Two 80s Cars Got Me Into Tech

I was asked this week what caused me to get into technology. Part of the answer is that I grew up as a kid in the 80s, and the debut of home video game consoles (Atari, Nintendo) played a huge role in drawing me into the coolness of electronics. They’re interactive and fun! I later realized that, in fact, there were very strong and particular influences that made me, “Wow!” at tech as it was or could be: two 80s cars.

You want an AI chatbot in a self driving car? We had that in the 80s, kids. Let me introduce you to K.I.T.T. of Knight Rider.

You want a stainless steel electrical vehicle? Also in the 80s: the Delorean time machine of Back to the Future. And its technically been around since the 50s; thanks, Flux Capacitor!

These were some of my biggest technology influences. Things that go bleep and bloop. LEDs. Lots of buttons. Sci-fi plus engineering.

These two cars were sleek, cutting edge, and cool just as automobiles. And they were full of so many whiz-bang electronics that they resembled a mainframe computer or a jet fighter cockpit.

One day in California, my parents took my family to Universal Studios where I got to actually sit inside the K.I.T.T. car and, I kid you not, it talked to me just like on the TV show! It’s still one of my most favorite experiences from my childhood. I’m pretty sure my Dad has a picture in a photo album; I want to go dig it out.

I think it’s safe to say these things were seminal. I grew up liking A/V equipment for my own home theater to go with my Nintendo and PlayStation systems. I was the nerdy kid who actually used a Casio B.O.S.S. before Palm Pilots and PDAs were a thing. (I missed the Palm devices, but I eventually owned and enjoyed a Dell Axim X3 PDA.)

Of course, computers and smartphones are the thing now. It’s cool that such geeky gadgets have become mainstream. Pretty much everyone has some kind of computer nowadays.

So yeah, K.I.T.T. and the Delorean time machine, two of the coolest pieces of tech ever invented (for sci-fi). Put that kind of gadgetry in fast, powerful, and sleek cars that are so mobile they can Turbo Boost over obstacles or travel through time, what’s not to like? They’re the ultimate mobile devices.

Too bad Apple’s Project Titan AI self-driving car didn’t work out.