Five Technologies to Change Cities in Five Years?

Microsoft puts out its list of innovations they expect to change cities over the next five years. While they do seem nice, we have to remember the costs of implementing some of them, especially when benefits seem minimal.

For example, the healthier cities by sharing private medical records seems rather simplistic and expects a lot for something as simple as sharing private medical records. I think they overreach on the impact of it. Maybe they should have gone for telemedicine through the internet based on using your current Wii, Playstation 3, or PC technology that will link doctors to patients in their home to prevent the spread of diseases in waiting rooms or through traveling to the office unless necessary. That way H1N1 can keep most cases at home, and only the most serious cases in the ER, saving the spreading of disease and cutting costs significantly in terms of supplies and visit time.

The idea of pushing the innovation envelop is a good one, but it seems like they overstate some impacts and under reach in terms of ideas for the future. Keep pushing the envelop with your ideas and start your own business. Don't wait for Microsoft to make your millions.