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1. Virtual Reality26 years (!) after the movie “Brainstorm” piqued our curiosity, most people don’t get any more “virtual” than Second Life or the latest episode of “Survivor.”
2. Home AutomationLights, thermostats, and the coffee-maker, maybe, but not so much on the rest of the smart house scenario. The Jetsons this ain’t.
3. The Paperless OfficeYeah, right. So much for saving those rain forests.
4. Time ManagementComputers bring efficiency, but that piles more tasks
5. LocomotionMoving sidewalks, flying cars, suction tubes zapping us from one place to another —stuck in neutral. Heck, we have wait lists just to a get a Prius.
6. Register-Free CheckoutRFID chips embedded in product packaging and ATM cards were supposed to do away with checkout lines. Not yet.
7. TelesurgerySurgeons operating anywhere, via robotics, high-speed data connections, and electronic medical records!
8. FoodtopiaMeals-in-a-pill? Instead