2009 Top 10 Future Outlook

I found on the Discovery website, originating from The Futurist magazine, the Top 10 Forecasts for 2009 and Beyond. Here's an exert and some opinion.

1. Everything you say and do will be recorded by 2030. Here's some facts: Our ISPs can (and some do) record every movement we make on the Internet (including email); Google is everywhere and capturing everything; our employers are tracking our network and email usage; and we're already capturing and documenting our lives through social networks and photo & video sites. On top of that, places like London have cameras on every corner and are recording every phone call too. It is just a matter of time before everything is recorded -- I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes a reality as soon as 2020.
   

   British authorities have placed great faith in CCTV as a crime control device, installing an estimated 1.5 million police cameras along the country's streets, buildings and mass transport systems. Still shots taken from video feed are used to identify protesters and hooligans.
   - Wired, 2002
   
   The government of the United Kingdom leaked its plans yesterday to launch a programme which will monitor every British citizen's emails, internet browsing records, and telephone conversations. While a specific plan has not been reached, UK ministers agreed on spending up to £12 billion (USD$21.2 billion) on the new spying system. More than £1 billion (USD$1.76 billion) has already been spent.
   - WikiNews, Oct 2008
   

2. Bioviolence will become a greater threat as the technology becomes more accessible. Emerging scientific disciplines (notably genomics, nanotechnology, and other microsciences) could pave the way for a bioattack. I just watched a NOVA video on how a particular bacteria, Acetinobacter aka Iraqibacter, also found as MDR Acinetobacter Baumannii, is adding its own defenses making it resistant to antibiotics. If this can spread so easily on its own, it makes sense that terrorist and anti-Amrican organization would persue this expertise.
   

   An ICU nurse at Bethesda Naval in Washington DC leaves work feeling under the weather. Within 24 hours she is in a community hospital, intubated, with Acinetobacter Baumannii. It was determined that the bacteria were acquired from a patient at work. She succumbed to the infection quickly and with no fan fare. The story went silent.
   - Acinetobacter.org

3. The car’s days as king of the road may soon be over. I have mixed feelings over this one. The continued fight for energy supports this statement, as well as the improvement in social and collaboration technologies. What makes this difficult to beleive is that people still want to be together and I beleive are more productive when together. Of course you can cite many examples of remote teams delivering great products, but given the choice, most people would like to work in close proximity to their peers. Of course being on the West Coast, our community is not as compact and centralized as the East Coast and places abroad. What do you think?

Well that's just a look at the first three. Quite interesting and a bit scary. As they say, only time will tell.