More specifically, make some predictions about the next five years. What will have happened by 2 October 2010?
My guesses:
[ul]
[li]Improvements in nanotube production will lead to at least one commercial application, with more underway.[/li][li]Mechanical magnetic hard disks will be replaced by non-volatile memory following a significant price drop in the necessary components.[/li][li]The constitution will be amended in some way.[/li][li]Google will be involved in an antitrust case.[/li][li]The United States will still have a significant military presence in Iraq.[/li][li]Mandarin will be more commonly taught in the US.[/li][li]Still no moon bases or hovercars.[/li][li]Pop-up ads on the SDMB. :eek: [/li][/ul]
Your thoughts?
If we do everything we are supposed to (NB I mean that is possible and reasonable to do - I am not talking about a massive re-assignment of resources and/or new initiatives) – just do what is on the table now : it is entirely possible that 2010 will be the highwater mark of global AIDS in terms of Deaths and new infections. After that year each will begin to decline (not for sure but possible).
There will be 1 or 2 Molecular Target Drugs for some Cancers that are +75% effective
China, Japan and Europe will have had missions to the moon. India’s will not have flown
3 Category 4 or greater Hurricanes will have hit the U.S.
We will be be inundated by Ads from the of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Nothing here is “predicted” it is all “projected” given current info – so yeah, its cheating
An Avian Flu will pandemic have killed many millions worldwide. In the U.S. the resulting social upheaval (combined with rising gas prices and the demands of an aging population) will further tip the economic balance towards a recession, which will coincide with a decreased willingness of foreign nations to buy u.s. debt which will trigger either a severe long-lasting recession or a depression.
The combined economic and social upheavals will also trigger a rise in political and (in particular) religious extremism. John Roberts will turn out to be the second most conservative judge on the Supreme Court (Thomas being the first). A lot of people besides **Strinka ** will leave the country and Canada will tighten requirements for entry.
The U.S. will begin withdrawing troops slowly from Iraq, and as it does so, it will be more clearly a civil war between the Sunnis and Shi’a in Iraq. The U.S. will continue selling arms to the Iraqi government (essentially the Shi’a and to some extent the Kurds). Probably they will try to get oil and oil contracts in return. The Shi’ite Iraqi government will become increasingly religiously conservative, supported by Iran and the U.S. will ultimately be in the position of supporting a theocracy against the more secular and Westernized Sunnis who are nevertheless becoming more radicalized by the influence of al-Qaeda insurgents they are allied with.
The U.S. willl begin to lose it’s dominance as an intellectual and research hub. The conservative environment and increasingly onerous immigration processes, combined with the increased ease of doing research overseas because of enhanced global communication (“the flattening of the earth”), will make studying in the U.S. unappealing to foreign graduate students who will choose to study elsewhere - particularly in Europe. Religious and conservative hostillity to academic freedom and funding in certain areas (particularly in biology and biotechnology) will encourage researchers to relocate to Europe in particular.
Nearly everyone will carry a multi-function assistant (MFA) that combines cell phone, mp3 player, video player camera, pda, GPS, and wireless internet access and credit card. Use of this device in any way shape or form while driving will be criminalized in nearly every state. As new Patriot Acts are enacted these devices will be used increasingly to track individual movements in the population. The government will keep files on individuals that are almost solely gathered through saved electronic communication.
New Orleans will have reflooded at least twice.
(Sorry - I didn’t start out to write an essay, but there it is)