2050 sounds like the distant future. But in 2026, it’s closer to us than the year 2000.

Back then, you might have burned a CD, printed directions or waited for someone to get off the phone so you could use the internet. Now those everyday habits sound like museum exhibits. Here’s another way to picture it: someone born in 2000 turns 26 this year—and 50 in 2050. The future hasn’t arrived with flying cars. It’s been sneaking up on us one birthday at a time.