Otto Sync

What you see as the unknown and unknowable future, I know to be incontrovertible history!

On this day in 2066, aging biophysics professor Nate Streuyn put the finishing touches on his last, and perhaps greatest, invention. Although Streuyn would have wished for a statelier name, his Flasher soon became a household word. The Flasher made use of the recent advances in the field of photomechano-feedback research. The technology used to make the Flasher would later take a prominent role in both astrophysics and agriculture. In the short-term, however, it found success--as well as the public's favor--as a handy after-market gadget that could be attached to any automobile. It's use? Simply to make one car's turn signal rhythm match up with that of the car in front of it. What was once thought to be a minor driving nuisance turned out to be much more: after the advent of the Flasher, "Road Rage" ceased to exist everywhere except Vermont, automobile accidents dropped 70%, and kids in the backseat no longer felt the need to scream and punch each other.

Moreover, this one change got people hooked on their appliances being in sync with their lives. By the beginning of the 22nd Century, the average person could enjoy:

• Telephones that won't let calls through until you're out of the shower and at least 78% dried off.
• Ipods which increase or decrease the tempo of the music you listen to based on how fast you're running, so your footfalls are always on the beat.
• Microwaves that actually do cook food faster when you watch them.
• Not having to read Cathy in the newspaper anymore.