learnteach

Combination of a conversation and a friend following up have me in motion again. Today is the last day of this class; it was good, and needs to happen again. Tomorrow, many parties, perhaps dancing. After that? Much cleaning and arranging.

Thanks again, B, for taking me to WW. I always lose weight on programs, so I'll lose weight on this one. Yay!

I've been contemplating the future as a class assignment for the Academy, and I'm convinced: It's hard. My five predictions:

1. Teleprescence. Through video game technology, ubiquitous wireless/satellite internet, and performance drugs, the next generation will train itself to travel via resonces (robot presences) and interact that way. Exploration will increase, social travel increase, culture jamming increase...

2. Fusion power. If they ever get this working, and they will at some point, it changes everything. Oil becomes a material; we run cars on electricity and H2 cells. Water becomes plentiful using desalization with UV purification (everywhere, basically.) Power can be beamed, because if you have that much, you can use technologies with 1% effectiveness. Space is opened up, since boost is possible using light now.

3. Bioengineering. It's almost here, and the changes in the last 6 years seem miraculous, but more is coming amazingly quickly. At the very least, combined drug/electronic thinking aids; true prosthetics that have multiple functions; bacteria to produce enzymes implanted so allergies become more tricky; bacteria that decompose some of our complicated pollutants. And as we go further, the nature of consciousness will change...

4. Hive Mind/Exointelligence. Hard to describe in words, but if you were one of 50 people all connected in your mind, so that you could pose a question and get a thought back, it would be amazing. What would intelligence be like if I could have Vytas' joy of groups; Brand's physical brain; Uther's drive; Ellie's compassion; Deena's wordskill (and RIcks too!); Rat's handskills, etc; all there when I need them? ALl of us would change...

5. Religous wars. Wait until some virulent form of Protestantism from Brazil meets South African Muhammedism, hiring Zen Hindu Gurka guerilla/terrorists. THe wars become ideological and very personal then.

ANyway, that's the top of my head today...