Entries this day: Predictions

Predictions

March 2002

I found this in The Harrow Technology Report.

Ian Pearson and Ian Neild of BTexact Technologies (an
offshoot of British Telecom), use the information
available from many sources (including The Harrow
Technology Report, I'm pleased to say), plus their own
expertise, to assign probable dates to significant
technological events.  And the results can be very
interesting and instructive.  Consider these few
examples:

-         2003 - first synthetic organic life form.

-         2005 - computers that write their own
software.

-         2006 - first artificial electronic life, and
first organism brought back from extinction.

-         2010 - highest earning celebrity is
synthetic.

-         2015 - machine use of human-like creativity

-         2020 - electronic life form given basic
rights, and insect-sized robots banned in gardens due
to effects on wildlife.

Ian and Ian's timeline offers many, many more examples
in the areas of Artificial Intelligence,
Biotechnology, Business & Education, Demographics,
Displays, Energy, the Environment, Home & Office
Technology, Living in a Cyberworld, Machine Senses,
Materials Sciences, Computer Electronics, Robotics,
and more.  They offer a thought-provoking walk through
our possible future history. 

The paper is available at 

http://www.btexact.com/white_papers/downloads/WP106.pdf.
May you find it as thought-provoking as did I.