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As a unit, the Rolling Stones would remain intact.
Truthfully, I doubt anyone in the 60s/70s would figure that the Stones and 2/4 living Beatles members would still be touring into the 2010s. I've seen the Stones and McCartney at least twice a piece. They truly are treasures.
I note that many comments here have been about changes caused by innovations from the physical sciences. In one sense, these are not too surprising because the results and processes of the physical sciences can be reproduced by anyone with the appropriate training and experience. On the other hand, I remember studying economics in the late 60s and into the early 70s and no-one was predicting the oil price shock and rampant inflation that devastated so much of the following 20 years. Despite the advances in computing power, the ability of economics to provide predictions with anything approaching that of the physical sciences is miniscule. 50 years after 1968, I feel that the economics community will continue to be totally surprised at what the future brings.
I note that many comments here have been about changes caused by innovations from the physical sciences. In one sense, these are not too surprising because the results and processes of the physical sciences can be reproduced by anyone with the appropriate training and experience. On the other hand, I remember studying economics in the late 60s and into the early 70s and no-one was predicting the oil price shock and rampant inflation that devastated so much of the following 20 years. Despite the advances in computing power, the ability of economics to provide predictions with anything approaching that of the physical sciences is miniscule. 50 years after 1968, I feel that the economics community will continue to be totally surprised at what the future brings.
My own observation is that even in the physical sciences, innovations have been mostly incremental and derivative. Today's aircraft and spacecraft, for example, are intuitive extensions of what was already available in 1968. Indeed, an engineer active in 1968 would have been disappointed with the comparative lack of progress over the ensuing 50 years.
As for disciplines such as economics, veracity of prediction is limited more by knowledge of the boundary-conditions, than by computing power. Even if we had computers trillions of times more powerful than what's currently available, and again trillions of times more powerful than that, well, the frontier of reliable prediction - beyond the current instant - would advance very little. For similar reasons, a stock-picking computer has yet to be successful. Rapid-fire trading, yes; but not truly "predictive". We are ultimately limited by the available knowledge to be input into the machine, rather than by the capacity of the machine.
Then there's the philosophical question of determinism. To what extent is human behavior deterministic? To what extent is the aggregate of human behavior deterministic, even if specific individuals, acting as individuals, have free-will? If the answer to these questions is in the negative, then no amount of technological advancement will garner much beneficial result, beyond mere "gut feelings" or untutored intuition.
Actually, growing up (born in the mid 1950's) I never thought we would make it to 2000. I figured nuclear war would wipe out the planet before then. What a gloomy young person I was.
Actually, I thought so, too, and I was born the same time you were (1953 for me). I wonder how many young people had that thought, and how much it contributed to the MAJOR youth rebellion (if that is not too strong a description) in the 1960's.
I do remember thinking something like, "I don't know how much time we have, so I might as well have fun now while I can." (Funny how that sentiment/thought and attitude now applies to my retirement, too, lol.)
I am surprised that buying fabric and sewing one's own clothes is more expensive than buying them.
I am surprised that so much food is pre-packaged or freeze dried or something and that regardless of the popularity of cooking shows so many people don't cook any more.
I am surprised at what disappeared with the popularity of the internet, such as most newspapers, some magazines, maps, encyclopedias, phone books. And if these didn't disappear they certainly are less in size and number.
Truthfully, I doubt anyone in the 60s/70s would figure that the Stones and 2/4 living Beatles members would still be touring into the 2010s. I've seen the Stones and McCartney at least twice a piece. They truly are treasures.
I remember in 1977 when I was a Sophomore in college, the Stones had a concert in Atlanta, and, a lot of guys went to a lot of trouble and expense to go, because, "Hey, this has to be one of the last Stones concerts in history, right?".
Now I am nearing retirement age, and the Stones still go on and on.
Remember, every cigarette you smoke takes an hour off your life. And gives that hour to Keith Richards.
I was also born in 1953 and spent a 35-40 year career in technology related to the earth sciences. In that area, there have been a lot of advances, many owing to increases in computing power, coupled with a huge increase in the amount of data available to input into imaging algorithms.
On the other hand, the goal of predicting the stock market or human behavior in general is a lot tougher problem. I'm reminded of Isaac Asimov's Foundation novels, in which his establishment of the science of "psychohistory" enabled the prediction of the behavior of - not individuals - but of large human populations over time. Perhaps that could be possible, but there are too many unknown variables, not enough data, and (I guess) no algorithms to analyze that data.
Anyway, back to the OP's question. We don't have flying cars yet (and I'm not sure we should). My own grand dad was fascinated by the idea of self-driving cars, but the tech we seem to be moving toward is different than he could have imagined. As for me, the most profound change has been the Internet and it's availability via devices we can carry about. I think that we are just starting to realize how profoundly this is affecting human life.
I have read through all the answers and there are so many terrifice ones -- really made me think.
Two things not mentioned have surprised me -- how many young people have ZERO interest in china and crystal and all the "nice things" we all wanted when we got married. They have embraced a much more relaxed and casual lifestyle -- and I am not criticizing it, in many ways I also enjoy that now -- but nobody wants my gorgeous crystal and china!! And nobody has dinner parties anymore.
And secondly -- and this is a bit personal -- but I find it AMAZING how young women go every couple of weeks to have ALL the hair painfully and torturously waxed off their entire bodies (Brazilian waxing). They all seem to do it -- and I don't get it.
We were all watching Woodstock recently and there were some girls dancing naked and there was alot of "OMG how GROSS" and other comments of shock and dismay. LOL
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