Have you noticed that the title of every much read blog contains a number and then a complete over-statement of what follows? Well here’s mine…

John Elfreth Watkins clearly made some good long-term predictions (though I don’t know whether that’s because he was a good futurist, or just because he made lots of predictions and some happened to come true…). He foretold digital cameras, ready meals, television and increasing tallness of the average American.

I think it’s time that I made some 100 year predictions on this blog. Please note that they are based on gut feelings, not on any kind of analysis. Also note that I am just putting out some ideas, they don’t necessarily reflect things that I would want to see happening and are not policy goals of any one organisation.

1. Vegetarianism will be the norm for most people most days. (Really, I say this as someone who likes eating meat and couldn’t envisage going without. But a hundred years is a long time in nutritional habits. It’s a long time in anything…)

2. Wars will be fought without human soldiers, but with fighting machines. The fighting machines that can destroy most of the other party’s fighting machines and defend most territory or resources against other fighting machines will have won it for their owners.

3. Population growth will be falling. People will be starting to worry about having too much space in cities and “wild” nature encroaching on previously “civilised” parts of the countryside.

4. Human beings will be able to walk into a room and control electronic equipment with their thoughts alone. “I want there to be a bit more light,” they will think and the light-bulbs will go on. They will still be called lightbulbs, but their shape won’t be bulbeous.

5. People will not be obsessed with whether they are rich or not, happy or not, but with whether they have and fulfil valuable purposes or not.