[AnotherUnixGeek]

It's an idea that most of us would rather not face -- that within the next century, life as we know it could come to an end. Our civilization could crumble, leaving only traces of modern human existence behind.

It seems outlandish, extreme -- even impossible. But according to cutting edge scientific research, it is a very real possibility. And unless we make drastic changes now, it could very well happen.

The simple fact of the matter is that our "cutting edge scientific research" will most likely pale in comparison to what our descendants will know and will be able to do in 100 years. Scientific knowledge and resulting technologies are growing exponentially. The assumption that we can somehow do something to the Earth that our far more advanced descendants can't undo if they please is ridiculous. This, of course, leaves aside the perfectly valid question of how much we are actually doing to the Earth.

[wbill]

If you went back to NYC, circa 1900, and told him that there'd be 8 million people living in the city in the 21st century...then asked him "What is the biggest problem that they'll face?"

You might get an answer like "Who will clean up the crap from all of the horses they'll need?"

Assuming that progress continues unabated - AlGore and his acolytes DON'T get their way - the technology of 2100 not only will be stranger than we imagine, it will be stranger than we can imagine.

All bets are off, though, if we allow pols and their fellow travelers to scare us into de-evolution with imaginary boogeymen.