It's The End of the World As We Know It....

[Shanti418]

But it's NOT a REM song, it's a fun poll about just how apocalyptic our lives are going to get.

It's no secret that things aren't going well for humanity right now. But humanity's been in s*** before, and has managed to trudge on no? Perhaps things are just cyclical. But then again, there does seem to be a serious convergance of many things, any one of which could profoundly change thw world we live in?

Or do you think I'm just a ridiuclous bastard? There's a poll choice for that tooo.

[The Last Autobot]

WW III


Its just about time.


But please wait after July 4th, 2007



And maybe Ill start it!! (depending on the script)

[Professor Smooth]

Meh. I feel fine.

[Impactor returns 2.0]

Middle east we explode for obvious reasons.
Global warming.

[Metal Vendetta]

We'll start to feel the pinch of global warming.
The Middle East will kick off big style.
Some sort of economic collapse is inevitable.

[Kaylee]

I think most of these things will happen, but probably not in the way we expect or so dramatically.

Global warming I'm reasonably convinced is happening and will gather pace- I'm not convinced the Earth is just going to drop out of orbit however, I think the changes will be subtle (but never the less alarming) with most of the worst effects being felt in the poorest countries. Also probably being indicated by a change in world weather patterns (since rising sea levels will affect currents, air streams and so forth). Although the general trend may also be to hot up, there may be decreases in temperature from time-to-time (two steps forward, one step back if you like) due to variations in Earth's orbit and the Sun's output.

I don't think the US with economically collapse anytime soon, but may well find itself competing strongly with China, which would be a new phenomenon for the US economy. That said, there's nothing to say China will ever beat the US- China's current economic growth is incredibly fast and must slow down (The Financial Times, the Economist). You cannot keep on increasing your economic boom at such a pace- workers need houses, houses need amenities, businesses, shops, car, mass transit systems. These things don't just spring up overnight and must be created- that is likely to slow their growth down to something more sustainable in the long term. It'll still be strong growth, but nothing like the runaway express train it is at the moment. Furthermore there's nothing to say that China won't economically implode like Russia did.

There will be more fighting in the Middle East, but it appears to me that the days when vast groups of nations allied themselves behind one cause seem to be disappearing. Whilst a collection of countries have no problem helping in reconstruction and peacekeeping jobs, it still seems to be the job of the US and UK to go and actually do the dirty work (rightly or wrongly, justified or unprovoked). I don't see a world war happening, I personally think it will just continue as it has done for the last 60 odd years; more territorial fighting, continued hostilities between Israel and the Arab World, dictators coming and going and various nations all trying to be the big-bad of their day.

It's my considered opinion that even if aliens exist, that communication with them would take so long with our technology (limited by the speed of light) that 'contact' is likely to be a non-starter. Messages might take hundreds of years to be sent and received. And even if we could- what self-respecting alien would want to talk to us? If anybody cares to cast their minds back to the slathering, murderous, parasitic creatures in Riddely Scott's movie personally I think that's what it'd be like. With us as the murderous, slathering, parasitic creatures.

Generally it's my opinion the world will continue business as usual for the most part- any huge revolutionary events that happen (world wars, massive natural disasters and so forth) will probably come out of left field I think. Nobody saw the Tsunami coming, after all.

[IronHide]

Im not planning on living past 70, gonna go out in a firey blaze, having red lights flashin in my rearview mirror, ramping things. Like Dukes of Hazzard but with less living.

[Shanti418]

Global warming I'm reasonably convinced is happening and will gather pace- I'm not convinced the Earth is just going to drop out of orbit however, I think the changes will be subtle (but never the less alarming) with most of the worst effects being felt in the poorest countries. Also probably being indicated by a change in world weather patterns (since rising sea levels will affect currents, air streams and so forth). Although the general trend may also be to hot up, there may be decreases in temperature from time-to-time (two steps forward, one step back if you like) due to variations in Earth's orbit and the Sun's output.

Yes, I don't think that the Earth will drop out of orbit anytime soon. That would be much worse than global warming. But the danger is in global warming causing the melting of the ice at the caps resulting not only in a rise in sea levels and a decrease in sea temperature (which could kill the Gulf Stream and screw up Europe horribly), but a releasing of long hidden stores of CO2 both in the ice and in the melting permafrost in the upper latitudes. That's the thing about global warming. Once the dominoes start to fall, it's going to be pretty much impossible to reverse the tide.

I don't think the US with economically collapse anytime soon, but may well find itself competing strongly with China, which would be a new phenomenon for the US economy. That said, there's nothing to say China will ever beat the US- China's current economic growth is incredibly fast and must slow down (The Financial Times, the Economist). You cannot keep on increasing your economic boom at such a pace- workers need houses, houses need amenities, businesses, shops, car, mass transit systems. These things don't just spring up overnight and must be created- that is likely to slow their growth down to something more sustainable in the long term. It'll still be strong growth, but nothing like the runaway express train it is at the moment. Furthermore there's nothing to say that China won't economically implode like Russia did.

I don't know TOO much about the nitty gritty of Chinese Economics, but isn't it true that they've got a much more hybridized economic system than Communist Russia, insofar as there ARE some sort of free markets, or they have opened their borders to corporations, yes?
And all China needs to do is have every person have 1/6 of the buying power of an American, and by sheer numbers, they'll be in the lead.
When I talk about US Economic collapse, I think we can do this all on our own. Our educational system, our health care system, our military budget, the amount of credit people use.....it's going to get bad. I mean, seriously, our best industry right now is making war.

There will be more fighting in the Middle East, but it appears to me that the days when vast groups of nations allied themselves behind one cause seem to be disappearing. Whilst a collection of countries have no problem helping in reconstruction and peacekeeping jobs, it still seems to be the job of the US and UK to go and actually do the dirty work (rightly or wrongly, justified or unprovoked). I don't see a world war happening, I personally think it will just continue as it has done for the last 60 odd years; more territorial fighting, continued hostilities between Israel and the Arab World, dictators coming and going and various nations all trying to be the big-bad of their day.

I can definitely see the possibility of Israel and the US warring with Syria and Iran, which could possibly drag in other nations. And the polarization is already starting to occur, with the EU and US on one side, Iran and China on the other, and the returning Russian bear playing its cards close to its vest. And again, upcoming oil/water shortages could have everyone willing to go to extreme lengths.

It's my considered opinion that even if aliens exist, that communication with them would take so long with our technology (limited by the speed of light) that 'contact' is likely to be a non-starter. Messages might take hundreds of years to be sent and received. And even if we could- what self-respecting alien would want to talk to us? If anybody cares to cast their minds back to the slathering, murderous, parasitic creatures in Riddely Scott's movie personally I think that's what it'd be like. With us as the murderous, slathering, parasitic creatures.

Not that kind of contact. Like Close Encounters of the 4th Kind. Like Star Trek: Whatever that one is where they go back in time. Like another Roswell, but this one captured on YouTube. It's unlikely, but I definitely believe that we've been visited in the past.

Generally it's my opinion the world will continue business as usual for the most part- any huge revolutionary events that happen (world wars, massive natural disasters and so forth) will probably come out of left field I think. Nobody saw the Tsunami coming, after all.

True, which is why I said perhaps its just the cyclical nature of things. People in France thought the world was fundamentally changing at the time of the Revolution, but it was just a change of facade. Same with the US in the 60s.
At the same time, the whole fighting in the Middle East at the turn of the 21st century is very bibilical, very Nostradamusy. And as we've both said, global warming is very real and very on its way. The only question is how and what will happen. And some sort of economic collapse is a very real possiblity as a global free market continues its birth pangs, to paraphrase Condi Rice.

[Yaya]

The following will likely happen:

1. Collapse of the United States as the world's #1 super power due to immense internal economic pressures placed on it from an absent health care system, which should have been addressed now, but has been largely ignored. Who will provide health care to an aging population when both the Medicare systems and Social Security cease to exist? Terrorism is a maybe. Aging and sickness are a certainty.

2. The rise of China and India as the world's new superpowers, despite numerous attempts by the other nations to subvert them.

3. Tremendous alteration in weather patterns which will lead to the loss of human life not on a scale of thousands, but of millions.

4. Cures for many illnesses will be discovered, including HIV.

5. Sexual explicity will reach such acceptance that pornography will become a basic cable channel.

6. Islam will be the most maligned religion and Muslims the most hated of people because events will occur that will be blamed on Islamic extremists, but will actually be arranged through political alliances that will seek to attain world dominance and magnificent wealth through war, invasion of energy rich nations, and the total control of the largest media channels.

7. There will be a general increase in distrust and dishonesty, as it becomes more and more an every-man-for-himself world in which to live.

8. Instead of having a middle class in the U.S., we will have a huge lower class, and a much smaller upper class.

9. Some members of wealthy nations will own and fly the prototypes for flying cars.

[Shanti418]

The following will likely happen:

5. Sexual explicity will reach such acceptance that pornography will become a basic cable channel.

I can already see *insert hardcore sexual practice here* with a *insert large penis reference here* and a *insert another guy/girl/animal here* with a few clicks of my mouse, so I don't think it's possible to get any more closer.

6. Islam will be the most maligned religion and Muslims the most hated of people because events will occur that will be blamed on Islamic extremists, but will actually be arranged through political alliances that will seek to attain world dominance and magnificent wealth through war, invasion of energy rich nations, and the total control of the largest media channels.

7. There will be a general increase in distrust and dishonesty, as it becomes more and more an every-man-for-himself world in which to live.

I do'nt get it.
#6. Everyone will hate Islam and blame things on Islam. I don't trust nobody when it comes to representing Islam.
#7. Noone will trust noone.

Isn't this a self fufilling prophecy?

[Dead Head]

6. Islam will be the most maligned religion

No. Not maligned. Despised for its truly ugly elements, is a possibility.

[Kaylee]

Global warming I'm reasonably convinced is happening and will gather pace- I'm not convinced the Earth is just going to drop out of orbit however, I think the changes will be subtle (but never the less alarming) with most of the worst effects being felt in the poorest countries. Also probably being indicated by a change in world weather patterns (since rising sea levels will affect currents, air streams and so forth). Although the general trend may also be to hot up, there may be decreases in temperature from time-to-time (two steps forward, one step back if you like) due to variations in Earth's orbit and the Sun's output.

Yes, I don't think that the Earth will drop out of orbit anytime soon. That would be much worse than global warming. But the danger is in global warming causing the melting of the ice at the caps resulting not only in a rise in sea levels and a decrease in sea temperature (which could kill the Gulf Stream and screw up Europe horribly), but a releasing of long hidden stores of CO2 both in the ice and in the melting permafrost in the upper latitudes. That's the thing about global warming. Once the dominoes start to fall, it's going to be pretty much impossible to reverse the tide.

I'm aware of the issues, the problem is nobody knows entirely how far things will go, and indeed what direction they will go in. Exactly how weather patterns will change, for example. It could be, through planetary engineering [which is essentially what global warming is- the artificial alteration of the Earth's atmosphere and environment] that we end up with a situation where Europe is frozen solid, Australia is burnt to a cinder and Africa reigns supreme as the new Superpower due to massive increase in rainfall making it lush, over-abundant with food and prosperous. We just don't know.

'Reversing the tide' is pure speculation. According to Gaia the Earth is capable of healing itself due to the complexity of the natural systems involved- an imbalance in one is usually compensated for in the others. Hence, within certain parameters, the Earth should function fine (whether it remains a nice place for us or not is another issue).

I think that in all probability the affects of global warming will be felt but will not be catastrophic in the sense of wiping out mankind. Though I'm sure in the next 40-70 years there will be big changes to adapt to- particularly the alterations in what we would consider to be de facto weather and temperature conditions for different areas of the Earth (some areas may become hotter, others cooler. Previously arid places may become wet etc.).

I don't think the US with economically collapse anytime soon, but may well find itself competing strongly with China, which would be a new phenomenon for the US economy. That said, there's nothing to say China will ever beat the US- China's current economic growth is incredibly fast and must slow down (The Financial Times, the Economist). You cannot keep on increasing your economic boom at such a pace- workers need houses, houses need amenities, businesses, shops, car, mass transit systems. These things don't just spring up overnight and must be created- that is likely to slow their growth down to something more sustainable in the long term. It'll still be strong growth, but nothing like the runaway express train it is at the moment. Furthermore there's nothing to say that China won't economically implode like Russia did.

I don't know TOO much about the nitty gritty of Chinese Economics, but isn't it true that they've got a much more hybridized economic system than Communist Russia, insofar as there ARE some sort of free markets, or they have opened their borders to corporations, yes?
And all China needs to do is have every person have 1/6 of the buying power of an American, and by sheer numbers, they'll be in the lead.
When I talk about US Economic collapse, I think we can do this all on our own. Our educational system, our health care system, our military budget, the amount of credit people use.....it's going to get bad. I mean, seriously, our best industry right now is making war.

That has been the mainstay of the US economy since WWII in fact.

1/6 of the Chinese population in 40-60 years is pushing it when you consider the huge majority of the Chinese population live in third world conditions, mostly in the countryside. Most of whom earn virtually nothing by comparison to the West.

China's current impact is mainly felt by a migration of some of these individuals to the cities- but the problem with Industrial Revolutions is you can only do them once. Hence China's current level of growth cannot be maintained (or so most of the experts I've read have theorised). So one day 1/6 of China's population may be quite wealthy with a comparable level of disposable income to the West- but that day is still a long way off.

Regarding the US's problems, it seems to me that the country is doing remarkably well for one with so many issues. Things may change, for good or ill in 40-60 years, and I would imagine in order to keep the US on top of the pile (and the fat cats at the top rolling in money) that those who run your country wouldn't let it silde too far. It's just not in their financial interests, and if there's one thing that rules the US it's money

There will be more fighting in the Middle East, but it appears to me that the days when vast groups of nations allied themselves behind one cause seem to be disappearing. Whilst a collection of countries have no problem helping in reconstruction and peacekeeping jobs, it still seems to be the job of the US and UK to go and actually do the dirty work (rightly or wrongly, justified or unprovoked). I don't see a world war happening, I personally think it will just continue as it has done for the last 60 odd years; more territorial fighting, continued hostilities between Israel and the Arab World, dictators coming and going and various nations all trying to be the big-bad of their day.

I can definitely see the possibility of Israel and the US warring with Syria and Iran, which could possibly drag in other nations. And the polarization is already starting to occur, with the EU and US on one side, Iran and China on the other, and the returning Russian bear playing its cards close to its vest. And again, upcoming oil/water shortages could have everyone willing to go to extreme lengths.

I don't see the US starting another Iraq soon- most of the Republicans have been badly burnt by it in terms of popularity and seem quite eager to distance themselves from it and return to less violent means of influence. The good thing is Bush's program has been given a fair crack of the whip, so as some commentator's have pointed out it's been seen to fail totally. Nobody will be rushing back to give it another go any time soon under the banner of "Well, maybe we didn't give it a chance!" in theory.

China and Russia are on whatever side they have interests in, their only interest is in keeping their revenues running. In that respect they're very much like us, except they've given up the pretence that they actually care about the principles of the people they deal with. Neither of those two seem to want wars however, if they did China would probably have done something about North Korea by now. Their major emerging interests seem to be fiscal- particularly to do with natural resources.

The EU, UN and NATO have proven themselves pretty hopeless time and again on conflict. The UN is notorious for wording certain attrocities (still going on) in Africa exceedingly carefully to avoid the word 'genocide'. Simply because if it is termed genocide, the UN is obligated to intervene.

So we end up with exactly what we have right now- the major leagues of nations floundering, hand-wringing and shackled by various veto votes from powers with opposing self-interests. China and Russia playing their own games, and Britain and America pretending we know better.

Conflict over natural resources is definitely a possibility, but I can't help but think from a pragmatic perspective it would probably be cheaper for the world to just invent new power sources. Well, not even invent now- just invest in. Pragmatism rarely wins out however.

If there is a major conflict over resources it will probably be in either Siberia or Africa, both of which still have huge resources of untapped Uranium, coal, gold etc. and in the case of Siberia vast untapped reservoirs of oil. China has recently been making a lot of friends in Africa, as a matter of interest...

It's my considered opinion that even if aliens exist, that communication with them would take so long with our technology (limited by the speed of light) that 'contact' is likely to be a non-starter. Messages might take hundreds of years to be sent and received. And even if we could- what self-respecting alien would want to talk to us? If anybody cares to cast their minds back to the slathering, murderous, parasitic creatures in Riddely Scott's movie personally I think that's what it'd be like. With us as the murderous, slathering, parasitic creatures.

Not that kind of contact. Like Close Encounters of the 4th Kind. Like Star Trek: Whatever that one is where they go back in time. Like another Roswell, but this one captured on YouTube. It's unlikely, but I definitely believe that we've been visited in the past.

Can't see why aliens'd bother, really. If they can truly travel across huge distances so easily, if they have such high-powered technology why would they be interested in a bunch of war-mongering, illiterate murderers like us? I'd have thought they'd have better things to do personally, unless they're keeping us under quarantine to make sure we don't get out! Beagle 2's malfunction was not an accident!

Generally it's my opinion the world will continue business as usual for the most part- any huge revolutionary events that happen (world wars, massive natural disasters and so forth) will probably come out of left field I think. Nobody saw the Tsunami coming, after all.

True, which is why I said perhaps its just the cyclical nature of things. People in France thought the world was fundamentally changing at the time of the Revolution, but it was just a change of facade. Same with the US in the 60s.
At the same time, the whole fighting in the Middle East at the turn of the 21st century is very bibilical, very Nostradamusy. And as we've both said, global warming is very real and very on its way. The only question is how and what will happen. And some sort of economic collapse is a very real possiblity as a global free market continues its birth pangs, to paraphrase Condi Rice.

Who knows? I put my money on 'something nobody expected!' It's usually the way it works out. If you went back to 1959 and said in ten years time, a man would walk on the moon they'd have said you were mad- perhaps in 50 years time! If you'd told the Germans when they signed the treaty of Versailles in 1918 that in 22 years time they'd have conquered everything from the English Channel to within a couple of hundred miles of Moscow, down as far as Tunisia, they'd have said you were insane.

Or, as one of my favourite academic authors (Tanenbaum, he's a lecturer on Computer Science in the US) wrote:

Who'd have thought ten years ago that the next huge advent in mobile personal communications would be sending illiterate, truncated 150 character messages for 10c a pop? Who knows what's next- a webcam in your fridge to tell you when your milk's out of date?

[inflatable dalek]

I predict the world will end whilst I'm in the midle of a threesone with Kiera Knightly and Jessica Alba. Becaue if your gonna go, that's the only way...