As I write this, in the year 2014, the human race is experiencing an unprecedented acceleration of accumulated knowledge.
The traditional branches of science are continually branching off, into countless specializations of research and application.
New scientific fields and discoveries are snowballing into a dizzying amount of information that any single human brain cannot completely absorb.
Luckily there are now sources that can distill all this info for the generalist, like myself, to quickly appreciate the latest science news. One of my favorites is the weekly graphic summaries posted to Reddit/futurology:
As the brilliant Arthur C. Clarke stated, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." The emerging technologies of the near future would have been considered fantastic impossibilities, even in the very recent past.
If the human mind can conceive of an idea, there is a good chance that the idea can be manifested into reality. Of course, there are constraints- such as the resources, time, & effort that are able to be devoted to its realization.
The one major technological trend that people seem to be most afraid of is the merging of human biology and consciousness with machines & their digital interfaces. When our minds and bodies are eventually transformed by the synthesis with "artificial" systems, there will undoubtedly be many positive and negative aspects that will have to be considered.
However, I think it's inevitable that there will be continued use of technology to augment our senses, physical abilities, and mind. Exactly what kind of paths this direction will lead us on is the fascinating question that we will just have to wait to experience, as time flows on...
"Apple iThink"
Concept by Paul Micarelli
Concept by Paul Micarelli
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