4.9.2010

Contact: Patrick Tucker
Senior Editor
THE FUTURIST
Director of Communications
World Future Society
301-656-8274
ptucker@wfs.org

More than 1,000 Futurists Will Gather in Boston to Discuss Tomorrow's Technology and Environment

BETHESDA MD: More than 1,000 futurists from around the globe will meet in Boston this July (8-10) to discuss sustainability, technology, and the future of the human race at the annual conference of the World Future Society.

"Economic, digital, and cultural globalization is accelerating, as are the perils and possibilities of our new interconnected age," says Society President Tim Mack. "According to one scientist with whom I spoke recently, if today’s consumption and growth patterns persist we'll need four more planets by the end of this century. The time to change the way we live and work is upon us. As our knowledge increases, our time horizons are shortening. Much of what ten years ago was called the distant future is now the present. We've booked an incredible array of speakers to share their ideas on using tomorrow's technology to transition to a more sustainable and prosperous civilization."

Some of these speakers include:

Ray Kurzweil. Kurzweil has been described as “the restless genius” by the Wall Street Journal, “the ultimate thinking machine” by Forbes, and “the rightful heir to Thomas Edison” by Inc. magazine, which ranked him #8 among entrepreneurs in the United States. He is the recipient of the National Medal of Technology, and he's been inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame. He's received 19 honorary doctorates and honors and has written six books. His latest book, The Singularity Is Near, was a New York Times best seller, and has been the number-one book on Amazon in both science and philosophy.

At WorldFuture 2010, Kurzweil will discuss his recent findings on the reverse engineering of the human brain to create an artificial general intelligence in advance of his forthcoming book How the Mind Works and How to Build One.

Also speaking at WorldFuture 2010, Dennis Bushnell, the chief research scientist at NASA's Langley Research Center, will present a talk on how to transition to an environmentally sustainable global society. Bushnell will tell conference goers about the new research and breakthroughs — from IT to quantum physics — that humanity will use to overcome the looming dangers of climate change.

"Humans are now responsible for the evolution of nearly everything, including themselves," says Bushnell. "The ultimate impacts of all this upon human society will be massive and could 'tip' in several directions."

Sociologist Karen Moloney will address Men and Women: The Battle for Supremacy. Moloney follows a long line of feminist writers to speak at World Future Society events, such as Betty Friedan.

Lee Rainie, the director Pew Internet & American Life Project and the former managing editor of U.S. News & World Report, along with Janna Anderson, Mike Nelson, and Barry Wellman, will discuss a future where wireless devices are embedded in everything—including us; cameras record activity in all public spaces; databases catalogue our online moves; massive data centers allow our information to be sorted and understood in new ways; the physical environment changes as “the Internet of things” and “everywhere” applications spread; software exhibits humanlike thinking; and direct brain-to-computer interfacing is common. These are just some of the future scenarios the Pew Internet & American Life Project survey gathered from a wide array of experts.

WorldFuture 2010, the annual conference of the World Future Society. will take place July 8-10 at The Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts.

Founded in 1966 as a nonprofit educational and scientific organization in Washington, D.C., the World Future Society has members in more than eighty countries around the world. Individuals and groups from all nations are eligible to join the Society and participate in its programs and activities.

The Society holds a two-day, international conference once a year where participants discuss foresight techniques and global trends that are influencing the future. Previous conference attendees have included future U.S. President Gerald Ford (1974), Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy (1975), behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner (1984), age-wave expert Ken Dychtwald (2005), U.S. comptroller general David M. Walker (2006).

More information and registration can be obtained from The World Future Society's Web site. www.wfs.org

CONTACT INFORMATION

Patrick Tucker
World Future Society
Email World Future Society

443-756-4205
Four. Four. Three. Seven. Five. Six. Four. Two. Zero. Five.

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4.9.2010 Contact: Patrick Tucker Senior Editor THE FUTURIST Director of Communications World Future Society 301-656-8274 ptucker@wfs.org More than 1,000 Futurists Will Gather in Boston to Discuss Tomorrow's Technology and Environment BETHESDA MD: More than 1,000 futurists from around the globe will meet in Boston this July (8-10) to discuss sustainability, technology, and the future of the human race at the annual conference of the World Future Society. "Economic, digital, and cultural globalization is accelerating, as are the perils and possibilities of our new interconnected age," says Society President Tim Mack. "According to one scientist with whom I spoke recently, if today’s consumption and growth patterns persist we'll need four more planets by the end of this century. The time to change the way we live and work is upon us. As our knowledge increases, our time horizons are shortening. Much of what ten years ago was called the distant future is now the present. We've booked an incredible array of speakers to share their ideas on using tomorrow's technology to transition to a more sustainable and prosperous civilization." Some of these speakers include: Ray Kurzweil. Kurzweil has been described as “the restless genius” by the Wall Street Journal, “the ultimate thinking machine” by Forbes, and “the rightful heir to Thomas Edison” by Inc. magazine, which ranked him #8 among entrepreneurs in the United States. He is the recipient of the National Medal of Technology, and he's been inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame. He's received 19 honorary doctorates and honors and has written six books. His latest book, The Singularity Is Near, was a New York Times best seller, and has been the number-one book on Amazon in both science and philosophy. At WorldFuture 2010, Kurzweil will discuss his recent findings on the reverse engineering of the human brain to create an artificial general intelligence in advance of his forthcoming book How the Mind Works and How to Build One. Also speaking at WorldFuture 2010, Dennis Bushnell, the chief research scientist at NASA's Langley Research Center, will present a talk on how to transition to an environmentally sustainable global society. Bushnell will tell conference goers about the new research and breakthroughs — from IT to quantum physics — that humanity will use to overcome the looming dangers of climate change. "Humans are now responsible for the evolution of nearly everything, including themselves," says Bushnell. "The ultimate impacts of all this upon human society will be massive and could 'tip' in several directions." Sociologist Karen Moloney will address Men and Women: The Battle for Supremacy. Moloney follows a long line of feminist writers to speak at World Future Society events, such as Betty Friedan. Lee Rainie, the director Pew Internet & American Life Project and the former managing editor of U.S. News & World Report, along with Janna Anderson, Mike Nelson, and Barry Wellman, will discuss a future where wireless devices are embedded in everything—including us; cameras record activity in all public spaces; databases catalogue our online moves; massive data centers allow our information to be sorted and understood in new ways; the physical environment changes as “the Internet of things” and “everywhere” applications spread; software exhibits humanlike thinking; and direct brain-to-computer interfacing is common. These are just some of the future scenarios the Pew Internet & American Life Project survey gathered from a wide array of experts. WorldFuture 2010, the annual conference of the World Future Society. will take place July 8-10 at The Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1966 as a nonprofit educational and scientific organization in Washington, D.C., the World Future Society has members in more than eighty countries around the world. Individuals and groups from all nations are eligible to join the Society and participate in its programs and activities. The Society holds a two-day, international conference once a year where participants discuss foresight techniques and global trends that are influencing the future. Previous conference attendees have included future U.S. President Gerald Ford (1974), Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy (1975), behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner (1984), age-wave expert Ken Dychtwald (2005), U.S. comptroller general David M. Walker (2006). More information and registration can be obtained from The World Future Society's Web site. www.wfs.org CONTACT INFORMATION Patrick Tucker World Future Society Email World Future Society 443-756-4205 Four. Four. Three. Seven. Five. Six. Four. Two. Zero. Five.

4.9.2010

Contact: Patrick Tucker Senior Editor THE FUTURIST Director of Communications World Future Society 301-656-8274 ptucker@wfs.org

Contact: Patrick Tucker
Senior Editor
THE FUTURIST
Director of Communications
World Future Society
301-656-8274
ptucker@wfs.org