future

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Good Luck Being Mediocre in 21st Century: Friedman

It's a world suited to the self-motivated, and others might be in trouble

(Newser) - Thomas Friedman pronounced the world flat a decade ago in his best-seller, and he writes today in the New York Times that he's amazed that was before the advent of Facebook, Twitter, iPhones, the cloud, and on and on. The world is a lot flatter and "hyperconnected" today,...

You're Lousy at Imagining Your Future Self: Study

People underestimate how much they'll change

(Newser) - Thinking of getting married? Buying a house? Picking a college major? Or making any decision that will affect you a decade later? Well don't be surprised if it doesn't turn out the way you expect, because humans are lousy at predicting how much they'll change over time,...

10 Predictions for Next Century

We'll probably see fewer wars but way more pollution: MIT economist

(Newser) - What will humans be up to in 100 years? MIT economist Daron Acemoglu delved into the patterns and trends of history to conjure up 10 predictions for our social, political, and economic status a century from now. A sampling, from Business Insider :

20 Predictions for Life in 100 Years

Futurologists discuss thought communication, global currency

(Newser) - The world 100 years from now: What will it look like? What will humans be up to? What will robots be up to? BBC News collected century-long forecasts from readers, then let futurologists Ian Pearson and Patrick Tucker evaluate the predictions. A selection from the top 20:

Airbus Shows Off Transparent Jet of the Future

Imaginary jet features bar, video game area

(Newser) - Someday, Wonder Woman won’t be the only one with an invisible jet. Airbus has been showing the media a virtual “Concept Cabin” of what it imagines its passenger jets will look like in 40 years. The showiest feature: The jets' walls can turn see-through at the touch of...

Ads of the Future: 'Intrusive,' 'Invasive'

Picture talking pill bottles and constant monitoring, writes Alex Poulos

(Newser) - If you think ads are inescapable now, just wait a few decades, writes Alex Poulos in the Boston Globe . Future generations will laugh at our primitive tech know-how; the question is “who will laugh last. And I’m afraid it won’t be the consumer,” he writes. Expect...

Google Plans Self-Driving Car, But These Other Futuristic Predictions Have Yet to Pan Out
 10 Futuristic Inventions 
 We're Still Waiting For 
no. 1: jet packs
Oct 17, 2010 4:32 PM CDT

10 Futuristic Inventions We're Still Waiting For

Sorry, but no flying car for you

(Newser) - We may soon be getting self-driving cars , but—much to the chagrin of Back to the Future fans everywhere— still no hoverboards . Time lists 10 more futuristic predictions that haven’t exactly panned out:
  • Jet packs: OK, so these exist, but you probably can’t buy one. Popularized in a
...

Scientists Create Driver-Less Car

German prof envisions green future of autonomous taxis

(Newser) - German scientists are developing a self-driving car, working toward a vision of the future in which no one drives—or even owns—their vehicle. The Spirit of Berlin, the prototype of Raul Rojas' team, can already accelerate, turn, and brake on its own. Sensors in front of the vehicle can...

Your Guide to the Internet's 'Next Big Thing'

Where is technology taking us? There are a few schools of thought

(Newser) - Michael Wolff hears so much about the Internet’s future “that I should be in a position to get rich, finally.” But it’s tough deciphering all this chatter, “because the technology business is at least as much talk as it is science,” he writes. So...

Today's Survivalists: Call Them 'Preppers'

No camouflage, but maybe stockpiles of canned food

(Newser) - They’re ready for the worst, but they’re not your old-fashioned nutjobs: you won’t likely see "preppers" building bunkers in the woods or expecting the apocalypse. Today’s post-Katrina, recession-era survivalists, their fears heightened by 24-hour news and the Internet, just want to “take some steps...

US Needs to Regain Faith in the Future
 US Needs to Regain 
 Faith in the Future 
DAVID BROOKS
Nov 17, 2009 4:00 AM CST

US Needs to Regain Faith in the Future

China shouldn't have monopoly on dynamism

(Newser) - America needs to overcome its "crisis of faith" caused by China's phenomenal growth, writes David Brooks. Today's China is optimistic, forward-looking, and dynamic in the way America once was and should hope to be again, he points out in the New York Times . Surveys show that 86% of Chinese...

Physicists: Bird From the Future Damaged Collider

Theory says the universe is sabotaging the big experiment

(Newser) - CERN’s Large Hadron Collider is having a tough time getting on its feet—construction delays, birds, etc.—but now two physicists have a novel theory about why: The experiment is so “abhorrent” to God, or nature, that the universe is conspiring to sabotage it. When scientists get...

Palin Can Write Her Own Ticket—If She Wants To

Crafting her future image is a big job

(Newser) - Private citizen Sarah Palin has a lengthy to-do list, and Job No. 1 is shaping her public image as she closes the book on a topsy-turvy year, writes Dan Balz in the Washington Post. “Palin Year One was the introduction of a persona, and the construction (and destruction) of...

To Consume or Not to Consume, That Is the Question

(Newser) - As Americans cut back on spending, a certain dread creeps in—not of having less, but of what curtailed consumption could mean for the future, Douglas Coupland notes in the New York Times. Sure, “a big drop in consumption sounds like the advent of a new utopia where people...

Obama Pens Hopeful Letter to Daughters

President-elect cites Sasha, Malia as inspiration, encourages them to aim high

(Newser) - Barack Obama sets out his hopes and dreams for his daughters, and everyone in America, in an open letter in Parade. “I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey,” the president-elect writes of the jarring effects of...

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