2057

[tkdguy]

Tonight, Discovery Channel is showing a three-hour program called 2057, which talks about technology currently being researched.

 

Here's the website: http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/2057/2057.html

[BobGreenwade]

Re: 2057

 

I didn't watch it, but taped it and will probably watch it during the coming week or so. Just the previews were enough to get me pumped.

[Dust Raven]

Re: 2057

 

The previews got me pumped as well. I've recorded it, but haven't watched it yet. Anyone catch it?

[egaroadkill]

Re: 2057

 

I enjoyed it. Most all of the futurist information covered current lab technologies in existence today and how they could be used in fifty years. One thing that did bother me though was the portrayal of a hyper invasive information society; such as, the poor schmuck nearly losing his life after a bad fall because his premium insurance discovered he had a couple of beers the night before.

I’d rather trade the inkjet printer cloned heart, the temporary hibernation and blue tooth nervous system for free will and personal anonymity rather than have “His Shadow” monitor me 24/7, nanny nagging and coercing me to be a good little citizen. I mean, what’s next, cauterization, triple donor for 1000 demerits? I refuse to be made into Stanley Tweedle or worse someone who doesn’t know any better, thinking it’s ok. I say feed that future to the cluster lizards.

[tkdguy]

Re: 2057

 

I found the constant supervision a nightmarish scenario myself. And I found all the tech present to be a bit unbelievable for a world 50 years from now. A hundred years, maybe. Fifty sounds too optimistic, despite all our recent advances.

[BobGreenwade]

Re: 2057

 

(I screwed up the first taping, but caught it on Saturday's repeat -- I both taped and watched it.)

 

I had the same feeling on the constant-supervision stuff in the first episode. And I'm not so sure everyone's insurance premium will be a quarter of their income (that would make it compete with housing for the largest household expense), given the current drives for government-controlled health management... though that might well be just as bad a nightmare.

 

Also I'm aware of a few coming technologies the special missed, most notably androids, tissue regeneration, and evacuated tube transportation.

 

All that said, I found it interesting. I didn't know about the conversion ratio problems with solar energy (though if I ever get stably into a house I still want to put a couple of panels on my roof).

[egaroadkill]

Re: 2057

 

All that said' date=' I found it interesting. I didn't know about the conversion ratio problems with solar energy (though if I ever get stably into a house I still want to put a couple of panels on my roof).[/quote']

If I had to pay ¼ of my budget to insure a level of health care depicted in that show, I’d do it but, I’d be really unhappy with my life not having any disposable income. Hopefully jobs fifty years from now will pay enough so I could afford it.

Actually, they missed several important points during the show. For example; carbon fullerene tubes, the material allowing the space elevator, has already had a break through in thread creation. I read just a few months back that some DARPA funded lab has found a way to make continual strands.

Then there’s the solar efficiency issue which, by the way, Boeing doubled just a few months ago to 41%, claiming the process can reduce solar cell pricing to below $3 a watt and that lab results show promise of reaching another 8% more! Don’t get excited though. They also said it may take a decade or so before it’s publicly available. Then one also has to take into account that current cell production is mainly bottled up in three manufactures who have agreed to fix the prices up nice and high!

Also, speaking of tissue regeneration, I just read somewhere that DARPA has made some sort of major breakthrough in that department too.

Predicting the technological future today is one tough moving target to hit.

[Dust Raven]

Re: 2057

 

If I'm spending a fourth of my income on insurance, I want nothing bad to happen to me. At all. Ever.

[Dust Raven]

Re: 2057

 

I finally watched the show. I like it.

 

I do have to wonder if capitalism will advance far enough that we'll actually be forced to spend that much money just to get safe medical care. Honestly though, I think any technological society able to build a flying car should be able to make a window unable to withstand the force of a tripping klutz.

[Vondy]

Re: 2057

 

I finally watched the show. I like it.

 

I do have to wonder if capitalism will advance far enough that we'll actually be forced to spend that much money just to get safe medical care. Honestly though, I think any technological society able to build a flying car should be able to make a window unable to withstand the force of a tripping klutz.

 

I spend 3% of my income on better insurance than I got in the States. There are some "national healthcare" models out there that work, though ours isn't really socialized. The problem is, while America could do it (which is not to say America should do it), Americans - even the one's who want subsidized medicine - aren't really willing to go the whole nine yards with the program. Even the hard-core American socialists prefer half-measures. And half-measures neverwork.

[Kirby]

Re: 2057

 

I watched it twice and I liked it both times. The only one that doesn't seem feasible to me is the medical clothing scenario. While the technology may become possible I don't think the end result will be probable simply because of the manpower required to "monitor" everyone like they were showing (however, that would open up a huge job market). Back in the days when East Germany existed, the government spied on everyone. It took 1/3 of the population to be spies to accomplish all that they wanted done (which included secretly taking fingerprints as well as odor samples, amongst other things).

 

Other than that, I really enjoyed it (my what a tall Chinese man! lol). Shows like that and Future Car and Future Weapons really get me excited and motivated about things in real life and in the HERO games.

[Dust Raven]

Re: 2057

 

I'm thinking it's not so much of a monitoring thing with the medi-clothing, but a functional thing. Can they make a suit of clothing that'll accurately monitor your vitals, remain comfortable and affordable, and not break when you do after falling out a window?

[BobGreenwade]

Re: 2057

 

I'm thinking it's not so much of a monitoring thing with the medi-clothing' date=' but a functional thing. Can they make a suit of clothing that'll accurately monitor your vitals, remain comfortable and affordable, and not break when you do after falling out a window?[/quote']And if so... why wasn't it made to be more protective?

[Kirby]

Re: 2057

 

I'm thinking it's not so much of a monitoring thing with the medi-clothing' date=' but a functional thing.[/quote']That's probably the emphasis, but the monitoring part was played up as well (that's how they called the ambulance). I think that part of the clothing idea would be nixed when it came to having a quickie or public sex with your spouse or girlfriend.

 

Rx: "Mr. Jones, your hear rate is increasing extremely rapidly and we detect vast amounts of sweat. Are you OK? Should we call an ambulance?"

 

Mr. J: "NO!"

 

Mrs. J: "You don't want me to perform that?"

 

Mr. J: "Yes, I do!"

 

Rx: "Very well sir, calling an ambulance."

[Publius]

Re: 2057

 

I think that part of the clothing idea would be nixed when it came to having a quickie or public sex with your spouse or girlfriend.

In the future there will be no public nookie. All nookie will be according to the government approved diagrams on pages 2345 and 4567.

 

The Future is All Missionary Heterobonding citizen. And according to 4567 § 3 §§34B you WILL enjoy it or else.

[BobGreenwade]

Re: 2057

 

Honestly though' date=' I think any technological society able to build a flying car should be able to make a window unable to withstand the force of a tripping klutz.[/quote']I just realized why this accident happened the way it did. Society does have windows capable of withstanding that force, even now in 2007, but the guy in the story was too cheap to have them installed.

[Vondy]

Re: 2057

 

I'm thinking it's not so much of a monitoring thing with the medi-clothing' date=' but a functional thing. Can they make a suit of clothing that'll accurately monitor your vitals, remain comfortable and affordable, and not break when you do after falling out a window?[/quote']

 

DARPA is working on chemical and biological agent detection devices that denote the presence of such environmental factors by changing colors for the military (which are therefore durable by design). Several medical research centers are working on similar devices of greater complexity, some of which we will probably see within 5-10 years (the Technion in Israel is one example - I recently read an article about a cardiac monitoring patch they hope to have in production in the next few years).

[egaroadkill]

Re: 2057

 

I just realized why this accident happened the way it did. Society does have windows capable of withstanding that force' date=' even now in 2007, but the guy in the story was too cheap to have them installed.[/quote']

Cheap windows probably implies he’s in violation of several building codes that resulted in not only the tangled insurance mess but also several hefty fines and possibly a subpoena or three delivered to him the next day. These were soon followed by the inspectors looking for other violations, financial lock downs, the uncovering of a twenty year old parking ticket now for $28342.00 in interest and late fee’s, three audits from other government agencies that smell blood and an arrest warrant for “hate speech” uttered by him four years ago during an argument in his car with a friend over sports when routine data mining algorithms ran facial recognition searches and lip reading applications over the fifty terabytes of his archival traffic camera footage…

I just love dystopias!

[VR Dragon]

Re: 2057

 

I watched the show, I loved the tech presented and how it could save lives. The whole spending most of my money so someone can tell me how to eat, sleep, whom to sleep with, what I can or cannot drink. that crap! Bad Enough they are trying to run medicine as a business. It's costs more to have sick, unhealthy, disabled people constantly around. It would cost less in the long term to just fix everyone. No one would miss work because of a sickness, no one would have to not work because a family member is inferm or disabled and requires constant attention. Happy healthy Able Body people work better.

 

To have the power/ability to help someone and not use that power/ability to help them is a sin.

 

 

*Note* I am no putting down on the sick, infirm, disabled or handicapped.

[BobGreenwade]

Re: 2057

 

*Note* I am no putting down on the sick' date=' infirm, disabled or handicapped.[/quote']No such put-down was apparent; quite the contrary, your were saying that we should be fixed (as in repaired) rather than disposed of. And for that attitude, you have my thanks.

[egaroadkill]

Re: 2057

 

I think I’d rather be a scrap down in the steam tunnels, hanging out with Edger Friendly, wearing tire armor, eating rat burgers, making the occasional visit to that upscale winner of the franchise wars, Taco Bell.

Mello greetings citizen… Be well and have joy, joy feelings as you sing the Armour hotdog song. To heck with that, I want them to run around screaming maniac is imminent and making scornful remarks!