3.1+Communication

__** Internet **__ By the year 2050, the Internet will look significantly different than it does today. First off, connectivity will be wireless for nearly all customers - all major metropolitan areas in the United States and other developed countries will have wi-fi access for everybody across the city. Connection to the wi-fi network will always be fully encrypted from start to finish - each customer will have their own public and private key, combined with a biometric scanner, that corresponds to their user account. So a user's portable/mobile device can be used anywhere, accessing the same network, with the same security, and the same connectivity, no matter where they are.

Government agencies will work together to regulate content, to attempt to ensure safety and security across the web. Sites that are deemed offensive or questionable will be inaccessible to everyday users without some kind of standardized registration and permission, in order to deny access to minors and those who don't want to see it. In addition, sites offering illegal content can be shut down by regulatory agencies. Unfortunately, this also means that politicians will be able to block content to the public, which will lead to extreme versions of the kinds of censorship you see in China today, except on a worldwide scale.

The web will still consist of pages within applications within websites, running on centralized servers, still built with a structured markup language based on today's HTML. Web applications will still be built with a variety of server languages - ASP.NET, PHP, JSP, and other web technologies of today will no longer be around, but other languages will take their places. Client javascript will be gone, replaced with a type-safe language that's designed for the sole purpose of manipulating the markup. Stylesheets will exist in some form, but users will be able to easily define their own visual experience in a standardized manner. Applications will be readily available in both standard video and mini-video for small portable devices.

The "cloud" will be extremely useful for storing data - software will actually work to allow users to access their information securely from anywhere. Local storage will still be commonplace, but the cloud will be used by most people and businesses to backup local data regularly.

Simple email will still be around, with text/picture/video messages still available without any effort. The technology will be replaced by something significantly more secure. Since all Internet communication will be encrypted, email will no longer be nonsecure. Also, the technology will be designed so that the "From" is actually accurate. Today, you can send a message and set the sender to be whatever you want it to, very easily, meaning spammers can use stolen or fake identities incredibly easy. In the future, if a message says it's from someone, then you can be confident that it actually is. This will lead to systems that allow approved senders only to send messages - you can accept messages only from the people and companies you choose, and the rest gets junked.

Still no flying cars in 2050, unfortunately. Instead, we'll have clean-burning vehicles designed for safety and security. Vehicles will be protected by fingerprint scanners in addition to physical keys, both for the doors and for the ignition. Computers will full encryption systems will control the electric systems, which will prevent ordinary criminals from stealing cars by crossing wires or other physical techniques. Fuel will be a combination of biological and clean burning fuel, such as hydrogen or nuclear energy. Refueling stations will still be common, but people will be able to store their own repository at their homes by buying tanks of fuel in bulk.
 * __ Automobiles __**

Cars will come standard with Internet connections. Full navigation systems will be standard in all vehicles. Voice recognition still won't be perfect, but it will be good enough so that the driver can speak the name or address of where they want to go, and the GPS system will do its thing, connecting to Internet directories as needed, to obtain traffic and weather updates, and to keep the index up to date.

__** Television **__ Television will be fully incorporated into the Internet by 2050. The wireless signal that comes in will allow users to stream standard "free" TV into their TV sets, in addition to various levels of premium programming, similar to levels of cable/satellite today. Programs and movies will also be available for streaming individually at a per-use fee, similar to On-Demand and pay-per-view, for people who know exactly what they want to watch. Advertising will occur throughout the program, instead of just at breaks within the program - for example, sidebars and in-show sponsors will be used to replace many of the standard 30-second spots, to ensure that viewers actually see the advertising that's paying for the show. Programs will be licensed to specific hardware, so people will be unable to easily record and pirate shows. Since all television is obtained through trackable sources, the Nielsen ratings will be replaced by a system that actually works.

Mobile devices will continue to replace home and business phones, until that's all that's left. Since wi-fi will be available practically everywhere, phones will be able to connect via the same Internet connection as everyone else, and will be able to make secure calls and other communication. Cellular networks, or a similar technology, will still be available in areas where wi-fi is not, but with significantly inferior performance. Video phones will finally be used, as an option per call - if turned on, then the device will be use a video screen and camera to transmit images - audio can be transmitted via speakerphone or with an earpiece for more privacy.
 * __ Mobile Phones __**

Obviously, mobile devices will have significant computing power - but with data available in the cloud, and the majority of everyday applications available via the web, phones will not be used as full computers, except in plates where a full computer is not available - which won't be many places.

The information age has focused around the Internet - for 20 years we've been learning about the different things that it can do, and we've seen examples and proofs of concept on these items. In 40 years, all of these concepts will become reality - a single network will be behind nearly all forms of communication, entertainment, and finance, along with a standard and secure way of connecting to this network. Still no transporter, food in pill form, time machines, warp speed, or any other sci-fi technology like that, but the Internet will be mature, stable, and secure.
 * __ Conclusion __**

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