Open Eye: A few headline predictions for 2020 from the Futures Observatory

India will become part of the European Union

The nuclear family will be a mother and two children,with fathers an optional extra

People will routinely have microchips inserted into their brains to store data and communicate directly with computers

The retiring age will be raised to 70

The Euro will be a big success

Women will dominate middle management

The USA will decline economically and lose world political leadership

Guerilla groups will make use of networks to spread `electronic terrorism'

Space exploration will put human colonies on the moon and other planets by 2050

Safe mind-altering drugs will be used legally for work and pleasure

Have you got your own views about the future? Contribute to the debate by e-mail to alum@open.ac.uk