Do you have friends who are constantly telling you that you should switch from Microsoft Windows to Linux? Have they gone as far as providing you with a Ubuntu CD to install on your computer? Are you starting to dread hearing the word Linux because your very happy with your current operating system? Well, to be honest, you are not alone. If Linux is so great why are only 3% of the computers currently being used running Linux? The reasons for such a low percentage of use is not really relevant because what is interesting is this — even if you have no interest in switching your computer operating system, Linux is in your home and effecting your computing life in many different ways.

Linux is not a new operating system, there has been a lot of talk about the operating system in the last couple of years so you may have just started to hear about Linux but the operating system has been around since the early 1990s. This means that Linux has been time-proven and thanks to the open-source community Linux is constantly being improved. This very reliable operating system is running many of the servers we connect to every day. Most internet service providers use Linux as the operating system on their servers. Highly visible web sites such as Google and Ebay use Linux-based servers as well. Think where you would be without Google or Ebay and how often do these websites go down? Companies that stake their reputation and their profit on a computer usually choose Linux as the operating system of choice.

Linux does not have the layers of bloat that other software operating systems are notorious for. In fact, Linux is small enough and reliable enough to run many of the electronics in our homes. Do you have a Tivo in your home? It’s running Linux. Do you own an Audi? It’s running Linux. The software is highly configurable which allows electronic manufacturers to build operating systems that contain only the necessary information needed to run the device. Linux is also free which can keep the manufacturing costs down.

There are relatively few viruses in the world that are designed to attack Linux. Linux may be solid and virus free but the community is still at the forefront of providing free security upgrades on-line. Before Linux started proving free upgrades on-line, upgrades were provided by either ordering a CD or going through a knowledge base of information looking for a download link. One click software upgrades were created on Linux first and when first rolled out in the mid 1990, the process was considered invasive to personal privacy. The success of Linux’s upgrade center led to Microsoft and Apple building their own free software download center that do the same thing.

Linux has shown that freedom of choice of software is important to consumers. Open-source software is fairly inexpensive to create which means new manufacturers can enter the market easily. If the programmers working on software solutions are not creating software to address the needs of their customers another programmer can step in and make a better product. With the abundance of choices, you can select the tools and software that meets your needs. Linux is proving that customers need and want more than one choice in their software because one company can not meet the needs of everyone.

Linux brought us interoperability. Before interoperability became standard, you could not connect a Mac to a Windows based network and you could not share files between different software programs. Linux users wanted to share files with other computer users and connect their computers to home and work networks which has caused interoperability to became a necessity. Once Linux users paved the path, Microsoft and Apple were not too far behind and now it does not matter what type of computer you are using, you’re able to interoperate with others.

Linux can also be thanked for the ideas of individual configuration. Linux was the first operating system to offer the option of individual profiles and user configuration. Each user can have his or her own individual profile on the same computer. This includes the look of the desktop, which icons you see, what programs start and even what language the desktop is in. Before Linux caused the individual profile and configuration ideas to be become popular, everyone had the same desktop look and all configuration processes effected everyone who used the computer.

Linux has been on the forefront of new ideas. The open-source community has been able to keep Linux free and evolving. And of course when something becomes popular it will eventually end up in the next versions of Microsoft Windows and Apple OS X operating systems. Even for those of us that have no desire to run Linux as our operating system, we have a great amount of computing and software ideas that we should thank Linux for.

Long before Bill Gates began to sell Windows and even longer before Google became the king of the internet, there were people laying the ground work for the computers we have today. Did you know that computers have actually been in existence since the mid 1930’s however these early computers looked and acted nothing like the machines we use today. How did we get from there to now? With the help of a few key scientists and mathematicians who concentrated on the ideas of computing and improving the computers we had.

George Boole is consider by many to be the father of computer science. While his work fell out of fashion after his death in 1864, today the ideas that Boole developed are considered very relevant. George Boole is the creator of Boolean Algebra which is the basis of how all digital computers work. Boole was born in England in 1815, he became a teacher during his teen years and at 20 years old he opened his own school. At 34, Boole moved to Ireland and became the first professor of mathematics at Queen’s College where he remained until his death. Boole concentrated on mathematical research that linked the ideas of logic to algebra instead of philosophy. Boole’s greatest achievement was his use of algerbra to express logical propositions. Boole was considered to be ahead of his time, he wrote many essays in the mid 19th century expresssing his understanding of logic and the relationship to mathematics. You probably know a few Boolean words yourself because we still use his algebra when using internet search engines.

Konrad Zuse was a construction engineer during WWII where he earned the unofficial title of “inventor of the modern computer.” One of the most difficult tasks of doing a large calculation on a slide rule or adding machine is keeping track of the intermediate results and correctly replacing these results later in the process. Zuse wanted to create a process to complete these large calculations easily and he realized that an automatic calculator would do the trick as long as it had a control, memory, and the calculating processor. In 1936, Zuse made the first binary computer called the Z1 unfortunatley this computer was destroyed during World War II but Zuse continued to work on his binary computers creating the Z2, Z3, and Z4 through the 1940s.

John Von Neumann was considered a child prodigy when he was born in Hungry in 1903 and was another mathematician and scientist who has been credited as fundamental to the creation of the computer we use today. Before Von Neumann, most mathematicians used computers to create tables of data that were then applied to abstract mathematical ideas. Von Neumann was interested in applying the processing power of computer to specific mathematical problems instead of creating these abstract ideas. Von Neumann focused on developing the EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer) computer which was to be the first computer that could store and recall programs. Later in life Von Neumann worked for the IBM company and was responsible for accepting new computer ideas into their research and development program. Von Neumann became one of the most influential people in the computing field as any new ideas for development that were taken to IBM had to pass his approval.

Alan Turing, born 1912 in London studied mathematics at Cambridge University and was greately influenced by the early publications of Von Neumann. Turing worked during World War II on deciphering German code cyphers and is credited as instrumental in cracking the German secret codes. Turing is also credited for designing what many believe to be the first electronic computer. Turing designed the ACE (Automatic Computing Engine) but this machine was never built. Had the ACE been completed it would have been faster and had more memory than any computer created before it. Turing understood the concept that Von Neumann exponded upon with a computers need to store and recall programs. In 1950, Turin invented the Turing Test which is a philiosophical and logical test designed to test for intelligence in computers.

As we progress through the history with computers there is often great controversy about who to credit for specific findings and discoverys. Many scientists worked together to publish papers and create working models of their theories and in some cases this has caused great debate on who to credit for a theory or discovery. While one person may believe that the EDVAC computer bares no resembelance to the computers we use today, there is someone else who directly sites EDVAC as the grandfather of the computers we use today. In general, we need to be aware how the ideas of one person have been built upon by the scientists of the next generation. You may have your favorite historical person fundmental to the creation of the computer and the truth is that without all of the great minds associated with computing we would not have anything at all.

When computers first came into existence during the 20th century, the computers took up entire rooms and were only able to perform simple mathematical formulas. In addition, these computers had to be rewired and reprogrammed every time the operators needed to change or update a function. Today’s technology advances are allowing computers to become more powerful and much smaller every year. Think about it, how big was your first computer and what is the size of the computer your using now? Chances are the computer you have now is much smaller and more powerful than your first computer. If we continue on this path towards small powerful computers, what will our computers look like in ten years?

Imagine your next computer being based upon a glass of water. While today you need to avoid getting water anywhere near your computer and electronics in general, researchers have already demonstrated that water is able to create an ultra-dense storage system that computers and other electronic devices can use. Researchers have developed a method to use small amounts of water to stabilize the memory bits of nanowire that is barely three-billionths of a meter wide. As this technology progresses we may find that water will increase the memory and storage capacity of our computers and allows us to use new and different materials in our computers and technology.

Maybe, your next computer will not be based on a glass of water but what is living in the water. A computer built from E. Coli bacteria has already successfully started to solve mathematical puzzles. The bacteria computer actually completed a mathematical problem faster than a standard computer based upon the silicon CPU chip. Bacteria computing is based upon the idea of DNA computing and can actually process the same data we use our computers for today. Each strand of DNA is able to process bits of data independently while still creating a useable whole. Ok, it may not be appealing to have a dish of bacteria sitting on your desk but DNA computing is one technological advancement that researchers are working on daily and we will see the technology learnings applied to our computers in the future.

If bacteria is not your idea of a perfect computer, why not consider a magnetic trap that holds quantum qubits. Qubits are very similar to the bits we currently use to represent data in our computers. In our computers today, the bits store data as either a 0 or 1 which is considered very linear (there is only two choices and no in-between). When using qubits, we can represent data as 0, 1, or both 0 and 1 at the same time, instead of data being very linear qubits allow our data to become 3-dimensional. When one qubit interacts with another qubit, we create a quantum qubit computing platform that is the basis for 3-dimensional computing. Once we start to use quantum qubits in our computers we will not need to represent 3D images on our computer screen because they will be created around us in the magnetic trap process the qubits.

If your a person on the go, you probably own at least one portable laptop computer. Ten years from now, your entire portable computing process may change as well. Instead of carrying a heavy computer, it would be much nicer to have a piece of expensive jewelry instead? Diamonds actually make much faster computer chips than the current silicone we use, however since natural diamonds are very expensive we continue to use silcone. Currently advances in technology and our knowledge of geological processes has opened up the ability to create diamonds in a lab. Man-made diamonds are virtually identical to diamonds made by the earth. Since we no longer need to wait for the earth to produce the diamonds we need for our computers all we need is for the price of man-made diamonds to become affordable. Then CPU manufacturers will begin to create computer chips that are much faster than the computers we have now and and we can begin to move toward jewelry as a computer.

Finally, our computers may become a pile of photosensitive molecules. Molecular computing focuses on similar ideas to DNA computing and creates a process where the computational power of individual molecules is harnessed to create faster processing. Photosensitive molecules can use the energy of light to fuel the computing power of the molecules. Researchers believe that molecules and molecular computing will create faster computer that are more cost efficient, save energy, and are smaller in size.

Whatever our computers look like in ten years, one thing is for certain, we will be using smaller computers with more power. Researchers may be pushing computing processes to the extreme but every day new advances in DNA and molecular computing are pushing the envelope and creating faster computers based upon materials that surround us in life.

For every computer that is designed, manufactured, and successful in the marketplace there is a computer that fails as well. Some of the biggest ideas in computing and technology never succeed as products because people simply are not interested in the advancement. Remember how the Segway was going to change the may everyone traveled? How many of the devices have you seen this month? Car manufacturers are always mindful of not building the next Edsel but do computer designers keep their failures in mind when creating the next model or style of computer? Sometimes the failure is caused by poor design or manufacturing but just as often the issue is poor marketing or poor timing on release. Whatever the reason for the failure sometimes the failures are so big that we still remember them today.

The Xerox Alto is the considered one of the grandparents to today’s computer and also one of the biggest failures in computing history. Developed by Xerox in 1972 the Alto had a bitmap display, windows, drop-down menu bars, built-in Ethernet, a hard disk, a mouse, two keyboards, a software productivity suite including a word processor, a paint program, and email. To sum up, the Alto had everything your new computer came equipped with today and it was released almost 40 years ago. But at the time the Alto was releases, Xerox was in the middle of a copier and patent war and did not pay any attention to this computer at all. The Alto was left without any marketing or support and the project failed. Eventually the Alto was canceled by Xerox and the employees associated with the project went on to form Microsoft, IBM, and Apple.

Another major computer flop still remembered today, was the Apple III released in June of 1980. This computer was designed for use in the business market but had such a high cost that many businesses could not justify the purchase price. In 1980 a new car cost around $6,000 and the Apple III was priced at $7,800. The Apple III also had a poor design overall which eventually led to its downfall. The engineers responsible for the design of the Apple III set out to make a small powerful desktop computer but they actually built one of the largest computer jokes in history. There were too many parts crammed into the small computer cases and to save even more space the engineering team decided to leave the cooling fan out. The computer became so hot during use that the parts would expand and the computer chips would pop out. How did the Apple III support staff help you resolve this issue and teach you to get the chips back into their slots? Pick up your computer that cost your employer more money than a new car and drop it onto your desk repeatedly.

Long before the ipod and iphone came to the market, Apple created another portable computer, the Newton. The Newton was one of the first handheld computers or PDAs to be sold to the public. But the Newton was well known for high price and a large size. The Newton became well known for its handwriting recognition problems. Only an elite group of technology lovers wanted to carry this bulky portable product with them and this handheld assistant never reached the mass market appeal desired by Apple. This was the first PDA and the market was simply not ready at the time.

Apple is not the only company that has released poorly designed computers in the past. In 1983 IBM released the PCjr. This computer was designed for school use thus the jr name. The PCjr was considered to be a PC clone but the computer was not compatible with PCs of the time. Overall the idea of a computer for the classroom was a great idea but this project was simply not designed well. In the end, the design of the computer’s keyboard led to the PCjr ultimate downfall. The keyboard was designed to communicate with the computer via infrared beams. However, one keyboard was interchangeable with another and in the classroom, students would point their keyboards at each other’s machines for the sole purpose of screwing up each other’s computing sessions.

Computer designs are constantly being changed and upgraded in order to provide consumers with new choices and new products to purchase. However not every product is as successful as Windows or IBMs PC. Every year new models of computers and new electronics are being designed by they fail. In fact, many products are designed and never make it to the consumer because their design is either flawed or research shows that people are not going to purchase it. Take a trip through an electronics trade show and you may just discover the next computer or electronic product that will not make it.

When computers first came into existence during the 20th century, the computers took up entire rooms and were only able to perform simple mathematical formulas. In addition, these computers had to be rewired and reprogrammed every time the operators needed to change or update a function. Today’s technology advances are allowing computers to become more powerful and much smaller every year. Think about it, how big was your first computer and what is the size of the computer your using now? Chances are the computer you have now is much smaller and more powerful than your first computer. If we continue on this path towards small powerful computers, what will our computers look like in ten years?

Imagine your next computer being based upon a glass of water. While today you need to avoid getting water anywhere near your computer and electronics in general, researchers have already demonstrated that water is able to create an ultra-dense storage system that computers and other electronic devices can use. Researchers have developed a method to use small amounts of water to stabilize the memory bits of nanowire that is barely three-billionths of a meter wide. As this technology progresses we may find that water will increase the memory and storage capacity of our computers and allows us to use new and different materials in our computers and technology.

Maybe, your next computer will not be based on a glass of water but what is living in the water. A computer built from E. Coli bacteria has already successfully started to solve mathematical puzzles. The bacteria computer actually completed a mathematical problem faster than a standard computer based upon the silicon CPU chip. Bacteria computing is based upon the idea of DNA computing and can actually process the same data we use our computers for today. Each strand of DNA is able to process bits of data independently while still creating a useable whole. Ok, it may not be appealing to have a dish of bacteria sitting on your desk but DNA computing is one technological advancement that researchers are working on daily and we will see the technology learnings applied to our computers in the future.

If bacteria is not your idea of a perfect computer, why not consider a magnetic trap that holds quantum qubits. Qubits are very similar to the bits we currently use to represent data in our computers. In our computers today, the bits store data as either a 0 or 1 which is considered very linear (there is only two choices and no in-between). When using qubits, we can represent data as 0, 1, or both 0 and 1 at the same time, instead of data being very linear qubits allow our data to become 3-dimensional. When one qubit interacts with another qubit, we create a quantum qubit computing platform that is the basis for 3-dimensional computing. Once we start to use quantum qubits in our computers we will not need to represent 3D images on our computer screen because they will be created around us in the magnetic trap process the qubits.

If your a person on the go, you probably own at least one portable laptop computer. Ten years from now, your entire portable computing process may change as well. Instead of carrying a heavy computer, it would be much nicer to have a piece of expensive jewelry instead? Diamonds actually make much faster computer chips than the current silicone we use, however since natural diamonds are very expensive we continue to use silcone. Currently advances in technology and our knowledge of geological processes has opened up the ability to create diamonds in a lab. Man-made diamonds are virtually identical to diamonds made by the earth. Since we no longer need to wait for the earth to produce the diamonds we need for our computers all we need is for the price of man-made diamonds to become affordable. Then CPU manufacturers will begin to create computer chips that are much faster than the computers we have now and and we can begin to move toward jewelry as a computer.

Finally, our computers may become a pile of photosensitive molecules. Molecular computing focuses on similar ideas to DNA computing and creates a process where the computational power of individual molecules is harnessed to create faster processing. Photosensitive molecules can use the energy of light to fuel the computing power of the molecules. Researchers believe that molecules and molecular computing will create faster computer that are more cost efficient, save energy, and are smaller in size.

Whatever our computers look like in ten years, one thing is for certain, we will be using smaller computers with more power. Researchers may be pushing computing processes to the extreme but every day new advances in DNA and molecular computing are pushing the envelope and creating faster computers based upon materials that surround us in life.

1. Configure your PC to go to stand by mode when not in use
Most personal computers use up a whole bunch of unnecessary electricity when they are not being used. Most PC users do not realize that because their systems are not set to go to low power mode when not in use, they are spending a huge amount of their power bill on running an inactive PC. It takes only a few short minutes to configure your personal computer to save power when you are away from your desk.

2. Energy Efficient Computers
Home office appliances are increasingly built to be as energy efficient as possible. The US Department of Energy recommends several brands that are particularly efficient brand of machines. Since equipment such as printers and copiers are rarely turned off in a day, it is important for the machines to be of the highest level of energy efficiency. A home office need not be a drag on a residential energy bill each month if the proper appliances are used and maintained

3. Unplug AC adapters
Many modern electronic appliances, particularly laptop computers, cell phones, portable music storage devices such as I-Pods, and blackberries have AC adapters to recharge or just run not on the battery. However, it is important to keep in mind that AC adapters still draw electricity even when they are not plugged into the appliance they supply with power. Plugging an AC adapter to a power bar can prevent the adapter from drawing power when the appliance is not in use or even plugged in to the adapter..

4. Laptops
Laptop computers use considerably less energy than desktop computers. Desktops also require several independent accessories that also use disproportionate amount of power when compared to their less demanding compact laptop counterparts. Anyone planning to upgrade their computer, who currently use a PC, should seriously consider the energy savings provided by the far more compact and portable Laptop option.

5. Use Power Bars
Computers and appliances still draw small quantities of electricity when they are switched off. This can be avoided by using a power bar which effectively unplugs the appliance from the wall outlet. The same effect can be achieved by simply unplugging your computer when it isn’t in use. Your computer, or any appliance that draws power when it is shut off is called a “phantom load” and does not indicate a faulty appliance. The power draw is very low, but over a long enough time, the power savings from unplugging or installing a power bar can be significant.

6. Rechargeable Batteries
Many computers and home electronics have remotes or are perhaps themselves portable devices which rely on batteries for their power source. Rechargeable batteries are considerably more efficient than single use throw away batteries. While most portable appliances including laptops feature built in rechargeable batteries with their own customized re-charger plug in, those that do not should use re-chargeable batteries to save power.

7. Drop the Screen Brightness
This one is pretty self explanatory, really. Think of your monitor as a variable brightness light bulb. It will save your eyes and your power bill to dim it to a level that is not lighting up the room.

8. Switch off your Modem
Many modems and routers use a huge amount of power all night and day just to sit on the floor doing nothing at all. While the power draw is very small and insignificant, since most modems are never switched off in there use life, the total draw can have major implications on a power bill. To switch of the modem or router, just push the on/off toggle, if it has one, or else just unplug it. Also, you can turn off your power bar, and make sure none of your accessories draw power.

9. Set your PC power management
Most operating systems, including Windows Vista, have several power settings. Think of these like fuels at the pump. The highest power management setting is like supreme gasoline, and is best for when you expect to be doing some complicated and taxing tasks with your system. On the other hand, power saver setting is like regular gas, for just getting around and doing everyday things like checking email. Keep you PC set on power saving mode when you are not running any applications that require a lot of computing space.

10. Turn off Your PC
Everyday, thousands of computers are left on for large portions of time and they are not used or even looked at. While stand by mode is a good power saving tool, switching off a PC regularly, contrary to common belief, is not harmful to the system. The best way to say power in your home with your computer is to turn it off.

1. Telecommuting
Employers are already finding it easier to have their employees and agents work from remote locations. This increases mobility and reduces time spent unnecessarily commuting. With wireless technology ever decreasing in size, more and more job positions will have employees on the move, perhaps visiting clients, and working in a team environment at the same time by means of wireless communications. In time, physical commuting to and from work may become the grind of very few workers who need to physically attend their workplace. In addition, students can study more and more from home rather than travel to a brick and mortar classroom.

2. News Video and Audio
Cheaper and smaller wireless broadcasting devices will enable amateurs and professionals alike to produce content almost instantly and post their content without needing a physical connection to the internet to upload from. The speed at which news recordings can reach distribution sites will be outpaced only by the diversity of sources that will be able to produce and distribute news content with the smaller, cheaper and more widely available wireless technologies.

3. Cordless Telephony
Gradually, cell phones have incorporated the functions of a computer to produce technologies such as the black berry and I-Phone which are practically miniature computers. With the spread of portable wireless routers, laptop computers are now poised to take over from phones all together. VoIP systems and digital phone set up software such as Asterisk will make it possible for businesses and individuals to administer and maintain their own phone systems. Wireless technology will allow these phone systems to allow communication between multiple remote laptop devices.

4. Sensor Security
Wireless security systems can detect a intruders to businesses and private property without the need for flesh and blood security guards or even in conjunction with security guards. With smaller and cheaper microchips, wireless sensor nets can be established even on a modest budget, greatly enhancing a mid-size business or industry to protect itself from potential attackers.

5. Remote Monitors, Speakers and Controllers
Televisions, stereos and video games are less and less tied to their respective cords, wires and switches and are moving toward wireless connections. The mass tangle of cords found behind most T.V. sets since appliances such as VCRs, DVD players, and Nintendos began appearing on entertainment consoles across the world is soon to become a nuisance of the past. More manufacturers than ever before are incorporating wireless transmission into their designs with the explicit aim of eliminating cords than just get in the way when the products are being used in the home or workplace. Most video game systems already feature wireless remote controls.0

6. Wireless Personal Computers
It is expected that personal computers will soon follow the path of old style LAN telephone lines. With increasingly small microchips allowing wireless communication on an unlimited and cost effective scale, most of the functions of a desktop computer can be performed by a laptop or even a handheld wireless system. The internet is no longer confined to Ethernet cables or phone lines. Wireless routers that are the size of thumb or even a pinky finger will quickly make a heavy immobile PC an outdated and uncompetitive machine.

7. Sensor Net Smoke Detectors
The old style smoke detectors found in most homes today will soon be replaced by wireless systems linked directly to fire departments in the local community. Wireless sensors utilize advanced sensor nets to detect smoke or fire within a given physical environment. Since the technology needed to maintain such a sensor net is rapidly becoming cost effective for businesses and even personal residences.

8. Entirely wireless networks
Businesses and offices will no longer need a physical office to have their employees work from. With the proliferation of wireless technology, employees can connect to business networks form just about any remote location, whether they are in transit or at home. The reduced need for physical offices will result in less commuting and greater efficiency for even small businesses.

9. Wireless Advertisements
The greater and greater inundation of advertisements in modern Western society has made it more and more difficult for a would-be advertiser to get a consumer’s attention. Wireless technology will allow advertisers to reach consumers directly on their personal computer and laptops connected to a wireless network. Wireless airwaves are already being used to transmit targeted ads to specific cell phone users and wireless networks.

10. Wireless Anywhere
With new wireless technology, there are few to no dead spots on a modern wireless network. This opens up the technologies usefulness as it can be used from anywhere in a building or space or even a city or state. Imagine camping and receiving wireless network signals way out in the middle of nowhere.

1. Bank Tellers: The proliferation of online banking means that the brick and mortar bank is soon on its way to fossilization and a place in a museum. If the Automated Transaction Machine (ATM) had not already given the personal teller a clear signal that he or she was no longer an entirely necessary service, the now ubiquitous online banking services offered by all major and minor banks across the nation will certainly spell the end for redundant tellers.

2. Paper: Paper is resource that has cost the earth heavily when it comes to carbon sinks such as the South American rainforest and soil stabilizers such as the evergreen forests of the northwest United States. So it is with a happy countenance that we predict the redundancy of paper within the next decade or so, as electronic documents take over the niche formerly filled by blank sheets.

3. Insurance Agents: Door to door insurance agents, thankfully, will soon become a distant past memory, as more and more insurance companies realize the advantages of peddling their insurance packages online and making themselves available to customers actually seeking their services for a fraction of the cost of face to face solicitation.

4. Travel Agents: Fewer and fewer travel consumers are going to brick and mortar travel agents as the majority of travel plans are being made online. Travel agents will still operate, but their range of service will be greatly expanded as fewer and wider geographic barriers will exist. What’s more, efficiency will be greatly enhanced, as agents will no longer wait for customers to come to the agency location, but will serve a much larger online market.

5. Real Estate Agents: Buying and selling homes and property has become an almost entirely online experience. From perusing the real estate news to scanning lists of available for sale homes to the communication between agents and clients, the process is rarely completed on a face to face level. Moreover, real estate agents are becoming redundant service, as sellers are able to get in touch with buyers directly and cut out the expense of a flesh and blood agent.

6. Music Stores: Virgin Records and HMV will very shortly be closing their doors in many locations as the demand for brick and mortar music stores decreases to nothing and more and more of the total percentage of music sales occurs online. I-Tunes has already paved the way for music to be distributed entirely online and, in doing so, cutting out large amounts of overhead cost while not passing that saving on to the consumer who seems happy to continue paying the same rate online as he or she would in a conventional music store.

7. Cable Television: With cable consumers less and less satisfied with the rates and packages available through conventional cable providers, and with digital and satellite services often outside an average consumers budget, online television will be become ever more prevalent as the millennium progresses. For instance, for fifty dollars, a consumer can usually purchase twenty eight channels. Some of those channels broadcast the same content, sometimes at the same time, while almost eighty percent of the content will have no interest to the consumer whatsoever. It seems only logical that a pay per channel or even per program service online would attract a substantial proportion of the television entertainment dollar.

8. Movie Theaters: Movie theaters across the country are hemorrhaging money as fewer and fewer consumers choose the traditional venues of entertainment and their attention is ever increasingly split between film, television, music, and other forms of entertainment. As a result, Hollywood and other worldwide film production and distribution centers will have to explore new routes to get their products to the consumer. For films, the obvious route is online distribution. Movies, both released and unreleased are already widely illegally distributed online, so it only makes good business sense to make clean and easy to work down loadable copies of films available online to compete with bootleggers and provide a new alternative revenue stream. Like music, similar fees could be charged for downloads as for more costly distribution methods such as theaters and stores.

9. AM/FM Radio: The AM and FM channels are quickly being replaced by satellite radio and by live streaming over the internet. Live streaming in particular is a virtual twin to a on-air broadcast, except the signal quality of live streaming is easier to control and can be received anywhere with the proper connection.

10. Ticket Agents: High street ticket agents are a thing of the past now that the internet has revolutionized the way we buy tickets. In years to come there will be no high street ticket agents what-so-ever, all tickets will be purchased on the internet with ease and without the hassle of all that queuing malarkey.