Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100

with her? But there is something that is bothering you. It’s been nagging at you all day.
    You face the wall screen and say, “Molly, please call Dr. Brown for me.” You are suddenly grateful that robotic doctors do house calls any time of the day. And they never complain or bellyache. It’s not part of their programming.
    Dr. Brown’s image instantly appears on the wall screen. “Is there something bothering you, son?” he asks in a fatherly way.
    “Doc, I have to ask you a question that’s been troubling me lately.”
    “Yes, what is that?” asks Dr. Brown.
    “Doc,” you say, “how long do you think I’ll live?”
    “You mean what is your life expectancy? Well, we don’t really know. Your records say you are seventy-two years old, but biologically your organs are more like thirty years old. You were part of the first generation to be genetically reprogrammed to live longer. You chose to stop aging at around thirty. Not enough of your generation has died yet, so we have no data to work with. So we have no way of knowing how long you will live.”
    “Then do you think I will live forever?” you ask.
    “And be immortal?” Dr. Brown frowns. “No, I don’t think so. There is a big difference between someone who lives forever and someone who has a life span so long that it hasn’t been measured yet.”
    “But if I don’t age,” you protest, “then how am I supposed to knowwhen to get …” You stop yourself in midsentence. “Ah, okay … you see, I just met someone, ah, special, and, assuming I want to plan a life with her, how do I adjust the stages in my life to hers? If my generation hasn’t lived long enough to die,” you continue, “then how am I supposed to know when to get married, have kids, and plan for retirement? You know, how do I set the milestones in my life?”
    “I don’t know the answer to that. You see, the human race is now a guinea pig of some sort,” says Dr. Brown. “I’m sorry, John. You are in uncharted waters here.”
    NEXT FEW MONTHS
    The next few months are a wonderful surprise for you and Karen. You take her to the virtual reality parlor, and have great fun living out silly, imaginary lives. Like being a kid again. You enter a vacant chamber. The software of a virtual world is beamed into your contact lenses, and the scenery instantly changes. In one program, you are fleeing dinosaurs, but everywhere you run, another dinosaur pops out of the bushes. In another program, you are battling space aliens or pirates trying to board your ship. In another, you decide to change species and morph into two eagles that are soaring in the air. And in another program, you are basking on a romantic South Sea island, or dancing in the moonlight with music gently floating in the air.
    After a while, you and Karen want to try something new. Instead of living out imaginary lives, you decide to lead real ones. So, when you both have vacation time together, you decide to take a whirlwind tour through Europe.
    You say to the wall, “Molly, Karen and I want to plan a European vacation. A real one. Please check on flights, hotels, and any specials. Then list possible shows or events that may interest us. You know our tastes.” In a few minutes, Molly has prepared a detailed itinerary.
    Later, when walking through the ruins of the Roman Forum, you can see the Roman Empire resurrected in your contact lenses. Passing by the scattered columns, stones, and debris, you gaze on the might that was once Imperial Rome at the height of its glory.
    And shopping is a delight, even when bargaining in the local shops in Italian. You can clearly see the translations appearing beneath the personyou are talking to. And no more guidebooks and clumsy maps. Everything is in your contact lens.
    At night, gazing at the night sky over Rome, you can clearly see the stars arranged into constellations in your contact lens. Glancing across the sky, you can see magnified images of the rings of Saturn, soaring comets, beautiful gas clouds, and exploding stars.
    One day, Karen finally reveals a secret, her true age. It’s sixty-one. Somehow, that doesn’t seem very important anymore.
    “So, Karen, do you feel happier now that we live so long?”
    “Yes, yes!” she replies immediately. “You know, my grandmother lived in a time when women got married, had a family, and maybe squeezed in a career. But I like to feel that I’ve been reincarnated three times, with three careers, and never looked back.