The story paints a beautiful picture of a future dominated by giant, voice-controlled, wide-screen, high-definition wall TVs that serve as picture phones, interactive tutors, and electronic places of business. Instead of money, everyone carries “smart-cards” that also serve as identification and medical history databases. Portable cellular data screens are used to access street maps and up-to-the-minute transit information … It evokes all the innocent optimism of Walt Disney’s Tomorrowland. While the Tays may represent Singapore’s future mainstream NII users, the potential exists for a darker exploitation.
Predictor: Sandfort, Sandy
Prediction, in context:In a 1993 article for Wired magazine, Sandy Sandfort covers the possibilities the Internet brings to the nation of Singapore. Sandfort writes: ”On April 1, 1992, Singapore’s National Computer Board (NCB) released ‘A Vision of an Intelligent Island: The IT2000 Report.’ … A press release entitled, “A Day in the Life of the “Intelligent Island”‘ was included in the IT2000 report. Set in the near future, it tells the story of one day in the life of the fictional Tay family. The story paints a beautiful picture of a future dominated by giant, voice-controlled, wide-screen, high-definition wall TVs that serve as picture phones, interactive tutors, and electronic places of business. Instead of money, everyone carries ‘smart-cards’ that also serve as identification and medical history databases. Portable cellular data screens are used to access street maps and up-to-the-minute transit information … It evokes all the innocent optimism of Walt Disney’s Tomorrowland. While the Tays may represent Singapore’s future mainstream NII users, the potential exists for a darker exploitation. For example, Mr. Tay could easily be a narcotrafficker. Thanks to strong digital encryption, anonymous electronic remailers, phone forwarding services, and digital cash, none of his underlings need know his true identity – they don’t even know his nationality nor where he lives. His has secretly invested his money around the world – yet he can instantly access it whenever he wants. Mrs. Tay might be the proprietress of an out-call prostitution service. Her clients use their giant wall screens to view recordings of her girls (and boys) ‘in action.’ And young Mr. Tay might well turn into a disaffected teenager who spends almost all his free time cracking private and governmental databases.”
Date of prediction: January 1, 1993
Topic of prediction: Global Relationships/Politics
Subtopic: Third-World Nations
Name of publication: Wired
Title, headline, chapter name: The Intelligent Island: We Asked Sandy Sandfort to Tell Us Whether Technology Will Ultimately Liberate the Intelligent Island
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1.04/sandfort_pr.html
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney