Category Archives: Tech

Technology’s Impact on Democracy

We live in a representative government where the people elect representatives who make decisions. In the future, the overwhelming complication of voting on decisions (rather than decision-makers) can be overcome.

Democratic decision making will take place on a very wide range of decisions, in real time, and among effected participants. All available evidence, argument, and education that is relevant for each vote will be publicly and conveniently accessible. Some votes will be continuous, while others will have deadlines. Bureaucracy will be vastly eliminated. Laws and tax rates will quickly adjust to optimal. Justice will be swift and accurate. Power will be decentralized.

Digitally Enhancing the Senses

Using digital devices to measure, record, and interpret environmental stimuli could enable users to improve hearing, vision, and tactile understanding both locally and accross networks. Defining a standard for the transmission of this data, and making this standard public, would enable the open source development of related applications. One possible methodology for the standard would be an XML file using sections of required and optional fields that map to the senses.

Entertainment is Evolving

Movies, music, images, and all sorts of digitally transferable media will migrate from broadcast to 2-way networks. Complex, and dynamically updating, personalization engines will determine content selection by default. The media will reach us over wired and wireless networks using highly compressed secure digital signals – rather than local storage. Centralized systems will have dominant personalization systems and data, and so will be the primary tool for selecting media and interface content. Media serving will be decentralized, however, as the media serving and the web serving are separated. Distribution will occur through all sorts of networked devices, including the personal computer… which will come to be characterized as a small wireless device used for all aspects of an individual’s computing needs. Mass media will evolve with the interface devices that are supported by personal computers. In other words, as our interface technology improves, mass media will be developed to take advantage of it. An example of this co-evolution will be the stereo monitor (one image for each eye) – allowing 3d graphics, and marking a key step for 3d media entertainment.