Ian D. Pearson

While many argue that present conditions are not necessarily indicative of the future, Ian D. Pearson maintains in the following viewpoint that predictions about the future can be accurately made. By extrapolating the progress rates of technologies currently being researched and developed, Pearson predicts that by 2020, humans will live longer and be more healthy, alternatives to fossil fuels will provide cleaner energy, and incredibly fast computers and robots will be commonplace. Pearson is a telecommunications analyst and futurologist in Great Britain.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to the author, what possibility does a complete map of the human genome provide"

2. How will telecommunications benefit the elderly, according to the author"

3. How will the computers of the future differ from those of the present, as predicted by Pearson"

No...