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Fifty Years From Now.

21K views 330 replies 25 participants last post by  nittiley 
#1 ·
(This is more about speculation of the future so I haven't marked it for debate, though it will be welcomed.)

We have many ongoing controversies on this planet and none that seem to be solvable in the near future. So I ask what you what you expect to see in the year 2062. Will oil still be a driving force? Will "terrorism", or will the west have found a new windmill to attack? How about politics: left or right leaning? How about world economy? Will the European Union still be viable? Will the US regain it's world-leading status? How about emerging powers like India and China? A "cure" for cancer? What will the internet be like?

This is obviously a wide ranging topic so don't be afraid of going off the rails. You can even give your opinion as to what the trend in music will be.

I am hoping that the world leading nations and corporation will have taken a strong stance on developing alternate energy sources. I don't see the tribal nature of such regions as Africa and the Middle East allowing any progress towards unity and peace - especially Palestine and Israel. I think global warming will be more widely accepted as regions of the earth experience more anomalous and extreme weather patterns.

But here is the greatest challenge to you personally. What do you think the future will be like as opposed to what you would like it to be like?
 
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#3 ·
fifty years from now, we will be worm food. do you think the quality of our post now will determine the quality of the fertilizer
I'm not talking about you and I, personally. Where will our civilization be fifty years from now? I have ulterior motives for this thread, also. ;)
 
#4 ·
The future doesn't look too promising for me right now. But one thing I think will change is transportation. And I think a lot of it will aerial....Sky cars similar to those new ones the Dutch are building right now and others will come about...They're getting a whole lot better and a whole lot quicker with Battery development and I see some kind of storage capability like this evolve even more and be able to collect energy from a number of different resources...

One thing is, just think how much land under roads and highways would be made available if traffic took the air....:cool:
 
#5 ·
The future doesn't look too promising for me right now. But one thing I think will change is transportation. And I think a lot of it will aerial....Sky cars similar to those new ones the Dutch are building right now and others will come about...They're getting a whole lot better and a whole lot quicker with Battery development and I see some kind of storage capability like this evolve even more and be able to collect energy from a number of different resources...

One thing is, just think how much land under roads and highways would be made available if traffic took the air....:cool:
Good point but what would be the energy cost to go aerial? I know that sounds like a technical question but I meant it rhetorically.
 
#6 ·
Why does everything revolve around cost? ;). Just a rhetorical question, not a technical one...:cool:

Aerial vehicles have existed for some while with zeppelins and blimps that use very little energy to stay aloft, and they can be part of the equation....:up:
 
#7 ·
Why does everything revolve around cost? ;). Just a rhetorical question, not a technical one...:cool:

Aerial vehicles have existed for some while with zeppelins and blimps that use very little energy to stay aloft, and they can be part of the equation....:up:
You mock me, good sir? I challenge you to a guitar duel at 20 chords! :mad:

(We should do Skype. I want to play Stand By Me and Into the Mystic :cool: ).
 
#9 ·
That will be easy my friend. :up: I'm on my new IPad at this time and who would have thought of this 50 years ago? :cool:
Indeed! Only science fiction writers 50 years ago were imagining the things we have today. The mind boggles. And to think that we have only just embarked upon the Computer Age.
 
#10 ·
. Will oil still be a driving force? Will "terrorism", or will the west have found a new windmill to attack? How about politics: left or right leaning? How about world economy? Will the European Union still be viable? Will the US regain it's world-leading status? How about emerging powers like India and China? A "cure" for cancer? What will the internet be like?
Looks like 9 or 10 threads to me ;)
Perhaps make several threads like Mikes {which had much topic in the opening post} was done several weeks ago?
Can bring much more focus to each individual subject at hand.
 
#11 ·
Looks like 9 or 10 threads to me ;)
Perhaps make several threads like Mikes {which had much topic in the opening post} was done several weeks ago?
Can bring much more focus to each individual subject at hand.
No. This is a general discussion of "the future".

Me said:
This is obviously a wide ranging topic so don't be afraid of going off the rails.
 
#12 ·
No. This is a general discussion of "the future".
Past present future,,,doesnt matter...still tons of topic.
I see that it will have the same problem that Mikes was going to be headed before it was split up.
It was expressed that his had to much topic..but you are wanting a wide range of topic?
I am just trying to figure out where to dive in here at...and keep with the forum theme
 
#14 ·
Since it's not tagged for debate (Mike's was), it doesn't matter all that much.:)
 
#15 ·
and I still want to know if you put a ski boot and a bowling ball atop Mt Rushmore, which of the three will last the longest?

To paraphrase, I believe that our refuse will FAR outlast humankind......I know that's not where you intended this to go, Jimbo, but hey, it's not flagged debate.....:)

Bugs the living snot out of me to think that the stuff we made will outlast us. And no, I'm not talking about radioactive stuff; that was along before we got here, we just sort of modified it a bit.......
 
#16 ·
Personally I don't think we can make that kinda millage without a major war. Political dogmas are polarizing I can already see it happening, I foresee nationalism and forms of isolationism in heavily migrated host nations. The taboo questions of today will become talk of tomorrow weather we like it or not. For example some might seriously consider Antinatalism
 
#18 ·
and I still want to know if you put a ski boot and a bowling ball atop Mt Rushmore, which of the three will last the longest?

To paraphrase, I believe that our refuse will FAR outlast humankind......I know that's not where you intended this to go, Jimbo, but hey, it's not flagged debate.....:)

Bugs the living snot out of me to think that the stuff we made will outlast us. And no, I'm not talking about radioactive stuff; that was along before we got here, we just sort of modified it a bit.......
Tim, this is an open discussion. I'm not wanting it to go in any specific direction. As long as the dialogue is constructive and moderately interesting I'm happy.

And never mind ski boots, bowling balls and Mt. Rushmore. How about a package of preservative laden hotdogs in the local landfill? I think they have a half life of about 7,000 years! :eek:
 
#19 ·
Personally I don't think we can make that kinda millage without a major war. Political dogmas are polarizing I can already see it happening, I foresee nationalism and forms of isolationism in heavily migrated host nations. The taboo questions of today will become talk of tomorrow weather we like it or not. For example some might seriously consider Antinatalism
I would have to disagree with that. We survived the hysteria and insanity of McCarthyism and the Cold War and we survived Bush's likewise lunacy of Islamophobia (so far). Thankfully, the big powers that could cause a global disaster are happily involved in pursuing the almighty buck. I see something less sinister throwing us for a loop. "If" the climatologists are right (and I say if while not necessarily championing the cause) and they continued to be ignored we could face disasters such as water and food shortages. Financial ruin is also likely if the stock markets continue to be run like a huge gambling casino.
 
#20 ·
i see a two class society. the "haves" and " have nots". I think things will only get worse. this will include whole nations as well.
I try not to take class too seriously, although evident in most cases I like to think of it as distortion of perceptions like envy. Id like to see more individuals than classes. When the ignorant commoners start pandering to upper classes they get walked on.
 
#21 ·
Tim, this is an open discussion. I'm not wanting it to go in any specific direction. As long as the dialogue is constructive and moderately interesting I'm happy.

And never mind ski boots, bowling balls and Mt. Rushmore. How about a package of preservative laden hotdogs in the local landfill? I think they have a half life of about 7,000 years! :eek:
and the half-life of a 16 pound solid hunk o' plastic?
 
#22 ·
I was listening to a couple of U of O students the other day and they were convinced that in the near future there would be Oxygen Cafes where people could go in and order a cup of their favorite latte and with it they could order 15 minutes of oxygen to breathe because the outside air was so polluted...:eek:
 
#24 ·
How about curling rocks? About 40 pounds of solid granite! :D

But seriously, there are artifacts that would last far, far into the future.

Oxygen cafés have been considered for about 40 years or so. back to the late 60's-early 70's when the first wave of envrironmentalism hit. And what have we accomplished so far? Imagine another 50 years. Maybe this global warming scare will not die out. I'm no tree-hugger but supplying consumer good for 6 billion people can't be done without doing some harm to the planet.
 
#25 ·
..........Oxygen cafés have been considered for about 40 years or so. back to the late 60's-early 70's when the first wave of envrironmentalism hit............
There was actually more cause for them then than there is today. At least in some of the industrial smog towns I've known.

Apart from having better emission filtrage, heavy industry has luckily become so uncompetitive in our parts, that it's all exported itself to China. They're the ones coughing now. :D
 
#26 ·
There was actually more cause for them then than there is today. At least in some of the industrial smog towns I've known.

Apart from having better emission filtrage, heavy industry has luckily become so uncompetitive in our parts, that it's all exported itself to China. They're the ones coughing now. :D
Yes but they are coughing their way to the bank.Do you think that, fifty years from now, the west will be able to recapture a good piece of our lost industrial base. Our Canadian government is starting to talk about it. I think fifty years hence we will see more Canadian oil going to Asian countries and less to the states.
 
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