South By Texas State

“It is 6a.m. and you are dreaming of electric sheep,” said Dan Willis, of SapientNitro.  In the imagined future, when one wakes up from dreamland, he or she will simply thrust a hand into the air and digital sensors will project onto the hand an assortment of information including time, weather, family vital information, and more.  You will know most everything you want to know as you get out of bed, before you get out of bed.

The digital future looks seamless for Tim Ruder of Perfect Market Inc, Nadya Direkova of Google (No link necessary.  If you can’t find Google don’t worry,  Google will find you.), and Chris Bishop of PBS Kids Interactive.

We are not so far from Star Trek

Willis’s job was simple:  organize a panel of with the simple task of imagining what the year 2015 would be like in terms of how the digital world would be incorporated into our every day lives.  Our digital future, as imagined by our panelists lies somewhere between Star Trek and 1984 (only a happy version) with portable information devices that offer easy access to all sorts of information.

Although innovations had mainly to do with access to information, there were some instant creation devices, such as Direkova’s machine that will create custom fit, recyclable clothing designed to fit as you scan a device that contains all your measurements.  In minutes, a garment is created for you.  At a later time, you can return the garment to the machine and it will be broken down and recycled.

These innovations are spin-offs however, of what our culture has been producing, or imagining, for quite some time.  Willis reminds us that our culture, specifically our cinema (hence the Star Trek reference), and our innovative reality often mirror each other while consistently returning to the same ideas.  Star Trek’s communicator, and subsequent versions throughout films reflect our modern cell phones, which will eventually be devices that connect us will all sorts of immediate information.

One of the more interesting imagined innovations and possible uses for the flat screen.  The “looking glass”, as Ruder calls it,  is a simple transparent screen allows one to gather information about whatever is being looked though the glass.  Ruder imagines a future where copious amounts of information will be organized so well, that access will be easily available at any moment.  Is that an encyclopedia in your pocket?

The "Looking Glass" allows one to immediately access information just by "aiming".

This figment of innovation will also allow one to be able to “look” down the street, gather information about the restaurants, shops, hours, and will let you know if any contacts or “friends” are nearby.

These dreams are not so far off.  These technologies have lived in our imaginations for decades.  People are already finding practical uses for flat screens, and even dreaming up screens that can bend (check out LivingMagazine as a side note)!

The “imagineers” collectively predict that most surfaces will eventually become screens, but that life will not be very different, save the details.  Most portable devices will serve as a, “stitching device, rather than multi-fuction device,” said Willis.