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From the Publisher

Beam Me Up Scotty

By January 13, 2020No Comments

Appell Pie

January 2020

Beam Me Up Scotty!

It’s hard to believe that we are in a new decade, 2020, it sounds so well rounded. This decade will see changes that have yet to be dreamt about. The speed at which   technology has changed our lives over the past fifty years has seen supersonic. It seems as if we are speeding along on a course to the future like no period in recorded history.

We have all heard of the increase of AI (Artificial Intelligence). Have you tried voice to text apps on your desktop computer? A friend of mine writes medical reports and at first the program does not recognize some of the medical terms so he has to type it in and soon enough the program learns the word.  Your “Smart Phone” performs the same way. Speaking about phones how about asking Google who was the 14th President of the USA and getting a written and verbal answer immediately. Beam me up Scotty! (Star Trek 1960’s)

Another area that is growing in popularity is Kiosk ordering. Go into a fast food or quick serve restaurant and instead of speaking to a counter person you can read the menu and perform the job of the counter/cashier person on an individual Kiosk and now you can order and pay for it in one session. (What would you like for lunch Hal? – 2001 Space Odyssey 1968)

What is this speedy advance in technology going to do to our society? Will it make it better or worse? Will we become even further immersed in a non-human contact society? Texting is second nature and normal to segments of the world society who don’t even know what a home telephone is. We are moving towards a world of videos, texting and shopping online from home all without human contact.

I think the day of “The Mall” as we know it is done. I envision stores with a limited selection of products on the shelves or even one of each product as a sample to display the product. Kiosks will be stationed throughout the store allowing the customer to enter his or her customer code number and the barcode of the items they choose to add it to their virtual shopping cart as they leisurely stroll the aisles. When shopping is complete the customer will total and pay for the order at the check-out Kiosk and their order will be delivered to them within 24 hours.

Sound strange to you? I just thought this concept up and there are thousands if not millions of people out there who have the knowledge and expertise in technology who are thinking up their own ideas and planning to bring them to fruition soon.

Imagine teens hanging out in the mall in front of their favorite store texting each other about the great deals they just got at Joe’s General Merchandise Showroom. It’s coming faster than you think. Imagine the world in 2030. Who knows what we will be like in just ten years. One thing is for sure our grandchildren will be very different than we are now. I can only hope it will be for the better.  Right Max? (Max Headroom 1980’s)