Future world

17^th Jan 2011

In this future/alternative verse we find that the human mind interacts directly with the internet. Only its not called the internet, its known as the cerebral net. In this world you do not have to connect through a keyboard and computer. You merely ‘plug in’ via a wireless headset that translates your electrical impulses (thoughts) into data and data back into thoughts. In the same way that 1’s and 0’s are translated into script that we can read (ie letters, symbols etc) so the electrical impulses of the mind are translated into 1 and 0’s and back. The wireless headset eventually becomes small enough to be a simple ear piece and eventually is implanted under the skin behind the ear in a simple outpatient procedure.

This wireless connection allows users to interact with their social networks, updating their twitter accounts and or scheduling appointments etc. It takes away the need for cumbersome travel, airport with inevitable delays etc. If you need to be trained, you simply download the program and its instantaneous education. Imagine downloading software updates for your PC? Well, this is software updates for your mind.

The biggest advantage to this cerebral network is that you never actually die. Your body may expire (death is such a harsh word on this reality, that we do not use it anymore), we merely plug into to the network...for a fee of course. If you are a particularly influential thinker, genius beyond your time, then your mind can be kept alive indefinitely plugged into the cerebral network. This way, we all continue to gain from your intelligence. In turn, your thinking continues to support the costs associated with the care and maintenance of your ‘connection’.

Unfortunately, you cannot opt out and just die. The greater need of society will outweigh your mind’s needs...except of course if your mind has no more value. Its a value based society after all.

The cerebral network will also do away with cell phones as the normal communication form. The unforeseen side effect (or perhaps the ignored side effect) is that the cerebral network will eventually do away with movement. People will be come sedentary. Depression will set in on the first few adopters of this new technology as they get information overload. Eventually people adapt and this will be come the new norm. Entertainment will increase as we will have more time to ‘relax’. We will consume more entertainment than ever before.

Religion

Faith and its sidekick religion will always have its place. Fundamentally people need their religious expression. Thats a part of our very DNA and as such will never disappear no matter what technology introduces.

How do we worship God? We would all connect to the Church network and it will be a whole new cerebral experience, involving all your senses. You will smell the incense of your prayers, feel the emotion of the text, live the bible story as a participant. So you could actually be present at the crucifixion. Imagine being a witness? Well, you would ‘experience’ that in your mind. Very powerful indeed.

Thought police?

Being that we place so much value on privacy, this will never be a real issue. For the wireless headset to even make it’s way to market, there would have to be an iron clad firewall that prevents unauthorized access to your mind. The headset will have an on/off switch, a mute button if you like.You, as the user, actually have to enter into cyber mode and then ‘transmit’. You will get an ‘approve’ button (all taking place on a heads up display) before you transmit your message. The one positive side effect is that you will have to train your mind to focus. This will increase the mount of your mind you use, lead to less instances of mental slow down etc.

The most important ‘selling point ‘ of the cyber net or cerebral net is that you can plug out. You do not have to be connected 24/7. Eventually, you will be connected 24/7, but people like to have time to adopt new tech, so this will take a couple of generations before we are connected 24/7.

The Multiverse (M’verse for short) will be run by a corporation. Actually thats an oversimplification of the reality. There will be a series of corporations, transcending governments and politics. In order to do business, several large multinational conglomerations will be content providers of the cerebral net. These large corporations will preach ‘freedom of information, but in actual fact they will filter data flow according to their best interests. This will be lip service to freedom of speech, but in reality only the super large corporations will have any form of speech resembling freedom. Everybody else will be ‘fed’ what ever the advertisers want. Fashions will be predetermined according to budget and availability of technology to produce that particular fabric in high enough quantities to meet demand.

Bio domes will be created to protect the ozone layer. Bio domes will filter the air to reduce the spread of airborne pathogens. Garbage will be used as a power source to fuel the bio dome. Artificial light will become the norm, as the skies are ‘closed’ over for our protection from the pollution. Food will be produced, no longer farmed. Farming was such a cruel food source anyway.

New food will be introduce will the same taste as beef, no fat, no hardening of the arteries, and pure protein. People will spend less on health care, as well will not be able to contract as many sicknesses in the bio domes. Computer technicians will replace medical staff, as we all connect to the cerebral net.

Rebellion

Rebellion will be bad for business. Law enforcement will really be replaced by large security companies, contracted out by city councils, or bio dome management team. Politics by and large will be slowly replaced by a more commercial driven government form. Free capitalism will lead to controlled commerce, very controlled by a few large corporations.

I expect these corporations will in fact be entertainment or ‘content driven’. Content will become the new gold rush. Even now news media are transitioning to ‘content’ rather than ‘news’. We have opinion rather than ‘facts’.

In the M’verse, content will be the commodity like gold once was. Information will be king.

Rebels will simply be put out of the bio dome as ‘contagious’ health risk warnings. Anyone with a health risk label will be placed outside to serve the greater good. Information will be a commodity. 

With all this content driven society, hard drive space will be at a premium. A new technology for staring data will be developed. The large space required to store data of the year 2010 will be replaced.

Opportunity for the future ~ the person who come sup with a new technology to store large quantities of data in smaller spaces will be rich. Some sort of an optical cable? Storing data on optical cables perhaps?? I imagine a fiber optic cable rather than a hard disk.

Applications will become ‘free’; subsidized by content providers initially but later on there will just be a new way to interface that does away with an ‘app’! You will subscribe to a selection of channels rather than just connecting to the world wide internet.

Once again to ‘protect’ you from information overload, you will select a package of content from a larger source...similar to the way in which you now select your cable TV channels. Parents will be able to select channels for their children, age appropriate, faith dependent culturally relevant etc etc.

School could actually take place while you sleep at night. There will be many studies doe on the danger of depriving the individual from REM sleep. There will be Surgeon General warnings and more studies. Finally, there will be a channel that actually simulates rem sleep! Channel surfing will become addictive.