RELIGIOUS WRITING GOES WIKI
An online Christian
publishing experiment called the Wikiklesia Project has produced its first
collaborative ecclesial e-book, VOICES OF THE VIRTUAL WORLD.
The Wikiklesia Project
collected the thoughts of more than 40 writers--from technologists to
theologians--to reflect on the influence of technology on the global
Christian church. The book took just a few weeks to complete, according to
Wikiklesia co-founder John La Grou.
Could the project be a
bellwether for changes in the church itself? "We long to see a church
saturated with decentralized cooperation,"
according to the
publisher's statement. "The improbable notion of books that effectively
publish themselves is one of many ways that can help move us closer to this
global ecclesial connectedness."
DETAILS: The Wikiklesia
Project,
http://www.wikiklesia.wikidot.com
LESS-INVASIVE
MEDICAL TESTING ON THE HORIZON
Invasive diagnostic
tests such as biopsies may soon become a thing of the past, as researchers
improve the sensitivity of scans such as MRIs, suggest scientists at
Britain's Durham University.
A new chemically
sensitive MRI scan developed by the Durham team uses a chemical compound
containing fluorine, which responds to varying acidity in the body and, in
the presence of cancer, lights up on the scan.
"There is very little
fluorine present naturally in the body so the signal from our compound
stands out," says Durham chemistry professor David Parker. The technique
will allow doctors to measure the fluorine quickly while using low doses
that are harmless to the patient.
The team believes that
the fluorine-based MRIs could become mainstream for diagnoses within the
next decade, and "of considerable benefit in the diagnosis of diseases such
as breast, liver, or prostate cancer,"
says Parker.
SOURCE: Durham
University,
http://www.dur.ac.uk/news/newsitem/?itemno=5664
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A THOUSAND NEW POINTS OF VIEW AT FUTURIST CONFERENCE
Join an estimated 1,000
global thought leaders at "WorldFuture 2008:
Seeing the Future
Through New Eyes." The World Future Society's 2008 conference, to be held
July 25-29 in Washington, D.C., will examine exciting developments in fields
such as information science, genetics, and medicine, as well as practical
forecasts you can use to make important decisions in both your work and
private life.
LEARN MORE:
http://www.wfs.org/2008main.htm
REGISTER by August 31
and save $300 off the on-site registration fee:
https://www.wfs.org/2008regform.htm
RESERVE your room at the
Hilton Washington! Mention that you're attending the WFS meeting to receive
your special rate of $160 per night (single) or $185 per night (double).
Call the Hilton at 202-797-5820.
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FLOOD FORECASTERS USE PEOPLE POWER
High-tech methods to
predict catastrophic floods in places like Bangladesh are for naught if the
people who may be affected by the floods cannot be warned in time. Now, a
very low-tech method may come to the rescue--networks of volunteers bringing
the forecasts and warnings directly to residents in harm's way.
A forecasting system
designed by scientists at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research
and Georgia Tech will aim to deliver one- to ten-day flood forecasts
directly to more than 100,000 people living in the floodplains of the
Brahmaputra and Ganges rivers.
The program alerts the
network of volunteers who then go directly to affected residents, many of
whom are in poor rural regions that lack radios or even electricity.
Residents have said that advance notice of floods could help them quickly
harvest near-ripe crops or move livestock, thus preserving some of their
livelihoods.
SOURCE: The University
Corporation for Atmospheric Research,
http://www.ucar.edu/news/releases/2007/bangladeshflood.shtml
WIRED POLITICS IN MUSLIM COUNTRIES
Political parties in the
Islamic world are becoming increasingly Internet savvy, with the expansion
of online politics outpacing that in the rest of the developing world,
according to a new study from the University of Washington.
The number of political
parties represented online in Muslim countries grew from fewer than 50 in
2000 to more than 200 by 2007, and the majority of these Web-savvy parties
are secular, according to Philip Howard, assistant professor of
communications, who with his students prepared the World Information Access
Report. The boom in political activity online in Muslim countries is
surprising since access in these largely poorer countries tends to be slower
(with dial-up rather than broadband service) and more expensive.
"In some countries the
Internet is the only infrastructure for political debate," observes Howard.
"No dictator has been toppled because of the Internet, but today, no
democratic movement can topple a dictator without the Internet."
SOURCE: University of
Washington,
http://uwnews.washington.edu/ni/article.asp?articleID=35768
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YOU CAN HEAR IT NOW: 2007 CONFERENCE AUDIO
The World Future
Society's 2007 conference is over, but if you missed a session or just want
to keep a permanent record of the event, you may now order your own audio
from WorldFuture 2007: Fostering Hope and Vision for the 21st Century.
World Future Society
partner Intelliquest Media offers both multimedia CD-ROMs (which include
available presentation materials and iPod or computer-playable MP3 files)
and audio CDs playable on standard players. Individual sessions may also be
ordered on audio CDs or downloaded as MP3s.
BROWSE and ORDER
conference audio:
http://www.intelliquestmedia.com/store/search.php?a=E&c=200725
VIEW HIGHLIGHTS of the
2007 conference, including photo gallery, speaker presentations, conference
volume summaries, and more:
http://www.wfs.org/2007summary.htm
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CLICK OF THE MONTH:
INSTITUTE
FOR ETHICS AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
http://ieet.org/
Oxford University
philosopher Nick Bostrom and Trinity College bioethicist James Hughes teamed
in 2004 to found a forum for a diversity of "voices arguing for a
responsible, constructive approach to emerging human enhancement
technologies. We believe that technological progress can be a catalyst for
positive human development so long as we ensure that technologies are safe
and equitably distributed."
Special research areas
of the Institute focus on Securing the Future, Envisioning the Future,
Rights of the Person, and Longer, Better Lives.
Essays, white papers,
newsletters, discussion forums, and links to projects and events explore a
variety of future-oriented issues where technology and society meet, such as
the Singularity, human longevity, climate change, and terrorism.
The homepage features
links to lively news articles by regular contributors such as technology
journalist Doug Rushkoff ("What You Can Learn from Zombie Movies") and
nanotech expert Mike Treder ("Post-Millennial Malaise in SF?"), as well as
multimedia offerings, such as video of Ray Kurzweil accepting the World
Transhumanist Association’s H.G. Wells award for transhumanist of the year.
NEWS FROM THE FUTURIST COMMUNITY
* SINGULARITY SUMMIT:
The Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence will host the 2007
Singularity Summit on AI and the Future of Humanity on September 8-9 at the
Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco. Among the presenters will be
MIT computer scientist Rodney Brooks, Google research director Peter Norvig,
forecaster Paul Saffo (on sabbatical from the Institute for the Future), and
Christine Peterson, co-founder of the Foresight Nanotech Institute.
DETAILS:
http://www.singinst.org/summit2007/
* FUTURE LEARNING:
Futures educators Steve Steele (Institute for the Future at Anne Arundel
Community College), Peter Bishop (University of Houston and Clear Lake), and
Dave Stein (editor, FUTURETAKES) are working to reactivate the World Future
Society's Learning Section, "an emerging group committed to all forms of
futures learning, from traditional academic learning at all levels to profit
and nonprofit organizational futures training and beyond." The site is now
under development at wfs.org; in the meantime, interested participants are
invited to visit
http://ola4.aacc.edu/soc/wfslearningteams07/
* NEW WFS BOARD MEMBER:
The World Future Society welcomes Myléna Pierremont to its Board of
Directors. An expert on product branding, Pierremont has been senior vice
president of consumer marketing at Royal Philips Consumer Electronics since
2005, where she oversees brand value creation for consumer electronics and
market introduction plans across four regions.
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Attention futurist authors:
The following WFS publications are constantly on the lookout for new essays
and articles presenting trends, forecasts, and ideas about the future.
THE FUTURIST magazine:
http://www.wfs.org/writguid.htm
FUTURES RESEARCH QUARTERLY:
http://www.wfs.org/frq.htm#invite
FUTURE TIMES (online):
http://www.wfs.org/futuretimesmay07.htm
WFS Web Forums (online):
http://www.wfs.org/inter.htm
The World Future Society's 2008 conference volume is also
seeking submissions.
See
http://www.wfs.org/2008volguidelines.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,
mailto:cwagner@wfs.org
Associate Editor: Patrick
Tucker, mailto:ptucker@wfs.org
Network Administrator: Jeff
Cornish, mailto:jcornish@wfs.org
Vice President,
Membership/Conference Operations: Susan Echard, mailto: sechard@wfs.org
To subscribe, enter your
e-mail at
http://www.wfs.org
To unsubscribe or change
your e-mail address, reply to this e-mail with "unsubscribe" or "change
address" in the subject line.
Submit feedback:
http://www.wfs.org/fbjul07.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.
