8 thoughts on “Future Files: A History of the Next 50 Years”

1. Hi ,

   Logged on to http://www.nowandnext.com/PDF/extinction_timeline.pdf found it not only interesting but truly amazing..

   Speaking of trends, we may modestly say, we at India ka Hero are creating one; we set about the task of identifying popular talent in the space of amateur entertainment. In about a fortnight, the postings and visits have been enormous. For instance, a post related to a danseuse touched 100 visits and was also voted 50 times. Another interesting numerical feature is the song (http://www.indiakahero.com/?pid=5&entry=193) of Valiasifali with over 19,000 visits and over 1000 votes. India ka Hero is about popular entertainment albeit national but in the web space.

   Do visit the site http://www.indiakahero.com for an experience and mail me for details.

   Do visit our website and examine its suitability to be listed among your current trends.

   Thanks
   Krishna Chaitanya
   krishna@nowposonline.com

2. I knew this was a gag because Elvis is alive and well and enjoying a jelly donut and the good company of a Branson, MO Cracker Barrel waitress as I type, so right away, I knew something was off.

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4. Very good! Funny in parts, and funny because it’s too real in parts. Know what I mean?

   Here’s another look at history until 2050 you might enjoy.

   http://climateprogress.org/2007/11/30/global-warming-prediction-presidential-politics/

5. I must say, the timeline seems like complete crap. Maybe it is meant as a work of humor, but if it is meant in all seriousness, I really think that such developments as he is claiming will not occur so fast all the time, and in addition the graph tends to be very american or at least anglophone centric.

6. Like I’ve said “As usual this is partly a bit of fun so don’t take it too seriously!”
   However I do take on board the American/Anglo-centric comment.

   Richard Watson.
   (in Sydney)

7. Perhaps some of the thoughts on innovation are spurred by the same optimism which inspired the works of the early science fiction writers. We tend to imagine that the future will manifest what we desire today. If it turns out that future generations don’t want the same things… well how could our predictions plan for that?

   Speaking of the Anglo-centric (and actually it’s more specifically UK-centric. Most likely owing to the fact that the author resides in the UK) slant, I agree with the last too commentators that much future progress will move away from the current Euro-centric paradigm. We may see India’s rise to global leader much faster than we realize. This obviously under the assumption that the nation doesn’t collapse under the weight of their own struggles. Also rising in global influence are Persian Gulf nations such as Kuwait, Qatar and most spectacularly the United Arab Emirates (see Dubai).

   In fact, we’re already witnessing greater cooperation between the Gulf states and South Asia. If India and the UAE were to foment their relationship into something on par with NAFTA, we’d quickly see a consolodation of world power in the Near East. But even then, they’d need some time to grow before their cultural influence eclipsed that of the EU or the USA.

8. I read your extinction chart with a mixture of humor, excitement, and sadness. One of the fascinating areas to me is trying to predict how the copyright issue will play out given the explosion of technology and information. The trick will be to try and blend the interests both sides and I still haven’t got my head around where that may go. Wondering if the copyright will expire as your chart suggests (like buggy whips) or if it will change form (transportation) …?

   Thanks for the thought provoking chart.

   Best regards,
   Mike

   PS – Looking forward to the end of ties and household chores! 🙂