We are in the future. 1984 is what our world has become, and I don't see a change for the better any time soon.

No because they'd just fight with the ordinary weapons like it happens daily in various regions of the world. Nukes don't prevent wars, they just prevent the use of nukes. And they prevent it for everyone, because you can't even threaten anyone with nukes because they'd just laugh in your face even if they didn't have any nukes at all since the use of nukes would provoke everyone all around the world into nuclear war.

Anyway i support the idea of enhancements within reasonable limits with which i mean availability to all. Enhancements available only to the rich would just divide society even more but enhancements available to anyone might actually help erase various differences between people that some people can't overcome now. First of all helping the disabled just not be disabled anymore so they won't have to experience any difficulties and in some cases even bullying, especially between children in schools.
And if bodily enhancements went to a bit of an extreme, there would be no racism, because color of a person's skin would be like dying your hair, purely a matter of choice so it would be pointless for hateful people to "fight" against other people based on their skin color.

Nukes are very, very useful to those who will not and cannot be nuked back. That's why enemies of a philosophical/religious identity are so powerful. You can't really remove them with a nuke, but they can remove everyone else or scare others with one.

I think our future holds nuclear warfare. And I doubt that a superpower will be the ones to use them.

The book I'm writing right now takes place more than a billion years in the future. Science has ruined the world and only religion has held it together. Unless you read it another way and then you interpret it that science saved the world and religion ruined it.

That's true, but only because people have allowed it to happen. We can undo the damage governments and corporations cause anytime we wish. We're just becoming too lazy and apathetic to effect change. When they say 'you are the revolution' it actually means something. However, people are going to have to put their money where their mouths are, and it all starts small. Growing a garden, talking to your neighbor, properly loving and educating your children, eating healthier foods, these are all battles people would rather someone else do.

But it's also simple math. The course we are on as a society cannot go on forever. Either we begin to change things for the better or we just sit back and do nothing until the wheels come off. Either way, solutions and change will become necessary. We can either turn the corner ourselves, actively steering our own course, or we can let the social engineers, dictators, and would-be prophets do it for us. The first choice has short term difficulties and stress but long term happiness and a healthier, freer world. The second choice brings the pain.

-cybernetics exist already, so its rather only the question whether they will stay only on medical level - or if people will (or allowed? forced?) to actually augment themselves. People being "online" and having some sort of GoogleGlass reality augmentation 24/7 might very well become reality.

->> Check: H+

"Traditional" cyberpunk in style of "Ghost in the Shell" movies and "GITS: Standalone Complex" isnt necessarily all that off the mark - but i think all kind of wireless reality things are really more likely than cyber hands and legs - as cool as Cyberpunk 2020 is :)

Just keep in mind that augmented cognition is pure military hardware from its inception. Its original use was for next gen combat. Google 'Warfighter Project + augmented cognition' for a glimpse of its... less humane purposes. So I'm afraid that I can't go zipping happily into our Borg future by putting devices over my eyes or in my body that were designed by people who want to drop bombs on Muslims and turn the middle east into a Wal-mart parking lot. DARPA is NOT your friend in the 21st century, kids.

We will have virtual augmentations, sit in our virtual home and meeting with our virtual friends in virtual environments. When we remove out VR glasses we'll discover that we've turned into zombie-like creatures.

Just wanted to repeat that it was so well said, and plus 1. I'd give you plus 1000000000 if I could.

Oh, and yes, jjsimp is right, we are living in Orwellian times. When I saw John Kerry scold the Russians saying something along the lines of "You just can't invade other countries on made up pretenses in the 21st century" and he did it with a straight face, I knew Orwell was LHAO somewhere. Or crying at being so right. Treatment of truth tellers like Snowden, Manning, et al while liars reap reward after reward... it doesn't get much more Orwellian than that. The truth has indeed become radical.

You guys in the Romandie will eventually try to defect to France and the corrupt EU (run by evil terrorists, we don't want to negotiate with those) but we won't let you defect because we need you to produce wine for us! And some of the most famous cheese brands: Gruyère, Vacherin Mont-d'Or Suisse etc.

Artostzka is a comblock type of dunghole which is very imcompatible with Swiss principles (decentralized government). I know you think we're a bunch of 'backwards rightwing nationalist racist bigots' and whatnot but trust me, you're better off with us. Plus it would be a pain in the neck if we had to reprint all our tourist maps!

Strange times, indeed. I did a radio show back in the Bush era, and was laughed at for saying what is now common knowledge. But that's how things go. Social issues/politics go from conspiracy to common, common to ubiquitous, ubiquitous to obsolete. People who would laugh at you yesterday simply shrug their shoulders today. The amount of scandals facing us today have become overwhelming to the point that no one even really cares any more. The NSA wiretapping scandal should have been the biggest story in the last 50 years. Instead, it's just more gristle for the pig machine. Who in power was arrested for stepping all over the rights of the people? Anyone even lose their job? Anything at all? Fast and Furious was another clear violation of authority at the DOJ. Did Holder lose his job? His underlings? Scandal after scandal rocks our government now and everyone just smirks and says, 'what else is new?' At some point the fabric will unravel. Whether we want to admit it or not, we cannot remain bystanders to history forever. We're all actors on this stage. Some people just don't know their lines yet.

But at least the big political parties are losing their influence. The left/right paradigm as it's sometimes called is losing its affect. The damage it has caused to the public trust is incalculable.

Update tourist maps ? Are you trying to offer services and information on Our Country to FOREIGNERS from ABROAD ? SEIZE HIM !!! To the bears pit !

For me it was passing and signing a law that says the military can arrest and detain, anyone, anywhere, indefinitely with no charges, no right to counsel and no habeas corpus rights whatsoever. And also too the President claiming the authority to assassinate anyone, anywhere, any time, with no due process whatsoever.

Yet all that happened was a big yawn, and mostly everyone responsible was rewarded by winning re-election. There is no universe where those are constitutional.

Foreigners with money are always welcome, we are human after all :)

PS: The bears pit doesn't contain any bears anymore, they've been upgraded to nicer quarters. Besides, they mostly eat carrots. They'd still potentially kill you, but they eat carrots.

I believe that was the Military Commissions Act... the one that supposedly allows the government to consider just about anyone as a terrorist combatant under almost any conditions. Funny how all those troublesome things like due process and equal protection under the law were considered obstacles to justice.

The inmates really are running the asylum.

Well gene enhancement is already becoming a thing :P

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ivzs6ji7mMs