each and every time i come across a report or timeline put forth forecasting any aspect of the future i find myself with two separate reactions vying for mental prominence simultaneously: 1 fascination. 2 skepticism. the fascination is certainly easy to understand, any forecasting endeavor is engineered to illicit exactly this response. “oooh, robot cars powered by hamster farts! imagine that!” at the same time though, for me, this fascination can’t help but ultimately collapse under the shock waves of a mega-shrug. i mean, big deal. these forecasts are just gussied-up educated guesses right?
today i came upon a news story which reproduced a recent technology timeline offered by uk entity bt. it is a perfect example of the truly silly end of the futurist spectrum to be perfectly honest, but much like the involuntary reaction to swelling mood music in a hollywood drama, i can’t help but be just interested enough to read it through-
Here it is:
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2006-2010
EMOTIONALLY RESPONSIVE TOYS
RESPONDING to the sound of its owner’s voice, these toys will react with a variety of emotions. Sony’s Aibo dog robot can already simulate anger and fear, surprise, dislike, sadness and joy.
ELECTRONIC MEDICAL PRESCRIPTIONS
THE doctor will enter his diagnosis into a handheld computer, prescribe treatment and send instructions directly to a pharmacist via a text message.
VIDEO TILES
THESE will provide news or entertainment in the bath or shower. They can even change a scene to let you bathe under an African sunset, for example
2008 - 2012
MEDICINE DELIVERED VIA FRUIT
SCIENTISTS will be able to produce genetically modified fruit that carry medicines and extra vitamins. For example apples could contain the polio vaccine.
VIDEO TATTOOS
ONE worth waiting for ... ultra-thin polymer video screens stuck to the skin will act as as “moving tattoos”.
SENSITIVE FABRICS
CLOTHES made from smart fabrics will measure the wearer’s heart rate and temperature and transmit the data to a computer controlling the home. The computer will use the information to judge our mood - and light and heat the room accordingly.
2011 - 2015
SELF-DRIVING CAR
CARS will steer themselves, using enhanced satellite navigation and sensors to stop them getting too close to the car in front. Mercedes has already carried out tests on a closed track.
TOOTH REGENERATION
FILLINGS will become a thing of the past. Using gene therapy, lost or diseased teeth will be regrown in the mouth from a few cells. Scientists have already successfully grown mouse teeth in a lab dish.
MICROCHIPS IN FOOD
INTELLIGENT microwave ovens will automatically read the information on a chip hidden in the packaging of food and cook it exactly according to the instructions.
2013 - 2017
ACTIVE MAKE-UP
THE make-up is applied normally, but a small control unit in a handbag sends out electronic pulses that change the colours.
ROBOTS GUIDE BLIND PEOPLE
A PROTOTYPE robot which helps blind people shop or find their way around buildings already exists at Utah State university. Professor Vladimir Kulyukin designed the machine that locates items and avoids collisions. The robot could replace guide dogs.
2016 - 2020
ELECTRONIC LIFE FORM GETS BASIC RIGHTS
AS robots become more sophisticated and involve the addition of organic material into their construction there will be calls for their rights to be safeguarded.
VIEWERS PLAY FILM ROLES
USING computer-simulated versions of themselves, viewers will be in the thick of the action by introducing themselves into the movie.
EMOTION CONTROL DEVICES
THE most extreme use of emotion control devices would be to put a stop to criminal activity. It could suppress anger or stimulate feelings in emotionless psychopaths by sending electronic pulses to the brain.
2021 - 2025
E-TRANSLATION
WITH computers automatically translating every language there will be less need for humans to learn more than one. One universal language - probably English - will dominate.
HOLOGRAPHIC TV
INSTEAD of a flat screen, TV will become a three-dimensional affair, viewable from every side and projected into the middle of the room.
2026 - 2030
3D HOME PRINTERS
COMPANIES including the US-based Z Corporation are already working on technology which involves the printer building up layers of a material to create a solid model of a digital image.
2031 - 2035
BIOSTASIS IN SPACE TRAVEL
TECHNOLOGY will be available to slow the body’s metabolism enough to delay aging on space journeys lasting decades. Travellers will sleep the whole time, connected to drips to provide basic nutrients and vitamins.
COMPUTER GENIUSES
THE power of computers already doubles virtually monthly. At the rate the technology advances, they could become more intelligent than their creators.
2036 - 2040
SPACE ELEVATOR
A SEATTLE company is already planning to connect the earth to space via a cable running between a floating ocean platform and a satellite. Passenger pods and cargo could travel up and down the cable.
2041 - 2045
MOON BASE
A VILLAGE will be firmly established on the Moon, serviced by regular shuttle flights.
2046 - 2050
MARS COLONY
A SMALL colony of scientists and explorers will be entirely self-sufficient, growing food in large greenhouse-style pods.
NUCLEAR FUSION
THE idea is to recreate the nuclear reactions which take place at the heart of the sun. Last month the EU, America, Japan, Russia, China and South Korea agreed to build an experimental £6.6billion nuclear fusion reactor in France.
2051+
BRAIN DOWNLOADS
EVERYTHING in your brain - thoughts, feelings and memories - will be transferred to a computer, ensuring a form of digital immortality if eventually uploaded into a human brain later.
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now you see what i’m saying? shrug…
to be fair to futurists (or futurologists, practitioners of future studies, or whatever the hell they are calling themselves today - not to be confused with these
similarly named futurists of course-) there are timelines and forecasts out there which are woven of a totally different fabric to be sure, forecasts which make you shiver and try to think of other things, forecasts which distract you from the impending mega-shrug through sheer force of fascination. this particular timeline suffers more than many because it is so obviously a “consumer” or gee-whiz public consumption list- VIDEO TATTOOS! HOLOGRAPHIC TV! INTELLIGENT microwave ovens! seriously why bother? who gives a shit? as for the serious pieces on the timeline, (2046 - 2050 mars colony! 2051+ brain downloads!) these are sufficiently theoretical and distant as to be pretty much safe inclusions, but as such they also… uh oh… here it comes… shhhhhrrrrruuuuuuug!
for more worthwhile and though provoking adventures in future studies check some of these bottomless pits of dark and fascinating pontification-
and of course kurzweil.