A Year Ago: Internet to gain human insight

At The Next 20 Years, predictions of how computing and the Internet will change our lives, in the long view.

Women dominating the technology-driven future with men "little more than exotic house pets" was one of the more radical visions of life in 2020, expounded by Thornton May, vice president of Cambridge Technology Partners, at a techno-future gathering Wednesday.

May was one of the delegates gathered at The Next 20 Years event in London Wednesday evening. Delegates from the IT world heard a variety of entertaining predictions of how technology will enhance our lives in 20 years' time.

Web sites that will get to know you better than you know yourself with the Internet as "the ultimate observer of human behaviour" was the vision of Richard Pollack, head of behavioural analysis at Ronin Research.

Daniel Berger, "chief fool" of online investment company The Motley Fool believes virtual communities will dominate the Internet in 2020, "redefining society and enhancing human experience".

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