Some interesting prognostications in an article titled ‘A Brief History of the Future’ in The Age, Good Weekend, September 27, 2014:

Government by machine: It’s already happening in the US and UK. Complain about your parking ticket and get a computerised response/decision. All your tax refunds will be machine-processed.

A Jobless Future: 93% of all Australians who had a job in 1964 worked full-time; by 1984 – 75%; 2014 – 67%. In the future: more part-timers, and more barter (a way of monetising value invisible from the Government)

Printed Meat: We already have 3D printing. ‘In the future home kitchens will have their own 3D meat printers; all you need is the stem cells.’ Also bio-sensors, like an inkblot on your skin, say, that relay health recommendations to your phone (like your carbohydrates for this month is in the red). ‘Don’t laugh: the Japanese have toilets that analyse your stool and deliver a health report to your cell phone’.  

Environment: Global warming is going to exact a brutal toll not only on natural landscapes and agriculture but on wildlife, with countless thousands of species to be extinguished… There is one creature whose disappearance by 2040 is all but guaranteed; the climate sceptic. ‘In 30 years’ time, the effects of climate change will be so obvious that no one will be able to deny it,’ says Prof. Lesley Hughes, Biological Science Dept, Sydney’s Macquarie University.  

Defense:  China will have usurped the US as the pre-eminent force in Asia. This may entail a war – a dumb idea – or new configurations of trading blocs. Indonesia will be richer, bigger and more powerful than Australia.

Internet:  Only 1% of things that can be connected by the Internet are currently connected. By 2044 the ratio will be inverted. Problem: ethics. Data banks will be manipulated by people less interested in you, and more concerned about running a business. Remember cars? It took 60-70 years to develop stuff like seat belts, improved road design, and vehicle safety features. ‘It’ll be the same time-frame with the e-world revolution.