# What is the next big thing? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 30, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-next-big-thing/590849 "2011-07-30T19:07:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![eddiec3434](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cab0a1/32.png) [@eddiec3434](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eddiec3434)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-next-big-thing/590849/1 "2011-07-30T19:07:17Z")
Computers, internet, cellphones…? ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-next-big-thing/590849/2 "2011-07-30T19:20:23Z")
The poster who can provide a factual answer to this question is in a very good position to make a ton of cash. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-next-big-thing/590849/3 "2011-07-30T19:29:59Z")
Plastics. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-next-big-thing/590849/4 "2011-07-30T19:30:50Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > Plastics. Did you just watch _The Graduate_? ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-next-big-thing/590849/5 "2011-07-30T19:33:15Z")
Testicle piercing. Trust me. Joe ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-next-big-thing/590849/6 "2011-07-30T19:42:15Z")
It used to be a [public radio](http://www.wnyc.org/shows/tnbt/about/#) show. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-next-big-thing/590849/7 "2011-07-30T19:48:17Z")
If history is any guide, we’ll know what the next big thing is five years after it has been put into use. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-next-big-thing/590849/8 "2011-07-30T20:23:55Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > The poster who can provide a factual answer to this question is in a very good position to make a ton of cash. And many people in the past have lost fortunes by guessing wrong. Choose wisely… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-next-big-thing/590849/9 "2011-07-30T20:32:11Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > Testicle piercing. Trust me. > > Joe You gonna volunteer to show us just how cool it is? Good. Here, lay down on the table, I’m going to get my framing hammer and a nail… whoops, just ignore the rust… Now, if the hammer misses the nail, you have a spare I can try again with, right? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-next-big-thing/590849/10 "2011-07-30T21:03:12Z")
A lot of people think it’s 3-D printing, a.k.a. home fabrication. ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-next-big-thing/590849/11 "2011-07-30T21:09:55Z")
> [@eddiec3434](#): > > Computers, internet, cellphones…? All of the above. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-next-big-thing/590849/12 "2011-07-30T21:10:20Z")
Actually I think the next big thing will be 3-D everything…movies, magazines, books, television, video conferencing, virtually any kind of visual media you can imagine. I remember how amazed I was when I first saw a hologram and people said there would someday be holographic television that would look like a play going on in your own living room. We’re not quite there yet, but I think it’s a real possibility. Check this out: [http://www.musion.co.uk/musion\_telepresence.html](http://www.musion.co.uk/musion_telepresence.html) ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-next-big-thing/590849/13 "2011-07-30T21:55:52Z")
Since there is NO POSSIBLE FACTUAL answer to the OP, moved to IMHO. **samclem** Moderator ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-next-big-thing/590849/14 "2011-07-30T22:35:40Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Since there is NO POSSIBLE FACTUAL answer to the OP, moved to IMHO. Time machines… ---
**Author:** ![Agnostic\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@Agnostic\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agnostic_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-next-big-thing/590849/15 "2011-07-30T22:43:38Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > A lot of people think it’s 3-D printing, a.k.a. home fabrication. +1 I thought it would have become more prevalent by now though, but I think within a couple years at most they will be part of every machine shop along with the table saw, drill press, lathe, etc. A couple more years I see them as the next big home appliance, sitting in the utility room with the laundry machine (which will wash _and_ dry your clothes.) The biggest hurdle for home use is finding the right material for fabrication and I think that will be solved shortly - some type of ‘ceramic resin’ for lack of a technical term - a cheap durable recyclable material. I think the major applications would be to create custom home decor - vases, bowls, platters, etc, perhaps extra dishes for parties and whatnot, and also creating replacement parts for whatever happens to break (a part of a vacuum cleaner, coffee mug handle, drawer knobs, childrens toys, etc.) The first generation will probably require some form of ‘babysitting’ to make sure nothing goes horribly wrong, so it will probably only see use on the weekends, but as it matures, one could set it to do a project before ones leaves for work, and the object will be ready when you get home. (Or there will be a phone app where you can monitor the project from anywhere. Another app will let you know when the laundry is done also.) I think another major change coming is the end of magnetic stripe cards. Instead you will have a RFID fob (which could easily be turned into a more fashionable ring, bracelet, pendant or similar) which can be programmed for whatever is required - debit/credit card, club memberships, discount cards, etc. Instead of swiping a card, you will just wave your fob over a reader, and most likely verify its use with a thumbprint or voice sample. Locks will likely be programmed using a similar system, so no more keys/key-cards either. ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-next-big-thing/590849/16 "2011-07-30T22:48:05Z")
locational awareness (applied GPS) + augmented reality ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2011, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-next-big-thing/590849/17 "2011-07-30T23:41:37Z")
government ration stamps/cards? ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2011, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-next-big-thing/590849/18 "2011-07-31T20:47:30Z")
Most of the “next big things” of the past have been existing technologies that found new, unexpected uses on a grand, social scale. Cell Phones became “big” because people used them, not the other way around. Same with the internet… it was content with being a niche in the geek market, but once average joe started using it to communicate with average jane, it exploded. Think about all the “next big things” that didn’t become the next big things. The segway? Fuel cell powered cars? commercial spaceflight? Genetic Engineering? Robots? All intended to be the “next big thing” and all massive failure with respect to the things that really did succeed. I predict that the next big thing is right under noses, and we just haven’t realized its potential yet. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-next-big-thing/590849/19 "2011-07-31T20:57:14Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > Time machines… I invented those back in 2020. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2011, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-next-big-thing/590849/20 "2011-07-31T21:20:29Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > Actually I think the next big thing will be 3-D everything…movies, magazines, books, television, video conferencing, virtually any kind of visual media you can imagine. > > I remember how amazed I was when I first saw a hologram and people said there would someday be holographic television that would look like a play going on in your own living room. > > We’re not quite there yet, but I think it’s a real possibility. > > Check this out: [http://www.musion.co.uk/musion\_telepresence.html](http://www.musion.co.uk/musion_telepresence.html) From a different page on that site: > [@](#): > > Musion® Systems Limited is a privately owned company and the exclusive master global Licensor for the Eyeliner™ projection system. > > Eyeliner™ is unique worldwide and protected by patents granted in countries all over the world. Musion® is principally an Intellectual Property licensing company. The business is based around exploiting a number of patents that have been issued on producing Pepper’s Ghost using a purpose designed foil rather than glass. Pepper’s Ghost. Everything old really is new again. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-next-big-thing/590849.md?page=2)