TOP 10 LONG-TERM CHALLENGES
Today’s number-one
challenge—and opportunity—is to develop a long-term solution for our energy
needs, business strategist Peter Schwartz told the 2009 graduating class of
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. “That means it must be nonpolluting and
inexhaustible,” he said.
A peaceful and
prosperous world in 2050 is possible, but getting there will require
“monumental innovation, collaboration, and leadership,” Schwartz said. The
top challenges Schwartz outlined are:
1. Creating long-term
solutions to meet our energy demands sustainably.
2. Launching a
bio-industrial revolution with sustainable manufacturing.
3. Understanding and
enhancing the human brain to avert age-related impairments.
4. Improving agriculture
to reduce costs and increase its energy and water efficiency.
5. Building sustainable
cities through better urban planning and “smart architecture.”
6. Stimulating job
growth and economic development.
7. Fusing the
technological with the spiritual and aesthetic dimensions of human culture.
8. Advancing
technological instruments to drive scientific discovery forward.
9. Harnessing biological
tools to advance human evolution.
10. Discovering new ways
to lower the costs and environmental impact of space flight and development.
DETAILS:
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Avatars
That Look Like Us
Many of us have long
wanted to send out a stunt double to do our dirty work, or clone ourselves
so we could be in two places at once. In cyberspace, avatars can serve these
purposes, but the typical, manga-inspired cartoon avatars don’t look, talk,
or behave much like us.
Now, thanks to improved
artificial intelligence, natural language programming, and computer
rendering, more lifelike avatars are on the way.
Project LifeLike, a
consortium of university computer researchers funded by the National Science
Foundation, aims to create visualizations that are specific to an
individual, and combine those visualizations with sophisticated artificial
intelligence that could also replicate that individual’s responses.
Since much communication
is nonverbal, the avatars are also tutored in body language and subtle
gestures. Another goal is to enable the avatars to remember and learn from
their experiences with live users, thus improving their lifelike
communication capabilities.
Potential applications
include “recreating” historical figures so that schoolchildren can directly
interact with them, making virtual counselors or doctors available when a
patient is in crisis, or letting job seekers hone their interviewing skills
before confronting that critical face-to-face session.
SOURCE:
National Science Foundation
VIDEO
with Project LifeLike leaders Avelino Gonzalez and Jason Leigh
Read Patrick Tucker's original 2007 article on Leigh's lab.
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EXCITEMENT BUILDS FOR
WORLDFUTURE 2009!
Gain strategic insights from top futurists across a range of issue areas at WorldFuture 2009: Innovation and Creativity in a Complex World. The World Future Society's annual meeting will be held July 17-19 at the Hilton Chicago. Don't miss this opportunity to network with your fellow futurists!
READ INTERVIEWS with featured speakers John A. Challenger,
Barry Kellman,
Don Tapscott, and others at
www.wfs.org.
MAKE YOUR
HOTEL RESERVATION NOW! The Hilton is already 67% booked and the deadline
for registering at the special conference rate of $174 per night is June 25.
Go here or call the Hilton directly at 1-312-922-4400, or reserve at
THE HILTON.
SAVE $50! REGISTER BY JUNE 30
(Note, single-day registrations are also available at reduced rates before the deadline):
MORE AT 2009
CONFERENCE HEADQUARTERS: Get details on confirmed speakers, such as
keynoters Judith Wright, Edward Gordon, Kevin Fickenscher, James L. Koch, Arthur Caplan, and more!
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BRIGHT PROSPECTS
FOR BLUE-COLLAR CAREERS
The voices of reason (like our parents) have long proclaimed that a college
education is the only (or the best) key to future success. That may no
longer be true, suggests millionaire landscaper Joe Lamacchia, author of
BLUE COLLAR AND PROUD OF IT.
Academia does not suit
every temperament, and many industries require different skills than those
that one can obtain in a lecture hall, library, or lab. The good news for
more hands-on learners and workers is that more jobs are opening for those
without a bachelor’s degree.
In the United States,
more investment in repairing crumbling infrastructures will create growing
demand for skilled trade workers, argues Lamacchia. Especially compelling
will be the so-called “green-collar” work in environmentally conscious
industries such as hybrid car manufacturing, green construction, organic
farming, sustainable fishing, and eco-friendly landscaping.
SOURCE:
BLUE COLLAR AND PROUD OF IT by Joe Lamacchia (HCI, 2009)
LIVING
LIFE WITH PURPOSE
Many people today feel
“caught between the ‘Dow’ and the ‘Tao,’” and seek a more purposeful way of
living life in uncertain times, says Ken Dychtwald, founder of Age Wave.
In his new book WITH
PURPOSE: Going from Success to Significance in Work and Life, co-written
with Daniel J. Kadlec, Dychtwald has attempted to provide guidance for
individuals rethinking their priorities in the midst of unanticipated
external pressures. What is the meaning of success? How do we use and
strengthen our key life-nurturing relationships? And what about retirement?
“In these
horrible/wonderful times, I’m hopeful that WITH PURPOSE might give you a new
and uplifting perspective,” says Dychtwald.
DETAILS:
Age Wave
ORDER BOOK:
GOT VIDEO
If you’re already
planning to attend (or speak at) the World Future Society’s 2009 conference
in Chicago (July 17-19) and would like to share with others why you’re
excited about attending, send us a short video clip. We’ll use the best in
our next commercial!
Upload your clip to
Sendspace.com (or any other free file-sharing site) and e-mail the link by
June 10 to mailto:cwagner@wfs.org . In
the meantime,
watch WFS board member Jay McIntosh’s video:
CLICK OF THE MONTH:
CHICAGO 2016
http://www.chicago2016.org/our-plan/proposed-venues.aspx
Chicago is not only
hosting the World Future Society’s 2009 meeting, but it is also a candidate
city for the 2016 Summer Olympics. The city is devoting great energy and
creativity to preparing for the Games—and for what the Games will leave
behind.
“The City of Chicago’s
parks and lakefront have hosted many international celebrations and
festivals, including two world’s fairs and the 1959 Pan Am Games,” says the
Web site.
Take a tour of Chicago
in the year 2016 by clicking on the interactive map of proposed sports
facilities in the various neighborhoods, and see how they’ll impact city
attractions, such as the Sears Tower, the Art Institute, and the Lincoln
Park Conservatory.
****************************************************
What"s Hot @WFS.ORG
"BLUE
OCEAN" STRATEGY FOR KOREA: WFS President Tim Mack recently returned from
Seoul, South Korea, where he presented a keynote address at the
International Symposium on Blue Economy Initiative for Green Growth,
organized by the Millennium Project. Mack outlined the "Blue Ocean Strategy"
for simultaneously protecting the Korean coastline, ecosystems, and cultural
heritage. "Oceans can offer hope for solutions in many challenging areas,"
he said, "and 'Blue Oceans' is a powerful innovation metaphor, signifying
new resources, markets, relationships, and values."
* GEAR UP FOR THE
FUTURE! Wear your heart on your sleeve—and the World Future Society logo
on your shirt! Visit the Society’s all new store at Café Press and get your
custom-designed T-shirts, tote bags, coffee mugs, and more. “Carpe Futurum!
Seize the Future” and tell the world that “The Future Matters.” Remember,
WFS products (including memberships) make great gifts for graduates, as well
as friends, family, clients, and colleagues.
- SHOP:
http://www.cafepress.com/worldfuture
- GIFT MEMBERSHIPS:
http://www.wfs.org/giftorder.htm
* HELP PLAN
WORLDFUTURE 2010: The World Future Society is already making plans for
the 2010 annual meeting, to be held in Boston under the leadership of
conference chair Carol D. Rieg, corporate foundation officer of Bentley
Systems. The WorldFuture 2010 planning committee seeks your ideas! What
should be the conference theme? "Our World in Transition" ... "From Insights
to Action" ... "Collective Wisdom, Collaborative Futures"? Send your short,
catchy, and inspiring suggestions to
mailto:sechard@wfs.org .
* WHAT’S NEXT IN THE
FUTURIST: The cover story for July-August is an eye-opening look at
prospects for automated invention. Can artificial intelligence really
replicate human ingenuity, or will it just take the grunt work out of
engineering? Also: What are the real security threats for the next 15 years?
Newt Gingrich, Dennis Kucinich, and other international policy experts come
to different conclusions. These stories and more in the next issue of THE
FUTURIST, to be mailed to members after June 1. RENEW or JOIN now so you
won’t miss a thing!
www.wfs.org/membership.htm
* EDITOR’S QUERY:
NORMATIVE FUTURES. What’s on your wish list for reforming your industry
or profession? What policy change, paradigm shift, new technology, or social
innovation would create a better future? Please send your ideas
(approximately 500 words), along with a brief About the Author note, photo,
and your complete contact information, to FUTURIST UPDATE editor Cindy
Wagner at mailto:cwagner@wfs.org
FUTURIST UPDATE: News & Previews from the World Future Society is an e-mail
newsletter published monthly as a supplement to THE FUTURIST magazine.
Copyright © 2008, World Future Society, 7910 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 450,
Bethesda, MD 20814, USA. Telephone 1-301-656-8274; e-mail
mailto:info@wfs.org
Web site www.wfs.org
mailto: info@wfs.org ; Web
site http://www.wfs.org .
Editor: Cindy Wagner,
mailto:cwagner@wfs.org
Senior Editor: Patrick
Tucker, mailto:ptucker@wfs.org
Network Administrator: Jeff
Cornish, mailto:jcornish@wfs.org
Vice President,
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The WORLD FUTURE SOCIETY is a nonprofit, nonpartisan scientific and
educational association with a global membership. Regular membership in the
Society, including a subscription to THE FUTURIST, is $59 per year, or $20
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