Dystopian Future

[red-beard]

Just like the flying car (Whoops, Terrafugia ), the dystopian future never seems to get here.

Space 1999
Blade Runner
Soylent Green
Just about every Heinlein novel

They all predict a devolving society and a crashed future, etc. But it never happens.

The UN panel on Global Warming keeps up the doom and gloom, but we never seem to get there.

All the new programs keep saying how bad things are, but the crime stats for the last 20+ years show crime down.

Everyone has a phone/computer in their hands!

AI has not (yet) destroyed the world

There is LESS trash, cleaner rivers and most people generally care about the environment.

Yes, yes. We do a a reduced amount of civility. And I see a serious lack of civic duty and virtue, not to mention crazy people attacking people in the streets.

Is it in Seattle and San Francisco only?

[varmint]

Don’t read science fiction. Read history. Just off the top of my head,


Rhodesia/Zimbabwe
Venezuela
Cuba
China
Cambodia
Germany, pretty much all of continental Europe in the 20th century.
Russia
Detroit

Everything is fine. Until it isn’t.

[wilnj]

Had a conversation about this very topic today. If some dystopian future becomes a reality I don’t think it will be war, disease or pestilence that brings it about. Rather it will be the millions that don’t have an income stream as the need for semi and unskilled labor vaporizes.

Autonomous vehicles will make drivers obsolete, that includes cars, trucks, buses, boats, cranes, forklifts, etc.

I can invision a future in my industry of construction when modularization becomes more prevalent and factory assembly of the modules is more conducive to automation.

Farming is an easy one, only waiting for the economics to tip the scale in the right direction.

The service industry is already there, it will only be a change in scale.

That’s what worries me.


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[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by wilnj

Autonomous vehicles will make drivers obsolete, that includes cars, trucks, buses, boats, cranes, forklifts, etc.

I can envision a future in my industry of construction when modularization becomes more prevalent and factory assembly of the modules is more conducive to automation.

Farming is an easy one, only waiting for the economics to tip the scale in the right direction.

I can see all the above being automated except farming, farming is much to random and unpredictable.

And lets not forget sex robots!

[varmint]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

I can see all the above being automated except farming, farming is much to random and unpredictable.

And lets not forget sex robots!

Given the one child policy, abortion, gender imbalance in China, I think the Asian sex doll market is poised for explosive growth. I’m going to talk to my broker.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by varmint

Given the one child policy, abortion, gender imbalance in China, I think the Asian sex doll market is poised for explosive growth. I’m going to talk to my broker.

Given all those things could we see a downturn in the human population?

We could also see an upturn in the trades, current generation disillusioned with skyrocketing college debt all to chase a carrot that is getting farther and farther away.

We have an exhibit here on 'Fear' with video loop is about the 'killer bees' (among other things)... remember how we were all going to be dead from bee attacks by now? (exhibit is 10 years old)

[varmint]

I can remember when the hole in the ozone layer was supposed to kill us all. And shouldn’t the rain forest have been destroyed twenty times over by now?

[wilnj]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

I can see all the above being automated except farming, farming is much to random and unpredictable.

Many farming activities are already GPS controlled. Full automation is not a stretch.

Also, if a computer can be programmed for facial recognition, how much harder can it be to program it to recognize a bunch of grapes on a vine or an apple on a tree? It’s only a question of economic viability, not technological limitations.



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[wilnj]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

Given all those things could we see a downturn in the human population?

I read an article today about declining fertility in the male population. Maybe it’s nature’s way of leveling the field?

Wouldn’t it be a trip if the handmaids tale came to pass but with the roles reversed? Too bad I got snipped after my third kid.


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[red-beard]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

Given all those things could we see a downturn in the human population?

We could also see an upturn in the trades, current generation disillusioned with skyrocketing college debt all to chase a carrot that is getting farther and farther away.

We have an exhibit here on 'Fear' with video loop is about the 'killer bees' (among other things)... remember how we were all going to be dead from bee attacks by now? (exhibit is 10 years old)

I am now remembering a PBS show, probably Zoom, where there was a "crayon animated" segment that all trees in the world are gone. They find one tree and dissect it to send around the world to grow new trees.

I also remember the fear in the early 1970s that we were headed into a new ice age.

Super Friends (cartoon) had an episode where aliens were adjusting the earth's orbit to make it warmer for them/

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

I can see all the above being automated except farming, farming is much to random and

Autonomous farm machinery is far ahead of autonomous cars. GPS and harvest data have allowed micro dosing of fertilizers. Continuous autonomous UAV monitoring of fields is coming and will allow micro dosing of pesticides. Feed and manure handling are automated. Strains of human edibles have been developed that facilitate automated machine harvesting. Farming can be highly automated. It’s just a matter of when automation becomes cheaper than hand labor.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by wilnj

I read an article today about declining fertility in the male population. Maybe it’s nature’s way of leveling the field?

It’s due to global warming. Males ‘nads of almost all warm blooded animals are located outside the core body because they like to be at a lower temperature When they work their magic. Warm them up and they don’t work so well. It could also be due to tight underwear or hot tubs.

[GH85Carrera]

I remember my high school teacher proclaiming the USA would be out of petroleum by 2000.

Science fiction loves the apocalyptic future since it is easier to imagine. That is why I loved Star Trek so much. A positive future where money was meaningless.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

The foundation for a combination of 1984 and Idiocracy has been laid.

[Por_sha911]

I don't know, the Mad Max lawless society seems to look an awful lot like ANTIFA or Kavanaugh protesters to me.

[flipper35]

Originally Posted by wilnj

Many farming activities are already GPS controlled. Full automation is not a stretch.

Also, if a computer can be programmed for facial recognition, how much harder can it be to program it to recognize a bunch of grapes on a vine or an apple on a tree? It’s only a question of economic viability, not technological limitations.



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AI does that now as well as QC for many products.

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

The foundation for a combination of 1984 and Idiocracy has been laid.

In 1984 everyone was forced to live with cameras and screens everywhere. We carry them willingly.

With lax security in all the IoT devices it won't be long until some anarchist will shut down all the new cars at once. Or maybe on brand at once. Or manipulate the steering and throttle. Delete or alter medical records for current patients, who knows.

I heard a guy today, Bruce Schneier, and might pick up his book. "Click here to kill everyone".

[Tervuren]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

I can see all the above being automated except farming, farming is much to random and unpredictable.

Hydroponic farming.

A major reason the Dystopian future doesn't get here is technology advances with our problems.

If you start to do some research on what sort of population we could sustain with hydroponic farming and nuclear energy you'll find over population is not much to fear.

Our ability to build tall structures would allow trillions to live in about 1% of the earth's landmass.

When you start doing basic math fear of the future vaporizes.

[epbrown]

Originally Posted by Tervuren

If you start to do some research on what sort of population we could sustain with hydroponic farming and nuclear energy you'll find over population is not much to fear.

Our ability to build tall structures would allow trillions to live in about 1% of the earth's landmass.

When you start doing basic math fear of the future vaporizes.

One of my favorite GRR Martin stories is from back when he wrote sci-fi, and one had a society that had 68 Billion people living on a planet. They got that way because all thru their history doomsayers had said they couldn't support more people and they always managed. Of course, the story caught up with them as the predictions were finally coming true - not because they lacked advancement, but because resource hogs wouldn't give up various inefficient outdated technologies, even if it meant people starving.

That strikes me as the more realistic downfall for humanity - not that we won't be smart enough, but that many in power will simply be too stubborn or corrupt.

[VillaRicaGA911]

Don’t forget acid rain was also supposed to have killed us all by now.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by red-beard

I am now remembering a PBS show, probably Zoom, where there was a "crayon animated" segment that all trees in the world are gone. They find one tree and dissect it to send around the world to grow new trees.

I also remember the fear in the early 1970s that we were headed into a new ice age.

Super Friends (cartoon) had an episode where aliens were adjusting the earth's orbit to make it warmer for them/

I still remember hiding under my desk as a child as a way to protect myself against Soviet atom bombs. The new ice age has got nuthin.!