The future might not be that rosy. Personal wrinkles aside, the bigger picture may bring with it dwindling resources, climate change, nuclear proliferation, natural disasters, super bugs, nanotech killer goo or just some kind of cultural malaise as information overload and the financial ‘bottom line’ decrease our attention spans.
However, it’s nice to day dream about a new technological utopia in which robots do all the hard work. A future where all our major energy, health and food problems are sussed and our abilities to create, explore and communicate are enhanced.
Here’s a youtube with a futurology timeline that includes some predictions taken from a number of authoritative sources. Though prediction is notoriously difficult. For example in the late sixties many people thought we’d be inhabiting other planets by now (it was a reasonable prediction given the success of the moon landings). Conversely, nobody really forecasted the rise and impact of the internet or the momentus changes it’s bringing about. The most interesting change right now being the way powerful interests have lost control of information, thus creating a world where, for example, dictators simply can’t exist.
Technology offers a longer and better life with less impact on the environment; whether that's going to work for everyone is ultimately a test of the human condition.
Anyway hope you like the video, please comment on the youtube and share it around on facebook, myspace, etc.
Here's some other future gazing stuff on youtube ...
