The Future

According to this BBC article, 10 of the predictions that engineer John Watkins made 100 years ago and came true were:

1. Digital color printing
2. Rising height of Americans
3. Mobile phones
4. Pre-prepared meals
5. Population growth slowing down 
6. Hothouse vegetables 
7. TV
8. Military Tanks 
9. Larger fruit 
10. The Acela Express

         The article included a few of Watkins predictions that didn't come true:

1. The letters 'C', 'Q', and 'X' being 'abandoned'
2. Everybody walking 10 miles a day 
3. No cars in large cities 
4. No mosquitoes or flies    

An article about Issac Asimov mentions a few of his predictions that he made about 50 years ago, some including: gadgets to prepare 'auto-meals', communicating will be 'sight sound' (you'll be able to see the person while talking to them on the phone), cars with 'robot-brain', school will be taught fundamentally on technology and computers, ships will land on mars. 

Some of these predictions seem like the people back then were hopeful. For example Watkins thought that people would walk 10 miles a day, he had hope that the people in the future were going to be healthy, because he also thought there was going to be larger fruit, hothouse vegetables, and also taller people. Which are all factors in healthy living. However Asimov seems like he's giving some kind of warning. His predictions are mostly based around the idea that people will more dependent on machines rather than humans. 

Most of these men's predictions came true. I find Watkins prediction of the letters being abandoned a little absurd, I wonder how he came to the conclusion that someday society will just stop using a few letters. The most accurate prediction, I think, besides the obvious ones, is Asimov's predictions that are machine dependency based. 

(Q.3/4)Like how there will be machines to prepare our meals, our education will be machine based, even our communications. I mean if you think about it, our society has become like this with face-time, fast-food restaurants, and technology based projects in school. 

I think that in the future, we will be 95% technology based. I think we will have some kind of device to complete all of our simple tasks. At the pace we are going right now, it doesn't seem like we are far from a society like this. I also think that in the near future we will have many environmental issues. We are already starting to see some, for example, lack of clean water , lack of natural resources, and the excessive amount of pollution. I think it will get worse before it gets better, and we will get better because there will be more environmentally friendly machines in our daily lives. I believe there will also be a larger variety of alternative machines that are better for the environment.

 How much control over the future do we actually have? As individuals, groups, governments?

I think we have a pretty decent amount of control over the future, because the future is based on what we do today. If we aren't taking care of the major issues, such as the environment, right now then the future won't be looking so great. Climate change is a big topic in the presidential race these days, because climate change is a major problem in the world today because our environment is getting worse day by day, and will have a major effect on the future if we don't try to control it. Like I said before in the near future we will be seeing large environmental problems, but based on what the presidential candidates are being asked/are saying, I believe alternative plans to prevent climate change from getting worse will be made. There have already been large meetings for this such as the one in France a few months ago. And if the government doesn't do anything to solve this crisis, we as individuals can take the initiative. There are many things we can do in our homes, in the way we travel, and in the way we live our regular, everyday lives to help better the environment. We can also join local communities that are helping the environment, to do the same. By doing this we can prevent our future from taking a turn for the worst.