THE FUTURE STARTS HERE ACCORDING TO POPULAR SCIENCE

In the June, 2005 issue of Popular Science, there is an article on "5 Technologies That Will Transform Your World."

That, and "The Future Starts Here," are too much hype. "Technologies" is too grand a word, for one thing. They are really talking about specific products. Still there are some interesting ideas in the article.

The first is a personalized roller coaster ride. You can blow your own mind.

The second is a light receiving implant for the eye. It can restore sight to some blind people. Though not discussed in this article, there have been some fascinating studies recently of mind-machine interface devices.

The third is a holographic 3-D TV image. The key part of this invention is the use of microthin LCD panels which can be clear as well as colored.

The fourth is a "Smart Home." Actually, this product is a wall with some ability to change color, temperature and to provide light.

And the final item is a new improved space suit.

One very nice feature of this article is that it provides a time line for each of these products into the future. Too many articles about the future ignore the question of when in the future things are supposed to happen.