I was having a beer with a friend when his cell phone rang. After
reassuring his wife that he was certain to forget to buy milk on the way
home, he hung up, looked at his phone contemplatively and said, "Do you
think that cell phones would look like this if it wasn't for Star Trek?"
Well, actually, no, they wouldn't. Apparently Martin Cooper, the chief
engineer at Motorola who developed the cell phone in 1973, is on record
as stating that Star Trek was his inspiration.
- Sid
