Recommended by David Gale,  absolutely delight to read, very insightful and lucid.  The book was written in 1999.  Ray Kuzweil predict what is going to happen 100 years from now to 2099.  While most of us might not reach that timeline.  With only the chronological predication that he has in the cover of the book, already is precisely what is happening right now, and he is spot on!  He started from 1999 and goes 100 years after, which is 2099.  This year is 2016,  while I don't think anyone will survive that long to truly verify what Kuzweil said is accurate.  We can see he got mostly right till 2019.  For most of us not immersing everyday in the technical field might still be ignorant and naive thinking that the world is pretty much the same when we grew up the late 20th century, with the exception of the internet and portable devices that we cannot ignore,  actually reading this book reminds me how much is already here.  Maybe not the newer generation, but for me, I remember that when internet went viral, how many of us are so scared that we are going to be monitored, like the Truman show.  With the icloud and buying increasingly online, and having so many virtual accounts that you even lost count,  it has already a 1984 George Orwell book feel.  Only that we are willing to give our identity to the internet, and do we know where it went, Possibly not.  Since I flew around and have 4 different cities identity,  I seriously do not know how many virtual accounts that I have.  I get hundreds of spam e-mails every single day,  so it must be something I've signed up for, and the supplier sold it to another company to make money. It seems out of control now.  Sometimes I wish I can stop it, but they need your e-mail to register you for a ticket, to buy a product, or sending newsletter on subjects you are interested.  You really can't proceed without not registering.   I have friends who hated Facebook, and decided to be farmer, lived in rural areas where there is quiet and peace from the old world. But does that work, you then disconnect yourself to your reclusive self. I personally as a freelancer cannot.  

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1999, I've just graduated my Bachelor, have worked in several cities, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. I left New York 1996, and got a job in Beijing as a magazine photographer.  I've also just started my own studio in Hong Kong, I'm fortunate to have a space my family owned, however, still struggling as an freelance photographer, getting mediocre and low paid jobs.  I remember the world still based on the analog world.  I am using film and polaroid, and I cold call my clients to show book.  Meetings are still conducted in setting up a time, and place to meet, usually magazine offices or advertising agencies, and discuss the layout and how we want to be proceeded.  I vaguely remember it is still drawings, but it would be e-mailed to me prior to the meeting.  And 10 years after, creative directors who are only recent graduates, went blank while they appreciate my photographs, asked me what do I shoot with, I said film. His face went blank, I could see him going what will he do with the film. This is around 2005.  The new generation is completely clueless what to do with the analog world, I think that was also the reason why I wasn't being hired.  While they have the appreciation of a skilled technician, I also proved too much they can handle. The advertising agency was in Beijing, since they don't have a well equipped facility for commercial labs, as previously even 10 years ago I think I would say they seemed to live in the 50s and 60s.  So in other words, they start up a clean slate, the new generation know about computers and consider to be the elite.  It seems rather strange to me, where I grew up in San Francisco, where all technology happens, everything went electronic and virtual in a mere 10 years, from 1996 - 2006.  I was thinking how could they possibly not know?  Wasn't that a requirement, it's as if you don't know anything about painting.  So in the book, everything that Kuzweil said in 2009, happened.  So I fast forward and checked to the near future, which is 2019, he said "computers equal the memory capacity and computational ability of the human brain... interaction with computers is through gestures and two-way spoken communication" that already is happening, "most learning conducted through software based teacher instead of paper books and documents" well, that's half way through, right now, I still read books but I learn a lot more by using youtube or instructables (a website that teaches you everything, from building a robot to changing your table to a flower pot).. "automated driving systems installed in most roads"... San Francisco has started the first automated cars this year "people have relationships with automated personalities" pg202, well Japan already have a cult several years ago have virtual girlfriends and sex robots. 

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Kuzweil states that in 2099 humans and robots, there wouldn't be a difference.  And robots will surpass human intelligence if and when the neural technology is more refined.