2020 Technology - The pessimistic alternative by Phil97
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If my other "Future" artical was too bright and fluffy for you, here's
the depressing alternative: Razor blades at the ready?
Televisions
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No one has managed to invent an affordable flatscreen TV so we're still
stuck with massive cathode-ray-tube wide (and deep!) screen TVs. The
BBC is still charging a "licence fee" (of o1000) even though there are
9999 alternative free channels and nobody watches it..
Video Recorders
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VHS is still going strong. Fearing another VHS/BETA war, no one company
will take the plunge and develop a modern alternative.
Computers
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The PC still exists in its dedicated system/monitor/keyboard style.
Windows '20 requires 256MB just to run and still crashes. Live video is
still crap, Voice recognition software is still crap. Consoles still
run better games.
Internet
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The internet becomes gridlocked with the sheer number of people on line
(even with optical links). Licences are required to log in and logging
of all site accesses are made by ISPs in order to build "personality
sales profiles".
Crime
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TV cameras are on every lamp post, and no one seems to mind. Crime
rates still increase. Every baby born has its DNA sampled and stored in
the police's criminal data base. Everyone must carry ID cards and be
ready to display them on demand.
Cars
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Fuel costs are sky high but the roads are still crammed with cars driven
by people willing to pay anything for their slice of "personal freedom".
Electric cars have been snubbed because of the speed/range limits.
Hydrogen cars have been judged as too dangerous and banned.
Power Generation
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Fusion power is still 30 years away. Old nuclear power stations are
being kept running.. Nobody knows what to do with all the waste..
Power bills go through the roof.
Medicine
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Due to the mapping of the whole of human DNA, insurance companies can
refuse to cover people they know to be at risk from hereditry diseases.
Shady quacks accept orders for designer babies from the rich. The truth
about the BSE scandle finally becomes apparent when thousands of people
over 40 begin showing signs of premiture senility.
Environment
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The Earth becomes a stinking cess-pool. The population explosion is
left unchecked, natural resources dry up, radioactive waste is strewn
across the globe, dangerous middle-eastern dictators have nuclear
weapons and new viruses and superbugs threaten the masses..
See ya there!
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