Fire Jack

Let's say that the human race lives for another million years and technology continues to improve during that time. Part of technology is to make our lives easier and happier (despite what most people think we are better off than people 100 years ago). What do you think could be (or will be ? ) the greatest technological feat. Do you think it will directly affect us (like immortality) or indirectly (like weather control centers). I assume this technology will make us happier (will knowing your immortal make you happier, hmmm.... ).
One great technology I think would be great is the idea of looking into the past using wormholes. If you ever read the book "The light of other days" by Arther C. Clark you can see the advantages (and disadvantages) of the technology. One great side effect, religion would be trashed.

Mageth

Interstellar travel/establishment of human colonies on other planets.
Lifespan extension (e.g. as in Lazarus Long).

I would add that the former would be nice to ease some ethical difficulties with the latter.

Edited to add: and the latter would be nice to ease some of the travel times of the former!

[ April 08, 2002: Message edited by: Mageth ]</p>

Ender

In a million years it’s entirely possible that technology may develop autonomy- that means it will no longer need us to run it and effectively replace us as our evolutionary children. It is amazing this isn’t given more serious thought, that we aren’t necessarily a dead end of evolution, which we might be only here to serve as a conduit of the irrational Will of the Universe!

Relatively speaking, it will be the development of nanotechnology- which will put the invention of the wheel, the steam engine, the cpu and space travel to shame.

It will reshape humanity to a degree it will no longer deserve the title “humanity.”

How is this not a religious faith in the future of humanity, that technology will solve the existential problems of life?

Au contraire! Religion will adapt and adopt a different ideological basis. Unless human nature is radically altered, we will always have a love of wonder that translates to mysticism.

~WiGGiN~

m.e.h.

Cheese in a can is now, and shall forever be, the greatest accomplishment of the human race.

Orbital ladders? Bah! Nanotechniques able to render the great labor masses free? Pitui! Colonization of this spiral arm? Don't be silly! The application of Eugenics to render our race empathy bred uber-hippies? Pish!

We have peaked with cheese in a can. There is little else to do but glory in our...well, cheese in a can creating prowess.