Current Forecasts
Special to Web
visitors, here are a few of the editors' favorite forecasts from the
November-December 2002 issue of THE FUTURIST:
 Virtual reality will make
meditating easier. People who have trouble visualizing relaxing scenes may soon be
able to use a virtual-reality simulator developed by Georgia Tech researchers. The
meditation chamber includes monitors and biofeedback systems to help virtual meditators
relax. (Tomorrow in Brief)
 Glaciers are receding faster, with both good and ill
effects. Receding glaciers make new land available for use, but they also raise sea
levels, impacting coastal areas. (World Trends & Forecasts, Environment)
 Individuals may soon gain
the power to destroy the world. Nanotechnology could enable ever-smaller numbers of
terrorists to deploy weapons, such as a "gray cloud" of nanodevices that
surround the planet, blocking the sun and destroying intelligent life. (Joćo Pedro de
Magalhćes, "The One-Man Rule")
 Behavior could one day be remotely controlled.
Researchers have developed radio transmitters to stimulate the pleasure centers in rats'
brains, training them to perform as commanded. The ability to artificially stimulate the
brain could help paralyzed people by bypassing the damaged nerves that once controlled
their muscles. ("Technologies for Controlling Behavior," sidebar for "The
One-Man Rule" by Joćo Pedro de Magalhćes)
 Planetary patriotism could transcend nationalism. "The
greatest development of the twenty-first century will be the transcendence of a global or
planetary patriotism above nationalism," says futurist Tad Daley. "By 2019, we
should to go Mars and plant an Earth flag, stating that we come in peace to explore
and endure." (quoted in "WorldView 2002: Futures Unlimited!")
To order the print edition of the November-December
2002 issue of THE FUTURIST ($4.95 plus $3 postage and handling) or to become a member of the World
Future Society ($45 per year).
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