10-06-2016, 10:33 AM
And this is the Information Age (100 years) :
30 AT (2000 c.e.)
30 - Human genome sequenced
31 - infamous September 11 terrorist attack on New York Twin Towers and Pentagon changes the shape of the political climate for the next half century.
33 - Contact with Pioneer 10 lost (February 2003 c.e.)
33 - Chinese launch their first manned rocket, the Shenzhou V, and become the third Earth polity to put a man in space.
34 - US military uses Predator remotely piloted aircraft (UAV / RPV) for anti-terrorist operations.
35's - Hollywood studios and other major entertainment institutions begin to be adversely impacted by PC and broadband internet developments, enabling downloading of complete movies, including pirated and home-made movies.
37 - Dawn solar-powered ion-drive space probe is launched by NASA to study Vesta and Ceres.
39 - Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) enacted in USA.
40's - New milestones reached in the field of bioengineering including first synthetic bacteria.
41 - Dawn spacecraft enters orbit around Vesta and begins a 14-month survey mission.
42 - IBM's Watson computer wins quiz show Jeopardy.
43 - Paralysed woman completes marathon using powered bodysuit.
45 - Dawn spacecraft enters orbit around Ceres.
46 - New Horizons probe reaches Pluto.
47 - Personal Virtual Reality media interfaces begin to take a market share from TV, radio, films, and other media.
48 - Several thousand exoplanets have been detected by this date, including many worlds similar in size to Earth in the habitable zone of their star. No unambiguous signs of life had been detected at this time
48 - Ruth Duorkin born.
50 AT (2020 c.e.)
50 - Internet users in every country of the Earth are forming new cultural, political and economic groupings.
50 - Primitive neuro-technological interfacing increasingly available for medical and non-medical purposes. Consists primarily of non-invasive, wearable technology.
50's onwards - Development of smart and capable virtual agents, companions, and even employees, for home, work and play. These agents are sometimes capable of passing the Turing Test, but are nevertheless not fully self-aware. See Semi-conscious Intelligence.
50's - Cheap and widely available unmanned and remotely-piloted micro-aircraft (UAVs and RPVs, popularly known as drones), as well as hand-held web-connected camphones allow individuals quick and easy access to independent news channels and other media, weakening the power of states and corporations to control public perception.
50's - Interactive video widespread.
52 - Continued environmental degradation in some third-world countries.
c.53 - Inception of Burning Library Project.
54 - Household consumer robotics becoming increasingly popular.
55 - Neuroscience makes headway into simulating complex neural networks from animals. At the same time AI science improves allowing for more sophisticated smartware. Both fields still need many decades of development before they can produce fully digital intelligence.
56 - Employers begin discriminating on the base of the applicants geneprint.
57 - In the spirit of optimism NASA, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and European Space Agencies and a consortium of private corporations begin work on the astonishingly expensive international Mars Mission Profile.
58 - First meso/microscale robots commercially available; nanoscale component manufacture in widespread use.
58 - Regenerative medicine products increasingly play a role in healthcare. Routine replacement of some organs possible.
59 - Multiple tele-operated robots (tele-nauts) of various designs deployed on International Space Station and in orbit in several capacities. Use of teleoperation greatly reduces costs and increases the scale and range of missions that can be 'safely' undertaken.
60's - Genetic modification of humans becomes increasingly accepted
61 - Despite intense protests from proponents of independent academia, the EU Parliament decides on a "unified and quality controlled" university standard. The brain drain to the US and emerging academic free states like Peru and New Zealand intensifies.
62 - First minor optional human genome tweak improvements available. The techniques are widely controversial and heavily regulated (even banned) in most nations. Whilst certain improvements in health are possible, many tweaks, selected by correlation to desired traits, have little to no effect. In addition, the risk of miscarriages or cancer through genetic damage remains low but significant. Despite the downsides, 'black clinics' (often employing questionable quality control procedures) flourish in some parts of the world, offering illegal embryonic enhancements.
62 - 'Orbital Internet' created to allow high bandwidth, high reliability communication between and among the surface and orbital installations and craft. In particular the Net allows greatly expanded use of telepresence systems in space.
63 - Autonomous cars represent a significant percentage of car ownership. Some nations introduce policies favouring them over manual cars.
63 - Academion Island founded by Aristos, a front company of various European universities.
63 - Start of discussions to build a permanent manned base on Luna.
65 AT (2035 c.e.)
65 - Nanoscale technology in widespread use for the manufacture of electronic equipment and other commodities; biotech continues to play an important role in the development of many poorer counties, despite political difficulties
65 - Genomic benefits result in significant extensions to life expectancies for newborns
65 - Computer power equivalent to human brain is available at consumer level prices, but suitable software lags behind. True sentient AI does not yet exist.
65 - Self-contained autonomous robot systems (homebots) with generalist capabilities available commercially.
65 - Orbital Internet expanded to the moon using a series of satellites in Lunar orbit and receiver/repeaters landed around location of first planned installation. Teleoperated robots and fully autonomous robots (with limited functions) begin lunar development.
67 - Widespread robot development
67 - Ruth Duorkin demonstrates the most sophisticated mobile life support systems yet seen; is remembered by later generations as first successful cyborg.
67 - First attempts at holovision using optical phased arrays.
68 - First "permanent" tele-naut - operated base begins construction on the Moon. Base is entirely designed to be operated by telepresence and has no accommodations for biont inhabitants or visitors.
68 - Following an assassination attempt in Venezuela, Ruth Duorkin incorporates a discrete kevlar outer skin to her bodyplan.
68 - First manned Mars mission - the Discovery and Endeavor launch for Mars - arrive in 69 AT. Teleoperated robots play a role in exploring various areas of the planet and are used exclusively to explore both moons. After this initial mission, exploration beyond the Moon reverts to unmanned probes for another 25 years.
60's-70's - Emerging virtual states take on increasing importance with further advances in immersive tactile VR via wired 'hotsuit' and 'Simmball' systems.
70 - AI science achieves semi-sentient algorithms. Whilst not yet sophont or capable of human equivalent general intelligence these programs were capable of impressive feats in specific fields. Increasingly human labour was replaced with cheap SSAs that required only a few humans to supervise, troubleshoot and input specific parameters for work. Coupled with a natural language interface SSAs could even appear human, albeit with noticeable social deficiencies and lack of creativity.
70 - Precooled air-breathing rocket engines allow for the first trans-oceanic hypersonic airliners as well as reusable SSTO vehicles. Initial costs are high but dramatically decrease the launch costs to space.
70 - New superbaby generation of child entrepreneurs force big changes to business and employment law and practices, as well as rules relating to legal maturity and asset ownership
71 - The Gates Award (the "Nobel Prize of Information Technology") instituted. The first laureates are Cody J. Komarinski and Sten Houweling, responsible for the DBS algorithm in agent management.
71 to 78 - Creation of first semi-sentient AI (several events). These entities are still not at a fully human-equivalent level.
73 - A room temperature superconductor is discovered on an orbital research platform. The new material is comparatively simple to make, but requires free-fall conditions to synthesize. Interest in space development increases markedly.
75 - Ken Ferjik born
77 - First mass driver built on the Moon using tele-naut construction crews. Used as a proof-of-concept of the technology and to launch both raw materials and eventually finished goods to several locations in the Earth-Moon volume as the drive to make space development self-sustaining continues.
70's-80's - The Space Hilton (private investment orbital hotel) still held up by mounting technical and financial difficulties, meanwhile there is a boom in Freedom Ships (giant floating cities for the wealthy). With the rise of these "Freedom Ships" and "Freedom Islands" increasing numbers of people taking to the sea to live and work, connected by the global internet economy and community.
78 - Personal transport market dominated by autonomous cars. Many nations have regulations limiting the use of manually-controlled cars.
78 - Brief fad for Polypedal pots, robotic houseplant containers
79 - A method of cheaply mass-producing woven carbon nanotubes in free-fall conditions is invented. The resulting lines, tapes, and cables can be produced in lengths limited only by the tensile strength of the material itself.
80 AT (2050 c.e.)
80's - Energy becomes the most important concern on Earth, as fossil fuels are becoming exorbitantly expensive. All through this century wars are fought over the dwindling fossil fuel supplies. Fission reactors are the most important source of energy in many countries, particularly fast breeders using uranium and thorium, but renewable sources of energy including mass produced photovoltaics, solar furnaces, and wind power are increasingly prevalent elsewhere. Hydrogen and biofuels are manufactured widely to replace expensive oil. The fusion program finally starts to produce commercial power in the late 2050s CE/80s AT. Despite burgeoning energy costs the success of the new tele-naut dominated space missions fuels interest in space exploration. Developments in propulsion technology and robotic manufacturing allow for even cheaper space access.
80's - Nanoscale technology common in many fields of industry (but assemblers are not yet possible)
~80 - VirchMon first developed, as smart pets, companions and virus guards for frequent net-users.
80-85 - Biopunk movement in full swing. Human intelligence augmentation shareware becomes available
81 - First inter-city Vac-train system developed in China with plans to extend through Asia to Europe and Africa as part of the Silk Road Development program.
83 - First magbeam projectors built in Earth orbit and on Luna. Each projector uses a large solar array and superconducting storage rings to produce the 82MW of energy needed to accelerate a 10 tonne transport craft on a tenth-gravity continuous boost trip to or from the Moon.
85 - First High Energy Laser Launch systems deployed to boost cargo into LEO. Later designs employ a combination of magnetic acceleration and laser launch to boost crewed modules into orbit.
86-87 - Static Music and White Noise becomes the most popular form of music in the 11-24 demographic.
86 - First broadcasting of The Planet X epic-comedy-drama saga featuring the popular fictional character Morag the Moravec more.
87 - First commercial fusion reactor (a D-T inertial confinement design) comes online in France, supplying 300MW of power to the European grid.
88 - Automated expedition sent to Mars on low energy transit to deliver a mag-beam system to planetary orbit to service the second Mars expedition.
89 - A coalition of several major corporations and investors launches an automated probe to intercept a small near-Earth orbiting asteroid, mine it, and return the results to Lunar orbit. Built as a proof-of-concept mission, the probe returns 100kg of asteroid material where it is picked up and delivered to labs in geosynchronous orbit.
89 - Whole Entertainment Enterprises' Mesozoic Wanderings represents a landmark interactive VR edutainment and simlife.
90 - First human equivalent artificial intelligence (AI) developed on distributed supercomputer clusters. For a while classification as human equivalent was doubtful as the AI were quite toposophically different to baselines, this hindered effective communication.
90's - Especially among the educated classes, traditional religions continue to be usurped by younger, more exotic beliefs, such as Sanandism, Babaism, Cosmism, Transhumanism, etc.
90's - Megacorps begin loaning money to hard-pressed governments.
90's - Cyborg augmentations developed that allow domestic animals to understand human speech.
91 - First "permanent" Lunar Base expanded to accommodate bionts. In practice, consists of a small cluster of habitat modules that are occupied for 1-3 months at a time several times per year. Operations using tele-nauts, eventually including some operated entirely by AIs back on Earth, as well as purely robotic labor, continue year round.
91 - First orbital bolo satellite deployed to boost cargo and passengers from Low Earth Orbit to Geo-synchronous Orbit. Lost orbital momentum is made up using an electrodynamic tether system.
91 - The Very Large Interstellar Observation Array (a series of linked orbital LEO optical telescopes) confirms the existence of an Archean-like Earth type world, Tau Ceti II.
92 - Jarvis Microtechnics introduces the 25 gram robot "Pocket Tractor", revolutionizes agriculture
93 - More advanced nanomachines constructed, but many technical difficulties remain. Nevertheless things look promising. There is a new wave of venture capital investment.
94 - Primitive Direct Neural Interfacing cranial nerve implants become commercially available. Costs are high for both the interface and the surgical implantation, in addition some models are shown to cause neurodegenerative diseases after years of use. Nevertheless for those that can afford it these early DNIs offer a significant boost to personal capability.
94 - Second Mars expedition, this time using magbeam boosting systems to reduce trip time to 90 days each direction. A crew of 50 makes the journey to the red planet. The first Mars base is established, with 10 members of the expedition staying behind to begin exploration and research until the next transport vessel arrives to relieve them and rotate in the next crew of 25 explorers.
94 - First convincing dinosaur 'reverse engineered' by modifying chicken DNA. It is the size of a turkey and does not resemble any known species. It excites widespread interest. Jurassic Park Retro comes briefly into fashion during the northern summer.
95 - First GEO bolo satellite deployed to both catch incoming modules from the LEO bolos and to launch payloads toward the Moon and beyond.
95 - Biotronics Incorporated, in conjunction with the VR-entertainment megacorporation Inscape markets the "Gibson neural jack", the first mass-market Direct neural Interface system (named after the famous writer of cyberpunk). Over the next year other corporations follow suit with competing models (the Hacker, the InterFase, etc. The new neural interfaces give far more powerful immersion than previous virtual reality rigs. Brings about a further boost in digital nations and perfect VR, Defections of citizens from geophysical governments to blooming virtual states are mounting. VR becomes the escape for the masses - Improving VR quality seduce citizens into an apathetic view towards world.
100 AT (2070 c.e.)
100's - a vast "genomic gap" develops between the haves and the have-nots, those having the benefit of germline modification, tend to be consistently more intelligent, more athletic, more healthy, and more physically attractive. Yet true genius and creativity remain elusive, as the combination of genetic and environmental factors that determine them are difficult to quantify.
100 - First emergence of Genemod dating and matching services.
102 - After twelve years of exhaustive experimentation with AI and human intelligence augmentation the first AI with superior intelligence in all areas is created and quickly dubs itself a 'superturing'. Temporarily fears of AI are heightened but as the nascent superturings are shown to not think in radically different ways from humans, as well as the increase in technological development from superturing holding institutes, these fears abate.
100's - Centralist AIs apparently use "terrorist" actions and unexplained crashes to forcefully make sure "untrustworthy" ais do not reach superturingrade.
103 - The Static craze dies out thanks to a counter-meme created by an independent memetic engineer and Elvis Presley fan Ryu O'Connor, despite numerous lawsuits on behalf of the entertainment megacorps
104 - First Artificial Wombs created.
104 - Smartswarm, a variant of smartdust with destructive capabilities, is an early non-replicating form of military nanotech. Military robots have now replaced 90% of soldiers worldwide.
105 AT (2075 c.e.)
106 - Project Thistledown uses the magbeam system on Luna to launch long duration probes to Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn. Using a combination of hybrid magnetic-solar sails and onboard fuel to maneuver and decelerate, the probes deploy a variety of orbiters, landers, and balloon-based flyers on arrival. While the exact mix of secondary craft varies with the destination, a common chassis is used for all probes. The various landers and flyers have limited lifetimes generally ranging from 3-5 years. However, the main orbiting platforms have operational lifetimes of 20 years or more and provide an ongoing observational capability for much of the solar system.
106 - First recorded backup of a '.....' spore exoself
108 - Small but increasing scientific/ govt and private enterprise presence on moon and in orbit. Nevertheless anything beyond low earth orbit (LEO) space travel is still too expensive for anyone except governments, a few megacorporations, and joyrides for wealthy private individuals. Buckyfiber-driven space rush opens up space to private investment. Meanwhile the unemployed masses suffer as the welfare state shrinks to nominal levels
110 - A full-scale collapse or reformation of many geopolitical states is underway; a boom in gambling; emerging virtual states take on increasing importance; major developments in Antarctica
110s - Worldwide weakening of nation states.
110 - Heaven habitat constructed in geo-synchronous orbit by an international coalition of nations and businesses using tele-naut technology. Used as a combination hotel, resort, research complex and light manufacturing facility as it develops over time. Becomes effectively the first extra-terrestrial colony with an eventual permanent population of 500.
110 - Chinese Gobi colonisation project begins with the dual aim of transforming the desert into habitable land and developing a model for self-sustaining high-tech extraterrestrial colonies. The project continued for many decades and in combination with international sister projects in the Antarctic, Atacama and Pacific spearheaded CELSS technology and colonial economic management.
111 - Automated mining of half a dozen Near-Earth asteroids begins delivering commercial quantities of material to the Earth-Luna volume. Most is used in space-based manufacture, but some particularly valuable rare-Earth elements are shipped back to Earth-surface for various applications.
112 Completion of Burning Library Project
113 - The increasing population of Earth (which has now reached 10 billion) and the decrease in easily exploitable resources and human-induced climate change lead to widespread starvation, epidemics and many small-scale conflicts. Numerous environmental mitigation projects are underway, many of which have conflicting objectives.
114 - Human intelligence augmentation shareware becomes available, principally memory and concentration boosters. Initially dangerous to mental health the establishment of reputable regulation bodies and strict testing protocols fosters greater safety and consumer confidence. While costs to DNI installation have fallen they remain prohibitive prompting fears of a wealth-induced intelligence gap. Various governments and businesses look to subsidise installation for their citizens and consumers.
114 - "Tweak" superbaby Marcus Alfonse Lee becomes Chairman of the Board of "High Frontier" venture startup Orbital Explorations Pty Ltd (later to be renamed Lee Interorbital) at age 12.
115 - New developments in animal cross-species gene-splicing
115 - Ken Ferjik's Micronesian Quest, a detailed historical simulation
116 - First Lunar "City" (Artemis), population 200. Primarily consists of researchers and workers performing tasks considered too delicate or real-time dependent to use tele-presence technology operating from Earth. Much of the population's work consists of supervising robots or operating tele-presence tech distributed across the Lunar surface. The remainder of the population consists of support personnel of various sorts.
118 - Ken Ferjik's The Himalaya Wars, another detailed historical simulation, goes online. This and his Micronesian Quest inspire many imitations.
118 - Businesses set up space businesses, boom in space hotels and LEO flights for the wealthy, increased automation and use of robots and expert systems leads to increasing unemployment and social unrest. As the homebot industry develops and the bots become more intelligent, reactionary elements in the general public like the Kozinskites and the Friends of Ludd become increasingly alarmed at the rise of artificial intelligence and see it as a danger to humanity.
119 - An internet based virtual world war centered on North America which shifts a number of assets and influence from previous geopolitical and corporate powers to new players.
c. 120 Superturing AI (with greater than human intelligence) common.
121 - Ken Ferjik's Pertinax successfully integrates both elements of networked gaming and roleplaying.
122 - The suborbital/intraorbital Waverider brings about a drastic reduction in the cost of space flight.
123 - Ken Ferjik's MMORPG Mother Russia further extends many of the themes and developments of the innovative Pertinax, placing networked gaming roleplaying in an epic historical simulationist perspective.
125 - The international Near Earth Object detection and control program successful in collecting several small Earth-approaching objects; those which are easily diverted into Earth Orbit are used in the construction and extension of current geostationary Habitats such as Academion and SupraSeoul.
126 - The Deep Space Skymining corporation, a commercial asteroid and space junk interception concern, lobbies for a space elevator to be built.
126 - Ken Ferjik's Cuba integrates his earlier work in a detailed immersive political-educational simulation.
129 - First crewed fusion drive spacecraft using a D-T z-pinch design. Transit times to Mars are greatly reduced, and expeditions to the Outer System begin to be discussed as .01g brachistochrone (continuous boost) flight profiles become possible. However, the majority of traffic, and especially cargo, continues to use mag-beam propulsion.
129 - Ruth Duorkin dies.
30 AT (2000 c.e.)
30 - Human genome sequenced
31 - infamous September 11 terrorist attack on New York Twin Towers and Pentagon changes the shape of the political climate for the next half century.
33 - Contact with Pioneer 10 lost (February 2003 c.e.)
33 - Chinese launch their first manned rocket, the Shenzhou V, and become the third Earth polity to put a man in space.
34 - US military uses Predator remotely piloted aircraft (UAV / RPV) for anti-terrorist operations.
35's - Hollywood studios and other major entertainment institutions begin to be adversely impacted by PC and broadband internet developments, enabling downloading of complete movies, including pirated and home-made movies.
37 - Dawn solar-powered ion-drive space probe is launched by NASA to study Vesta and Ceres.
39 - Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) enacted in USA.
40's - New milestones reached in the field of bioengineering including first synthetic bacteria.
41 - Dawn spacecraft enters orbit around Vesta and begins a 14-month survey mission.
42 - IBM's Watson computer wins quiz show Jeopardy.
43 - Paralysed woman completes marathon using powered bodysuit.
45 - Dawn spacecraft enters orbit around Ceres.
46 - New Horizons probe reaches Pluto.
47 - Personal Virtual Reality media interfaces begin to take a market share from TV, radio, films, and other media.
48 - Several thousand exoplanets have been detected by this date, including many worlds similar in size to Earth in the habitable zone of their star. No unambiguous signs of life had been detected at this time
48 - Ruth Duorkin born.
50 AT (2020 c.e.)
50 - Internet users in every country of the Earth are forming new cultural, political and economic groupings.
50 - Primitive neuro-technological interfacing increasingly available for medical and non-medical purposes. Consists primarily of non-invasive, wearable technology.
50's onwards - Development of smart and capable virtual agents, companions, and even employees, for home, work and play. These agents are sometimes capable of passing the Turing Test, but are nevertheless not fully self-aware. See Semi-conscious Intelligence.
50's - Cheap and widely available unmanned and remotely-piloted micro-aircraft (UAVs and RPVs, popularly known as drones), as well as hand-held web-connected camphones allow individuals quick and easy access to independent news channels and other media, weakening the power of states and corporations to control public perception.
50's - Interactive video widespread.
52 - Continued environmental degradation in some third-world countries.
c.53 - Inception of Burning Library Project.
54 - Household consumer robotics becoming increasingly popular.
55 - Neuroscience makes headway into simulating complex neural networks from animals. At the same time AI science improves allowing for more sophisticated smartware. Both fields still need many decades of development before they can produce fully digital intelligence.
56 - Employers begin discriminating on the base of the applicants geneprint.
57 - In the spirit of optimism NASA, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and European Space Agencies and a consortium of private corporations begin work on the astonishingly expensive international Mars Mission Profile.
58 - First meso/microscale robots commercially available; nanoscale component manufacture in widespread use.
58 - Regenerative medicine products increasingly play a role in healthcare. Routine replacement of some organs possible.
59 - Multiple tele-operated robots (tele-nauts) of various designs deployed on International Space Station and in orbit in several capacities. Use of teleoperation greatly reduces costs and increases the scale and range of missions that can be 'safely' undertaken.
60's - Genetic modification of humans becomes increasingly accepted
61 - Despite intense protests from proponents of independent academia, the EU Parliament decides on a "unified and quality controlled" university standard. The brain drain to the US and emerging academic free states like Peru and New Zealand intensifies.
62 - First minor optional human genome tweak improvements available. The techniques are widely controversial and heavily regulated (even banned) in most nations. Whilst certain improvements in health are possible, many tweaks, selected by correlation to desired traits, have little to no effect. In addition, the risk of miscarriages or cancer through genetic damage remains low but significant. Despite the downsides, 'black clinics' (often employing questionable quality control procedures) flourish in some parts of the world, offering illegal embryonic enhancements.
62 - 'Orbital Internet' created to allow high bandwidth, high reliability communication between and among the surface and orbital installations and craft. In particular the Net allows greatly expanded use of telepresence systems in space.
63 - Autonomous cars represent a significant percentage of car ownership. Some nations introduce policies favouring them over manual cars.
63 - Academion Island founded by Aristos, a front company of various European universities.
63 - Start of discussions to build a permanent manned base on Luna.
65 AT (2035 c.e.)
65 - Nanoscale technology in widespread use for the manufacture of electronic equipment and other commodities; biotech continues to play an important role in the development of many poorer counties, despite political difficulties
65 - Genomic benefits result in significant extensions to life expectancies for newborns
65 - Computer power equivalent to human brain is available at consumer level prices, but suitable software lags behind. True sentient AI does not yet exist.
65 - Self-contained autonomous robot systems (homebots) with generalist capabilities available commercially.
65 - Orbital Internet expanded to the moon using a series of satellites in Lunar orbit and receiver/repeaters landed around location of first planned installation. Teleoperated robots and fully autonomous robots (with limited functions) begin lunar development.
67 - Widespread robot development
67 - Ruth Duorkin demonstrates the most sophisticated mobile life support systems yet seen; is remembered by later generations as first successful cyborg.
67 - First attempts at holovision using optical phased arrays.
68 - First "permanent" tele-naut - operated base begins construction on the Moon. Base is entirely designed to be operated by telepresence and has no accommodations for biont inhabitants or visitors.
68 - Following an assassination attempt in Venezuela, Ruth Duorkin incorporates a discrete kevlar outer skin to her bodyplan.
68 - First manned Mars mission - the Discovery and Endeavor launch for Mars - arrive in 69 AT. Teleoperated robots play a role in exploring various areas of the planet and are used exclusively to explore both moons. After this initial mission, exploration beyond the Moon reverts to unmanned probes for another 25 years.
60's-70's - Emerging virtual states take on increasing importance with further advances in immersive tactile VR via wired 'hotsuit' and 'Simmball' systems.
70 - AI science achieves semi-sentient algorithms. Whilst not yet sophont or capable of human equivalent general intelligence these programs were capable of impressive feats in specific fields. Increasingly human labour was replaced with cheap SSAs that required only a few humans to supervise, troubleshoot and input specific parameters for work. Coupled with a natural language interface SSAs could even appear human, albeit with noticeable social deficiencies and lack of creativity.
70 - Precooled air-breathing rocket engines allow for the first trans-oceanic hypersonic airliners as well as reusable SSTO vehicles. Initial costs are high but dramatically decrease the launch costs to space.
70 - New superbaby generation of child entrepreneurs force big changes to business and employment law and practices, as well as rules relating to legal maturity and asset ownership
71 - The Gates Award (the "Nobel Prize of Information Technology") instituted. The first laureates are Cody J. Komarinski and Sten Houweling, responsible for the DBS algorithm in agent management.
71 to 78 - Creation of first semi-sentient AI (several events). These entities are still not at a fully human-equivalent level.
73 - A room temperature superconductor is discovered on an orbital research platform. The new material is comparatively simple to make, but requires free-fall conditions to synthesize. Interest in space development increases markedly.
75 - Ken Ferjik born
77 - First mass driver built on the Moon using tele-naut construction crews. Used as a proof-of-concept of the technology and to launch both raw materials and eventually finished goods to several locations in the Earth-Moon volume as the drive to make space development self-sustaining continues.
70's-80's - The Space Hilton (private investment orbital hotel) still held up by mounting technical and financial difficulties, meanwhile there is a boom in Freedom Ships (giant floating cities for the wealthy). With the rise of these "Freedom Ships" and "Freedom Islands" increasing numbers of people taking to the sea to live and work, connected by the global internet economy and community.
78 - Personal transport market dominated by autonomous cars. Many nations have regulations limiting the use of manually-controlled cars.
78 - Brief fad for Polypedal pots, robotic houseplant containers
79 - A method of cheaply mass-producing woven carbon nanotubes in free-fall conditions is invented. The resulting lines, tapes, and cables can be produced in lengths limited only by the tensile strength of the material itself.
80 AT (2050 c.e.)
80's - Energy becomes the most important concern on Earth, as fossil fuels are becoming exorbitantly expensive. All through this century wars are fought over the dwindling fossil fuel supplies. Fission reactors are the most important source of energy in many countries, particularly fast breeders using uranium and thorium, but renewable sources of energy including mass produced photovoltaics, solar furnaces, and wind power are increasingly prevalent elsewhere. Hydrogen and biofuels are manufactured widely to replace expensive oil. The fusion program finally starts to produce commercial power in the late 2050s CE/80s AT. Despite burgeoning energy costs the success of the new tele-naut dominated space missions fuels interest in space exploration. Developments in propulsion technology and robotic manufacturing allow for even cheaper space access.
80's - Nanoscale technology common in many fields of industry (but assemblers are not yet possible)
~80 - VirchMon first developed, as smart pets, companions and virus guards for frequent net-users.
80-85 - Biopunk movement in full swing. Human intelligence augmentation shareware becomes available
81 - First inter-city Vac-train system developed in China with plans to extend through Asia to Europe and Africa as part of the Silk Road Development program.
83 - First magbeam projectors built in Earth orbit and on Luna. Each projector uses a large solar array and superconducting storage rings to produce the 82MW of energy needed to accelerate a 10 tonne transport craft on a tenth-gravity continuous boost trip to or from the Moon.
85 - First High Energy Laser Launch systems deployed to boost cargo into LEO. Later designs employ a combination of magnetic acceleration and laser launch to boost crewed modules into orbit.
86-87 - Static Music and White Noise becomes the most popular form of music in the 11-24 demographic.
86 - First broadcasting of The Planet X epic-comedy-drama saga featuring the popular fictional character Morag the Moravec more.
87 - First commercial fusion reactor (a D-T inertial confinement design) comes online in France, supplying 300MW of power to the European grid.
88 - Automated expedition sent to Mars on low energy transit to deliver a mag-beam system to planetary orbit to service the second Mars expedition.
89 - A coalition of several major corporations and investors launches an automated probe to intercept a small near-Earth orbiting asteroid, mine it, and return the results to Lunar orbit. Built as a proof-of-concept mission, the probe returns 100kg of asteroid material where it is picked up and delivered to labs in geosynchronous orbit.
89 - Whole Entertainment Enterprises' Mesozoic Wanderings represents a landmark interactive VR edutainment and simlife.
90 - First human equivalent artificial intelligence (AI) developed on distributed supercomputer clusters. For a while classification as human equivalent was doubtful as the AI were quite toposophically different to baselines, this hindered effective communication.
90's - Especially among the educated classes, traditional religions continue to be usurped by younger, more exotic beliefs, such as Sanandism, Babaism, Cosmism, Transhumanism, etc.
90's - Megacorps begin loaning money to hard-pressed governments.
90's - Cyborg augmentations developed that allow domestic animals to understand human speech.
91 - First "permanent" Lunar Base expanded to accommodate bionts. In practice, consists of a small cluster of habitat modules that are occupied for 1-3 months at a time several times per year. Operations using tele-nauts, eventually including some operated entirely by AIs back on Earth, as well as purely robotic labor, continue year round.
91 - First orbital bolo satellite deployed to boost cargo and passengers from Low Earth Orbit to Geo-synchronous Orbit. Lost orbital momentum is made up using an electrodynamic tether system.
91 - The Very Large Interstellar Observation Array (a series of linked orbital LEO optical telescopes) confirms the existence of an Archean-like Earth type world, Tau Ceti II.
92 - Jarvis Microtechnics introduces the 25 gram robot "Pocket Tractor", revolutionizes agriculture
93 - More advanced nanomachines constructed, but many technical difficulties remain. Nevertheless things look promising. There is a new wave of venture capital investment.
94 - Primitive Direct Neural Interfacing cranial nerve implants become commercially available. Costs are high for both the interface and the surgical implantation, in addition some models are shown to cause neurodegenerative diseases after years of use. Nevertheless for those that can afford it these early DNIs offer a significant boost to personal capability.
94 - Second Mars expedition, this time using magbeam boosting systems to reduce trip time to 90 days each direction. A crew of 50 makes the journey to the red planet. The first Mars base is established, with 10 members of the expedition staying behind to begin exploration and research until the next transport vessel arrives to relieve them and rotate in the next crew of 25 explorers.
94 - First convincing dinosaur 'reverse engineered' by modifying chicken DNA. It is the size of a turkey and does not resemble any known species. It excites widespread interest. Jurassic Park Retro comes briefly into fashion during the northern summer.
95 - First GEO bolo satellite deployed to both catch incoming modules from the LEO bolos and to launch payloads toward the Moon and beyond.
95 - Biotronics Incorporated, in conjunction with the VR-entertainment megacorporation Inscape markets the "Gibson neural jack", the first mass-market Direct neural Interface system (named after the famous writer of cyberpunk). Over the next year other corporations follow suit with competing models (the Hacker, the InterFase, etc. The new neural interfaces give far more powerful immersion than previous virtual reality rigs. Brings about a further boost in digital nations and perfect VR, Defections of citizens from geophysical governments to blooming virtual states are mounting. VR becomes the escape for the masses - Improving VR quality seduce citizens into an apathetic view towards world.
100 AT (2070 c.e.)
100's - a vast "genomic gap" develops between the haves and the have-nots, those having the benefit of germline modification, tend to be consistently more intelligent, more athletic, more healthy, and more physically attractive. Yet true genius and creativity remain elusive, as the combination of genetic and environmental factors that determine them are difficult to quantify.
100 - First emergence of Genemod dating and matching services.
102 - After twelve years of exhaustive experimentation with AI and human intelligence augmentation the first AI with superior intelligence in all areas is created and quickly dubs itself a 'superturing'. Temporarily fears of AI are heightened but as the nascent superturings are shown to not think in radically different ways from humans, as well as the increase in technological development from superturing holding institutes, these fears abate.
100's - Centralist AIs apparently use "terrorist" actions and unexplained crashes to forcefully make sure "untrustworthy" ais do not reach superturingrade.
103 - The Static craze dies out thanks to a counter-meme created by an independent memetic engineer and Elvis Presley fan Ryu O'Connor, despite numerous lawsuits on behalf of the entertainment megacorps
104 - First Artificial Wombs created.
104 - Smartswarm, a variant of smartdust with destructive capabilities, is an early non-replicating form of military nanotech. Military robots have now replaced 90% of soldiers worldwide.
105 AT (2075 c.e.)
106 - Project Thistledown uses the magbeam system on Luna to launch long duration probes to Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn. Using a combination of hybrid magnetic-solar sails and onboard fuel to maneuver and decelerate, the probes deploy a variety of orbiters, landers, and balloon-based flyers on arrival. While the exact mix of secondary craft varies with the destination, a common chassis is used for all probes. The various landers and flyers have limited lifetimes generally ranging from 3-5 years. However, the main orbiting platforms have operational lifetimes of 20 years or more and provide an ongoing observational capability for much of the solar system.
106 - First recorded backup of a '.....' spore exoself
108 - Small but increasing scientific/ govt and private enterprise presence on moon and in orbit. Nevertheless anything beyond low earth orbit (LEO) space travel is still too expensive for anyone except governments, a few megacorporations, and joyrides for wealthy private individuals. Buckyfiber-driven space rush opens up space to private investment. Meanwhile the unemployed masses suffer as the welfare state shrinks to nominal levels
110 - A full-scale collapse or reformation of many geopolitical states is underway; a boom in gambling; emerging virtual states take on increasing importance; major developments in Antarctica
110s - Worldwide weakening of nation states.
110 - Heaven habitat constructed in geo-synchronous orbit by an international coalition of nations and businesses using tele-naut technology. Used as a combination hotel, resort, research complex and light manufacturing facility as it develops over time. Becomes effectively the first extra-terrestrial colony with an eventual permanent population of 500.
110 - Chinese Gobi colonisation project begins with the dual aim of transforming the desert into habitable land and developing a model for self-sustaining high-tech extraterrestrial colonies. The project continued for many decades and in combination with international sister projects in the Antarctic, Atacama and Pacific spearheaded CELSS technology and colonial economic management.
111 - Automated mining of half a dozen Near-Earth asteroids begins delivering commercial quantities of material to the Earth-Luna volume. Most is used in space-based manufacture, but some particularly valuable rare-Earth elements are shipped back to Earth-surface for various applications.
112 Completion of Burning Library Project
113 - The increasing population of Earth (which has now reached 10 billion) and the decrease in easily exploitable resources and human-induced climate change lead to widespread starvation, epidemics and many small-scale conflicts. Numerous environmental mitigation projects are underway, many of which have conflicting objectives.
114 - Human intelligence augmentation shareware becomes available, principally memory and concentration boosters. Initially dangerous to mental health the establishment of reputable regulation bodies and strict testing protocols fosters greater safety and consumer confidence. While costs to DNI installation have fallen they remain prohibitive prompting fears of a wealth-induced intelligence gap. Various governments and businesses look to subsidise installation for their citizens and consumers.
114 - "Tweak" superbaby Marcus Alfonse Lee becomes Chairman of the Board of "High Frontier" venture startup Orbital Explorations Pty Ltd (later to be renamed Lee Interorbital) at age 12.
115 - New developments in animal cross-species gene-splicing
115 - Ken Ferjik's Micronesian Quest, a detailed historical simulation
116 - First Lunar "City" (Artemis), population 200. Primarily consists of researchers and workers performing tasks considered too delicate or real-time dependent to use tele-presence technology operating from Earth. Much of the population's work consists of supervising robots or operating tele-presence tech distributed across the Lunar surface. The remainder of the population consists of support personnel of various sorts.
118 - Ken Ferjik's The Himalaya Wars, another detailed historical simulation, goes online. This and his Micronesian Quest inspire many imitations.
118 - Businesses set up space businesses, boom in space hotels and LEO flights for the wealthy, increased automation and use of robots and expert systems leads to increasing unemployment and social unrest. As the homebot industry develops and the bots become more intelligent, reactionary elements in the general public like the Kozinskites and the Friends of Ludd become increasingly alarmed at the rise of artificial intelligence and see it as a danger to humanity.
119 - An internet based virtual world war centered on North America which shifts a number of assets and influence from previous geopolitical and corporate powers to new players.
c. 120 Superturing AI (with greater than human intelligence) common.
121 - Ken Ferjik's Pertinax successfully integrates both elements of networked gaming and roleplaying.
122 - The suborbital/intraorbital Waverider brings about a drastic reduction in the cost of space flight.
123 - Ken Ferjik's MMORPG Mother Russia further extends many of the themes and developments of the innovative Pertinax, placing networked gaming roleplaying in an epic historical simulationist perspective.
125 - The international Near Earth Object detection and control program successful in collecting several small Earth-approaching objects; those which are easily diverted into Earth Orbit are used in the construction and extension of current geostationary Habitats such as Academion and SupraSeoul.
126 - The Deep Space Skymining corporation, a commercial asteroid and space junk interception concern, lobbies for a space elevator to be built.
126 - Ken Ferjik's Cuba integrates his earlier work in a detailed immersive political-educational simulation.
129 - First crewed fusion drive spacecraft using a D-T z-pinch design. Transit times to Mars are greatly reduced, and expeditions to the Outer System begin to be discussed as .01g brachistochrone (continuous boost) flight profiles become possible. However, the majority of traffic, and especially cargo, continues to use mag-beam propulsion.
129 - Ruth Duorkin dies.