I once heard Majel Barrett Roddenberry give a speech about how the gadgets in Star Trek have inspired modern technology; and have been fascinated by the subject ever since.For example: compare the original communicators to modern cellular flip phones. In the TOS episode "All Our Yesterdays" Mr Atoz's library used a device very similar to a CD-Rom or DVD to record the planet's history. The following links examine more of these similarities.
Gesyn's Sci Fi Addiction
Main Engineering
The U.S.S. Kelly Activities Page
The U.S.S. Kelly Home Page
The Main Menu Page