Ten Items That Reflect Life in 2015

Exemplifying Life in 2015 in a Small Time Capsule One of the fundamental aspects of the human condition is the desire to leave future generations with some indication concerning how people lived, worked and recreated during their lifetimes, and many individuals, groups and communities have used time capsules of varying sizes for this purpose (Hart & Rollins, 2011).

Given the dynamism of the early 21st century, though, accurately reflecting what life is like in 2015 is a challenging enterprise, particularly when faced with a 3-foot cubic space limitation when some time capsules are as large as living rooms (Smith, 2008). Therefore, the selection of representative items and articles to include in such a time capsule requires careful consideration and a variety of opinions in order to accurately reflect the most salient aspects of American culture and lifestyles.

To this end, this paper proposes 10 items that can be placed in a time capsule today that will help people living in the United States in the year 2215 better understand what life was like in this country in 2015, including a description of the items, the rationale in support of their inclusion in the time capsule and how these items might be interpreted by people in 2215 as set forth in Table 1 below.

Table 1 Ten Items for Inclusion in a Time Capsule, Supporting Rationale and Possible Interpretations Item Supporting Rationale Possible Interpretations Item Nos. 1-3: iPad (with instructions on use placed inside) and two flash drives with multimedia content The iPad and comparable devices have become a ubiquitous part of the American landscape in 2015 and are highly reflective of the current state of technology and how it is used by ordinary people. This item will also require little space.

Because physical devices for viewing information will likely be obsolete by 2215, citizens in that era may interpret an iPad as a book reader, television, or game device, rather than understand that it can do all of these things and much more. Item Nos. 4 & 5: A map of the U.S. highlighting the interstate highway system and a 12-inch model car The interstate highway system in the U.S.

was widely regarded as one of the wonders of the modern world in the 20th century, and its legacy is the continuing proliferation of fossil-fueled vehicles today upon which American consumers and business heavily rely. These items will occupy little space. Although promises of flying cars have been made by scientists for over a century, they may be a reality by 2215 and any cars that survive will likely be viewed as priceless antiques, just as they are today. These two items will help underscore their popularity in 2015. Item Nos.

6 & 7: A copy of "The New York Times" and "The Wall Street Journal" These two mainstream publications will provide examples of what is regarded as newsworthy as well as what is happening in the world on a specific date in 2015. These items will also occupy little space. Newspapers (and even the trees from which they are made) may be obsolete by 2215, but these two items will likely be readily recognized for what they are. Item No.

8: A written explanation of the event and pictures of the World Trade Center twin towers prior to and following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (with corresponding dates; i.e., Twin Towers on 9/10/01 and on 9/12/01) Although "everything changed" after 9/11, future generations may not remember why unless this poignant event in American history is recorded for posterity. These items will also occupy little space. Unless the written explanation can be understood by the people of 2215, it might be assumed that this was an aberrant attack.