DBWI: The seriously distant future year 2008, what will it be like?

I can't see Germany and France as good, peaceful neighbors in another 50 years.

I think you'd be surprised - 50 years is a long time. Long enough for the next generation of French and West Germans to grow up thinking "They are our allies". And stronger ties are being formed already, like with the European Economic Community last year.

ahem...wanna bet? :rolleyes:

Against the combined militaries of all their neighbours... yeah, I stand by what I said.

By the way, I meant "UK", not "US". Sorry.

(OOC: Yes, I'm weaselling out of that mistake I made. That's what comes from being lazy I suppose).
 
OOC: If there are still no computers in this '58, how is this forum possible? Is it some sort of postal thing? Or are we all at a worldwide convention for alternate history fanatics?
 
Not to sound to ASB, but perhaps we'll have powerful enough radio-telescopes and transmitters that we might be able to find and contact extraterristrial life?
 
If you mean interstellar, then no - unless they actually visit the solar system, we won't contact them as there's no getting around the speed of light. If you mean intelligent life from somewhere else in this solar system (e.g. Martians or Venusians) then that'd be kinda redundant as we'd probably be flying regular missions to both planets by then.
 
I think you'd be surprised - 50 years is a long time. Long enough for the next generation of French and West Germans to grow up thinking "They are our allies". And stronger ties are being formed already, like with the European Economic Community last year.

Sure, stronger economic ties are being formed. But, IIRC, Germany's biggest trading partner before the Second World War was France...could be wrong. And Germany and the USSR were trading even as Hitler's Panzers rolled in.

If those two natins aren't looking at each other through the barrels of guns, it could only be because there's some sort of external threat. Russia? The USA?

Sorry, much as I would love to see a peaceful Europe, I can't see it happening long term...well, unless there's too few people left to make a new war.

And the US will likely be out of there...its involvement will last just until Europe is on its feet, and the boys will be coming home, until they get sent to fix Europe again.
 
If you mean interstellar, then no - unless they actually visit the solar system, we won't contact them as there's no getting around the speed of light. If you mean intelligent life from somewhere else in this solar system (e.g. Martians or Venusians) then that'd be kinda redundant as we'd probably be flying regular missions to both planets by then.

True communication no, but we might overhear someone's chatter. I could see radio waves or something being broadcast somewhere in outer space and us picking it up 100 years or more later. Of course with that giant time lag we could never converse but we may find out that there is someone out there and how they think, look like and behave. The same could be true of us, of course. Someone might pick up our radio signals in 2020 or later and find out what we are like.
 
doesn't matter, overall once colonialism is overthrown it will be the end of african inferiority. Turning into a cold war battlegroundwould be good for africa, as it would encourage stability and growth on both sides.

Sadly, that sounds rather idealistic. I think being a cold war battleground would actually be bad in some ways, as it would encourage instability - we and the Soviets will both fight via proxies, supporting civil wars in various countries between communist and capitalist forces (or perhaps even fascist ones, supported by one side or the other as 'our bastard'). Will development be helped? Perhaps. But I don't think its a good thing long-term. I see Africa looking a lot like South America or parts of Asia do now - some prosperity, but also coups, civil wars, factional struggles, dictators and corruption. Better than now? Perhaps yes. Especially in mismanaged colonies like the Congo or the Spanish and Portugese ones where the colonialists were/are pretty nasty.

I do think hunger may become a thing of the past though, through an agrarian revolution. I've heard of a guy named Borlog or something (Borlaug?) who's been developing new strains of wheat down in Mexico; apparently wheat production is through the roof. This could be capitalism's secret weapon against the communists (or the communists may use something similar in opposition) - even more than civil wars, agricultural technology may be an important factor in the fight for the poorer, newer nations in Africa, Latin America, and South Asia.

Seeing what 1968 will look like seems like a better bet than 2008... my 10-year predictions:
- both the US and the Soviet Union will have a presence in space.
- Televisions will be in the vast majority of households in the US and Britain; most new television sales will be color televisions.
- There will be at least 25,000 computers in the United States alone, used by government agencies, universities, and medium-to-large businesses. Some smaller businesses may rent time on big business or university computers to do complex mathematical calculations (whether its taxes or engineering calculations), bringing their punched cards to the computer rooms.
- The world population will have increased nearly a third (to about 3.8 billion) due to reduced infant mortality rates, less starvation, more development in poorer nations, and advancing medical technology.
- The US interstate highway system will be much more extensive than it is now. However, traffic will be even worse than it is now, because millions more cars and trucks are on the road.
- Major passenger railroad companies will be going bankrupt or diversifying (the government would be foolish to step in, putting billions to help a dying industry. Maybe they'll help cargo rail, it'll still be important).
- Decolonialization will have begun in earnest. Some colonial powers will try to smooth the path (I think the British will at least try), others will either drop unready colonies or hang on for too long.
-There will be at least 1 automobile for every 3 Americans (or nearly 2 cars per family), and 1 for every 6 or 7 western Europeans (about 1 car per family); perhaps 1 for every 10-15 eastern Europeans (some families have a car). I see gas turbine engines being common.
- Long-range aviation will be jet-powered. Supersonic will be on the horizon, but not in service *yet*. You'll still see DC-3s and such doing short-haul flights, although I expect a lot of these to be done by turboprop aircraft or helicopters.
 
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