How far into the future?
(The further the easier your paper will be, as you can then just write off the wall stuff, and no one will be able to really argue with you

but closer to the present requires such horrible things as research, coherent arguments and all that stuff.....)
EDIT: If you are allowed to be far into the future and totally speculative, then I reccommend "The Age Of Spiritual Machines" by Ray Kurzweil. The book is off the wall...but a lot of fun to read!
