Thread: The next 30 years..........

Well It's 2010 and I was thinking wow 30 years ago it was 1980(yay I can do math) Look how far technology has gotten us. Look at how culture, music, and entertainment has changed scince then.

What technological advancements do you think will come in the next thirty years?

What will music be like? Will there be another revolution of good rock, or will hip pop stay on top?

Will we have virtual reality?

What political and worldly issues will come about?

Will we have a base on the moon?

Just post your thoughts on the next thirty years................

I believe virtual reality in videogames will become near possible, but just bring about more issues in the world with addiction and what not. Hopefully well have a base on the moon, and still good music.

Ya my predictions are pretty lame but I want to know yours......

"Nothing lasts forever, but the certainty of change."

What technological advancements do you think will come in the next thirty years?

With the exponential nature of human knowledge and capacity to create, and in turn technology, I have no doubt that within the next 30 years things will get nuts techology wise... a new industrial revolution... a renaissance.

What will music be like? Will there be another revolution of good rock, or will hip pop stay on top?

It'll be waaaay different IMO. Things will change drastically. Will hip hop stay? Probably... they said disco and funk died... but no music dies... there's always fans.

Will we have virtual reality?

Do some research and you'll find we're already there. The computing power is there, and the technology, though young, is here. It's just not yet at the point where it's 'practical' yet. Look at computers when they started... and look now... hasn't been too long. Comparitively Virtual reality will become more accesible in the next 5 years IMO.

What political and worldly issues will come about?

With massive breakthroughs almost daily in the fields of biology, neurotechnology, and more importantly genes, I believe many political issues... more moral if anything... will come about regarding gene manipulation.

In my opinion technology will surely advance more in the next 30 years than it has in all of past human existance. The big thing, for me at least, is going to be issues surrounding our advancements in biology and DNA... and our abilities to manipulate genes.

We'll have aircraft that can't be seen by the naked eye, and will likely be invisible to all other forms of electromagnetic radiation.

Meta-materials will offer that and much more. The stealth thing, at least, is a sure thing to happen within 30 years.

I voted No. It's pretty vague and relative what constitutes "much change," but IMHO not much has changed since 1980 other than a handful of increasingly important technologies. We live in basically the same sociopolitical world, with the same sorts of people engaged in the same conflicts and pursuing the same goals, except now we have widespread internet access, cell phones, etc. To me, that's not very different.

Looking to the future, certainly things will be a bit different in 30 years, but I don't know of any special reasons to think that there's going to be fundamental societal changes. We will of course increasingly have to wean ourselves off of oil and/or become efficiency-conscious, but this is going to be a far less impactful change than some people have supposed. Contrary to popular belief, there is already an abundance of alternative technologies which either use existing energy sources extremely efficiently or rely on unconventional and more sustainable forms of energy. Most people simply don't hear about these innovations because there's not a strong societal incentive to adopt these technologies (yet). These technologies are out there in the research community literally just waiting to be adopted for corporate use. I personally only know about them because a friend of mine is an engineering grad student specializing in something like alternative energy technology. You should hear the things he tells me about. But anyway, no, I don't think there will be "much change" (whatever that entails) in the next 30 years. Just the same old people in the same old sociopolitical systems using technology that happens to be a little better. Yawn.

I don't know how you can say that there hasn't been much change since 1980.
But I guess that it depends on how you define change. I believe there will be
more unforeseeable things to happen in the next 10 years than there has been
in the past 30. Things move increasingly quickly, not only technology, but also
information.

Oil production will definitely have peaked by such a time, and China and India will be using up a large amount of it. We could have to adjust to less than half or maybe even a third of current consumption; pretty frightening when you consider what a 5% decrease in production did in the 70s.

Oil will therefore be extremely expensive. If the political apathy continues as it has been, this will mean a large amount of social upheaval in advanced countries, but it's hard to know how much. There could be mass food shortages, even potential famines. There could be no constant energy provision. There could be an end to consumerism and cheap goods. There would be no more long commutes without essential purpose, so communities would become localised. The resulting social unrest could destabilise governments, and there could be constant warfare for dwindling resources. All this would last at least as long as it takes for countries to sort themselves out. The worst problem with most governments is that the only impetus for change is current events. In Britain we are terrible for this so we could have a pretty dark few years looming on the horizon. In other places like Switzerland they have much better governing systems and as a result they have much better infrastructures in place to deal with this.

Contrary to popular belief, there is already an abundance of alternative technologies which either use existing energy sources extremely efficiently or rely on unconventional and more sustainable forms of energy. Most people simply don't hear about these innovations because there's not a strong societal incentive to adopt these technologies (yet).

I'm glad to hear that, although I'm hoping you could name a few. The problem isn't just energy of course, it's also materials. What do you think will provide a substitute for plastics, or farming chemicals?

I've always thought renewable power provision was simply an issue of political will rather than a fundamental problem. If you want more energy, all you have to do is build more renewable energy sources. Fusion power is also looking hopeful.

Not so sure about transport though. What are your views on that?

Originally Posted by DuB

I voted No. It's pretty vague and relative what constitutes "much change," but IMHO not much has changed since 1980 other than a handful of increasingly important technologies. We live in basically the same sociopolitical world, with the same sorts of people engaged in the same conflicts and pursuing the same goals, except now we have widespread internet access, cell phones, etc. To me, that's not very different.

Wait...what?

Cell phones and the internet have radically changed the way we socialize, work, make purchases, and entertain ourselves. They're not the changes sci-fi writers expected to see, and they don't have the cosmetic impact of new transportation networks or robot servants, but in terms of how we live, yes, a lot has changed since 1980. Maybe it's not as evident in urban areas, but for formerly isolated communities like the small town where I grew up, the change is profound.

Add the cumulative impact of incremental changes in other areas, particularly raw computing power and data storage, and many people are now living lives that would not have been possible in the '80s.

Sociopolitically, *cough*CHINA*cough* The exchange of money, goods, and warm bodies between China and the USA in the past 20-25 years has been substantial. Russia's occasional posturing aside, the threat of war between major powers (potentially sterilizing the biosphere), still imminent in 1980, is now distant. The first stage of Europe's long-anticipated peaceful consolidation is accomplished. Anyone with a reality-based worldview should feel considerably more secure on 2010 earth than 1980 earth (unless they live in Africa, or under an Islamic gov't >__>).

...

As for the future, I expect more decentralization in the form of better batteries, better solar both for mobile devices (including vehicles) and home energy production, and devices with more flexible means of accessing and/or creating networks, including direct device-to-device communication and satellite. I don't expect much action in space--no moon bases, orbital power stations, or orbital production facilities, but more private enterprise in terms of moving payloads, operating satellites, and small-scale space tourism. Transportation, likewise, is unlikely to advance much except for tighter traffic management, more automation, and the increasing inclusion of home/business amenities in both public and private vehicles. I would not be surprised to see future GPS doing the driving in communication with smart-highways while the human operator web-browses, has a meeting via telepresence, or catches up on a serial drama. We'll likely see a lot more interfaces based on voice, gesture, motion detection including eye movements, and possibly direct pick-up of electrical signals in the brain.

Originally Posted by Xei

I'm glad to hear that, although I'm hoping you could name a few. The problem isn't just energy of course, it's also materials. What do you think will provide a substitute for plastics, or farming chemicals?

Unfortunately I can't. I typically listen with at best moderate interest, never follow these things up, and the stuff is testing the scope of my technical knowledge to start with.

Originally Posted by Taosaur

Wait...what?

Cell phones and the internet have radically changed the way we socialize, work, make purchases, and entertain ourselves.

Okay, define "radically." Maybe my standards for change are too high, but I don't think that it's radical at all. We were social creatures in 1980 and we're social creatures now. The inability to send mass text messages 30 years ago was not hindering our ability to socialize with others. We watch way too much TV now just as we did then, but now we have more channels. We can buy things online now, but the vast majority of our purchases are still face to face. Mass media is just as mass, corporations just as overwhelming. Perhaps most importantly, social norms have changed very little in 30 years. We've made depressingly little progress in eliminating minority disparities, and all manner of prejudice and discrimination are still with us, with every indication that they're here to stay. Someone from 1980 who jumped forward into our time would fit in without any problem; we're playing the same game by the same basic rules. Now, someone from 100 years ago, they would have a much harder time.

IMO, "much change" socially would be something like the majority of us living in collectivist communes. Chatting with one's friends and family over IM rather than a telephone is not a major change as I see it. These are pockets of salient change contrasted against a largely unchanged social background.

The point about lessened chance of war between major powers is a good one, though. I agree that, on average, today's world is a much safer place than the world of 1980. Certainly that's worth a lot.

Originally Posted by DuB

I voted No. It's pretty vague and relative what constitutes "much change," but IMHO not much has changed since 1980 other than a handful of increasingly important technologies. We live in basically the same sociopolitical world, with the same sorts of people engaged in the same conflicts and pursuing the same goals, except now we have widespread internet access, cell phones, etc. To me, that's not very different.

Looking to the future, certainly things will be a bit different in 30 years, but I don't know of any special reasons to think that there's going to be fundamental societal changes. We will of course increasingly have to wean ourselves off of oil and/or become efficiency-conscious, but this is going to be a far less impactful change than some people have supposed. Contrary to popular belief, there is already an abundance of alternative technologies which either use existing energy sources extremely efficiently or rely on unconventional and more sustainable forms of energy. Most people simply don't hear about these innovations because there's not a strong societal incentive to adopt these technologies (yet). These technologies are out there in the research community literally just waiting to be adopted for corporate use. I personally only know about them because a friend of mine is an engineering grad student specializing in something like alternative energy technology. You should hear the things he tells me about. But anyway, no, I don't think there will be "much change" (whatever that entails) in the next 30 years. Just the same old people in the same old sociopolitical systems using technology that happens to be a little better. Yawn.

Things have got to shake up soon, with the way new countries are gaining power.. We are almost guaranteed to see a huge change.. With India, China, etc.. gaining such a foothold in the world.. I can't wait to see revolts in those countries over the terrible working conditions.

I'm pessimistic about the future, mainly with the continual weakening of western democracy and ineffectiveness in stopping radical groups from strengthening. The future looks pretty bleak (unless something unexpected happens)

The law of nature is change. Nothing can remain the same forever. No lessons can be learned if everything was done the same over and over again. Life is about lessons and experience. What would be the point of living as if we were a rock when we chose to have human bodies instead?

Originally Posted by Keldario

The law of nature is change. Nothing can remain the same forever. No lessons can be learned if everything was done the same over and over again. Life is about lessons and experience. What would be the point of living as if we were a rock when we chose to have human bodies instead?

Yeah, but to nature 30 years is nothing. Society can remain fairly static for a generation or two.

Originally Posted by spockman

Yeah, but to nature 30 years is nothing. Society can remain fairly static for a generation or two.

This is true, but we are apart of nature and nature is a part of us. Those who are willing to make great change in this life time, will.

I am willing.

Hopefully people will realize you can't keep mutilating the environment like we are.

I'm probably going to say this wrong but my hubby told me (if memory serves) that at one point in time the patent office closed and said that everything that could be invented HAS been invented. They were very wrong lol

I see great changes in the future. If I look with a religious view, things may become horribly wondrous. If I ignore the religious and simply view the future from a technological/scientific/political etc view, I think there's things in store we can't even begin to imagine.

There will be noticeable global change in 2010. I can already list many grotesque things that have already taken place in 2010 that are enormous in impact, but they aren't whats in-your-face noticeable, just the tip of the iceberg.

It is just a 2004 prediction I made. I'm leaning on the intensity of a global economic collapse or something equivalent in travesty, a real eye opener.


Think I'm joking?

Should be interesting.

In 30 years you are all going to be in jail. I will have taken over the world and anyone who doesn't call me your majesty will be put in jail, and I will make it retroactive.

You really think so, Your Majesty?

Heh... I need to correct hubby (not often I get to do that lol)
I looked it up:
""Everything that can be invented has been invented."
Charles H. Duell, U.S. Commissioner of Patents, in 1899.

Rumor has it...

that a Patent Office official resigned and recommended that the Patent Office be closed because he thought that everything that could possibly be invented had already been invented!

While that statement makes good fun of predictions that do not come to pass, it is none the less just a myth....." http://en.allexperts.com/q/Inventing...ing-invent.htm



I hate to see the long term ramifications of the huge oil spill that's going on...

Drill baby drill?


I hate humanity.