h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Okay, well just to add my two cents worth into this unfinished business thing, remember the movie Back to the Future? (no, this has nothing to do with time travel OR 1955) At the end of the first movie, Doc went into the future 30 years. Since he was in 1985, this would make him end up in 2015. They had flying cars, floating skateboards, and funky clothes. So my question is this: Is this a realistic picture of how we will look in a time period that is only 15 years away for us? (And yet they thought the fax machines were cool, too)

Hrm.... good point. Appantly, there is someone working on the flying cars idea, even working on the air traffic control idea (I read this in a mag a few weeks ago), holographic screens could be available by then (the shark coming out of the movie house) and large, thin screens are now available. If we take it that these will all be around in 5 years time, then that gives us 10 years to perfect them.... Now, all I need is to patent the self fastening shoes, the hot air jacket and the Hoverboard and I could make a fortune.....

PS... The fax machine wouldn't have been there if they knew more about emails!

emails...that's true. And did you ever even see a computer? I love stuff like BTF; it reminds me of the book 1984 and how Orwell thought things were going to be in the future. It gives one something to think about. I wonder if I could predict the future...

Prediction is easy, the reality is that you only have to expand on what is already there. True, in the 50's many people tried this and although most where wrong, some where right. Even the media we use here has had decades to advance (the internet is almost 40 years old, in places). So to predict is simple, to get it right, ahh, theres the task.

Take one simple pathway, nothing like genetic engineering or space travel, but something simple like email.....

In a few years, email will be commonplace, replacing normail (trademarked name), this will start the advance of email, so you'll be able to get your mail on your mobile phone, this will change the way you mobile works, advancing into video conferenceing, this requires high speed wireless networks, with these in place, other technology offshoots appears. Newsflash style ad board that can show television pictures live, total freedom networks allowing you to work for your office anywhere, even things like the porn industry will change, so will answer phones. 3D constructs of you will answer your phone and ask for a message to be left. Then that construct will answer all your calls, monitoring them and suggesting ways to ease your infomation heavy lifestyle. Imagine going to a resturant, you call to make a booking and before the person answers at the other end, you could have the menu downloaded, see recent reviews even chose your table, no more decieding on the phone, the answering party would have that information already when they answer, they could even take an encrypted credit card slip so you needn't even worry about waiting for the bill.

Is this a future we want? Is it a future we'll get?

There are many ideas floating around and as people get more technologically aware (lets face it 10 years ago computers were for geeks and brains, you could not even imagine that your working life would depend on a box of plastic and silicon), this allows for more needs to be sated.

The future is bright, but the warnings are clear. Bright light can blind.

Have you seen the stuff they're doing in Finland with Mobiles? Linking them into the net and putting your home PC in charge of heating and stuff in your house so it can put the heating on and start the teasmaid before you come in, all because it knows where your mobile (and therefore you) are at all times.
The possibilities are scarily open.

And what do you think of Bill Gates as the Antichrist? or for you non-religious folks, a mean dictator with absolute control over the lives of millions of people...
something to think about: if you have excel 95 (not office 97), follow these steps:
1. open a new file
2. scroll down to row 95
3. click on the row 95 button to highlight the entire row
4. press tab to move to the second column
5. move your mouse and click on help at the top
6. click on "about microsoft excel"
7. press ctrl-alt-shift and click on the tech support button at the same time
A window will appear and you can navigate using the arrow keys...this is really freaky, i've tried it.
Maybe it's just a joke, but if MS can do this, think what else they are possible of!!!
Note: I wonder who the heck figured out those instructions?!?!?!?

If you love that then you should try some more 'Easter Eggs' (the term given to those hidden programs and credits)

www.eeggs.com