Technology is slowly infiltrating every area of our human existence. I read Alistair Croll's Race Alongside the Machine today on re/code and it led me to a reflection on how we humans are being changed by the technology we develop and where this might lead in the future.

When I came up with the original idea for a future-focused site, I immediately created a short list I called "aspects of human existence." I've changed them to "elements of how we live" and use them as story tags, a taxonomy vocabulary in Drupal terms, in order to help users find content. After reading Croll's piece, I decided today's exercise would be to look at the (now much longer) list and see what I can come up with for where current trends and predictions will take us as we continue to combine humans, technology and big data.

Researchers at the University of Illinois-Champaign have created a new flexible technology, a nanoribbon, that attaches to human organs and is capable of generating electricity as the organ moves. The current technology is focused on providing power for pacemakers so long term use of these devices could require less surgeries and also be less intrusive in the body.

The other half of the breakthrough is the ability to generate up to 8 volts of electricity from a single device embedded in the body, enough energy to power low-energy devices as long as the nanoribbon (and body) continue to function. Looking long-term, this makes it possible to go past the wearables marked into embedded sensors, monitors and even controllers (OH MY!).

Too many future visionaries depict a future full of clean energy and cleaner air. It's as if our need for clean air makes us willing to ignore the development and natural resource costs associated with powering all of these high-energy devices we keep adding to our lives. I'm beginning to believe most of us have certain fears which keep us from crossing a line where everything crashes into a horrific vision where every breath has a painful consequence.