Jetpacks, hoverboards, x-ray specs, teleportation – the future was supposed to be full of this cool stuff. Through the first half of the 20th Century, an optimistic futurism swept the U.S. and was popularized by TV and magazines like Star Trek and Popular Mechanics. We live in a fantastic age – the Internet alone has revolutionized modern life, but…where are the robot servants, flying cars, and cities on the moon? If you’re interested in what previous generations thought the future would be, check out Gregory Benford’s retro-art-tastic The Wonderful Future That Never Was and Daniel H. Wilson’s humorous commentary in Where’s My Jetpack?