Contents for
September-October 2009
Volume 43, No. 5
A magazine of forecasts, trends, and ideas about the future.
Order the Sept-Oct 2009 (Volume 43, No. 4) Issue Published by the World Future Society
“Smart” Turbine Boosts Wind Power
Soap Sniffer Monitors Hygiene
Contracts for Family Caregivers
Eyeglasses as Data Dashboard
WordBuzz: Fewer Dirty Words in Movies
Feedback
Consultants and Services
Peak Oil and
Strategic Resource Wars
By Roger Howard
At various points over the coming decades, many of the world’s key oil
producers will be forced to accept that their worst nightmare is no
longer the stuff of dreams. As existing wells start to run dry and new
reserves prove increasingly elusive, leaders in many oil-producing
nations will have to confront the very real prospect of surviving
without the resources that have long bestowed fabulous wealth and
prosperity upon lands that would otherwise be bleak and barren. When the
oil fields run dry — and they will — what will happen to the economies
of petroleum producers?
PDF Available.
PLUS
No Natural Resources? Lucky You!
By Tsvi Bisk
Roger Howard
presents plausible scenarios regarding the geopolitical dangers of peak
oil. Equally plausible scenarios could envision some positive impacts,
because countries dependent on natural resources are often poor and
undemocratic, while countries dependent on human resources are often
rich and democratic. Countries with more human than natural resources
tend to be more democratic and entrepreneurial. As oil-producing
countries see petrodollars dry up, they may invest more in their people
resources instead.
World
War 3.0: Ten Critical Trends for Cybersecurity
By Marvin J. Cetron and Owen Davies
“Cybersecurity is the soft underbelly of this country,” outgoing U.S.
National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell recently declared.
Technological advances and greater connectivity may be making our systems
less rather than more secure. A special panel of military, intelligence, and
forecasting experts analyzes the trends that may be leading the world to
cyberwar.
PDF Available.
|
The Global Talent Crisis PLUS
|
Finding
a Job in the 21st Century |
A New End, A New Beginning
|
Visionaries
Opening Up the Shut-Down Learner
Four out of every 10 American students in elementary school today might give
up on learning well before graduation time, according to school psychologist
Richard Selznick. They will disconnect from teachers, tune out of class, and
simply “shut down” as students. In The Shut-Down Learner, Selznick tells
parents and teachers what they can do to re-engage them.
Review by Rick Docksai
Healing Habitats
This fifth
book in Cliff Moughtin’s Urban Design series focuses on the design concepts
that will guide humanity to a more sustainable future, promote mental and
physical health, and create or provide a sense of community. Like the first
four volumes in the series, it speaks clearly and eloquently to
professionals working in the fields of urban planning and urban design.
Review by Aaron Cohen.
Running from Homelessness
Many organizations help homeless people by giving them food and shelter. But one group is now trying a radically new approach.
Society
Newspapers Face
the Final Edition
The beginning of 2009 saw the greatest decline in newspaper profitability in
U.S. history. The closures and bankruptcies of venerable American newspapers
made headlines, and prompted a Senate hearing on the future of journalism.
PDF of World Trends and Forecasts Available.
Technology
Preparing for a New Pandemic
U.S. capacity for producing flu vaccines could increase at least 25% if the
innovative production methods of a new North Carolina vaccine-production
facility live up to expectations.
Ammonia,
the Fuel of the Future
By J. Storrs Hall
What will your car run on in 2020? Called “the other hydrogen,” ammonia as a
fuel source would present the benefits of hydrogen without the major
difficulties of handling.
PDF of World Trends and Forecasts Available.
Environment
Radical Measures to Save Species
Climate change could dramatically alter the habitats—and limit the survival
prospects—for many already fragile species of flora and fauna, warn
scientists. Salvation strategies once thought too radical are now under
serious consideration.
Government
Africa, Latin America Seek Fiscal Reforms
Foreign
aid and investment in the development of Africa, Latin America, and the
Caribbean have been seriously impaired by the recent global economic crisis.
Leaders are looking inward for resources.
PDF of World Trends and Forecasts Available.
Economics
Bad Attitudes, Bad
Business
Angry taxpayers funding bailouts for billionaires blame greed for the
collapse of the economy. Indignant corporate officials respond that big
salaries, bonuses, and perks are necessary to attract top talent.
PDF of World Trends and Forecasts Available.
Community Service for Government Aid?
The collapse of the housing market left many American homeowners facing
foreclosure. Yet, the idea of the U.S. government giving away tax dollars
with no strings attached has drawn much criticism.PDF
of World Trends and Forecasts Available.
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September-October 2009
(Volume 43, No. 5)
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