Predict the Future!

This forum is for members to discuss topics that do not relate to anime music videos.

Predict the Future!

Postby Phantasmagoriat » Sat Feb 05, 2011 1:36 am

What do you think will happen over the next ~100 years?

I predict a number of major events will occur in this time, largely attributed to the internet. Humanity has never seen this amount of information exchange before, even if you include the invention of the printing press. That's gotta do something, whether it be through technological advancements or enlightenment (for lack of a better word). I expect to see things pick up as early as 2018 which is the year babies born in 2000 start graduating (babies who have grown up on the 'modern' internet). So I figure, if anything big is going to happen, it's probably going to happen within our lifetime. (crazy thought eh!?)

That is, of course, if the whole thing doesn't crash and burn.

So, what do you think?
Image
Org Profile | AMVGuide | Phan Picks! | THE424SHOW | YouTube | "Galactic Escape"

"Effort to Understand; Effort to be Understood; to See through Different Eyes."
User avatar
Phantasmagoriat
 
Joined: 06 Feb 2006
Status: ☁SteamPunked≈☂

Re: Predict the Future!

Postby Castor Troy » Sat Feb 05, 2011 2:16 am

Humanity is going to revert to a neo-cro-magnon type stage where they'll start saying "lol" and "wtf" as normal vocabulary.
Image
"Vlad, you will not get my new blockbuster video. Sorry bro." - Chemix800, Hollywood Editor
User avatar
Castor Troy
Ryan Molina, A.C.E
 
Joined: 16 Jan 2001
Location: California
Status: Retired from AMVs

Re: Predict the Future!

Postby EvaFan » Sat Feb 05, 2011 2:59 am

I'd like to predict we make the switch to fucking fuel cell cars already at some point in the near future but no one leading this damn country wants to ween us off of oil. There is so much more efficiency to fuel cells that its a joke not to considering the idea that the nation is going green/renewable energy. Why we don't use fuel cells for other things is beyond me as well. It doesn't have to change fast, just start putting some out there and fueling stations will install pumps for them over time, while the newest generation of the cars prices drop so the less well off can afford them over time. Gas prices will not go down, they can only go up with supply and demand.

My point is Either it happens soon or there is a crisis at some point and we make the switch the hard way (immediantly) with suffering inbetween till it works out.
"The people cannot be [...] always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented, in proportion to [...] the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to public liberty. What country can preserve its liberties, if it's rulers are not warned [...] that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants."-Thomas Jefferson
User avatar
EvaFan
 
Joined: 21 Mar 2004
Location: Somerset, KY
Status: (*゚▽゚)o旦~ ー乾杯ー♪

Re: Predict the Future!

Postby godix » Sat Feb 05, 2011 5:31 am

I predict that in 100 years, humans will develop astounding technologies that we can barely imagine now, and the two most common uses for it will be porn followed by the most moronic shit you can imagine. I mean seriously, decades ago there were some semi-close guesses at today's internet. No one, absolutely no one, predicted 4chan or lolcats.
Image
User avatar
godix
a disturbed member
 
Joined: 03 Aug 2002

Re: Predict the Future!

Postby trythil » Sat Feb 05, 2011 5:42 am

I will press the Submit button.

On a more serious note, I'm going to predict that this thread will be better named "Naïve Rants" if this sort of stuff keeps up:

EvaFan wrote:There is so much more efficiency to fuel cells that its a joke not to considering the idea that the nation is going green/renewable energy. Why we don't use fuel cells for other things is beyond me as well. It doesn't have to change fast, just start putting some out there and fueling stations will install pumps for them over time, while the newest generation of the cars prices drop so the less well off can afford them over time.


Things are changing. Haven't you heard of GM's Sequel, the Honda Clarity FCX, Nissan Leaf, REVAi? (No? Then why are you complaining?) You can lease a Clarity in California today, and you can buy the Leaf and REVAi now. The Sequel is a concept, but it does demonstrate some work from GM in this area. (The Volt doesn't count towards any of this, because it's a hybrid.)

Or is your complaint that things aren't happening fast enough? In that case...

...there may be conspiracy theories, but there are also very real engineering challenges to solve that still need attention, and that stuff takes time and money. Even just talking about hydrogen fuel cells, which have received great attention recently (and is the variant that I've read up on):

Infrastructure is a huge problem. If you just consider filling stations, there's not many places (in the USA, at least) where you can get hydrogen in a form that's suitable for transport. California has just over a couple dozen stations (according to Wikipedia, 26 as of 2007, with ten more planned but a few decommissioned); South Carolina has plans but, as far as I know, no execution. Building that infrastructure up requires a lot of money and a lot of coordination with automobile makers, land owners, etc.

Large-scale hydrogen production is a problem. The most common method for hydrogen production is oxidation of water with methane; look up methane reformers if you want the reactions. That isn't a way going forward if you want to go for the "green" angle: first off, methane is a prominent greenhouse gas; secondly, the reactions that produce hydrogen also produce carbon monoxide, which has to go somewhere. There's many other hydrogen production methods (see Wikipedia if you want a list) but, as far as I can tell, none of those methods have been successfully implemented on a large scale.

Finally, fossil fuels (and internal combustion engines) have undergone a lot more research when it comes to things like performance tuning, i.e. making engines more efficient. It's this reason -- among others -- that you see 500, 600, 700 (or even higher) horsepower gasoline engines showing up in high-end cars. There's progress in this area, but nothing that can be done on the same scale just yet.
This is a block of text that can be added to posts you make. There is a 512 character limit.
trythil
is
 
Joined: 23 Jul 2002
Location: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

Re: Predict the Future!

Postby JaddziaDax » Sat Feb 05, 2011 5:52 am

Castor Troy wrote:Humanity is going to revert to a neo-cro-magnon type stage where they'll start saying "lol" and "wtf" as normal vocabulary.



Too late, it's already happening O.o
User avatar
JaddziaDax
Crazy Cat Lady!
 
Joined: 16 Mar 2004
Location: somewhere i think O.o
Status: I has a TRU Arceus

Re: Predict the Future!

Postby trythil » Sat Feb 05, 2011 5:52 am

trythil wrote:Finally, fossil fuels (and internal combustion engines) have undergone a lot more research when it comes to things like performance tuning, i.e. making engines more efficient. It's this reason -- among others -- that you see 500, 600, 700 (or even higher) horsepower gasoline engines showing up in high-end cars. There's progress in this area, but nothing that can be done on the same scale just yet.


AFAIK, this plus specific energy also ties directly into how many miles per unit fuel you can get out of a power source: it's a reason why battery-powered cars haven't really been able to rival gas-powered cars when it comes to range. And that's more important for economy, environment, etc. than being able to crank out more power.
This is a block of text that can be added to posts you make. There is a 512 character limit.
trythil
is
 
Joined: 23 Jul 2002
Location: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

Re: Predict the Future!

Postby EvaFan » Sat Feb 05, 2011 11:32 am

I actually know of the infrastructure problems but I also know that money as been cut out of this research/technology ever since obama came into office which either to me means he doesn't support it or isn't happy with it. Either way I think its something we should be pooling money into at this point. I figure since were throwing money around like crazy lately, atleast put it into a program that could use it instead of take from it.

I realize this takes time and money, but I highly doubt we have the some odd 50+ years we had for the combustion engine in terms of perfecting it along with infrastructure. I guess you are right, my concern is that it will not happen fast enough and the government shows little in caring about that or maybe they don't even consider it a concern yet. Though research and development is on a much grander scale now.
"The people cannot be [...] always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented, in proportion to [...] the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to public liberty. What country can preserve its liberties, if it's rulers are not warned [...] that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants."-Thomas Jefferson
User avatar
EvaFan
 
Joined: 21 Mar 2004
Location: Somerset, KY
Status: (*゚▽゚)o旦~ ー乾杯ー♪

Re: Predict the Future!

Postby Castor Troy » Sat Feb 05, 2011 11:50 am

We're going to have political leaders who were born in the Nintendo and Ninja Turtles era like myself and will constantly make unfunny references to them.
Image
"Vlad, you will not get my new blockbuster video. Sorry bro." - Chemix800, Hollywood Editor
User avatar
Castor Troy
Ryan Molina, A.C.E
 
Joined: 16 Jan 2001
Location: California
Status: Retired from AMVs

Re: Predict the Future!

Postby Enigma » Sat Feb 05, 2011 11:56 am

Duke Nukem Forever will finally get released
User avatar
Enigma
That jolly ol' bastid
 
Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Location: California
Status: Free

Re: Predict the Future!

Postby NME » Sat Feb 05, 2011 12:03 pm

We all gon' die.
nil per os
NME
 
Joined: 13 Jul 2001
Location: Far Country
Status: nauseating bliss

Re: Predict the Future!

Postby Castor Troy » Sat Feb 05, 2011 12:06 pm

Enigma wrote:Duke Nukem Forever will finally get released


lies.

I don't believe that May date for a second.
Image
"Vlad, you will not get my new blockbuster video. Sorry bro." - Chemix800, Hollywood Editor
User avatar
Castor Troy
Ryan Molina, A.C.E
 
Joined: 16 Jan 2001
Location: California
Status: Retired from AMVs

Re: Predict the Future!

Postby McDirty » Sat Feb 05, 2011 5:14 pm

Replicants
McDirty
 
Joined: 04 Jun 2010
Location: Hollywood, CA

Re: Predict the Future!

Postby Otohiko » Sat Feb 05, 2011 5:17 pm

2012
Otohiko
 
Joined: 05 May 2003

Re: Predict the Future!

Postby Qyot27 » Sun Feb 06, 2011 6:14 pm

This, so much.

The only thing that is inevitable is that our ideas of what the future will be like will fall victim to Zeerust and/or Technology Marches On.
My profile on MyAnimeList | Quasistatic Regret: yeah, yeah, I finally got a blog
User avatar
Qyot27
Surreptitious fluffy bunny
 
Joined: 30 Aug 2002
Location: St. Pete, FL
Status: Creepin' between the bullfrogs

Next

Return to General Discussion

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests