November-December 2009
The Dawn of the Postliterate Age
By Patrick TuckerInformation technology, cybernetics, and artificial intelligence may render written language “functionally obsolete” by 2050.
Plus:An Atlantic author looks toward a less-literate future.
By Nicholas Carr
Whole Earth in Review
By Aaron M. Cohen
Scientists and amateur Earth watchers may now see the planet in sharper and more complete detail than ever before. A new topographic map of the Earth combines millions of stereoscopic digital pictures taken via satellite to chart the appearance, temperature, and elevation of 99% of the planet.BOOKS
Scientific Breakthroughs Ahead!
Young scientists entering their fields today will grapple with perplexing questions that their elders have left behind. What’s Next? Dispatches on the Future of Science offers some of their answers. ” Review by Rock Docksai.
Innovation and Creativity in a Complex World
By Cynthia G. Wagner
Attendees at the World Future Society’s 2009 annual conference in Chicago learned new ways to understand and manage complexity.Making Personal Data Vanish
Cancer Mortality Rates Are Declining
Smart Cane Will Help Visually Impaired
Portable Food Tester
WordBuzz: Complexipacity
World Trends and Forecasts
Technology
Coming Soon: A Smarter Internet
Less Web searching, more Web finding. The founders of a new U.S. start-up called SemanticV have come up with a new weapon in the war against information overload: a search engine that actually learns the meaning of words for which it’s searching.
Environment
“Waste Heat” a Potential Threat to the Climate
A new paper argues that cutting greenhouse gas emissions, switching to nuclear or geothermal power, and even sequestering carbon in the earth won’t stave off massively disruptive climate change.
Demography
Debunking the “Depression Gene”
In 2003, researchers reported to great excitement that they had identified what could be called a “depression gene” — a genetic link to the risk of major depression. But new analysis of the groundbreaking study now disputes this conclusion.
Welcome to the latest edition of the World Future Society’s annual Outlook report, in which the editors have selected the most thought-provoking forecasts and ideas appearing in THE FUTURIST over the past year. PDF Available.
The Politics of Climate Change
By Roger Howard
Many experts argue that a complex, global problem like climate change can only be solved with global cooperation. But an alternative scenario might see more-advanced nations using their access to climate data as a weapon against rivals, in a new form of information “haves” versus “have-nots.” PDF Available.
Why the World May Turn to Nuclear Power
By Richard Stieglitz with Rick Docksai
Nuclear power, resisted by many, may provide a long-term solution, and it has come a long way since Three Mile Island and Chernobyl.
PLUS: Second Thoughts on Nuclear Power By Michael Mariotte Cancer, toxic spills, and damage to ecosystems from mining might come with nuclear energy production. PDF Available
World Trends and Forecasts
Society
Closing the Gender Gap in Online Gaming
If the gender gap in the predominantly male profession of computer-game design is going to close, then gaming may provide a solid means of boosting computer technology’s appeal among females.
Recession's Impacts on Lifestyles
What people won't give up for love or money. One of the beneficial effects to society of dealing with a recession is that individuals learn to budget themselves, their organizations, and their families. Around the world, people are making painful choices on ways to save money, and in the process revealing much about their values and priorities.Government
U.S. Seeks Greater Role for Unmanned Vehicles
Oceans’ Dead Zones on the Rise
A predicted global increase in food consumption is likely to create an environmental crisis where it’s least expected. Studies link a rise in industrial food production to an increase in the already large number of so-called “dead zones” in coastal waters.
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