January-February 2008

THE FUTURIST

January-February 2008
Volume 42, No. 1
Order the January-February 2008 edition

Cover Story

The Experience Economy: The High Life of Tomorrow

by Eric Garland
"Luxury" goods are now increasingly available to average consumers. So how are the super wealthy going to spend their money (and differentiate themselves from the masses)?
Available in PDF.

Scanning the Global Situation and Prospects for the Future

by Jerome C. Glenn
An overview of global trends studied by the Millennium Project for more than a decade finds both positive and negative developments. We are healthier, wealthier, and better educated, but our world is also becoming more congested, heated, and dangerous.
Available in PDF.

Nihilism, Fundamentalism, or Activism: Three Responses to Suspicions of the Apocalypse

By Richard Eckersley
Widespread fears of an apocalyptic future elicit equally dangerous responses: nihilistic thoughts and decadent lifestyles that accelerate environmental destruction, or fundamentalist intolerance that exacerbates social-political conflict. The only safe approach to suspicions of the apocalypse may be adaptation through activism.
Available in PDF.

The Consumer Is the Medium

by Arnold Brown
Consumers have taken control of their own "marketing"--i.e., collection of information about the products they consume. Surveys by other consumers trump slick ad campaigns, and collaborative filtering software enables peer reviews of everything from music to restaurants. Businesses will increasingly use this bottom-up tool (crowd sourcing) to mine for new ideas for products and services.
Available in PDF.

The Age of Distraction: The Professor or the Processor?

By Michael Bugeja
Due to academia's reliance on technology and the media's overemphasis on trivia, we are failing to inform future generations about social problems that require critical thinking and interpersonal intelligence.

Tomorrow in Brief

The Art of the Cyber-Interview
Self-Repairing Spacecraft
Smoking and Alzheimer's Disease
Safeguarding the Future of Plant Species
Alternatives to Antibiotics