The way things look now unless something changes the world will continue to be run by huge corporations. If the bailouts did anything it told the fat cats that they don't have to fear the public as long as they are pacified. That being said the next 50 years could hold a lot of technology improvement as long as we don't kill ourselves off or a major land war doesn't occur. I just think when I graduated from college in 2001 how different things were in the IT field. I had a fucking MSDOS course for fucks sake. I'm still waiting for the big innovations though and that magic pill that will eat my fat so I don't have to diet or exercise. Oh yeah and a holodeck would be awesome.