Wednesday, January 05, 2011
MANY GUID NEW YEARS TO ONE AN' ALL
Most of the technology things are mine and are things we can do with present technology or very slight advances. The only things holding them back are destructive Luddite politicians - so assuming they will actually happen here is perhaps optimistic, but not all the world's politicians are like that. The ones marked -K are from Ray Kurzweil. Since they are based on Moore's Law (that computer capacity doubles every 18 months) and he is the guy Bill Gates goes to for advice needs no further recommendation from me. The ones about individual people should be considered as satirical, but one can hope
COMING DECADE
First Minister Salmond says SNP investigations "categorically" prove global warming is "a lie produced by English government self styled scientists" and calls for compensation. Opinion poll shows 85% agree.
Commercial orbital vehicle inaugurates weekly service and by the end of the decade this is increased to several daily.
Glasses that beam images onto the users' retinas to produce virtual reality will be developed. They will also come with speakers or headphone attachments that will complete the experience with sounds. -K
The VR glasses will also have built-in computers featuring "virtual assistant" programs that can help the user with various daily tasks. (see Augmented Reality) -K
Cell phones will be built into clothing and will be able to project sounds directly into the ears of their users. -K
2014
Opening of Clyde estuary tunnel (Gourock - Dunoon)
Automated Glasgow/Edinburgh rail connection
1st new reactor at Hunterston on line
Roofing over of central Glasgow shopping district
Automatic house cleaning robots will have become common. -K
solar energy would become cheaper than energy from oil -K
2016
Opening of Loch Fyne tunnel (Cowal peninsula to Kintyre makes it 40 mile drive from Glasgow). New communities of weekend homes & even commuters spring up.
Opening of both Forth tunnels (at North Berwick and Queensferry)
Following referendum Chancellor Farage negotiates EU associate status
2017
Opening of Skye-Lewis tunnel
Proposition 45 passed by Scottish electorate - smoking allowed at property owner's choice
Practical virtual reality glasses will be in use. The devices will work by beaming images directly onto the retinas of their users, creating large, three-dimensional floating images in the person's field of view. Such devices would provide a visual experience on par with a very large television, but would be highly portable, combining the best features of the iPod and a widescreen TV. The glasses will deliver full-immersion virtual reality. -K
2018
Opening of Tay Estuary tunnel bypassing Dundee & shortening travel time from North Berwick to Aberdeen to 1 1/2 hours
Nuclear spaceship lifts off from South Georgia.
1013 bits of computer memory--roughly the equivalent of the memory space in a single human brain--will cost $1000. -K
2019
Tony Blair extradited to Belgrade
Chinese government apologises for Tianamen square and promises a crackdown on communists.
Nuclear spaceship establishes Martian base
Industrial Moonbase set up with the intention of putting ore into orbit for space industries.
The summed computational powers of all computers is comparable to the total brainpower of the human race. -K
Most business transactions or information inquiries involve dealing with a simulated person. -K
Most learning is accomplished through intelligent, adaptive courseware presented by computer-simulated teachers. In the learning process, human adults fill the counselor and mentor roles instead of being academic instructors. These assistants are often not physically present, and help students remotely. -K
Most human workers spend the majority of their time acquiring new skills and knowledge. -K
Blind people wear special glasses that interpret the real world for them through speech. Sighted people also use these glasses to amplify their own abilities. -K
Devices that deliver sensations to the skin surface of their users (i.e.--tight body suits and gloves) are also sometimes used in virtual reality to complete the experience. "Virtual sex"--in which two people are able to have sex with each other through virtual reality, or in which a human can have sex with a "simulated" partner that only exists on a computer--becomes a reality. -K
Computers do most of the vehicle driving—-humans are in fact prohibited from driving on highways unassisted.-K
2020
Bolshoi Ballet establish orbital studio
Personal computers will have the same processing power as human brains. -K
By 2020, there will be a new World government.-K (Personally I hope not - Neil)
2022
Professor V. Beckham addresses UN and calls for extension of tax raising powers to space so space based industries pay "fair taxes to reduce world poverty"
medical technology will be more than a thousand times more advanced than it is today, and the "tipping point" of human life expectancy will have been reached, with every new year of research guaranteeing at least one more year of life expectancy. Kurzweil also states that 3-4 months of life expectancy were added in 2007 due to the development of new medicines and treatments -K
2020s
1st Space Elevator completed, probably at Singapore.
Highly advanced medical nanobots will perform detailed brainscans on live patients. -K
By the late 2020s, nanotech-based manufacturing will be in widespread use, radically altering the economy as all sorts of products can suddenly be produced for a fraction of their traditional-manufacture costs. The true cost of any product is now the amount it takes to download the design schematics. -K
By the later part of this decade, virtual reality will be so high-quality that it will be indistinguishable from real reality. -K
A computer passes the Turing test by the last year of the decade (2029), meaning that it is a Strong AI and can think like a human (though the first A.I. is likely to be the equivalent of a very stupid human). -K
2025
11 nuclear reactor units online (4 at Torness, 6 at Hunterston, 1 at Peterhead) . Scotland's electricity supply tripled but at lower cost - "too cheap to meter" payment plan introduced
Surf City Uist modularly constructed hotel complex announces 10 millionth visitor
L5 orbital space colonies open to public for non-industrial settlement (mainly retirement homes)
The most likely year for the debut of advanced nanotechnology. -K
2026
Tarbert and St Helena paired Space Elevator opens
"nanotechnology-based" flying cars would be available -K
2029
A $1,000 personal computer is 1,000 times more powerful than the human brain. -K
Computer implants designed for direct connection to the brain are also available. They are capable of augmenting natural senses and of enhancing higher brain functions like memory, learning speed and overall intelligence. -K
The manufacturing, agricultural and transportation sectors of the economy are almost entirely automated and employ very few humans. Across the world, poverty, war and disease are almost nonexistent thanks to technology alleviating want. -K
2030s
Uist soletta (solar mirror focused there permanently to improve the climate)
Edinburgh tram system nears completion
Scientfic base beyond Uranus' orbit provides important evidence suggesting anti-gravity & cross dimensionsl communication possible.
Mind uploading becomes possible. -K
Recreational uses aside, nanomachines in peoples' brains will allow them to greatly expand their cognitive, memory and sensory capabilities, to directly interface with computers, and to "telepathically" communicate with other, similarly augmented humans via wireless networks. -K
COMING DECADE
First Minister Salmond says SNP investigations "categorically" prove global warming is "a lie produced by English government self styled scientists" and calls for compensation. Opinion poll shows 85% agree.
Commercial orbital vehicle inaugurates weekly service and by the end of the decade this is increased to several daily.
Glasses that beam images onto the users' retinas to produce virtual reality will be developed. They will also come with speakers or headphone attachments that will complete the experience with sounds. -K
The VR glasses will also have built-in computers featuring "virtual assistant" programs that can help the user with various daily tasks. (see Augmented Reality) -K
Cell phones will be built into clothing and will be able to project sounds directly into the ears of their users. -K
2014
Opening of Clyde estuary tunnel (Gourock - Dunoon)
Automated Glasgow/Edinburgh rail connection
1st new reactor at Hunterston on line
Roofing over of central Glasgow shopping district
Automatic house cleaning robots will have become common. -K
solar energy would become cheaper than energy from oil -K
2016
Opening of Loch Fyne tunnel (Cowal peninsula to Kintyre makes it 40 mile drive from Glasgow). New communities of weekend homes & even commuters spring up.
Opening of both Forth tunnels (at North Berwick and Queensferry)
Following referendum Chancellor Farage negotiates EU associate status
2017
Opening of Skye-Lewis tunnel
Proposition 45 passed by Scottish electorate - smoking allowed at property owner's choice
Practical virtual reality glasses will be in use. The devices will work by beaming images directly onto the retinas of their users, creating large, three-dimensional floating images in the person's field of view. Such devices would provide a visual experience on par with a very large television, but would be highly portable, combining the best features of the iPod and a widescreen TV. The glasses will deliver full-immersion virtual reality. -K
2018
Opening of Tay Estuary tunnel bypassing Dundee & shortening travel time from North Berwick to Aberdeen to 1 1/2 hours
Nuclear spaceship lifts off from South Georgia.
1013 bits of computer memory--roughly the equivalent of the memory space in a single human brain--will cost $1000. -K
2019
Tony Blair extradited to Belgrade
Chinese government apologises for Tianamen square and promises a crackdown on communists.
Nuclear spaceship establishes Martian base
Industrial Moonbase set up with the intention of putting ore into orbit for space industries.
The summed computational powers of all computers is comparable to the total brainpower of the human race. -K
Most business transactions or information inquiries involve dealing with a simulated person. -K
Most learning is accomplished through intelligent, adaptive courseware presented by computer-simulated teachers. In the learning process, human adults fill the counselor and mentor roles instead of being academic instructors. These assistants are often not physically present, and help students remotely. -K
Most human workers spend the majority of their time acquiring new skills and knowledge. -K
Blind people wear special glasses that interpret the real world for them through speech. Sighted people also use these glasses to amplify their own abilities. -K
Devices that deliver sensations to the skin surface of their users (i.e.--tight body suits and gloves) are also sometimes used in virtual reality to complete the experience. "Virtual sex"--in which two people are able to have sex with each other through virtual reality, or in which a human can have sex with a "simulated" partner that only exists on a computer--becomes a reality. -K
Computers do most of the vehicle driving—-humans are in fact prohibited from driving on highways unassisted.-K
2020
Bolshoi Ballet establish orbital studio
Personal computers will have the same processing power as human brains. -K
By 2020, there will be a new World government.-K (Personally I hope not - Neil)
2022
Professor V. Beckham addresses UN and calls for extension of tax raising powers to space so space based industries pay "fair taxes to reduce world poverty"
medical technology will be more than a thousand times more advanced than it is today, and the "tipping point" of human life expectancy will have been reached, with every new year of research guaranteeing at least one more year of life expectancy. Kurzweil also states that 3-4 months of life expectancy were added in 2007 due to the development of new medicines and treatments -K
2020s
1st Space Elevator completed, probably at Singapore.
Highly advanced medical nanobots will perform detailed brainscans on live patients. -K
By the late 2020s, nanotech-based manufacturing will be in widespread use, radically altering the economy as all sorts of products can suddenly be produced for a fraction of their traditional-manufacture costs. The true cost of any product is now the amount it takes to download the design schematics. -K
By the later part of this decade, virtual reality will be so high-quality that it will be indistinguishable from real reality. -K
A computer passes the Turing test by the last year of the decade (2029), meaning that it is a Strong AI and can think like a human (though the first A.I. is likely to be the equivalent of a very stupid human). -K
2025
11 nuclear reactor units online (4 at Torness, 6 at Hunterston, 1 at Peterhead) . Scotland's electricity supply tripled but at lower cost - "too cheap to meter" payment plan introduced
Surf City Uist modularly constructed hotel complex announces 10 millionth visitor
L5 orbital space colonies open to public for non-industrial settlement (mainly retirement homes)
The most likely year for the debut of advanced nanotechnology. -K
2026
Tarbert and St Helena paired Space Elevator opens
"nanotechnology-based" flying cars would be available -K
2029
A $1,000 personal computer is 1,000 times more powerful than the human brain. -K
Computer implants designed for direct connection to the brain are also available. They are capable of augmenting natural senses and of enhancing higher brain functions like memory, learning speed and overall intelligence. -K
The manufacturing, agricultural and transportation sectors of the economy are almost entirely automated and employ very few humans. Across the world, poverty, war and disease are almost nonexistent thanks to technology alleviating want. -K
2030s
Uist soletta (solar mirror focused there permanently to improve the climate)
Edinburgh tram system nears completion
Scientfic base beyond Uranus' orbit provides important evidence suggesting anti-gravity & cross dimensionsl communication possible.
Mind uploading becomes possible. -K
Recreational uses aside, nanomachines in peoples' brains will allow them to greatly expand their cognitive, memory and sensory capabilities, to directly interface with computers, and to "telepathically" communicate with other, similarly augmented humans via wireless networks. -K
Slange var a Happy New Year to all
Labels: Science/technology, scottish progress, Social
