A magazine of forecasts, trends, and ideas about the future
Futurist Newsmakers Archive
Most of these news links are temporary and may be removed without notice. To retrieve the original stories, please contact the sources, not the World Future Society.
Roger Herman, FUTURIST Contributing Editor, Dies
With sadness, we report that Roger Herman, founder of The Herman Group and contributing editor for workforce/workplace issues for THE FUTURIST magazine, died November 6, 2006. His many contributions to World Future Society include speaking at several conferences and writing feature articles and columns for the World Trends & Forecasts in THE FUTURIST. With his wife, Joyce Gioia, Roger also wrote Impending Crisis: Too Many Jobs, Too Few People (2003) and was a pioneering strategic business futurist.
DETAILS: http://www.hermangroup.com
See also: "Park Volunteer Remembered," Greensboro News & Record (November 13, 2006): http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061113/NEWSREC0101/611130304Distracted Drivers, Attentive Cars?
(Detroit Free Press on November 8, 2006)Sheryl Connelly, Ford's global trends and futuring manager says that soon your car will pay attention to you while you pay attention to the road. "Your car's steering wheel can be programmed to take your heart rate and other vital information. If you can place your hands on your treadmill and get your heart rate, why couldn't you have the same thing happen with your car? The constant feedback of information is what people are looking for," Connelly remarked. She was quoted in the Detroit Free Press on November 8, 2006.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061108/AUTO03/611080327/1149Challenges of Change
(David M. Walker, in Associated Press, October 30, 2006)U.S. Comptroller General David M. Walker, who spoke at WorldFuture 2006 on the economic challenges posed by the retirement of the baby-boomer generation, was cited in an Associated Press article by Matt Crenson.
"This is about the future of our country, our kids and grandkids. We, the people, have to rise up to make sure things get changed," warns Walker.
The article was reprinted in papers across the United States including the Washington Post, the Seattle Post Intelligencer and the York Dispatch. http://www.yorkdispatch.com/business/ci_4579452
See You at the Future Fair!
(Arthur M. Harkins, John W. Moravec, Star Tribune, August 23, 2006)In the future, creativity will be considered normal. Art will be applied to all aspects of business, industry, government, and life in general. And the state fair will include a pavilion for "intentional ecology--designed environments that reduce global warming and rising sea levels.
These are just a few of the ideas collected by Minnesota futurists Arthur Harkins and John Moravec of the Global Leapfrog Institute (http://www.leapfroginstitute.org) for a special project on the future of the Minnesota State Fair.
Source: "Fair of the Future: Leapfrogs on a Stick! Future Visions of the Minnesota State Fair 2006-2056" by Arthur M. Harkins and John W. Moravec, Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune (August 23, 2006), http://www.startribune.com/611/story/630934.html See also: WorldFuture 2007.
Fresh Thinking for Schools
(Denver Post, 16 May 2006)
The U.S. education system today is "too heavy to fly" and needs to find new ways to soar, argues guest commentator Jane Urschel in the Denver Post. Calling for more exploration of online education, Urschel cites the World Future Society's report that "education is leaving the schoolhouse" ("Learning for Ourselves: A New Paradigm for Education" by John C. Lundt, THE FUTURIST, November-December 2004).
Source: "Think Fresh About Public Schools" by Jane Urschel, Denver Post (May 16, 2006). http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_3826376
Future of Libraries
(Thomas Frey, Des Moines Register)
The Internet and communications technologies will transform libraries into centers for culture rather than centers for information, according to DaVinci Institute executive director Thomas Frey. Libraries will enable more people to create information and knowledge content (with such services as blogging and podcasting stations) rather than simply access it.
Source: "Library Q&A: Creating 'the ultimate interface between information and our brain'" (interview with Thomas Frey), DesMoinesRegister.com (April 2, 2006).
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060402/OPINION/60401004/1035/OPINION
Dancing with Nuclear Energy
(Joseph F. Coates, Annapolis Capital)
Consulting futurist Joseph F. Coates believes nuclear energy is the key to U.S. energy stability because it is simply more affordable than other sources.
"I see nuclear and solar dancing hand in hand," he told The Capital of Annapolis, Maryland. "The opposition to nuclear is largely in the minds of people after World War II, because of nuclear power and nuclear weapons. Where are those people now? Walking to their graves. The opposition to nuclear power is literally dying off."Source: "Nuclear Power Could Be Dominant Source of Energy" by Elizabeth Leis, Annapolis (Maryland) Capital (March 20, 2006). http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2006/03_20-28/TOP
Dr. Tomorrow: Two Species of Humans
(Edmonton Sun)
Vancouver futurist Frank Ogden, better known as "Dr. Tomorrow," tells the Edmonton Sun, "We're turning into two species, the knows and the know-nots. Over the next 30 to 50 years, a know-not may be as invisible on the street as an ant is, because he or she is not wired in."Ogden, a security expert, warns that not knowing how to deal with computer viruses and other threats will keep many "know-nots" behind. One solution is to hire a 12-year-old as a security consultant, because kids are quick to learn technology's tricks and they can "see things that those who've gone through the normal education system would miss."
Source: "The Future Is Now" by Jeremy Loome, Edmonton Sun (December 21, 2005).
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Edmonton/2005/12/21/1362474-sun.html
Delaware: Innovative State
(Art Shostak, Delaware News Journal)
The next new industry to accelerate growth may not be visible yet. "It's off the scope," sociologist Art Shostak said when asked about the prospects for Delaware's economic development. The state has a 100-year history of innovation, from chemicals to credit cards, so its reputation for innovativeness is "gold in the bank" for future growth.Source: "Where Will Delaware Work Next?" by Maureen Milford, The News Journal (December 11, 2005).
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051211/NEWS/512110341/-1/NEWS01
NBA's Faces of the Future
(Nat Irvin II, New York Times [free registration required])
The National Basketball Association's globalization--with players from around the world playing for U.S. teams--reflects demographic change throughout the country, according to Nat Irvin II of Wake Forest University, founder of Future Focus 2020. "When you can't pronounce the name of the player who doesn't look like you, there is a tendency to feel like you are losing something," he told the New York Times. "But there is something going on in the world that is larger than how we play ball.... We live in a world in which there is a continuous search for global talent in all areas--science, technology, business."
Quoted in "In NBA, the Globe Is Round, Too" by Harvey Araton, New York Times (Nov. 3, 2004).
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/03/sports/basketball/03araton.htmlThe New "Luxury"
Arnold Brown, BusinessWeek
The definition of "luxury" has changed and will allow resourceful entrepreneurs to provide unique perks and services at a premium business futurist Arnold Brown told BusinessWeek. "Luxury used to mean very expensive products in limited supply, with great demand. Only a few people who had a lot of money or access could afford luxury items. But there's so much money now in the world that people having ‘things’ is no longer a luxury. But having certain experiences is, especially if they're experiences not everyone else can have. Time is another new luxury," says Brown. The article also discusses foresight strategies and the recruiting challenges ahead for big corporations.Source: "Spotting Trends with Promise," by Karen L. Klein, BusinessWeek (October 27, 2005) http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/oct2005/sb20051026_215558.htm)
Picking the Next Tech Trends
(Marsha Rhea, Ian Pearson, Andy Hines, and the World Future Society, Wired News)
What are the big technologies to watch out for? Look for better communications devices, for one thing. "According to futurists, we've only scratched the surface of figuring out how our portable communications devices can be of service," says Wired News columnist Joanna Glasner.Source: "Futurists Pick Top Tech Trends," Joanna Glasner, WiredNews (October 25, 2005.) http://www.wirednews.com/news/business/0,1367,69138,00.html
Making Sense Out of Tragedies
Gerald Celente, Louisville Courier-Journal
Hurricane Katrina and the 9/11 terrorist attacks were "two wakeup calls that should not be ignored," Gerald Celente told the Louisville, Kentucky Courier-Journal. "The discouraging trend is watching the nation speed on a collision course with the future.... America is facing social, economic, and political decline, and these important issues are being addressed with sound-bite solutions." A more encouraging trend, he said, "was clearly watching how kind and loving people can be to each other in time of need."Source: "Trying to Make Sense Out of Tragedy" by Pam Platt, Louisville Courier-Journal (September 11, 2005) http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050911/COLUMNISTS10/509110439
Robo-Banking
Richard Watson, Brisbane Courier-Mail
As teller machines increase the distance between tellers and bank customers, the growing consolidation of banks will hardly be noticeable. What's Next editor Richard Watson (www.nowandnext.com) questions the future of banking if such automation continues: "The future is going to be all about the digitalizing of banking service, the disappearance of checks and cash in favor of electronic payment means," he told a forum sponsored by Online Banking Review. "And if it goes much further, are banks really necessary? It could all be in the hands of companies like Coles Myer, Australia Post, Telstra, or Vodafone."Source: "The Inhuman Face of Banking" by Bruce Brammall, Brisbane Courier-Mail (September 12, 2005). http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,16566178%255E3122,00.html
22nd-Century Canada
Ruben Nelson, Edmonton Journal
Looking forward to Alberta's bicentennial in 2105? Expect to find bullet trains across the prairie and personal windmills in every yard, but also severe water shortages due to the disappearance of the glaciers. "[The year] 2105 will be as surprising to us today as 2005 would have been to someone who was already an adult in 1905," says Ruben Nelson of the Calgary-based Creating Tomorrow Foundation.Source: "Forecast: Surprises Galore for Alberta's 200th Birthday" by Sarah O'Donnell, The Edmonton Journal (September 1, 2005)
http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/news/cityplus/story.html?id=37374937-d99e-452c-b547-a8d6bb6dc205
Transportation, Technology, and Trends
Source: "New Tools Aim to Tame Traffic" by Tony Manolatos (Detroit
Times, Aug. 21, 2005)
http://www.detnews.com/2005/editorial/0508/21/A17-287174.htm
Cultured Meat
Source: "Brave New Hamburger" by Geeta Dayal, The Village Voice (Education Supplement, Fall 2005) http://www.villagevoice.com/arts/0531,education4,66451,12.html
Keynote speaker Ken Dychtwald
Chicago Sun-Times
"Where There's a Will, There's a Tactful Way" by Terry Savage, Chicago Sun-Times (August 1, 2005) discussed the problems that adult children have communicating with their parents about personal and estate planning. WorldFuture 2005 keynote speaker Ken Dychtwald advised talking about "legacies" rather than "estates." "Sit down with a video camera and ask them to tell the story of their life, and you'll get a far warmer response." http://www.suntimes.com/output/savage/cst-fin-terry017.html
Society President Tim Mack
Chicago Tribune
"Chicago About to Get a Taste of the Future," by Tribune Technology Columnist Jon Van (July 16, 2005) quoted World Future Society President Tim Mack: "We look at the social impact as well as market impacts of new technology." Mack explained that among the Society's regular conference goers are people in corporations and government who are charged with developing and executing strategy, but the meetings are also attractive to ordinary citizens interested in the future on a more personal level. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0507160028jul16,1,7866321.story?coll=chi-business-hedBack issues and reprints can be obtained from the Chicago Tribune: telephone 312-222-3080, Web site http://www.chicagotribune.com
Futurist Joseph Coates and FUTURIST assistant editor Patrick Tucker
Chicago Tribune (for Knight-Ridder news service)In "Futurists Look Beyond, and It’s Not Mere Sci-Fi" (July 29, 2005) Chicago Tribune reporter Russell Working gives a broad overview of the conference, mentioning several key presentations by futurists such as Joseph F. Coates, and provides clear and concise information on futurism.
This article was picked up by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services and was distributed to thousands of newspapers around the globe. Subsequently, the story was republished in the Kansas City Star, the Times Leader (Pennsylvania), The Lexington Herald-Leader, Health Care Industry Today, the Charlotte Observer, and numerous others papers and publications, and appeared on various Web sites. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0507290283jul29,1,4027540.story
or http://www.krtdirect.com
Education for Generation Dot-Com
Ian Jukes, The Mercury
Schools are becoming irrelevant in societies transformed by information technologies, Canadian futurist Ian Jukes told attendees at the recent Leading Lifelong Learning conference in Tasmania. Rather than focusing on college preparation, schools need to also help students prepare for a changing workplace. "We must reject a system that teaches and tests and rewards the accumulation of vast amounts of useless theoretical obsolete information," he said.
Source: "Dotcom Call to Schools" by Phil Beck, The Mercury (Hobart, Tasmania), July 5, 2005. http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,15825175%255E3462,00.html
Jobs for Tomorrow
Compounding an intensifying competition for well-educated workers will be the fact that most of tomorrow's jobs haven't even been thought of yet, says Marx. Schools preparing for those unimagined job thus face an incredible challenge. Businesses and school systems will need to collaborate, pooling their resources to produce a better-educated future workforce.
Source: "Jobs of the Future" by Tracey Lamm, Fort Madison
Daily Democrat (June 23, 2005).
http://www.dailydem.com/articles/2005/06/23/news/news2.txt
Pampered Pets
(Joyce Gioia, Times-Tribune)
People love to pamper their pooches and cuddle their kitties, so much so that pet pampering has become a high-growth industry. By the end of 2005, Americans will spend more than $34 billion, up from $17 billion a decade ago, reports Yankelovich Research.Comments strategic futurist Joyce Gioia: "From pet doorbells to funeral caskets, astute entrepreneurs are cashing in on the pet-love trend, supplying products to fill pet owners' perceived needs, and even some they do not yet know they have."
Quoted in "Grrr...Owth Industry: Pampered Pets Are Everywhere, and People Have No Fear of Spending Money On Them" by David Burger, Times-Tribune (Scranton, Pennsylvania), June 26, 2005.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14759012&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=415891&rfi=6
The End of the Written Word
(William Crossman, Willits News)
William Crossman, a futurist and an English instructor at Vista Community College in Berkeley, believes that reading and writing are doomed. The respected scholar gives the written word until 2050 to become a curiosity of the past. Such talk may inflame those who cherish the written word and make educators shriek. "The End of the Written Word" by Francine Brevetti, Willits News (June 8, 2005).
Read more: http://www.willitsnews.com/Stories/0,1413,253~27830~2910380,00.htmlStory Telling the Future: Disney Imagineering
(reported in Mickey News, the Disney online newsletter)
The National Capital Region World Future Society (NatCapWFS) will host two unique futurist forecasting techniques events, a dinner lecture on the evening of June 16th and a half-day workshop on June 17th, 2005 with Mr. Joseph Tankersly, a futurist and Senior Show Writer for Walt Disney Imagineering.
Read more: http://www.mickeynews.com/News/DisplayPressRelease.asp_Q_id_E_695Story
High-School Futuring (Art Shostak, The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Society may now be primed to make better use of forecasting, as the failures of imagination and intelligence have made clear in the post-9/11 era, sociologist Art Shostak told the Philadelphia Inquirer. Shostak proposes schools devoted to using the study of the future as an overarching curriculum. This could help encourage the "importance of rational, commonsense thinking about the future," he says. Quoted in Tech.life@school: Developing Futurism Skills by Joyce Kasman Valenza, The Philadelphia Inquirer (May 1, 2005). http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/living/columnists/joyce_kasman_valenza/11532907.htm (registration required)
The Ethical Workforce (Richard Samson, Christian Science Monitor)
Employers will increasingly value skills that cannot be replaced by automation, says workforce analyst Richard Samson. One particular focus will be on ethical judgment, as businesses attempt to repair the damage of recent corporate scandals. Samson wrote the article "How to Succeed in the Hyper-Human Economy" in the September-October 2004 issue of THE FUTURIST.
(Quoted in "Only the Ethical Need Apply" by Susan Llewelyn Leach, Christian Science Monitor March 30,2005) http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0330/p15s02-wmgn.html
Demographic Destiny (Donald Louria, Joseph Coates, Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
The good news is that people are living longer; the bad news is that neither society nor individuals are preparing for the "demographic destiny" of an elder boom, warn futurists Donald Louria and Joseph Coates. "There are 6 billion people already screwing up the planet; imagine 9 billion," says Louria. Hope may come from the baby boomers, who are on their way to becoming the elder boomers. "When baby boomers get their act together, we'll have better arrangements," says Coates. "They are the most powerful voting bloc in American history, and they will be soon turning their political attention to geriatric issues." (Quoted in "A Gray Future" by Pete Alfano, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Feb. 21, 2005) http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/10954269.htm
Machines vs. Education? (Ian Pearson, The Age)
In the coming age of conscious computers, education will become completely obsolete, as the human mind merges with artificial intelligence, says futurist-in-residence Ian Pearson of BT. "It sounds like I'm a wacko who watches too much Star Trek, but there are billions of dollars of research today going into technologies which will allow you to connect your nervous system to computers" in order to "have a back-up of your brain on the computer," Pearson told The Age of Melbourne, Australia. ("Inside the Future" by Patrick Gray, The Age, February 15, 2005)
http://www.theage.com.au/news/Next/Inside-the-future/2005/02/14/1108229893543.html?oneclick=true
Technology is Changing Human Interaction (Tim Mack, guest columnist at the Web site for the Institute for the Future at Anne Arundel Community College)
Technology is bringing people together, not driving them apart. "We are just at the beginning of a wave of self-organizing digital communities" which will bring people with common interests together regardless of where they are, says Timothy C. Mack, president of the World Future Society. http://www.aacc.edu/future/askfuturetmack.cfm
Post-Petroleum Age (Michael Zey, Washington Times)
Future oil prices will force the United States and other countries to turn to nuclear power, hybrid autos, and eventually nuclear fusion for their energy needs, predicts Michael G. Zey, professor of business at Montclair St. University, in a recent op-ed. ("Post-Petroleum Energy Vision" by Michael Zey, Washington Times, November 21, 2004)
http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/20041120-084026-9483r.htm
NBA's Faces of the Future (Nat Irvin II, New York Times [free registration required])
The National Basketball Association's globalization--with players from around the world playing for U.S. teams--reflects demographic change throughout the country, according to Nat Irvin II of Wake Forest University, founder of Future Focus 2020. "When you can't pronounce the name of the player who doesn't look like you, there is a tendency to feel like you are losing something," he told the New York Times. "But there is something going on in the world that is larger than how we play ball.... We live in a world in which there is a continuous search for global talent in all areas--science, technology, business." Quoted in "In NBA, the Globe Is Round, Too" by Harvey Araton, New York Times (Nov. 3, 2004).
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/03/sports/basketball/03araton.html
Organic Leadership (Frank Feather, AllAfrica.com)
The world's most successful companies will be those with the greatest intellectual capital, says Canadian business futurist Frank Feather. A new brand of leadership is emerging that is "without rank or title; it is an organic process, the genetic code of which can and must be learned and developed by almost everyone in an organization," he says. Quoted in "Modern Managers Need New Skills" by Jocelin Kagan, Business Day (Johannesburg). (Posted on allAfrica.com, 28 October 2004.)
http://allafrica.com/stories/200410280011.htmlSmall Business and Iraq (Roger Herman, David Pearce Snyder, Business Week Online)
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/oct2004/sb20041026_7893_sb006.htm
One reason that small businesses are concerned about global issues such as the war in Iraq is its impacts on their employees, says workplace consultant Roger Herman. "Small-business owners hate uncertainty," he tells BusinessWeek, because they can't confidently expand if their workers are in the National Guard and cannot be expected to return to work. But domestic issues such as the economy and health care are also major worries to small businesses, says trend analyst David Pearce Snyder. (Both Herman and Snyder are contributing editors to THE FUTURIST magazine.) Quoted in "Small Biz Has Iraq on Its Mind" by Karen Klein (BusinessWeek Online, 26 October 2004)
Futurism as a Growth Industry (Andrew Zolli, et al., Sydney Morning Herald)
Businesses are increasingly looking for help from futurists, such as forecaster Andrew Zolli of Z+Partners. One key business-altering trend Zolli describes is "ecovation," or ecology-inspired innovation mimicking the natural world. Reported in "Looking Into a Crystal Ball" by Steve Dow, Sydney Morning Herald, September 7, 2004. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/09/06/1094322714384.html?oneclick=trueEsalen Institute's Challenges (Walter Truett Anderson, Los Angeles Times)
An institution devoted to the cutting-edge of human potential and development may be losing some of its momentum. "To my knowledge, Esalen is not seriously out front in talking about genetics, biotechnology, or the various convergences of technology to improve human performance," futurist/author Walter Truett Anderson told the Los Angeles Times. ("Esalen's Identity Crisis" by Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, September 5, 2004)
http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/magazine/la-tm-esalen36sep05,1,3768120.story?coll=la-home-magazine (Requires free registration)
Targeting Terrorism (Tom Cowper, Federal Computer Week)
Information sharing could go a long way in preventing terrorist attacks, says Society of Police Futurists International member Tom Cowper, commenting on the 9-11 Commission's report. But the problem behind information sharing now isn't a matter of technology, but rather a matter of people. While technology is advancing exponentially, the decision-making process is not. "If we continue business as usual, we're going to be in trouble," says Cowper. Quoted in "9-11 Commission Stress Info Sharing," Federal Computer Week (July 26, 2004).
http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/0726/news-911-07-26-04.aspCareer Switching (Mark McCrindle, The Age [Australia])
Most people expect to change jobs over the course of their lives, but a growing trend is to completely jump careers, according to Australian social researcher and futurist Mark McCrindle. For many people, it "not just little career changes or changing companies. It's heading back to university to do another degree or get an extra qualification," says McCrindle. In a focus group of engineers, McCrindle found that 60% were ready to head to a whole new industry. Quoted in "When I Grow Up I Want To Be..." The Age (July 25, 2004)
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/24/1090464910197.html?oneclick=true
Robot Psychiatrist (Joanne Pransky, Palm Beach Post)
Sometimes a robot just needs a little understanding. Enter Joanne Pransky, the world's first robotic psychiatrist, who has been shrinking roboheads for 20 years. "Roboticists are working on real emulation of the human brain and body, muscle movement, joint movement. I think eventually robots will be companions and assistants and partners," Pransky tells staff writer Rachel Sauer in "I, Robot Psychiatrist," Palm Beach Post (July 14, 2004).
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/accent/content/auto/epaper/editions/today/accent_044fa132a306526200e0.html
Planning Like a Futurist [Thornton May, Portland (Maine) Press Herald]
Tech professionals need to leave more time for planning the future, because "complexity is growing much faster than our expertise," futurist Thornton May told the Maine Telecommunications Users Group. "Your experts sometimes stand in the way of solving the problems you're really going to experience down the road." Quoted in "Planning 101: Start at Then, Chart a Path Back to Now" by Eric Blom, Portland Press Herald (June 4, 2004).
http://www.pressherald.com/business/stories/040604blom.shtml
Hotel Tech (Glen Hiemstra, Forbes)
Biometric security devices and robotic check-in clerks and maids are among the technologies Glen Hiemstra of Futurist.com foresees for future hotels. With nanotechnology will come the more far-out scenarios: "In 2025 or 2030, we might be able to have rooms reconfigure themselves to whatever guests want, whether it's a king-sized bed and a couch, or a single bed and a desk," Hiemstra says. Quoted in "Hotels of the Future" by Christina Valhouli, Forbes.com. (Undated.)
http://www.forbes.com/travel/2004/05/27/cx_cv_0527feat.html
The Futurist's Perspective
"It has always interested me that Futurists—these people who make big money predicting what is going to happen out in the future—are almost always excellent historians. ... Whereas most of us want instant action and can't see further out than about a year, Futurists must take the longer view, and it is their sense of history that gives them that longer vision."
(Gordon Sawyer, "The History Center: Lessons In Character For The Future," AccessNorthGa.com, May 17, 2004) http://www.accessnorthga.com/articles/afullstory.asp?ID=81496
Fighting Back on Health Care Costs
In California, a battle is brewing between the mighty California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS), which pays the medical bills of thousands of people, and the doctors and hospitals it believes are overcharging them. CalPERS is facing resistance it ought to have anticipated after years of squeezing hospitals and doctors, says health care futurist Wanda Jones of the New Century Health Care Institute. "Any schoolyard bully knows if you push somebody hard enough, they're going to go pump iron and come back and deck 'em," said Jones. Quoted in "Power Play on Health Care" by Victoria Colliver, San Francisco Chronicle (May 13, 2004).
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/05/13/BUG8E6KA2V1.DTL
Brighter Future for Texans:
Texans' outlook for their personal futures outshines that of their anticipation for the region's economy. This is a normal response: "When people are asked about the greater environment, they are quite negative about the future. When asked about their own personal future, they are positive, even when they can give no reasons. It creates a special kind of anxiety because deep down they know they cannot reconcile both," Joel Barker, president of Infinity Limited, told the El Paso Times.
"Most El Pasoans Predict Better 2009" by Charles K. Wilson, El Paso Times (May 9, 2004).
http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20040509-115937.shtml
Booming into Middle Age:
Baby boomers are hitting middle age at different speeds and with different attitudes, so it is not possible to generalize about how boomers make life decisions, such as when to have children. "I have a colleague about five years younger than me who has a six-year-old daughter. I have a six-year-old granddaughter," says futurist David Baxter (age 58), executive director of the Urban Futures Institute. Quoted in "Middle age: Provided you have money and health, that 'certain age' is a pretty good time to be alive" by Nicholas Read, CanWest News Service, StarPhoenix of Saskatoon, (May 8, 2004)
http://www.canada.com/saskatoon/starphoenix/news/story.html?id=ab61feaa-306d-4b44-9ae1-f9193fc1dc12
How to Win the Peace
Transparent Workplace
Ancient Boat Arts Are New Again
Kayak builder Marc Daniels of Bolinas, California, combines new technologies and ancient designs. Daniels studied with technology historian/futurist George Dyson, author of Darwin Among the Machines, who describes the kayaks as "very highly evolved; there's 5,000 or 12,000 years of either very clever thinking or trial and error." Dyson is quoted in "Crafting Kayaks" by Rick Polito, Marin Independent Journal (April 1, 2004).
http://www.napanews.com/templates/index.cfm?template=story_full&id=
FD04E5C2-9CD4-40A3-9F27-73EB6A0A64D8
A Woman's Life in 2525:
Child-Centered Education:
Some scenarios to ponder: People will be able to choose their own skin color, sex will be a separate matter from procreation, few people will become sick, and the humorless could get their funny-bones polished at personality shops, suggests Marcene Sonneborn, president of Innovation Management Consulting Inc. Quoted in "Skin tone, sex, family may all be changing in future" by Mark Bialczak, Syracuse Post-Standard (March 28, 2004)
http://www.syracuse.com/search/index.ssf?/base/living-0/1080296197127721.xml?syrlicny
Architects and designers building child-centered schools need to abandon the "stand-and-deliver" classroom model, rendered obsolete by desktop computer access to the world's libraries and museums, says Ian Jukes, director of InfoSavvy Group. Quoted in "'Child-Centric' Schools" by Neal Pierce, Seattle Times (March 29, 2004)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2001890106_peirce29.htmlAirports and Growth:
Expansion plans for the South Bend (Indiana) Regional Airport stem from anticipating the potential needs of the region. "I view it as being prepared for anything that might come along in the years ahead," says John Schalliol, executive director of South Bend Regional Airport. Quoted in "Airport Plans Still on Target" by Carol Elliott, South Bend Tribune (March 28, 2004)
http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories/2004/03/28/business.20040328-sbt-MICH-B1-Airport_plans.sto
Retailing: Out of the Big Box (Jay Valgora, St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Shoppers yearn not just for bargains, but also for enriching experiences. Future store designers will need to think outside of the "big box," said retail futurist and designer Jay Valgora of Walker Group/CNI Inc. at a recent conference in Las Vegas. Quoted in "Retail futurist sees bright lights here" by Allyce Bess, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (March 24, 2004).
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/stories.nsf/0/0593F159911B1A3486256E62001C006E?Open
Document&Headline=Retail+futurist+sees+bright+lights+here
Unprepared for Cyber Attacks: Computer-security experts warn of new threats.
Futurist R. Pierce Reid, formerly with General Dynamics' armament division, tells UPI that the United States is not fully prepared for attacks such as viruses and hackers, let alone cyber-terrorists intent on terrorizing people and the economy. "The Web: Hacker Turf War Raging Online" by Gene J. Koprowski, UPI (March 17, 2004).
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20040316-074543-4996r
Curing Old Age: By the year 2050, the average Australian may live to age 100.
Miller Quarles, founder of the Curing Old Age Society; Donald Louria, professor of preventive medicine at New Jersey Medical School; and Michael Zey, sociology professor at Montclair State University and author of The Future Factor are quoted in The Age, Melbourne, Australia (March 7, 2004). http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/03/05/1078464648114.html
Pentagon's Climate Forecast (Peter Schwartz, Doug Randall, quoted in "Dramatic Climate Change Could Become Global Security Nightmare" by Seth Borenstein, Knight Ridder Newspapers, Feb. 23, 2004) http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/8023054.htm
Money and the Internet (Thomas Frey, quoted in "'Nickel
and Diming' Across the Internet" by Gregory M. Lamb, Christian Science Monitor, Feb.
23, 2004)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0223/p13s01-wmgn.html
Adapting to IT (Christopher Meyer, interviewed in "Chris Meyer on the New Sciences, New IT, Computer World, Feb. 9, 2004)
http://www.computerworld.com/databasetopics/data/story/0,10801,89899,00.htmlLeveraging Trends (Edward Barlow, quoted in "Local Business Leaders Told to Prepare for the Future Now" by Steve Yablonski, Oswego Bureau Chief, Oswego Daily News, Feb. 5, 2004.)
http://www.oswegodailynews.com/homearticle.asp?id=39235§ion=home&network=oswegoBusiness Schools and Jobs (Nat Irvin II, quoted in "The New School" by Kim Jack Riley, Blackenterprise.com) http://www.blackenterprise.com/ExclusivesEKOpen.asp?id=619
Telecom Boom (Malcolm Penn, quoted in "Telecom to lead the boom in semis, analyst predicts" by John Walko, EE Times, UK, 29 Jan. 2004)
http://www.eetuk.com/bus/news/OEG20040129S0003Intangible Music? (Ian Pearson, quoted in "iPod delivers death sentence to tapes" by William Lyons, The Scotsman, 17 Jan. 2004)
http://news.scotsman.com/entertainment.cfm?id=58612004Fighting Islamic Phobia (Ziauddin Sardar, quoted in: "Muslims Urged To Fight Growing Islam Phobia," DubaiInteract.com, 1-20-04)
http://www.dubaiinteract.com/
Media_SectionDisplay.aspx?Sectionid=88DC0EFB-ACD2-
48CD-86D3-4B1D2CC0F9B3&Articleid=0231EB80-A7D7-
44CF-9BD9-A33F8487EF5B&DisplayObjectMode=
Article&DisplayMode=Detail&ObjectId=3ba6f05d-
29bb-4662-b297-6921b3baf7b8
Worshipping Youth (Ken Dychtwald, quoted in "U.S. Is Exporting Our Culture of Youth Worship" by Jane Glenn Haas, The Orange County Register; distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services, published in Fort Wayne News Sentinel, 1-19-04) http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/7747097.htm
Immigration and Jobs (Carolyn Corbin, Rochester NY
Democrat and Chronicle, 1-11-04)
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/
news/0111B72TMN8_news.shtml
"Immigration issue hits home"
Iran Futurist Party (Sam Ghandchi, Editor/Publisher, Iranscope, 1-5-04)
http://www.ghandchi.com/309-FuturistCoalitionsEng.htm "Futurist Party And Political Coalitions
IMF and Economic Development (Peter de Jager, Toronto Globe and Mail)
http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040114.gtdejagerjan14/BNStory/Technology/
"We Taught Them to Fish" by Peter de Jager, Toronto Globe and Mail, 1-14-04
Arizona's Shifting Economy (Bob Treadway, quoted in "State's economy shifting direction," Arizona Daily Star, 1-5-04), http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/business/4676.php
Forecasts for Canada (Frank Ogden, quoted in "Tropical vacations in B.C., contact with aliens may be in her future," Edmonton Journal, 1-2-04), http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/story.asp?id=885C47A2-DCB0-4ED7-A931-73C0B06E44A3
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