I remember when the first hand held calculator came out. It would ad, subtract, multiply and divvied. I bought one and was completely amazed.


The Exponential Age?



Just a few things for us all to ponder, especially the younger ones amongst us.



Did you think back in 1998 that 3 years later you would never take pictures on film again?



In 1998 Kodak had 170,000 employees and sold 85 % photo paper worldwide. Within just a few years their business model disappeared and they went bankrupt. What happened to Kodak will happen in a lot of industries in the next 10 years and, most people won't see it coming.

Yet digital cameras were invented in 1975. The first ones only had 10,000 pixels, but followed Moore's law. So as with all exponential technologies, it was a disappointment for a time, before it became way superior and became mainstream in only a few short years. It will now happen again with Artificial Intelligence, health, autonomous and electric cars, education, 3D printing, agriculture and jobs. Welcome to the 4th Industrial Revolution. Welcome to the Exponential Age.



Software will disrupt most traditional industries in the next 5-10 years.



Uber is just a software tool, they don't own any cars, and are now the biggest taxi company in the world.



Airbnb is now the biggest hotel company in the world, although they don't own any properties.



Artificial Intelligence: Computers become exponentially better in understanding the world. This year, a computer beat the best Go-player in the world, 10 years earlier than expected.



In the US , young lawyers already don't get jobs. Because of IBM's Watson you can get legal advice (so far for more or less basic stuff) within seconds. With 90% accuracy compared with 70% accuracy when done by humans.



So if you study law, stop immediately. There will be 90 % less lawyers in the future. Only specialists will remain.



Watson already helps nurses diagnosing cancer, which is 4 times more accurate than human nurses.



Facebook now has a pattern recognition software that can recognize faces better than humans. In 2030 computers will become more intelligent than humans. (NEVER says Albert)



Autonomous cars: In 2018 the first self driving cars will appear for the public. Around 2020 the complete industry will start to be disrupted. You won't want to own a car anymore. You will call a car with your phone, it will show up at your location and drive you to your destination. You will not need to park it, you only pay for the driven distance and can be productive while being driven.



Our kids will never need to get a driver's license and will never own a car.



It will change the cities, because we will need 90-95% less cars for that. We can transform former parking spaces into parks.



1.2 million people die each year in car accidents worldwide. We now have one accident every 60,000 miles ( 100,000 km), with autonomous driving that will drop to 1 accident in 6 million miles (10 million km). That will save a million lives each year.



Most car companies will probably become bankrupt. Traditional car companies try the evolutionary approach and just build a better car, while tech companies like Tesla, Apple, Google will do the revolutionary approach and build a computer on wheels.



Many engineers from Volkswagen and Audi are completely terrified of Tesla.



Insurance companies will have massive trouble because without accidents, the insurance will become 100x cheaper. Their car insurance business model will disappear.



Real Estate will change. Because if you can work while you commute, people will move further away to live in a more beautiful neighbourhood.



Electric cars will become mainstream about 2020. Cities will be less noisy because all new cars will run on electricity.



Electricity will become incredibly cheap and clean. Solar production has been on an exponential curve for 30 years, but you can now see the burgeoning impact.



Last year, more solar energy was installed worldwide than fossil. Energy companies are desperately trying to limit access to the grid to prevent competition from home solar installations, but that can't last. Technology will take care of that strategy.



With cheap electricity comes cheap and abundant water. Desalination of salt water now only needs 2k Wh per cubic meter at 0.25 cents). We don't have scarce water in most places, we only have scarce drinking water. Imagine what will be possible if anyone can have as much clean water as he wants, for nearly no cost.



Health: The Tricorder X price will be announced this year. There are companies who will build a medical device (called the " Tricorder " from Star Trek) that works with your phone, which takes your retina scan, your blood sample and you simply breath into it.



It then analyses 54 bio-markers that will identify nearly any disease. It will be cheap, so in a few years everyone on this planet will have access to world class medical analysis, nearly for free. Goodbye medical establishments.



3 D printing: The price of the cheapest 3D printer came down from $18,000 to $400 within 10 years. In the same time, it became 100 times faster. All major shoe companies have already started 3D printing shoes.



Some spare airplane parts are already 3D printed in remote airports. The space station now has a printer that eliminates the need for the large amount of spare parts they used to have in the past.



At the end of this year, new smart phones will have 3D scanning possibilities. You can then 3D scan your feet and print your perfect shoe at home.



In China they have already 3D printed and built a complete 6 storey office building. By 2027 10% of everything that's being produced will be 3D printed.



Business Opportunities: If you think of a niche you want to go in, first ask yourself, "In the future, do I think we will have that?" If the answer is yes, how can you make that happen sooner? If it doesn't work with your phone, forget the idea. And any idea designed for success in the 20th century is doomed to failure in the 21st century.



Work: 70-80 % of jobs will disappear in the next 20 years. There will be a lot of new jobs, but it is not clear if there will be enough new jobs in such a short time. This will require a rethink on wealth distribution.



Agriculture: There will be a $100 agricultural robot in the future. Farmers in 3rd world countries can then become managers of their field instead of working all day on their fields.



Aeroponics: Will need much less water. The first Petri dish produced veal, is now available and will be cheaper than cow produced veal in 2018. Right now, 30 % of all agricultural surfaces is used for cows. Imagine if we don't need that space anymore.



The Times They Are A Changing ! ​

 

It is easier to just ask Siri or Alexa ...

If only you could get them to talk dirty to you we would be set.

 

I remember quite well! I was in elementary school (or primary school). I was fascinated by my father's slide rule and spent considerable time trying to figure out how to use it to its full capacity. Without success.

Then he bought an electronic calculator. My fascination with the slide rule evaporated very quickly, replaced by a fascination with the calculator!

 

Nice to know that technology is making people obsolete. Good luck young ones, I won't be around long enough to feel your pain.

 

I never saw an electronic calculator until I was out of college....

this hand crank adding machine amazed me in high school...

 

There is more computing power in our phones than landed man on the moon in 1969!

 

maybe your phone----but I have a flip phone----if you know what that is....

 

Even your flip phone has incredible computing power relative to the computers used in 1969

 

I don't even have a flip phone anymore...but the day is slowly nearing when I must buy an iphone. You have to have one to answer the front door these days...

 

There's only one problem. The current monetary system relies on waste. So for the future to truly be here we would need a resourced based economy

 

No batteries needed ...

 

I dream of a day as did Martin when I never have to go anywhere. Everything that I want or need is delivered to me. My personal assistant does all domestic chores without my supervision. I will have sex provider who can on command look like anyone except my ex-wife. Don't need a car or car insurance. The internet delivers news, not that I give a fuck who is president. Even medical procedures are by skype. BTW I have already had a physical by a doc 200 miles away. So now I can set on my front porch and watch the whole damn world go down the drain.

 

A good EMP blast over the entire earth is needed.

 

I'm very sceptical about some of these predictions ,
not because I doubt the existence of the technology , but I've lived through so many predictions that weren't/didn't deliver when it came to day to day reality and practicality.

3D printers certainly are amazing , and are changing things radically.
(just think , almost nothing need become useless or obsolete because you no longer can get parts)

A great example of 3D printing ;
our home grown space delivery rocket,
the engines are printed

 

I have a particular problem with autonomous vehicles.
I can see them taking over in some situations , if they can really solve the problems of mixed traffic.

But look at my use , as just one example.
I live in a remote area , 2 1/2 hours drive from the cities I often visit , partly over dangerous winding mountains roads , some gravel , with dropoffs up to 300 feet , as close as 1-2 meters of the road edge .
Some stretches can be flooded , in places for up to about half a mile , sometimes passable , sometimes not.
Some friends , and jobs , can be up to two miles off the public road , on dirt tracks , some very winding and rough.
Some roads and tracks have fords , which may be impassable at times.
Even the main roads may have slips at any time day or night , either from above onto the road , or the road itself slipping away , and their not rare.

How long before I can get me an autonomous vehicle ?

I have to be able to tow a laden trailer to some jobs , including round the city when I work there , and a 1 1/2 ton boat over many of the roads ,
and get up the mountain to my favourite ski fields.
I'm not unusual round this country.
My son and daughter both live near the outskirts of the city , work in it , and travel here over the same roads with similar loads , trailer , boat etc
and there's thousands of us.

Now how long till we can get suitable autonomous vehicles ?

And its the same all around the country.

 

Where the hell do you live, the back of beyond?

I had a crank calculator before I bought my first E-lectronic calculator. it had 6 digits and a fixed 2 place decimal you had to keep track of just where the decimal belonged. It cost $40.00 US in 1972

 

Pocket electronic calculator in 1972 was around 200 bucks....TI model

*not_secure_link*www.vintagecalculators.com/assets/images/TI30_1.jpg

 

I like useless posts and this is very good one.

 

Never seen this before----

Stewart Pitt lost the avatar pic and is deemed a guest....

StewartPidd
Guest

no joint date------

are socks now gonna be wiped out I hope....

 

Its the money men who call the shots, if techno means reducing their markets, they 'll sabotage, delay, hinder all the way...in the words of the old song, .".MONEY CHANGES EVERYTHING"