Worst and Best Predictions on Technology

prostoalex writes "Dow Jones News asked several mahor scientists and technologists about their worst and best predictions of the future. The story, republished at Yahoo! Finance Singapore quotes Lester Thurow, Professor of management and economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management; Nicholas Negroponte, Founder and director, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab; Glover Ferguson, Chief scientist, Accenture; Alan Nugent, Chief technology officer, Novell; Peter Cochrane, Director, ConceptLabs; Michael Earl, Dean, Templeton College, University of Oxford. There seems to be a common agreement on having overrated the ability of machines to talk back to users and vice versa."

Comments

predictions

[harks]

I'm still disappointed and waiting for my nuclear powered vacuum cleaner.

Talkback

[richie2000]

I predict we need more machines that talk back to authors when they find mahor spelling mistakes.

When Anthony Michael Hall just won't do...

[realgone]

Today's favorite: Biotechnology advances will radically transform our world and our bodies.

Mr. Thurow says higher IQs and more beautiful children will be among the benefits of biotech advances. "For the first time in history, people will be able to change themselves," he says.

Will someone please make sure that Christopher Walken is in the balcony with a rifle at this guy's next public speech?

Talking to computers

[stewby18]

Worst prediction: People would be talking to computers.

What's he talking about? I talk to computers all the time, especially Windows machines. "What the hell do you mean the zip drive can't be found?! It's right there!"

Re:30-year rule

[ColdGrits]

Nice theory.

Shame it is flawed.

"1984" was published in 1949, not 1954.

Oh, and Orwell set it in 1984 because he wanted to pick a time reasonably in the future, and as he was writing it in 1948, he just swapped the last two year digits round, thought it sounded like as good a future date as any, and used it.

No "30 year rule".

Nothing to see here.

Move along.

Accenture

[dexter riley]

Glover Ferguson, Chief scientist, Accenture;

I predict that Mr. Ferguson might need to find a new job before too long.

Good!

[chrisbro]

There seems to be a common agreement on having overrated the ability of machines to talk back to users

This is a strong point. Now I don't have to worry about getting yelled at by my girlfriend and my computer, which the two combined occupy 95% of my time.

"You moron! Windows XP is SO not my look!"

My Fav

[Gregg M]

"The internet will collapse in 1996." -Bob Metcalf, Ethernet inventor and 3Com founder.

Thomas Watson Senior, Chairman of IBM, 1943

[edgrale]

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." -- Thomas Watson Senior, Chairman of IBM, 1943

They missed everything ESR said

[JohnTheFisherman]

Like Microsoft collapsing in 6 months back in 2000, and more recently, Windows becoming obsolete with the advent of the new $299 Linux boxes from WalMart.

Re:I'm willing to bet...

[JFMulder]

I knew it!!! :-)

Predicting stuff is easy

[interstellar_donkey]

In the next 30 years:

Personal transportation will be more efficent and quite possibly cheaper

Processors will become much much faster they are are today. It is likely that processor powered devices may become smaller.

There will be people in the general public interested in space travel.

Most of the world will use the Internet. Some may even use it for pornography.

Now where are my bags of money?

Re:May I request a spelling correction?

[CommandNotFound]

Maybe some of the editors should write their submissions in MS Word or one of its equivalents before posting it to the masses.

And then it would be ?major?