future and sees a golden age which will astonish even the most imaginative dreamers
the sun's rays will make solar heating, lighting, and
power a reality. Solar energy in some regions may
be cheaper and more practical than nuclear power!
Some day, too, the need for power wires and"
such common household items as cords and plugs
may have vanished. There is a technical possibility
that power can be transmitted directly on invisible
beams and that an airplane, for instance, can be
controlled and powered by transmission of a radio
and energy . signaL
Business, and Industry
Automation, electronic equipment, and other ma
chines will make it possible to increase production
per worker, creating more leisure time and a con
stantly rising living standard. (Atomic processing
plants, oil refineries, and others now can be oper
ated in large part from a control panel.)
- Many firms now are drowning in an ever-rising
sea of paper work; so is government. Electronic
computers will take over vast recording and ac
counting jobs, freeing tens of thousands of clerical
personnel for other responsibilities. The need for
expensive models of many new products, from jets
to smaller items, will be eliminated: computers can
predict their performance under varying conditions
in a few, hours.
You'll be able to dictate memos and personal let
ters directly into an electronic typewriter. Already,
a rudimentary phonetic typewriter can type a few
simple words and phrases as they are spoken into a
microphone.
Health
Man's life span will have increased to nearly 100
years. The causes of and cure for cancer will have
been found. We will know how to deal with most
types of heart disease. The ability to "transplant"
certain organs and tissues, new cures for many
mental ailments, mastery of crippling arthritis and
even most types of headaches and colds all will
be part of medicine's achievements.
The atom and electron will be your doctor's serv
ants. Electronic "brains," for instance, will store
knowledge of every symptom of every disease,
making instantly available to physicians every
where up-to-the-minute scientific findings which
they could never hope to keep abreast of.
Food Resources
New discoveries will make the waters of wretch
edness recede from every corner of civilization. Our
limitless oceans will be "farmed" for nutritive prod
ucts. Refining of salt water into fresh will be wide
spread and inexpensive. Striking developments in
irrigation and flood control, more efficient use of
solar energy, electronic acceleration of germination
and growth, and revolutionary chemical and bio
logical discoveries will expand mankind's food re
sources so that famine will be eliminated despite
immense population increases.
Home
There will be almost no housekeeping problems.
Temperature, humidity, and velocity of air in each
part of the home will be kept automatically at com
fortable levels, day and night. Smoke, dust, and
harmful bacteria wjll be purged from the air before
it enters. The reversible heat pump, based on the
principle of a refrigeration unit, will cool homes
in summer and heat them in winter.
Electronic appliances will do your cooking, dish
washing, and disposal of waste. High-frequency
sound waves will clean the dishes. An electronic
oven will cook meat in two or three minutes. All
appliances can be turned off from miles away by
dialing code numbers on your pocket-size radio
phone and, thanks to an electronic housekeeping
"center," you'll enjoy such luxuries as having
breakfast ready the moment you get up.
Blankets no longer will be necessary indoors; a
radiant "canopy" over your bed will replace them.
Instead of a picture window, there will be an invisi
ble "curtain" of moving air to divide your living
room and patio. A home TV circuit will enable you
to look into nurseries or other rooms at the oppo
site end of the house.
New dirt- and grease-resistant floor, furniture,
and wall coverings will be available. There even
will be a bug-killing paint which, year in and year
out, will kill any insects that touch it
Climate
Thanks to data furnished by satellites, as well as
the electronic analysis of land, atmosphere, and
oceans, climate control will be within man's reach.
We will know how to dissipate storms of hurricane
intensity or divert them from their destructive
course. We will unfreeze ports which are now ice
bound. We will be able to predict weather precisely
for months and years ahead.
This is not science fiction. These elements of a
golden age are definitely within our reach..
Somethings, however, science cannot do. It can
not, for example, determine how its gifts are to be
utilized.
It cannot overcome blind fears or small thoughts
which impede progress.
Nor can science make nations live together in a
spirit of justice, humility, and peace.
This, all men together must learn to do. Or sci
encewith all its miracles will be meaningless.
Family Weekly, January 17,1960 5