Several reputable periodicals have published a list of hi-tech development directions that they envisage for the coming decade.

PC World opinion www.pcworld.com

Google opinion http://www.google.com/tenthbirthday/ten-years-out.html

I believe that these lists fail to reflect the actual situation. I dare to suggest that the most noticeable hi-tech breakthroughs will be in the field of “low technologies” in which the methods used, and which are still in use, are from the olden times.

Construction. Generation of 3D models based on video shooting. Comprehensible programs for residential building design. Construction development plans are drawn up automatically in view of available materials and norms and standards accepted in a particular country.

Textile industry. Clothing digitalization. Copying and digitalizing designer clothing to develop a database of a variety of attire from all fashion houses and for all ages. Possibility of placing individual orders by making selections from the database.

Driver's assistants. Programs that assume control over a car, a plane or robotized attire for several seconds during emergencies or military situations.

Personal profiling. Automatic processing of various unconscious human micro response reactions. Further, these programs can be used for either everyday domestic purposes or professional or military applications.

Centralized personal and business ratings. We could reasonably assume that, in time, all and any available information on every person and business entity will arrive via the Internet.

Mining optimization. While the rich mineral subsurface layers are depleted, the situation will suggest the employment of more cost-effective and «intelligent» mining methods requiring complex mathematical models.

Virtual office. Creation of a serviceable virtual office, ensuring efficient remote modes of operation. 3D “attendance” at meetings, wide-band audio and video transmission, programs allowing joint work on documents.

Integration of global services. Joining of all Internet stores into a «super Internet store», all mail companies in a “super online store,” etc. This does not mean their merger, but rather the creation of portals allowing optimum ordering of services from all outlets at once.

Professional training. Sale of commercial packages of easily digestible information sufficient to facelift a house, cook dinner, plant flowers, arrange holiday trip in a better way, etc.