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A teen boy wakes up and a voice speaks in his ear through a
digital implant. The voice alerts him to any important or interest-
ing messages that arrived while he was asleep and tells him the
weather forecast. The boy showers, and as he bathes, a camera
in the shower head works together with tiny sensors embedded
in his body to assess his health and wellness. Meanwhile, the
kitchen knows he is awake. A robotic system is already prepar-
ing his breakfast, which contains items specifically chosen for his
nutritional needs, as assessed by the health system. When the
boy is ready for the day, he walks into an empty room. But it does
not stay empty for long. His digital implant projects a new real-
ity. The space around him seems to transform into the surface of
Mars. The boy is studying outer space. He learns at his own pace
through virtual experiences specially targeted toward his interests
and level of understanding.
Altered Reality
This boy’s experience is completely fictional. However, advances
in digital technology could make a scenario like this possible. One
important feature of this story is that digital technology has be-
come completely integrated into the boy’s life and body—he is
never offline. His constant digital connection has become like a
sixth sense, an ability akin to sight or hearing that he relies on in
order to understand and react to his world. From his point of view,
it would not really make sense to distinguish between the digital
constructs and the physical world. Both are equally real to him.
The real world and the Internet are already beginning to merge.
Virtual reality technology makes an online experience seem much
Welcome to the Future
CHAPTER FIVE
