On February 18th, Keith Brophy presented the following at GVSU's Eberhard Center. The event was very well attended and the overall mood was upbeat despite the current economic climate in Michigan.
Topic: Evolution of the cell phone
Prediction: Within 5 years, 50% of adults are tracked in home or office via phone tracking applications.
Topic: Extinction of Paper
Prediction: In 5 years, only one-third as many newspapers and books are published on paper. Alternatives to paper, such as on-line forms, E-paper products and E-reader delivery boom.
Topic: Evolution of Social Networking
Prediction: In 3 years, social networking becomes as pre-requisite as phone and electricity across the full range of age demographics. Organizations continue to embrace Facebook as it loses its "teen" status and opens the way for acceptance of other similar business social networking solutions.
Topic: New Energy Source
Prediction: In 5 years, we will find the early generation of a new heat-to-electricity energy harvester (the thermoelectric generator) on a wide variety of products. This will be the beginning of a revolution in the way we use energy.
Topic: Evolution of the PC
Prediction: In 3 years, the majority of us use Netbook computers, as traditional desktops and laptops largely fade to the background.
Topic: Evolution of How We Interact with Computers
Prediction: In 5 years, software lives in clouds and the computer platform is everywhere.
Topic: Cyborgs
Prediction: In 5 years, simple cyborgs appear and social and legal issues begin to rage.
Topic: AniRobos
Prediction: In 5 years, 20% of professionals, 20% of business offices, 30% of homes have mobile helpers or AniRobos.
Topic: Data Communes
Prediction: In 5 years, we own an "overall e-record" of our lives that we grant electronic entities selective access to; many regions gain advantage by aggregating this; and privacy issues rage across all sectors as collective personal data begins to be viewed as gold.
Topic: Evolution of Role of Elderly to a that of Workplace Sages
Prediction: In 5 years, we see the start of a remarkable shift in workplace demographics and workflow. There is a societal shift of age-based roles fueled by explosion of age-supporting technology that pushes net-era Seniors to the forefront.
