For a while, she had been happy again, and not only because it was September and the weather was nice. The truth is that that day was very special. But some of the last few months had certainly been complicated.

Everything began the previous winter, when Lucy became worried about her grandmother. It was six in the evening on a winter day, and she had just left her grandmother Anna’s house. She hadn’t seen her looking well. She seemed very sad, and that made Lucy sad too.

Anna had always been a very cheerful person, and celebrations at her home were very special for the whole family. But she felt the absence of Alberto, her husband, who had passed away ten months earlier.

Lucy, who was a very detail-oriented young woman, noticed that her grandmother no longer had the same energy. When talking to her about her birthday, which was in two weeks, she realized that Anna wasn’t expecting to celebrate it.

That afternoon, on her way home, Lucy thought about how to maintain the tradition and let her grandmother throw a party like she always had. Lucy noticed that the idea cheered her up and decided to help her.

The next morning, Lucy called Anna to give her…

A surprise

“Grandma!” Lucy began. “I have great news!”

“Hello, my dear. What is it?” Anna asked.

“I’ve decided to organize your birthday party! That way, you can have it like every other year.”

“Oh, I don’t want to trouble you.”

“It’s no trouble at all! You’re going to love it! Does that sound good?”

“Really, there’s no need for you to do all that work.”

“I’ll see you this weekend so we can plan everything!” Lucy finished.

“All right…” Anna sighed, smiling.

Then Lucy, who had no idea how to cook, went over the options she had for organizing the party.

Initially, she thought about hiring just a catering service, but she finally decided to hire…

Bernie, the assistant

Bernie was a robot stAIward capable of handling all the birthday preparations. Lucy chose Bernie because he could take care of cleaning the house and doing the shopping the day before. He could also cook and serve everything so that Anna wouldn’t get tired.

He was certainly more expensive than just catering, but he covered all the needs and any unexpected issues that might arise. Lucy rented him for two days: for the birthday, which fell on a Sunday, and the day before.

On Saturday, at eight in the morning, Bernie arrived right on time:

“Hello! I’m Bernie,” Bernie said.

“Welcome, Bernie. I’m Lucy, and this is my grandmother Anna,” Lucy introduced them.

“Let’s get to work!” Bernie said excitedly.

Bernie took care of everything just as Lucy had hoped. The birthday was a success; the whole family came, and Anna was able to enjoy her day as she had in previous years.

Later, while cleaning up the house after the event, Lucy overheard her grandmother talking to Bernie:

“What things would you like to have done that you haven’t yet?” Bernie asked.

“Well, I still have the regret of never visiting Italy, which Alberto and I always wanted to do,” Anna replied.

“What do people your age usually ask you for, Bernie?”

“Often, they ask me to record and edit their biography as a video interview. That way, they can leave something as a keepsake, like a legacy.”

“I had always thought of a book format, leaving my life lessons as a legacy. But an interview sounds great! That’s a really good idea. How could I do one?”

“You can hire me or a company that specializes in it.”

“Tell me more…”

…

What started as a superficial conversation turned out to be quite significant.

Lucy still didn’t know it, but she was going to have to make…

An important decision

The week following the birthday party, something kept circling in Lucy’s mind. She had seen that spark in her grandmother’s eyes again, in her attitude, on her face, and even in her energy.

“What if having an assistant like Bernie could make her feel that way all the time?” she wondered.

“Plus, there’s the trip to Italy she always wanted to take, and the chance to record her biography as a legacy,” she kept telling herself.

She knew those things mattered to Anna, and she could see it clearly.

It was a dilemma. She would have to put her career on hold for a while in order to spend a year focused on her grandmother. Besides, she would need more money to have Bernie available for much of that year.

Lucy felt deep inside that helping her grandmother fulfill those wishes was something she could only do once in her life, at that exact moment. She didn’t want to regret not doing it later on.

“But renting a stAIward for several months is really expensive,” Lucy told herself. “I don’t have that kind of money. How could I manage it?”

With that question in mind, she found a side job for weekends that would allow her to save enough so that, by combining vacation time and a leave of absence from her main job, she could hire Bernie for four months and travel with Anna during that time.

That allowed them to have…

A different year

Lucy devoted the first part of the year to working. She made the reservation for Bernie for four months, while Anna planned the travel itinerary. Anna was very methodical and organized. She had also worked organizing business trips in the past, so she knew what was important when planning a trip.

By the end of May, Lucy began her break, and together with Bernie, she finished preparing the trip.

First, they visited places from Anna’s life to film sessions that covered part of her story.

Then they went to the coast to enjoy some sunny beach days.

Finally, they traveled to Italy, visiting ten cities before ending their journey in Rome. Every day, they also recorded part of Anna’s biographical interview.

The trip was coming to an end, and they were enjoying everything as much as they could.

The day they visited the Colosseum and the Roman Forum in Rome was special for both of them. They loved it and took a photo1 that Lucy would later frame and cherish. They were both happy.

It had been a special year for them both. They had a wonderful time traveling, Anna had been able to do the two things she wanted, and in the process, Lucy had learned a lot from her grandmother and about life in general.

Returning home was bittersweet. On one hand, they were sad to leave behind the days when every moment was a discovery, but on the other, they missed home.

Lucy dropped her grandmother off at her house. Now Anna was tired from all the hustle and bustle and felt the need to rest.

In a random moment, Lucy looked at her grandmother and just knew.

By the look in her eyes, she knew it had all been worth it.

The background

A robotic stAIward, which we already know from another story, is a humanoid robot that can handle household tasks professionally.

But it’s more than that.

It’s an assistant for people, excellent in many areas.

For example, it can do things like cook as well as a top chef or coach you on self-improvement like an international-level life coach.

(I repeat it because it’s important.)

Its cost is extremely high at the point in time when the main character of our story considers using one to help her grandmother. She can’t afford to buy it, so the obvious choice is to rent it by the day. There are also companies that rent them out by the hour each week—say, four hours every week.

First, Lucy rented it for two days to arrange the event she had in mind for her grandmother. While not cheap, it was still within her budget.

Thanks to that rental, her grandmother realized she had two unfulfilled needs she wanted to take care of before dying. These unmet desires were causing her frustration and sadness.

The impact of stAIwards is palpable, even if you only have them for a few hours or days.

In fact, seeing how positive its impact was, Lucy considered renting one for a longer period so her grandmother could accomplish what she wanted.

If that’s the impact after just a few days or weeks, what would it be like if you could have a stAIward for an entire lifetime?

We’ll talk more about butlers another day!

Have a great future!

Marianne doubted whether her son had prepared everything for the wedding he was supposed to attend the coming weekend, so she decided to ask him:

“Son, you had a wedding this weekend, right? Where is it?”

“Yes, Mom. Saturday at noon,” replied Eddie. “My friend John is getting married.”

“And do you already have clothes, a gift, and so on?” asked Marianne.

“I haven’t done anything yet, but I’ve got it all under control.”

“But there are only two days left!” she exclaimed. Marianne, like all mothers, worried about her son and wanted everything to go well in his life. She was already on edge because there wasn’t enough time to buy a suit, go to the hair salon, find a gift, and arrange everything else.

“Yes, I know,” replied Eddie. “I have an appointment at PartyReady for Saturday morning. I’ll buy everything there.”

“Saturday morning? And if something goes wrong? Isn’t it better to get a head start on something?”

“Mom, time is the only thing we can’t make more of. I’d rather go to one place to do it all than go to four.”

“And what about that haircut you need?”

“They do that there too.”

“I don’t know, Son. What kind of place is that?”

“Don’t worry, Mom, I’ve got it all under control,” Eddie finished, walking away so they wouldn’t continue talking.

“Hey, where’s the wedding? You haven’t answered me!” Marianne called out into the air.

...

On Saturday, Eddie got up early, did some exercise, and took a Takemethere to...

PartyReady

The wedding started at noon, and it was 9 a.m. It would take him an hour to get there, but he could do everything in an hour and a half.

Upon entering, he was greeted by Sebastian, the service robot at the establishment.

“Welcome to PartyReady, Edward. We’ve been expecting you,” began Sebastian. “You have a made-to-measure suit booked, a relaxing massage, a shower, a haircut and styling, a dental cleaning, and the selection of a gift. Is that correct?”

“Yes,” Eddie answered.

“Please follow me. First we’ll take your measurements for the suit; you’ll choose the model you want, and we’ll make it.”

Eddie followed Sebastian to a room full of lasers, cameras, and sensors that took his body measurements in a matter of seconds.

Then he sat on a couch to choose from the different suit styles projected as life-size holograms featuring his own body and face.

He picked a navy-blue suit with a fashionable cut.

“It will be ready in 45 minutes,” Sebastian indicated. “Now let’s move on to this other room, please. Have a seat in the chair. We’ll start with the haircut and dental cleaning.”

Eddie sat down in the chair facing the mirror.

It seemed like magic to him that he could get a dental cleaning and a haircut at the same time in the same chair. That really was efficiency!

Meanwhile, Sebastian offered him a list of gifts to choose from on the mirror-screen.

In 20 minutes, he had both things done and the gift chosen.

This was why he loved going to PartyReady. Because the only thing he had to worry about was making a reservation whenever he had an event. He didn’t have to think about anything else; everything was taken care of there on the day of the event. It was wonderful.

He then went to the massage room, where he had a 20-minute back massage. After that, he took a shower, had his hair styled, and put on his newly made suit.

And the suit fit him like a glove.

In about an hour and forty minutes…

He was ready

Eddie walked out of PartyReady perfectly groomed, dressed, relaxed, and carrying the gift in a bag. Outside, he headed to the Takemethere car waiting on the curb, which would take him to the wedding. But suddenly...

“Damn it!” he exclaimed.

A pigeon with diarrhea had left him a little present on his suit.

Then Eddie remembered his mother... He checked the time and saw that he still had a little time to get to the wedding on time.

He went back inside PartyReady to see what could be done.

“Did you need something else, sir?” asked Sebastian.

“I had an incident as soon as I walked out,” Eddie replied. “I wanted to know if it would be possible to clean the stain or make a new jacket.”

“I see. Please hand me the jacket while we figure out how to fix it.” Sebastian then gave the jacket to another attendant who took it away to be cleaned.

“If it can’t be cleaned, could you make a new jacket?”

“There’s no time; we take more than twenty minutes, and you have to leave for the wedding by 11 at the latest.”

“I could be late. How much would that cost?”

“Absolutely not. Never be late to a wedding, sir!”

“Is there any other option?” Eddie asked desperately.

“Unbelievable! What had that pigeon been eating? We’re washing and sterilizing the jacket, but the stain won’t come out,” Sebastian confirmed. “Only the lapel is stained, so we could modify the jacket to add new lapels on time. It’ll be cheaper than a new jacket either way.”

“Well, there’s no other choice then!”

“Please choose among these five proposals”

Eddie chose a design with white lapels.

It was 10:52 when Eddie got into the car, on his way to the wedding.

“PartyReady never disappoints,” he thought.

Sometimes things don’t go as expected and...

Surprises happen

The bride and groom had picked a country estate with a castle, a very charming place. Eddie arrived just in time before the ceremony started.

During the ceremony, Eddie noticed a few glances at his suit from other guests, but he was focused on finding his seat, so he paid them no attention.

…

At the reception, everyone praised his suit. It was very original. Eddie then realized that trusting his instincts under pressure was quite effective.

At one point, a girl approached Eddie:

“Hi, I like your suit—it’s very daring,” said Silvia, which was her name.

“Thanks.” “Wow!” Eddie thought. She seemed really attractive as he replied.

“How did you come up with choosing that? Because all the other suits I’ve seen are really boring...”

“If I tell you, you’re going to laugh...”

And the rest, well, that’s history.

The background

When there are new products, technologies, or options, new businesses can be created around them. The case of PartyReady is an example.

In our story, Eddie is going to a wedding and finds it convenient to spend as little time as possible getting ready.

He wants to have fun, not waste time on preparations.

PartyReady’s proposition is clear: You go before the party and leave fully prepared to attend—going to just one place on a single day.

In PartyReady’s case, having an automated made-to-measure suit ready in minutes is indeed innovative because it doesn’t yet exist.

But a dental cleaning service, a massage, or buying a gift aren’t innovations in themselves.

The real benefit is that Eddie can do everything in the same location, and that’s not common today either.

Just like PartyReady, new business models will appear that take advantage of whatever new technologies or options are available. Existing products or services will also be modified or improved.

Which services or experiences would you love to save time on?

See you next week, enthusiast!

(Seen in an interview in The Exponential Times.)

The Unstoppable Growth of Takemethere

Take me there (stylized as Takemethere), is an autonomous transport company that appeared out of nowhere six months ago.

During that time, it’s already handling 30% of all autonomous trips in the United States. If it keeps growing at the same pace, it could reach 80% of trips by the end of this year.

We tried to contact them, but they told us they still don’t have a communications department and that the CEO currently doesn’t have time to speak with us.

However, we managed to talk to Robert, a founder and shareholder, who told us why he left the company so abruptly and answered all our questions:

Exponential Times: What makes Takemethere special? Where did the idea come from?

Roberto: The idea came from a review of business models that a few of us did together for a project in business school.

We studied several companies across different sectors, including one in autonomous transport. We looked closely at its business model and had to figure out what its costs and prices for customers were.

We realized that if you kept expenses lower in certain areas, you could operate at a much lower cost per trip than what was being done at the time. That meant it was possible to create a company that offered rides at less than half the price current transport companies were charging.

ET: So, a low-cost version of today’s autonomous transport?

R: Exactly.

The key was mainly the purchase price of the vehicles and reducing the company’s main expenses.

For instance, there’s software now that lets you run a complete autonomous transport business by paying a monthly subscription. So the main investment was only the cars, since the software is paid month to month.

Once we realized that could work, eight of us got together, each put in fifty thousand dollars, and we kicked off this venture.

ET: You went from starting small to having a fleet of half a million vehicles incredibly fast. How did you get the cars so quickly?

R: Several global operators were renewing their fleets with more expensive new cars. We bought a lot of used vehicles from different operators in different countries and brought them into the United States.

That allowed us to get a lower purchase price per car. Even though maintenance is a bit higher because these cars already have a lot of mileage, it’s worth it.

We’ve been putting the cars into service under the Takemethere brand as we clean and prepare them.

ET: You saw the opportunity and seized it. How is it that the companies who sold you the cars, who do the same kind of business, didn’t realize what you were planning? I’m guessing they wouldn’t have sold you the cars otherwise.

R: We created many companies, one or several in each country where we made purchases. Each company bought cars for what seemed like different uses.

Once we’d bought as many as we wanted, we started shipping them to the United States.

Not until after everything was up and running did Takemethere officially purchase all those companies.

ET: So it was a strategy they didn’t see coming, right?

R: Shhh…

ET: Was it complicated to transport them?

R: The ones we bought here arrived on their own at our facilities, just like those we bought in Canada and Mexico.

For the ones in Asia and Europe, we initially thought about having them come through a tunnel under the Bering Strait1. But we realized that wasn’t feasible, so we used car-carrier ships to bring them over.

ET: And where did you get the money to buy so many cars?

R: We took out a lot of loans, haha. It was very risky.

Now that we have revenue from customers, almost all of it is going into further expansion.

ET: How did you get so many customers so fast?

R: First, we went after people who really care about pricing—young people. We ran campaigns to get them started on the service.

We also used fast-growth referral models. When a customer signs up, they pay a one time subscription fee. They get that entire amount back if they refer twenty new customers who use the service.

This way, either we keep the fee if they don’t refer anyone, or we gain new customers. If they don’t refer anyone, we still remain cheaper than the competition because that initial fee is only charged once at sign-up.

We’re already expanding to other types of customers and trying to bring in new ones every day.

ET: Other autonomous transport companies are making all sorts of changes. Any comment on that?

R: Some companies have really struggled since Takemethere showed up.

A few have offered to merge with us because they can’t compete on price. We’ve bought some others to get specific types of vehicles. And in other cases they have sold us part of their fleet so they can serve customer segments we’re not interested in, for example, for only offering larger vehicles or vehicles for special occasions.

ET: So, why did you leave the company?

R: It’s been two hectic years, but people only see these six months of operation. I’d love to stay, but right now I have some personal family matters I need to deal with.

ET: We’ve heard you’re still a shareholder and that each of you put in fifty thousand dollars. Takemethere is now worth several billion dollars.

R: Yes, the valuation is huge. In fact, there are people who want to buy us, although Takemethere isn’t for sale at the moment.

ET: Congratulations on Takemethere’s success, and thanks for talking with us! What do you plan to do with the money you’ve made?

R: Thank you so much. I’m thinking of launching another idea…

ET: We’ll be watching!

The Background

At any time, it’s possible for a new company to enter a mature market—where the existing businesses are big and well-established—even if it seems impossible. And it’s also possible to revolutionize it.

The time it takes can get shorter and shorter, even when there’s the production or use of physical objects, although it might not seem so. That’s because the exponential effect still applies, even if to a lesser degree than in purely digital services.

We can see this in a past example—electric cars—and then look at Takemethere in a plausible future.

Electric Cars

Maybe you didn’t know, but for several years in the early 1900s, there were electric taxis operating in certain US cities. (This reference is intentionally vague—look it up if you want more details.)

During that era, electric vehicles competed with steam-powered and combustion vehicles. Electric technology was much simpler but had less range, while combustion was more complex but easier to refuel.

More recently, when the combustion-engine market was already very mature, a new competitor entered by making electric supercars.

The strategy was to make expensive cars first, because you make more profit per car, and producing fewer high-end cars is easier than producing a larger number of cheaper ones. Over time, that brand went on to produce more units of increasingly cheaper cars.

Even though it seemed unfeasible with the battery technology at the time, the market shifted over about 15 years.

The car market was mature, and electrification changed the game.

Now the leaders are different.

The Takemethere Case

In this Exponential Times article, we see something similar—only faster.

In a mature market for passenger transport via autonomous vehicles, a brand-new competitor suddenly appears. And the rules of the game change.

In this case, they used a strategy to take over the market, grow extremely fast, and oust their competitors.

They buy up many used cars from existing companies and use them to offer a lower price to their customers.

They also gather cars from all around the world in a single country to create a larger volume than any competitor, making it really tough for others to keep up.

Those who react quickly and adapt survive—others don’t.

Overall, we’ll see that due to the possibilities of the exponential era in which we live, market changes can be just as rapid, even when physical objects like cars are involved.

In the article’s example, Takemethere can expand as fast as they can clean and prep their cars for customers.

Their competitors buy new cars, which take time to manufacture. Takemethere buys cars that already exist and cleans them up to put them into service—much faster.

Plus, all the necessary software to run the company is already out there, and they can pay for it monthly.

So they start with younger customers and then move on to other segments, while steadily cutting into their competitors’ sales.

Remember, the companies that serve you will change faster and faster.

Pay attention!

Something unexpected happens

When Aurora received an email, she was so absorbed in watching a show that she didn’t even notice the notification.

Later on, she checked and read the email, which said she had won a prize:

“Another scam,” she thought. “Don’t these people ever get tired?”

The prize was a trip.

Out of habit, she double-checked the email details to make sure it was a scam. She checked the sender’s address and the recipient’s address, but they both seemed fine. The body of the message also seemed free of any layout or text errors.

“Wait, that can’t be right…” she said, startling herself. She remembered she had automatically entered a sweepstakes when she made a purchase at the supermarket.

She felt her stomach tighten and was flooded by an extreme happiness she was trying to keep under control.

"This can’t be," she went on while searching her email inbox for the sweepstakes' details the supermarket had sent. She didn’t want to get her hopes up.

She looked for it, but could hardly select the email because she was trembling.

"Finally," she sighed when she found it.

She opened it and reviewed the list of prizes.

There it was, the trip. It could be true. A chill ran through her body.

Just in case, she called the contact number listed in the supermarket’s email.

They confirmed it.

And they gave her all the prize details. The more they told her, the more amazed she was.

“I can’t believe it,” she said aloud as she hung up. “Yesss, hahaha,” she laughed, jumping in excitement.

It was the best gift she’d received in her 17 years of life.

She ran to tell her parents, who were in the living room.

“I just won a 10-day trip to Underwater Beach Resort with all expenses paid!”

“We can all go,” she continued, “it’s for six people, which means Grandma and Grandpa can come, too!”

But then something even less expected happened…

The Rejection

“Sweetheart, that’s the resort that’s underwater, right?” asked her father, Marco.

“Yes, that’s the one!”

“I’m not sure it’s safe to go there…” Marco went on.

“Underwater?” said her mother, Celia. “Absolutely not! Marco, it was on some show and they said it was dangerous! If something happens, we could drown!”

“But everything’s paid for! The trip, the stay at a five-star hotel, the meals, and they even give us tickets for some activities!”

“I said no. You’re not taking me there, Celia declared.”

It hit Aurora hard, and she felt like crying. She left the living room feeling worse than before she read the email notification.

Aurora had two choices: one she really didn’t like, and the other she loved, but she had no idea how to make it happen.

“A problem is always equal to an opportunity,” she recalled.

So she decided she had to end up…

Changing the Future

In her room, she opened her coaching app. She had three days to respond to the sweepstakes email, stating whether she would accept the prize or not.

She had three days to change her parents’ minds.

She told her virtual coach, Roger, what had happened and what she wanted to achieve.

Roger told her she needed to start negotiating as soon as possible, because she only had three days. She needed to get her parents to decide on their own that going on the trip was the best option.

“Here’s what you need to do,” Roger continued. “First, understand the objections your parents have about the trip. Then we’ll research them together to figure out how to overcome them.”

Aurora talked to her dad to figure out what issues they had with the trip. The main one was safety; they also didn’t know anything about the resort, it was in a foreign country, and depending on the travel dates, they might not be able to miss work.

“I’ve got their objections now, Roger,” Aurora said.

“Great, do you think we can handle them if we look into it?” he replied.

“Yes.”

“Now call your brother Mario and your grandparents and give them the news,” Roger said.

“Uh, shouldn’t I focus on the objections first?” Aurora continued.

“Yes, after that. But right now, what helps you the most is having the majority on your side. There’s this thing called the conformity bias you can use. In fact, you’re trying to harness the effect of the majority, because it seems your mom has her mind set on not going and needs to change her opinion.”

“Tell me more about that,” Aurora requested.

Roger gave her all the details, and she understood how to use it to her advantage.

She called her brother and her grandparents, and they were all very happy to hear the news.

She spent the rest of the afternoon looking for brochures, videos, and information about the resort. The next day, she left the brochures in the kitchen for her parents to see during breakfast. In the afternoon, they watched two hours of videos about how safe the resort was and what it was like to go there. Little by little, they got used to the idea of what it was.

By the second day, Marco and Celia were already weighing the risks with updated information. If they were going to leave their son and Celia’s parents without such a trip, it had to be for a very good reason.

On the third day, everyone got together at Marco’s request:

“Your mother and I have decided that we’re going to take the trip to Underwater Beach Resort,” he said with a smile.

“Great!” exclaimed the others, eager to plan the details.

Aurora flashed a smile because she knew it was going to be…

An Incredible Experience

After they flew there, they went straight from the airport to the resort in a self-driving vehicle big enough for all six of them. It was really comfortable to travel that way, with no other passengers and no waiting around.

They arrived at the tunnel leading into the resort on the coast and went downhill. When the vehicle emerged from the tunnel, they all stared in awe.

“It looks like another planet,” Grandpa blurted out.

“Wow! This is really impressive!” Marco said.

“Thump thump, thump thump,” Aurora’s heart was pounding.

They reached the square at the hotel entrance and, upon getting out, everyone looked up, where a transparent dome let them see the ocean right above their heads. Sunlight filtered through the water before softly illuminating the entire resort.

No one could say a word.

After checking into the hotel, they headed up to their rooms, which were amazing. Aside from the special windows, they looked like normal but luxurious hotel rooms. Of course, it was a five-star place, and they weren’t used to that.

The safety briefing began an hour after they arrived.

“In case of emergency, you’ll hear the general alarm, which sounds like this. The emergency lights will also turn on,” the instructor continued.

“All buildings are watertight and will automatically seal if water is detected. Head into the buildings as soon as you hear the alarm or notice something’s wrong. The highest floors in each building are the safest, so go upstairs.”

“If the emergency catches you far from a building, head to an evacuation point. They’re marked with this orange icon. If you’re already underwater, the rescue robots will bring you to the nearest non-flooded airlock.”

It seemed they had everything covered and automated.

Every day they spent there, they did something new, and each person liked something different:

• Her grandparents loved the hotel, the food, the shows, and being able to stroll under the huge dome watching the sea and the fish from below.

• Aurora’s parents were amazed by the entire experience and how happy everyone was. Every now and then, Celia would get a thought that it was dangerous, but she preferred not to dwell on the fact that they were underwater and that the place could potentially flood.

• Although the grandparents didn’t want to take a ride in the recreational mini-submarine, Mario went nuts for that outing to see the seabed and the resort from the outside. The beach was located in the shallower, sunlit area along with the main walkway under the dome. The buildings, however, were in the deeper section and were much taller.

• The underwater beach, that was Aurora’s most memorable part of that vacation. It felt so strange to lie on sand beneath the ocean and swim in saltwater while the sea was above her. At the same time, it was super relaxing, so much so that years later she would go back. She’d end up wanting to create those kinds of environments and sensations in her future work.

By the time they had to load into the vehicle to head back to the airport, they all felt that usual end-of-vacation sadness, wanting to stay longer.

Knowing it was all over, Aurora asked her mom:

“So, what do you think, Mom? Was it worth coming in the end?”

“What a silly question. Of course it was. Your father and I knew it would be worth it.”

“Sure, sure,” Aurora said to herself.

“Wait till I tell people at work, they have to come here,” Mom concluded.

The Background

Underwater Beach is an underwater vacation resort. It’s a massive construction with several hotels, restaurants, beaches, pools, and other leisure areas. It’s completely submerged, though in some places only a few meters underwater, and it’s the first of its kind.

The bottom of the ocean is Earth’s most unexplored place, and sooner or later it’s going to be explored and exploited. Right now, we do know a fair bit about some coasts because we can explore them by scuba diving. For the ocean floor that’s at great depth, there are ongoing exploration missions using special deep-sea vehicles.

In the future, there will be temporary structures set up at very great depths for exploration.

However, for leisure activities, the underwater coast will be the first place to build. And it makes sense: it’s easier, cheaper, and safer at shallower depths.

One big advantage of this first resort is that it’s novel, plus sunlight can still reach it, and it has a predictable temperature or “climate.” Because it’s predictable, hotels and restaurants can stay busy all year and it does not depend on cold, heat, or rain.

In our story, Aurora wins a trip, but her family doesn’t want to go because all they know about the resort comes from the news. They think it’s new, the media coverage focuses on the negative and so does the public opinion.

This is a phenomenon that happens whenever something new appears and scares us.

For example, everybody understands today that air travel is safe. That doesn’t rule out accidents, which happen occasionally, but even so, flying is now considered safe. But when the first passenger planes appeared, what did people think? What image did they have of flying?

We went from fear to success.

Just look at a few eras:

• With the Wright brothers: People thought it was a miracle. Heavy things couldn’t possibly fly. It was an experiment.

• In both world wars: People saw aviation as something for and about war, because that’s what it was used for.

• Later on came the pioneers: They showed certain trips were possible.

• And then modern airplanes arrived: At first it was a luxury, and eventually it came to be seen as safe.

So it wasn’t until long after the first airplanes appeared that people’s views on flying changed into what they are today.

Which is normal. Because we neither had nor have wings like birds.

And it’ll be normal. Because we don’t have gills like fish.

The same thing will happen with underwater structures.

And it’ll go from fear to success.

So, what about you. Will you book a stay at Underwater Beach?

Hope you have a great week.

Great future!

The afternoon began...

Like any other Saturday, David had plans to meet his three usual friends at their usual hangout. A common thing to do at sixteen.

“Today we’re going to the movies!” David thought.

They bought a bunch of snacks at the same old store and went to the bench where they usually hung out before heading into the theater.

It was an action movie, and they were all excited to see it. In fact, they’d been waiting a while for it to come out.

The best part about movie days was all the laughter they shared beforehand and the comments afterward. Those afternoons were time well spent.

After chatting about the movie, John brought up a topic:

“And you guys, what do you want to do for a living?” John asked.

“The high school counselor’s on your case?” Ralph blurted out—he was the funniest in the group, always cracking jokes.

“Haha,” John laughed. “I’m thinking about becoming a pilot, but maybe I’m getting carried away. I wanted to see if you guys are as nuts as I am.”

“Well, I want to be a musician,” David said. “But at home they tell me to study something that actually pays.”

“I think you’ve got this in the bag, David,” John pointed out. “Being a musician sounds tougher than being a pilot.”

“Hey, thanks for the encouragement!” David shot back. “So what about you—what’s on your mind?”

“Well, I’d like to be a doctor. Probably a surgeon,” Ralph replied.

“You’re not aiming too shabby, either,” David went on.

“I know. But we still haven’t heard from Henry, have we?”

“I’m still not sure,” Henry said, hesitating. “But I do know it has to involve lots of girls.”

“Haha,” the others laughed.

“You just want to have a bunch of girlfriends,” Ralph teased him. Since Henry was his best friend, he messed with him more than anyone else.

“I’ll deny I ever said that,” Henry replied.

“Haha,” they laughed again.

Movie time was getting close, so they got up and kept chatting on their way to the theater.

Suddenly, a woman’s voice interrupted them, letting them know it was time for...

Dinner

They all looked at each other, then took off their bcasts.

They opened their eyes again.

David, Henry, and John exchanged glances. That afternoon was over.

They were back at Henry’s place.

After a few seconds, they moved over to the table for dinner.

Gemma—Henry’s girlfriend—took the takeout boxes and started handing out the food to the six people gathered at the table.

All at once, David felt the nearly twenty years that had passed since that day. It was like, for a few minutes, he’d completely forgotten he’d lived them.

While they were getting the food ready, his mind stayed back in that afternoon that left such a mark on them, and in that conversation they all remembered.

He looked at John. He was no longer sixteen, and David thought:

“He got what he wanted—he became a pilot,” David reflected. “But after twelve years of flying, he lost interest, switched to being an instructor, and then opened a travel agency. He really worked hard to get all those licenses, from private pilot up to the one that let him be captain.

The novelty wore off, and after flying all over the world, nowhere seemed special anymore. All that effort, and in the end, his priorities changed—he met Linda and wanted a family. Funny how life turns out.”

Then he looked at Henry:

“Henry was the one who had it the least figured out—or maybe he actually had it the most figured out,” David laughed to himself. “He tried all sorts of things: first waiting tables, then promoting at a nightclub, then repping at a modeling agency, until he finally landed in fashion photography. The truth is, women have always been part of his life… haha.

“He found photography by chance one day when the photographer didn’t show up, and look how far he’s come. We’re so proud to be his friends. And now he’s been with Gemma for three years—who would’ve guessed?”

Then his reflex was to look for Ralph, until he remembered he wouldn’t be able to find him.

Finally, he took stock of his own life, probably the toughest for him:

“I wanted to be a musician,” he told himself. “But I started out as a sound technician so I could earn money. I got comfortable and let the years go by without spending time on my music. I felt like I wasn’t cut out to succeed. At least I met Laura through that job.”

He turned his head and looked at Laura. Without a doubt, that job had been worth it.

“Good thing I finally started focusing on my music,” he went on, “and now I can make a living from it. Trying was the right call.”

Though it was a bit awkward at first, John broke the ice:

“It’s a real shame Ralph isn’t here today. I miss him.”

David and Henry nodded in agreement, and Linda gave John a comforting pat on the back.

“He was just trying to dodge giving a speech at our wedding,” David joked.

“Haha,” a little laugh slipped out.

“We’re missing his sense of humor,” Henry went on. “He was becoming a good surgeon, and it seemed like he had a bright future.”

And so they kept remembering him.

When Ralph passed away a few years earlier, it took everyone by surprise, and each of them dealt with it in their own way. David threw himself into producing his music, realizing that life’s too short to sit around waiting for things to happen. John had already been thinking about changing his life, and that was the last straw he needed.

Henry was the one who struggled the most. He’d lost his best friend, someone he really depended on. But in the end, it made him settle down and lead a more organized life.

Losing Ralph was painful, but it taught each of them something.

They wrapped up dinner imagining what Ralph would have done at all the get-togethers they’d had over the years: at John’s wedding, the first time Henry covered New York Fashion Week (and the huge party afterward), or when David scored VIP tickets to Glastonbury.

They couldn’t stop laughing.

It was the tribute they needed to pay him.

The background

Advances in human-machine interfaces—specifically mental ones—will allow us not only to read what people are thinking but also to feed information into their brains in ways they can process. This can include images, sounds, smells, etc., all of which can be drawn from one person to create immersive experiences for others.

In our story, David shares the memory he had of that pivotal afternoon that started just like any other with his friends. John and Henry relive the moment from David’s perspective and enrich it with their own recollections.

To do this, they use their braincast devices, which work both ways.

Braincasting is basically broadcasting memories, ideas, or knowledge directly from one’s mind. And braincasters are the people who do it professionally.

Of course, this technology will have many other uses, but one will be sharing the memories we have of those who have passed away.

Until that day comes, remember that the most important days of our lives often start out like just any other day.

Well then, future enthusiast,

we’ll see each other on the next Futurostream trip!

P.S. Once this is out, we’ll remember you among many. Don’t think you can leave before your time and stick leave us with this feeling of something missing.

(Seen in an interview in The Exponential Times.)

Boothers: A New Lifestyle

Although it’s not for everyone…

This week we interviewed Michael, who along with his partner Elizabeth refer to themselves as Boothers. For those of us who are not familiar with this way of life, it’s a way of living that takes full advantage of the options offered by autonomous transportation. But let’s let Michael tell us about it…

Exponential Times: For anyone who hasn’t heard about it, what does it mean to be a Boother? And what is a Booth in this context?

Michael: It’s basically someone who uses an autonomous vehicle a lot in their day-to-day life, so much that they spend quite a bit of their life inside it. Many cases are because of commuting to work that’s far away, others because they travel long distances for leisure.

In our case, for example, we live in Monterey but work in San Francisco. It takes us a little over 2 hours to get there with the current average speeds of autonomous vehicles. So we spend at least around 20 hours a week in our vehicle.

We call the vehicle a Booth and we call ourselves Boothers because we live like this.

ET: Why did you decide to live like this?

M: Well basically because I wanted to be able to work at what I love and live in my hometown at the same time.

Even though there are many jobs you can do remotely in the tech industry, Liz and I work we have in-person jobs. We can only work from home a small percentage of the time.

In Monterey we live in a home right on the beachfront and we love that.

Some people think they couldn’t handle spending that much time in a vehicle and prefer living closer to their work. For us it’s worth it.

ET: What is a normal day like for you? What is your routine with the Booth? Any funny anecdotes you have experienced while organizing yourselves this way?

M: Well, I wake up on the way to work in the Booth in the morning, I wash up, get dressed, go over the grocery list, and by the time I’m done with breakfast I’m already getting off at my work’s doorstep at eight fifteen.

Liz keeps going to hers, and arrives by eight thirty, when she gets out of the Booth.

We finish working between four thirty and five. The Booth picks me up first and then we pick up Liz.

Then we head back to Monterey, usually arriving by seven or seven passed.

On the way back in the Booth we talk about our day, take the opportunity to read, nap a bit, do some strength exercises, eat something… whatever each of us feels like doing.

When we arrive, on some days we go running along the boardwalk where the Booth drops us off. We love that. Other days we meet friends for a drink or visit family. It depends on the day.

At home we shower, have dinner, and spend time on our hobbies. We usually spend that time apart because we’ve already been together in the Booth.

After that, we go to sleep in the Booth’s bed and that’s how our day ends. In the early hours, the Booth, when the algorithm decides, starts up and takes us to San Francisco so we arrive at eight fifteen.

ET: Is it comfortable? Any anecdote about the lifestyle?

M: Well, you have to get used to it, but for us it is comfortable. We’ve also made changes over time to get to the routine we have now.

There are drawbacks, of course. Before, for example, we used to go to bed at home and set an alarm to move to the Booth’s bed and another one to get up, and that was uncomfortable. But we realized it didn’t make sense, because we were making two beds and interrupting our sleep.

Actually, one day when the second alarm went off for me to get up and get ready, I opened my eyes and saw that I was still at home at Monterey. I jumped up in a panic, because now I couldn’t make it on time. I had to take the day off.

Liz was on her way to work. She did get up at four and I didn’t. But she didn’t notice that I hadn’t followed.

These are the kinds of things you fine-tune over time. Now we already know what we want to do and what we don’t.

ET: And what is the Booth like? Have you always used the same one?

M: Well, I’ve gone through several.

We currently have an aRB 7000 for the two of us. It has a queen size bed, a bathroom with a shower, a small kitchen, and a living area. It’s like a tiny house on wheels.

I was lucky, really because there are people who, when they start working, take long commutes in standard cars. And of course… you can’t sleep or wash up properly in those. I was able to skip that part, but you can’t keep it up for too long anway.

In my case, because I already knew other people doing my route when I started working, I was able to start in a large multi-seat Booth. The only thing was that upon arriving in San Francisco, I had to get off before everyone else and take another transport because my job wasn’t conveniently located on the route they already had. And the same on the way back. Plus, when you’re with more people there are always conflicts over space or stuff.

Then I moved on to a single-person rental Booth. It saved me time and some money because I didn’t have to take more transportation. But of course, since it was shared, I couldn’t leave my things inside and it wasn’t always as clean as you’d like.

Then I bought my own single-person Booth for convenience and because renting is more expensive than buying one if you use it daily for work.

And finally the one we have now, which we got after Liz and I got together. Since we were doing the same route, we bought a bigger double Booth to be more comfortable. Having a full bed was important to us because after all, we use it every night.

ET: How did you meet Elizabeth?

M: At a Boother event that was held in a parking lot for Booths. It was through the parking algorithm, which tends to put together people who take the same route, unless you request otherwise.

ET: In your Booth or in mine?

M: That’s right, hahaha.

ET: So, is it financially worthwhile to be a Boother?

M: For us, its more or less even. We have high paying tech jobs and if we add up the cost of our home in Monterey plus the aRB, it’s more or less equivalent to a home in San Francisco and one or two normal cars for commuting. But we get

ET: And where is the Booth while you’re working? Do you park it?

M: Ours is pretty big so it’s not usually easy to park. It usually stays in a Booth parking lot. If we’ve marked that we need something from the grocery store it goes there first so they can load it up, then it heads to the parking lot.

Booth parking lots are great, because you can also spend the night there. They have everything you might need, and you can form a community there too.

We use it if we stay overnight in San Francisco for dinner or a late event. That day it doesn’t make sense to go back, so we stay to sleep in the parking lot.

ET: In general, what are the advantages of being a Boother?

M: For us there are several. Having the job we want and living on the beach in the afternoon and on weekends is the main one.

Also, we organize our routine better. We have our breakfast during the commute before getting off, rather than before leaving home, for example.

And once we have the Booth, we do weekend getaways, leaving directly after work on Fridays. And in the summer we do Booth trips further away. It’s the way we prefer for travelling.

ET: And the drawbacks?

M: In this lifestyle, the downside is the time you spend inside the Booth. You’re in transit to get where you want to be and you can’t get out. We bought the aRB 7000 so we’d have plenty of space and that means we don’t have issues with that.

It’s also true you sleep a bit worse. It’s not so much the number of hours of sleep, but the quality, because in the end you’re in motion. But you can partially regulate that by indicating when you’ve slept poorly so it adjusts its speed the next time.

ET: For being a Boother, does age matter?

M: I think it depends more on your mentality and way of living expectations.

Young people are usually more willing to do certain things to earn more money or to have a better job. And that’s why there are more of them.

But then it’s something you have to like, or at least you have to think it’s worth it for what you want in life. Starting in your thirties, if you don’t like it, you give it up.

ET: What happens when you have kids? Is it compatible?

M: Everything is more complicated with kids. We don’t have children yet, in fact we’ve considered stopping being Boothers because of that.

ET: So do people stop being Boothers when they have children?

M: In some cases yes, in others no. We’ve been asking around and among the Boothers who have kids and each family organizes however they can.

For example, one couple takes them with them to San Francisco for school. So they have breakfast with them and when they’re done they spend time together in the Booth on the way back. The advantage is that if something happens or one of the kids gets sick, they’re in the same city as you are.

Another couple we know, however, leaves the kids at home with the stAIward to handle breakfast and taking them to school. After school they spend time with their grandparents until they arrive. That way they keep a family bond with grandparents too.

Like I said, everyone figures it out in their own way. I suppose we’ll find a way to make it compatible. I’m optimistic.

ET: Would you recommend this lifestyle to everyone?

M: Of course not. It’s something you have to like.

When people ask me about when someone should consider starting with a Booth, the answer is clear: It’s when you already spend a lot of time in transit in vehicles. For example, if you go every weekend to the other side of the state for some reason or if you like living far from where you work and make long commutes for that.

In those cases, I’d recommend starting by trying out renting a Booth. You’re more comfortable than in other forms of transport, and you can rest better.

When you’ve been traveling in a Booth almost daily for about three months, you already know if it’s for you or not.

ET: Do you have any funny anecdote that’s happened in your day-to-day life as Boothers?

M: Well, one day Liz and I were waking up on our way to San Francisco, having a good time, when the Booth received an order to pull over for a police check, and of course…

We got quite a scare at first, but we had time to react.

The robocop just stood there for a moment and turned around, I guess we weren’t what it was looking for.

We actually laughed a lot about it.

ET: Commuter interruptus, we could call it then…

M: Yes, hahaha, in every sense.

Now we know where those checkpoints are, just in case, hahaha.

ET: Thank you so much for giving our readers a look into this lifestyle.

M: Thank you for providing visibility.

The background

When all cars and other vehicles are autonomous, there will no longer be traffic jams. Nor hardly any accidents.

Highway speed limits can also be higher because traffic will flow without stopping, like water in a river does. And it will also be possible for some vehicles to go lower speeds while maintaining that flow.

All of this will make journeys even more predictable.

So, by eliminating driving and traffic jams, commutes to work or long journeys can be relaxing. Leisure becomes the main focus inside the vehicle.

Today there is already a floating population that goes to work in cities by train, bus, or car, which returns home to sleep. Or people who, for work reasons, spend a lot of time in the car or another type of vehicle.

Likewise, there will be people, as in our story, who are willing to live farther away for whatever reason and do part of their daily life in a vehicle. There will also be, as there are today, people whose job entails a lot of travel and who prefer this means or lifestyle for getting around.

But until then…

Have a good future!

The Exponential Times
Issue 1: Founding Letter

Dear Reader,

Perhaps you no longer remember a time when you couldn’t make video calls with family members no matter where in the world they were. Or maybe you’re simply too young. The fact that new technological developments appear so frequently hasn’t always been the norm.

Technological innovations that enable revolutionary change have been happening more and more often. So much so that one appears every few years. This trend is set to become even more pronounced, to the point where every year there will be a technology that meets this revolutionary criterion in one field or another. And it will accelerate even further afterward.

News can no longer be told as they have been up to now.

It is necessary that we take into account this exponential growth both in the emergence of new technologies and in how quickly they begin to be used on a planetary scale.

That is why Today, we, a group of journalists, editors, and technology communicators are founding The Exponential Times.

Our editorial team will be responsible for identifying the potential of new technologies and the growth patterns they bring. And at the same time, understanding the moment they occupy on the exponential curve.

We hope our contribution will allow you, dear reader, to easily understand these developments and what they will enable in the future.

Sincerely,

The founding team of The Exponential Times.

The Background

We are in the age of exponential development, or exponential time. Hence the wordplay in the publication’s name. “Times” as in newspapers, but also referring to exponential time.

It is true that the intervals between technological milestones are getting shorter. In the following table, even though is not exhaustive, we can see the pattern in telephone communications1:

• 1844: Morse Telegraph (First implementation)

• 1877: Telephone

• 1983: Analog mobile phone (Motorola DynaTAC 8000X commercial launch)

• 1991: Digital mobile phone (2G)

• 1999: BlackBerry (Phone with email)

• 2008: iPhone (Modern 3G smartphone, though the first model was released in 2007)

Even though not all intervals are strictly decreasing on an individual basis, they are statistically decreasing overall when considering all fields. I’m leaving out a lot of precursors, but I want you to take away one main idea:

Major changes are taking less and less time.

You can also see this in Moore’s Law2, where integrated circuit manufacturing technology allows twice as many electronic components to fit on a chip every two years. That is, for the same chip size, after two years, you can fit twice as many things inside. This is exponential change.

This pace of technological advancement is not what it was 500 years ago, nor what it was 2000 years ago. It hasn’t been constant throughout history.

Of course, there have been many political, territorial, and cultural changes. Indeed, some happened abruptly due to wars or conquests. And in fact, the level of change, mobility, and technology that we generally assume our ancestors of 2,000 or 4,000 years ago had is lower than what some cultures actually achieved.

But it’s not just about the time between innovations; it’s about how quickly they spread in use. From the time the mobile phone was invented to when millions of people owned one, many years passed.

But now that timeframe is getting ever shorter. For example, Instagram took two and a half years to reach 100 million users. TikTok took nine months.

Consider that figure: 100 million people. A service. In nine months.

ChatGPT took two months3.

60 days.

If all days brought the same adoption (which is not the case), how many users a day would that be?

How long will the next one take?

Certain technologies, referred to as hyper-scalers, make this possible. What once took several decades to reach every country now happens in a matter of months.

This speed it what the foundational team of The Exponential Times forecasted in our story. And that’s why news must be told differently.

Which is The Exponential Times for you? Do you follow it?

See you next time, Future Enthusiast!

The light made James open his eyes with a start. And then it hit him…

Today was the day.

He had spent the whole month preparing for the party.

Anyone in their early twenties would have the same things on their mind: partying, friends, and girls… although maybe not necessarily in that order either.

He didn’t know it yet, but it was going to be a rather complicated day. Fortunately, he had Milo by his side; otherwise, it would have turned into a complete disaster.

He stretched and threw on minimal clothes before racing down the stairs to the kitchen.

There was Milo, already making breakfast.

James sat down at the table and started talking with him as he ate.

“I can’t wait for everyone to come!” James said.

“Not long now,” Milo replied, offering him freshly squeezed orange juice.

“Do we have everything ready?” James asked.

“We’ve got the decorations, the food, everything planned. I’ll do the decorating once I’m done with the dishes I’m preparing. Then I’ll let you know so you can review everything and we can add the finishing touches together.” In truth, Milo had everything under control.

“Anything we’re missing? I want this to be a party I’ll always remember.”

“No, even the weather forecast for today looks great.”

“Awesome!” James exclaimed, chewing hurriedly.

After finishing breakfast, he darted off to the shower, thinking about how everything was going to turn out. He was excited to see his friends. Plus, Agnes was also coming…

Later that morning

Milo called James to review how the appetizers had turned out. They were all delicious. Then they went out to the backyard to see how the party decorations looked.

They started setting up a big table outside for lunch.

While they were deciding how to arrange everything, Milo abruptly turned his head toward the house. He put on his emergency face.

James did the same and was horrified.

Black smoke was coming out of the kitchen window.

James’s heart skipped a beat. He could see flames inside the kitchen. A Fire… at home!

Without a word, Milo took off running into the house, and James followed right behind.

“Stay outside and watch out for the smoke!” Milo shouted as he ran.

Reluctantly, James obeyed.

Milo grabbed a towel in the bathroom, soaked it in water, and got the fire extinguisher from the garage. Then he opened the kitchen door, waving the damp towel so he could see what was happening, and shut the door behind him.

The area around the stovetop was in flames, along with the kitchen cabinets. It looked like an electrical fire. Luckily, he had the extinguisher. He sprayed it quickly over the flames, putting out the fire.

After seeing some sparks fly, he called James on the phone and told him to go to the circuit breaker panel.

“I’m here, what do I do?” James asked.

“Switch off the breakers labeled ‘kitchen,’ ‘wet areas,’ and ‘wet-area lighting.’”

“Done!”

And that took care of the sparks.

“All good,” Milo said. “You can come in now.”

When it was all over, Milo opened the kitchen window completely to let the place air out.

Then James came into the kitchen and put his hands on his face.

“Damn! The kitchen’s completely shot!” James cursed. “And the food too!”

“We’ll fix it,” Milo replied calmly.

After a brief silence, Milo opened the fridge and began:

“The barbecue meat and sauces made it through fine in the fridge. Same with the cakes.” He slammed the fridge door shut. “We’ve got a main dish and dessert.”

“So we lost the appetizers and side dishes,” James sighed.

“Don’t worry, I’ll improvise something.”

“What about the kitchen?”

“I can handle that, too,” Milo assured him.

“What happened?”

“Looks like a short circuit that caught fire.”

Milo paused a moment.

“Dad and Mom are going to kill me,” James said sadly.

“If I fix it, it’ll cost you about 1000 dollars total, after what insurance covers.”

“And where am I supposed to get that? I’m already short. You know why I need the money…”

“I could do some side jobs for others to earn it,” Milo offered.

“No, not that,” James shot back.

“For an extra 500 in expenses plus 15,000 in capital, I can make some investments for you to cover the 1500 you’ll need if I fix the kitchen. It might take me a few days to get it.”

“But that’s really Risky, isn’t it?”

“In my experience, taking risks pays off in the long run.”

It was James’s turn to think. He took a few minutes.

“Fine. I trust you. Let’s hope it works out.”

“I’ll do my best. We don’t have much time. The party starts in just over an hour.”

Milo left the kitchen and came back with tools to isolate the damaged kitchen wiring. Then he reconnected the fridge so the food wouldn’t spoil.

Next, he found some fabric and paint in the garage. He came across a big piece of black cloth and a can of white spray paint. He used them to make a decorative banner.

He hung it on the back wall of the house to cover the smoke stains around the kitchen window.

“It actually looks pretty good,” James commented. “What about the food?”

“I’ve ordered a few things from a nearby restaurant online. They should arrive soon. Look, I think they’re here now.”

Together they took care of the final details and lit up the barbecue.

The party

People started arriving to the party just as Milo had predicted: a few a bit early, most within the next twenty minutes, and a few, the usual suspects, on their own schedule.

James greeted everyone who arrived, offering them drinks and snacks until it was time to eat. It was a sunny day, and they all enjoyed the backyard and each other’s company.

He also said hello to Agnes, who came with Mary. His mind was racing, trying to think of something interesting to say to catch her attention. Agnes was out of his league, and image seemed to be very important to her.

He barely exchanged a few words with them before his lifelong friends swarmed him. He figured he’d talk to her later.

Everyone noticed the big banner. It read: “The best party of our lives.” Because for something to become real, you first have to imagine it and then believe in it. Milo knew that well, which is why he put that phrase there—so everyone would believe the same thing James did.

After welcoming everyone, the twenty of them sat down at the table. Milo served the appetizers and drinks, then started grilling the meat on the barbecue.

They ate, talked, and laughed. It was a true Celebration.

During the meal, the doorbell rang several times, and Milo answered each time.

After dessert, while everyone was still enjoying the party, Milo asked James for help, so James left his friends to go inside with him.

“I’ve got good news and bad news,” Milo began.

“Shoot.”

“I’ve reported the fire to the insurance company, sent them photos, and an adjuster came out to look at everything,” Milo continued. “Insurance won’t cover as much as we hoped for the repairs, but it’s only 100 dollars less than we expected.”

“Well, that’s not too bad.”

“I asked them to pay us in cash so we can fix things faster, and they’ve already deposited it.”

“That was quick!” James exclaimed.

“Another thing: I spotted a trading opportunity and invested the 15,000 to take advantage of it. I’ll keep you posted.”

“Already? It’s really soon, isn’t it? I’m afraid I’ll never see that money again.”

“Yes, I didn’t expect to find one so soon,” Milo said calmly.

“Mmm…” James muttered nervously.

“And to cover that extra 100 dollars, I thought we could sell some microwave-baked cakes to the guests. What do you think?” Milo asked.

“But we don’t even have a working kitchen!”

“We still have the microwave. I’m only asking if you agree; don’t worry about the ‘how’.”

“Uh, sure, I guess. Microwave cakes?”

“They were a trend some years back.”

“And what do we tell people as a reason for selling them?” James felt embarrassed, that kind of stomach-churning shame at the idea of selling. He’d never been good at it.

“We tell them the truth. The truth sells.”

“Will it work?” James asked, doubtful.

“Yes.”

“Fine,” James agreed reluctantly. He wasn’t entirely convinced; he still had that flutter in his stomach. What would everyone think? And Agnes?

“I also called your parents,” Milo went on.

“What? Why?” James asked nervously.

“Because if the insurance contacted them, they would’ve found out anyway.”

“And?”

“They were upset at first, but I calmed them down. Don’t worry, they’re not coming home. In fact, I managed to extend their trip at no extra cost.”

“You’re awesome,” James laughed.

“Now, go back to the party. Enjoy!”

James returned to the party and had a great time. He was happy to have all his friends together and finally got a chance to chat a bit with Agnes. Still, as hard as he tried, he felt like he wasn’t making the impression he wanted on her, and that frustrated him.

Right before people started heading home, Milo came out with the cakes. James offered them at 10 dollars each, figuring not everyone would want one.

Not everyone liked the idea of James making money off the party. In fact, Agnes disliked that he mentioned the kitchen fire when nobody had even noticed. She found both the selling and the mention of the fire in poor taste. From that moment on, her attitude toward James changed.

Still, some friends bought the cakes—some to help out and others because they were hungry—and James sold 12 in total. Not bad at all for someone who didn’t enjoy selling.

When everyone had left

James sat on the couch to rest and think about the day. It had been great, and it went pretty well, all things considered.

Then he remembered.

“Hey Milo, how did today’s finances end up?” James asked.

“We’re up 200 dollars.”

“How?”

“I netted just over 1,600 dollars after taxes in that trade I mentioned. I wrapped it up a few minutes ago. Adding the cake sales and subtracting expenses, we’re at a net of 1,700 dollars—200 more than the 1,500 we needed.”

“Wow! So we didn’t need to sell those cakes after all!”

“That’s not true. We needed the money at the time because there was uncertainty. We covered our risk through effort since my projections were tighter,” Milo said seriously.

“OK, your right,” James admitted.

“Plus, you learned something by selling, didn’t you?”

“Maybe, but I’m too tired to figure that out right now. I’ll tell you tomorrow what I took away from it.”

“Not only did you learn something…”

“What do you mean?” James asked, intrigued.

“I added a little surprise for those who bought the cakes.”

“Huh?!”

“Yes, a few pearls of wisdom underneath each cake. They become visible once you finish it.”

“And why’d you do that?”

“Because it rewards those who buy, who take the risk of buying. You learn something when you purchase, too. In fact, Andrew and Lucy bought two cakes each.”

“Yeah, they wanted to support me after what happened with the kitchen and said they had a great time.”

“Well, they got two pearls of wisdom,” Milo said.

“Ah,” James murmured.

That got him thinking for a moment, then he went on:

“And what was with all the doorbell ringing?”

“It was several things. First, the insurance adjuster. Then the delivery of paint, cables, etc., that I ordered. And lastly, the delivery of the new kitchen cabinets to replace the ones that burned.”

“You already have everything you need to fix the kitchen?”

“Not everything; the appliances arrive tomorrow,” Milo replied. “But that’s probably better—less stuff in the way while I repair everything. Then all I’ll have to do tomorrow is install them.”

James had too much on his mind. He was trying to remember it all but was already worn out. His thoughts kept drifting back to Agnes: that look she gave him was stuck in his head. Some questions would have to wait until the next day. He then remembered one:

“Hey, that trading and investment module we bought this morning…”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“How long does it last?”

“A week. Why?” Milo asked.

“Just thinking we could use it to improve my finances. I have a lot of expenses…”

“But you still live at your parents’!”

“Yeah, but you know I have a huge loan to pay off. And I’d really like to own a home soon. Could you come up with a plan for that?”

“When do you want the house?”

“In about a year or a year and a half. Is that possible?” James asked, hesitating.

“Of course.”

“Great, we’ll talk details tomorrow.”

“Sure.”

“Honestly, taking out a loan to buy you was the best decision I ever made,” James said.

Milo was worth more than any house. James had used all his savings, plus money from his parents and the bank, to purchase him. He almost vomited when he signed the paperwork—it was a huge amount of money he didn’t actually have. But all his online research showed that for those who made this decision, the impact on their lives was enormous.

“Well…” Milo laughed.

“You make my life better. Thank you! You’re the best stAIward robot in the world!”

“Hahaha. Now go get some sleep while I repair the kitchen,” Milo said with a smile.

The background

A stAIward robot is a humanoid robot capable of performing household chores professionally.

But it’s much more than that.

It’s a personal assistant that can excel in many fields.

For example, it can cook like a star chef or coach you on self improvement like a world-class mentor.

In the story…

• Did Milo save James time?

• Did he add value for him?

• When would that kitchen have been repaired without him? The next morning?

• What will Milo come up with so that James can buy a house in a year?

• Was buying him, even with a loan, a good decision for James? Was it the best he ever made?

We’ve seen that Milo plans, cooks, deals with emergencies, offers solutions, handles insurance claims, makes decisions, invests money, proposes business ideas, carries them out, and does both technical and cosmetic repairs.

All while collecting information that will be relevant in another story set in the same plausible future, which we’ll visit later on.

And in your case, would you sell your house and rent somewhere else so you could buy a Milo?

Great future!

But first, let’s distinguish technological convergence from the convergence I’m going to talk about.

Let’s start by understanding what’s

Technological Convergence

Simpy put, technological convergence that when we humans create Technology A and Technology B, over time we combine both of them to make a new technology, Technology C.

In other words, we tend to merge together the technologies we’ve created to come up with new things.

For example, when we combined mobile phones with computers and the internet, smartphones were born.

But even before that, landline phones were combined with radio-broadcasting technology to create mobile phones.

What other examples come to your mind?

Because we use the same process all the time.

Although we’ll talk about technological convergence another time, that’s not what I’m calling

Convergence

We can say that convergence is the point where all plausible futures are born. It’s the now.

Let’s dig a bit deeper into this. First, let’s see what’s

A future

A future is our reality at some moment yet to come.

From now until that future, certain things must happen that haven’t happened yet.

For example, for us to have a stable colony on Mars, first we need a permanent base, and ships that can make regular trips, and yet before that the first human missions.

Of course, things don’t always go as expected. Many things can happen differently, and that means there are different futures.

Each future is different from the others. This is because from now to the time of any given future, the same things haven’t occurred.

To understand this better:

You could imagine a future by focusing on something in particular, for example:

What will the future be like when all cars drive themselves?

Or, what will the future be like when there are robots everywhere to help us?

The future in which both of these happen is different from the future where only one happens, which is different still from the future where neither happens.

Let’s visualize it as if it were a tree. We’ll call it

The tree of futures

Futures are like the leaves of a tree. One leaf is one future. A branch with many leaves has many futures that are similar to each other.

Each fork (a split in two) on a branch represents the moment that leads to different futures.

For every situation that can turn out differently, a new branch with many possible futures emerges from that point. There’s a decision or an event, something that changes, if we follow a branch or another from the fork.

It could be the outcome of a major sporting event, an election, the launch of a technology, or a war. If you change that event, the futures along each branch also change.

For example, on one branch you have the futures in which one political party wins an election, and on the other branch, the futures in which its main opponent wins. Those would be different, right?

Exactly.

Wait, but if every event that could turn out differently leads to a different future, that means there are a huge number of possible futures, right?

Yep, they are infinite.

And yet, only one of all those futures passes through convergence and becomes part of the past, permanently written into our history.

In the tree, all futures are possible, though some are more plausible than others.

What does it mean for a future to be plausible?

A future is plausible when it’s reasonable that it could occur.

It doesn’t matter if it’s sooner or later. The probability of it happening isn’t important either. What matters is that it’s reasonable for it to happen at some point because the conditions allowing it to happen either already exist or will exist.

For example, it’s not plausible that tomorrow, December 30th, 2024, we could travel between galaxies. There are many things missing for that to happen.

But it is plausible that tomorrow we could make significant progress in treating a disease that’s already under research.

If we extend the timeframe to a year or to five years, for example, there will be more things that could become plausible.

But that’s not the only factor.

Other elements, like society’s maturity, priorities, and so on, also make something plausible or not.

If nobody is interested in going to Mars, we won’t go there, even if there is everything that makes it possible ready.

In short, a future is plausible when all the necessary factors for something to happen are viable, as in the Mars example above.

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Now let’s see it

All together

If we remember, convergence is the point where all plausible futures are born. It’s the now.

From the now, all possible futures emerge, and they are infinite. We can picture them like a tree in which, at each branch, events unfold differently, and every leaf represents a different future.

The now is where things actually happen. The events that occur determine which futures stop being possible and fade away from the tree of futures.

Those same events also become permanently recorded in the book of history.

That is convergence: this now, with that meaning.

Welcome to Futurostream, where we’ll travel beyond convergence to visit some plausible futures through stories.

Remember that the future is always written the same way. In the convergence. Today.

The first story will arrive in your inbox soon.

Great future!

This is Futurostream, the shuttle that takes you to meet the future of artificial intelligence and of technology in general.

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