Technology is usually thought of as pretty amazing, but we tend to take it for granted. 
40 years ago I was still hand writing letters to people and mailing them with postage stamps.  You can still do that of course, but few people still do. I recently did just that and wrote to an old friend I haven't seen since I was 17.. I haven't gotten an answer yet and probably never will, but I used new (old ) technology to find his address online.

Anyway ,is there an everyday object, something that doesn't exist now and seems impossible to make that you think will become mass produced and sold to nearly every man, woman and child in another 20-30 years the way something such as the humble cell phone is today? 
When I was a kid I could imagine these kinds of things, but as I've aged I don't seem to have the same abilities..   I imagined flat screen TVs long before they were ever sold. I didn't imagine streaming video services where you could have millions of movies right at your fingertips..
Back when cassette tape was all the rage I figured full albums would be sold on something similar to a credit card. I didn't imagine mp3s and having the ability to have days and days worth of music contained inside a cell phone along with all the other stuff they can do .
What can you imagine existing and becoming an everyday necessity that right now doesn't even exist? 

Here’s one that I know will come from somewhere but can’t wrap my mind around how? Wireless battery chargers.

Reverse microwaves-if some object needs almost instant cooling ( soft drinks,beer, food, etc), place it in the RM and hit the buttons.

Soon (not in 20 years) there will be no difference between a computer and a TV or an entertainment center.

Other things that may take a bit longer.

-Cars that have a night vision display screen instead of a windshield to drive at night.

-Robot sex dolls.

-Video game contests that are as big as the current professional sports.

-Replacement organs and other body parts "grown" in labs from human tissue.

Watch the latest sci-fy, that stuff always comes true given time.

(02-14-2018, 07:59 AM)HarleyDog Wrote: Here’s one that I know will come from somewhere but can’t wrap my mind around how? Wireless battery chargers.

You place the back of the phone onto a chargeable surface. The contact the phone makes with the chargeable surface conducts electricity. 

In my mind its not really "wireless" because you still need to place the phone on a charger that is still plugged into a wall. 

(02-14-2018, 12:44 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Soon (not in 20 years) there will be no difference between a computer and a TV or an entertainment center.

Other things that may take a bit longer.

-Cars that have a night vision display screen instead of a windshield to drive at night.

-Robot sex dolls.

-Video game contests that are as big as the current professional sports.

-Replacement organs and other body parts "grown" in labs from human tissue.

These are all good ones. I think VR in general and especially the sex segment is going to EXPLODE here within the next few years. 

Video game contests are already at the level of having more spectators than pro sports, its HUGE in Asia. Upwards of 100k people go to watch people play video games. I dont quit understand that one... 


I think that in the next 20 years retail stores will be all but non existent. I think you will have the ability to purchase pretty much anything online and have it delivered within the hour (including groceries and food). Hell, its almost to that point right now. 

I also think that fold-able tech will explode. Instead of having a phone or an ipad that is a set width and height, manufacturers will develop screens and tech that can fold, kind of like a map. 

I also think (and hope) that gasoline for cars becomes nonexistent here in the next 20 years. Hopefully Tesla is developing a model that major manufacturers can get behind and copy for building electric cars. 

I also think that solar energy is going to explode here in the next 10-15 years. Once people find out a way to get the cost down more and more engineers will use it as a sustainable use of energy. 

(02-14-2018, 12:54 PM)Go Cards Wrote: Watch the latest sci-fy, that stuff always comes true given time.

Do you watch black mirror? Some really interesting/scary concepts in that show... 

(02-14-2018, 01:20 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: Video game contests are already at the level of having more spectators than pro sports, its HUGE in Asia. Upwards of 100k people go to watch people play video games. I dont quit understand that one... 

Only thing I can really say about that is 100k people go to watch sporting events now.

Gaming is a "sporting" event where you don't need to be physically Superior to Excel in it...  anyone can excel in the world of video games with enough practice. even to the pro leagues...

Which is probly why its exploding onto the scene.  and is popular to watch.     Heck even if your 50s you can get into gaming and excel past these kids playing if you tried.  you cant do that with hardly any other "sporting" event

Smart cars, as in having smart cameras all around it, and processing power unlike anything today, giving the ai ability to be better than humans at driving. That ai will also come over from the military in a program they call Skynet or something, and the world will be a much safer place to drive in.

Just give me self driving cars and I'll be happy.

(02-14-2018, 02:15 PM)CKwi88 Wrote: Just give me self driving cars and I'll be happy.

those exist they just aren't very good yet.

(02-14-2018, 02:30 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: those exist they just aren't very good yet.

They will be in 20 years...

Self replicating vibrators.

Electric cars will out number gasoline cars by the same margin as gasoline cars outnumber electric cars today.

(02-14-2018, 01:29 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: Only thing I can really say about that is 100k people go to watch sporting events now.

Gaming is a "sporting" event where you don't need to be physically Superior to Excel in it...  anyone can excel in the world of video games with enough practice. even to the pro leagues...

Which is probly why its exploding onto the scene.  and is popular to watch.     Heck even if your 50s you can get into gaming and excel past these kids playing if you tried.  you cant do that with hardly any other "sporting" event

Its true, but I just dont see the joy or what one could get out of in watching someone play a video game. 

I guess you could say the same thing about physical sports, idk. 

Bengals Lombardi Trophey

(02-14-2018, 07:33 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Bengals Lombardi Trophey

You better get in on the ground floor before it's too late. Somehow I just don't see that as being a big seller.. I just don't envision this one as becoming the next big thing that sells on every continent mass produced in 3rd world sweat shops..

Still, all good ideas, well, some anyway..The thing about trying to predict this stuff it's really difficult to predict what will or won't really take off. For every success there's usually many times more failures. Just think of all of the personal gadgets introduced in the past 30 or so years that seemed like at the time would be everywhere, but now so many are either in museums of failed products or sitting in your own closet collecting dust.. Several hundred dollars down the tubes..
My dad back in the early 60's or thereabouts had the opportunity to become only the 2nd manufacturer of printed circuit boards in the United States. He would have had all of the equipment and had a friend who is now a multi millionaire many times over.
The only reason he passed was he had a steady job and 5 hungry kids to feed. He almost pulled the trigger, but he couldn't bring himself to put his families future at risk.. He did ok and had a good life in advertising and printing, but instead of me being the heir to a fortune I'll be more or less scrambling to find the money for his burial sometime in the near future. DAMMIT! I coulda bought the Bengals and you would all have me to hate (more than you already do) on a daily basis.. lol

(02-14-2018, 02:30 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: those exist they just aren't very good yet.

Fine. A fully automated transportation system. No human drivers on major commuter routes.

Literally my dream scenario.

(02-15-2018, 02:26 PM)CKwi88 Wrote: Fine. A fully automated transportation system. No human drivers on major commuter routes.

Literally my dream scenario.

Yeah looks like its in the works... be many years before everyone is on board though lol...     As long as the cars don't have to go the current speed limit ill be okay.

You thinking like the transport system in minority report?    that's probly one of the best ive seen in a movie.






Or maybe half and half like I Robot.