April 17 2008 / by futuretalk
Category: Other Year: General Rating: 7 Hot
By Dick Pelletier
Many forward-thinkers see a bright future ahead as we begin our
21st century trek. The following timeline takes a positive look at
how the future could unfold:
Promises
2010-2019 – The biotech revolution picks up steam;
cloning tissues and organs are routine healthcare procedures now
and are covered by most insurance companies. Cancer, diabetes; most
heart diseases now treatable; patient records include complete
personal genomes available at around $100. Humanoid robots form 10%
of world population. “Big-Brother” surveillance prevents
crimes.
2020-2029 – Medical ‘nanobots’ maintain health 24/7, all
diseases now treatable. Star Trek-like replicators provide food,
clothing, and other essentials at little cost. Driverless
‘air-cars’ whisk us about. The space elevator slashed launch fees
enabling cheap vacations at orbiting hotels. A third-world nation
revealed capacity to wield nano-weapons, which prompted the U.S.,
EU, and China to join forces and create a world-wide defense
against the threat.
2030-2049 – Visionaries saw it coming: “machines would
one day out-think humans”. This revolution encouraged the merger of
minds and bodies with non-biological creations built with
‘immortal’ parts and powered by supercomputer intelligence. Living
in these new ‘indestructible’ bodies that can shape-shift into
different forms on command and never suffer an unwanted death has
given everyone an exhilarating sense of comfort, security, and
well-being. (cont.)
2050-2074 – Even though business and tourist migrations
to moon and Mars colonies are rising, developers now focus on
artificial habitats that are safer and less expensive to build.
These fabricated worlds – huge rotating cylinders – orbit around
Earth, moon, Mars, and the sun. The first one, near the L-5
lagrangian point above Earth, began accepting residents in 2060,
and now boasts 20,000 citizens who can gaze down through a special
new power-scope and observe home planet activities below, or just
enjoy the beauty of deep space.
2075-2099 – Time travel becomes reality. Using light
beams, researchers forced the past, present and future to circle
one another in a device, until the future preceded the past. Like
magic, tiny bits of matter moved from the present to the past. The
next stage, planned for 2110, will enable humans to travel through
time.
Perils
Humanity still demonstrates the savagery that typified our
evolutionary rise. In some sense, guaranteeing civilization’s
survival becomes a race against time. On one hand, we see
possibilities for unparalleled peace, happiness, and prosperity; on
the other, the forces of entropy (global warming, pollution, WMDs,
and fundamentalism) could still tear us apart.
Hopes
Our trek through the 21st century faces many challenges, but
with strong human ingenuity, we surely will prevail (after all, we
have made it this far!). The ‘global brain” Internet offers
prosperity for everyone, speedier advances in science and
technology, and provides virtual-reality entertainment that
sharpens our minds.
With technology’s help, by century’s end we could harness all of
the solar energy that strikes our planet. This will give us the
power to control and modify weather – no more hurricanes, tsunamis,
droughts, or floods: in this future time, every day will literally
be a great day.
As we move into the 22nd century, we will “boldly go where no
one has gone before”, and while scattering our populations to the
stars, the search for alien life may finally become successful (we
can only hope they’re friendly). Go “magical future”.
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