Break on Through (To The Other Side)
OOH …Here’s One Thing
by Jim Johnsen,
Managing Director, Johnsen, Fretty & Company
“You know the day destroys the night, the night divides the day…” While the Doors recorded this 52 years ago, IMHO its still pretty crisp, if monolithic: ‘The doors – Break On Through’
Speaking of 50 years ago, in honor of the upcoming big New Years, I thought it would be interesting to do a quick recap of where we have been (for those of us old enough to remember) 50 years ago in contrast to where we might be (or at least our grand kids will be) 50 years from now (aka breaking on through to the other side).
So without further adieu, fifty years ago, the year was 1970:
Smoking was still somewhat healthy
We didn’t have:
ATM’s
Cable TV (for most of us)
Cell phones
Smart Phones.
FedEx
Amazon
A personal computer (or iPads for that matter)
SUVs
Electric cars (at least in production for general public)
Mass shootings
Rap music
We did have:
Kool Aid
Woodstock
LSD
Nuclear arms and nuclear power
DISCO
Okay, now fast forward. The year is now 2070.
50 years in the present from right now.
In the context of 1970, doesn’t sound so far away right? But what if the following were to come true:
Self driving cars services become prevalent
Artificial intelligence is pervasive
Augmented reality is our primary source of entertainment. (You decide the genre, the rating, the ending and the style and the computer cooks something up for you on the spot.
Musicians don’t exist. AI pumps out music that rivals any humans’
Fantasy sports are the only sports
Vacation is now a rarity as virtual reality has taken its place.
Airlines as we know them are dead. They have been replaced with drones of various sizes carrying people in many different directions (think taxi instead of public bus)
Living on mars (and or the moon) is now a choice
Many Hotels are devoid of employees as robots and kiosks perform the
The nuclear family is dead. Robots serve as nannies while the sole bread winner is at work.
The average lifespan for a wealthy individuals is now 150 years. The average lifespan for lower and lower middle class remains the same.
Kitchens are obsolete. Food will be delivered on demand or there will be one piece of equipment (think super advanced microwave) that will keep it and prepare it
Police will be obsolete. Cameras will be everywhere and everyone will be registered via iris scan.
Alcohol no longer exists. Everyone has a panoply of pills that deliver precisely the desired mood.
Sound like a dystopian world? It does to me as well. Glad I had a chance to ride a bike with a sissy bar before the entire world fell slave to the little screen.
Welcome to 2020 everyone! Happy New Year. Hope you enjoy a tasty cocktail before they become extinct.
Securities transacted through StillPoint Capital Member firm FINRA/SiPC
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