Category: Future

Mars is the fourth planet in our solar system, yet its environment is extensively chillier than Earth. This is due to Mars’ weak atmosphere – less than 1% of Earth’s – which prevents the planet from preserving heat for lengthy periods of time and is less covered from the Sun’s radiation. Earth is made up of 21% oxygen which is indispensable for human beings to survive, whilst Mars’ atmosphere is made up of 95.97% carbon dioxide and has solely 0.146% oxygen which ought to be disastrous for mankind if we went to mars now.

For over 20 years NASA has been sending spacecraft to Mars to accumulate and beam facts back to Earth about the planet’s environment and weather patterns. In the latest years, our technological know-how has advanced and the opportunity to get to Mars is now greater than ever. Given all this data that we have gathered, can people stay on Mars?

The first rover dispatched to Mars was launched in late 1996, arriving in 1997. In 2003 rovers Spirit and Opportunity had been launched to search for answers about the history of water on Mars. These two rovers had been dispatched due to their mobility and sophisticated instruments being greater than the preceding to lift out their mission. Both rovers are identical to each other but are exploring unique areas of the planet. Their mission of finding water is an integral discovery because life varieties can live on when close to a source of water. Spirit and Opportunity have each observed evidence of wet stipulations in the past that could have supported microbial life. This suggests that Mars would possibly have supported existence forms in the past and can also be able to in the future.

Building on the success of Spirit and Opportunity, NASA launched Curiosity in 2011 in order to discover if Mars can have surroundings able to support small lifeforms varieties and to determine the planet’s habitability in the future. Curiosity collects Martian soil samples which are analyzed for natural compounds and environmental conditions. Curiosity has observed evidence of an ancient streambed on Mars the place water once flowed, the rover has also discovered key chemical substances for life within the planet’s surface such as iron, calcium, aluminum, and potassium.

NASA has created powerful telescopes and spacecraft to collect records about Mars. The Mars Odyssey, launched in 2001, had the cause to determine the nature of the planet’s surface, notice water and learn about the radiation stages in the environment. While in 2013 the “Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution” spacecraft was dispatched to notice the factors and stress of the Martian atmosphere. These missions have determined proof of ice caps and the possibility of liquid water under the planet’s thick surface. This is beneficial because if Mars can assist water it may want to help aid human lifestyles in the future, however solely if we can restrict the dangers of traveling triggered by means of mostly radiation.

Radiation in space is transferred between particles, the majority are shot into space all through photo voltaic flares. Outside our solar machine, there are high-energy protons and ions known as galactic cosmic rays which have an unknown effect. Radiation above 50mSv can cause most cancers or injury to the central nervous system in humans whilst astronauts get exposed to 50-2000, fortunately, there are specific materials and compounds that provide great protection, such as lead and even water. For the space station to protect towards gamma rays a guard is built with 13.3ft of water, 6.6ft of concrete or 1.3ft of lead. Astronauts are additionally given spacesuits that furnish protection, while the mental health of astronauts on return is questionable.

Mental health whilst in isolated areas has an unknown effect. NASA has a team of support workforce to assist crewmembers on missions, this group is the ‘Behavioral Health Team’ and they work to decrease the threat of behavioral and psychiatric stipulations for astronauts that go on long-duration missions. Care applications are also sent from domestic or from the assist staff. These are intended to make existence away from home a little less difficult and familiar. Astronauts get the advantage of family cellphone calls any time, thinking about the internet protocol (IP) and can have a video conference as soon as a week the usage of the space station laptop (SSC). To reduce dangers NASA makes certain conversation within a crew is robust and makes certain the astronauts get adequate sleep to shield towards fatigue errors. NASA and private organization SpaceX are the most probable organizations to layout an outing to Mars and work on adapting the atmosphere and environment.

SpaceX – based by way of Elon Musk – is working on creating advanced reusable rockets that may additionally soon be successful of a mission to Mars. CEO, Elon Musk has stated that “humanity could have an outpost on Mars just a decade from now” SpaceX is most likely to gain this due to NASA being a government-funded organization. Meaning funding is by no means secure. Their goal is to land the first human on Mars by 2024, their design started last year in 2019. SpaceX’s foremost thoughts are to create rockets that can tour a few hundred kilometers in order to limit the time in space travel. Elon Musk’s notion to have reusable rockets is a large financial system alternate that will decrease the rate and factors wanted to create these rockets.

Given all the statistics that we currently recognize about Mars, it is broadly mentioned that given ample time we will be successful in growing technological know-how and the use of the planet’s resources for human beings to stay on Mars. Water under the polar ice caps would assist furnish the sources we would need to live there, provided we get there safely and minimize radiation absorption. Elon Musk’s SpaceX employer is most probably going to alter space travel in the subsequent few decades.

Imagine breaking your leg, losing your job and it’s raining cats and dogs and you have no rain jacket. Your mate asks you “How was your day” all you have to reply is “good”. In 1949 George Orwell published a book 1984, a dystopian future where life, as we know, is reduced to a bleak, simple world. In 1984 we see the language being cut right back so there can be no hate speech. In today’s world, fewer people take languages, we are restricting freedom of speech and social media & technology shrinking our vocab. When reading this we are falling right into the pages of 1984.

Taking a language helps us to communicate better with the world, however, this is slowly declining each year with students not taking languages. English is only the 3rd most spoken language in the world after Chinese and Spanish. A study done for high schools shows only 20% of students in high school have taken a language at least once in the USA. Later followed by 7.5% of all students that took a language right to the end of high school continue on in university in the USA. In New Zealand, only 6.4% of Year 13’s were taking Language Level 3 in NCEA in 2013. With apps translators now available on phones, people aren’t seeing the use of taking a language and think that taking one will not help with getting a job or going to university in the future. I feel to help this decreasing subject we need to make taking a language more useful by offering the likes of scholarships or higher priority when getting a job so students don’t see languages as a waste of time if English is their primary language. As Ludwig Wittgenstein said, “The limit of my language means the limit of my world”. This means that by not taking a language we are restraining ourselves and where we end up in our unique world.

By clamping down on hate speech, we lose the right of freedom of speech? What defines hate speech, offensive language, stating your opinion on controversial topics regardless of who it might offend on the basis or race, religion or sexual orientation? With recent events that happened in Christchurch, we are clamping down on hate speech. The man responsible had spoken on social media of his judgment about the Muslim religion and was later deleted afterward by Facebook. Facebook has recently been thrashed by the public for allowing this to happen and now is taking action against hate speech. But by doing this are we losing our right to voice our opinion. A rugby star recently has lost his job after voiced that homosexual people will go to hell, also a man has been arrested after shouting abuse and slurs outside a mosque by police. With all these events happening we can see that our rights to voice ourselves is slowly getting chipped away at. I feel that social media should not ban or delete comments or opinion, instead put up a warning before clicking on the page about the content on the page. This means we would not have to delete and clamp down on hate speech, but instead warn that content may offend so only people who feel that they want to see what they have to say will see this which protects our freedom of speech.

With social media, our communication skills are being affected in a negative way, how many times has your parent told you to look them in the eye and shake your hand firmly because apparently, our communications skills are lacking? With social media, we are following the lives and achievements of our friends without having to be there. Social media gives us the ability to talk and communicate with anyone where ever, whenever. This leads to people not catching up with friends but to just to sit there and text them instead. Because of this fewer children are having face to face conversations and are losing the skill to communicate, such as looking people in the eye, to people in the real world. With technology becoming more advanced and easily accessible people are becoming more uncomfortable talking to new people in the real world and would much prefer just talking to them over the phone. I feel we need to stop spending all our time on social media and learn new communication skills, that could land us a job, and spend time socializing in the real world with friends or completely new people. Otherwise, we could land ourselves in front of important interviews or speeches that we fail due to feeling uncomfortable talking to real people or holding eye contact.

When was the last time you sat down and read a book for enjoyment, not because it’s part of homework or an assignment? Reading at least 15 minutes per day can expose you to more than 1 million words of text in a year. A school in the USA interviewed the children and asked if they read for fun anymore and if not why. Children came back, in large numbers, as not reading for fun as they feel it is boring. A child wrote, “I stay a whole 5 days at school studying, so coming home to read resembles being back in class”. With all the technology and activities available to children these days peaceful reading seems like a waste of time compared to fast action games or playing sport with friends. I agree why would you want to read instead of the fast pace, dopamine pumping world I could experience on my phone or laptop, or go and watch a movie with a friend. The thing is I feel books are just books. Occasionally I get a book that grabs my attention and I’ll read non stop but they are far and few. I feel that these dopamine filled activities can snatch attention and make reading seem useless. Recently I have learned how beneficial it is to slow down, take a breath and just be peaceful and empty the mind, something that occurs when reading. I feel that we need to learn about the importance of reading and how just setting aside a few minutes can help change our vocabulary as well as our well being.

I see the future of our world and language could possibly be bleak and simple. Where we only know how to speak one language like back in primal times, where we can only speak in simple sentences and can barely communicate in the real world. Where the freedom of speech has been choked out to erase hate speech feel if we are to turn this around we need to reward people who take second languages or turn off the tech and go out and socialize in the real world, where we can learn skills to improve our social abilities and the end of the day just spending 15-minutes reading can make a big difference. But that’s up to you and how you want our world to be in as short as 50 years.

Introduction

One of the most popular hobbies nowadays is video gaming. Initially, this industry mainly targeted male teenagers, providing them mostly with shooter games, but this changed over the years. With more than 2.3 billion gamers of all genders across the globe in 2018, the global games Market income is growing exponentially with a revenue reaching $137.9 billion [1]. This growth was primarily affected by the entrance of virtual reality hardware such as HTC Vive allowing the creation of a new game category known as VR games, shortly followed by Augmented Reality games. New adapted games were later on released, which are mainly simulations of real-life events. As a result, many scientific and also non-scientific communities were interested in this new type of gaming as it may be useful in their respective fields.

Most of the experts consider AR and VR the future of humankind as they will become one with the human being, hence a number of investors appeared. However, a lot of artists criticize this new life underlining the negative aspects of this technology in their work but these scientific advancements are inevitable [2]. Thanks to its practical usage in simulating complex nerve structures, for example, surgeries will be safer and more precise. Therefore, games development will be used in almost every known field fastly evolving the human race.

Gaming and economy

These last few years a new type of sport emerged: electronic sports or eSports or in other words video games competitions. This new discipline has appeared in the ‘80s in arcades where players compete against each other aiming to beat the highest score in a game. Requiring high-level skills and a lot of experience Pro gaming demands full dedication time and money wise to be a top competitor. Playing in these tournaments is similar to real sport competitions needing full concentration and a warming up before each game with a hefty prize pool for the winners [3,4]. Progamers even have their own fan base watching them all over the world. Therefore, Olympic Organizers of Paris 2024 Olympic games are seriously discussing the inclusion of eSports to the Games [5].

There are many ways to make gaming a profession. On the first hand, streaming platforms like Twitch allow every person with an Internet connection to broadcast live as they pass their day playing while talking to fans and subscribers, giving them tips and tricks. Viewers support their favorite streamers through money donation or monthly subscription so that may continue to make live content. On the other hand, really complex games like Entropia Universe enable players to have monthly income from their activities in-game, after some time and money investment because its in-game currency is tradable for real money.

Many companies organize world championships to make a profit selling virtual tickets to watch the games live online, T-shirts of characters and Pro players and exclusive in-game items. With an estimated revenue of $906 million from eSport alone [6], these big numbers attracted a lot of individuals and companies to invest in gaming, or in other words, in AR and VR as they are the future of gaming.

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality games made their first appearance in 2016 allowing gamers to dive in a new environment without leaving their house thanks to special goggles like HTC vive or OCULUS Rift headsets and a computer to run the game. The visual and auditory feedback, produced by the headsets, incorporates the players in a new environment which can be a real-world replication or a fantastical simulation. VR games are usually a narration of a character life, who can be a real character like a well-known mafia boss or a fictive creature like a dragon or a fairy, which the player controls allowing him to interact with his virtual entourage.

As a new gaming technology, virtual reality did not only caught the attention of many investors but also of the research community as it may be a useful tool to facilitate and accelerate the research process. Curiosity, for example, a rover sent by NASA to Mars, captured high-resolution pictures of Mars terrain and horizon through its cameras which were sent to Earth for analysis. Martian geologists, unlike Earth geologists, were having difficulties to study and visualize Mars terrain as they had only 2D imagery from Curiosity which hinders their progress. Therefore, In collaboration with Microsoft, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists developed Onsight. This software recreates the Martian terrain from all the images sent by Curiosity and renders a 3D environment of the red planet surface [7].

In addition to that, VR is also popular among doctors, biologists and chemists as it may function as a tool that helps them visualize ‘’full-atom models of complex biomolecular structures to explore structural folds or compare protein-ligand interactions’’ [8, p. 3816]. As a result, biochemists will be able to recreate, reconstruct and edit complex molecule easily and efficiently allowing them to research, for example, a cure for disease faster.

Augmented reality

After the appearance of virtual reality, a new gaming technology shortly followed known as Augmented Reality. Very similar to VR, AR allows the players to interact with virtual objects. Whereas, AR environment is not completely virtual. Based on the real-world, AR augments our natural entourage with virtual objects making them a part of our environment. Today’s AR games mostly run on new Generation as they are equipped with powerful microprocessors and high-resolution cameras, which allow a fast rendering of the virtual objects on a Smartphone’s screen.

Aside from gaming, AR is also invading other fields. For example, the automotive industry presented, these last few years, a virtual augmented windshield. These high-tech windshield project see-through pieces of information making driving more comfortable and safer. The type of information may differ. In hazardous weather condition, for example, where visibility on the road is almost zero, the lines of the road will be displayed on the windshield. Furthermore, a warning will be displayed when the car detects a person or an object on the road that may endanger the driver or the pedestrians in densely foggy weather [9]. In addition to that, simple information appears when passing a restaurant or a monument giving the driver a short description or reviews of that point of interest.

Many investors are also supporting the education aspect of AR. Star Walk, for instance, is an App that identifies constellations and many other celestials bodies that are captured with the Smartphone camera. While looking to the sky, more detailed descriptions of the targeted sector appear allowing the user to have more information about it.

Moreover, many AR tools were developed to facilitate the gain of experience for medical students as it is very important for their career and hard to gain while studying [10]. Thanks to this AR tools, apprentice surgeons may practice very complex procedures on puppets before performing it on real patients lowering the risk of any fatal mistakes.

Conclusion

As games engineering developed, many related technologies like virtual and augmented reality appeared. These new technologies attracted a lot of investors that supported games development and used them in many other fields like the educational or medical field. Nowadays, AR and VR have many new uses, aside from gaming, like assisting and accelerating the research process of creating new cures. Few years from now VR and AR will have many applications in many fields allowing humanity to discover more secrets that the universe holds.

Transportation, defined as “the movement of people or goods from one place to another” by Cambridge dictionary, has evolved with the time, just like every other aspect in life. Right now, the world is so ahead in technology that advancements are being developed every day. What comes ahead concerning transportation are solutions for most of the problems the world has right now, cities’ street congestion, environmental pollution, transportation method dilemma, etc. When it comes to technology, everything is about time. Scientists and engineers have speculated that the time that it will take to have a perfect product for public display. Based on research by scientists, five years from now cities will begin to shift towards networks of driverless taxis. Ten years from now almost everyone will use public transportation, with alternative fuel such as maglev technology, short for magnetic levitation, which has the advantage of having no friction having the capability of traveling 600 mph. Fifteen years from now all vehicles in the streets will be fuel eco-efficient, autonomous or at least have intelligent transport systems. Thirty years from now UAM (Urban Air Mobility) will begin to be a common method of transportation. By achieving all these developments, the world will get to be a more utopian and less stressful place. All these advancements will reduce global warming by using alternative fuels, make main cities a more habitable place and industries such as medicine and essentials will have priority making everything to function better. The future of transportation is all based on solving problems and making the world a better place.

One advancement that is essential for the world to become a livable place is the automatization of transportation. This is beneficial in every way possible. Envision being able to transport people around answering emails or even playing a game of cards without even having to worry about hitting the brake or avoiding the cars changing lanes. Autonomous vehicles will become one of the safest methods of transportation by eliminating human error. These vehicles will work with a series of sensors, radars, lasers, and cameras, all able to analyze and process information about their surroundings faster than any human can. The New York Times released an article with some more in-depth information about how autonomous vehicles will become a reality sooner than expected. Giant companies with decades of knowledge are trying to catch up too. Jim Hackett, Ford’s chief executive, said they were teaming up with Volkswagen “to tackle the self-driving challenge”. Volkswagen and Ford are planning to use “autonomous-vehicle technology from a start-up company, called Argo AI, in a taxi-like service in a few urban zones by 2021”. But it has been a strenuous task, having to stop each time an accident occurs. Mr. Salesky, Argo’s chief executive said: “Argo and many competitors had developed about 80% of the technology needed to put self-driving cars into routine use — the radar, cameras, and other sensors that can identify objects far down roads and highways. But the remaining 20%, including developing software that can reliably anticipate what other drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists are going to do, will be much more difficult” (New York Times).

However, Tesla’s chief executive, Elon Musk, believes its new self-driving system, based on a newly designed computer chip, and the data it gathers from Tesla cars now on the road will enable the company to start offering completely autonomous driving next year. Besides, numerous amount of companies are interested in this technology and “deep-pocketed investors rushed to get a piece of the action. Honda and the tech giant SoftBank invested in Cruise an autonomous vehicle start-up company. Amazon, whose goal is to deliver products to its shoppers by driverless vehicles, invested in Aurora, another start-up in this area”. Nevertheless, the globalization of global positioning systems, sensors, and mobile communication technology has already benefited in terms of improved navigation and congestion mitigation. It wouldn’t be a surprise that companies such as Tesla or some start-ups funded by tech giants could push this technology a little further and bring the future closer.

One of the biggest factors of the future of transportation is finding a solution to the distressing problem of global warming. It is a problem concerning the entire world. It endangers people’s health, and it threatens other basic human needs. Right now, it is at a point where it can still be stopped. Mitigating the number of gasses that are being released into the atmosphere by beginning to use alternative fuels would be the smartest way to begin this change. The main cause of global warming is because human beings burn fossil fuels, releasing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. According to NASA, carbon dioxide levels in the air are the highest they have been in 650,000 years. Global temperature has risen 1.9 degrees since 1880, Arctic ice has decreased 12.8% per decade and the sea levels are rising 3.3 millimeters per year. It is necessary to make a change before it is too late. And according to the Union of Concerned Scientists: “Our personal vehicles are a major cause of global warming. Collectively, cars and trucks account for nearly one-fifth of all US emissions, emitting around 24 pounds of carbon dioxide and other global-warming gases for every gallon of gas. About five pounds comes from the extraction, production, and delivery of the fuel, while the great bulk of heat-trapping emissions—more than 19 pounds per gallon—comes right out of a car’s tailpipe” (UCSUSA).

Nowadays there are many alternatives, that will be used in the future to address these concerns about transportation adding to climate change. There are ways to reduce emission even without having the necessity to switch to other types of fuels. Ohio University ran a study that showed that “reducing the weight of the vehicle by as little as 10% can improve fuel economy by 6% or more”. The federal government estimates that if just “25% of cars used lighter-weight materials, the country would consume 5 billion fewer gallons of gas each year by 2030”. Other ways to reduce emissions are batteries and binary power or magnetic levitation. The friction-free, no-moving-parts vehicles are called ‘binary power’. Binary power is the concept where two otherwise harmless beams of energy will intersect at some point in space creating a source of power according to the Virgin Hyperloop one project. Numerous companies already have 100% electric cars running in the streets such as Tesla, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz with the Smarts. The future of transportation brings an eco-friendly era within. Global warming is such a big problem concerning so many people that alternative forms of fuel such as maglev technology, batteries and new materials for eco-efficiency are going to be on-demand if need any source of transportation.

There is an evident tendency for a larger percentage of the population to ride public transportation in more organized countries. The reason for this is that the infrastructure of this public transportation is made efficiently. Busy people prefer to ride in a subway at 60 mph without traffic lights, car accidents, or unexpected delays than using their own vehicles. Visualize a method of transportation that can go over 375 mph. This will become the main method of transportation for every country. This form of transportation will be achieved by maglev technology. Maglev, short for magnetic levitation, is a technology that counts with the advantage of having no friction, able to reach operational speeds of 500-600 km per hour, or even higher speeds if the train circulates in a low-pressure tube. Maglev is the first fundamental innovation since the railway train created in the industrial revolution. The floating magnet design creates a smooth and passive trip. Even though the train can reach speeds up to 375 miles per hour, the passengers will experience less turbulence than on a traditional train because there is no friction. Jesse Powell, the son of the Maglev inventor, explains maglev as “just a box with magnets on the four corners”. It’s a bit more complex than that, but the concept is simple. The magnets used for this method of transportation need to be superconducting, this means that they have to be cooled to less than 450 degrees Fahrenheit below zero, for them to be able to generate magnetic fields strong enough to carry a train. The magnetic fields interact with simple metallic loops built into the walls of the guideway. The loops are made out of conductive materials, such as aluminum, and when the magnets pass near it, it creates an electric current that generates another magnetic field. There are three types of loops set into the guideway employed to do three important tasks: the first one creates a field that makes the train hover; the second one keeps the train stable horizontally by pushing it into the opposite direction; the further it gets from the center of the guideway or the closer to the bottom, the more magnetic resistance pushes it back on track. And the third set of loops is the propulsion system that works by alternating current power. Both magnetic forces repulsion and attraction are used to move the train through the guideway. Imagine the box with one magnet on each corner. The front corners have magnets with north poles facing out, and the back corners have magnets with south poles outward. Electrifying the propulsion loops generates magnetic fields that both pull the train forward from the front and push it forward from behind. And this feature is what’s most exciting to Jesse Powell. “With Maglev, there is no driver. The vehicles have to move where the network sends them. That’s basic physics”. This transportation method is the solution for many problems for a society that tends to be proactive the capability of saving time traveling at hyperspeed and being able to play another task while on it it’s really important. It is also a completely eco-friendly solution not producing any emission and helping global warming.

A growing global economy requires a faster, cheaper, safer and more efficient form of transportation. The roads, airports, and ports are congested. And there hasn’t been a major new form of transport in 100 years. Hyperloop, it’s a concept proposed by Elon Musk’s company Space X. The concept has some resemblance to maglev transportation but is a totally different concept. The concept is a pneumatic tube that uses a series of linear induction motors and compressors to propel vehicles at super-fast speeds. The first proposed Hyperloop route would take the passengers from Los Angeles to San Francisco, allowing them to complete a 350-mile trip in less than an hour. Hyperloop One’s team clarifies that there are four key differences between maglev transportation and hyperloop. The first difference is that it is almost three times faster than the fastest high-speed rail. The second one is that it’s on-demand and direct. The third one is that trains follow a schedule and typically have multiple stops while hyperloop doesn’t. And the fourth one and most unique is that hyperloop leaves when you’re ready to go, and pods can depart up to several times per minute and can transport passengers and cargo direct to their destination without any stop. It’s environmentally friendly, with a smaller environmental impact, more efficient energy consumption and no direct emissions or noise. Right now, there are many companies working on hyperloop and even more after the Pod competition Space X held but there is a pretty interesting concept brought up by Virgin. It is propelled using a linear electric motor, which is a straightened-out version of a conventional rotary motor. An ordinary electric motor has two main parts: a stator and a rotor. When voltage is applied to the stator it makes the rotor spin, for example, a spinning a power drill. A linear electric motor has the same two main parts, but instead, the rotor doesn’t rotate it moves in a straight line through the stator. Just like in the Virgin Hyperloop One system where the stators are mounted to the tube and the rotor is the pod, and it accelerates down the tube causing propulsion for the air from the front into the sides making it capable of hovering. Being a growing global economy that requires a faster, cheaper, safer and more efficient form of transportation. The concept of this new form of transportation will become the main source of mobility by 2050.

One outstanding issue that is present in the main cities all around the world is street congestion. Moving ten blocks in a car can take up to 50 minutes and that’s something irrational for people living in the twenty-first century. Since the last century, the world’s population has increased exponentially almost quadrupled. Urban infrastructures are struggling to adapt, having a negative effect on the persons. The environment and economies are having the need for a new method of transportation and that’s when UAM (Urban Air Mobility) takes place on. Roland Berger, a global strategy consulting firm, says that “Test flights for prototypes are already underway and the dream of flying taxis is expected to become a reality within a decade. Fleets of electric-powered aerial vehicles will carry people and goods through the cities in minutes rather than hours”. All around the world, companies from aerospace giants such as Boeing and Airbus to well-funded startups are working on the technology needed to create a new form of mobility. The European aerospace industry, Airbus, revealed its vision for taxi-like urban air travel in March of 2019, called the CityAirbus, which is being developed with input from Audi and Siemens and will begin flight testing this year. Airbus’ expectation is that the four batteries give autonomy for the vehicle to cruise at a speed of 120 km/h for a range of 30 kilometers. Honeywell an Aerospace Company had been working on new technologies that can be applied to UAM. They stand out creating generators, controllers and other important elements for the electric and hybrid-electric powertrain and just introduced the aerospace industry’s first 1 MW generator, with the same power density as our 200 kVA generator, they also pioneered collision avoidance and ground proximity warning technologies that dramatically improve flight safety. Now they are applying their expertise to detect-and-avoid technologies that will be critical for UAM operations. All these advancements prove that urban air mobility will become a reality and solution for problems such as main cities’ street congestion, global warming, and the transportation dilemma by living the streets as a priority route for other vehicles.

The main focus of the future of transportation is to make the world a better place. Transportation will bring solutions to a substantial amount of problems. One big problem transportation will solve is global warming, transportation is looking forward to changing oil-based fuels for other alternatives such as electricity or even carbon dioxide with the benefit of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide that is in the atmosphere and regulating the greenhouse effect that causes global warming. Other solutions the future of transportation is bringing with it, is the solution for the city streets congestion making the major cities of the planet a less stressful and more livable place to live by bringing new forms of transportation such as UAM or maglev transportation. These new forms of transportation will also be new prioritized routes for industries such as medicine or essential solving the transportation dilemma which consists of having trouble with managing the priority for product shipping. By solving these problems, the world will become a more efficient, livable and better place.

A growing global economy requires a faster, cheaper, safer and more efficient form of transportation. The roads, airports, and ports are congested. And there hasn’t been a major new form of transport in 100 years.

Hyperloop is a concept proposed by Elon musk’s company Space X. The concept has some resemblance to maglev transportation but is a totally different concept. The concept is a pneumatic tube that uses a series of linear induction motors and compressors to propel vehicles at super-fast speeds. The first proposed Hyperloop route would take the passengers from Los Angeles to San Francisco, allowing them to complete a 350-mile trip in less than an hour. Hyperloop One’s team clarifies that there are four key differences between maglev transportation and hyperloop. The first difference is that it is almost three times faster than the fastest high-speed rail. The second one is that it’s on-demand and direct. The third one is that trains follow a schedule and typically have multiple stops while hyperloop doesn’t. And the fourth one and most unique is that hyperloop leaves when you’re ready to go, and pods can depart up to several times per minute and can transport passengers and cargo direct to their destination without any stop. It’s environmentally friendly, with a smaller environmental impact, more efficient energy consumption and no direct emissions or noise.

Right now, there are many companies working on hyperloop and even more after the Pod competition Space X held but there is a pretty interesting concept brought up by Virgin. It is propelled using a linear electric motor, which is a straightened-out version of a conventional rotary motor. An ordinary electric motor has two main parts: a stator and a rotor. When voltage is applied to the stator it makes the rotor spin, for example, a spinning a power drill. A linear electric motor has the same two main parts, but instead, the rotor doesn’t rotate it moves in a straight line through the stator. Just like the Virgin Hyperloop One system where the stators are mounted to the tube and the rotor is the pod, and it accelerates down the tube causing propulsion for the air from the front into the sides making it capable of hovering.

Being a growing global economy that requires a faster, cheaper, safer and more efficient form of transportation. The concept of this new form of transportation will become the main source of mobility by 2050.

Home video gaming systems have been around for decades. Older generations may remember home console gaming systems such as Atari, ColecoVision, or even IntelleVision. Parents of the 1980’s were equally concerned about the dangers of playing video games as they are today. What many critics of video games don’t appreciate is the enormous potential these games have in developing optimal hand / eye coordination, endurance, and focus for careers that will depend on these key characteristics for success and survival. Robotic surgery, radiology, underwater or even future planetary navigation, are but a few of the examples of careers where its success is directly proportional to how well the users hand eye coordination and focus is.

The future will undoubtedly continue to bring us advances in technology, and with these advances, we will rely less on manual labor and more on robotic and controller-assisted equipment to complete the surgeries, remove the cancers, or even read the imaging exams that check to see if a patient has cancer.

‘The Imperial Animal’ by Tyler and Fox, raises an interesting fact regarding human genetics and how we evolve naturally, as supported by Darwin’s theory of evolution. Despite human interference, whether intentional or not, specific genes have a higher likelihood of continuing on thru generations as long as it helps the animal or species survive. In other words, even by playing video games, this action alone can ultimately influence or change our DNA in a way that helps us get even better at video gaming, while at the same time preserving those genes that improves our fitness and survival. Tyler and Fox discuss our evolutionary past and how our DNA can provide a look into what life was like at that time, what are challenges were, and the DNA mutations that are supposed to help us deal with what the future brings.

Evidence supports that the human genome responds quickly to stimuli and can evolve its DNA within a matter of decades. Considering that video games have been around for close to 50 years, and that two to three generations have passed, we can assume that video games have already started to influence the evolution of human genetics to benefit our survival.

Jane McGonical, is a game designer who presented a TED talk in 2010 on the topic, ‘Gaming Can Make a Better World’. Jane supports increasing the amount of hours playing video games, to “solve the world problems such as hunger, climate change, and obesity”. Jane recognizes the positive implications that are gained through playing video games. Although her focus is on how large-scale world problems may be solved, we can apply her rationale in developing player’s hand/eye coordination and focus to ultimately produce highly effective robotic surgeons, navigators, or ballistic missile operators. Today’s generation likely has a few sets of DNA mutations altered, or evolved, as a direct consequence of decades of playing video games. Keep in mind, these altered genes are supposed to enhance the talent the video gamer has, in this case focus and hand/eye coordination, improvements in focus and hand/eye coordination from playing video games has been extensively studied and proven. Two particular studies, published in the journal, ‘Frontiers in Human Neuroscience’, confirm that playing video games increases sensitivity to contrasting colors, increases hand-eye coordination, improves long-term memory, and visual selective activity (being able to differentiate between important and non-important information within a fast-moving environment).

Taking this talent development alone into consideration, video gaming is an excellent precursor in early development for careers, which require a high level of focus, coordination, and visual selectivity. However, this alone is not the only advantage from playing video games. Jane McGonical goes on to say in her TED Talks discussion that video gamers adopt a sense of optimism as they are used to welcoming challenges and take great pride in succeeding a particular task. Where many would approach difficult circumstances and challenges with an attitude of fear, video gamers rise up to the challenge with a sense of being able to accomplish a difficult but doable task. We have a unique opportunity to harvest these skills early and hone in on developing our next top robotic surgeons, radiologists, or even operators utilizing remote controls, where focus and coordination are critical skills for success.

Some skeptics would argue that video gaming has made kids dumb and out of shape. One study published in the journal, ‘Psychological Science’, claims that kids who played video games after school had lower reading and writing assessment scores compared to kids who did not play video games. This study however, only included kids aged six to 9, and only followed them for 4 months. The study also only included kids who have never owned a video game console and never specified how many hours in a day the kids played video games. It also did not confirm how much homework was needed to reinforce reading and writing, so there are many factors that would have contributed to the lower scores and not video gaming by itself.

Another study, published in the journal, ‘Molecular Psychiatry’, linked playing video games to an increased loss of brain grey matter, which is the area of the brain that processes all of the signals. A loss of grey matter is associated with a greater risk for early dementia in adults. As much as this study correlated video gaming use with deteriorating brain function, they did not look at these children long term to see if the effects continued well into adulthood or not. A counter argument to this claim is a study from Mayo Clinic that confirms how grey matter can be preserved and even increased thru yoga and exercise, so the trials with opposing views was not substantial enough to counter the claims of the positive effects of home video gaming. Another challenge to the claim that video games make kids unhealthy or dumb, makes the false assumption that kids are spending too many hours playing video games and doesn’t take into consideration a moderate amount of video game use. Another study, published in the journal, ‘Frontiers in Human Neuroscience’, confirms that even an hour a day of video games can have significant improvements in brain activity and focus.

Converging points from Fox’s ‘The Imperial Animal’ and Jane McGonical’s perspective on the benefits of video gaming, it can be deduced that there is an untapped and hidden potential in home video game use. As long as we continue to maintain gaming as part of our daily recreational routine, it will continue to fine tune our hand-eye coordination and focus skills while engraining a unique genetic code that favors this type of behavior into our DNA. As mentioned in ‘The Imperial Animal’, our customs and practices drive our evolution. Whether we want to or not, video gaming has been influencing our genetic code and will continue to do so as long as gaming is a significant part of our lives. By embracing this evolutionary journey, we can take advantage of the skill set mother nature is preparing us for and use these skills to further life and survivability for humans.

An example of a career that requires a high amount of focus and a meticulous use of the hands and eyes is robotic surgery. For any traditional surgeon that learns to incorporate robotics into a surgery is probably learning the mechanics of control later on in their career. With the incorporation of video game use early on, a doctor or surgeon in training will have an upper hand and potentially better outcomes with future surgeries than if he/she trained later on in his/her career. One National Institute of Health study supports this claim by examining outcomes of laparoscopic surgeries. Laparoscopic surgeries use a tiny video camera fitted into a fiber optic wire, which is controlled by a surgeon remotely. This particular study showed that surgeons who plated for more than three hours per week made 33% fewer errors compared to the surgeons who did not play any video games at all.

Benefits to the medicine field also don’t have to be limited to the hand-eye coordination of the surgeon. Since different imaging machines guide many of the robotic surgeries, video gaming use can also contribute to the success of surgeries that involve imaging equipment, such as the CT or MRI machine. Let’s suppose a surgeon has to remove a cancerous tumor from a patient’s body. The CT machine only displays images in shades of grey and white. The level of success that surgeon has in removing the tumor is directly dependent on how well he/she can see and can cut around the healthy and cancerous margins of the tumor. One particular article posted in the journal, ‘Nature Neuroscience’, supports the benefits video game training can have in improving the surgeon’s ability to distinguish the different shades of grey, or in this case, the borders of the cancerous tumor. So, in essence, playing video games can help doctors save lives.

Any residual concerns of how video games destroy the general emotional well-being of our youths probably hasn’t read the several studies that support the fact that video game in fact influences positive social interactions among those participating in group video game missions. In Jane McGonical’s TED talk, she reports how gamers enhance their social skills by collaborating on a mutual mission and working together to reach that ultimate goal. Whether it be saving the virtual world, a damsel in distress, or eliminating the universe of evil, video gamers work together on a common mission where everyone shares in the success of their labor. An additional study supporting this claim was published in the journal, ‘Frontiers in Psychology’, and confirms that video games have an overall positive effect on an individual’s cognitive and emotional well-being.

Throughout history, video games have played an important part of our lives ever since their introduction several decades ago. The momentum of its popularity would not be deterred, and many families found themselves asking Santa for the next best video game console for their well-behaved girl or boy. Society soon found itself criticizing the side effects of video games, pointing to how it was making kids fat, lazy, and dumb. Through all of the criticism, and fear it would destroy countless generations, we have still seen advances in every sector of the workforce, primarily because of the same technology that brought us video games. If we learned to embrace the potential benefits video games can have on our society, we can learn to have video games work to our advantage in developing highly trained and focused robotic surgeons or radiologists who will work to identify cancers or deformities in patients.

Harvesting the hidden potential video games can contribute to the training of these future professionals will undoubtedly have a positive influence in outcomes years ahead. Our DNA is evolving to prepare us for this journey, and embracing this unique quality will empower us to optimize the benefits of technology and evolution. Think of the lives that can be extended or even saved by the oncologist who is able to identify the specific size of a cancerous piece of tissue that most would be able to see, or the endurance a video game trained surgeon will have in being able to withstand hours of surgery while navigating through a small controller, or even the future expeditions to Mars, which will require an incredible amount of focus and coordination. All of this can be achieved by embracing technology and incorporating a reasonable curriculum which includes your daily dose of a few hours of fun playing video games at home.

Time travel have been the idea humankind interesting in for century. Since the ancient time, fairy tale about, time travel has always been relevant. From the Hindu epic, King Revaita accepts an invitation to Brahma’s place, when he returns to earth, he finds many century have passed. The story of fisherman name Urashima Taro, having saved a sea turtle, he gets invited to the sea-kingdom; when he return home he became a centuries old man although he just stay there for 2 week. Later, the concept of travel to the past is a more recent invention. In the late eighteenth century, the Time Machine – masterpiece of H.G. Wells – have been public and is the first book to propose an actual device that can be used to travel back and forth in time. If we can travel in time, then there are so many possibilities for human kind. We can access to the technology of the future and improve our life. But time travel only exist in the sci-fi movie, right? There is no way we can do it in real life. What if I tell you that we can? Maybe not now but in 20 or 30 years, we can make a time machine based on today’s theories.

If you when to travel in time, first you must understand the meaning of it. Although we use the word “time” all the time in our daily life, but we never can understand the full meaning of time. Time in our head normally is just a set of point in the day/night circle for us to easier set up our schedule. Which is measured by a clock. The concept of time is deeper than we thought. According to Wikipedia: “Time is the indefinite continued progress of existence and events that occur in apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future”. That mean time is not something that is already pre-arranged but a thing that we made. That also mean that we are controlling the future by our choice and the past is the result of our choice.

Since when we born, we had always thinking that we are living in a 3D dimension ( from a particular point in space, the basic directions in which we can move are up/down, left/right, and forward/backward). But in some theories, we had always been living in 4D dimension which we have no awareness of the 4th dimension (in this case is Time). The thing is object in the lower dimension only can see a small part of object in higher dimension. That why we only can see a man in a practically age. Just. We also can’t imagine what the 4rd dimension look like, we just feel it and we travel forward it without we are knowing it. Like we are getting older and things get aged. We always consider getting older is the one-way thing. But just like we can move around in our 3D dimension, We probably can also travel in “time road”

Well in theory, that is possible. But our current technology still has a far way to go in order to make that become truth. One of the most relevant theory is based on Albert Einstein general relativity. Which consider our universe is a flat surface and that surface is bend by gravity. Because the surface is bend just like in real life,everything around it will be fall right into it. Which is a perfect match with the Newton theory. But the general relativity is more extend and can be the base theory for time traveling.

Imagine you have two flat surfaces which now contact at all. An ant on one surface can’t go to the other surface. But if u have a stick between two of them, the ant may can go to the other surface. That is just like time traveling. You too have two flat surface which never connect which is the past dimension and the present dimension. Now if you need to go to the past you will need a connection this case a portal. So how can we create this portal.

Maybe wormhole is the portal we had always been looking for. Every space around us have something in it. Even the space – which is the least solid thing in the universe have something in it, like the big bang dust or floating matter. So, what if we create something that made of nothing? First, it’s seemed to be dumb and illogically. But the more we know about the matter the more it become logically. Normally we can’t make nothing. Simple the physic doesn’t allow us to do that. Just pretend that we made a space of nothing, there will continuity appear from nowhere two particles with opposing electrolysis then disappear right the moment it appears. So, it’s mean we can’t make something out of nothing, not because it’s illogical, but because it can’t (with our current technology). But if we can separate two particles, we can really make a gate connect all time and space – which it’s calls Wormhole. What make a wormhole so special? one of the most fascinating aspects of wormholes is their apparent ease in generating closed time-like curves (CTC). A CTC allows time travel, in the sense that an observer that travels on a trajectory in spacetime along this curve, may return to an event before his departure. This fact apparently violates causality, so that time travel and the associated paradoxes must be treated with great caution. The idea is to create a time shift between both mouths. When a moth in relative motion with respect to the other or one is placed in a strong gravitational field. This will make time to relevant different around two mouth of the wormhole. Due to the Lorentz time contraction, when you travel with high velocity from moth A to B, the time that stick with you significantly shorter than the time interval between the 2 mouth. We will call the time that shifted is ∆TA −∆TB = ∆T.

Because the time travel in wormhole is almost instant so the time that shifted when you travel is 0 – ∆T so basically you travel back in time. Although this may cause a numerous of problems like paradox and fatal death, but it’s still can a key theory for time travel. Other then that we also have a theory that I would likely to named it the clock theory. The concept of time traveling through the clock experimental tests. When a clock is placed in a gravitational field, or gravitational red-shift, may be considered as a consequence of the equivalence principle. For example the clock in on the ground with the clock in space, a few hours after their synchronization, the difference can be a million of a seconds. Or a clock on the ground and the clock on the spaceship the difference can be a hour or more. So, this is the proud of time flow in gravitational field or in moment. The same thing happens to the clock that is near to the heavy object. So that mean when an object is affect by a motion vector can be drag deviation from its current time line. So, if we want to travel as far as able to the past, we need a exactly heavy object. So, this is where black hole step in the game. With its massive mass it’s can produce more than enough force we need. But because of the danger of Black hole this method is still not possible.

So, can we truly travel in time. Perhaps? We now may have an ideal about travel in space, but our current technology just can’t make it become true. Maybe in the future we could invent a machine that create wormhole or think of some way we can survive Black hole. Our children may can travel in time and come meet us. Who know how can it go? After all, the potential of human kind is unlimited.

Introduction

We are on the edge of tomorrow, and the future looks like a fabric with both endless possibilities and big problems that need to be solved. We are both excited and scared about the new era that is coming. It will bring about technical advances, environmental problems, and changes in the way people live together. The essays in this collection try to break down the complicated layers of the future. They talk about the coming technological revolutions that will change the way people live, the urgent environmental crises, and the changing social dynamics that will change how we connect and interact with each other. In a time when things change quickly, the future doesn’t seem like a faraway dream; it seems like it’s right around the corner, calling us to embrace both its promises and its dangers. Through a collection of reflective stories, this collection aims to shed light on the many paths that lie ahead of us, showing the ways for scientific and social progress while also carefully examining the problems that force us to change. It’s an adventure that aims to show how to get to a future that is not only possible, but also attainable and open to everyone. It encourages readers to imagine and help create a world where growth and sustainability are closely connected.

100 Words Essay about the future

The future is like a blank canvas with endless options. It’s full of amazing technology advances and changes in society. It’s full of innovations that could change the way people live, from AI that makes our daily lives easier to environmentally friendly ideas that aim to make our relationship with the earth more harmonious. But this future also has problems. We will have to deal with climate change, injustice, and the moral problems that come up with new technologies coming out so quickly. As we look into this new future, the one we leave behind will depend on how creative, resourceful, and dedicated we are to taking care of the whole world. To get through the exciting but uncertain seas of the future, we need to be open to change, encourage innovation, and put sustainability first.

250 Words Essay about the future

The future, often visualized through the lens of science fiction and speculation, is a testament to human curiosity and innovation. It is a concept that encapsulates both the brightest possibilities and the most challenging obstacles that lie ahead. As we stand on the threshold of monumental changes brought about by advancements in technology, environmental awareness, and shifts in societal structures, the future invites us to imagine a world transformed by our current actions and aspirations.

Technological innovation is at the heart of this future vision, with artificial intelligence, robotics, and biotechnology poised to redefine what it means to live, work, and interact. These advancements promise to unlock new frontiers in healthcare, education, and industry, potentially elevating the quality of life and erasing boundaries that have long hindered human progress. However, with great power comes great responsibility. The ethical considerations and potential for disruption in employment and privacy highlight the need for a balanced approach to embracing technological change.

Environmental sustainability represents another critical facet of the future. The growing awareness of climate change and its impacts has sparked a global movement towards sustainable living, renewable energy, and conservation efforts. This shift towards eco-consciousness is not just about preserving the natural world but about ensuring a livable future for all inhabitants of our planet.

In sum, the future is an invitation to innovate, to adapt, and to envision a world that reflects our highest hopes and aspirations. As we navigate this uncertain but exciting terrain, our collective actions and choices will determine the legacy we leave for future generations.

400 Words Essay about the future

The horizon of the future is full of unknown territory. It calls to people with the promise of new ideas and the need to solve the most important problems our global community is facing right now. As we look into the vast unknown, we are faced with the possibility of major technological advances as well as the urgent need for long-term solutions to environmental problems and the goal of social justice. This essay looks at many different parts of the future, focusing on how technology, caring for the environment, and changes in society will affect the next few decades.

Technological advancement stands at the forefront of shaping the future. The rapid pace of innovation in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, and biotechnology holds the promise of transforming healthcare, education, and industry. AI and automation offer the potential to revolutionize work, making processes more efficient and uncovering new realms of human creativity. Yet, this technological leap forward brings with it ethical dilemmas and the challenge of ensuring that the benefits of innovation are equitably distributed, avoiding a future where societal divides are deepened by unequal access to new technologies.

Parallel to the march of technology is the urgent call for environmental sustainability. The future is inextricably linked to our ability to address climate change, preserve biodiversity, and transition to renewable energy sources. The next decades demand a concerted effort from individuals, corporations, and governments to implement practices and policies that protect the environment while supporting economic and social development. Innovations in clean energy, sustainable agriculture, and waste reduction are not just desirable but essential for a viable future.

Societal evolution also plays a critical role in shaping the future. The movements toward greater inclusivity, equity, and justice reflect a collective aspiration for a world where all individuals have the opportunity to thrive. Education and access to information stand as pillars for empowering communities and fostering a culture of understanding and tolerance. The future holds the potential for a more connected global society, where diversity is celebrated and every individual can contribute to the common good.

However, the path to this future is shaped by the choices we make today. The challenges of technological ethics, environmental sustainability, and social equity require a multidisciplinary approach, where collaboration and innovation are guided by a commitment to the welfare of the planet and its inhabitants. Engaging with these challenges presents an opportunity to redefine progress, not just in terms of economic growth, but as the pursuit of a more just, sustainable, and flourishing world.

500 Words Essay about the future

The idea of the future is both scary and exciting. It looks like an uncharted area in front of us, full of opportunities for innovation, change, and the search for a more fair and sustainable world. Along with this huge potential, there are also big problems that need our instant attention and action. When thinking about the future, we need to think about how big changes in technology will be, how important it is to take care of the environment, how global businesses will change, and how important it is for everyone to feel included and treated fairly. This article looks at these important areas and gives you ideas about the possible paths that could shape the next parts of human history.

Technological innovation is at the epicenter of future developments. The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, biotechnology, and digital communication has the potential to redefine what it means to be human. AI and machine learning could revolutionize healthcare through personalized medicine, improve education through customized learning experiences, and enhance productivity across industries. However, these advancements come with ethical considerations, such as privacy concerns, the displacement of jobs, and the need for regulation to ensure that technology serves the greater good rather than exacerbating inequalities.

Environmental sustainability is perhaps the most pressing challenge of our time. The future of our planet hinges on our ability to combat climate change, preserve natural resources, and transition to renewable energy sources. Sustainable practices must be integrated into every aspect of society, from urban planning and transportation to agriculture and industry. Innovations in clean technology, such as electric vehicles, solar power, and green architecture, offer hope for reducing our environmental footprint. Yet, achieving sustainability requires more than technological solutions; it demands a fundamental shift in values, behaviors, and policies worldwide.

The future economy will be shaped by the interplay of technology, environmental sustainability, and social dynamics. The rise of the gig economy, digital currencies, and e-commerce points to a more interconnected, flexible, and potentially volatile global market. The challenge lies in ensuring that economic growth is inclusive, providing opportunities for all segments of society while addressing the disparities exacerbated by globalization and technological change. Moreover, the transition to a green economy presents both challenges and opportunities, requiring a workforce skilled in new technologies and sustainable practices.

Social justice and inclusivity are critical components of a desirable future. As we move forward, the commitment to human rights, equality, and access to opportunities must be unwavering. The future should be one where diversity is celebrated, and every individual has the chance to contribute to society. Education, healthcare, and access to technology must be equitable to build resilient communities that can adapt to change and thrive in the face of adversity.

In conclusion, the future is a tapestry woven from the threads of technology, environmental stewardship, economic transformation, and social justice. While the challenges are daunting, the potential for positive change is immense. By embracing innovation with responsibility, prioritizing sustainability, fostering inclusive economic growth, and championing social equity, we can steer towards a future that reflects our highest aspirations for humanity. The path we choose today will determine the legacy we leave for future generations.

Science fiction texts effectively utilize a variety of textual forms and features to explore fictional futures, which cooperate to develop a commentary on the present. ‘Gattaca’ (1997), produced by Andrew Niccol, and ‘Movement’ (2011), by Nancy Fulda, are two texts that reveal the ongoing rivalry between Earth’s creator, God, and the evolvement of scientific technology. However, as a consequence of the rivalry, whilst ‘Gattaca’ exhibits the importance of resisting conformity, ‘Movement’ emphasizes self-acceptance and staying true to your own identity.

Both ‘Gattaca’ and ‘Movement’, through the creation of a fictional future, encourages the audience to reflect upon how the present has the potential to rely heavily on technology in the future, inevitably tampering with God’s creations. ‘Gattaca’ portrays a society set in the ‘not too distant future’ where genetically engineered individuals are considered ‘valids’ and superior to the naturally conceived ‘in-valids’. A reoccurring scene in the film where Vincent Freeman and Anton Freeman play ‘chicken’ to see who can swim the farthest from shore before turning back, displays Vincent gradually overcoming his physical limitations as an invalid. As the two brothers swim into the water, Niccol utilizes aerial shots of the brothers swimming in the empty sea as it emphasizes the danger of the game and the damaging nature of their rivalry. This scene is accompanied by chilling, classical music in the background to set the serious mood. As Vincent loses in the first swimming scene as a young boy, this illuminates society’s view of the genetically engineered to be greater than the naturally conceived. However, in the second swimming scene, “the impossible happened”, as Vincent had beaten his ‘perfect’ brother. Niccol implemented extreme close-ups of Vincent helping his struggling brother to emphasize the unexpected defeat of Anton. This sparked a change in Vincent’s attitude, as he now believed he had the potential to take on a space mission as an ‘invalid’ individual. The last and final swimming scene is set in the dark night, emphasizing the serious danger of this final competition. As fully grown adults, Vincent refuses to stop and proclaims “This is how I did it: I never saved anything for the swim back”, which conveys Vincent’s mindset throughout the film as an invalid and overcoming his genetic shortcomings through his own hard work. The two brothers competing repetitively throughout the film further symbolizes the continuous rivalry between God and scientific technology. Similarly, in ‘Movement’, Hannah having temporal autism is considered to not be leading a ‘normal life’ and she is “learning to mold herself to a world that does not welcome her”. Moreover, Hannah says “…the pane will find its own shape, one constrained not by the hand of humans but by the laws of the universe, and by its own nature”, which furthermore illustrates the rivalry between God and scientific technology. However, being a ‘valid’ and to ‘live a normal life’ are only options provided to the wealthy. Similar to the present, in the futuristic society the societal hierarchy will be money-orientated where only the wealthy will be able to afford genetic engineering and synaptic grafting. Evidently, both texts reveal the detrimental impact on society from tampering with nature and the potential of a futuristic money-orientated society.

Through the creation of a fictional future, ‘Gattaca’ and ‘Movement’ portray how social control can hinder our freedom. The film begins with the biblical allusion: “Consider God’s handiwork; who can straighten what He hath made crooked?” (Ecclesiastes, 7:13). ‘Gattaca’ and ‘Movement’ answer this question differently, despite that Vincent and Hannah similarly struggle to realise their identities, accept their weaknesses and finally overcome their physical limitations to fulfil their aspirations. Vincent in ‘Gattaca’ goes to the extremes to overcome the inevitable of his limitations and accepts any possible help in order to fulfil his dream. He relies solely on Jerome Eugene Marrow to provide him his perfect genetic status to become one perfect person, showing a similar relationship resemblance to artists Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. Niccol repetitively utilizes close-ups of blood and skin motifs which illustrate how much the society honor genetics. However, in ‘Movement’, a flytrap is described as “crushed against the sidewalk, overshadowed by the smaller, sturdier plants that crowd above it”, which exposes how in the present, society values genetic-engineering over natural conceiving. However, the repetition in, “I do not want to live small. I do not want to be like everyone else… I do not want new shoes”, portrays how Hannah alone is overcoming her genetic shortcomings by rejecting any help and honoring and staying true to herself.

Ultimately, ‘Gattaca’ and ‘Movement’ are both science fiction texts that explore similar fictional futures and examine the futuristic rivalry between the Earth’s creator, God, and the evolvement of scientific technology. The special techniques of filming ‘Gattaca’ have highlighted the growth of Vincent throughout the film to overcome his genetic weaknesses and has revealed potential detrimental impacts from tampering God’s original creations. However, ‘Movement’ comments differently about the present, illustrating Hannah’s growth to show that humans are resisting and becoming more aware of these effects, aiding to prevent them in the futuristic society.

Science fiction texts imagine a future where technological boundaries are pushed and often discuss the costs of these advancements on humanity. By extrapolating from trajectories of present concerns that arise as a result of the negative evolution of technology, the endurance and power of the human spirit is revealed. Andrew Niccol’s 1997 film ‘Gattaca’, introduces the societal ideology of genetic determinism that discriminates individuals based on their genetic makeup. Whereas, Nancy Fulda’s 2011 short story ‘Movement’ reveals how a society has distorted the unique identity of a character by creating a derogatory term for one’s extraordinary behavior, temporal autism. While ‘Gattaca’ discusses the limiting effects of discrimination based on an individual’s DNA, ‘Movement’ explores the conflict between conforming to the expectations of a homogenous society and accepting one’s unique identity. However, both texts present two separate characters that are limited by their restrictive environments but still display resilience and determination.

Niccol’s ‘Gattaca’ uncovers a new form of discrimination, where one’s DNA determines an individual’s position in society’s social hierarchy. Through the main protagonist Vincent who conceals his identity, Niccol’s presents a future where discrimination will not solely be limited to racial or gender prejudice, which is prevalent both historically and in today’s society. The close-up shots of the ID cards introduce viewers into the world of ‘Gattaca’, where society is divided into two distinct classes of ‘valids’ and ‘in-valids’. Similar to the society of ‘Movement’ which coins the term ‘temporal autism’ as an imaginary variant of autism, disparaging names are given to those conceived naturally, such as ‘defectives’ or ‘de-gene-erates’. The infinity symbol, representative of one’s self as a ‘valid’, symbolizes the endless possibilities that is predetermined from birth. This is contrasted by the cross symbol for ‘in-valids’, suggesting that their natural identities determined by God’s hands are inferior. Since birth, Vincent is compared to his brother Anton, conceived through genetic selection. The overhead shot of the two characters swimming where Vincent struggles with seaweed in his path while Anton’s path is clear, serves as a symbolic reminder that Vincent’s genetic inferiority will always be an obstacle that denies him of any opportunities to discover his true potential. For this reason, Vincent adopts the identity of Jerome, who offers him the chance to fulfil his lifelong aspirations of space travel. A deliberate parallel is constructed in the final scenes of the film through the constant cuts between Vincent’s triumph and Jerome’s tragic demise. This scene reveals that despite being given the opportunity from birth to ‘prosper’, Jerome undeniably suffers under the burden of perfection, disproving society’s basis for their discrimination. Hence, by exploring a fictional future that exaggerates the advancements of genetic modification, Niccol’s ‘Gattaca’ evidently comments on present day discrimination and how it can undermine one’s potential in society.

Conversely, Fulda’s short story ‘Movement’ is set in a potential future where an individual’s unique identity is considered ‘unorthodox’ by the world’s standards and is pejoratively referred to as ‘temporal autism’. Through the vibrant imagery, “billowing layers of cumulous blazing with refracted oranges and red”, readers are introduced to the protagonist, Hannah, who views the world through a different and extraordinary lens. Although Hannah is given the choice to conform to the expectations of a homogenous society that promises success, the rhetorical question, “I wonder, if the plant had been offered the certainty of mediocrity rather than the chance of greatness, would it have accepted?” depicts her uncertainty as she must decide whether to change or accept her predetermined unique traits. The Venus fly trap that bears a “magnificent blossom” stands as a metaphor for Hannah’s potential yet “the ordinary stem, too spindly to support this innovation” represents her dichotomous society that rejects individuality. Throughout the story, the duality of glass is used to exemplify her unique personality as Hannah constantly compares herself to it, however simultaneously acts as an obstacle – “I am not static, no more than the large glass window that lights the breakfast table”.

Both ‘Movement’ and ‘Gattaca’ portray characters whose societies have deemed them to be inadequate. However, unlike ‘Gattaca’, where Vincent decides to change his identity, in ‘Movement’, Hannah decides not to change and maintain her true self as she begins a new journey of self-discovery through ballet. The repetition of “I do not want new shoes” in the final line embodies her decision to embrace her unique identity. Hence, the futuristic setting of ‘Movement’ largely reflects our present society which posits the notion that an individual’s success isn’t confined to society’s expectations, rather, by one’s determination to preserve their unique identity.

Overall, Niccol’s ‘Gattaca’ and Fulda’s ‘Movement’ present fictional future by amplifying trajectories of present concerns to discuss the consequences on humanity. Both texts are set in restrictive environments that test the characters’ determination and drive for success. Effectively, ‘Gattaca’ delves into a society’s suppressive ideology that an individual’s DNA dictates their success in life while ‘Movement’, explores the conflict between conforming to a homogenous or choosing to embrace one’s unique identity.