News & Previews from the World Future Society June 2007 (Vol. 8, No. 6)

In This Issue: • Earth's Virtual World • The Strategic Value of Hope • Risk Taking and Teens • Rachel's Eagles • Click of the Month: MySpace Impact • News from the Futurist Community

EARTH'S VIRTUAL WORLD Ocean and atmosphere scientists and science aficionados will have a place to explore the skies and seas virtually, thanks to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) new site in the online virtual world Second Life. Dubbed Meteora, NOAA's Second Life site for the Earth System Research Lab could become a 3-D laboratory as well as an open meeting place for scientific symposia. The goal is to have a place where new ideas can be brainstormed instantly and globally while attracting new audiences to earth science, according to developers. The site also offers users the opportunity to investigate natural phenomena in cyberspace, such as identifying the signs of an oncoming tsunami at a virtual beach. DETAILS: NOAA, http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/outreach/sl/ THE STRATEGIC VALUE OF HOPE Two aspects of "hope"--confidence in one's ability and the determination to succeed--are powerful predictors of performance in teams, but determination may play a more important role in success, according to University of Arkansas education researcher Kathleen Collins. Determination is what motivates individuals to use their abilities and may be a better predictor of success in team settings than individual levels of confidence, Collins suggests. In studies of graduate students working in teams, Collins and her colleagues found that groups with higher determination scores produced higher quality work. Groups in which individuals were more varied in their motivation scores had poorer group performances. "Hope is not just wishful thinking," says Collins. "When we break hope into its components and look at the senses of motivation and ability to reach goals, we can predict how well a group will perform." She concludes that "hope, academic procrastination, and anxiety are inextricably intertwined in determining achievement among cooperative learning groups" and recommends future research focusing on "the role that these and other personality variables play in the cooperative learning group process." SOURCE: University of Arkansas, http://dailyheadlines.uark.edu/10544.htm CRITICAL ISSUES EXPLORED AT FUTURIST CONFERENCE What will nanotechnology do to the environment? Is the end of poverty within our reach? How will we evolve, and how involved will we be in our own evolution? These are a few of the critical issues you'll explore along with a thousand fellow futurists at the World Future Society's annual conference, "WorldFuture 2007: Fostering Hope and Vision for the 21st Century," July 29-31 at the Hilton Minneapolis hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota. LEARN MORE: http://www.wfs.org/2007main.htm REGISTER by June 29 and save $50 off the on-site registration fee: https://www.wfs.org/2007regform.htm RESERVE your room at Hilton Minneapolis (already more than 55% full): http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/mspmhhh_wfs/index.jhtm RISK TAKING AND TEENS When it comes to risky behavior, educational programs alone may not be enough to save teenagers from themselves, says psychologist Laurence Steinberg of Temple University. Billions of dollars have been spent on anti-risk initiatives in schools and communities, but adolescents' brains tend to have less-developed cognitive control networks, while the socioemotional portions of their brains are more active. Impulse trumps logic. This means teens are more easily aroused and influenced by their peers than are young adults in their 20s, says Steinberg. Rather than relying on educational programs, he recommends stricter laws to protect youths, such as raising the driving age. Another approach might be through a medium already popular with teens: video games. For example, a new "serious game" called Generation Rx, developed by WILL Interactive Inc., addresses the risks of prescription drug abuse by simulating real-life situations so users can hone their decision-making skills. Other games include those simulating the myriad risks encountered in a night out. SOURCES: Temple University, http://www.temple.edu/news_media/pm40.html WILL Interactive, Inc., http://www.willinteractive.com/generation-rx RACHEL'S EAGLES May 27 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Rachel Carson, whose then-controversial book SILENT SPRING (1962) raised alarm over the dangers of chemical pesticides. At the time of the book's publication, there were only 417 nesting pairs of bald eagles in the lower 48 U.S. states. Now, with an estimated new high of 9,789 breeding pairs, the bald eagle is set to be removed from the list of threatened and endangered species. The decision will be made on June 29 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which states, "Today, Americans can see wild bald eagles in every state in the lower 48 and witness the living proof of Rachel Carson's courage and determination." SOURCE: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, http://www.fws.gov/news/NewsReleases/showNews.cfm?newsId=9B4FE4EE-CADD-9EDB-72EF8651F1555881 *********************************************       BIG PICTURE MINI-GUIDE       FOCUSES ON SECURITY AND PEACE A new FUTURE SURVEY mini-guide assembled by editor Michael Marien gives you the big picture on "Security and Peace in the 21st Century: Nuclear Weapons, Terrorism, and Other Threats." This uniquely valuable guide highlights the 20 best books and articles in five categories, offers a full-page synthesis of key ideas, adds 36 brief "Hindsight" abstracts from the 1977-1990 period, and provides subject, short title, and author indexes. FUTURE SURVEY mini-guides are included with a subscription but may also be ordered separately. LEARN MORE or ORDER: http://www.wfs.org/fsurv.htm ********************************************* CLICK OF THE MONTH: MYSPACE IMPACT http://impact.myspace.com/ MySpace is a great place to hook up with like-minded strangers, but it's sometimes hard to find the right "neighborhood." For those interested in using social networking for social or political change, Impact may be a great place to hang out. Most of the current crop of U.S. presidential hopefuls have links to their virtual campaign offices here. The site also features job listings for nonprofit organizations, video links to activist organizations and events, and profiles of "Impact Award" winning groups that are making a difference. NEWS FROM THE FUTURIST COMMUNITY • WFS: LEADERS WANTED! The World Future Society is now seeking experienced and motivated leadership volunteers for its funding development and sponsorship sales programs to help expand the Society's services and its global impact. DETAILS: Visit http://www.wfs.org/WFSvolunteer.htm or contact President Tim Mack, mailto:tmack@wfs.org, or Board member Jack Gottsman, mailto:gottsman@msn.com • A PERSONAL FUTURES WORKSHOP: This new workbook, accompanied by a narrated workshop CD, is now available from futurist Verne Wheelwright. The book offers guidance in using futurist tools to build your own personal future, including visioning, backcasting, and life-stage analysis. DETAILS: http://www.personalfutures.net • JOSEPH F. COATES ARTICLE LIBRARY: Now available at his Web site are nearly 300 articles by consulting futurist Joseph F. Coates, covering an astonishing range of topics, from conflict to clothing, tech trends to teenagers. To browse this valuable collection, visit http://www.josephcoates.com (also linked through Coates's listing at http://www.wfs.org/consult.htm). FUTURIST UPDATE: News & Previews from the World Future Society is an e-mail newsletter published monthly as a supplement to THE FUTURIST magazine. Copyright © 2007, World Future Society, 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 450, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA. Telephone 1-301-656-8274; e-mail mailto:info@wfs.org; Web site http://www.wfs.org. Editor: Cindy Wagner Assistant Editor: Patrick Tucker Network Administrator: Jeff Cornish Vice President, Membership/Conference Operations:  Susan Echard To subscribe, enter your e-mail at http://www.wfs.org To unsubscribe or change your e-mail address, send an e-mail to mailto:jcornish@wfs.org  with "unsubscribe" or "change address" in the subject line. Submit feedback: http://www.wfs.org/fbjun07.htm 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 $49 per year, or $20 for full-time students under age 25. Professional and Institutional membership programs are also offered; contact Society headquarters for details: http://www.wfs.org.