I think there's quite a few things that make the '80s seem connected to now. Of course time is time regardless, but if you look at the similarities it gives the illusion that it's not as far away as it actually is. I'm probably a little biased since I WANT it to seem close, so I'm gonna focus more on things that make it seem newer rather than older. It's a time I pretty much accurately remember, so I wanna preserve it as being more "mine" and connecting it with today more than with old decades (like the 60s and 70s).

Anyway, here's some things imo (can anyone add any more):

*Even if some things are cheesy, it's still widely liked with new generations of kids getting into it
*Many 80s songs are still common on radio stations which play current music too (i.e. Billie Jean, Every Breath You Take, Take on Me)
*general fashion of T-shirts, jeans and sneakers is still the basic casual style
*Video games first came into popularity, and they're so standard and common now - including some of THOSE old games like Pac Man and NES stuff
*general cliques in teen movies (i.e. The Breakfast Club) still seem to have relevance today
*MTV (even if its format is totally different)
*lots of the people who were children then, and even some of the teens, seem pretty youngish for their age (like a current 35 year old) - especially when you compare it to previous generations
*The Simpsons went on the air (that means something from 1989 is still connected to today, which is a good feeling - even if the show is WAY past its peak)
*very beginning of home computers and digital technology like CDs
*Even new tech basically has an '80s counterpart - like Walkmen (for ipods), Polaroids (for digital cams) and VCRs (for DVDs)

Nothing since I wus in diapers in the  80s  ::)

*Madonna had the highest grossing tour (and all time) in 2008.
*Wheel of Fortune (1983) and Jeopardy! (1984) still have strong primetime ratings.
*Shopping malls are still a popular hangout with Teens
*Celtics-Lakers rivalry once again rules (though there was another strong period in the '60s)
*Yuppies is still a popular term in use
*Gas Prices are only around $1.50 a gallon in many areas, and gas was almost that expensive in early 1981  :)

I thought about this very subject a few nights ago. I was watching the Cosby Show season 3 (86-87) and it all seemed very fresh. The house itself wouldn't look out-of-date by today's standards and although some fashions were a little dated, they'd still look passable today. Considering it was 22 years ago, it all looked very recent.

I was in a clothing store 2 weeks ago and saw a digital plastic watch straight outta '811111 :o

  Well, this could be more 70s but the little cafe in town sells those candy cigarettes, complete with the authentic looking packaging.  Why some angry, meddling, do gooder parents haven't threatened the owner with a lawsuit (or boycott) I'll never know...

"Transformer" cartoon series turned into a movie. I heard a sequel will follow.