The Next New World

One of the things I sometimes do to keep the bad thoughts out of my head when I’m walking down the street alone is try to imagine what someone who was magically transported from the 1970s or so to now would think about everything they saw. Mostly, I guess, he or she would be shocked by the amount of advertising everywhere, the fact that hardly anybody smokes anymore and the rampant obesity. Also, what is this panini and why do all the delis seem to sell them? In that same vein, let’s look at this item from BBC News and take a moment to consider how much our world has changed in an even briefer period.