Things Star Trek got right, things it got wrong, & things yet to be.

[southern81]

can't say i'm a fan of star trek, i'm more a fan of STAR WARS, but alot of thing star trek predicted has come true. mostly smaller PC's. think about it when the show was running pc were huge now you can carry them around in a briefcase

[alpha2117]

I'm not in agreement on that point. I think that in 400 years time, English will sound as alien to us as Anglo-Saxon does today, although Anglo-Saxon is the direct ancestor of what we know today as English.

Anglo-Saxon: éala éarendel engla beorthast, ofer middangeard monnum sended*

Modern English: Hail Eärendel brightest of angels, over Middle-earth to men sent.

As you can see, familiar, albeit totally alien to most people today, I'm sure.

(From the Old English poem "Crist" by Cynewulf)

*Much to my regret I don't have a keyboard that can reproduce the language-specific letters of the Anglo-Saxon alphabet.

However we live in a post Samuel Johnson world. Once someone developed a dictionary and the language started to develop a clear set of words then the old practice of huge variations of spelling and pronunciation depending on where you were fell by the wayside. Also Anglo-Saxon changed rapidly post the Norman invasion and the introduction of French as the language of commerce. Eventually the two languages formed the hybrid language we have today. Whilst it is possible it could again mutate with either Hindi or Chinese it's actually appearing more a case that Hindi and Chinese are mutating towards English. In all likelyhood in 400 years people will be speaking a English variant spiced with Chinese/Hindi and possibly some other asian/middle eastern words. It would still be recogniseble to us in general structure and most wordsthough although many specific terms would be alien.

[seamonkey]

I'm not in agreement on that point. I think that in 400 years time, English will sound as alien to us as Anglo-Saxon does today, although Anglo-Saxon is the direct ancestor of what we know today as English.

Sorry, but you've got your dates wrong. You are citing OLD English (Anglo Saxon = Anglish = English) which lasted from about the 5th Century to sometime between the 9th and the 11th Centuries (Viking and Norman invasions of England). What followed was the development of MIDDLE English until about the 15th Century (as typified by Chaucer's Canterbury Tales). From just before Shakespeare's time (15th & 16th Century) until now we see the development of MODERN English.

We can understand Shakespeare's English pretty well without assistance and that is from 400 years ago.

However, it is entirely possible that in the next 400 years there could be enough additions and changes (occurring more frequently) that would make English much less understandable. The world of the past century and foreseeable future are significantly more mobile and interconnected than in previous centuries. This provides the means by which more substantial changes can take place.

[traLika]

Sorry, but you've got your dates wrong. You are citing OLD English (Anglo Saxon = Anglish = English) which lasted from about the 5th Century to sometime between the 9th and the 11th Centuries (Viking and Norman invasions of England). What followed was the development of MIDDLE English until about the 15th Century (as typified by Chaucer's Canterbury Tales). From just before Shakespeare's time (15th & 16th Century) until now we see the development of MODERN English.

We can understand Shakespeare's English pretty well without assistance and that is from 400 years ago.

However, it is entirely possible that in the next 400 years there could be enough additions and changes (occurring more frequently) that would make English much less understandable. The world of the past century and foreseeable future are significantly more mobile and interconnected than in previous centuries. This provides the means by which more substantial changes can take place.

[LibertyHarkness]

human race wont be in existence by the time we would be capable of space travel/colonisiation etc ... i give the human race another 100/150 years at best ...

[Quiet Reflections]

human race wont be in existence by the time we would be capable of space travel/colonisiation etc ... i give the human race another 100/150 years at best ...

100 years? fucking optimists

[trish]

On the subject of speech, I have serious doubts whether a "universal translator" can ever exist. They may even be issues that make it logically impossible...though I'm not absolutely sure, I'll have to ask Mr. Spock.

[BigDF]

human race wont be in existence by the time we would be capable of space travel/colonisiation etc ... i give the human race another 100/150 years at best ...

While I would agree we evolve rather slowly, I think we'll surpass that in fact I give us perhaps another 1000 years in this form. But then, today, I am an optimist. Ask me this again on one of my dark days.

At any rate it is very pleasant to see you this morning, Sarge.

[traLika]

While I would agree we evolve rather slowly, I think we'll surpass that in fact I give us perhaps another 1000 years in this form. But then, today, I am an optimist. Ask me this again on one of my dark days.

I wouldn't be surprised if we only lasted 150 or 1000 years.

It seems clear that mankind won't do much about climate change (and other environmental issues) until it has to, but by then we might be on the wrong end of an exponential curve and it could be too late. Easter Island on a global scale...

[msbhaven]

Doomsday pessimism has been with us in it's present form since at least the 50s. All I know is whatever course man's future holds, we really don't have a clue what it looks like or how we will get there. At best we are guessing our asses off!