The future is now - a new era of technology

[rousseau]

Decades ago all kinds of visions of the future arose, most of which turned out to be incorrect. Nowadays, everything we experience on a day to day basis is completely normalized, to the point where we don't think about it as being exceptional, but I'd argue that the era of amazing technological advance, while not complete, has arrived.

Some examples of technologies that are unbelievably amazing:

• Wireless Signalling
• The internet
• Flight
• Health care advances
• Genetic manipulation
• Complex software

Aspects of our day to day are incredible, but everyone takes them for granted as just another part of life. If we somehow transported smartphones back 200 years and told someone they could easily speak with another person that was thousands of miles away at will, they'd probably faint.

Like I said, technology obviously isn't 'complete' and more than likely far from it, but I think the advances that have been made in the past 50 years have definitely brought us to a new era of tech.

 

[dystopian]

Decades ago all kinds of visions of the future arose, most of which turned out to be incorrect. Nowadays, everything we experience on a day to day basis is completely normalized, to the point where we don't think about it as being exceptional, but I'd argue that the era of amazing technological advance, while not complete, has arrived.

Some examples of technologies that are unbelievably amazing:

• Wireless Signalling
• The internet
• Flight
• Health care advances
• Genetic manipulation
• Complex software

Aspects of our day to day are incredible, but everyone takes them for granted as just another part of life. If we somehow transported smartphones back 200 years and told someone they could easily speak with another person that was thousands of miles away at will, they'd probably faint.

Like I said, technology obviously isn't 'complete' and more than likely far from it, but I think the advances that have been made in the past 50 years have definitely brought us to a new era of tech.

...uhm, yes? Was this ever really in doubt by anyone?

I'm much more interested in how often people were actually *right* in their future predictions. Everything you've listed was to some degree predicted before it became real. It used to be science fiction, and is now science fact. I'm interested to see which predictions will become true next. For instance, we're currently seeing several technologies from Star Trek becoming real; the 3d printing revolution certainly represents the first step to a true 'replicator'; we now have prototype handheld medical scanners, primitive tractor beam prototypes, and warp drives are looking more plausible than ever before; the future's definitely looking bright, at least when it comes to scientific/technological progress.

 

[rousseau]

Decades ago all kinds of visions of the future arose, most of which turned out to be incorrect. Nowadays, everything we experience on a day to day basis is completely normalized, to the point where we don't think about it as being exceptional, but I'd argue that the era of amazing technological advance, while not complete, has arrived.

Some examples of technologies that are unbelievably amazing:

• Wireless Signalling
• The internet
• Flight
• Health care advances
• Genetic manipulation
• Complex software

Aspects of our day to day are incredible, but everyone takes them for granted as just another part of life. If we somehow transported smartphones back 200 years and told someone they could easily speak with another person that was thousands of miles away at will, they'd probably faint.

Like I said, technology obviously isn't 'complete' and more than likely far from it, but I think the advances that have been made in the past 50 years have definitely brought us to a new era of tech.

...uhm, yes? Was this ever really in doubt by anyone?

I'm much more interested in how often people were actually *right* in their future predictions. Everything you've listed was to some degree predicted before it became real. It used to be science fiction, and is now science fact. I'm interested to see which predictions will become true next. For instance, we're currently seeing several technologies from Star Trek becoming real; the 3d printing revolution certainly represents the first step to a true 'replicator'; we now have prototype handheld medical scanners, primitive tractor beam prototypes, and warp drives are looking more plausible than ever before; the future's definitely looking bright, at least when it comes to scientific/technological progress.

That's the funny part about it.

Most people are texting away on the rocket-ship in their pocket, completely oblivious to how incredible what they're doing is in the context of human history, or even world history.

But then, in the context of what may be to come what we've seen so far might be nothing.

 

[bilby]

Science Fiction usually describes technology in exiting and wondrous terms - after all, it is supposed to be entertaining to read. But the reality is that technology has always progressed rapidly from 'fabulous wonder of the age' to 'meh, it's just stuff', very rapidly indeed.

In the 1950s, after the huge advances in aviation driven by WWII, intercontinental passenger flight was a real option for the first time in history, and people were amazed. But by the late 1960s, people had gone from 'OMG, I am actually flying in an aeroplane!' to 'The seats are so cramped and the food is awful'.

I flew over Baghdad at 35,000 feet in the early hours of August 3rd of this year. Of the nearly 300 passengers, I think I was the only one who bothered to lift the window blind and take a look at the city, which is quite beautiful from that vantage point at night. Ours was one of the last commercial flights to transit Iraqi airspace before the post MH017 ban came into force.

People are very adaptable; they simply can't maintain excitement and wonder for long - new stuff isn't new after a few months or years, and once it's not new, it becomes mundane, and is only remarked upon when it fails to work perfectly.

 

[gmbteach]

It is amazing just how quickly the 'new' does become the 'norm'.

I remember getting my first 'smart phone', an HP iPaq:

And being totally amazed that I could 'sync' it to my computer to keep track of my appointments etc. As I was travelling a bit at the time, it was handy. I remember being amazed that it had Word, Excel etc on it also, so that I could email myself a document, download it, and edit it on my device.

Now, everyone has them, and I think nothing of doing stuff like that on my iPhone or iPad.

We already have Suri, how long will be it before we have computers that obey voice commands such as 'Computer: reconfigure the specifications for perspex to hold 500 kL of water'

 

[bilby]

It is amazing just how quickly the 'new' does become the 'norm'.

I remember getting my first 'smart phone', an HP iPaq:

And being totally amazed that I could 'sync' it to my computer to keep track of my appointments etc. As I was travelling a bit at the time, it was handy. I remember being amazed that it had Word, Excel etc on it also, so that I could email myself a document, download it, and edit it on my device.

Now, everyone has them, and I think nothing of doing stuff like that on my iPhone or iPad.

We already have Suri, how long will be it before we have computers that obey voice commands such as 'Computer: reconfigure the specifications for perspex to hold 500 kL of water'

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9kTVZiJ3Uc[/YOUTUBE]


I love how the computer in this clip looks so incredibly antiquated today.

 

[gmbteach]

It is amazing just how quickly the 'new' does become the 'norm'.

I remember getting my first 'smart phone', an HP iPaq:

And being totally amazed that I could 'sync' it to my computer to keep track of my appointments etc. As I was travelling a bit at the time, it was handy. I remember being amazed that it had Word, Excel etc on it also, so that I could email myself a document, download it, and edit it on my device.

Now, everyone has them, and I think nothing of doing stuff like that on my iPhone or iPad.

We already have Suri, how long will be it before we have computers that obey voice commands such as 'Computer: reconfigure the specifications for perspex to hold 500 kL of water'

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9kTVZiJ3Uc[/YOUTUBE]


I love how the computer in this clip looks so incredibly antiquated today.

That is exactly the scene I was picturing.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

The best part about things today is that people think they should have everything available for nothing too, mostly thanks to 30 years of right-wing propaganda.

 

[skepticalbip]

An amazing technical marvel of the 1990's was the car phone. People could actually make telephone calls without having to go home, to the office, or stop at a corner payphone booth. Everone was astounded.




Back in time just a little and people were astounded when the telephone was introduced and people could talk to someone miles away.

 

[credoconsolans]

The best part about things today is that people think they should have everything available for nothing too, mostly thanks to 30 years of right-wing propaganda.

And that they're SUPPOSED to have it.

Parents lamenting their child being a cyberbully or sending naked pictures of themselves to the entire school [wringing hands]: What can we do? We can't stop them from doing it.

Me: Sure you can. Take away their phones.

Parents [blinking like a stunned duck]: B-b-but we can't do that. They need them...for emergencies.

Me: They need a phone for emergencies, not a mini-computer with internet access. Buy them a pay as you go phone with only phone and text capabilities.

Parents stare blankly...

 

[Underseer]

Wait, what about the "singularity" thing? Weren't we all supposed to have turned into robots by now or something?

 

[skepticalbip]

Wait, what about the "singularity" thing? Weren't we all supposed to have turned into robots by now or something?

Or, at least, have flying personal cars and colonies on several other planets.

I'm pissed that I haven't been able to take a couple week vacation trip to Mars yet.

 

[dx713]

Wait, what about the "singularity" thing? Weren't we all supposed to have turned into robots by now or something?

From the last article I read about that, it has been postponed to the creation of a quantum computer.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

The best part about things today is that people think they should have everything available for nothing too, mostly thanks to 30 years of right-wing propaganda.

And that they're SUPPOSED to have it.

Parents lamenting their child being a cyberbully or sending naked pictures of themselves to the entire school [wringing hands]: What can we do? We can't stop them from doing it.

Me: Sure you can. Take away their phones.

Parents [blinking like a stunned duck]: B-b-but we can't do that. They need them...for emergencies.

Me: They need a phone for emergencies, not a mini-computer with internet access. Buy them a pay as you go phone with only phone and text capabilities.

Parents stare blankly...

Now that I think about it, why do children need access to Facebook anyway? Shouldn't they be playing with their friends, not posting on Facebook?

But I meant more in general, from media to the roads we drive on to social security. We want it all for nothing now days.

 

[skepticalbip]

The best part about things today is that people think they should have everything available for nothing too, mostly thanks to 30 years of right-wing propaganda.

And that they're SUPPOSED to have it.

Parents lamenting their child being a cyberbully or sending naked pictures of themselves to the entire school [wringing hands]: What can we do? We can't stop them from doing it.

Me: Sure you can. Take away their phones.

Parents [blinking like a stunned duck]: B-b-but we can't do that. They need them...for emergencies.

Me: They need a phone for emergencies, not a mini-computer with internet access. Buy them a pay as you go phone with only phone and text capabilities.

Parents stare blankly...

Why would anyone need text capabilities for an emergency? If there is such a cell phone service that is voice only then they could contact the police, hospital, fire department, home, the Governor, etc. I doubt texting would be any help in contacting any of those emergency services.

Let the little "uncontrollable" buggers suffer not being able to text chat with friends. Make them actually have to talk to them.

 

[Juma]

I'm more amazed of how much of modern technology that doesnt work or that makes our lives much more complicated...

 

[dx713]

And that they're SUPPOSED to have it.

Parents lamenting their child being a cyberbully or sending naked pictures of themselves to the entire school [wringing hands]: What can we do? We can't stop them from doing it.

Me: Sure you can. Take away their phones.

Parents [blinking like a stunned duck]: B-b-but we can't do that. They need them...for emergencies.

Me: They need a phone for emergencies, not a mini-computer with internet access. Buy them a pay as you go phone with only phone and text capabilities.

Parents stare blankly...

Why would anyone need text capabilities for an emergency? If there is such a cell phone service that is voice only then they could contact the police, hospital, fire department, home, the Governor, etc. I doubt texting would be any help in contacting any of those emergency services.

Let the little "uncontrollable" buggers suffer not being able to text chat with friends. Make them actually have to talk to them.

Text would actually be very handy in an emergency.
When everyone is trying to voice-call their loved ones, the network is quickly saturated, but texts might still get through as they only need a ridiculously low amount of bandwidth.

And if it's just a personal emergency, I know my kids have better chance to reach me through text.
I'm not going to answer to a call in the middle of a meeting, but I probably have the time to glance at a text message.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

And that they're SUPPOSED to have it.

Parents lamenting their child being a cyberbully or sending naked pictures of themselves to the entire school [wringing hands]: What can we do? We can't stop them from doing it.

Me: Sure you can. Take away their phones.

Parents [blinking like a stunned duck]: B-b-but we can't do that. They need them...for emergencies.

Me: They need a phone for emergencies, not a mini-computer with internet access. Buy them a pay as you go phone with only phone and text capabilities.

Parents stare blankly...

Why would anyone need text capabilities for an emergency? If there is such a cell phone service that is voice only then they could contact the police, hospital, fire department, home, the Governor, etc. I doubt texting would be any help in contacting any of those emergency services.

Let the little "uncontrollable" buggers suffer not being able to text chat with friends. Make them actually have to talk to them.

True. There is the growing scurge of ASCII Sexting.

 

[Perspicuo]

I'm concerned about the diminished job security because of this.

Happy are (will be) those who can adapt well to changing labor environments.
This probably will mean shorter majors, so that people will have more of a chance to have two or three different professions.
Having children will be even less practical/sustainable in such a situation.
Those who will have less ability to switch occupations will suffer and protest more. That is to say, most people will be in that position.
I'm expecting big social upheavals, just because of automatization.
Either that or professionals will start to become adjuncts of technology (the computer decides your diagnosis, the physician will just check on details and deliver bedside manners), and still, they won't be able to charge/make as much as they used to.

 

[Keith&Co.]

the physician will just check on details and deliver bedside manners), and still, they won't be able to charge/make as much as they used to.

We're going to pay docs LESS money and they'll retain bedside manners?
I think reducing the docs to on-site technicians will make them rather surly. If we ever see them...