A Happy Mutants Guide to the Near Future

1) It’s going to get awesomely weirder
You’re going see more amusing, charming, disturbing, and novel things than you ever dreamed possible. ZOMG will happen non-stop. As jaded as you might think you’ll get, there’ll often be something dropping your jaw.

2) It’s going to get hopelessly cuter
Lest you mistake this as treacly sentimentalism, remember – cuteness is a powerful mask for whatever can get behind it. Adorableness will be pervasive, disarming, and irresistible. Hug, but verify.

3) Memes are going mainstream
Every day new memes will appear, others will be repeated, remixed, and amplified, and others will fade. Cultural in-jokes will abound. Your grandma will send you image macros for the lulz.

4) A lot more things are going to get made
Maker, Crafter, and other DIY cultures will only get larger. You’ll possess, use, give, and receive more made items. Your life will be much richer and meaningful for this.

5) It’s going to get fresher and tastier
The growth in farmers’ markets will make locally grown fresh produce more accessible to more people all the time. Neighborhood and backyard gardens and greenhouses, with heirloom varieties, chickens, and beekeeping combined with a more fun cooking culture will increasingly supplement and in some cases replace processed and commercially prepared foods.

6) Talking heads are going to
grow more annoying
Sorry, but AM radiots
and teevee’s professional mouthholes are just never going to
shut up. They’re going to persist with their divisive
hollering, crying, complaining, inciting, ranting, and raving.
It’ll take a lot of visceral and cerebral fortitude to
effectively counter this nonsense.

7) You’ll
have more pals in more circles
The net
continues to make it easier and easier to connect with those
sharing common interests. Each is a circle and these will
continue to increase in number and size. Delight, horror, and
strangeness will all be possible when these intersect and
collide on your Futzbook page.

8) You’ll
conduct more business by picturephone
Can
jetpacks be far behind? This promise of yesteryear’s future has
finally arrived on your desktop and mobile devices, and just in
time to save you from having to carbon yourself around in
meatspace as much as before.

9) The net and
TV will continue their slow Milky Way/Andromeda-like
collision
Despite 1994 calling and wanting
the word, “convergence” back, this long- promised marriage is
still being negotiated. But given that they can’t keep their
hands off each other, the odds are much better that they’ll
finally be moving in together.

10) You’ll
get by and make the best of it
Because
after all, that’s what most of us do. You can help by
connecting to and sharing with the people around you, both
locally and in your virtual common interest circles. The
stronger we are socially and otherwise interconnected, the more
effectively we’ll take on and respond to challenges. Shit
happens, but remember to reach out to help when you’re able and
receive when it’s necessary. We really are all in this
together, regardless of how they slice us up into groups and
categories.