What are your top 5 technologies of the next 15 years?

[Geckothan]

newtype_alpha wrote:

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OR you could just install a "manual control" switch in a self-driving car.

OR just forget self-driving cars and even cars with drive-by-wire controls altogether, and just go back to using proper direct cable and hydraulic links behind the controls, that aren't filtered by some stupid electronic eco-nanny?

[RAMA]

People should and probably would be free not to "upgrade" but eventually they would fade away without any conflict at all. Eventually evolution would catch up to them. Think of it as a transition period.

RAMA

[sojourner]

^LOL, that's like saying all those poor people in other countries will just "go away" eventually and let the rich get on with things..

[Crazy Eddie]

YellowSubmarine wrote:

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Hopefully, people will realise that using the “manual control” switch is as bad as DUI, and its use will be banned except under extreme circumstances.

Doubtful, considering old/low-end cars still wouldn't have those features installed for several years. More importantly, the early auto-drive systems probably wouldn't be appropriate for all situations anyway and would first be used for highway driving. Once more advanced designs come out that can be used for urban driving they might consider banning manual drive, but the need for a manual backup system would probably forestall that.

Geckothan wrote:

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OR just forget self-driving cars and even cars with drive-by-wire controls altogether, and just go back to using proper direct cable and hydraulic links behind the controls, that aren't filtered by some stupid electronic eco-nanny?

Suppose you're right... suppose that the automobile reached its universally perfect form in 1994 and that nothing that came before or after it is "proper." Suppose that most drivers secretly yearn for exactly the kind of car YOU would like to drive. In fact, let's take that a step farther and assume that you know more about cars -- and about what people want in their cars -- than anyone else in the world.

What in the hell does any of that have to do with placing a car under computer control?????

[Asbo Zaprudder]

sojourner wrote:

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^LOL, that's like saying all those poor people in other countries will just "go away" eventually and let the rich get on with things..

But uploaded rich people don't need cheap sneakers or cheap servants ... or do they?

[RAMA]

sojourner wrote:

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^LOL, that's like saying all those poor people in other countries will just "go away" eventually and let the rich get on with things..

Actually it SHOULDNT be like that at all...firstly its the rich informed people who may be more likely to make that choice, in a singularity or just before it, the price-performance of AI would make the tech available to everyone: ie: now there are early adopters, people with money usually, and the tech gets adopted down the line by everyone else...the frequency of the separation of these two events has been diminishing exponentially for years....by the 2030s or 40s this will almost disappear, hence availability to everyone.

RAMA

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Yeah, but will the rich want the poor, the blacks, and the jews in their exclusive club?

[RAMA]

Asbo Zaprudder wrote:

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Yeah, but will the rich want the poor, the blacks, and the jews in their exclusive club?

They wont have the power to keep anyone who chooses to enhance out because everyone will have equal access. Information rules over all, making everyone truly free for the first time.

http://books.google.com/books?id=_Yk...gbs_navlinks_s

RAMA

[sojourner]

RAMA wrote:

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Actually it SHOULDNT be like that at all...firstly its the rich informed people who may be more likely to make that choice, in a singularity or just before it, the price-performance of AI would make the tech available to everyone: ie: now there are early adopters, people with money usually, and the tech gets adopted down the line by everyone else...the frequency of the separation of these two events has been diminishing exponentially for years....by the 2030s or 40s this will almost disappear, hence availability to everyone.

RAMA

You have never actually been to a poor country have you?

[throwback]

This question I feel assumes that society will keep progressing. There are studies that indicate our society and others may be heading to a major crisis by 2030 (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7951838.stm). I hope they are wrong, and that our society and others will continue to progress.

I do believe that many advances will arise in countries outside the US. Our education system is in crisis as states cut funding, layoff teachers and increase class size, and the colleges and universities raise tuition to make up for the deficiency in their budgets. I find it troubling for our nation's future is that when the good times do roll in that states never ever return funding to education. So, with each crisis, the funding for education gets smaller. Equally troubling is that educated people, especially on the conservative side, are on a downward trend when it comes to believing in science and math. Decades ago, these people had more faith in science and math, and supported major initiatives which later benefited our society.

I think it's important to keep these facts in mind when thinking of what the next advances will be. For myself, I don't know what the next advances may be. I am just attempting to survive from one day to the next.

[Methos]

holographic display units... think that's going to be the big one for computer interface systems, not necessarily 3D, but free floating holographic displays for phones, computers and such... i can easily see that in the next 5 years or so...

Sonic screwdriver... hell, we already have that thanks to the brain trust guys in europe lol

Quantum Computing... that's turning into more of a necessity nowdays than a quirk of computing... it's something that a lot of people are putting effort into and are working towards, so i can see it happening in the next 5 to 10 years...

nanotechnology... this is one thats just being broken into nowdays, so within 15 years i can see nanotech being used readily for medical and technological purposes...

nuclear fusion... again, something that's being worked on today, but not perfected... nuclear fusion could easily take over where nuclear fission is used today in powerplants, it's a hell of a lot more stable, and a lot more reliable, and has the promise to kick out a fuckload more energy that nuclear fission does... so a 15 year time table for getting nuclear fusion up and running is more than realistic in my eyes

M

[Crazy Eddie]

RAMA wrote:

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They wont have the power to keep anyone who chooses to enhance out because everyone will have equal access.

No they won't. They'll have exactly as much access as the upper class allows them to have. The only reason they've enjoyed greater access in the past is because there's been zero political pressure to throttle that access and a whole lot of market incentive to allow it.

The moment that access becomes inconvenient for the existing power structure -- and it will, sooner or later -- then along come government regulations and social campaigns specifically aimed at limiting access to those technologies for whatever excuse TPTB can think of.

Information rules over all, making everyone truly free for the first time.

Incorrect. MONEY rules over all... at least at the moment, and their desire to keep it that way is the main reason why service providers universally oppose Net Neutrality.

[RAMA]

newtype_alpha wrote:

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No they won't. They'll have exactly as much access as the upper class allows them to have. The only reason they've enjoyed greater access in the past is because there's been zero political pressure to throttle that access and a whole lot of market incentive to allow it.

The moment that access becomes inconvenient for the existing power structure -- and it will, sooner or later -- then along come government regulations and social campaigns specifically aimed at limiting access to those technologies for whatever excuse TPTB can think of.

Incorrect. MONEY rules over all... at least at the moment, and their desire to keep it that way is the main reason why service providers universally oppose Net Neutrality.

This assumes everything will be exactly as it is now, and as we have seen, this is exactly how it will NOT be. Linear thinking like this is no longer the model to go by. The economics will be very different a few decades, as Ive mentioned in just a few examples. The world is already being brought out of poverty, contrary to popular belief. With economic influence equal and info tech availability widespread, this type of class control will be virtually nil. At this point, there is already nothing they can do about it.

RAMA

[T'Girl]

newtype_alpha wrote:

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self-driving car

How would that work with my motorcycle? Or will those be outlawed?

A vehicle that gets near 40 mpg, and is easy (easier than a car) to park in a urban environment.

And I was wondering, if a "self driving vehicle" is the cause of property damage or a fatality, who would be the legally responsible party? Surely not the vehicle owner, who is required by law to have one installed and to employ it.

[Asbo Zaprudder]

I assume technology similar to that used in the Seqway could be employed in a motorcycle, but who would bother if you could travel in comfort instead? I used to ride motorcycles until I realised I was probably hooked on the adrenalin rush, and that as well as being inherently dangerous, they're impractical for getting any real stuff done and I shouldn't be getting my thrills on the public highway.