These are my thoughts about what might be possible in the future using new and emerging technology. There are several possibilities for the direction of our current technologies and for our new and emerging technologies, there is also the possibility that an even newer and better way of doing things could emerge before what we are seeing now even gets implemented. These possibilities are just where my mind and imagination have taken me for the use of the things that I am seeing at this particular point and time. Perhaps as new things are developed and new ideas are formed you can use my ideas as a reference to create completely new and different potential paths for human advancement. We are going to assume here that we do continue to advance and that there are no major setbacks like a devastating world war, major worldwide natural disaster, or alien invasions.
The return to a form of City States and an end to National Identities and Citizenships.
I don't believe that sustainable green energy can become practical for use over large expansive areas and that in the future people may live in large cities powered mostly by small and safe nuclear reactors that are designed to operate very clean for decades with very little waste. These nuclear power plants will have a much smaller footprint on the land than current sites and every plant operation that can be automated will be. These future reactors will never be refueled on-site, when the fuel is completely expended beyond the usable range they will simply replace the entire unit with a new fully fueled unit with all the latest innovations. This system will be supplemented by all other forms of relatively clean energy available and waste from long transmission lines will be eliminated.
This means that industrial sites will be established around the major cities and the employees will be able to leave their homes for work and be on their job site in minutes using efficient low energy mass transportation systems. Since these jobs will all be in close proximity to the city and conveniently positioned all around the outskirts there will be little waste in energy due to excessive travel back and forth. raw materials will be shipped in using automated transport systems. The fastest and most efficient means will be chosen and dedicated lines of travel will be utilized so that there are no unnecessary stops or delays. Trains will be able to travel on dedicated lines, trucks will blaze at cruising speed along highways with no civilian traffic and no traffic lights. Automation will correct the speed of vehicles so that they can cross paths without stopping and so that there will never be a collision. People transport along these routes will be accomplished using large automated busses.
These City States will operate autonomously and be governed using a decentralized digital blockchain-based system with its own digital currency. Laws, regulations, taxes. City expenditures, and other items of business will be voted on individually by the citizens or their representatives and put into action using smart contracts. Every agreed-upon pay scale, profit margin, fee, tax, license, or any other common charges or requirements will happen automatically on the blockchain. There will be no need for paperwork, no tax collectors, or tax audits, paper trails will completely become digital data trails that can be followed at the touch of a button. Public block explorers will be limited to generalized information on official blockchains and sensitive personal information will only be available on private NFT's to authorized people and automated Artificial Intelligence systems. A person's passport and other forms of identification or privileges as well as health plans and personal health information will all be recorded on one specialized NFT and held in a private wallet. Limited access will be available only to certified agents with the need to know. For instance, a qualified Emergency room physician could gain access to all of your medical information instantly including any medical plans that you belong to, or your emergency contact information, but they could not access your passport or work records.
People living and working outside these cities such as farmers, miners, loggers, etc. will be required to supply their own approved clean energy sources to power their work dorms and eating facilities. Power equipment will use the best and most efficient sources of energy for the required job and many of these will still use petroleum products for these purposes. These outliers from civilization will also be required to align themselves to a City State for commerce and regulatory purposes. All of their own personal documents and licenses will come from their designated city and they will be required to operate under that cities laws and regulations. Since accessing trade routes will be easier and cheaper to gain locally, that will mean that these people will usually choose the closest city available.
Current suburbs and city sprawl will disappear and the majority of people will choose to live in affordable energy efficient high-rise buildings which will interlock and form internal trade schools, parks, playgrounds, shopping plazas, and eateries all within walking distance. Beltways, escalators, elevators, and other such solutions will make visiting these areas easy for everyone including those with minor or temporary handicaps. Crime will be controlled through the use of social scores and fear of banishment. Facial recognition cameras will be unobtrusively placed in key areas and public areas will always be well lit so that bad actors will find it very difficult to commit a crime or abuse other people. If an assault or crime is committed then it can be registered instantly by any citizen and confirmed by others in the area. The perpetrator can then be positively identified, tracked, and arrested if warranted. A confirmed incident would lower the accused's social score limiting their future privileges and access to areas where vulnerable citizens may be present, like schools, parks, playgrounds, or hospitals. If a person's social Score became low enough they could be banished to one of the many penal colonies established outside of the City State. These colonies would have greatly reduced access to goods and services and travel would become greatly restricted if not non-existent. These colonies would receive minimal care and resources and they would be stuck working at a low end labor jobs at a factory or somewhere outside the city on a farmer, as a miner, or with a lumberjack.
Since there will be fewer individual houses the use of wood will be greatly reduced, thus large forests will again be seen on the planet. Areas that can't be farmed or are too rugged to be easily accessed for the lumber, and places that have previously had all of its mineral resources mined, will now be allowed to grow naturally to once again form a rainforest type canopy where wildlife can abound. Local wilderness vacations will then become the least expensive and easiest form of a vacation adventure. Each item taken into the forest on these adventures will be accounted for upon exit, any missing or lost manufactured items will incur a fine.
Travel to distant places or other cities will be much different than it is today as will the shipping of raw materials and goods. Travelers will enter a pod near their residence and input the destination. Their ID and other required information will be inputted automatically and the expense of the trip will be deducted from their digital account. A drone will then retrieve the pod and either deliver it to the destination, if the site is within its range, or it will take the pod to the most appropriate long-range travel service, air, land, or waterborne. Aircraft, trains, and ships will all have docking stations for these pods and the traveler will have all the comforts of home right there in their own personalized pod for the entire journey. These pods will have built-in safety features to mitigate the risk of accidents. If an aircraft becomes disabled and is going to crash then the pod will eject and deploy either copter like blades that will allow it to roto-glide down or a parachute so that it can drift down safely. The walls of the pod will be translucent when the occupants want to enjoy the view or darken for privacy, and the material will be able to withstand shocks without breaking. The pods will also float on water and in an emergency, they will automatically send a distress signal with coordinates. I believe that visually they may look something like a teardrop or Hershey's Kiss.
Everywhere the people of the future go they will be wearing special VR/AR glasses and their electronic devices will all be wearable articles of their attire, the appearance of these technical marvels will be like precious stones and fine jewelry, they will be both a statement of your status and of your taste. The devices in your shoes will communicate with the one in your hat and that in your jacket with the ones on your belt, and all will connect with your glasses. Watch a movie or work at your job while you travel or wait for an appointment. You can play games, look at photos, shop, or enjoy a music concert or stage play all without leaving your comfortable chair at home or while flying over the ocean inside your custom pod. In AR mode you will be alerted instantly if one of your contacts is anywhere within visual range. You will see up-to-date weather alerts or other emergency messages. If you are looking for something in particular, a lost item or a specific object, your glasses will lead you to its signal if connected or it will be conducting a visual recognition search in the background at the same time that you are looking for the item with your own eyes. Most shopping will be done online or virtually using your glasses, but when you do enter a store your glasses will reveal the price and all pertinent information about any object that is for sale. When shopping virtually you will be able to try on clothing items and see exactly how it will look on you from every angle. Since your exact up-to-date measurements will be recorded by your worn devices this will always insure that whatever you order will always fit perfectly. Or if you prefer you can simply add or subtract a size depending on whether you have been gaining or losing weight lately. You will also be able to order for your growing children and project their probable clothing sizes six months into the future.
These things that I see as a potential future are not all good and are not what I personally want, at least not all of it. This future will come at a heavy price. There will be a lot less personal freedom and choice. Most of society will be treated with a great deal of equality only after the pain that must, unfortunately, transpire in order to reach this new technocratic age, or new world order that it is more commonly known as. In order to reach this point then the current system must fail, in fact, it must crash and burn. Those who can not accept this new life must be eliminated or pushed into what will one day become a low-tech wilderness where the outcasts of society are allowed to live off of the land with the other wild beasts. These sanctuaries will be kept separated and it will not be lawful for the "Civilized" to have contact with the uncivilized.
It is very doubtful that I will still be alive if or when these things take place, but if I am you will probably find me living among the beasts in the wild. I love my computer and my television but not as much as my freedom and my ability to choose. While it is true that most of the world's population will live their lives in relative comfort and they will have many distractions to keep them reasonably happy, the reality is that they will be no better than the cattle or sheep you see grazing in the fenced-in safety of their pastures today. Above them will be a small group of masters that will be making most of the decisions and choices for them, and they will be forced to comply lest they lose a few points on their social score. Do what you are told and don't make trouble if you want to live a long productive life for your masters. Get out of line and try to break down the fence or kick your masters and you will become an outcast with no hope of a better future.
The worst part is that we all know what happens to old cows and sheep when they stop producing. The old, the sick, and the hopelessly deformed will be euthanized for the good of society. Fenced areas can also only support a limited number of animals, so a mechanism for population control must be strictly enforced by the masters. I can say for sure that I wouldn't want to be a part of this society because I already know that my health has reached the point to where I would not be welcome anyway. But many of you younger people who survive the transformation process may very well be forced to make a decision. You had better to decide early and be ready for that time if this prediction were to come true, you will want to be on the outside in the wild early if you want to join me because if you are not happy when caught on the inside then you will simply be eliminated.
If you decide to go with the flow and enjoy the life you have in comfort, then you need to start learning how to conform now and quickly develop a subservient and happy attitude, you will want to always be that person that goes along to get along. Hopefully, you will have a long rewarding life of service to others and all the comforts it affords. Never give any thought, not even a glance or a question about those living in the wilds, these things will surely cause you grief and possibly lower your social score. Just do your part each day and enjoy the pleasures that you are allowed, never ever think for yourself again.
Remember, I'm not saying that these things are going to happen, I'm just giving you my idea of one possible future. The future has far too many variables for anyone without an insight straight into the mind of God to ever be able to discern with complete accuracy. But anyone with an imagination can take current events, new technology, and a little personal experiences to project possible outcomes for our future, and that is all that I have attempted to do here in this blog.
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