The technology in the 21st Century

Peering into the 21st century,authorities on the future se extraordinary changes.Whether in the home.the workplace or outer space,many of these changes will be the sort of what seemed unthinkable only a few years ago.

New scientific breakthroughs will allow machines to take on more tasks that the human brain has traditionally done.Computers,whick once only remembered data,will make more decisions.Machines that tell doctors today what symptoms the patients have may soon be recommending surgery.Others will design new buildings after questioning buyers about their preferences.Increasingly,human thought processes and even values are being programmed into computers,according to Earl Joseph,president of a Minneapolis consulting firm.

"Imagine machines which are smarter and more intelligent than humanand,with their embedded initiative,can't wait to tell you about it."he says.

The computer will talk back,too.Already some soft-drink machines complain loudly if you don't deposit enough cash.At home,a bedside machine may someday tell you,"You forgot to turn off the basement light."

Eventually,scientists believe,one person's mental pictures may be transferred by brain waves onto tape and then replayed later into someone else's brain.For example,one person could sunbathe at the beach,and the mental image could be replayed later for others too busy  to make the trip.

Scientists hold out hope that genetic engineering will transform everything from medicine and agriculture to computer technology and industry.Possibilities include larger trees,inceased grain yields and even square tomatoes,easily packaged with less water content.It is possible to breed cows the size of elephants that could produce 40 percent more milk,some experts say.