A retrospective from 21-10.

By Matt Jaunich.

When a baby is born, he or she is allocated shares in an index fund of multinational equities, which pays monthly dividends, to support a modest lifestyle for life. These annuities, coupled with automated production, enable the pursuit of creative and innovative lives filled with meaning and significance. The arts are flourishing, and churches booming, as people seek meaning and face to face community in an age defined by virtual and intellibot (artificially intelligent bots) relationships. Life expectancy is now well beyond 150 quality years thanks to effective wellness promotion, the ability to manufacture human organs, and other tissue and genetic therapy breakthroughs achieved by the likes of Aubrey de Grey and Ray Kurzweil.

A major factor for wellness and longevity improvement was the shift to naturally derived products, materials and fibers from the toxic ingredients widely used in production during the past century, including poisonous chemicals used in food production, formaldehyde infused building products, synthetic and chemically treated carpeting, VOC paints, and fire retardant chemicals used in bedding. Natural and organic ingredients are also vital for a virtuous cradle to cradle product life-cycle, so production is a regenerative and not a destructive force (God’s Model was a major catalyst in enrolling more than a billion Christians worldwide in committing to this reality).

Landfills remain a vestige of the past century’s unsustainable industrial complex, and we are still working to cleanup waste disposal sites to prevent toxins from further poisoning ground water and wildlife ecosystems.  Many day-to-day supplies are simply manufactured on demand in home printing stations with materials that decompose and fertilize urban food structures.  And, Amazon’s VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) robotic delivery vehicles ensure the guaranteed delivery of other goods in under three hours anywhere within the continental United States.

The transformation to a clean energy economy did more than save consumers trillions of dollars, and have wellness and environmental benefits resulting from clean air and water. The primary funding source of Islamic terrorist extremists was cutoff, which paves the way for a new Marshall Plan for the broken Islamic World that had been ravaged by war and instability.  The “Safe and Free Zones,” with Vulture Defense biometric security systems, succeeded in providing a clear choice throughout the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan between economic prosperity, security and freedom, and subsisting under the tyrannical rule of terrorists, which nearly eliminates Islamic extremism.

Peace on earth prevails, as economic opportunity extends to everyone, and abundant fresh water (primarily from desalinization, which also conveniently counters the threat of rising oceans) and free energy (sourced from a mix of ambient air, sun, geo-thermal, wind and the ocean energies) curtails violent struggles over resources. The huge militaries of China and the United States are dismantled and replaced by small and agile IPU’s (Intelligence Policing Units) that protect humanity from the remaining fringe fanatics.

Freedom also reigns supreme. Oppressive regimes can’t survive in a transparent world, where censorship and propaganda is undermined by instantaneous and free access to news and information through universal worldwide Internet provided by Google’s next-generation Global-Max service. The world community is also enlightened by the capability to freely travel throughout the world, and communicate seamlessly in any language.  In real time, mind reading technology listens to the little voice in your head that says what you want to say, and then generates the words in any language with a digital replication of your voice.

And, because airplanes are fueled by hydrogen generated from free energy, and security risks have been marginalized, the consumer cost to travel collapses to 0, while the airlines are more profitable than ever via advertising and other premium services.  Supersonic flight and sub-orbital flights mean it only takes less than 2 hours to get from San Francisco to Shanghai. And, when you arrive at the airport an autonomous Taxi vehicle takes you where you want for free (also supported by video advertising, a snack and mini bar, and other premium information services). Instantaneous teleporting and time travel have been demonstrated within research labs, and it’s looking promising that these technologies will be commercialized within the next 100 years.

Governments are a tiny fraction of the size they once were.  Blundering bureaucracies, and the ballooning government debt-bomb explosion enabled robust free-market solutions to education, healthcare, and transportation to thrive. The need for policing and emergency units and other public welfare expenses only requires a corporate flat tax of 2%.  The budget for operating the Internal Revenue Service has shrunk from $11 billion in 2009 ($10.5 trillion in today’s dollars) to $5 million today. The tax code, which in 2009 was more than 5.6 million words and 30,000 pages with single-spaced 12 pt font, is now simply half a page.

Transparency and probability management destroys the need for bloated bureaucracy and growth stifling regulation and is an inherently combatting force to corruption, dishonesty, and greed. Total transparency is achieved largely through mandated universal adoption of probability management and a networked, real-time, global Monte Carlo simulation engine, which illuminates the future in powerful ways, to inform optimal decision making in the present (accessed through WarpDrive’s Dashboard, a WarpShare company).  This technology also ensures stable economic growth, so another economic calamity like the busts of 1929, 1999, 2008 and 2016 doesn’t happen again.

The largest boon to the economic growth and prosperity the Earth enjoys today is a result of affordable and universal education offered through computing devices and BrainJump Innovation Centers. The thrust of education is to identify and develop a person’s unique gifts and passions, so life is productive and significant. Personalized learning paths within immersive 3 dimensional virtual spaces are based on students’ individual aptitudes and interests. Learning is also an active experience, rather than the archaic passive and regurgitative experience it once was. Education revolves around innovation, and is fun, collaborative, and individually-paced. And, because learning is connected to real-world problem solving, students no longer ask, “Why do I have to learn this?” Online education is also the great equalizer, as students anywhere in the world have the same access to world-class teaching resources.

Quality of life is dramatically improved by the literal greening of cities, where buildings are living, breathing organisms that complement natural habitats and ecosystems. Smart urban design also promotes health and wellness through social interaction, improved productivity, and supporting a positive state of mind. Most significantly, the use of personal transportation vehicles like Segways, and raised monorail systems, eliminates traffic in and around dense urban centers. In this world, crime is rare, because people are authentically happy. Research has proven that mental health directly impacts overall health and wellness more than any other factor, and advanced monitoring and sensor systems track health metrics, including mental health. Therapies are administered via meBOOST in real time, so people can achieve their full potential.

* bold connotes initiatives I’m developing

The Case for Optimism: Supporting Evidence for the Thesis

The Bush proposal for the partial privatization of social security is prescient of this prediction.

Aubrey de Grey TED talk

Essential reading on transforming how we design and make things – Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough & Michael Braungart –

God’s Model

Mercury levels in fish is rising as a result of increased greenhouse gasses.

Bisphenol A is one of many contaminants found in plastic food packaging.

The safety of chemicals is “the question of the hour for the early 21st Century.” – David Rosner, Professor of history and public health at Columbia University.

3D Object Printing from home

Urban Farms and plastic packaging alternatives -

The transition is already happening via Fair Trade (organic) certification, which is extending beyond food products to clothing. Building products are similarly rated and evaluated by LEED and others. Appliances are rated for energy efficiency.

Bloom Energy a Kleiner Perkins investment, is developing technology to produce energy from ambient air

Solar Cells are getting more and more efficient

Hydrogen Fuel and clean energy carrier

Safe Zones and the U.S. Iraq exit Strategy

Ryanair foreshadows this prediction, as it offers free tickets to 1/4 of its passengers

The DARPA Grand Challenge: http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/index.asp has already produced autonomous vehicles capable of navigating an urban setting. Several cars already currently have self-breaking and lane assist technologies and can even parallel park This means that vehicles will be able to safely travel on highways at speeds of more than 200 miles per hour, while passengers watch television and drink cold beer with their feet up.

Mind Reading Technology segment on 60 Minutes

Time Travel

2057 Science Channel

The World First Time Machine

Teleportation

Probability Management

Flaw of Averages

Floating city nation states will form, as people escape oppressive taxation and economic stagnation resulting from irresponsible, misinformed, and reckless fiscal and monetary policy. These nation states will provide a model for nations around the world, to effectively eliminate stifling taxation regimes through new revenue generating business models. The Seasteading Institute

SRI International and the Department of Education have studied the efficacy of online education, which has shown to be more effective than conventional education, and online education is still in its infancy. Online programs can scale with virtually additional per user cost.

The most significant last and final threat to humanity is the chance of huge meteor hit, but thanks to the Lifeboat Foundation and their colonies on Moon and Mars, humanity should persist for the foreseeable future.  LIfeboat Foundation

You can also get food containers etc. – check out the source here.

The amount of waste we generate is unbelievable – particularly packaging waste from food products – how long will it take to stop using petroleum-based plastic packaging?

Corn should be used for food – one might say?

Build urban farms!  Check out these plans by the Hantz Group to revitalize Detroit by building huge urban farms on abandoned and vacant property.

And this concept for NYC.

[previous sharkride post on urban farming from September, 2007 here.]

1. Nuts About Nuts (and seeds)
Nuts are now being hailed as nutritional powerhouses, which is why they are showing up in more new product launches. Snack bars, in fact, are increasingly going “naked” to showcase nut ingredients. You won’t find Quaker True Delights Chewy Granola Bars (U.S.A.) covered in chocolate as the PepsiCo product claims “you can actually see large chunks of macadamia nuts.” Seeds, too, are getting their due on the health front, including flax seeds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.

2. Don’t Energize, Relax
If economic woes caused by an overly caffeinated worldwide financial system are a metaphor for what may happen in food and beverage markets, then get ready for more relaxation offerings. New product offerings going the relaxation route include Drank Relaxed Energy Beverage (U.S.A.) dubbed the “world’s first extreme relaxation beverage” that induces a natural calming and soothing effect when consumed. Also new are Purple Stuff Pro-Relaxation & Calming Elixir (U.S.A.), Nescafe Body Partner Relax Coffee, which is decaffeinated coffee infused with chamomile (Philippines), and Lotte Relax Gum Apple Tea Mint (Japan). The last is a new functional chewing gum with theanine from green tea that delivers a relaxing effect.

3. Hold the Water
Stratospheric oil prices during 2008 caused companies to reexamine how they do business. One realization firms made is that transporting water is expensive and it is cheaper to have consumers add their own water when possible. That’s the idea behind Arm & Hammer Essentials (U.S.A.), a new line of cleaning products including Glass Cleaner and Multi-Surface Cleaner that is comprised of empty 32-fl.-oz. trigger sprayer bottles sold with attached 1.2-oz. (35ml) bottles of liquid concentrate to be mixed with water. Kilrock Aquo Refillable Trigger Cleaning Spray is a UK product that follows the same principle. Look for this trend to really blossom in 2009 as the cost-cutting intensifies.

4. Beauty, You Can Eat or Drink
Move over cosmetics. The new way to look beautiful is with an emerging generation of specially formulated foods and drinks. Though the trend is very much in its infancy, it has attracted some attention from heavy-hitters in the food industry like Nestle and Masterfoods. Nestle’s new Glowelle Beauty Drink Supplement Powder (U.S.A.) fights signs of aging from the inside out with skin-beautifying antioxidants. Masterfoods’ Dove Beautiful Milk Chocolate has skin-nourishing ingredients like vitamins C and E along with biotin, zinc and cocoa flavanols.

5. Steam It Up
What says both “fresh” and “tasty” to today’s consumer? Steam and steam cooking. Steam literally has a head of steam in the frozen food market as a growing number of food makers introduce products showcasing the cooking power of steam. Buoyed by a new generation of microwave cook-in-bags that vent excess steam during the cooking process, the trend is picking up momentum with launches like Dole Easy Steamer Potatoes (U.S.A.), Birds Eye Steamfresh Specially Seasoned Rice (U.S.A.) and Bonduelle Vapeur Vegetables (France).

6. Detox Me
Worldwide financial markets are trying to detoxify themselves from bad loans. Consumers are doing some detoxification of their own thanks to new products hitting the market that promise to “detoxify” in one way or another. Some food-based detox products use liver-friendly ingredients like dandelion root as active ingredients, but regardless of the science behind the trend, consumers are paying attention to celebrities making a name for detox diets including Beyonce and Oprah Winfrey. Recent “detox” launches include Function Urban Detox Goji Berry Drink (U.S.A.), V Water Detox Vitamin Water (UK) and Biore Detoxify Daily Scrub (U.S.A.).

7. Get Ready For Stevia
It’s been called the “holy grail” of sweeteners. Stevia is a natural sweetener that comes from the South American stevia plant and has the potential to turn the sweetener world upside down. This zero-calorie sweetener has been used for years in South America and Japan, but has been banned in processed foods and beverages in the United States and much of Europe. That could change in 2009 as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is preparing to decide if stevia variant Rebaudioside A may be safely used in processed products. If approval is granted, the new product floodgates could open quickly as both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are both ready to roll with new stevia-sweetened drinks.

8. It’s An “Eco” Friendly World
Worldwide economies may be dipping, but that does not seem to have dampened the desire for companies and products to be perceived to be environmentally friendly. Mentions of the word “eco” for new food and non-food packaged goods from around the world have nearly doubled in the last two years, according to Datamonitor’s Product Launch Analytics. Nature Babycare Eco Sensitive Fragrance Free Awarded Wipes (Finland), Plush Eco Fabric Softener (Brazil) and Nvey Eco Organic Erase Corrective Makeup (Australia) are some products that are definitely “on trend.”

9. Flower Power
Floral flavors like lavender, hibiscus and jasmine have long enjoyed success in non-foods, but are newer to foods and drinks markets. Examples include OOBA Sparkling Refreshing Hibiscus Beverage (U.S.A.), which is said to have a high level of antioxidants, Simply Hibi Health Drink (UK) and Lavender-Jalapeno flavored Theo Caramel Collection Chocolates (U.S.A.). Subtle, non-fattening and aromatic, floral flavors look to surprise in 2009.

10. Brain Power
In today’s world, mental fitness may well be more important than physical fitness. Packaged goods makers seem to have come to the same conclusion, as a growing number of brain health products are hitting the market. Touting “good for your brain” ingredients like DHA omega-3s are recent entries like Kellogg’s LiveBright Brain Health Bar (U.S.A.), IQ Plus Brain Drink (Austria and Germany) and Unilever’s Rama Idea! Margarine (Europe). Mentions of the word “brain” in new food and beverage products worldwide have nearly tripled in the 2007-2008 period versus the 2005-2006 period, according to Datamonitor’s Product Launch Analytics.

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Thanks, Andrew.

A prototype software app is able to check an automobile’s vital stats, open and close windows, retain user configurations for seating options and even start the ignition. Video demo link here.

Also, Apple has filed a patent for ordering and paying for products on the iPhone. Imagine not having to wait in line at Starbucks! [source article here.]