From Sci-Fi to Reality: How Films Inspired the Tech Around Us

21 August 2025

Paul Francis

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A Nostalgic Glimpse of the Future

There was a certain magic in sitting down to watch a sci-fi film as a child, eyes wide, heart racing, as heroes tapped sleek screens, spoke into tiny devices, or zoomed around in cars that seemed to fly. The future felt just a reel away, and we often marveled at gadgets that seemed impossible. Yet over the decades, many of these fantastical inventions have crept off the screen and into our pockets, homes, and daily lives.

Foldable smartphone with a purple cover, standing open on a marble surface. The screen displays the time 17:51 and a colorful graphic.

Star Trek and the Rise of Mobile Phones

One of the most obvious examples is the mobile phone. Fans of Star Trek will remember the original series’ communicators, small flip devices that allowed instant contact across distances. These were a clear inspiration for the flip phones that became ubiquitous in the 1990s and early 2000s. Even today, the sleek, touch-screen smartphones we carry owe a nod to that early vision of portable, personal communication.

Beyond Phones: Sci-Fi as a Blueprint for Innovation

Films like Back to the Future Part II imagined hoverboards, self-lacing shoes, and video calling long before they became tangible possibilities. Science fiction has often served as a blueprint, a source of collective imagination that engineers and designers try to replicate. Robotic assistants, smart home devices, and augmented reality technologies can all trace at least part of their conceptual lineage back to the silver screen.

Medical Technology Inspired by Fiction

Medical technology has also benefited from the visionary ideas of science fiction. The Star Trek medical tricorder, capable of diagnosing ailments instantly, inspired real-world attempts at portable diagnostic tools. Companies and researchers have been working on handheld devices capable of scanning vitals and detecting illnesses quickly, a technology that could revolutionise healthcare access in remote areas.

Challenges of Turning Fiction Into Reality

Yet translating fiction into reality is rarely straightforward. Many innovations seen in films face practical, economic, and ethical challenges. The self-driving cars imagined in Total Recall and Minority Report are now being tested in real cities, but safety, regulation, and infrastructure remain hurdles. Similarly, while gesture-controlled interfaces and holographic displays dazzle audiences in cinemas, creating responsive, reliable, and affordable versions for daily use is far from simple.

Close-up of a person wearing glowing, futuristic HUD glasses with digital patterns. Eye-focused, hi-tech ambiance against a dark backdrop.

Nostalgia Keeps the Dream Alive

Nostalgia, however, keeps the dream alive. Older audiences smile at seeing Star Trek communicators reflected in their pocket devices, while younger viewers are inspired by the visions they see on screen today. Science fiction acts as both motivator and mirror, reflecting our hopes for the future and nudging technologists to turn imagination into reality.

Looking Forward: The Fantastical Becoming Mundane

So, while we may not be zooming around on hoverboards or casually teleporting from place to place just yet, the gadgets we carry and the technologies we rely on are increasingly influenced by what once seemed impossible. Perhaps one day, the fantastical devices of today’s films will be the mundane tools of tomorrow, and future generations will look back with the same nostalgic wonder we do now. Until then, keep an eye on the screen—it may just be the blueprint for the next revolution in technology.

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Unpacking the Reasons Behind the Scepticism Towards Tesco Clubcard

Gregory Devine
Feb 5, 2024
3 min read

Photo by Samuel Regan-Asante on Unsplash

Tesco is an instantly recognisable brand in the UK. Whilst it might not be the most popular supermarket chain, it's certainly the biggest. Whether you choose to shop at their smaller local stores, their massive supermarkets or you prefer to shop online and have your groceries delivered, there’s one thing you’ll need. A Clubcard.

Without Tesco’s loyalty card, you’ll find yourself spending so much more than you would have had you signed up to Clubcard. It's incredibly easy to do, especially now you can use the app, negating the need for a physical card. The question many people have is why does it allow for such large discounts. Many people on social media are quite sceptical, some say it's a disgrace how expensive items can be without the Clubcard discount. So why not just sign up? Well for many it's a case of privacy.

The reason Tesco wants you to own a Clubcard comes down to data. You may instantly think Tesco simply wants to sell your data but it might not be in the way you first think. This isn’t about selling your name, address and content details. In truth that isn’t very useful to Tesco, especially when the open register has that information already. It's a much more useful collection of data, about your shopping habits.

To a Supermarket, knowing what you buy, how much of it and how often is incredibly valuable information. They can see the different shopping habits in different areas of the country and target certain promotions in certain areas. They can tailor the rewards they offer you based on what you purchase to entice you to spend more money. For example, if you buy a certain brand of biscuits every week but the price increases and you choose not to purchase them anymore, they could give you a personalised offer one week in an attempt to get you to purchase that item once again.

Some people aren’t very comfortable with Tesco doing this and so will choose to not join the Clubcard loyalty scheme. Tesco is aware of this and so will increase the normal prices of items to try and convince you to join Clubcard. If you want to shop online either for click-and-collect or home delivery you have to have a Clubcard. Especially during the pandemic, this must have meant an uptake in people signing up for Clubcard meaning Tesco gained even more data on shopping habits from even more people.

Whilst privacy is an understandable reason to not sign up for Clubcard, you really shouldn’t be too worried. The UK has some of the strictest data protection laws in the world. Anyone who is even remotely involved in handling data will shudder at the sound of GDPR but it's there for a reason. Tesco doesn’t sell your data. They only use it in-house. Your data is connected to you but it's not benefiting anyone other than Tesco and possibly yourself depending on the discounts received. They can see what items are frequently bought together and arrange the aisles accordingly. They can see that you may be more likely to buy one item one week and another item the next but not in the same transaction so tailor your personal discounts week by week. They can see if you prefer to shop at the little or larger stores and build stores in areas of the country based on that data. They can even use it in their banking division to gain a better understanding of you and give discounts on things like car insurance if you are seen as a more trustworthy customer.

The main thing to remember with Clubcard is whilst yes it is collecting your data, it's not being sold outside of Tesco. You will never be worse off as a customer by having one, it will only ever give you discounts. For Tesco, it's essentially a win-win situation. Tesco makes more money by having a greater understanding of how to run their stores and the customer saves money by having discounts that are personalised rather than blanket discounts that cannot be offered on certain products due to the profit they would lose. In truth there's no reason to not have one, your data will be safe thanks to the strong data protection laws in this country.