The World's Largest Cross-Country Skirace is Cancelled...Forever
August 8, 2025 - Due to the global warming and higher temperatures for the last years, the arrangers of the world's largest annual cross-country skirace, Vasaloppet in Sweden, has decided not to continue. They have had problems for several years to make enough snow for the 89 kilometer race and it has been cancelled now and then, the first time already in 1990.
The skirace started in 1922 and the arranger say that they are pleased that they have been able to keep the tradition alive for more than a century. More than 600,000 people have during the years been skiing from Sälen to Mora, the same route that the Swedish king-to-be, Gustav Vasa made in 1521 on his way escaping from Danish soldiers to Norway (although he went the other way, from Mora to Sälen).
Argument: According to Swedish meteorologist Pär Holmgren, the global warming will increase the temperature so it will be impossible to continue with Vasaloppet. The race was cancelled in 1990, and in 2005 the cost for providing the track with enough snow was US$ 1.6 million, or a loss of about US$ 40 per participant. It will not be possible to maintain the contest as it is today, so if there are no revolutionary inventions to provide that much snow, they will either have to quit, or move to a more northern location.
Questions: Apart from the general problem with global warming, will it affect any other similar events? When a city is chosen to host the Winter Olympics, will the availability of snow be an issue that narrows down the candidates? Will the demand for snow increase in the next 20 years due to all established events that will be affected?
December 15, 2030 - There's no doubt what the most popular Christmas present will be this year. Influenced by the launch of the first manned mission to Mars next month, you will most likely get a present with stars, a gift card for a spacetrip.
November 19, 2040 - Today was a historic day for Iceland when their President this morning at a symbolic ceremony officially shut down the last gasoline pump in the country. Iceland is a model country when it comes to the fuel transition from gasoline to hydrogen and became today the first country in the world to complete it.
September 21, 2050 - At a press conference today it was announced that the first tourist heading for Mars will be the 38-year-old US businessman Patrick Clifford. He will leave the earth in the launching window of June 2052 and set his foot on the surface of Mars in November, together with the other 6 astronauts assigned for the mission to further explore the planet.
September 12, 2035 - Are you kidding? Is it possible to beam myself? No, of course not, but you can now make a 3-D projection of yourself anywhere in the world. The first product for real teleimmersion has been released, the Telebeamer.
September 5, 2035 - More than 20,000 quadriplegics around the world have now got a BCI, a Brain Computer Interface. It gives them the ability to control their environment, from driving their own electric wheelchairs outside their house, to make their own dinner.
September 1, 2040 - From today you have your own therapist available 24 hours a day, always there if you need someone to talk to, always in a good mood, and remembers every word you have ever said. This is the first automated therapist, with the best knowledge known to mankind on treatment and rehabilitation. 
August 24, 2020 - The first full-length animated movie with realistic-looking humans, "Tickle" opens tonight. It is an intriguing thriller about a woman who gets framed by her husband, but the most intriguing is to see if you can spot the difference between real actors and these created by computers.
August 23, 2025 - Today a new chapter in space tourism was written. Rod Markham and his wife-to-be Susan Millster arrived safely to the moon to spend 5 days as the first guests at the Starbright Hotel that was set up for this purpose two years ago.
August 16, 2020 - For the first time a court case is based on a multi voice recognition transcript as the main evidence. It was when Frank Levin took part in a dispute with four people that resulted in a fired gun that killed Adam Denny. The three other all testified that Frank had pulled the trigger, while Frank claims that according to the transcript, it clearly states that he was not the one holding the gun.
