Today is 'Back to the Future' Day!

Great Scott! Today is the day Michael J Fox's Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd's Doc Brown travelled to in Back to the Future 2 in 1989 so jump on your hoverboard, grab a mug of coffee and a virtual treat and enjoy! You do remember the three great films, don't you? What? Didn't see them? Get them on Netflix or YouTube, why don't you?

As we reach October 21 2015 - the day Marty and Doc travel to in Back to the Future II - which of the film's predictions have come true?

4:29pm on October 21, 2015. That was the moment Marty, Doc and Jennifer travelled to from 1985 in Back to the Future II. 

The film's vision of the future wowed audiences when it was released in 1989, and over 25 years later, the forecasts have been more accurate than might have been expected. 

Here are eight predictions that happened to come true, as well as three that were way off.

1) Hoverboards

We don’t have Pitbulls or Mattel hoverboads yet, but Japanese car company Lexus recently unveiled a prototype for a real, rideable hoverboard. A company called Arx Pax in California is also working on its own version, with help from a Kickstarter campaign. Unfortunately they both rely on

2) Wearable technology

In Back to the Future II, Marty’s future kids wear headsets at the dinner table to make and receive calls and watch TV. With the introduction of Google Glass in 2013, and gaming headsets like Oculus Rift in the works, virtual reality is not far off, and Microsoft's recently announced Hololens bears more then a passing resemblence to Junior's goggles. 

3) Video calls

Marty's video call with his co-worker Needles in Back to the Future II seemed like a futuristic dream, but with FaceTime and Skype now staples, the video call has evolved from a business medium to an essential of everyday life. 

4) Hands-free gaming

While we don’t see it in the film, kids at Cafe 80s mock Marty for having to use his hands to play an arcade game, implying that Xbox Kinect-style gaming is the norm in their 2015. And guess what, it is. 

5) Tablet computers

When Doc meets Marty by the clocktower, he is brandishing what looks like an iPad-style tablet computer. Today tablets are commonplace, with 233 million units expected to be sold in 2015, an 8 per cent increase from 2014. 

6) Self-tying shoes

Marty's self-tying trainers were one of the weirder inventions features in Back to the Future II. Now Nike designer Tinker Hatfield has confirmed he and his team are working on a consumer version of the shoes, complete with self-tying laces, and hopes to have them ready for sale by the end of 2015. 

7) Robot car fuelling

For the most part, filling a car up is still largely the same as it was in the 80s, but that could be about to change soon. Tesla recently unveiled a bizarre robot snake-like contraption for its electric cars to recharge them when in the garage. 

8) Fingerprint recognition

Most of us don't use it to get into our house, but fingerprint recognition is now a major part of many people's lives, being used on several smartphones to unlock them or pay for items. 

But what about the misses?

1) Flying cars

 We're not quite at the stage of seeing cars zip through the air - though a DeLorean could do wonders for the rush-hour commute. 

2) Power clothing 

Now this is one thing we wish 2015 had brought: jackets that dry themselves and shoes that lace themselves up. Look, no hands!  

The film went a little too heavy on its predictions for fax machines, which it imagined would be everywhere in 2015. Fortunately, they're not 

... And there's one key invention Back to the Future II missed out: smartphones - undeniably the most important technological breakthrough of the last decade. Apple didn't even get a look-in. 

Might have come in handy when Marty and the Doc wanted to escape the future and head back to 1985. 

See ya, eh!

Bob

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11699199/From-hoverboards-to-self-tying-shoes-6-predictions-that-Back-to-the-Future-II-got-right.html