A Window on Tomorrow


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CPU's, Mozart and Genetically Modified Foodstuffs

Below is a possible reality that we may be living ten years from now. It is simply to reflect one of many ways in which technology is increasingly playing a huge role in our lives, and raises the all important question: "Where do you want to go tomorrow?"

One morning in the not too distant future my alarm sounds. A Mozart symphony, number 10. I've asked my system to play all the Mozard symphonies , one every morning for over five weeks.

The music follows me from the bedroom to the bathroom to the kitchen, as do the room lights, on and off automatically with my presence. I open the refrigerator and it talks to me: "Your milk expires tomorrow" The barcode scanners built into the fridge door have read the expiry on the milk carton. I recall distant memories of fresh milk being delivered to my door every morning. i reach into the fridge and pull out the orange juice - the fridge again:

"That product contains genetically modified foodstuffs"

"Yeah yeah," I mumble sleepily, "love that genetically modified start to the day."

It's a Wednesday, which means I have to go into the "office" today - one day in seven aint so bad.

I've booked a 10-10:30am trip on the freeway, so i had better get cracking. As i start to get dressed, I tell the System: "Microphone, volume up. News headlines please."

the System begins to read.

"Headline 1: Sales of Sony playstations in China Have Topped 3 Billion Units"

"Skip," I interject.

"Headline 2: UN Gates accused of PLaying Politics"

"More," I reply.

"UN Scretary-General Bill Gates has been accused of interfering in international politics by making personal endorsement of Steve Ballmer for United States President. Gates has issued a statement saying, Ballmer is just a close friend, and his comments were not intended to affect due process. Real-time Net polling of Senator Ballmer's campaign has shown his approval rating skyrocket in the wake of gate's comments."

I start shaving, musing whether there is anything new under the sun, and trying to ignore the upcoming advertisement - it's the only part of the news subscription that can't be skipped or turned off. The pleasant phone voice says that these headlines were sponsored by IntelAMDCyrix Corp, which just happens to have a new server on the market, one of the Tardis models, purchase of which includes free subscriptions to four new DisneyMSNBC channels.

The "office" is actually at Sue's house, on the other side of the bridge, so when I'm dressed and ready I punch the address into the satellite navigation system on my skooter and scoot out into traffic. It's 10:10am so I'm "legal" on the freeway. A weak sun pokes through the brown haze as i cross through the brige and a sensor automatically deducts the $25 toll from the digital cash I keep in my wristwatch.

The meeting at Sue's house is just as uneventful as the trip to Sue's house, and we conclude by agreeing to meet at paul's house next week, just for the sake of variety.

Paul is in a bad mood because his System crashed last week and he had to pay for a full data restore from the Safety-Deposit Servers. Paul tries to cheer himself up by asking if I've heard the latest former Microsoft-programmer joke.

"Lifes too short for formet Microsoft-programmer jokes Pauk," I reply. "Let me buy you some lunch."

I dial for pizza, choose number 14, and wave my wristwatch over the scanner in the phone to pay for it. fifteen later we are munching on a delicious "Genetically Modified-Lovers Special" and debating which IT stocks we should have bought 10 years ago. The traffic heading home is heavy. As I sit waiting in the queue to enter the freeway, there looms a huge LCD billboard advertising a holiday experience with "NO Systems, NO phones, NO communications, NO TV - nothing with a CPU: just YOU." The evening is like most others. For a second or two I consider cooking something for dinner and then order in a pizza. I videophone Paul to ask him if he wants to come over for a drink, but he says he can't afford the bridge toll until next week.

"But I've booked some decent bandwidth at 11 o'clock," he says, "sp i'll see you online then."

I do a bit of work for next week's meeting, check that the scooter is charging okay, ask the System to top up the cash in my wristwatch from my central account, and mindlessly surf through the 53 channels. Some time later, I begin to doze and dream of a holiday with no Systems to talk to, no instant cash on my wrist, no news at my fingertips, and no videophone to see friends and family from a long way off.

Now, your view of tomorrow's computer technology and the way it might affect our work and play probably isn't as fanciful or pizza dominated as mine. But i think it's important to ask - with apologies to the Microsoft spin doctors - "where do you want to go tomorrow?"

I am interested in hearing your own thoughts on how technology in 10 years from now will have changed society. What kind of impact will it have on everyday life? Will the technoligies we often take for granted today, become age old antiques? Will Microsoft still be around? What about work? What kinds of Jobs do you think there will be?

Share your thoughts on the technology of tomorrow here !!

-Keldyn

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Mozart? Why not Mahler? No seriously, even though I do support technology of tommorrow, as with the view above of the future, I coukd see it as a decline of the human race really. Technology assisting us with simple tasks, telling us when our milk expires, music being carried everywhere, are we just becommiong lazy? However, I would support those technologies if they were helpful within the public sector, such as within health care and education etc. I quite enjoy now doing things manually insted of technology taking over it. Just my view.

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Where is technology taking us, and how will we see things in the future hey.

With such an infinite possibilty of paths almost impossible to predict. Cyber enginering, genetic engeenering, cloning, space travel, implants, dna enhancements, AI there just some of the possible industries waiting too boom into consumers lifestyles.

1500 years ago everyone Knew the world was flat

1000 years ago everyone Knew earth was the center of the universe

100 years ago everyone Knew Dynamite was the most powerful and deadly weapon man could create

70 years ago everyone knew the Atomic Bomb was just a theory

30years ago everyone knew globalisation would never take off like it did

15 years ago everyone Knew 640kb of memory was enough

In this era of information, imagine what youll know tomorrow.

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