The Technology That Will Shape Our Future — Part 1
Times change and so does tech. In the first part of this post we talk about how The Internet, AR/VR and blockchain will shape our future.
As time passes, technology evolves, dies out or is reborn. The future has its foundations laid in computer technology. Here is what we can expect and what we should be building on it.
The Internet
Who knew the impact a large system of globally interconnected computers would have on the world? Well everyone in the days of the first dot-com boom had a rough idea but the real impact it had transcended our expectations.
The internet went mainstream with the World Wide Web, the world’s first web browser created by Tim Berners Lee, an engineer at CERN. Though his intentions were to let physicists easily share their work, it quickly spiralled into something quaintly beautiful.
Now, there are still places in the world where Internet access is limited and there are still communities that haven’t heard the word ‘website’. But, in due time, these restrictions will be lifted (for the sake of development) and, more and more communities will be online. In the distant future, survival without the internet will be impossible. With the rise of web3 and the metaverse, we will experience a whole new level of decentralisation, but, at the same time, a lack of real human interaction.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg. People trying to avoid big tech or government surveillance will likely use TOR and products which follow the same protocol. We can see an increase in the number of TOR nodes and faster relay speeds. We might even have current internet users shifting to TOR as it’s a haven for uncensorable content, anonymity and privacy. Pseudonyms will slowly replace real names and figuring out who someone is will turn into a goose-chase.
The future will be filled with debates about the content of the internet, rights for people over the internet, and whether or not the technology should be controlled or left as an exclusive anarchical zone.
Virtual and Augmented Reality
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality has gone a long way from just being a sci-fi idea built of the matrix. Currently, access to VR equipment is becoming easier and cheaper. With more companies experimenting with AR (like Snapchat using filters or Zoom using virtual backgrounds), it’s difficult to not come by an application of VR and AR.
Both technologies work on bringing computer-simulated elements to the real world, either on a small scale (like AR) or simulating whole experiences(VR).
As time passes, the tech will become cheaper and accessible to larger audiences. It may allow them to customise their own realities either via programs or maybe even imagination (very far off but possible). Gaming on VR will go big with the eventual possibility to play big titles and open-world games with your headset alone. The old 2010s meme that a gamer lives many lives will become real. Phones might have VR cameras so, the next time you video call a friend, you might be right beside him. AR has a special place in the classroom and can make learning easier and more entertaining. The possibilities in this field are endless.
Oh and have I mentioned that FaceBook (now Meta) has announced that it’s going to create the metaverse-a social network powered by VR and AR? Well, that’s a story for another day.
The only downside is, the immersive experience might be more addictive than modern-day tech, making it a drug. An acid trip in the distant future might be a custom VR program backed by machine learning which slams your dopamine levels through the roof.
Blockchain
Brought to the limelight by the crypto surge in 2017, blockchain was a technology developed in 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto to power his cryptocurrency, Bitcoin. Simplified, a blockchain is a distributed decentralised digital ledger sealed with cryptographic hashes. We’ll talk about how it works in the future but, as of now, keep in mind, a blockchain is the most sophisticated and secure database to exist throughout human history.
Although it may not seem like much, blockchain has enormous potential. Almost every database and tracking system can be replaced with a blockchain. Doing so would make everything more transparent and secure. We can use blockchain for logistics, energy management, healthcare records, education records, government fund allocation, voting etc. Blockchain is going to renovate industries the way the internet did 20 years ago.
In the next 5 to 7 years, e-banking apps will get replaced by crypto-wallets. Governments across the world may release their own digital currencies which they will use to incentivise the blockchain run by the government for public records. Fiat money might even be obsolete. The concept of digital ownership will be normalised. We will see more decentralisation and transparency from large agencies. The global supply chain will be easier to manage and we’ll see higher cost-cutting. With blockchains, we’ll be able to reform agriculture with environmentalist energy management systems. Consensus will be used to verify facts. And, trust will be redefined.
None of this, however, is without serious global repercussions that will effect everyone.
Blockchain will change the world the way the internet did 20 years ago, and now is the time to prepare yourself. Software is eating the world and blockchain-based software will be the largest consumer.
Now that’s all for part one. Part two will cover AI/ML, Rocketry and Geo-engineering. Subcribe and share the newsletter. Stay tuned for the next edition, scheduled to be posted next week.
