Life in the Future

In 1964 I attempted to take a serious look into the future. That was a time when most people assumed that everything would keep getting better, and that future generations would enjoy life in a much better world. At that time, I read a few books which made detailed predictions about the positive impact of increased mechanization. Many of those predictions eventually proved to be false.

This taught me not to take predictions of the future too seriously. It also taught me that with the important issues of today, like climate change, health, and violence, we can't afford to sit back and assume that our lives will automatically get better; nor should we assume that the leaders we elect will automatically take us in a direction that is best for us.

About 50 years from now, it will be possible to use virtual reality to bring the dead back to life. People will drag out their old and boring home movies and choose a relative to bring back to life. The visual will be combined with records about that person to create a virtual relative.

Then the family can have a chat with that relative, keep it running, and live with it. The experience will be like living with a ghost.

People who died long ago will be resurrected so they can take on new roles. In 2030 the great people of the 20th Century will be brought back alive virtually and be presented on television.

The world will look on in awe as they watch the famous interact at a party. They will watch Richard Nixon make out with Margaret Thatcher, the Three Stooges try to pick a fight with Hulk Hogan, Elvis (the king) Presley trying to impress Queen Elizabeth, and Albert Einstein exploring reality with Marilyn Monroe.

Permanent People:
Over the next 20 to 50 years, it will become harder to tell the difference between the human and the machine. All body parts will be replaceable. A computer will function like the human brain with the ability to recognize feelings and respond in a feeling way. They will then produce fake people.

We will then be able to create a machine duplicate of ourselves so we will appear to be alive long after we are dead. Maybe a few decades later, a way will be found to transfer our spirit (including our memories and thoughts) to the new body. Then we can choose to live for as long as we want.

It might be expensive. Maybe it will cost you an arm and a leg.
[Note: There's another change; we will have to change the language we use. By then, arms and legs will be a dime a dozen.]
[Note: by then, dimes will probably be obsolete, and we won't have any idea what the word dozen means.]

Once one of you is duplicated, you will just have to press control "D" and you will have two of you, unless you have placed yourself on a clipboard, then press control "V". If you want 500, select 500.

Naturally, when duplicates are running around all over the place, there will be a food problem. Modifications will have to be made with how you eat. Your duplicates will have to combine vitamins with something we have in abundance.

The most practical choice would be garbage. Your modified duplicate will be designed to eat garbage like a goat. But don't worry, your taste buds and sense of smell will be modified so you will really enjoy it. You will want to eat lots of garbage.

When it becomes possible to do a spirit transfer, they will figure out how to do them with a push of a button. So you will be able to reside within whichever duplicate you want, whenever you want and as long as you want.

Skip the duplicate that is in the middle of doing a jigsaw puzzle and choose one that is just completing one. After enjoying putting in the last few pieces, switch to another duplicate that is eating garbage, then to the one that is playing in a raging rock concert, then to the one that is scoring the winning goal. You will be so busy enjoying so many things that it could drive you crazy. When it is predicted that things will be better in the future, it doesn't necessarily mean that things will be easier.

After television became popular we soon had the couch potato. In recent decades advertising has helped us gain a true appreciation for addictive junk food, and to enjoy going out to fast food restaurants where we can become totally stuffed, and to love the growing selection of packaged food which can also be irresistible and addictive; but then we still need something different, so we go back to satisfy our craving for more junk food.

There is currently a battle going on which will determine the future shape of the human race. The food industry (that wants people to be fat) is up against the fashion industry (that wants people to be skinny) and the porn industry (that wants people to be lumpy). At this time, it is easy to see that the food industry is going to be the clear winner.

Our preferred activity has become sitting: sitting in front of the TV or computer. Even children prefer to sit rather than to play. It is not surprising that obesity and its complications have become a major problem. As we spend more time sitting and eating, some of us will become not much more than a blob.

If you sense that for you it could get worse, you might have a hard battle to change your lifestyle, to change your eating and shopping habits. You probably need this advice: avoid reaching the point where you need to go to the hospital, and the only way to get there is to use a forklift to hoist you and your bed onto a flatbed truck. [this happened in Kansas in Oct. '09]

Many people fail to realize that the human body not only needs food, but it needs movement. More and more scientific studies are proving that regular movement (Eg. exercise (which can be free)) can be as beneficial as some drugs (which can be expensive).

If you are one of the many who avoid exercise, why not turn on some music and have some fun? It can be painless. Also, try choosing the kind of movement you enjoy, then make use of a program that helps you get fit. Some food for thought on selecting recreational activities is offered near the bottom of this page. As well, try "Wii Fit Plus" or "EA Sports Active." Make a choice. Don't become a blob.

Using Nanobots:
Miniature nanobots will be built to travel through your blood stream to anywhere in your body to repair damage. Also, larger nanobots will be used when you are sick. When you have an upset stomach, you will swallow a very small cherry tasting robot which will travel through your stomach taking video of the mess.

It will be set up like a video game, so you can control the exploring and the selection of images. Then you can replay the video to help a doctor diagnose your problem, or to prove to your employer that you really were sick.

Oct. 25/06 (so this is yesterday's technology):
At an Edmonton hospital, the Royal Alex, a blinking wireless pill is currently being used to take photographs of the inside of a patient. After fasting overnight, the patient swallows the capsule which then travels through the body taking 2 pictures per second. The data is transmitted to a recorder that the patient wears with a harness. The tiny camera takes about 57,000 images which pick up subtle changes in the small bowel: inflammations, blood vessels, and abnormalities. The one time use pill was expelled 8 to 72 hours later. The cost for one pill in 2006 was about $1,000.
[source: Carrie McFadzean, Edmonton
                Examiner, Oct. 25/06]

Nanobots will be used in the material of a party dress:
The nature of the material will change in response to the feelings of the woman wearing the dress. Also, different parts of the dress will be made to respond differently. As she becomes excited by the guy she is talking to, the dress will become more revealing: smaller and more transparent. It will begin to quietly play romantic music. However, as she loses interest, her dress will become more opaque and ugly.

In addition, the dress will be designed to offer protection. When the wearer responds in fear, the material of the dress will become rigid so it will act like a bullet proof vest as it gives off a loud alarm and a bad smell. In this way, the dress will look after a woman from the beginning till the end of the party, so she will automatically respond properly to the hunk, the creep, and the potential rapist.

Unfortunately, it probably won't be until about 2030 when the new and improved "nano-dress" will include a BS detector. This will limit the effects of a manipulative hustler. Women will start wearing the dress to work, and BS detector suits will be made for men. This will change the nature of our entire system.

Finally we will have a solution to the bad salesmen, the fraud artists who make a fortune, the big time bankers and CEO's who take wild risks that the taxpayer winds up paying for, the people who preach less government regulation (because this will allow them to take advantage of the weak and vulnerable), and executives who receive million dollar bonuses when their company is losing money. It is important that people who work long and hard be rewarded, but there needs to be some sanity in our system.

No doubt, greed is also a problem in the cigarette companies, the food industry, and the pharmaceutical companies. Most people would prefer to think that these companies are all full of nice people doing a nice job of helping the nice consumer. However, they are profit driven companies who reward those who do things that help the company make a profit. So, for the consumer, the key is "buyer beware." But the tragedy of it all is that even though people's health is at stake, we don't get the information we need to make adequate choices. Pharmaceutical companies hide a very significant percentage of their studies which show weaknesses in their medicine, and the food industry uses many tricks with many chemicals to make extra money. So the consumer gets victimized.
(On the positive side, politicians know that these companies have an impact on our health, so some people die early. This results in less older people, so there is less chance that our pension funds will run out. That must be their plan. Why else would they allow this to happen?)

Most people would prefer to ignore the way key parts of our system operate; and politicians like to ignore it too, so instead of giving leadership, they stick their heads in the sand. But there is currently a movement towards adding necessary regulations to the financial industry. So although some change has started to happen in one industry, and some consumers are gaining awareness, it will be a few more decades before the BS detector rides to the rescue.

Adapting To Global Warming By Building a Huge Resort On the Arctic Ocean:

They will soon fast track a new resort at Tuktoyaktuk, on the Arctic Ocean. It will be extremely popular, mainly because it will be the only beach resort left where people can enjoy a nice cool swim. An eight lane highway will be built (with lots of gas stations along the way) so hoards of people from across North America can drive there with their big motorhomes and campers.

By 2012 parts of the southern States will be abandoned due to heat, fires, and the extreme weather. Much of Los Vegas and Phoenix will be moved to Tuktoyaktuk.

Immediately next to the Tuktoyaktuk beach they will place a huge iceberg, made out of non-glare white plastic. Penguins and pandas, by popular demand, will be positioned on the top; and elephants and giraffes will be imported to run around on a platform at the base of the iceberg. Unfortunately the plastic, of course, will soon damage the feet of the animals, so they will all have to be outfitted with pink booties. So, as all the animals proudly prance around in their booties, all the Americans will agree that, although Tuktoyaktuk isn't a Disneyland or a Los Vegas, it certainly is a nice cool place.

In July, tourists in Tuktoyaktuk will love to suntan for 20 hours a day in real sunshine (which will be mostly smog free, as long as the wind blows from the north). In the winter, Tuktoyaktuk will be even busier. It will attract people from around the globe who want to adapt to global warming by escaping.

The escape will last all night long; and in Tuktoyaktuk in December, that means the party goes on for 24 hours. At the end of the night, as the party comes to an end, everyone will have a chance to pause and relax, momentarily, then they can plunge into the next night's party. The coliseum that is imported from Phoenix will be used for a drunk tank. Tuktoyaktuk will be the most popular resort on the planet.

Adding a month of summer by voting for "Summer Savings Time ! "

In 2012, parts of our world will still deny the facts of global warming. In response to a cool summer, those same people will vote to adopt "Summer Savings Time!"

So on February 1st, they will spring ahead one month, and on August 1st, they will fall back one month.

In this way they will completely eliminate one month of winter, and joyfully add one full month of beautiful summer.

A Ring Tone Cadillac

In 2010, people will eagerly buy the new battery powered Cadillac which will run in silence. But the owners will soon complain about the lack of noise. Nobody hears them take off and nobody hears them drive by. People stop noticing their car. Thousands of owners will complain that it just doesn't feel like they own a REAL car.

The designers will respond by adding loud noises to the 2012 model. So, the driver can punch a button to get noise, like a ring tone. They can select:

• a rocket sound ending with a sonic boom
• a drag racer
• a flock of turkeys
• a herd of elephants
• a gurgling brook

• a freight train
• a marching band

But the good people who buy this environmentally friendly car will be considerate. They will willingly drive like a gurgling brook, most of the time. However, when they really get the urge to cut loose, they will head for the country. So in remote areas of the country, every few days the people there will have to tolerate the noise of a herd of elephants running through the countryside.

Genetic Engineering:
Eventually, genetic engineering will allow us to create the perfect human. It will be hard to get used to. Parents will order a baby who will grow up to do a slam dunk or to have a Barbie doll appearance. But after the 2082 winter Olympics, some babies will be created aerodynamic, so they can sail like ski jumpers. Soon, powerful little motors will be added so they can fly, and a new fad will really take off. Billions of slam dunkers will jump for joy, while billions of Barbie dollers will become totally depressed.

There will be a need for some government regulation, especially if profits can be made, so progress is done within reason.

George W. Bush appeared to have the right image. He could memorize things, would roll up his sleeves and do real work (for a photo op), and looked like the kind of guy you can have a beer with. But were these reasons enough to vote for him, to make him the most powerful person in the world?

Being President of the United States is a complex and demanding job. [the qualities he or she needs are:   to have a proven record, education, knowledge, understanding of complex issues, the ability to make things work, the ability to effectively listen, relevant experience, honesty, integrity, etc.]

Hindsight says, George Bush didn't have much to offer. Being able to memorize things doesn't mean he has tons of talent. Yes, it helps if he is likeable, and if he knows how to duck shoes, but this is only a small part of the job. It would be far better if he would have made the right decisions, so people wouldn't have to throw shoes at him.

Insight can be gained by comparing Joe Biden with Sarah Palin. Joe Biden has successful experience, talent, insight, education, etc.   (Although he certainly isn't the George W. type, and he probably isn't much good at ducking shoes.)

As for Sarah Palin, can she get men to vote for her by wearing heels and a leather skirt? You betcha. Does she speak with conviction, and get people's attention? You betcha. Can she hang out of a helicopter while shooting a moose? You betcha. She can [attempt to] do almost everything. But is she really qualified to take on the challenges of the most powerful person in the world? Since a lot of people in the United States want her to become President in 2012, I'm sure she would give her usual answer, "You betcha!" - - -
However, is she capable of making the same kind of BRUTAL and costly blunders of George W. ? You betcha ! ! !

Not only that, instead of just ducking shoes, this feisty girl would throw them back. Instead of getting the job done, every week, after an afternoon of shopping, she would waste the rest of the day engaged in shoe fights. Why is it that some people believe that this girl should be elected to become the most powerful person in the world?

Shaping Who We Are:
Unfortunately, television feeds us with impressive attack ads, appealing PR ads, and sometimes repulsive propaganda. Even when we agree with what we view, it is vital that we become harshly critical of those who attempt to control our minds. Attack ads can be powerful. They warp the facts and use lies to change how the viewer feels, and to change beliefs. This is a sickening and undemocratic process. In the future, in our complex world it is vital that we be free from manipulation, so we are able to make logical decisions about what is best for us.

Our system has controlled our way of life, and will continue to control it for decades to come. The advertising and marketing strategies in our profit driven system have a big impact on what we want in life, what we tolerate, and what we value. It has had an impact on the desire of people to use prescription drugs excessively, to become overweight, to smoke, and to accept an unhealthy lifestyle. In addition, television ads pick on the vulnerable. They manipulate children, control the types of toys they want, and make them want breakfast cereal that isn't much better than candy.

Can we change our system? Our system won't get better if we tear things apart. In spite of major flaws, our system has proven to be better than other systems.