IBM's Five Predictions For the Next Five Years

PolygamousRanchKid writes "In each of the past five years, IBM has come up with a list of five innovations it believes will become popular within five years. In this, the sixth year, IBM has come up with the following technologies it thinks will gain traction: (1) People power will come to life. Advances in technology will allow us to trap the kinetic energy generated (and wasted) from walking, jogging, bicycling, and even from water flowing through pipes. (2) You will never need a password again. Biometrics will finally replace the password and thus redefine the word 'hack.' (3) Mind reading is no longer science fiction. Scientists are working on headsets with sensors that can read brain activity and recognize facial expressions, excitement, and more without needing any physical inputs from the wearer. (4) The digital divide will cease to exist. Mobile phones will make it easy for even the poorest of poor to get connected. (5) Junk mail will become priority mail. "In five years, unsolicited advertisements may feel so personalized and relevant it may seem that spam is dead."

Redefining the word "Hack"...

[Zamphatta]

Hack (verb) - to cut off someone's finger or eyeball, in order to use it later for biometrically entering their computer accounts.

Re:Anyone who thinks they can predict the future..

[chill]

"Forever" meaning until the boyfriend hears those two magic words, I'm pregnant.

My prediction is somewhere shortly after five years from now, somewhere in America, a teenage girl will be hearing the phrase "I told you so" from her mother.

Re:Anyone who thinks they can predict the future..

[elrous0]

A fellow psychic. All these years I thought I was alone.

Re:And none will ever need

[sadness203]

That's ok. Nobody would've cared anyway.

Re:Anyone who thinks they can predict the future..

[ozbon]

I knew you were going to say that

Re:On #2: Biometrics are not secrets

[CryptDemon]

Weird... I still have fingerprints on my other hand.