# Year 2110 predictions **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 16, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-2110-predictions/529157 "2010-02-16T03:20:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-2110-predictions/529157/21 "2010-02-19T03:44:19Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > One specific idea I read recently was that materials printers will become more common. Fifty years ago the idea of the laser printer seemed ridiculously awesome; in fifty years, we’ll be able to print out simple plastic objects (with some electroplated metals) from design specs available online. A result will be that many pieces of technology will adapt to accept printed pieces. The first person that figures out how to make a printer that makes all the pieces for a printer will blow everyone’s mind. We have devices that can do that, but they aren’t decentralized/cheap enough to be in the living room. [Stereolithography](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereolithography) and [Fab labs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fab_lab). I’m sure there are other technologies too. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NRc8yP-YM1A/hqdefault.jpg "3D Systems - Stereolithography") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRc8yP-YM1A) [http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/neil\_gershenfeld\_on\_fab\_labs.html](http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/neil_gershenfeld_on_fab_labs.html) > **[The Fab Life](https://www.forbes.com/2008/08/13/diy-innovation-gershenfeld-tech-egang08-cx_ag_0813gershenfeld.html)** > > Neil Gershenfeld is bringing manufacturing to the masses. The next step? Making a profit. The cool thing about fab labs is the inventor wants to advance them enough so that a fab lab can make another fab lab out of raw materials (they currently cost about $50,000 each) by the 2020s that can make tons of different consumer products out of raw materials and design blueprints. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-2110-predictions/529157/22 "2010-02-21T01:05:01Z")
Yeah–I’d read of those before. As I said, the cool idea would be to make them MORE common. And also to make them more versatile. Thanks for the links! Daniel ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-2110-predictions/529157/23 "2010-02-21T01:28:41Z")
The Rapture! And then all the Left Behinders fix everything wrong with the world. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-2110-predictions/529157/24 "2010-02-21T01:29:16Z")
> [@Livardo](#): > > My birth country of El Salvador for example has seen high increases in Internet accessibility and usage. [44% of schools](http://www.elsalvador.com/mwedh/nota/nota_completa.asp?idCat=6364&idArt=3614216) (Spanish) now have access to the Internet, which to me, is a pretty awesome achievement for one of the poorest nations in the Americas. Otro Guanaco! 🙂 I’m too, have you noticed how in almost all big news there is a Salvadorean involved for good or for evil? Latest example are the Salvadorean rescue team that did go to Haiti and the Salvadorean accused of helping those missionaries illegally remove Haitian kids for adoption. As for the subject at hand, I strongly predict that technology will give brutal blows to corruption in many countries. An early example also from Central America: GPS pointed the finger to the police as the murderers of several politicians of El Salvador when they did go to Guatemala. As I’m doing a lot of research on micro and nanotechnology, good places to check for the inventions that will shape the future can be found at SmallTimes (Now called Electro-IQ) [http://www.electroiq.com/index/nanotech-mems.html](http://www.electroiq.com/index/nanotech-mems.html) For even more speculative future tech I recommend > **[the Kurzweil Library](https://www.thekurzweillibrary.com/)** That is the site of the author of the classic future tech book, “The Age of Intelligent Machines” ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-2110-predictions/529157/25 "2010-02-21T01:51:25Z")
In the year 2110, There won’t be any Sean Penn, No Brangelina or Brittany, no All the new Hollywood stars, see Will be animated and in 3D, Whoa-oh ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-2110-predictions/529157/26 "2010-02-21T07:34:52Z")
There will be some cataclysm, disaster, war, technological breakthrough, social change and probablyt multiple of all which we have not taken into account into our predictions which will make them irrelevant. Imagine what is fact in 2010 and then see if it looked even the remotest bit plausible in 1910? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-2110-predictions/529157/27 "2010-02-22T23:23:22Z")
Oh, let me take a shot. If I’m wrong, nobody will know. If I’m accurate… well, still, nobody will know. … Many people will have direct linkages to computer networks and databases, with the information needed coming at a mere thought. Think of it as having an embedded computer (EC) linked directly to your brain. … “Instant Knowledge” will be a reality. Need to know about the 100 Years War? “Download” the information into your EC. This won’t give you wisdom, but it’ll give you the data. What you do with it is still up to you. … As more and more mathematical and scientific functions are done by computers, there will be an overall _de_emphasis on hard math and science in the schools (compared to today, where schools are solely (seemably) measured on their students math/science skills). The ability to interact with people will be more important and will be included in the standard curriculum. … The US will still be a global superpower. … Because of vast increases in storage, it will be possible to “remember” everything that happened to you (through your EC), and researchers will begin to seriously work on downloading personalities that, in effect, offer you immortality. There will be vast legal and ethical questions raised because of this. … China will have serious difficulties as they struggle with a “peasant” population of over 250,000,000 people. … Longevity will increase, but in fits and starts. … Fusion will be 30-50 years away. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-2110-predictions/529157.md?page=1)