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Originally Posted by uncle_scott
Working in transportation planning, I can tell you that DOTs and Transit Authorities across the nation are planning and funding future investments in smart car technologies. Everything from automated vehicle technology to sensors at stop lights that talk to the cars and regulate traffic flow based on volumes. We also discuss the reality that large scale retail at a big box store could be a thing of the past in the near future. Online ordering with very fast and nearly free shipping already is making a huge dent in local retail sales. I can see a future with fewer person to person retail transactions and automated cars.
Some of the things on the list seem far fetched, but I imagine that many of the things we take for granted today would have seemed far fetched to a group of people 15-20 years ago...Technology marches on. Best you can do is try to keep up and not get lost in the pack.
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Far-fetched is now ten or less years away and decreasing, though. Also, I actually think individual survival will lie in purposely getting lost in the pack.
The classic movie from 1927 'Metropolis' does actually have a few scenes using computers with video screens. Sci-fi is actually a predictor of the future in many cases.
John Kerry, dumb as he is, gave a commencement speech Saturday trying to prepare the grads for a future without borders.
Unfortunately, he may be correct. What the future global economy will look like is anyone's guess but I think something will have to come along to give the billions on earth something to do.
Soylent green comes to mind also.