With so much out there about how awful things have become, it's nice to stop and consider some of the more positive things about living in the 21st Century. For one thing, the overwhelming majority of us walks around with a super computer on hand, that can instantly provide access to all of the information and knowledge humans have accumulated in our existence — beyond remarkable when one considers how many of us only had land lines and dial-up Internet access at the turn of the century.
Such a sea-change has enabled us to embrace our inner geek. We are not ridiculed for wearing glasses or loving Star Wars. We are no longer mocked for having our homes geeked out in servers and cross-platform communication. Instead, being a geek carries a form of street cred once reserved for auto mechanics, with many envious of our access to a world just beyond their reach.
Perhaps embracing our inner geek has had some unintended consequences. Back to the Future is now north of 30, yet still holds up as probably the best time-travel movie ever (sorry Star Trek fans). Sure, the effects and fashion are incredibly dated, but it holds up well as a period piece, and the innocence of my children allows them to enjoy it as much as I did when it was new. Not only is it a story of redemption for both of the elder McFlys, that redemption is only made possible by the selflessness of their son, Marty. It also gives us one of the best fictional surnames ever: McFly.
While my daughter was getting caught up in the family dynamics of the plot, my son was captivated by the time machine: The DeLorean. The climactic Clocktower scene where a bolt of lightning is used to power the flux capacitor, ultimately sending Marty McFly back to his own time, was a jolt to his imagination.
That's where some pipe cleaners, a toy DeLorean, some string, a power outlet, and the unbridled creativity of our six year old son come together for the perfect storm. Normally, we think nothing of it when our son asks for different materials for an art project. He's always so involved, that we often hear him doing voices or making laser sounds as he fires imaginary weapons, so it was quite odd to have him race into the kitchen to interrupt us with shouts of "Fire! Fire!" in lieu of his preferred "Pew! Pew! Pew!"
"Yes," my wife responded lazily, "Fire, pew, pew, pew."
"NOOOOO!" He shouted as he started jumping up and down on the spot, "FIRE!!!"
We instantly sprang into action, my wife yanking the charred pipe cleaner from the power outlet, ensuring nothing was actually burning beyond that, and checking our son for any signs of serious injury. As we calmed him down and stepped back to examine things, we realized he had recreated the entire Clocktower scene, with remarkable accuracy. As lightning bolts are in such short supply, he decided to make do with a power outlet and a modified pipe cleaner. Sure, he nearly burned the house down, but how else are you supposed to get that much juice into a flux capacitor?!
