Who's complaining about no Jetsons?
It's a common thing for folks to say "hey, it's 2009 fergoshsakes, where's my jetpack?" And to some degree, I agree. However, I think we take a lot of amazing stuff for granted. The Internet, for example, has evolved into a knowledge and collaboration source that I think exceeds most folks' wildest dreams (mine, anyway). And modern air travel is a marvel, etc, etc.
Back when I was a kid, flying on a plane was really a treat, and airports felt...really felt...like space ports. Today, it's much more of a mundane thing. However, the joy, exuberance and amazement that I felt as a child when getting on a big jet plane has never completely left me. I really relate to Louis CK's bit here on Conan (10/1/2008) - I think the folks who truly do take this stuff for granted are missing something big -- are somehow less than fully awake or alive.
Concretely, last Wednesday (beginning of March, 2009), my family and I returned from a vacation to Baja, California for a week. I'd never been to Baja, but was blown away. Friendly people, wonderful food, an amazing climate, and the wildlife! Watching pelicans dive for fish in the afternoons and evenings blew me away. We returned to Portland in Winter. It has snowed three times since returning, and just today, I took a wonderful bike ride up into Portland's West hills, riding upwards into snow, then riding through thicker snow, then hail, then sleet. When I got back, I was so cold that it took three hours to warm back up.
Here's where I was last Wednesday, and this morning:
I'm happy to be alive at a time when such juxtapositions are possible.
