Tosin Amuda
The movie "The Social Network" before 21st century might have been a science-fiction (sci-fi); however, it turned out to be a real story. This is because prior to the 21st century, there was almost nothing like social networking, no video conferencing, maybe it was in a 1970 sci-fi but in the few space of time, man continues to discover technology that astonishes him. Technology that changes the way we communicate and process information.
I bet there are still technologies that have not entered into the heart of men coming through this century. Nothing seems to be impossible again. The Christian and the other religions of the books might call it the end-time, a philosopher might still be questioning why but as a technology enthusiast I believe this is the beginning of the end we are all anticipating for. If you are still with me permit me to take you into the future for a few minute, a future very near, permit me to introduce to you four awesome technologies you might not believe.
Have you ever imagined:
It might have been sci-fi just a decade ago, but with the internet forcing its way into every aspect of our lives, cyberspace is leaking out into the real world. This is the future with the possibility of interconnecting people and objects – lightbulbs, fridges, cars, buildings – to create an internet of things.
"Some of the things that are possible are truly unbelievable," says Constantine Valhouli from the Hammersmith Group, a strategy consulting firm. This technology is called the Internet of things (IoT), many are already saying this is a trend bound to hit us all in the near future. There is a whole lot about (IOT) here.
Now let's take a deeper journey into the future to find out what CNN already calls the future PC. We've moved from a desktop internet to mobile phones and mobile internet – who knows the next step might be the recently unveiled long-rumored concept called "Project Glass," which takes all the functionality of a smartphone and places it into a wearable device that resembles eyeglasses.
The see-through lens could display everything from text messages to maps to reminders. They may be capable of showing video chats, providing turn-by-turn directions, taking photos and recording notes all through simple voice commands, according to a concept video produced by the company and released on YouTube.
There's still something from Google's Google X lab, the same future-thinking research facility that is working on the project glass and space elevator. However this time around is about a driverless car. The car will be integrated with Google Maps.
"Google believes it is a technology that is here and now and will start appearing in motorcars in the near future," said Professor Alan Woodward from the department of computing at the University of Surrey. "We already have systems that park your cars for you and automatically brake – the next obvious step is to have cars take over the routine driving."
We've talked about glasses and cars; yes it's all about objects, things. However, another technology worthy of mention is the 3D Printing technology.
I bet you've never imagined:
Consumer-level 3D printing technology has moved ahead in leaps and bounds in recent years with the release of devices such as the Thing-o-Matic, the Replicator and Cubify 3D printers.
In the nearest future users of this technology will be able to download designs and print everything from car parts to … well, a new and improved 3D printer. The folks at The Pirate Bay are already taking a bold step by adding a new "Physibles" category. The new category will contain digital files for objects that can be physically created using a 3D printer.
In announcing the move on its blog, The Pirate Bay describes physibles as "data objects that are able (and feasible) to become physical." Watch out for a future with huge benefits in terms of savings on shipping and (child) labour, with users even able to literally print food to feed the hungry.
Technology as a promising world-view in a not-too-distant future will make life richer and comfortable. Imagine getting a tweet from my farm in the village through my project glass in my driverless car. It's a beautiful world I'm sure you will be waiting for.
The convergence of these technologies represents more than just individual innovations – they represent a fundamental shift in how we interact with our environment and each other. As we stand on the brink of this technological revolution, one thing is certain: the future is arriving faster than we ever imagined.
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