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“Telepresence is holographic and sophisticated tracking mechanisms and presentation mechanisms allow groups to ‘meet’ in richly appointed virtual spaces” (2).

The author is trying to explain that in the future, the world will be so technologically advanced that we will not need phones anymore.  It will become like Star Wars, where people can talk in holographic form.

This matters because it shows how rapidly the world is changing and what there is to expect in the future.

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“Monitors in our homes and workplaces will pickup any evidence of a new environmental exposure that might be harmful” (5).

The author is explaining that in the future we will have environmental issues, but fortunately, we will have devices that will protect us in our homes.

This quote matters because today’s society needs to change the way they are treating the environment or else, there will be serious problems that will lead to extinction.

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“Fifty years is just a dot on the cosmic scale; however, on a human scale, fifty years can initiate significant change” (7).

This means that the world has been around so long, that 50 years seems very short.  However, a lot can change in 50 years as far as the environment and technology are concerned.  With many scientists providing accurate data, a lot can change. 

This matters because humans need to realize how fast time really does fly by.  The world is changing rapidly and society is moving with it.

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“…this movement is bound to snowball in self-accelerating fashion, eventually becoming irreversible” (13).

With the world headed towards the path it is following, overcrowding, crime, and violence are definitely present.  If humans do not change this right away, these problems will never be solved.

This matters because if humans keep destroying the Earth, their will be nothing left.  Humans need to understand that they must change their ways in order for society to be successful.

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“I am optimistic that people will experience a dramatic shift to a healthy lifestyle during the next fifty years” (21).

Different people have different opinions on the future some are optimistic and others are not.  This quote is optimistic and shows that the world will change for the better.  The world will be healthy instead of infested with crime.

This matters because humans must learn to shift their diets to a healthier eating style.  If they do not, their will be an increase in deaths and diseases.

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“…via histelediagnostic box and that double-dose would surely show upon the telemetry toxicology screen” (25).

In the future, there will be devices that can measure the does of medication one has in their system.  The world of medication and technology will advance so much that the doctors will be out of a job.

This matters because humans need to understand where technology will be in 50 years.  Humans need to flow with technology and choose the right paths.

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“Smoking will be almost unheard of, but other addictions will evolve and require attention” (28).

Smoking that is in today’s age, is everywhere, will become an addiction of the past.  Other addictions win the future will become more and more dangerous.  This includes hard alcohol, drugs, etc.   People will be in serious trouble.

This matters because it allows humans to understand the severity of their choices and addictions.  More addictions will lead to more and more deaths.

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“Lifelong learning will become a national mantra” (30).

Some kids today do not take learning as a serious task and privilege. However, in the future, technology and the world will be advancing so rapidly that people will need to be educated to stay caught up with society.  They will need to be educated to participate in society.

This matters because it shows society what education can do.  The more educated one is, the more opportunities that will rise up in one’s lifelong path.

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“Like Jon Stewart said, used to be that the extremists got lots of attention, because the moderates have stuff to do” (32).

The mass of humanity got tired of the fanatics, etc. and started to run things in society.  The moderates now have tasks to do while the extremists and protest groups get all of the attention.

This shows society the two realms of different political groups.  It also shows the publicity and lives each one leads.

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As prodigious and influential as information technology is already, we’ll see a billion fold improvement in the next quarter century, and then we’ll see it again” (34).

As time goes by, technology will be blooming very quickly.  In the next 50 years, it will improve greatly and even more in the next 100 years. 

This matters because it shows that technology is rapidly advancing and it will keep advancing for years to come.  Humans need to learn to adapt to these conditions.

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“The vast majority of Americans have been telecommunicating for the past two decades and a typical work group is globally distributed.  The concept of driving to work has, for the most part, become a thing of the past” (45).

In the past couple years; people have not been having to drive to work.  People are beginning to work more and more at home.  They are beginning to communicate more and more with work partners on the computer and phone.

The environment will be on its way to success due to fewer automobiles on the road.  People are working at home more and more each day.

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“Capital flows and economic growth will be less concentrated in the West.  China and India will likely be peer competitors, if not outright world economic leaders” (47).

China and India will become the super powers of the world economically and commercially.  They will be two forces that will not be easy to mess with.  They will be competition for the United States in the future.

This matters because it shows that the rest of the world is catching up to America.  Soon there will be more and more competition; economically, socially, and politically.

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“People will no longer be able to travel and engage in transactions with anonymity.  In other words, governments will know where people are going and what they are doing in the public realm” (61).

This means that in the future, the governments of the world will have so much control over their citizens, that to travel will be a tough task.  Since there will be so much turmoil between countries.

This matters because it shows that people’s freedom is diminishing and governments are becoming more and more overbearing everyday.  If people want to keep their freedom, things need to change.

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“People will have so many computers in their bodies and such connectivity to networks with AI systems that there will be questions about where the line is between humans and machines” (72).

This quote means that there will be little difference between humans and machines because humans will have microchips in their bodies monitoring their systems.  Nothing will be natural anymore.

This matters because humans will soon have to learn how to get rid of natural instincts.  The human body will soon be programmed by computers.

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“The cars are also elevated as they move through traffic with the anti crash sensors surrounding them” (165).

This opinion is taking the futuristic view of the world.  It is saying that cars will not travel on the road.  The cars will also be highly advanced in the future and there will be little to no accidents unlike the amount in today’s society.

This shows the creative minds that have opinions on the future.  The different outlooks that people have on the soon to be present are shown throughout this book.

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“I think we have a very brief window of opportunity to deal with climate change…no longer than a decade, at the most” (174).

This quote is explaining that if society does not change their ways, the Earth will not be able to take anymore punishment.  There is a small window to change ways or else, the world will not be able to function and go back to the way it was.

This explains to the world that there is little time to fix our Earth and correct society’s wrong doings.  The world is suffering from poor decisions, and society needs to help it.

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“Unfortunately, we will see increased cancer diagnosis, and childhood cancers specifically” (215).

With the health problems and unhealthy lives of people today, in 50 years we might see a significant increase in health issues.  However, technology might be there to help assist us in that process, but not completely.

Society will have more health problems in the future which will thus lead to a higher global death rate.  Although technology is advancing, it can not stop the poor decisions made by humanity.

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“American is a nation forged out of the chaos of the wilderness” (217).

America is a nation driven by natural resources.  These natural resources include wood, oil, etc.  The wilderness carves America into a nation that is one with nature. However, society is slowly destroying it.  Even though some people are in peace with nature, there is still chaos.

America is dependent on natural resources.  However, humanity is causing the chaos in the world, which is making the Earth and the people who inhabit it suffer.

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“Despite human progress, I fear the continuing dearth of visionary solutions to the underlying causes of human misery, ignorance, and deprivation.

Revolutions and repercussions will occur within the next 50 years.  Traveling through time is a real challenge.  Humans keep trying to progress, but some people are holding society back.

Society is trying to adapt to the changes in the world.  However, revolutions and repercussions will continue to occur.  Humanity needs to learn to assess the problem and figure out a solution to it.

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“Our modern history has been marked by a dichotomy between the totalitarianism of command and control economies and the opulence and brutality of unregulated markets and runaway globalization” (236).

Terrorism and other economic and social problems will contribute to the world’s status in 50 years.  Markets and globalization will control the world; for better or for worse.

This quote is giving a problem to humans to fix.  The world’s economy is in a state of turmoil which needs to be corrected.  It is up to the inhabitants of the world to do so.