News & Previews from the World Future Society October 2006 (Vol. 7, No. 10)

In This Issue: •  Speeding Up Computers by Cooling Them Down •  Detecting Liars' Mental Overload •  Forests Disappearing in North Carolina •  Obesity May Accelerate "Old-Age" Disease •  Click of the Month: Global Voices Online •  News from the Futurist Community

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SPEEDING UP COMPUTERS BY COOLING THEM DOWN Extremely fast computers based on quantum mechanics have hit a stumbling block in the random motions of atoms, or "noise," created by electric fields at the quantum level. But new research suggests a very cool solution. The key to quantum computing is the ability to capture and manipulate atoms, using lasers and electric fields, in "ion traps." One problem is that, the smaller the ion trap, the more noise there is, inhibiting performance. Now, a team of researchers led by Winfried Hensinger of the University of Sussex has discovered a way to eliminate the noise. The team cooled the electrodes forming the ion trap to -120 degrees Celsius, discovering that most of the noise disappeared. The breakthrough could lead to the development of ion trap quantum computers much smaller than previously expected--and to the world's first large-scale quantum computer, according to Hensinger. DETAILS: University of Sussex, http://www.sussex.ac.uk/press_office/media/media577.shtml DETECTING LIARS' MENTAL OVERLOAD The act of lying takes a lot of mental energy, so a technique for overtaxing suspects' minds could help detect their deceptions. Most lie detectors typically measure suspects' emotional arousal, but liars may become adept at controlling their emotions, notes deception expert Aldert Vrij of the University of Portsmouth in England. Vrij calls for a cognitive-load approach that overwhelms a suspect with mentally demanding tasks or questions in addition to key questions about the case. Since the liar has to concentrate on keeping his or her story straight, the demands of other mental tasks during the interview would inhibit the individual's ability to disguise the lie, explains Vrij. So law enforcement officers conducting the interview need to look for signs of cognitive overload, such as reduced unnecessary motor activity--i.e., less fidgeting rather than more. DETAILS: University of Portsmouth, http://www.port.ac.uk/newsandevents/news/allnews/title,51686,en.html FORESTS DISAPPEARING IN NORTH CAROLINA North Carolina is losing nearly 100,000 acres of forest a year, causing a "quiet crisis," according to a report by Environmental Defense's North Carolina Office. As private owners sell off forest lands to developers of malls, subdivisions, and highways, the vital functions that forests serve are also lost, such as filtering pollutants from water and air and providing habitats for wildlife. Environmental Defense recommends that the state provide tax relief for landowners who undertake conservation measures, create and implement policies to reduce sprawl, and create a task force to explore business opportunities of forestland. Such measures would "help landowners keep forests as forests for generations to come," the organization writes in its "Standing Tall" report. DETAILS: Environmental Defense, http://www.environmentaldefense.org/go/ncforests ********************************************* HOPE AND VISION AT 2007 CONFERENCE With a thousand futurists expected to attend, the World Future Society's 2007 annual meeting will bring you a thousand different ways to explore and build the future with hope and vision. Probe the insights of leading experts, such as recently confirmed speaker Hector Garcia, Wells Fargo's vice president for International and Domestic Emerging Markets, who will speak on the future of immigration issues. "WorldFuture 2007: Fostering Hope and Vision for the 21st Century" will be held July 29-31 at the Hilton Minneapolis and Towers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. REGISTER by September 29 and save $250 off the on-site registration fee: https://www.wfs.org/2007regform.htm SUBMIT SESSION PROPOSAL (deadline October 30) OR LEARN MORE: http://www.wfs.org/2007main.htm ********************************************* OBESITY MAY ACCELERATE "OLD-AGE" DISEASE A disease that traditionally occurs past middle age may be getting a head start due to obesity. Acute diverticulitis, a disease of the colon associated with a low-fiber diet, normally is only seen in patients older than 50, but patients in their early 20s are increasingly seeking treatment--and these patients are very often obese, according to Barry Daly, M.D., author of a study conducted by the University of Maryland Medical Center's Department of Diagnostic Radiology. Diverticulitis is caused by pressure in the colon that creates thin-walled out-pouches (diverticula) in the walls of the bowel. Bacterial infections that inflame the diverticula can lead to perforations in the intestinal walls and other serious complications. The study found a clear association with abdominal obesity among the under-50 diverticulitis patients. "Obese adult patients are at risk for this disease after 20 years of age," says Daly, noting that they are also at risk of recurrent attacks over the longer term. "For physicians, it is important to add acute diverticulitis to the list of diseases that may cause acute abdominal pain in younger patients who come to the emergency room, especially if they are obese," Daly advises. The study appears in the September 2006 issue of AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ROENTGENOLOGY, published by the American Roentgen Ray Society. SOURCE: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ROENTGENOLOGY, http://www.ajronline.org CLICK OF THE MONTH:  GLOBAL VOICES ONLINE http://www.globalvoicesonline.org All the world is blogging, and the issues of any single nation (or region or society) are the subject of an increasingly global conversation. Using multilingual editors, Global Voices Online attempts "to amplify, curate, and aggregate the global conversation online--with a focus on countries and communities outside the U.S. and Western Europe. We are committed to developing tools, institutions and relationships that will help all voices everywhere to be heard." Web viewers may select either a location or a current topic to follow, or simply browse the latest blogs, whose subjects may range from foods to feuds. Recent topics include Brazil's electoral scandal, rap music in Africa, and Turkey's reactions to the Pope's comments on Islam. Global Voices Online--a project of Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society--was recently awarded the $10,000 Knight-Batten Award by the University of Maryland Journalism School's J-Lab, the Institute for Interactive Journalism. NEWS FROM THE FUTURIST COMMUNITY •  INSTITUTIONAL FUTURIST FACULTY: Tom Lombardo has been tapped for the newly created position of institutional futurist faculty for Rio Salado College in Tempe, Arizona. He will serve as the residential futurist consultant for the school, providing future-oriented input and feedback for its visions and goals. Lombardo is also author of two new books on future consciousness and contemporary futurist thought, THINKING AHEAD and THE VALUE OF FUTURE CONSCIOUSNESS. DETAILS: Tom Lombardo, mailto:tlombardo1@cox.net •  PRACTICAL FUTURIST MOVES TO NEW YORK TIMES: Electronic publishing consultant and MSNBC columnist Michael Rogers (the "Practical Futurist") has been named futurist-in-residence for New York Times Co. His role will be to advise the publishing company on modes of delivering "innovative information products and services our readers expect," according to VP Michael Zimbalist. DETAILS: http://www.michaelrogers.com/ •  HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, WFS: The World Future Society officially turns 40 on October 18. Look for a special section looking back at the Society's future in the January-February 2007 issue of THE FUTURIST (the magazine's 40th birthday). Publication date December 4. Join or renew your membership now so you won't miss this special issue! MEMBERSHIP: http://www.wfs.org/member.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 © 2006, 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 Webmaster: Sarah Warner Vice President, Membership/Conference Operations:  Susan Echard To subscribe, send an e-mail message to mailto:majordomo@wfs.org with "subscribe futurist-update" in the BODY of the message. To unsubscribe or change your e-mail address, send message to Jeff Cornish, mailto:jcornish@wfs.org. Submit feedback at http://www.wfs.org/fboct06.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 Back to top