Predicting the benefits that technology will bring us in the far future is something that is very difficult to do. However, imagining the technology of the future, and how the world will be, is easier and much more fun.

Imagine that you have found yourself in our future, either via time travel, or suspended animation. Look around you, walk around the locality you find yourself in, and make friends with the local community. Is the area and daily life very different, and if it is, do the people have the same concerns and desires?

• What will schools be like, if they still exist?

• Will the future be more environmentally friendly, or will the Earth be a plundered shell?

• Does the weather still rule our lives, or has it been tamed and set to work for us?

• What animals are now extinct?

• Will an alternative form of transport be used in the future, and if so, will we still be suffering from traffic congestion?

• What will the houses of the future look like?

• Who will be our heroes in 2084? Celebrities and pop stars or scientists?

• Will doom-merchants still be forecasting 'the end is nigh'?