WHAT WILL THEY THINK IN 42803?

I had a thought recently that I feel like sharing:

The year 42803 will exist one day.

Like Y2K there could be a panic in the year 9999 about every device coordinated for only 4 digit dates – assuming systematic devices like that will still exist by then.

I think that by the year 42803, our generations will be thought of as a primitive civilization that was dependent on the wheel for most of our machinery – they’ll look back and laugh. Documentation will show a civilization that couldn’t harness space and time and control gravity. They’ll probably look back and chuckle at the fact that we were a species that was stuck on planet earth. Our cars, feet and homes were all attached to the planet and we were stifled by gravity holding us down.

I think it’s fun to look around and try to imagine even new devices as primitive and underdeveloped. The gravity problem will probably take a while to figure out. I read a study recently that was talking about some scientists who have built a laser that can produce as much energy as the sun on a spot smaller than a human cell. Pretty wild.

Some people feel that if given the opportunity to live forever they would turn it down based on the sheer loneliness of the idea - I feel otherwise. I would endure the pain of seeing generations of my family come and go and love lost and found for centuries only to trade it off to see where the human race is going and what’s to come. I don’t think Star Trek is far off. I believe there is intelligent life out there and I believe, eventually, we will have the capacity to bend space and time and be able to propel machines and forces using magnetic and kinetic energies.

The only reason I doubt the existence of god is that for centuries people thought of all of the unanswered questions as gods. The god of the sun, moon and stars - until science explained it all. The, ‘”why are we here?”, question to me is simple, we just are. I doubt lions or piranhas’ think too hard about that stuff. Even dolphins, who’s minds are more advanced, probably don’t worry too much about their “purpose” – a porpoises purpose :)

Anyways, I enjoyed the thought as I drove by OCAD yesterday about the year 42803 and what they’ll think of our civilization. It made me question design and objects and where we're going and what we're doing.

My inherent struggle with design is, WHY? I have an internship with a toy company but is that really the contribution I want to make in this world? Do I really want to dedicate my skill-set to that industry? I struggle with this daily. Above are some designs that I appreciate and I hope that some day I will be able to focus my attention in similar directions.

Happy Holidays and Happy Thinking.

Uncle Dave