Our future 10 years out.

[Midpack]

OK, a deliberately semi-provocative thread title, sorry. But this article may provoke new thoughts for the non Luddites here. I am not suggesting it's right or wrong, good or bad, likely or unlikely - just interesting to consider. Disruptive technologies do seem to come at us faster and faster. And these potential changes are just part of the future today's tech minds are working on, Bezos, Musk, Cook/Ive, etc.

I am not trying to elicit a debate about whether these things will happen, odds are undoubtedly against it verbatim, but we can't begin to know yet - so why argue?

Facebook augmented reality could have some scary side effects - Business Insider

At this week's Facebook F8 conference, Zuckerberg underscored that roadmap: His vision for Facebook brings the social network closer to the real world than ever before, using your phone's camera to project digital imagery into the real world. It's another milestone on the smartphone's very slow march to the grave, and a new chance to ask questions we need to think about now, before it's too late.

As Facebook loves to point out, you'll no longer be limited to physical proximity if you want to spend time with anyone from all over the world; just meet them in virtual reality. And your McDonalds cashier could actually be an artificially-intelligent computer program, with a human-looking avatar beamed into the augmented reality glasses Facebook hopes you'll be wearing.

...it has the potential to replace every screen in your home, including the TV and, one day, the smartphone, as the combination of the digital and physical worlds replaces the need for an additional device. The eventual goal, he says, is for Facebook to build innocuous augmented reality glasses.

 

[imoldernu]

Won't be here to participate so it's in my imagination only.

Just spent some time trying to understand 5G, as this may be a part of what's coming up. Not quite connectivity for everyone everywhere, but a start, if we're destined for virtual reality.

Can't see it all happening without turning to a 25-30 hour work week. Balancing tech with human beings will be a challenge.

 

[Mdlerth]

I guess this means I'll need to get one of those smartphones someday...

...and sign up for Facebook, too.

And go to a McDonalds.

 

[JoeWras]

I guess this means I'll need to get one of those smartphones someday...

...and sign up for Facebook, too.

And go to a McDonalds.

You are not missing much on all accounts.

 

[imoldernu]

Timely article that addresses the future... Where will the jobs be, and who or what will be working there.

The Shocking Reality of a Future of Shrinking Jobs | Alternet

The Wall Street Journal chimed in: "Many workers who were laid off in recent decades...don’t have the skills to do today’s jobs."

Meanwhile, the robots proliferate, expanding into once-unimagined areas: robot surgeons, robot chefs, robot security guards, robot news writers, robot teachers that interact with children, robotic nurses that will lift patients and bring them medicine.
Some of the robots are getting more humanlike, sensing the emotions of drivers, for example, and encouraging them to calm down at signs of stress or anger and to stay awake when their eyelids are drooping. The European Parliament is even considering the granting of legal status to robots as "electronic persons."
So what are the living-wage jobs of the future? Alternative energy and infrastructure repair, certainly, if the politicians of the future care about the needs of human beings, and about the preservation of the earth itself. Solar and wind and other alternative sources are already providing nearly two-thirds of new electricity generation, and many of the jobs in the industry are labor-intensive, offering opportunities for mid-level workers formerly in manufacturing and transportation.

 

[W2R]

Sometimes I fantasize about a future in which the smartphone craze dies off completely, due to people finally getting bored with it and figuring out that it is a huge drain of money.

Imagine! No more driving while texting, no more walking down the street staring at one's phone like a zombie and nearly getting run over, no more big monthly phone bills.

And of course, once the smartphone dies off, so will Facebook. Consequently Zuckerberg sells his estate in Hawaii, and buys a third floor walk-up condo in someplace dull and boring. He starts selling Amway.

I do have some wild fantasies!

 

[Silver]

I think we will have the option for smart phone brain implants within my life time. And robots will assume our responsibilities that require intelligence. Just look at driving for an example.

 

[Midpack]

I think we will have the option for smart phone brain implants within my life time. And robots will assume our responsibilities that require intelligence. Just look at driving for an example.

I'm really looking forward to autonomous cars, but I'm not as keen on reality glasses, i don't want to be that connected (timewise). Maybe the idea will grow on me. And maybe more of the younger generations would welcome being connected all the time based on their [-]near addiction[/-] fascination with smartphones. If I'm gonna have a "smartphone brain implant," I sure hope I can switch it off whenever I want.

 

[RobbieB]

Smart phones are not going to "die out"

How much you wish to use them is up to you

I love the internet, you can find anything you want on the internet.

 

[razztazz]

Sometimes I fantasize about a future in which the smartphone craze dies off completely, due to people finally getting bored with it and figuring out that it is a huge drain of money.

Imagine! No more driving while texting, no more walking down the street staring at one's phone like a zombie and nearly getting run over, no more big monthly phone bills.

And of course, once the smartphone dies off, so will Facebook. Consequently Zuckerberg sells his estate in Hawaii, and buys a third floor walk-up condo in someplace dull and boring. He starts selling Amway.

I do have some wild fantasies!

You-hoo-hooo... you may say I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one. I hope some day yo'll join us.....

 

[marko]

Smart phones are not going to "die out"

.

They said that about CDs too. They were supposed to be the last music format you'd ever need. People actually took steps to preserve them in the event of nuclear attack and there was debate about if they lost some quality over a 100 year period.

Doesn't mean you won't access the internet another, yet-to-be-seen way.

 

[RobbieB]

Yeah, they will be built into your "facebook virtual instant internet reality" glasses.

Bigger view and smaller size that's all.

Faster, smaller and better. That's the trend!

 

[NYEXPAT]

It will never catch on as women don't like to wear glasses. On second thought, virtual sex is better if you don't have to hold onto your smartphone at the same time.

 

[Badger]

I love the internet, you can find anything you want on the internet.

Or Alice's Restaurant

Cheers!

 

[aja8888]

I guess this means I'll need to get one of those smartphones someday...

...and sign up for Facebook, too.

And go to a McDonalds.

I use my smartphone (how did it get that name?) less and less each passing day. I actually want a flip phone now.

Facebook? What's that?

I do go to MickeyD's for the salads.

 

[kcowan]

It is amazing to consider how the smartphone has revolutionized our lives. One device for all communications and entertainment. Not even foreseen 20 years ago! Microsoft, Cisco and IBM missed it. Even Palm Pilot and Blackberry missed it.

Next stage will be wearables followed by implants. When my granddaughter of 8 showed me her FaceTiming her friends on an iPod Touch, I knew we were done for. That was 8 years ago.

 

[MichaelB]

10 years out is not a long time. I think of the future as something associated with the next generation.

It is amazing to consider how the smartphone has revolutionized our lives. One device for all communications and entertainment. Not even foreseen 20 years ago! Microsoft, Cisco and IBM missed it. Even Palm Pilot and Blackberry missed it.

I agree, and think this applies to Mark Z as well - he has no particular insight into future developments or direction of technology.

Next stage will be wearables followed by implants. When my granddaughter of 8 showed me her FaceTiming her friends on an iPod Touch, I knew we were done for. That was 8 years ago.

This is likely. Video and individualization continue to drive technology for consumer uses.

I think evolution in business development and use of technology will center around knowledge based systems - cognitive computing / artificial intelligence. Very significant advances have been made over the past couple of years and this is now in early stages of wide-scale implementation.

 

[ivinsfan]

Almost everything has it's good and bad points. Take FB I'm in the 60ish female demo which is actually a good demo for them. Many of the under 35 group have dumped FB for Instagram or Snapchat.

I've never bought a stinking thing off a FB ad or reposted one stupid political article. However I do have close family in 3 states and 2 continents. This week we got the very unpleasant news that a family member has lung cancer. Within hours we set up a private messaging group that will let us exchange news and updates constantly and instantly without any issues with time zones, international calling fees or anything else we can just talk to each other at will.

 

[walkinwood]

Remember when Microsoft was the borg?

But technology - irrespective of which company creates it - marches on.

I can't wait for autonomous cars though I think autonomous freight carrying vehicles will be first which is fine by me - they'll probably be safer than human truckers.

I like the idea of augmented reality - data in all forms superimposed on what your eyes are seeing, your ears are hearing, and your skin is feeling. I'm not that keen on augmenting smell and taste. But, I think there will be way more granular control over the augmentation than is currently available on social or email platforms.

Abundant and cheap energy. Fusion? Maybe. More efficient solar, wind, fuel cells, batteries & even extremely efficient fossil fuel energy - definitely.

Manufactured food that is safe, tasty, nutritious and has a lighter impact on the environment. Hopefully.

Personalized, economical medicine especially for chronic and deadly illneses like diabetes and cancer. Hopefully. 10 years is a pretty short time for pharmaceutical advances.

And I hope we get a better keyboard! Voice input is all fine and works quite well today, but privacy suffers. I'd like a glove that can be used as a keyboard by moving combinations of fingertips. Someone somewhere probably already has one.

Robots - I definitely hope there's one that will do the housework by then. Security too.

Those are just a few of the positive ideas float around my head. I think anyone with an imagination can go on and on... we live in very interesting times.