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~How Do You See
the Next 5O - 1OO years? ~

Ray Bradbury writes and talks about colonizing other worlds. And he writes and talks about a day when you can carrying on a conversation with robots likened to living people. An old essay of his discusss about a banquet with robots of famous writers of the past, Dickens, Hawthorne, Melville, and Ray running around the banquet having conversations with these great "robot" men.

How do you see it...
...in World Politics, Inventions, Religion, Sciences, Health, and General Daily Life?

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This message has been edited. Last edited by: Nard Kordell,

Likely a major conflict in the world, probably the middle east. Some sort of direct communication with intelligent life other than our own, and far beyond what we could ever imagine in any story. And, wide-spread psychological problems unlike anything ever seen before, in the next 50 years. And then there is New undiscovered short stories by author Ray Bradbury. Finally, type of media? Probably something based on the antiquated internet.

I still recall reading the likes of A.C. Clarke's Profiles of the Future, Toffler's Future Shock, Huxley's Brave New World, Verne's Man Who Invented the Future, and, of course, Wells' Time Machine.

This idea (below) from Clarke always fascinated me because of the potential man has at his advanced, can-do fingertips. Yet, rivers are drying up, the air not suitable to breathe, tainted food is being distributed from unchecked countries, and the global population is growing faster than a snowball rolling down a steep hill on a warm winter day. Other than that, the future looks bright and cheery.

So, skim this, and then enjoy A C.C's closing remark for his essay!
http://www.islandone.org/LEOBiblio/CLARK3.HTM

For the several diseases we will eradicate several new ones will pop up that we'll have to learn to deal with. Some previously rare diseases and others we thought we'd conquered will explode into near epidemic proportions. But since we'll be able to transplant every organ except the brain, only the very young and the very old will be susceptible to death. Unfortunately, due to birth-control, low birth rates, and the current trends of smaller families virtually everybody on the planet will be either very old or very young.

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Oh, and McDonald's will share an entire wing of the International Space Station with Jimmy Buffet's Margerueritaville Cantina and The Betty Ford Clinic.

Then where will they put the Starbucks?

Yup, very good. They'd have to have a significant portion of another wing for sure. By then STARBUCKS, PEPSI, and WAL*MART will own everything.

The moon will be sponsored by PEPSI, with the logo completely visible every full moon. "Tonights full moon is brought to you by PEPSI."

Communication with animals will take absolutely astounding strides. Profound new understanding especially with the Grizzly Bear, Monkeys, Dogs, Birds, and an equally astounding understanding even with insects. Artificial and natural intellgence will mimic each other so closely that a significant segment of mankind may become obsessed with the meaning of the soul. All this and more, say, within 65 years.

Grassy, I'm sure the Pepsi logo will be there on the moon, but not the message, as illiteracy will have spread nearly worldwide, except amongst a small controlling elite.
Also, attention spans and long-term memory will have atrophied due to generations becoming inured to rapidly shifting televised images; monosyllabic gruntings and repeated machine-generated thumps and twangs passing for music; and the popularity of marijuana, (or "soma"), encouraged by the controlling elite.

"illiteracy will have spread nearly worldwide"

Correct. And everything will simply be color-coded. Only those rebellious teenagers will abort the seashell from their ear canals and pay no heed to "The Voice" which will direct our every move. As a result of such insulence, microchips will have to be implanted at birth in order to prevent society from heading down that wayward path of literacy. For, illiteracy never stopped George W. Washington from being the first president of The Re-Formed United States Of America, or as it will then be known--The Colors Red, White, And Blue.

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grass/Braling, etc: I agree with most of the items mentioned. But I do believe all these are not the overall picture. For instance, men have walked on the moon, but there is genocide in Dafur. People come back from the dead (clinically dead) with incredible techniques in medicine, but kids are starving by the tens of thousands and dying each day. Not everything is 1984... just some.

People die. That doesn't make any sense. Unless you are with the scientists and the biologists, and the global warming people. Otherwise, intuitively, dying is not normal. The 2nd grader knows everything. The world goes on forever. Otherwise, something is amiss. Why do we know all the deep meanings of life way back when, and not why down the road? Bradbury hung onto the earlier visions of reality. Thank God for Bradbury!!!!

"We don't need no steenking literacy":

http://www.interq.or.jp/joetsu/tokeiya/sunglasse/nike-2/nikelogos.gif
http://www.planetwebmarketing.co.uk/images/mcdonalds.jpg
http://www.pepsico.com/PEP_Company/Overview/images/img_pepsi_logo.gif
http://www.thelightisgreen.com/Toyota%20logo%20horns_1.jpg
http://www.taracs.com/Apple-logo.jpg
http://www.kttw.com/Logos/KFC_Col_prc.eps.jpg
http://www.beadesigngroup.com/atandt_lines.jpg
...and of course... http://www.beaumont.k12.tx.us/epcot-ears.jpg

(A picture is worth - - - !?) How long before the nightly constellations become obliterated by technology selling burgers, athletic shoes, and the newest energy drink?)

We will de-evolve into Morlocks. For, it is written.

I don't mean to sound totally pessimistic. I'm a bit depressed because my 150-plus-year-old bass viol fell and the neck broke in 2 pieces. So now I'm facing repairs I can't afford and borrowing basses to play gigs in the meantime. If you've ever spent years finding your voice, either singing or playing an instrument, you'll understand. I've had this bass for nearly 30 years. The ones I'm able to borrow are OK, but playing them is (an extreme example here) like opening your mouth to sing expecting to sound like Nelson Eddy, and out comes Jerry Lewis!

OK. Back to the future. Will things like symphony orchestras, operas, etc. with real human musicians survive?