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"Futurity" redirects here. for the ship, see MV Futurity.
"Near future" redirects here. for the song, see The Near Future.
For other uses, see future ( Disambiguation ).
The Ghost Of Christmas Yet To Come shows Scrooge his future in Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
The future is the indefinite time period after the present. Whether it's less than a millisecond away or a billion years, its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the nature of the reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently exists and will exist is temporary and will come to an end. The future and the concept eternity have been major subjects of philosophy, religion, and science and defining them non-controversially has consistently eluded the greatest of minds.[1] It is the opposite of the past, and is the time after the present.[2] In the Occidental view, which uses a linear conception of time, the future is the portion of the projected time line that is anticipated to occur.[3] In special relativity the future is considered to be absolute future or the future light cone.[4] In physics, time is considered to be the fourth dimension of the universe.[5]
In the philosophy of time, presentism is the belief that only the present exists and the future and the past are unreal. Religions consider the future when they address issues such as karma, life after death, and eschatologies that study what the end of time and the end of the world will be. Religious figures have claimed to see into the future, such as prophets and diviners. Organized efforts to predict or forecast the future may have derived from observations by early man of heavenly objects.
Future studies, or futurology, is the science, art and practice of postulating possible futures. Modern practitioners stress the importance of alternative and plural futures, rather than one monolithic future, and the limitations of prediction and probability, versus the creation of possible and preferable futures.
In art and culture, the future was explored in several art movements and genres. The futurism art movement at the beginning of the 20th century explored every medium of art, including painting, sculpture, poetry, theatre, music, architecture and even gastronomy. Futurists had passionate loathing of ideas from the past, especially political and artistic traditions. Instead, they espoused a love of speed, technology, and violence.[6][7] Futuristic music involved homage to, inclusion of, or imitation of machines. Futurism expanded to encompass other artistic domains and ultimately included industrial design, textiles, and architecture.
01. HouseInside the House of the Future
Green technology, wireless connectivity, and less ostentation are just some of the newest home-building trends
When the home building industry
descends on Las Vegas on Jan. 20 for its annual trade show, a highlight as always will be a project called the New American Home. This model house—a new one gets built each year—serves as a showcase for the industry's latest technology and trends. The massive four-bedroom, five-bath structure popping up in suburban Las Vegas this year may seem a little out of touch with the times as the nation suffers through the worst housing slump in decades. But out in the real world, architects and builders are busy trying to figure out how to put some of the same design features into new homes. Such trends are worth noting: Having amenities that appeal to buyers a decade or more after your house is built will help it hold its value. We list below some of the most important new design features you'll see in homes.
Indoor/Outdoor Living Just since 1992 the number of U.S. homes built with patios or porches has doubled. The New American Home in Las Vegas has a giant backyard that features a covered area with a flatscreen TV and pool table as well as a detached "rejuvenation room" for relaxing. New homes in warmer climates are being built with courtyards that provide a connection to the outdoors but also give shelter from wind and privacy from neighbors. This is critical as builders try to cram larger houses onto smaller lots to keep land costs down. And there's a history to them, notes Newport Beach (Calif.) architect David Kosco: "The courtyard goes back to Roman times."
The Return of the Basement With lot sizes limited, builders are looking for space underground. Once a typical feature of homes in the Northeast, basements are rising in popularity nationally as a way to create extra space. New technologies in insulation and waterproofing are allowing builders to add basements in any climate. They can serve as game rooms for kids, home theaters, or just the "man-cave" for Dad. Builders are even creating underground garages for homes and townhouses to free up space for living areas above, notes Irvine (Calif.) architect Rick Emsiek.
The Death of the Living Room The kitchen, living, and dining areas are continuing to merge into a great room or family room. In a 2007 study conducted by the National Association of Home Builders, half of those surveyed said they would do without a formal living room if it meant a larger family gathering space. In some cases this is a refection of the connection to the outdoors as well, as home buyers want fewer walls and unobstructed views out into the backyard, says Craig Delahooke, director of custom development for John Laing Luxury Homes.
The Home Office No longer just a spare bedroom, the home office is evolving into an entirely separate structure such as a casita in the backyard or even a separate wing near the garage. Having a separate entrance for the home office allows today's increasingly mobile workforce to receive work-related visitors or hire an assistant at home without having these people traipse through the main house.
Wireless, but not Cordless With wireless laptops allowing people to carry their computer to any room, that little computer nook that was popping up at the top of the stairs in many new homes is starting to disappear. Instead you're likely to see a charging station or "Mom's Desk," a little space, typically in the kitchen, where cell phones, laptops, and other devices can be charged.
The Soft Loft The industrial look with concrete floors and exposed brick is over. Thousands of these pseudo SoHos popped up even in cities such as Dallas and Houston that lacked an industrial past. Downtown lofts have seen some of the steepest price declines in this bust. "Architects love to show these wide-open floor plans, but the reality is people want some privacy," says Los Angeles architect Jonathan Watts. He says new condos are returning to more traditional floor plans. Lofts are adding hardwood floors, sliding doors, even wall-to-wall carpeting to warm them up.
Say Bye to Bling As befits this economy, homes are getting less ostentatious. That means less ornate wood, stone, and iron work. No more grand entrances with curved-marbled staircases. The stairs are shifting to the side of the home and back to their utilitarian purpose. Even fireplaces are flickering. Only 46% of all new homes came with one in 2007, according to the U.S. Census. That's down from 59% in 1996.
The Green Badge of Honor It almost goes without saying, but green continues to be in, despite the latest slide in gas prices. Even the giant New American Home promises to use "net-zero energy" thanks to devices such as solar panels and designs that let in natural light. Home buyers used to love wowing their friends with the size of their McMansions. Now, says Sean Degen, vice-president for architectural services at home building giant Pulte Homes, "you're going to see more people having a green badge of an honor."
Aging in Place Builders say it's rarely something they overtly try to sell, but consumers are responding to features such as wider doors that can accommodate a wheelchair or walker, master bedrooms on the first floor, and tasteful looking handrails in the shower—amenities that will help baby boomers stay in their homes as they grow old.
02. vehicle
1] Train
The Future of Trains
IMAGINE A MACHINE OF THE FUTURE that moves goods by the ton--by tens of thousands of tons--along specialized transportation corridors. Guided by computers, tracked by GPS and driven by powerful new engines, this revolutionary, high-tech vehicle slashes America's energy consumption and leaves the air cleaner than any mechanized transport before it. At a time when highways are clogged and fuel reserves are strained, it represents a miracle technology that arrives not a moment too soon. It's been under development for more than 200 years, yet it is the transportation of the future. Meet the freight train, reborn.
Railroading helped define development in the United States, but by the 1970s it seemed doomed to gradual decay and obsolescence. Today, it is a growth industry. "Railroads have led in innovation to a degree that people don't realize," says Gary Wolf, owner of Rail Sciences, a leading accident investigation firm. Railroads have helped pioneer computerized freight management, and have pushed the envelope on power, efficiency and mechanical ingenuity to move their cargo ever faster and more cheaply. Roughly 42 percent of all U.S. freight moves by train, some 5 billion ton-miles per day on 140,000 miles of track. Volume records have been set each of the past three years--partly because it takes about a third as much fuel to move a ton of freight by rail as by truck. The innovations being introduced in the next few years will overshadow those of the past, with some of the biggest changes coming in energy efficiency. That's an arena where railroads already trounce the competition--and where the nation is in serious need of problem-solving.
2] Cars
Future Car Technology is now wide open. For instance, with peak oil looming and future shortages of fossil fuels imminent there has been much emphasis lately on cars that run on alternative fuels.Future car technology will most likely involve a whole host of choices in regard to the fuel of choice.
Right now many automakers are gearing up for offering vehicles that are able to run on ethanol or other bio fuels (such as biodiesel), which is the path of least resistance for the near future.But, what about longer term? In the longer term, future car technology will most likely involve cars that run on hydrogen, electricity, air, nitrogen or even nuclear power. Some may see the nuclear-powered car as the most far-fetched of all of the ideas, but this is a mistake.
In fact, in 1958 the first nuclear automobile was pioneered and called the Ford Nucleon. The Ford Nucleon was a concept vehicle that was supposed to be powered by a small nuclear reactor at the rear of the vehicle fueled by radioactive material. No working prototypes were ever built, however.So, this is not the say that nuclear-powered cars will never be part of the future. Car technology will most likely advance to the state will this will one day be a likely fuel of choice.
But, what is here now? Hydrogen, electricity, air and nitrogen cars all have had working prototypes built. In fact, in regard to electric vehicles, production models have also been built. But, the range of electric cars and their recharging rate have always been their downfall.
So, this is where hydrogen cars step in. Hydrogen cars at this writing can run from either internal combustion engines or fuel cells. Some of the current models of hydrogen cars like the GM Sequel have a proven driving range of over 300 miles in real world conditions. The BMW Hydrogen 7 has rolled out as a lease vehicle and is a dual fuel vehicle that can run off either liquid hydrogen or gasoline.
The Honda FCX was the first hydrogen car to be offered as a lease in 2004 and now the second lessee, actress Q'orianka Kilcher who played Pocahontas in the movie "The New World".
Electric cars also offer an option in regard to future car technology if the aforementioned issues may be resolved. Companies like Tesla, Zap and Phoenix Motorcars are making headway in developing these vehicles for the marketplace.
And, then there is the MDI air cars which may be going over big in Europe and India once the compressed air infrastructure is in place. The MDI air cars also have an onboard compressor that plugs into any outlet so this will help with vehicle acceptance.
So, far their has only been one nitrogen car prototype of note and this is the CooLN2Car developed by the University of North Texas. The car has stalled in development, however, due to lack of research funds.
Two other parts of advanced car technology to note are the future flying cars that will be taking flight over the next two or three years and smart cars that will also be seeing the
highways and byways sometime in the future as well.
03. Science
1] Robot
A robot is a mechanical intelligent agent which can perform tasks on its own, or with guidance. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine which is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous or semi-autonomous and come in those two basic types: those which are used for research into human-like systems, such asASIMO and TOPIO, as well as those into more defined and specific roles, such as Nano robots and Swarm robots; and helper robots which are used to make or move things or perform menial or dangerous tasks, such asIndustrial robots or mobile or servicing robots. Another common characteristic is that, by its appearance or movements, a robot often conveys a sense that it has intent or agency of its own.
When societies began developing nearly all production and effort was the result of human labour. As mechanical means of performing functions were discovered, and mechanics and complex mechanisms were developed, the need for human labour was reduced. Machinery was initially used for repetitive functions, such as lifting water and grinding grain. With technological advances more complex machines were slowly developed, such as those invented by Hero of Alexandria in the 4th century BC, and the first half of the second millennium AD, such as the Automata of Al Jazari in the 12th century AD. They were not widely adopted as human labour, particularly slave labour, was still inexpensive compared to the capital-intensive machines.
Men such as Leonardo Da Vinci in 1495 through to Jacques de Vaucanson in 1739, as well as rediscovering the Greek engineering methods, have made plans for and built automata and robots leading to books of designs such as the Japanese Karakuri zui (Illustrated Machinery) in 1796. As mechanical techniques developed through the Industrial age we find more practical applications such as Nikola Tesla in 1898, who designed a radio-controlled torpedo, and the Westinghouse Electric Corporation creation of Televox in 1926. From here we also find a more androiddevelopment as designers tried to mimic more human-like features including designs such as those of biologist Makoto Nishimura in 1929 and his creation Gakutensoku, which cried and changed its facial expressions, and the more crude Elektro from Westinghouse in 1938.
Electronics then became the driving force of development instead of mechanics, with the advent of the first electronic autonomous robots created by William Grey Walter in Bristol, England, in 1948. The first digital and programmable robot was invented by George Devol in 1954 and was ultimately called the Unimate. Devol sold the first Unimate to General Motors in 1961 where it was used to lift pieces of hot metal from die casting machines in a plant in Trenton, New Jersey. Since then we have seen robots finally reach a more true assimilation of all technologies to produce robots such as ASIMO which can walk and move like a human. Robots have replaced slaves in the assistance of performing those repetitive and dangerous tasks which humans prefer not to do, or are unable to do due to size limitations, or even those such as in outer space or at the bottom of the sea where humans could not survive the extreme environments.
Man has developed an awareness of the problems associated with autonomous robots and how they may act in society. Fear of robot behaviour, such as Shelley's Frankenstein and the EATR, drive current practice in establishing what autonomy a robot should and should not be capable of. Thinking has developed through discussion of robot control and artificial intelligence (AI) and how its application should benefit society, such as those based around Asimov's three laws. Practicality still drives development forwards and robots are used in an increasingly wide variety of tasks such as vacuuming floors, mowing lawns, cleaning drains, investigating other planets, building cars, in entertainment and in warfare
2] Nasa
