20 Things That Will Be Obsolete in 20 years

On a flight from Tokyo recently, my gaze wandered from the computer sitting in my lap to the Pacific 20,000 feet below. As we descended toward Los Angeles, I watched the blue ripples relentlessly marching toward a distant shore. Suddenly I realized it would be possible to calculate from the waves' direction and velocity not only where they would end up but when they would get there. In a sense, I could predict their future. Turning back to my computer, I marveled at how quickly it had become an essential appendage, and it occurred to me that the waves below were not all that different from the waves of technological change that sweep over us. Like waves at sea, waves of technology are always out there somewhere, relentlessly heading for an impact. And they can be detected while still far from shore. We even ought to be able to see ...