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A magazine of forecasts, trends, and ideas about the future
May-Junel 2005 Vol. 39, No. 3

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Author Index A-L
Author Index M-Z
Index of News Articles

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Top 10 Forecasts From Outlook 2005 Report

Tomorrow in Brief
edited by Cindy Wagner

credit: SILVERTIP / COURTESY OF LONDON PRESS SERVICE

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Blade Runner will move cars and passengers via road or rail.
Dualmode Truck Becomes Railway Car
A concept vehicle that functions as a combination truck and railroad car could ease the world's traffic woes. The Blade Runner, displayed recently at London's Science Museum, is a coach that can switch quickly from road to rail, thanks to retractable steel wheels between its rubber tires. The vehicle, designed by Silvertip Design in Richmond, England, would carry a cargo of passenger vehicles--and their passengers--at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour on a special lane on motorways, allowing the cars to disembark at key interchanges. Blade Runner could then transfer easily to branch railway lines or to rail tracks that are constructed along existing roadways. The result will be a more-efficient and inviting form of mass transportation, less fuel consumption, less pollution, and reduced congestion, according to the developers.

Source: Silvertip Design, Oak Lea, Scurragh Lane, Skeeby, Richmond, Yorkshire DL10 5EG, United Kingdom. Web site www.silvertipdesign.com.

Progress in Fighting Rabbit Fever
Scientists have succeeded in mapping the genome of the bacterium that causes rabbit fever, the Swedish Research Council reports. The breakthrough puts the researchers closer to finding effective protection against the deadly disease, which is a potential biological weapon. Rabbit fever flares up in rodents and then can infect humans, causing sores, swollen lymph nodes, and a high, persistent fever; an aggressive variant of the bacterium found in North America can be fatal.

Source: Swedish Research Council, Regeringsgatan 56, 103 78 Stockholm, Sweden. Web site www.vr.se/english/.

Grassroots Philanthropy
"Giving circles" are a growing force in U.S. philanthropy, and women are becoming leaders in this grassroots-based charitable movement. Giving circles are small groups of friends, neighbors, families, and acquaintances, who pool their resources to make donations in ways that make a difference to their communities. Such groups have invested more than $44 million in communities across the United States since 2000, according to a report by New Ventures in Philanthropy. More than half (57%) of the groups studied have female-only or majority-female memberships. Causes supported may range from aiding disaster victims on the other side of the world to donating video games for the local children's hospital, but the groups largely focus on programs benefiting women and children. Donations may be as small as a dollar a day among some giving-circle participants, proving that philanthropy is no longer the exclusive domain of the wealthy.

Source: Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, Suite 650, 1111 19th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. Telephone 202-467-1120; Web site www.GivingForum.org.

TV Gets and Interactive Boost
The next generation of interactive video technology will give new meaning to the term reality TV. A new entertainment system called duo promises to put the viewer directly into the story. The program, developed by SBS Interactive, combines Hollywood's "blue-screen" digital visual-effects technology--which allows images to be superimposed over virtually any background--with interactive video technology. When the device is hooked up to your video or DVD player, you can point the camera at yourself in front of the blue-screen backdrop, which deletes your real background while your image is inserted into the scene playing on your TV. Besides enhancing entertainment experiences, the program could also create more realistic training simulations for doctors, athletes, architects, chefs, soldiers, and others.

Source: SBS Interactive, 4211 Yonge Street, Suite 235, Toronto, Ontario M2P 2A9, Canada. Web site www.sidebyside.tv/intro.html.

silver wound.jpg (25008 bytes)Healing with Silver
Silver-embedded fabrics could soon help heal our wounds, keep our habitats germ-free, and even sweeten the scent of old sneakers. Thanks to nanotechnology, scientists in Great Britain have developed a technique to incorporate silver--well known for its antifungal and antimicrobial powers--directly into fibers that can then be used for wound dressings. The process, developed by the British science and technology company QinetiQ, prevents leaching of the silver, a problem that has plagued previous attempts at incorporating the medicinal medal into fabrics. Potentially, the process could also be used to apply silver to foams, films, paints, and other materials, keeping homes and public facilities cleaner and healthier.

Source: QinetiQ, Cody Technology Park, Ively Road, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 0LX, United Kingdom. Web site www.qinetiq.com.

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