What was once science fiction is now, in many ways, reality. What is your view of the next 50 years? Write and fascinate others by what you think could happen.

-- Michael Blake Read (michael@previewbooks.com), November 10, 1999

Answers

What disappoints me is that outside of weird mathmatical stuff. And the insanity of theo physics. Very little science fiction is even very suprising. It is just all logical stuff like ok we will have the equivelent of a 1G mhz chip and it will tell us stories. Big deal. It is not the same kind of thrill as saying we will have a thing called computers that do work for us and that we will end up working for. So what is the next thing that is going to be like the computer? There will be something. We can easily compare the invention of the computer with the invention of electriciy. So the kind of revolution due to computers we have now is not unprecedented.

So what will it be? Will the piercing culture of today eventualy translate into a cybernetic culture? Will it become cool to have a computer in your finger or forhead? Will it be a computer or just an interface with a something more central. See, I can't think outside of computer crap stuff that is almost possible today. What if someone finds a way to make us not need computers anymore but do the same things? My guess? True artifical intellegence.

-- Eric Frazier (ef@kwinternet.com), November 14, 1999.

I am hoping that I will be alive for the next fifty years -- which would be a sci-fi miracle in and of itself because it would put me over 100 -- something that is becoming more common these day yet still quite an achievement. NOw I believe that there will be a number of more believeable developments in the area of extra-terrestrial activity -- and of course our inter-connectivity will not only be in the area of better circuitry, computers and telecommunications -- but also more people will be interconnected at the mind level -- yes through some level of telepathy. Even if that is far fetched to some, at least the subject can come up and be discussed openly without fear of being burned as a witch. Over all in the next fifty years I see a lot of old social/political/religious garbage being dumped yet people will have a clearer sense of what is ethical and more beneficial to all. That isn't garbage, never was and never will be -- as long as it doesn't turn into a dogma. I think we'll all be smarter and kids will catch on sooner as well. Disagree? WEll go ahead and spout off!

-- Elly (eroselle-cbe@msn.com), November 22, 1999.

50 years and beyond! My view is that over the next fifty years, people every where will have more. More for them selves, this includes knowledge. More will be avaliable. It will not cost as much now to live. It will not cost as much now to feed your self. It will appear that inflation has decreased, but it hasn't. Technology is improving which is making the basics cheaper. How many people do you know have a computer. More now then 5 years ago. What are the chances of running into some one who does not have a VCR, small. I see that third world countries will have what we consider the basics as a basic and that will be considered third world. A roof, running hot and cold water, and electricity which brings light, heat and yes the luxury of air conditioning. That will be a third world country's life style. So, for those not in a third world country, crime decreases, food banks are less known, why? Food is cheap. Why? The cost to pump water is cheap, the cost to run a tractor is cheap, the cost to transport food is cheap. The cost to make a wheat gathering machine is cheap. Cheap is refering to lower than now. Now you would look at this answer and if you live in Canada you would have read that gas prices might hit the 70 cent mark. Ouch... What if cars ran off of electricity in stead of gas? Electricity in Ontario is 7 cents per kilowatt. 10 times cheaper then gas per litre. I think if we could take a snap shoot of now and fifties years from now, we would be amazed that we survived.

-- Richard Raynault (raynault@home.com), November 23, 1999.