Positive futurists believe we will see more progress during the next five decades than was experienced in the last 200 years. In The Singularity Is Near, author Ray Kurzweil reveals how science will change the ways we live, work, and play. The following offers some of the incredible possibilities we can expect.

2013-2023: More people become techno-savvy in a fully-wired world. Smart phones, the Internet, global trade and automatic language translators give birth to a humanity focused on improving healthcare and raising living standards. Stem cell and genetic engineering breakthroughs emerge almost daily.

Technologies that recognize voice, gestures, and predict our thoughts are replacing the keyboard and mouse; and by decade’s end, simulated holograms, indiscernible from reality will appear as interactive characters, bringing friends, relatives, and associates into our get-to-gathers without need to travel. […]