The Material Culture in the Future

High level of automation everywhere. People will probably practice manual work on some (rare) occasions, but the very idea of manual work will be far from crude muscular effort. In the production sphere, indirect control absolutely prevails.

Men and women equally able to work everywhere, since there are enough tools to do every job for physiologically different people. Children can participate in the common activities starting from the earliest age, using specially adapted technologies. Some animals can be involved in people's activities, as soon as they are provided with tools adapted for their physiology.

Little dependence on organic peculiarities. Any kind of physiology can be artificially compensated to enable any activity.

Far perspective: deliberate construction of the body to adapt to the current environment or production needs.

Everlasting life will be possible, though, probably, hardly ever practiced. Deliberartely terminating the bodily existence will be a normal manifestation of consciousness, to give way to the others.

People will be able to change the shape of their body at will whenever needed. When the body cannot be properly shaped, the personality can be transferred to another material carrier, and return back, if necessary. Virtual existence of personality in distributed media will become a common phenomenon. There will be no need of bodily travel.

The possibility of reviving the people of the past, adapting their mentality to the present level without psychological trauma.

Any industrial or cultural process is organized to run smoothly, at the highest rate possible. No artificial obstacles to regulate the flow. Consequently, low level of vibration and general mess (both literally and metaphorically).

Well-calculated transit and optimized flows of material articles and information.

New ways of travel and new means of transport. However, transporting masses will gradually be eliminated, being replaced by collecting raw materials on the site and reconstructing all the necessary forms from scratch. Communication of information rather than bodies. Transplantation of the mind rather than physical travel. The means of remote presence will become developed to a very high level, entirely replacing the need for physical presence. Life and economy will be organized to allow remote participation. One can control several industrial processes, while taking a bath, or walking in the forest...

Space travel as a usual event. The Moon and the planets brought under the human control, as well as the interplanetary space.

Enough technological energy. Highly efficient utilization of the energy of the Sun, without wasting it into space, will apparently hide the sun from the outer observer, drastically changing the observed spectral characteristics. The necessary dissipation of energy mainly due to migration to other stars, with minimum radiation loss.

Highly developed means of communication accessible to anybody. A global information network as a universal communication system. Individual contacts possible at any time, using the compact portable devices, some of them being implanted in (integrated with) the human body and physiologically controlled.

Maximum flexibility in anything. No rigid and cumbrous installations, just small modules adjustable to perform numerous functions.

Universality of constructions. Every thing can be easily adapted for everybody's usage.

Most things designed for individual use. Mass production complemented with the highest flexibility and possibility of adjustment to individual demands.

Advanced technologies of waste utilization. Every thing must be recyclable. Utilization engineering is one of the the primary concerns of the society.

Prompt provision of any needs and wants, without requiring too much effort to get anything. Just a general description of what is needed; then adaptive specification, to achieve the desired effect.

High technologies for ensuring the privacy of the people. Anybody must be able to do everything without disturbing the others.

Space exploration as one of the most important directions of expansion. Eventually, people will abandon the Solar system and live on the galactic scale.

The planets of the Solar system will be cultivated, and the economy will use the specific conditions in the space and on the planets for more efficient production. Well balanced and intensive traffic between the planets.

Populating the far space will require building numerous space stations all over the inhabited part of the galaxy. These stations are to live in synch, but virtually there will be no absolute center, every discovery propagating from its source to all the rest of the network. The commonwealth of inhabited worlds, the replicas of the same society.

Complete weather control. Planned weather. Some influence on the activity of the Sun, to reduce its negative influences.

Geophysical processes under complete monitoring and control. No earthquakes, since all the tensions get artificially dischanged in a safe way. Vulcanos utilized as a source of technological energy and valuable minerals.

Technology on the molecular and atomic level. Deliberate rearrangement of atoms to achieve the desired effect. Programmable "assemblers" in every home, to produce anything from raw materials, without the need to supply ready-made goods. This will largely eliminate the need in mass production, replacing it by individual assembly for specific needs. Recycling of the unnecessary products.

Powerful computers of a microscopic size. They will be built in the common things to add flexibility to their usage. Home networks as intelligent environments of one's everyday life.

Physiology integrated with mechanisms, to allow mental control over most physical systems. No need of special controls (buttons, handles, bars etc.). However, any device can be modified to allow for outer controls if necessary.

Automated processes run in the background, without any interference with the people's activities. People should never notice such background processes, whcich may sometimes be shut down to minimize disturbance.