A Day in the Future - Essay Example

A Day in the Future Name: Institution: A Day in the Future The light blue sky becomes clearer as I awake from my comfortable five-hour sleep. I remove my soundproof earplugs and the voice of SAM calls out my name to greet me. SAM is the newly installed artificially intelligent home software system whose purpose is to manage the affairs of my small one-bedroom apartment located on the outskirts of Sidney, Australia. Apart from the voice of SAM, the hustle and bustle of the city becomes louder as I head towards the living room and into the kitchen. The morning heat has begun to rise as the summer light shines through my curtains. Sweat has begun to form on my narrow forehead. SAM notices this, and adjusts the thermostat accordingly. I press my finger on a button in the treadmill to read my blood pressure before I proceed to jog on it. After about twenty-five minutes, SAM reminds me that I have exceeded my daily energy usage for exercising and that I should stop. I proceed to the shower and once again adjust the temperature before stepping in. After the refreshing shower, I am then instructed by Sam to remember to take my daily dose of vitamins since the naturally occurring foods do not have the required supply of nutrition. I proceed to ask SAM to assist in brewing me a hot cup of coffee as I fry the eggs. My busy schedule as systems controller in a large surveillance company allows me to get a one day off during the week, as is most occupations on the city. I therefore plan to make the most of my Sunday morning and afternoon. After breakfast, I proceed to ask Sam to call Leslie, my best friend to confirm our plans for the day. Leslie informs me that she will be at the Inside Cafe, a small but serene coffee house just a few blocks from where I live. She tells me that she will be there by noon, so I ensure I plan my time well. At 11:35, I select my white trousers and suit to reflect the heat that has already risen to 280C outside. SAM informs me that the radiation levels in the city have seen a rise overnight. I therefore needed to don my light half coat that absorbs the radiation and keeps me safe. I walk out into the wide sidewalk and take a few strides before I glanced at the huge rotating billboard that was displaying an advertisement on one of the contenders vying for congress. The advertisement talked about the new policies that would change the healthcare system for a better future for the division. The candidate talks about a portable new machine that will be able to detect the symptoms of an illness in one’s body through saliva samples, size of pupil, body temperature and pulse rate. The machine then indicates the types of illness at an accuracy of 98 percent. In addition, the machine will be able to prescribe the appropriate medication, which the patient will purchase at a pharmacy. This, he insists, is a developing technology which will come to completion and smooth implementation should he be successful in holding the public office. I stroll along the main pathways that lead to the heart of the city. Six hundred feet above me are small motor vehicles flying by. I continue staring above, admiring their co-ordinated flight paths as I wonder how they avoid colliding into one another. Inside Café is now becoming visible and less than two blocks away. I take out my glass mobile phone from my half coat pocket and softly murmur the words “Call Leslie” a few seconds later Leslie is on the other end, and informs me she is seated at the south corner of the restaurant, floor -14. This meant that she was 14 floors below the ground level. Most of the buildings in the division were built underground with in the wake of the new century. The tallest building in that particular vicinity was only five floors above. This new policy was implemented in a bid to increase vegetation within the city through increasing light rays from the sun to assist in photosynthesis. This policy was implemented as a strategy to increase the oxygen levels that were severely depleted as a result of carbon monoxide release from the now obsolete motor vehicles that existed two years ago. I approach the grand entrance of the café where Leslie is waiting for me. The massive compound is adorned with well-manicured lawns, a variety of alluring flowers, and a majestic statuesque of Sir Arnold Johnson, the founder of the worldwide chain of The Inside Café. “ Hello Caroline, my name is Jane, welcome to the inside café. Please follow me” A cheery voice greets me. Slightly startled by the unfamiliar voice that uttered my name, I swiftly turn my head from the gaze of the lawn and spotted the 4-foot tall humanoid machine. The short stocky machine began to take short strides as it extended one hand to direct me to towards the elevator. I then remembered the facial recognition software that most of the machines were installed with, that would detect any facial image in the world and be able to identify them by their name. The restaurant believed that through this, the humanoids would be able to create a warm environment for any customer and create the feeling of familiarity. The issue of personal details in the database of a chain of restaurants however was a major source of controversy worldwide. It created much discomfort for the masses, with some of them claiming that it was a direct violation of privacy. Burning issues concerning freedom and privacy were constantly being raised, with most cases being between large corporations and the citizens. Slowly, impatience in the citizens began to develop as they finally felt the effects of exploitation from the large organizations. Since basic items were becoming more and more affordable to the citizens, the salaries began to lower subtly over the recent years. They could manage this effect. However, prices in items such as supplementary vitamins, rent, utility bills began to increase almost imperceptibly, thus making life more expensive. It is the same corporations that provided these services that increased their prices and thus the people felt they were consequently entitled to a pay rise, which they never received. I glanced at a peaceful demonstration that began to form outside as I walked into the lobby. One of the digital placards read “What Happened to Human Rights?” another read, “Inside café Dystopia” and so on. I sighed heavily, recalling the week before when my water supply into the apartment was almost disconnected due to late payment. Leslie was seated at a cozy corner, observing a menu displayed on a screen embedded on the side of the table. As I approached the table, she glanced up at me as a smile began to form on her face. We sat down and ordered two plates, with the humanoids disappearing speedily into the other side of the restaurant. The humanoids were efficient waiters. Their small size allowed them to be agile when moving around the restaurant, taking orders and bringing food to the table. Three minutes later, the humanoid returned with our orders as Leslie and I began to catch up on the latest developments. Leslie has studied criminal law, and while she was a brilliant and passionate lawyer, she began to question her career path. This was because the market for criminal law was plummeting, as crime rates had reduced significantly over the past decade. This was as a result of the heavy security that was present in the city. The average response time for a law enforcement officer to arrest a perpetrator of a petty crime was 15 minutes. This was enabled by the heavy satellite surveillance in almost every inch of the city and heavy police patrol in every corner of the block. Furthermore, heavier punishments were applied to small crimes, thus capitalizing on deterrent behaviour of the society. In addition to this, most of the basic necessities such as security, food, shelter and water were available to even the lowest economic class in the society. Drug abuse was no longer a menace as of the past two decades. This was enabled through capital punishment applied to drug manufacturers and sellers alike. Consequently, crime motivation was lessened. Leslie was handling very few cases in a month, and thus felt that her occupation was becoming less and less fulfilling. Read More