Most of the time when folks try and picture a new technology they apply it to todays standards and often completely miss the mark.
There are many examples but the process of ordering an Uber/Lyft is one where the concept is very simple and understandable (hailing a cab) but may be difficult to explain to someone 30 years ago as so much technology has built on top of itself to allow it. (High speed internet, smart phones, apps, GPS, etc.)
What simple task today will be done in a completely new fashion in 2-3 decades as the technology infrastructure of crypto/blockchain continues to be built out?
Edit: Not sure why some are hung up on the Uber example. Its not the point of the post folks.
The IRS loves this tech so they can follow your tax records all year round
when you move somewhere new all the utlities will switch to your name on the blockchain automatically instead of you having to call water, electricity, garbage, gas, etc.
DiD, decentralized identity (like what kilt.io and others are doing). This will allow for non password plus governance without showing your actual identity unless actually needed. The protocol checks it’s you, validates is you, and “forgets” the data that validated it. Then other protocols than need identification ask the DID protocol for validation that it’s you. Also, instead of only private keys it’s being developed that you use other tools as well (fingerprint + key) etc.
IoT passports and Robots handled by DAOs, like what robonomics is doing, where robots actions are rented in decentralized manner, so you can have robots check contamination levels to check disputes, fix stuff, interact between them, etc.
Open data science were algorithms work on data and present results without data being actually shared. Ocean protocol is trying to achieve this.
Energy distribution, where energy is distributed based on effective consumption and open market in a decentralized manner. EWT is doing this on energy grid.
I think most modern things can be explained relatively easily using the technology of the time. The people might be amazed that it works that way, but they would “get it”. E.g. 30 years ago, you could explain Uber/Lyft by saying you have a small computer the size of a notepad, similar to those pads on Star Trek Next Generation (which was current 30 years ago) that runs software capable of using radio communications to send a message to a central computer system that locates a cab close by and sends the request to a similar computer in the cab. The computer and software are able to determine your current location. You hail the cab by pressing a button which sends a message containing your request and your current location. A cab that’s close by receives the request, acknowledges it, and comes to get you. How it really works is more interesting than that (cellular communications, Internet, smartphones, GPS, etc.), but to get the concept people don’t need to know all that.
Every single receipt/proof of purchase will be in NFT form. Whenever selling or trading an item people will need to transfer the NFT as well. Stolen goods will be largely worthless as it will become illegal to possess/purchase things without the NFT as proof of ownership.
I think it’s really hard to imagine the potential with today’s transaction limits and fees, but being able to run the same code on many servers in a decentralized manner is an absolutely mind-blowing revolutionary technological achievement.
It probably will be the sort of thing we will have to wait 20-30 years for the technology to catch up, but the new web being completely decentralized will change so much about how technology is used. Not having centralized servers and databases means we will see applications we’ve never dreamed of, used in ways we’ve never thought of.
I don’t have a specific example, but I think we get hung up on the currency aspect of cryptocurrency and miss the potential of decentralized applications.
And no, your favorite coin doesn’t “fix this already”
First thing you need to do is encourage an improved credit system. I’m not big on forcing change, but rather encouraging it.. by leading in building, tech, connectivity, ideas.. and, of course, by example.. This is what we should go after in my opinion. People don’t enjoy being forced to change. People also strongly dislike their governments.
A better credit system that encourages good behaviors by allowing opportunities and privileges that could easily be lost if you became known as a shitty person who doesn’t deserve to hail a ride, or even share a ride with the person who did.. because you were a known trouble maker.
We need to better understand who we are dealing with in the future. An improved system connected to multiple industries will help. For example, my car insurance should be based on realities that an AI could easily manage. Not scams, profits, rip off rates based on your “credit score.” Our current system is outdated. And the best way to help with the high rates and inflation is to automate these processes with public blockchains that can be ran by something with no emotions or greed, and just straight fucking facts. Then the inflation deflates, and the value that was once stolen by wannabe smart people is transfered back to the people. The individual.
But you need a better credit system for that. You also need to encourage people to offer their driving data up for grabs so you can benefit by sharing. You also need more cookies or wafers being built to connect all of the cars to hubs and each other.. again.. an option that should encouraged by offering value to the customer for giving up that data. But we might be going to war over Semiconductor soon. 🤔 sad, really.
People should be payed in real time. You should be able to earn your money to pay your bills AS YOU WORK. Humans shouldn’t have to wait two weeks or a month to get paid. That was then. This now. You should also be able to pay your bills in real time too, as an option to help many budget their new digital value. Have a smart meter? Why can’t you pay that in real time? Owe the bank? A friend? You can pay off debt much easier this way. With many options available that are way better for the working class.
I have more.. Badge on Blockchain is a big thing for me. I’ve promoted it and using blockchain for giving to others around the world since I started investing my time here.
I think good cops would be encouraged to find themselves adding their reports to a public blockchain. Kind of like a report card with graded expectations you earn and become proud of.. Currently, they can just throw away the report, or alter it, lie, etc.
Unfortunately, they can still lie with blockchain! Oh, no! But in this case, I think it is Garbage In.. Truth Out!
Why? Because over time, the original story can’t be altered. It will stay on the blockchain forever. However, if an officer needs to make a change to their story, they can.. But they have to make a new block/story. You can only change your version of the truth so many times over the years before you are outed by the fbi as a bad fit for the department, the community, and overall morale. Put the badge on blockchain, and weed out the ” I smell pot cop.”
There’s way more.. Medical field..
“So like this computer program will connect you to someone who’s offering to give you a ride in their car, and it will let you pay them for it”
“Just some fucking guy in his car? Won’t I get raped or something?”
“I mean yeah, but that’s rare, it’s certainly not supposed to happen”
*The Future*
This is one of the best questions I’ve seen asked on this sub
Real estate? The idea you’d have a real estate agent and a banker a lawyer and need a closing to buy a piece of property.
Whatsapp or any vanilla communication service.
There is no point in it being centralized.
Users of this service will pay tokens to use this service. Those who keep the network running will get paid in those tokens
It’s very simple, even by today’s standards
Our descendants will use it for intergalactic accounting
Only proof of work (energy) based ledgers can be reliably synced between planets and even galaxies
OK imagine you are abroad on holidays and have an accident. You’re rushed to the Emergency Room, they type in your name and your Unique Health Identifier Number into a computer and the Blockchain returns your entire health record. All Hospital stays, all GP visits, Blood work, all medication you are on, All your xrays, Allergies, everything.
All there for the doctor to see and treat you straight away.
Healthcare will be revolutionised by this.
Nice try mr. Buffet
Uber is not even a thing in my country
The “coin wars” where we all need to agree on one standard is already becoming anachronistic.
You’ll have tools to spend whatever coin you like and have the recipient receive whatever coin they like.
No more Steam servers to host game downloads.
It’s all on the blockchain and with every purchase there’s an NFT granted to you showing you “own” this game allowing you access to download it.
If you get banned your NFT is black listed and the blockchain refuses to allow anymore downloads or activation of the game which will be signed by every “steam” user.
Basically every game would become a torrent hosted on everyone’s machine allowing 1MB download block each to create the game download. The more games you host the more “Steam loyalty points” you generate which can be traded to BTC, Fiat or even more “Steam loyalty points” to buy more games.
This would save Steam a ton of money having to host the download servers.
Voting and government budget spending would be transparent.
In another 30 years I feel like crypto will change so many industries that we would have a tough time explaining Uber
Transferring the title to property like a car or a house. It’s one of the few sane applications for Blockchain
I think there will be no more intermediaries in industries.
Like no more title companies for real estate transactions since it can be all recorded on the blockchain. Same with titles for cars, no more title bs. Vin is now tied to blockchain so transfer and proof of ownership will be on a different form of some sort with the backing of blockchain.
Paper tickets for shows, games, concerts, etc.
“They would just give us a printed piece of paper with a seat number…”
Buying and selling. Home, car, clothes, food. You won’t be able to buy or sell unless you are a part of the network. And you won’t be able to barter outside of the network, because all material goods will be tracked as well. Google is working on a brain chip implant and Elon Musk is working on his version of a brain chip implant… (Don’t believe me? Google it.) You won’t be able to do anything without being a part of the network. It’s called the Mark of the Beast, where Satan himself in the flesh will demand to be worshipped, by you giving up control of your thoughts by becoming a part of his network. And those refusing the implants will be labeled as terrorists and executed.
Crypto will grow to solve the world’s problems, then it will be weaponized and become the world’s biggest problem… This was all prophesied 2,000 years ago in the book of Revelation, and for the first time in human history, we are seeing exactly how it is going to happen.
So the Conservative government here has this wicked idea for Green energy. They want to add a high tax to every purchase and the tax goes into a savings account that can only be spent on specific *green* goods (TBD at their descretion). Canada btw.
Instead of giving people a *cash* savings account (without *cash abilities*) I can see this deteriorating into getting *tokens* instead. Tokens that can be redeemed for a free charge for an EV, a free meal, paper goods, things like that.
Using L2 we’re able to exchange *tokens for goods* at the POS and the conversion is done in the background at *fair market value* automatically and cheaply. So our free charge for an EV might be worth $50 at the pump and the token might sell for $45 on the market, so when I go to pay my hydro bill that’s $100 it costs me two of these tokens plus $10 from my account.
Very quickly I see this turning into people being token rich and cash poor. Maybe even getting paid in tokens, something like a carbon credit, for doing *green work*, while outlawing *dirty* cash entirely.
I’m not a fan of this line of thinking but the tech is there and *the intention is there*. We live in **Idiocracy** now where we aren’t trusted to make our own decisions about what we do with our free time, how we spend our money, what we do for work, and the blockchain *fixes* this using *incentives* so it’s not very hard to guess what *mainstream adoption* will really look like (not the freedom we have today).
I have a feeling that government operations will change drastically and its new form will utilize the blockchain. Things like direct democracy and the obselescence of politicians will get closer to reality. We’re all tired of having to trust some guy to do what’s right. Why not make it a trustless system that is just about making decisions. Citizens can submit issues to be voted on and get paid in a crypto for participating in the system. Imagine a government built to enrich it’s own citizens and incentivised people to care about the everyday decisions.
In 2-3 decades, I think any concept of “effort”, at least by today and history’s standard, will largely be obsolete, if mankind is even still around.
Great question, btw. I love to read the responses đź‘Śđź‘Ť
People can share a blockchain network instead of setting up expensive servers. Government buildings can connect to a government blockchain. A franchise could use normal PCs to share data and bandwidth instead of using a central server. Blockchain networks are powerful, cheap and hack resistant.
Completely transparent & live democratic voting from your couch like you’re watching American Idol
NFTs as a mean to identify yourself. Your Passport can be an NFT, your biometrics can be an NFT, your diploma can be an NFT.
Supply chain management will be all decentralized and unalterable. That alone makes me bullish for blockchain.
buying property. supporting your favorite artists
Note the comments here, you are seeing what happens all the time in tech. Someone comes up with some revolutionary idea, and it’s met with a tons of whataboutisms and “I can do that now”‘s. It’s really hard for people to imagine technology beyond what is available now, and it’s super underestimated how much people will prioritize convenience and simplicity.
The best example of this is the [hackernews comment](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224) about dropbox, where someone says:
> For a Linux user, you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem.
Easy, right?
You’re thinking ahead of time, that’s a very good question.
Had an idea for the blockchain police recording app. So if the police is abusing its power, the video could be easily recorded and life streamed on the web, and if the lifestream suddenly stops, the whole video is recorded on blockchain with absolutely no way of removing it from there. Indisputable evidence available to the public.
*”It’s a better taxi, you press this button and homie shows up”*- Me, explaining Uber to someone from 30 years ago (2022, colourised)