Inside look at humanity's high-tech future

A few days ago, I turned 31 while on a flight from Beijing to Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province, for the annual International Big Data Expo.

During the flight, I had plenty of time to reminisce about years long past, and perhaps most appropriately, the incredible technological changes I've witnessed during my lifetime.

During my primary school years, dial-up internet was standard, movies came on VHS cassettes, and people completed daily transactions with cash or plastic cards.