The Minority Report: A Technology Crystal Ball?

”]Cover of "Minority Report [Blu-ray]"

My husband and I have become addicted to Netflix On Demand. I kid you not. As new parents with two careers, this is our new playground.

Recently, we were watching the Minority Report with Tom Cruise, and an incredible number of technology advances — considered futuristic when the movie premiered in 2002, are now today’s reality. The number of advances predicted in this film are uncanny.

Remember when Tom Cruise walks by animated billboards with American Express and the Gap ads that addressed him via his retina scan? Today, that’s almost akin to Addressable Advertising. The cable, satellite, advertising and mobile industries are all working on ways to better target you, so they can command more of a premium by serving up advertising. From tracking your activity online through IP and cookies, to collecting data and viewing habits on your cable box — from knowing your location because of your phone’s GPS. Marketers from these industries can almost predict what color underpants you’re wearing today and where you bought them — it’s quite mind blowing.

I’m telling you, a number of Apple engineers must be Minority Report cult fans because the Apple touch-screen technology abounds throughout the movie — from Tom’s PreCrime UI to the iPhone/iPod/iEverything charging sound — it’s so spooky.

How about when he’s reading the newspaper on the subway? Can you say iPad and iAd? Crazy.

And lastly, look at the gloves he is wearing in the DVD box art above? Well, my Mom just bought my husband and I pair at the most mainstream store possible — Federated’s Macy’s. Brilliant!

Can you think of any other movies or TV shows that the writers truly seemed to be clairvoyant? Nope not the Jetsons. We’re still not flying our cars through the air and taking our dogs for a walk on a treadmill — at least not yet.

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