The Futuristic Issue - Answers

Seeing the Future

1.F (by one machine)  2.T   3.T  4.F(no one had full understanding of the machine)  5.F(it had been created by men)  6.F(decadent) 7.T  8.T

The Future of Computers

Transcript

Of course software is also used to tackle much harder problems. And to give us his thoughts on the power of software, joining us live by satellite, from the USA, please welcome Bill Gates.

Bill, welcome to the Christmas Lectures and thank you very much for joining us.

Bill It’s great to be here.

Chris Bill, we have a question from, ah, Thomas, who’s sitting in the audience

here. Thomas, do you want to ask Bill your question?

Thomas What do you think computing will be like in 50 years, when I’m your age.

Bill Well 50 years is, ah, a very long time. Ah, if we look 50 years ago, computers were so expensive that people thought of them as just for government, or big companies and, and in fact, they scared people. Now we’ve got it so they’re fairly inexpensive, ah, individual people can own them, they’re viewed as empowering, they let you reach out and learn things about the

world. A big change will be that we’ll be able to write software that models the world. So, for example, understanding if you’re designing a product, you know, trying out, is this car going to be, ah, cheap? If it’s in a crash, will it respond well? If I’m thinking of a medicine, ah, does it have the right shape, will it have the effect on people’s bodies? So, being able to model the world will allow us to be way more productive.

Also in the time frame you’re talking about, we’ll even have robots, ah, computer controlled machines that can, ah, do hard tasks. Ah, today some robots, ah, clean up the carpet, but that’s very simple – these robots will be able to see and walk, just like human beings. And so, ah, it’ll, it’ll be a radical change, ah, and that will probably happen even in 25 years. Ah, for the next 25 years after that, you know, I think we’ll all be surprised, because computing can go a long, long ways from where it is today.

Chris Bill, we have, ah, Olivia up here and Olivia has a question for you. Olivia, do

you want to ask your question?

Olivia Um, do you think computers will ever be able to think for themselves?

Bill That’s an excellent question and even within the field you find people who disagree. Ah, as we learn about human intelligence, our admiration for how powerful the brain is just goes up and up. The way that an infant can acquire vocabulary and common sense and a sense of time and, just pick up a book and learn new subjects, you know, we still have nothing that’s even close to that.

In some areas like vision or listening, or even locomotion, moving around, the last five years there has been very good progress. And so, I think we can say for sure that we’ll match human ability in terms of senses, ah, seeing, smelling, tasting, being able to move, but when it comes to learning and the broad general purpose way that humans learn, ah, certainly nothing

dramatic will change on that in the next decade. Beyond that, it’s really a little bit guesswork. Ah, people like myself think yes, computers will eventually be smart. It’s a little bit scary, ah, but getting the computer to be a little bit smarter and to be an even better tool, I think, can be a, a very positive thing.

Chris Bill, perhaps we could finish with one last question, which is to do with an area that’s very close to my own research interests which is, ah, use of software in medicine and health care. What do you think the exciting opportunities are there?

Bill The most interesting area today, if I was a young person, is on that boundary between the very best computer science and medical advances. You know, I think about it a lot, not just in terms of the rich countries, but also the poor countries where you still have a lot of terrible diseases like malaria and AIDS and, you know, I know this is the golden age of using digital software, ah, to help improve the practice of medicine.

Chris Bill, it’s been a great pleasure talking to you and thank you very much for joining us.

Bill Thank you.

Chris So we’ve seen that there are plenty of important problems for computers to tackle. But after the break we’ll be looking at problems which are so hard that even a supercomputer can be completely overwhelmed.

Future Tenses

1.I will call you (promise)  2.B: I'll get it. (spontaneous decision) 3.I'll be on time (promise)  4.I will make dinner(promise) 5.she will throw a party(promise)

6.I’ll make you some coffee. (spontaneous decision) 7.you are going to have an accident. (evidence) 8.I won’t give you this sandwich. (threat)  9.are going to have a baby. (evidence) 10.I will improve the working conditions (promise)

11.They are going to/ will (plan or decision) 12.starts at 7. (schedule) 13.I’m seeing (fixed arrangement) 14.I'm going to/ will be (plan or decision)

15.This year will/ is going to be (prediction) 16.I’m starting/ going to start / will start  17.We're taking (arrangement) will take (promise) are going to take (plan).

18.I’m going to paint (plan) I’m studying/ going to study (arrangement or plan)

19.The plane leaves (schedule) It’s going to be (evidence) will be (prediction)

20.I’ll get you something really nice. (spontaneous decision)

Telling the Future

Lyrics:

I'm not a fortune teller
I won't be bringing news of what tomorrow brings
I'll leave that up to you
I'm not a fortune teller
Don't have a crystal ball
I can't predict the future
Can't see nothing at all
It doesn't mean I'm afraid of all the things that you say
But I just think we should stay
Stuck in the moment today
And as the seasons roll by
No matter how hard I try
Summer will end and the leaves will turn again.

I don't know why you're acting like this
I don't know why you have to do it again
Why'd you have to go and ruin the night
Don't worry about tomorrow's mess.

I never know how the future will go
I don't know what to tell you, I'm not a fortune teller
I never change, but I want you to stay
I don't know what to tell you, I'm not a fortune teller.

I don't like watching TV
I don't know what that all means
And your American dream, baby it just stays in me
I know that what I'm thinking, may not be on your mind
I know the song I'm singing, it's not your favorite kind
It doesn't mean I'm afraid of all the things that you say
But I just think we should stay
Stuck in the moment today
And as the seasons roll by
No matter how hard I try
Summer will end and the leaves will turn again.

I don't know why you're acting like this...
I never know how the future will go...

This feeling, keeps growing, these rivers keep flowing
How can I have answers when you drive me in questions

I never know how the future will go...

The Futuristic Crossword Puzzle

Across:  4.Fortune teller  6.prophets 9.Cyborg  14.Yoda  17.Marty  18.Mad Max  19.deadline 21Palms 22.scifi 23.Android  24.Apes 25.Futures 

Down: 1.Horoscope 2.Clockwork 3.Delorean 4.Futurology  5.Eve  7.visionary 8.Garbage 10. Blade Runner 11.Star Wars  12.Bradbury  13.expiration  15. Time Machine 16.Terminator  18.Matrix 20.Asimov