Futurology from the future

A very interesting school report from the future... I saw this in Wired - the September 2006 issue. Some of the terms and concepts used here are pretty cool and very realistic for the near future; like, "Podiobooks", "genetic" testing for admission into MIT and Stanford, "meatspace", varsity "Halo" teams, "smartpaper", and insulin transplants.

Interfaces such as this report card always intrigue me. They are always talking about digital paper but I don't know when the technologies will come down to a price that the average person can afford them (like cell phones today).

Note how (under Citizenship/Behaviour) it says "Frequently switches classrooms with her clone". Now there's an option no one would mind! Both clones could follow their individual interests - if there is such a thing as individuality within clones. I wonder if clones have souls? I guess we're still far off from this one though.

Procedural animation (under Art) is one of the most cutting edge computer graphics fields today, and it has been used to simulate elements like smoke, fire and water, and also rigid body dynamics - like movement of clothing, hair - not to mention character animation. So far it has been used in Quake III Arena, Spore and also in the upcoming Unreal Tournament 2007. I wonder what more they can do it with it apart from application in video games. The damnest thing - if I had opted to go to LA with my family, I could've attended this year's E3 - the annual trade show for the computer and video games industry. An old friend I ran into earlier on facebook told me he had extra invitations for it but people were willing to even pay up for them ever since they majorly downsized it this year, so I had to tell him to pass on the invite. Regrets, regrets!

This month I have had so many regrets, it's amazing. But it's true - attending a trade show such as this one could really have opened my eyes towards the opportunities this industry offers. I need help in deciding if I want to concentrate my major on Interactive Media - that includes a lot of game design and I find VERY interesting. My other options are New Media Studies [who wants to be a professor?] and Communication Management [aka spin masters; you know, Public Relations practitioners?]. But then I guess the first step for me should be installing a graphics card and a bunch of video games and then getting down to "analyze" the games, not buying a ticket to LA to attend the Electronic Entertainment Expo [E3].

My pun of the day: while missing E3 is not a very major regret, it is still qualifies as a "major" regret.

Thanks AR for spotting this 2018 transcript and sharing it with me. (She was sure I would make a post about it if I saw it!)