http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cover6-2009sep06,0,6494829.storyOf all the predictions made during the future-happy 1950s -- when it was declared we'd soon have flying cars, robot butlers, rocket-delivered mail and food made from wood pulp -- there was one forward-looking statement that was completely validated.It was delivered by Criswell, a self-described soothsayer and TV personality, who said, "We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives."Otherwise, predicting the future, certainly in the realm of technology, is a risky endeavor.Still, billions of dollars are spent every year in trying to do just that: predict which products will spark new businesses or even whole new industries.Here's a look at proposed technological wonders that are under development in the fields of energy, transportation, television and medicine. Some are far enough along to be aimed at the near term, others are more in the pipe-dream category, but all are serious enough to be funded by corporate, government or academic dollars.Keep in mind, however, that the most important new technologies for the coming decades might not even have been thought of yet. After all, 1950s futurists didn't foresee the biggest game changer of our era -- the Internet. It's where so many of us are spending much of our lives.
