"Last night's left overs"? You still need to go into work?!
If my vision of the future seems overly utopian to you, you're even more cynical than I am. Despite the roomba, I'm not seeing a robot in every household (yet). Despite the recent invention of a bed that makes itself, I'm not expecting people to have those either. (And the reason I didn't mention making the bed is because I suspect a lot of people don't.)
My proposed future is as different from today as today is from 50 years ago. All the technology and urban planning proposed has shown up at some point on SmartPlanet. All of it is low-energy.
Because of the work I do, I have "too many computers". The older ones are energy hogs, requiring 600W power supplies. The newer ones, just as capable, are relative misers, requiring 80W power supplies. My first car, a T-bird, got terrible gas mileage. A Prius gets comparatively great gas mileage. All over, we're seeing improvements in energy efficiency. However, there is one place where this is happening at a significantly slower rate, and that is in human behaviour. Too many of us have our thought patterns stuck in the late 20th century. (
http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/intelligent-energy/grumpy-old-womans-energy-tips/16315) If we're going to move forward, we need to break out of those thought patterns. Dreaming of a better future, bug bites and all, is what allows us to do that. First we dream, then we plan, then we build, and then we can live it. It won't be perfect, and it won't be easy. But then again, nothing worth doing ever is.
And looking back, I forgot 2 very important modes of transportation to get you to the office. You could bicycle. Also, because you live in the city itself, you might walk. And maybe, instead of the bus, you take a commuter train or subway.
