Life Which of these things will happen in the next fifty years? - Page 5

**Rain Man** · 11-25-2014, 09:45 PM

Poll forthcoming, but it'll take a few minutes. I would suggest that you use this time productively by learning the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody, or perhaps learning some key Chinese tourist phrases

Discuss Thrower · 11-26-2014, 05:55 PM

AI will take over a lot more than just media interviews.

Brick and Mortar shops will not be the primary means of commercial shopping (if such a thing is still feasible in the future)

8.3 quake rocks the USA

Meat will be banned in a 10+ million person country

3D Printing becomes commonplace

Humans will set foot on Mars but they probably won't come back seeing as they'll be colonists or what have you.

Major epidemic will kill 25% of a 10+million person country

The US will no longer be a superpower.

And BTW, we already have flying cars. It just was a few years late for Avery Brooks' taste.

Discuss Thrower · 11-26-2014, 06:03 PM

Also, time travel is already possible assuming you can reach speeds approaching light.

**Rain Man** · 11-26-2014, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

AI will take over a lot more than just media interviews.

Brick and Mortar shops will not be the primary means of commercial shopping (if such a thing is still feasible in the future)

8.3 quake rocks the USA

Meat will be banned in a 10+ million person country

3D Printing becomes commonplace

Humans will set foot on Mars but they probably won't come back seeing as they'll be colonists or what have you.

Major epidemic will kill 25% of a 10+million person country

The US will no longer be a superpower.

And BTW, we already have flying cars. It just was a few years late for Avery Brooks' taste.

I didn't do any research to develop the list, so I just threw 8.3 in on the earthquake since I figured that would be "really big".

The USGS has this list of the largest earthquakes in America, and it's pretty interesting: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquak...largest_us.php

Alaska rattle around a lot, but it looks like the official scoreboard shows only one earthquake in the continental US at or above 8.3 in recorded history, and it was in 1700. I thought the New Madrid quake was the biggest, but they're only showing those quakes at 7.5 to 7.9.

**AustinChief** · 11-26-2014, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Mile-high skyscraper.

I agreed with cdcox on this, and voted no, though for a somewhat different reason.

Simply put, I don't think a building that large is necessary in any sense. The current tallest buildings are being built solely as a tourism attraction; it's not that there's a need to build that high. I think the cost would be very high and there are better ways to invest in a tourism infrastructure.

I think humans COULD build a building that tall, but I don't think anyone will want to, and I don't think businesses would want to be in the building. Frankly, it would be inconvenient if you were on an upper floor, not to mention a host of safety and security concerns.

You know that there is a 1km skyscraper being built currently... it was initially planned to be 1 mile tall but they had to scale it back due to geological issues (I think). I would be amazed if no one at least starts construction on a mile high skyscraper in the next 50 years.

http://www.kingdomtowerskyscraper.com/

http://www.businessweek.com/articles...de-the-u-dot-s

**Rain Man** · 11-26-2014, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AustinChief

You know that there is a 1km skyscraper being built currently... it was initially planned to be 1 mile tall but they had to scale it back due to geological issues (I think). I would be amazed if no one at least starts construction on a mile high skyscraper in the next 50 years.

http://www.kingdomtowerskyscraper.com/

Interesting. I wonder what the geological issues were, and if that's going to be a problem anywhere. It seems like at some level unpredictable things start happening.

It's cool that they were originally planning for a mile, though. That's insane. It seems like you're messing with air traffic patterns at that level. I don't think I'd be comfortable with an office or a home that high, personally.

ThaVirus · 11-26-2014, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Mile-high skyscraper.

I agreed with cdcox on this, and voted no, though for a somewhat different reason.

Simply put, I don't think a building that large is necessary in any sense. The current tallest buildings are being built solely as a tourism attraction; it's not that there's a need to build that high. I think the cost would be very high and there are better ways to invest in a tourism infrastructure.

I think humans COULD build a building that tall, but I don't think anyone will want to, and I don't think businesses would want to be in the building. Frankly, it would be inconvenient if you were on an upper floor, not to mention a host of safety and security concerns.

Seems, with our finite amount of land on this planet, building up is the most logical thing to do.

**Rain Man** · 11-26-2014, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

Seems, with our finite amount of land on this planet, building up is the most logical thing to do.

I dunno. In some places I suspect it makes sense, like islands and mountain valleys and ports where the land supply is truly finite. But there's still a whole lot of land in the world that's undeveloped. I don't really suspect there's a big need for tall buildings in most of the world, and particularly for 100+ story buildings.

listopencil · 11-26-2014, 07:50 PM

Evidence of a pre-Ice Age civilization is discovered

Can you give a timeline for this option?

**Rain Man** · 11-26-2014, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by listopencil

Evidence of a pre-Ice Age civilization is discovered

Can you give a timeline for this option?

It depends on whether the time travel thing happens, but ... in the next fifty years, will some discover evidence of a civilization that existed before the last ice age. What was that, something like 12,000 years ago?

I guess technically it should be "before the end of the last ice".

listopencil · 11-26-2014, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rain Man

It depends on whether the time travel thing happens, but ... in the next fifty years, will some discover evidence of a civilization that existed before the last ice age. What was that, something like 12,000 years ago?

I guess technically it should be "before the end of the last ice".

I think there were "civilizations" before 12k years ago depending on how you want to define the word.

**Rain Man** · 11-26-2014, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by listopencil

I think there were "civilizations" before 12k years ago depending on how you want to define the word.

Man, nobody ever tells me anything. I didn't know it even came close. I was thinking the oldest was maybe 6,000 BC or thereabouts.

Let's adjust and go with something like "pre-Lascaux cave paintings".

ThaVirus · 11-26-2014, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I dunno. In some places I suspect it makes sense, like islands and mountain valleys and ports where the land supply is truly finite. But there's still a whole lot of land in the world that's undeveloped. I don't really suspect there's a big need for tall buildings in most of the world, and particularly for 100+ story buildings.

I'm a conservationalist so this conversation probably won't go very far.

**Rain Man** · 11-26-2014, 08:22 PM

#4 - A third party holds the U.S. presidency.

I voted yes on this.

It may just be a temporary hiccup, but Americans seem to be very tired of Democrats and Republicans, who do not really represent the mainstream population any more. We haven't had a new party formed since the Republicans, but the Bull Moose party made a good run, and at various times we've created Democrats and Whigs from the original Federalists. So it's not unprecedented.

The biggest challenge is that the two parties have built in financial perqs for themselves that make it very difficult to create a third party these days. But I think Americans are close to the point where a populist movement could take hold and climb up enough to get into the matching funds game. At least I hope so.

I think we have a third party president sometime in the next fifty years.

**Rain Man** · 11-26-2014, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

I'm a conservationalist so this conversation probably won't go very far.

You see streams and forests. Real estate moguls see opportunity.

ThaVirus · 11-26-2014, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rain Man

You see streams and forests. Real estate moguls see opportunity.

I know! I'm not one to oppose progress but progress at any cost bothers me. All of this unnecessary expansion, urban sprawl, and pollution is taxing Mother Nature. We're lending a hand in the extinction of something like tens of thousands of species a day.

View Poll Results: Which of these will happen within 50 years? Check all that apply.
A human celebrates his or her 130th birthday	37	29.13%
A mile-high skyscraper is built somewhere in the world	14	11.02%
A single war produces more than 20 million deaths	36	28.35%
A third party holds the US Presidency	36	28.35%
A U.S. president is assassinated	52	40.94%
Anti-gravity is brought into everyday use	10	7.87%
Artificial intelligence routinely conducts media interviews	23	18.11%
At least one dinosaur will be alive	10	7.87%
At least one human will have their brain transplanted into a cloned version of their own body.	17	13.39%
Brick and mortar stores will cease to be the major means of purchases in the U.S.	53	41.73%
Chiefs win a Super Bowl	79	62.20%
Cure for cancer (Late-stage survival rates > 97%)	29	22.83%
Earthquake of Magnitude 8.3 or greater strikes somewhere in the continental U.S.	73	57.48%
Evidence of a pre-Ice Age civilization is discovered	12	9.45%
Faster than light travel is achieved (human transport)	8	6.30%
Flying cars	23	18.11%
Food shortages lead to permanent ban on consumption of meat in at least one country (population > 10 million)	23	18.11%
Households manufacture all necessary goods themselves, purchasing only raw materials and plans for 3D printing	14	11.02%
Human sets foot on Mars	66	51.97%
Humans can communicate directly with at least two species of animals.	14	11.02%
Implantable computer/phone/internet devices are in 80+% of Americans	33	25.98%
Large scale nuclear bomb dropped or launched in a hostile act	40	31.50%
Major epidemic kills 10% or more of the US population	18	14.17%
Major epidemic kills 25% or more of a nation’s population (nation > 10 million people)	23	18.11%
Major meteor strike or other interplanetary event kills 1 million or more people	5	3.94%
One-world government is established	14	11.02%
Prenatal selection of certain traits will be possible for the middle class (e.g., height, nose shape, eye color)	46	36.22%
Peaceful resolution to the Israel-Arab conflicts is achieved	1	0.79%
Permanent cessation of Islamic extremism and terrorism	2	1.57%
Permanent human presence on Mars	5	3.94%
Permanent human presence on the moon	18	14.17%
Poverty is eliminated in the U.S., based on minimum standards of living that are achieved	5	3.94%
Proof of extraterrestrial life is confirmed	35	27.56%
Race is no longer an issue of conflict, contention, or policy in the U.S.	5	3.94%
Robot labor means that humans do not have to work to obtain basic needs (food, clothing, shelter)	13	10.24%
Robot labor provides household servants for the middle class (maid, butler, etc.)	26	20.47%
Small-scale radiation dirty bomb set off in hostile act	60	47.24%
Space tourism becomes a feasible option for the American middle class	33	25.98%
The US Senate OR House becomes majority female	8	6.30%
The world ends as described in the holy book of your choice	6	4.72%
Time travel to the future (more than one day)	1	0.79%
Time travel to the past (more than one day)	2	1.57%
U.S. adds at least one new state from territory that is not part of a current state	32	25.20%
U.S. is no longer the world’s most powerful nation	70	55.12%
U.S. no longer needs petroleum products as energy source	25	19.69%
U.S. splits into two or more countries	10	7.87%
None of these things will occur within 50 years.	1	0.79%
Poll fail. We will invent time travel, so the future will cease to exist.	5	3.94%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 127. You may not vote on this poll

11-25-2014, 09:45 PM
Rain Man Seize life. Be an ermine. Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $-682449 VARSITY	Which of these things will happen in the next fifty years? Poll forthcoming, but it'll take a few minutes. I would suggest that you use this time productively by learning the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody, or perhaps learning some key Chinese tourist phrases
Posts: 145,512

11-26-2014, 05:55 PM	#61
Discuss Thrower "You like to drink?" Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: "I like to drink." Casino cash: $-380000	AI will take over a lot more than just media interviews. Brick and Mortar shops will not be the primary means of commercial shopping (if such a thing is still feasible in the future) 8.3 quake rocks the USA Meat will be banned in a 10+ million person country 3D Printing becomes commonplace Humans will set foot on Mars but they probably won't come back seeing as they'll be colonists or what have you. Major epidemic will kill 25% of a 10+million person country The US will no longer be a superpower. And BTW, we already have flying cars. It just was a few years late for Avery Brooks' taste. __________________ Chiefs 2016 Opponents: Home: JAX, TEN, NO, TB, NYJ. Away: HOU, IND, ATL, CAR, PIT Chiefs 2017 Opponents: Home: BUF, MIA, PHI, WSH, AFC North. Away: NE, NYJ, NYG, DAL, AFC South
Posts: 45,264

11-26-2014, 06:03 PM	#62
Discuss Thrower "You like to drink?" Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: "I like to drink." Casino cash: $-380000	Also, time travel is already possible assuming you can reach speeds approaching light. __________________ Chiefs 2016 Opponents: Home: JAX, TEN, NO, TB, NYJ. Away: HOU, IND, ATL, CAR, PIT Chiefs 2017 Opponents: Home: BUF, MIA, PHI, WSH, AFC North. Away: NE, NYJ, NYG, DAL, AFC South
Posts: 45,264

11-26-2014, 07:50 PM	#68
listopencil Immanentize The Eschaton Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: In Partibus Infidelium Casino cash: $-1064120	Evidence of a pre-Ice Age civilization is discovered Can you give a timeline for this option? __________________ *While you live, shine. Have no grief at all. Life exists only for a short while and time demands its toll.*
Posts: 56,882

11-26-2014, 08:22 PM	#73
Rain Man Seize life. Be an ermine. Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $-682449 VARSITY	#4 - A third party holds the U.S. presidency. I voted yes on this. It may just be a temporary hiccup, but Americans seem to be very tired of Democrats and Republicans, who do not really represent the mainstream population any more. We haven't had a new party formed since the Republicans, but the Bull Moose party made a good run, and at various times we've created Democrats and Whigs from the original Federalists. So it's not unprecedented. The biggest challenge is that the two parties have built in financial perqs for themselves that make it very difficult to create a third party these days. But I think Americans are close to the point where a populist movement could take hold and climb up enough to get into the matching funds game. At least I hope so. I think we have a third party president sometime in the next fifty years. __________________ Active fan of the greatest team in NFL history.
Posts: 145,512