In This Issue:
Measles Makes a Comeback
Synthetic Fuels for Combat Aircraft
Brain Exercises to Prevent Dyslexia
Sign Language for Cell Phones
Click of the Month: Office of Digital Humanities
News from the World Future Society

MEASLES MAKES A COMEBACK

Once a childhood scourge and believed long vanquished, measles is making a comeback in the United States, reports the American Red Cross.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease, but a successful vaccination program led to its elimination in the United States by 2002. Now, a surge in cases during the first half of 2008 is being blamed in part on increases in international travel.

Worldwide, measles kills an estimated 242,000 people a year and 600 children a day. The Measles Initiative--a partnership of the American Red Cross, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United Nations Foundation, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization--aims to reduce measles deaths globally by 90% over 2000 levels by 2010.

“Measles knows no borders, but can be prevented for less than one dollar per child in a developing country,” according to a Measles Initiative statement. “We must be steadfast in our efforts to reduce measles cases globally. As long as children remain unvaccinated they are at risk.”

DETAILS: American Red Cross

SYNTHETIC FUELS FOR COMBAT AIRCRAFT

U.S. Air Force researchers have developed a promising alternative fuel for the F-15E Strike Eagle. The fuel, a combination of jet fuel and a natural-gas-based synthetic, got its first full test at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia on August 19.

The test demonstrated the safety of the alternative fuel and met the high performance standards for combat aircraft, according to Jeff Braun, director of the Air Force Alternative Fuels Certification office.

The work on new fuels comes from a directive from the Air Force Secretary to move the entire fleet to synthetic fuels by 2011.

DETAILS:United States Air Force

BRAIN EXERCISES TO PREVENT DYSLEXIA

Linguistic problems in preschool children may be a sign of dyslexia, but a new study suggests that early intervention could prevent this common learning disability.

Researchers at the Academy of Finland's Center of Excellence have developed computer–gamelike exercises that utilize phonetics, mathematics, and information technology to help young children overcome their difficulties in processing text.

Children identified as at-risk for developing dyslexia include those whose parents had difficulties in reading and writing, as well as those experiencing “delayed ability to perceive and mentally process the subtleties of a person’s voice ... [and] a sluggishness in naming familiar, visually presented objects,” according to the researchers.

“A fluent ability to read is a prerequisite to be able to understand a demanding piece of text,” says lead researcher Heikki Lyytinen of the University of Jyväskylä. “The best time to start these exercises is the latter part of the preschool age, but it’s not too late even after the children have started school.”

SOURCE: Academy of Finland

SIGN LANGUAGE FOR CELL PHONES

For the hearing-impaired, communicating via cell phone has largely been limited to text messaging. Now, a team of researchers at the University of Washington has developed software that incorporates video so that American Sign Language can be used on mobile phones.

Because video requires much faster transmission speeds than text, the low transmission rates and limited processing power of devices available in the United States have prevented the development of real-time video transmission. The MobileASL project will work on improving video compression, which could facilitate communication on slower services.

“The faster networks are not available everywhere,” says doctoral student Anna Cavender. “They also cost more. We don't think it's fair for someone who's deaf to have to pay more for his or her cell phone than someone who's hearing.”

SOURCE: University of Washington

“GOODSHOP” FOR WFS

The World Future Society needs your help! With gas prices high and the economy in a slump, schools and nonprofits like WFS are having trouble meeting their fundraising goals this year.

In a show of support, more than 700 of your favorite Internet retailers and travel sites, including Amazon, eBay, Target, Apple, and Expedia, have joined forces with GoodShop.com, donating a percentage of all your purchases to your favorite charity at no additional cost to you! More than 63,000 nonprofits and schools are now on board.

It takes just a few seconds to go to www.goodshop.com , select World Future Society, and then click through to your favorite store and shop as usual.

Also, Yahoo! has teamed up with GoodShop's sister site, GoodSearch.com, to donate a penny to your cause every time you search the Web. This is totally free, as the money comes from advertisers.

Please start GoodSearching and GoodShopping for the World Future Society today! And tell 10 friends and colleagues about this opportunity to support a worthy cause. To get started, go to www.goodshop.com

CLICK OF THE MONTH: http://www.neh.gov/ODH/Default.aspx

With so much of humanity spending so much time online, whether working or playing, researching or relaxing, the concept of “digital humanities” should not be considered an oxymoron.

Created in March 2008, the Office of Digital Humanities is an offspring of the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities and has its own grants-giving function. The office recently announced 22 awards for digital humanities start-up programs and three awards from its Institute for Advanced Topics in the Digital Humanities. Awards went to such projects as the development of a multimedia historical walking tour of Boston and the use of Internet tools to facilitate study and discussion of fifteenth-century Bible scrolls.

“Our primary mission is to help coordinate the NEH's efforts in the area of digital scholarship. As in the sciences, digital technology has changed the way scholars perform their work,” according to the Web site. “It allows new questions to be raised and has radically changed the ways in which materials can be searched, mined, displayed, taught, and analyzed.”

The site includes grant proposal guidelines as well as summaries of project results and other resources.

NEWS FROM THE WORLD FUTURE SOCIETY

* WFS 2008-2009 HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY CONTEST: LOOKING FOR YOUR OWN FUTURE CAREER

The future is a mysterious and often confusing place. The challenge of thinking about the future arises from the ambitious nature of the task. The goal is not just to identify and track emerging job trends, but also to make these trends personally relevant.

The World Future Society and the Future Problem Solvers Program are partnering on a high school essay contest for the coming school year. Entries must be submitted electronically, and the deadline for submitting your entry is March 31, 2009. For contest rules, guidelines, and prizes, check the contest page. Questions, suggestions, or concerns? Contact Society President Tim Mack, tmack@wfs.org

Researching and writing an essay on your future career will advance your ability to clearly communicate ideas and concepts to a larger group. And most importantly, it can improve your ability to think critically about your choices and the consequences of your decisions.

* DISTINGUISHED SERVICE: The World Future Society honored longtime FUTURE SURVEY editor Michael Marien during the closing plenary session of the 2008 annual meeting. Marien, who will step down from his 29-year editorship at the end of this year, called his experience of intellectual freedom “unsupervised play.”