The World in 2030

The World in 2030 265
Such packaging need not be expensive. The polymer
spheres and carbon particles arrange themselves
spontaneously into the correct crystal structure when
encouraged by a little heat, so manufacturing opalescent
film should be easy. Indeed Merck, a German
chemical company that was a partner in the research,
has already produced rolls of the stuff a metre wide
and 100 metres long. Perfect for wallpaper. 485
Because so much of our time will be spent on the superweb
it is likely that the present trend towards increased
sporting activity and increased public support for sports will
be even stronger by 2030 (although the arrival of genetic
enhancements for sports competitors will make the policing
of fair competition a nightmare – and why is it considered fair
today for Tiger Woods to compete in golf tournaments when
his vision has been enhanced to 20/15 486 by laser surgery?).
In entertainment, the current strong trend to the visual,
away from the written word, will accelerate as visual forms
of entertainment and interactivity become more and more
appealing (despite the fact that book sales are increasing year
on year; this is the effect of overall economic growth and,
in comparative terms, book sales are falling behind the sales
of faster-growing visual entertainment and information). As
a life-long career writer, I find it painful to write these words
but I am certain of the decline of my chosen medium.
In ‘Mind Set!’ John Naisbitt observes:
In a triumphal march, movies, TV, videos, and DVDs
are replacing storytellers and books. It is a visual