Information technologies drive 21st century "magic"
By Dick Pelletier
Information technology (IT) is the driving force for change as
we move forward into our "magical" 21st century future. In the
last century, we learned much of how science and technologies
control our world. Today we are just beginning to exploit this
knowledge and there is much to process. During this century,
science and technologies will seem to overwhelm us with amazing
breakthroughs – all fueled by today’s information technologies.
By as early as 2015, inexpensive chips and creative innovations
will eliminate cable, satellite, VCR, and DVR boxes, and merge
our personal communications – TV, phones, radio, and the
Internet – into a single invisible device that responds to voice
commands and understands human thoughts. We will view images
from this system on wall-size screens in our homes, small
displays on cell phones, or directly on our retina with active
contact lenses.
This futuristic marvel will be available for our needs anytime
anywhere. Using thoughts or voice to direct the system, we can
talk to business associates, friends, or relatives anywhere on
Earth, view any movie or TV program ever produced, or satisfy
our hunger for entertainment on the edge with computer-generated
virtual reality programs indiscernible from reality.
Imagine you’re on a roller coaster and just after you pass the
top, the track suddenly collapses in front of you. You don’t
know whether the accident is real, or just part of the program,
but you quickly feel yourself being thrust forward as this wild
trip resumes. After "free-falling" through the air, your heart
skips a beat and you think, "wow; what a rush". As you finally
exit, you feel a bit shaky. You’re not even sure the person
meeting you is really your better half, or just another computer
trick. Random events like this could be injected into your
everyday life on demand, or even programmed as a surprise by
your intelligent machine interface.
Information technologies will also encourage breakthroughs in
genetics, nanotech, and materials industries. Doctors hope to
one day grow tissues to replace faulty hearts, lungs, brains,
even skin and bones – and provide everyone with a healthy body
free of disease. Forward-thinkers dream of a future time when
human aging and death will become just bad memories of our
ancient past.
And by 2025, futurists predict, nano-replicators will appear on
kitchen counters to fill all our material needs. We could eat a
nutritionally-perfect meal created automatically with
information downloaded from the Internet, using only dirt, air,
or water as raw materials.
Scientists say replicators will produce almost anything;
appliances, clothing, food; all at little or no cost. We could
even "grow" a new house by dumping materials and
instructions on the ground and letting nano-assemblers do the
rest. And The National Institutes of Health predicts that by
2030, nano-bots will cruise through our bodies repairing damaged
tissues, keeping us forever healthy and strong.
Other miracles complete this 21st century vision. By 2015,
household robots will satisfy our every whim; by 2020,
accident-free driverless cars will keep us safe; and by 2030,
scramjets will whisk us to anywhere on Earth in an hour or less.
Will this "magical future" happen? Absolutely, say experts;
because it’s all driven by information technologies.
This article appeared in various print publications and
on-line blogs. Comments always welcome.
