James Lee's blog

Spray-on skin. Lab-grown ears. Human tissue grown in a petri dish. We're going deep into sci-fi territory (and it is already happening).

Here are the results of this week's survey of inspirational source material for futurists...

If you've ever used an ATM machine, pumped your own gas, paid for a bridge toll using E-ZPass, or had a gas meter read remotely, you've participated in the coming “internet of things.”

If you can sense the pattern (or rhythm) of things, you sometimes can get an understanding of what comes next.  Cycles are useful in understanding how and when trends change.

Margarine, prescription drug, or petroleum product? Despite the confusing name, OLEDs promise to be the most disruptive display and lighting technology of the next two decades.

Tomorrow’s factory workers are tireless, don’t being to a union, take vacations, or ask for raises.    They have no healthcare benefits and no embarrassing moments at the company Christmas party.

Many investors are beginning to think of water as an investable asset class – similar to oil or precious metals, but with less volatility.

In many industries, we have seen the disappearance of jobs, the workplace, and the workweek.  Work happens anytime and from anywhere.  Yet, other businesses are comparatively unchanged. Why is this?  We currently have two separate economies running in parallel – the digital and the physical.

Understanding long-term trends is an important tool in identifying opportunities and risks.  STEEP analysis looks at the world through five different perspectives – Social, Technological, Economic, Ecological, and Political. 

The following are the major themes that are presently shaping the future...

Imagine that you own a desktop box that could print physical objects.   At the push of a few buttons, you download a file, modify it, and then hit the "print" key. The possibilities would be endless for localized production, print-on-demand distribution, and the customization of almost everything.    3D printing offers the potential for an industrial revolution within the current generation.