashion. The new series "Maniac" is a good example of this (forget the merits of the show, I'm just referring to the backdrop). It's set around the same time as today, but everyone is (still) using CRTs and older-style office equipment. Also, we so desperately want the "future" to be different from "now", that we often latch on to novelty with both hands, simply to distinguish "our generation" from the prior one. In reality, things change, but not as much as we'd like to think that they do. It's one of the things that freaks me out so much as I get older: everything is pretty much the same as what it was when I was a kid. Yes, things are different, but they're not that different.