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Millennium Predictions

Christina Riepel, 17, Payson, AZ

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What will life be like in 100 years? Will the world as we know it be gone, existing only as a fleeting memory in some high school student's history lesson?

It is a question that inspires much discussion and stimulates people's imaginations. People of the past wouldn't recognize most of what we have now because of the advances we've made over this past century. It is quite feasible that we wouldn't recognize or fully understand life in a future century. However, how will life be different? To see some possible differences, let's spend a day in the future with Ryan, a normal 15-year-old teen. How might he live his life on a typical day?

"When I roll out of bed in the morning, I groan. I have a history exam today on the ancient government ways of the year 2000. Gosh, why weren't they more like we are, with our equal male-female representation in government and our woman president? As I voice activate my wardrobe planner, I think about how simple that society was and wonder why I need to know about them. After I get my clothes picked out, I clean myself with the new hygienic controller that my parents put into my bathroom. When I am dressed, I go downstairs to greet my father who is making breakfast with the food preparation wizard. Mom had to rush off to work already, but I know I will get to see her later. Dad finishes with my breakfast and tells me to have a good day at the Learning Center as he goes off to take care of my baby sister for the day. My old fashioned parents! Instead of taking interactive classes from my room, they send me down to the learning center on the first floor of our 60-story housing unit so I can interact with the PC as well as other people!

I ride down to floor 25 to wait for my friend John. His parents both have to work, so I catch him as his electronic nanny is rushing him out the door. Together, we ride down to the first floor, and enter the center, taking up at our respective terminals. School is so boring! After a lesson of algebra from my station, I am incredibly bored, so under the guise of getting resources for my biology interface report, I instead interface with my girlfriend, whose cool parents allow her individual learning. Unfortunately, the robotic moderator catches me, and our conversation is cut off. I grudgingly take my history exam, and after writing a long, monotonous essay on voting problems of the 2000 election, I am free to go, finally.

John and I bust out of the center and look hopefully to the sky. Noting the sun, we will have a good afternoon since we have been given permission to take his solar car to the plaza for a virtual reality concert. Friday's are always the best."

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