Circa 2024

Capitalism has coalesced into an early conception of itself. Humans have tapped into market forces and the results are beginning to show promise.

Looking Down

While the construction of molecular machines has remained elusive, there have been some promising developments.

Through the modulation of photon beams, early computer companies have learned to etch nanometer scale circuits onto silicon boards. This has enabled the construction of computers sufficiently parallelized to allow the emulation of simple natural systems. So far these structures remain confined to two dimensional surfaces.

Meanwhile the study of naturally occurring molecular machines continues to progress. While a comprehensive understanding of these systems continues to evade researches, pharmaceutical and agricultural companies have begun to establish methods for altering DNA allowing for the construction of novel proteins.

Looking In

A global communication network with minimal fragmentation now connects the planet. A combinatorial explosion of ideas has begun to take place.

Utilizing advances in computer parallelization, software companies have begun producing models showing signs of cognition.

These models have effectively compressed much of the publicly available information enabling a user to effectively mine the knowledge base or to synthesize unique combinations of data in arbitrary mediums. This has proven to be a useful tool.

While these models are consistently winning in simple strategy games, they remain incapable of navigating 3D space or producing unique insights.

Consciousness remains poorly understood and no one has yet established wherein agency lies.

Looking Out

Knowledge of the cosmos continues to expand and early exploration of earths solar system has begun to take place. Robotic probes have been sent to the surface of Mars and on fly by missions to the other planets. Human expeditions have been sent to the earth moon but no base has yet been established.

Space exploration companies are nearing critical breakthroughs in fully reusable rockets which are expected to unlock a step change in access to the solar system.

While there are discussions of terraforming other bodies, namely Mars or the moons of Saturn, practical progress remains minimal.

No expeditions or probes have yet been sent to any nearby star systems. While there is promise of accelerated development due to revitalized commercial activity, human expansion beyond earth remains in a primitive state.

Looking forward

Commercial progress is showing signs of unlocking the potential for the next phase of development, yet the humans of this time remain firmly in the era of early stage capitalism.