05-16-2019, 08:51 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-16-2019, 08:58 PM by Noclevername.)
The transition between an economy and social structure built around human work and an Autototopia will become even more brutal as machine capabilities increase. A UBI is a stopgap measure of largely untested effectiveness, but so far it's the best idea at least that I've heard. The other suggestions all amount to band aids on bullet wounds; They may not work, and some may actually make the problems worse.
Increased medical/bio tech will start to bear fruit by extending human lifetimes. What this does to an already over-burdened population growth is fairly predictable. As the effectiveness of the methods gets put to the test and results become known, I predict conflict over who gets to live and who dies.
Biotech also has its dark side; the capability to make your own bioweapons will be realized, with all that this implies. Human genome manipulation will also take effect. There will be failures, too, human beings getting modified in damaging ways when trying to make them "better".
Brain/computer interfaces will come into the real world, starting in small ways and then growing in complexity and capability.
We will become an increasingly transparent/surveilled society. Everything will be online, all the time. If you want privacy, stay home and shut down every device. Windowless rooms and even Faraday cages may become popular features in new homes.
Eco-consciousness will be the order of the day. Expect more regulations, more strictly enforced. Solar panels and windmills everywhere. No more gas burners. Algae farms at sea, tidal power, lots of improvement in power storage. Recycle everything. Water will get expensive. How much all this mitigates our current trends of environmental destruction is above my pay grade.
Meat and milk will become much more expensive; substitutes will be developed that look and taste almost real.
Mass customization and fabrication will radically change consumer culture and business.
Even more telecommunication. You heard the jokes about your phone being grafted to your ear? Well, look for that to become more literal.
Trust networks will become more vital to personal interaction.
Golf will decline in popularity.
Increased medical/bio tech will start to bear fruit by extending human lifetimes. What this does to an already over-burdened population growth is fairly predictable. As the effectiveness of the methods gets put to the test and results become known, I predict conflict over who gets to live and who dies.
Biotech also has its dark side; the capability to make your own bioweapons will be realized, with all that this implies. Human genome manipulation will also take effect. There will be failures, too, human beings getting modified in damaging ways when trying to make them "better".
Brain/computer interfaces will come into the real world, starting in small ways and then growing in complexity and capability.
We will become an increasingly transparent/surveilled society. Everything will be online, all the time. If you want privacy, stay home and shut down every device. Windowless rooms and even Faraday cages may become popular features in new homes.
Eco-consciousness will be the order of the day. Expect more regulations, more strictly enforced. Solar panels and windmills everywhere. No more gas burners. Algae farms at sea, tidal power, lots of improvement in power storage. Recycle everything. Water will get expensive. How much all this mitigates our current trends of environmental destruction is above my pay grade.
Meat and milk will become much more expensive; substitutes will be developed that look and taste almost real.
Mass customization and fabrication will radically change consumer culture and business.
Even more telecommunication. You heard the jokes about your phone being grafted to your ear? Well, look for that to become more literal.
Trust networks will become more vital to personal interaction.
Golf will decline in popularity.