• Evacuating tall buildings could be easier in the future thanks to
vertical take-off rescue vehicles. Helicopter-like platforms that maneuver deftly
into once-inaccessible places will rescue victims of fires, floods, earthquakes, and other
disasters. (World Trends & Forecasts, Technology)
• Sixty percent of the world's
people will live in cities by 2030. Almost all population growth over the next
three decades will take place in the cities of developing countries. By 2015, five cities
will reach "megacity" status, supporting 20 million or more residents each:
Tokyo, Bombay, Lagos, Dhaka, and São Paulo. (World Trends & Forecasts, Demography)
• Homo sapiens could be obsolete by
2050. The twin threats of runaway technologies and overpopulation will result in
rapid change so vast and so chaotic that opponents could resort to fundamentalist
backlashes, with more terrorism ahead. (Richard Eckersley, "Doomsday Scenarios")
• The "free-agent"
workforce, characteristic of the U.S., will go increasingly global. Labor will
flow freely around the world, as companies and countries become more linked and as
telecommuting opens new opportunities around the globe. (John A. Challenger, "The
Transformed Workplace")
• Arts patrons will be able to
experience culture around the world virtually. But such technologies could
threaten the survival of institutions dependent on attendance. New sources of revenues
will be sought to support museums, concert halls, and theaters, such as licensing virtual
exhibits, pay-per-view broadband performances. (Terry Ray Hiller, "Coming Changes in
Public Arts")
