Every generation has a thing that defines itself -- something that changes everything. Seems like we've been a while since the last one, which was the internet

Every generation has a thing that defines itself -- something that changes everything. Seems like we've been a while since the last one, which was the internet. To me the next two look like driverless cars and advanced 3-D printing. Affordable fusion might be one, but I'm not holding my breath. There are a lot of other cool things out there, of course: Elon Musk and his rocket program, trans-humanism, progress towards strong AI. But assuming we all actually stay individual people and don't become something like a hive mind (which is a big assumption), being able to go places without effort and make our own goods at home will empower people in ways never seen before. 50 years after these technologies mature, it'll be a completely different world.