The other real danger is the completely unanticipated development that knocks everything out of whack. It's a long shot, but it's possible. Many sober scientific minds assume there's other intelligent life in the universe. Think of all the ways that might disrupt business as usual and dramatically alter our plans for the coming 25 years. Or a global economic collapse.
Computers usually live up to hype One area, however, seems immune from overinflated predictions.
The history of the computer industry is full of examples of bungled predictions that underestimated actual growth. The computer industry is one of those rare instances where optimism in forecasting seems to have paid off. Even some of the most boastful predictions have come true. Take IBM's 1980 boast. The company calculated that the world market for personal computers in the coming decade would be 275,000.