Review : Crystal-ball gazing

As the new millennium draws closer, our insatiable desire to know the future
will be matched only by the willingness of a growing band of self-appointed
prophets to tell us. Many of these soothsayers will be charlatans. But Key
Technologies For The 21st Century (W. H. Freeman, $16.95, ISBN 0 7167
2948 2) is a collection of essays by some of the scientists and researchers best
qualified to gaze into crystal balls. Commissioned by the popular science
magazine, Scientific American, the book paints a hugely optimistic picture of
cheap power, amazing medical advances and digital literacy. I hope it’s
right—if so, the 21st century will have been worth waiting for.