Courtesy ©iStockphoto.com/GeofferyHolman

I read a short article in Reuters this morning that says that, according to a survey commissioned by ScoopDaily, a significant number of people say we aren’t as technologically developed as they imagined we would be by 2010. Apparently, people aged 35 to 54 are most likely to feel a sense of disappointment as far as technological development goes. To these people I’d just like to ask, “What planet are you on?”

Look around you. The technology at our disposal is phenomenal. You can buy a smartphone — a device that fits in your pocket and yet can access millions of bytes of data by surfing the Internet. That’s essentially the Guide from “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe.” Not only that, but many smartphones have touch-screen interfaces. Just by brushing your finger across a screen, you can view movies, listen to music, write e-mails to friends and make phone calls. There are times when I use my own smartphone when I’m amazed at how advanced this technology really is.

Televisions are getting high-tech too. Not only are we seeing 3-D-ready displays hitting the market, but also TVs that are Internet-capable. These televisions connect to a home network and give the viewer access to services like Amazon Video On Demand or Netflix as well as other Web programming. Before long, we’ll see televisions that combine the basic TV set with a fully functional media center PC.

The Internet and World Wide Web continue to evolve and grow more robust. Broadband penetration is increasing every month. Some movie studios are experimenting with allowing customers to stream new movies the same day the films hit theaters. You couldn’t do that a few years ago with slower data speeds.

GPS receivers make it easier than ever to navigate to unfamiliar locations. One particular brand even gives you a choice in GPS voices, which means you can find your way to grandma’s house by following the sage advice of Homer J. Simpson.

You can program practically anything these days. You can buy programmable versions of dishwashers, coffee makers and even the lock on your front door. Our lives are more automated than ever. That sounds like the future to me.

I haven’t even touched on the technological developments outside of the consumer market. Consider that we’ve explored the surface of Mars, discovered water on the moon and collided particles in the Large Hadron Collider (without destroying the Earth in the process). I think anyone who believes we aren’t as advanced as we should be needs to consider the question again, because when I look around all I’m seeing is science fiction come to life.

I’ll conclude by linking to a video that I think really expresses my point of view on the subject. It’s a rant delivered by Louis C.K.