Your vision of the far future...

[Spinward Scout]

And for what happens when those computers take over that virtual utopia, watch the Matrix movies...

I believe that if we do make it to the stars, they will quickly become cluttered with cigarette butts, miscellaneous litter, and broken beer bottles. Everyone will have a talking artificially intelligent computer on their wrist. People will grow up with them, almost like the family pet or having a twin that's always there. People won't know what to do without it. I don't think it'll be invasive. Video games will be full immersion and sensory feedback (which would lead to the virtual sex trade). Weapons will become more powerful, and wars more devastating. But at the same time, people will live longer (I forsee stem cell baths - like a rejuv tank, and that's in the next 50 years). I can see genetic engineering getting completely out of hand. Humanity doesn't currently exist as a distinctive species - it only exists that way philosophically. I would really like to think that we are all brothers and sisters on this planet, but I'm very sad to find that it is far from true. When someone hates me just because I was born on one side or the other of an imaginary line only seen on a map, or because I was born on the other side of the planet, or born with a skin color different from the guy next to me, I think we have a long way to go before we are truly one race.

I really see a mix of Star Trek and Traveller in our Far Future.

Later,

Scout

 

[malek77]

Well - the question was asked. I might as well, as my first post...

Re: 1.

In our current form, I seriously doubt. I believe there would still be many humans, whatever time, but with enhanced or perfected genetics. No hereditary diseases, malnourishment...or power. They simply won't have the intellect to keep up with post-Singularity type Sentiences. (yes, I'm a Extropian loony )


Re: 2.

Interesting - I don't agree in general, but I will point out that 'Smart Weapon' development is not a direct continuation of old Military Practice. Whatever you think of Bush, his comment about "Tyrants having more to fear from war than the People" is an interesting change from threatening to reduce the world radioactive rubble.
I do believe, that given the chance and with the right 'Tao', that we may be headed for a Golden Age of limited conflict, where 'Politics by other means' can be pursued without mass CD.
Once you get into Ultra-Tech - consider the possibilities of being able to rewrite the personality of a target, predict and guide entire cultures or societies, OR...

Re: 3. If the answer to (2) is no, how will wars be fought?


With sufficiently advanced technology, a Sentient being of whatever form isn't dependant on a Society for survival. If you live in an automated ship that can happily process all the power, food and entertainment you need, then do you need a society?

Not as we know it. I now depend on society for survival, and so when that group feels threatened, I'm drawn into it. If I don't depend on it, then Society only exists by consent, conflict only by choice if survival is independant. We're in a prototype of that now - a Forum. You're only here because you want to be, you can withdraw with impunity from any flamewar and needn't feel compelled by context to fight *for* the forum.


So my vision of the far future is - "Only By Choice". I also believe that the greatest challenge sentience spawned of Earth will face is evading the Heat Death of the Universe, and once that's solved...

 

[DaveChase]

I would like to say that we create our future to meet our current dreams.

Why the 3.5 floppy is square and CD are round.
Well the create was a Star Trek fan and remembered the cubes that they put in to the tricorders and computer. Round is because once we get stuck on an idea we tend to follow its trend.

Why are flip cell phone more popular than just a plain cell phone. Star Trek and the communicators.

Why smaller and smaller phones and the new watch fad that can tell you the current stock market weather and text messages. Dick Tracy

Why robots with current design and programing standards. Isacc Asmoiv and his stories (the rules were only made to be a vehicle to create the stories he wanted

Why, why and why do we build things the way we do.
Because we have been shown dreams (movies, stories) that we want to live. So we go forth and make it happen.

Yeah, I know bad puncation but I am just feeling that way today.

Dave

 

[The Hinterworlds Rambler]

The Human Mind (and perhaps a theoretical alien one, what?) has a feature called the R-Complex. The R standing for Reptilian... it is from here that it is postulated that concepts of Aggression and Social Hierarchies spring, a region of the Brain not too dissimilar from a Crocodile's. The Beast is within us all.

I think what is often forgotten when this sort of discussion starts, is that there is no truly common human nature.

I can accept the "it's human nature to make war" idea if we're talking about two Neaderthals fighting over the last Elk... but I can't accept it from the tamers of the horse or the watchers of television (to name only a diverse few of humanity's accomplishments...)

Ultimately, we choose the path to war as we make it today. I believe strongly that every technical civilization (and I mean Species, not government) comes to a point of Crisis in its fleeting history where someone (or someones) makes a choice between Ultimate Creation and Ultimate Destruction...

We have the means as a species to make sure that every person on the earth is fed, clothed, and housed, and yet, vast amounts of resources are wasted on the business of killing one another over who knows what...

I think Number 2 is how it SHOULD be, in my book. Every generation that we choose to let war touch makes it more and more likely that the next generation will have members that will have no trouble "pushing the button".

Call it what you want, but it all comes down to making the right Choice...

 

[hirch duckfinder]

"Soccer hooligans riot when their team actually scores a goal, or fails to do so. It's a big deal if you're there when it happens, otherwise you read about it and shake your head. "


yes . and hooligans with big toys just ignore international law and follow the "might is right" principle . people with power take what they want . i thought maybe the world had moved on but our struggles for rationalism are doomed , as the last few years prove ...

i strongly suspect this will never change .

 

[hirch duckfinder]

Originally posted by Tom Kalbfus:
The Far Future would share alot in common with a Fantasy Role Playing Game. My idea of the far future is that people would live inside of computers as software simulations of human beings and other things. As programs running in a computer, people can have near immortality with backup copies of their memories and personality incase anything should happen to their main files. Entire wolrds would be simulated, with simulated physics, flora and fauna, but certain exceptions would be planted in the simulation. For instance by uttering a key work, food can suddenly appear on your table, garbage can disappear afterwards, and the simulated person can travel where ever he wants in the simulated world simply by uttering a few key phrases. If simulated people want to interact with the real world, they can upload into a robot and control that robot as if it were his own body.

Could also form the basis of "Faster than light travel" If the simulation is typically run much sloer than the real universe, a simplated person can simply beam his program to another computer located light years away and be back in time for dinner.

i just can't see this ,

reproduction and physical pleasure derived from attempting it keep us firmly in the material world forever ....

 

[Scarecrow]

The civilised nations of the earth will live in an Orwellian police state where emotions, self-expression and individuality are banned. Nobody will mind this because it'll be the only way to preserve freedom and liberty against the threat of terrorist attacks.

Mobile phones will evolve into a single allround entertainments system. person-to-person and conference communications, internet (or it's future equivalent), file-sharing, movies, television, computer games, music, shopping, everything will all be available instantly via nanite implanted technology in the brain.

A related device will allow some independently wealthy people to have their bodies held in suspended animation so that their conciousnesses can be plugged permanently into a fantsy MMORPG.

Plantlife will be severely depleted and in their place, vast atmospheric processing stations will be set up. Citizens of the Earth will then indeed, be charged for the air that they breath.

All people will also wear silver jumpsuits with diagonal zippers that collect, process and return bodily moisture. This will be accompanied by fishbowl helmets to preserve their daily ration of air.

All non-pedestrian travel will be via Camel-Horse or glider because the oil will have run out many years previously and fuels will no longer be available.

Space travel will be a long forgotten dream.

Crow

 

[Spiderfish]

Thats a lovely dream for the future mate.

 

[hirch duckfinder]

Originally posted by Spiderfish:
Thats a lovely dream for the future mate.

plausible though .

and i want a silver suit .

if the future means i could walk around london in a silver suit without people looking at me the way they do when i do it now , i'll take all the rest of it .

 

[Scarecrow]

Originally posted by Spiderfish:
Thats a lovely dream for the future mate.

Sadly it's the only one I can see.

The oil is running out. As are the trees.

Still, as Hirch says, the silver jumpsuits will be fantastic, as will the fishbowl helmets with the little antenae to improve reception for your Sony-Motorola neural implants.

Also, the loss of petrol and diesel will usher in a new era of steam engines and airships fueled by wood from carefully controlled sustainable forests.

So it's not all bad!

Yay!

Crow

 

[Spiderfish]

Trees running out?
I assure you there are still plenty of trees. Massive areas of the world are still tree heavy.

And I assure you that companies like Shell and BP are already working on a solution so they can continue to make money assuming no new oil is discovered.

Fusion powered grav tanks or something...

 

[Scarecrow]

That's the only thing that gives me hope:

Greed.

I don't trust politicians or scientists but I do trust the greed of multinational corporations. If there's money to be made, they'll find a way. It may be the only thing that prevents us reverting back to the stone age.

Crow

 

[hirch duckfinder]

I WANT A SILVER JUMPSUIT WITH A STEAM POWERED HOVER PACK .

AND I BELEIVE BILL GATES WILL MAKE ME ONE .

SOON .