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

I had to ask this. In particular I'd like to know what's happening NOW that COULD BE very significant.

Cure for cancer.

*this* is where I reckon the internet comes in.

At the moment it's in the infancy of internet banking and internet shopping.
It's a good medium for advertising but not yet up there with TV and radio.
It's a pretty mediocre medium for information. A lot of material on it is crap and a lot is made up so for a definitive look for certainty of information at double check at least with the library is still a good plan.
Also it's a good place for people to chat about whatever they fancy.

I think its real impact has yet to be felt, there are still a lot of people out there who barely use it if at all.

I think a cheap economic heat source to replace fossil fuel burning would be the most important if it's achieved. No way will it be wind or wave power though. We're talking nuclea fusion or the hydrogen cell.

polution free fuel system for cars

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4102018.stm

'Teleporting' over the internet

That's so five years ago, although the equipment currently costs as much as a small house.

http://www.teleportec.com/

WE already have polution free systems for cars, but no political determination to make it suceed. information on the INternet not reliable? Sure a lot isn't, but in my time at university, I solely accessed scientific journals, and DNA databases, and transcription factor binding site matrix information over the internet.... So its a mixture.... I think certainly the first hafl fo the next 50 years will be consolidation of existing technologies, especially computer/internet/communication technologies, As for anything 'new'.... who can tell....

You can access scientific journals only to certain years largely (although this is improving) but basic and advanced texts do *not* exist on the internet and if you try to access simple undergraduate and late school level stuff you find a very variable degree of detail and reliability.

long distance manned space flight

quantum computers. Very much in their (physical) infancy, but the potential power of the technology is very impressive and will have a major effect on many areas, especially, I would have thought, science.

And, maybe not in 50 yrs, but bio engineering is another thing I expect to take off significantly. It's where my money would be for long term results.

Space planes for the public

Online Idiot filter

dig away


High and mighty people blocker

DNA chips I believe they call them. You smack some DNA on there, and it tells you if the genes you are searching for are present.

Computer interface direct implants in human brain

I'd go with a quantum computer powered by a nuclear fusion reactor, how cool would that be?

Wind and Wave and Solar power for everyone

very
I think if they can get the fusion reactor working then that will also be one of the most important inventions. The power station that is.

On the Bio front there's also the RNA computers. Which seem to be extremely powerful, but they aren't 100% accurate, like any biological system. I guess, since most humans seem to work OK computationally, there is a future in it.

Mind you, probably still more accurate than pentium

Personally, knowing a little about the technology required to get it to work I reckon they'll get to the quantum computer before they manage the nano-sized computer and that should make the latter redundant.

We shall see though

I think it will probably still be the internet, for the reasons Orcus mentioned. But I think it will be something ingenuously low-tech, which will avert some of the worst effects of global warming.