Future History - Speech or Presentation Example

Future History: Presentation Script Table of Contents Slide 2 3 Slide 3 3 Slides 4 -5 4 Slides 6- 7 4 Slide 8 5 Slides 9 -10 5 Slide 11 6 Slide 12 6 Slide 13 6 Slides 14-15 6 Slide 16 7 Slide 17 7 Slide 18 8 Slide 19 8 Slide 20 8 Slide 21 9 Slide 22 9 References 10 Slide 2 Opening line: Good day to everyone! I hope you will enjoy this presentation on a future history that I came up with. 1. This presentation takes off from two sources, one the ideas of Dr. Richard Barbrook in ‘Imaginary Futures’ and two from the ideas presented in the documentary 2057: The City of the Future. 2. In those two sources one gets the idea of future history that is dominated both by technology, as well as a very deep understanding of human nature and social dynamics. 3. The presentation makes use of the readings and the theories studied in the course of its preparation, together with the two examples presented above, to present possible, probable, preferable and wildcards future histories. 4. The examples present ways of exploring future histories that leverage futures studies both as art and as science, both as rigorous discipline and one that makes use of a vision gained from an understanding of many aspects of human nature, technology, and the social sciences (Burns 2002; Barbrook 2007; Barbrook 2007b; Barbrook 2007c). Slide 3 In the year 2060: 1. Renewable, clean power was mainstream and in global use 2. It was against the law to burn fossil fuels for energy 3. Global warming had been checked and reversed 4. Nuclear weapons were outlawed 5. Technology worked and was successful in making earth a better place for people (Burns 2002; Barbrook 2007; Barbrook 2007b; Barbrook 2007c; TDC 2013). Slides 4 -5 1. Biometrics, face recognition, and GPS technologies equaled better tracking and safety, as well as more opportunities for the violation of human and privacy rights. 2. Self-driving cars improved safety, and highlighted the interconnectedness of modern technology. (TDF 2013) 3. In the video presented, an early implementation of the driverless car from Google highlights the advances and the challenges in the field. In the possible future history, these challenges were successfully hurdled and driverless cars were commonplace and successful (Ragunathan 2011). Slides 6- 7 1. Robots became advanced, and replaced people in certain physically demanding and dangerous jobs. 2. Holographic companions were access assistants to the information web, for young and those who are of advanced age (TDF 2013). 3. In the video, the 2013 version of Asimo the humanoid robot presented the possibilities of human-like robots and how they can serve human societies moving forward (TheMiyaworld 2013). Slide 8 1. Crime is a human side of technology, and it persisted in the future. 2. New hacks and viruses were in step with advances to secure systems. 3. The work of the police became as sophisticated as the work of those they were tasked to monitor and apprehend, and involved knowledge of high technology 4. The tug of war between government surveillance and citizen privacy and civil rights persisted in the future, and spilled over into new technological realms (TDF 2013). Slides 9 -10 Entertainment in 2060 was driven by the Internet 1. video on demand delivered online had become mainstream, replacing TV and cinema 2. Video was immersive and was based on virtual reality. 3. Viewing devices like goggles provided immersion into virtual worlds (Cohen 2013). 4. The video of a virtual reality machine enabled by specialized goggles provides a glimpse of the future of entertainment (Engadget 2014) Slide 11 Virtual reality and work 1. Virtual reality allowed people to inhabit avatars of robots that did the actual work on site, to do hazardous work such as fighting wars and working in mines. People themselves were located in safe environments far from the work arenas (TDF 2013) Slide 12 The military in 2060 1. Highly advanced drones and robots replaced people in the military 2. Robots and drones fought wars, transported people, goods and machineries across the world safely (Engadget 2014l TDF 2013). Slide 13 Law enforcement in 2060 1. In like manner, robots took the place of police in actual duty work, apprehending and fighting criminals while human police officers operated the robots from remote locations, via avatars that allowed them to inhabit the robots in action (TDF 2013; Engadget 2014). Slides 14-15 1. Global warming and its catastrophic consequences were averted 2. The world shifted to solar power, and this led to new technologies being used to clean the environment, which were in turn powered by solar power too. 3. The coastal cities and communities were preserved. (IPCC 2007; Gillis 2013; Miller 2011; Basulto 2014) 4. In the video, Elon Musk explained how the solar future was inevitable, given the exponential growth of solar energy use, translating to a future where most of the worlds energy requirements were sourced from solar energy sources (Big Think 2013). Slide 16 1. Clean energy gave the world a fresh start 2. A new global economy developed from a world that had free power from solar. 3. Poverty was erased in a few years. 4. The new economic order gave birth to new industries that focused on the wellness of people and the environment (Miller 2011; Gillis 2013; Basulto 2014) Slide 17 1. The new world order had a strong focus on ecology and sustainability issues. 2. Fossil fuels were outlawed, and with them non-organic modes of agriculture that harmed the ecology (Miller 2011; Gillis 2013; Basulto 2014). Slide 18 Global Politics and Concerns 1. The United Nations had become a stronger institution, settling conflicts worldwide in a peaceful manner. 2. Disease and poverty were completely eradicated. Free and clean energy was the foundation of this. Slide 19 Work, Education and Travel 1. Virtual work places and centers of education replaced traditional offices and classrooms 2. Avatars and robots technologies, together with virtual reality technologies, allowed people to travel around the world without leaving their homes Slide 20 1. Nuclear weapons continued to be a problem and threat to world peace and to the safety of populations worldwide. 2. The old problems of disarmament and rogue states with nuclear weapons persisted (Ricking 2013; Keck 2013) Slide 21 1. Privacy and human rights won over government overreach. 2. Technology served people’s interests and government was put in its place (Carnegie Mellon 2014; Siddique 2013; Spielmann 2013) Slide 22 1. The future with nuclear weapons is a wildcard 2. Clean energy, the reversal of climate change, virtual reality and robotics and their applications in travel, work and education, as well as national defense, are all probable and preferable future histories 3. Other advances in technology, including driverless cars and biometrics, are probable future histories 4. The attainment of privacy and human rights are preferable future histories as well (Miller 2011; Gillis 2013; Basulto 2014). References Andrews, S. (2008). Futurology- 2010. YouTube. [Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlZwUpczA0U [Accessed 17 January 2014] Barbrook, R. (2007a). Imaginary Futures- From Thinking Machines to the Global Village. [Online] Available from: http://www.imaginaryfutures.net/ [Accessed 17 January 2014] Barbrook, R. (2007b). The Class of the New. [Online] Available from: http://www.theclassofthenew.net/the_class_of_the_new.pdf [Accessed 17 January 2014] Barbrook, R. (2007c). New York Prophecies: The Imaginary Future of Artificial Intelligence. The HRC Archives: Imaginary Futures- From Thinking Machines to the Global Village. [Online] Available from: http://www.theclassofthenew.net/the_class_of_the_new.pdf [Accessed 17 January 2014] Basulto, D. (2014). Elon Musk’s five insights into solar energy. The Washington Post. [Online] Available from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/wp/2014/01/16/elon-musks-five-insights-into-solar-energy/ [Accessed 17 January 2014] Big Think (2013). Elon Musk: Tesla and SolarCity Will Accelerate the Development of an Energy Solution. YouTube. [Online] Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpcJ3jX-2DA [Accessed 17 January 2014] Burns, A. (2002). Is Futures Study a Science or an Art? Australian Foresight Institute/Disinformation. Carnegie Mellon (2014). Advancing the New Machine: Human Rights and the Technology Conference. Carnegie Mellon Center for Human Rights Science. [Online] Available from: http://www.cmu.edu/chrs/conferences/advancing-the-new-machine.html [Accessed 17 January 2014] CENTItvc (2008). greeny@life. YouTube. [Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbJ1Kev0pD8 [Accessed 17 January 2014] Cohen, D. (2013). George Lucas & Steven Spielberg: Studios Will Implode; VOD is the Future. Variety. [Online] Available from: http://variety.com/2013/digital/news/lucas-spielberg-on-future-of-entertainment-1200496241/ [Accessed 20 January 2014] Energizdoctors (2008). Sea level rise. YouTube. [Online] Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPOT5TRRL3E [Accessed 17 January 2014] Engadget (2014). Best of CES 2014: Oculus Rift Crystal Cove Prototype | Engadget. YouTube. [Online] Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfjVafZfmDw [Accessed 17 January 2014] Gillis, J. (2013). By 2047, Coldest Years May Be Warmer Than the Hottest in Past, Scientists Say. The New York Times. [Online] Available from: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/10/science/earth/by-2047-coldest-years-will-be-warmer-than-hottest-in-past.html?_r=0 [Accessed 17 January 2014] IPCC (2007). Projections of Future Changes in Climate. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. [Online] Available from: http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/spmsspm-projections-of.html [Accessed 17 January 2014] Keck, Z. (2013). Why Countries Build Nuclear Weapons in the 21st Century. The Diplomat. [Online] Available from: http://thediplomat.com/2013/07/why-countries-build-nuclear-weapons-in-the-21st-century/ [Accessed 17 January 2014] Miller, M. (2011). Ray Kurzweil: Solar Will Power the World in 16 Years. Big Think. [Online] Available from: http://bigthink.com/think-tank/ray-kurzweil-solar-will-power-the-world-in-16-years [Accessed 17 January 2014] Mulholland, N. (2009). A Brief History of the Future. SlideShare. [Online] Available from: http://www.slideshare.net/neilmulholland/neil-mulholland-a-brief-history-of-the-future?from_search=2 [Accessed 17 January 2014] Ragunathan, V. (2011). A look inside Googles “Driverless Car”. YouTube. [Online] Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J17Qgc4a8xY [Accessed 17 January 2014] Siddique, H. (2013). Internet privacy as important as human rights, says UN’s Navi Pillay. The Guardian. [Online] Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/26/un-navi-pillay-internet-privacy [Accessed 17 January 2014] Spielmann, P. (2013). UN advances Internet Privacy resolution. The Big Story. [Online] Available from: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/un-advances-internet-privacy-rights [Accessed 17 January 2014] Ricking, C. (2013). The future of nuclear weapons. Deutsche Welle. [Online] Available from: http://www.dw.de/the-future-of-nuclear-weapons/a-16611159 [Accessed 17 January 2014] TDF (2013). 2057: City of the Future. Top Documentary Films. [Online] Available from: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/2057-the-city-of-the-future/ [Accessed 17 January 2014] TheMiyaworld (2013). ASIMO Robot Next-Generation Unveiled! - 2013 Humanoid Robot Show. YouTube. [Online] Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReN2l816L8k [Accessed 17 January 2014] Read More