The document discusses futures studies and scenarios for shaping national intelligence to address complex problems in the future. It provides an overview of scenario planning techniques including defining parameters, exploring uncertainties, and building scenario worlds. The document presents four possible scenarios for 2030 and 2058 based on trends in population growth, climate change, and "wildcard" events like technology, health issues, terrorism, and war. It emphasizes that education must be reformed to develop skills needed for the future like complex problem solving, innovation, and global awareness.
https://response-ability.tech/
Keynote: Rakhi Rajani, Chief Digital Officer, Genomics England
Digital products and services live in the real world and are used by people and society, in context. Disciplinary hierarchy and disciplinary boundaries often hinder innovation. So let’s talk about how we innovate ‘at the intersections’, where brains from different disciplines such as the social sciences, engineering, design, and science bust out of their boxes and come together — instead of competing with each other — to generate solutions. Chair: Adam Warburton, CPO, Co-op.
https://response-ability.tech/
Keynote: Rakhi Rajani, Chief Digital Officer, Genomics England
Digital products and services live in the real world and are used by people and society, in context. Disciplinary hierarchy and disciplinary boundaries often hinder innovation. So let’s talk about how we innovate ‘at the intersections’, where brains from different disciplines such as the social sciences, engineering, design, and science bust out of their boxes and come together — instead of competing with each other — to generate solutions. Chair: Adam Warburton, CPO, Co-op.
„Open Data – und was hat das mit mir zu tun?" - Re:publica 2013Julia Kloiber
Open Data ist kein abstraktes, rein-wissenschaftliches oder politisches Thema, ganz im Gegenteil viele Daten aus Infrastruktur und Gesellschaft sind sehr alltagsnah und können uns dabei helfen unseren Alltag und die Systeme rund um uns besser zu verstehen und zu verändern. Um zu zeigen was Open Data mit jedem Einzelnen von uns zu tun hat, müssen die richtigen Fragen gestellt und der theoretische Rahmen verlassen werden.
http://re-publica.de/sessions/open-data-und-was-hat-mir-tun
Fashion: Escada – Erfolgreicher Neustart einer Weltmarke
Flirten: Interview mit Dirk Kartes, FriendScout24
Feiern: Alpenglühn – das NJC der Jumps
Film: Georg Steidingers Videoinstallation
3 essential characteristics of teacherpreneurs. If we want to innovate and progress in education, we need to level up a little every day, connect with excellence, and personalize learning. Opening presentation at Grand Canyon University.
SSAT Conference Session
https://www.ssatrust.org.uk/sites/NationalConference2010/abouttheevent/Pages/fridaykeynotevideos.aspx for a video of David Lambert in action...
„Open Data – und was hat das mit mir zu tun?" - Re:publica 2013Julia Kloiber
Open Data ist kein abstraktes, rein-wissenschaftliches oder politisches Thema, ganz im Gegenteil viele Daten aus Infrastruktur und Gesellschaft sind sehr alltagsnah und können uns dabei helfen unseren Alltag und die Systeme rund um uns besser zu verstehen und zu verändern. Um zu zeigen was Open Data mit jedem Einzelnen von uns zu tun hat, müssen die richtigen Fragen gestellt und der theoretische Rahmen verlassen werden.
http://re-publica.de/sessions/open-data-und-was-hat-mir-tun
Fashion: Escada – Erfolgreicher Neustart einer Weltmarke
Flirten: Interview mit Dirk Kartes, FriendScout24
Feiern: Alpenglühn – das NJC der Jumps
Film: Georg Steidingers Videoinstallation
3 essential characteristics of teacherpreneurs. If we want to innovate and progress in education, we need to level up a little every day, connect with excellence, and personalize learning. Opening presentation at Grand Canyon University.
SSAT Conference Session
https://www.ssatrust.org.uk/sites/NationalConference2010/abouttheevent/Pages/fridaykeynotevideos.aspx for a video of David Lambert in action...
GenWise Talentdev Programs Parent Session - Oct 2017 @InventureGenWise TalentDev
This presentation was delivered by our Founder, Vishnuteerth Agnihotri, to an invited group of parents of gifted children from a prestigious international school in Bengaluru, describing our company GenWise, and its offerings, including the GenWise BiteSize Weekend Programs starting at Inventure on Oct 28-29, 2017.
Foresight tools help us brainstorm ideas about the future so we are better prepared for the opportunities and challenges that may arise. It provides the ability to forward engage, interacting early before issues become difficult to manage.
This booklet – the first of three in the series – outlines 20 foresight tools to throw into the mix, while you walk forward into the future.
2. Why NASA?
“We choose to go to the moon. We choose
to go to the moon in this decade and do
the other things, not because they are
easy, but because they are hard, because
that goal will serve to organize and
measure the best of our energies and
skills, because that challenge is one that
we are willing to accept, one we are
unwilling to postpone, and one which we
intend to win, and the others, too.” - JFK
3. Three Sights - Hindsight, Insight and Foresight
Three P’s
Probable future - Forecasting and sometimes prediction (Status Quo)
Possible futures - Scenarios, risks (Explorative)
Preferred futures - Strategies for change, propelled by innovation &
leadership (Visionary)
Four Steps
Define - parameters, trends, drivers, assumptions
Explore - uncertainties and rank
Build - scenario worlds, write stories, test
Use - consider implications, review, communicate
Futures Studies – The Theory
6. 2008
In 2008, 3 billion
made $2 or less per
day.
Fifty years later, the
developed countries &
China grow old –
while Africa
& India
remain
young.
I
60:40
40:60
7.
8. Wild Card 2
Terrorism &
War
• Crime
• War
• Nuclear War
Wild Card 3
Health & Safety
• Antibiotic R.
• Pandemic
• Food
• Water
Wild Card 1
Technology
• Info
• Nano
• Bio
Given the
- increase in population
- climate change &
- the existence of wildcards
Val OrchardVal Orchard
9. Our generation can
expect a life
expectancy of 92 –
100 years of age.
Our children, if we
fail to manage their
weight gain, will
have 80 year old
bodies in 50 year old
skin.
10. Crime is now global
• $1 trillion pa Illicit Trade
• 150 unauthorised use of nuclear or
radioactive materials in the last 4 years
• 20,000 active nuclear weapons
11. The first computer chip was invented in late 1950
Just over 50 years ago
The first text message was sent in 1991
Just under 20 years
ago
The phone that now fits in your pocket, will fit
inside the first blood cell
12. Man & Machine?
Man is expected by some to create a machine with the equivalent
of a human brain by 2029…
13.
14.
15. Exponential Times
Suppose a water lily is growing on a pond in
your backyard. The lily plant doubles in size
each day.
If the lily were allowed to grow unchecked, it
would completely cover the pond in 30 days,
choking out all other forms of life in the water.
When it covers half the pond, how many days
do you have left? ……
17. How do we develop a new way
of thinking?
1. Why is education a priority?
2. What should be the focus for
education?
3. Who will solve the global problems?
4. When will solutions be found?
5. Where should changes occur within
education?
1. How can we redesign education to
face these challenges?
?
18. History does not repeat, but it does
rhyme
John Dewey (1859-1952)
• The School and Society – “without some goals and some effort to
reach it, no man can live”
Focus on whole person.
Ellwood Cubberley (1868-1941)
• Schools are factories – trained a generation of administrators in
what was called the “science” of school management. Paternal.
Focus on efficiency.
Lewis Terman (1877-1956)
• IQ test – at age of 5, Three R’s – reading, writing and arithmetic.
Role of Teacher to memorize, manners and recite.
Focus on measuring and testing.
19. Assumption 1: Global Problems = Global Solutions
Assumption 2: Requires some form of global intelligence
Assumption 3: GI = NI x 195 countries
Assumption 4: NI = (EI x IQ x EQ x CI x TI x FI) population
Then if our aim is to increase NZ’s NI, then
NI+
= (EI x IQ x EQ x CI x TI x FI) 4,386,609
20. Who is Andrew
Hoyer?
1) Attention to detail. This to me is one of the most important skills that
anyone can acquire. Being able to finish a task is important, but being able
to finish a task well is so much more important especially when having to
work with other people.
2) Patience. Having the drive to tackle problems over and over again is
essential in being able to complete real world problems. Without patience I
would never get anything done.
3) Courage to learn. Being able to jump into the unknown and start learning
is incredibly hard for some people and it definitely takes some time to get
used to it. But once you get comfortable with the unknown your potential
for learning and working is limitless.
22. Xero was co-founded in July
2006 by Hamish Edwards
Don’t be afraid to fail
Think really big
Build a network
Always present well
Be honorable and have personal
integrity
Make decisions and be
responsible for the results
Be free with your time
See the world
Remember where you come
from
Get married and have kids…(but
not for a while yet)
23. Technology wants to be
invented and we are almost
powerless to stop it. We are
hard-wired to create the future,
be it good or bad. Invention is
its own master - Chris Anderson,
WIRED magazine
24. The Web is Dead
WIRED: Sources: Cisco estimates based on CAIDA publications, Andrew Odlyzko
25. Skills for the Future
Non-routine thinking
Complex
Communication
1. Critical thinking
2. Problem solving
3. Collaborative
4. Communicate
5. Innovate
6. Be globally aware
7. Be self directed
8. Technology literate
-Ken Kay
1. Witnessing: Opening our
eyes
2. Learning: Opening our
minds
3. Connecting: Creating
relationships
4. Geo-partnering: Working
together - Gerzon
Why do you think scientists and engineers were able to devise the atomic bomb in only four years and put man on the moon only eight years ? What factors were necessary for these accomplishemnets?
This is the most famous bit of Kennedy’s speeches regarding reaching the moon: We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too. The full text is here Retrieved November 2010 at http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/jfk-space.htm.
Nixon’s phone call to Neil Armstrong on the moon can be found here http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Richard_Nixon%27s_Phone_Call_to_the_Moon
Kennedy’s initial speech announcing to congress the intention to go to the moon is here http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Archives/Reference+Desk/Speeches/JFK/Urgent+National+Needs+Page+4.htm. The speech is fairly dry though and is really just asking congress whether they want to accept the big cost involved with the mission
Source (text): M. Marien, Future Survey #4, 2008
Hence the title four ‘possible’ futures
Sir Edmund Hillary climbed Everest
Timeline - like a accordion
Uses climate change an GM to explore the landscape
Source (figure): Sustainable Future (2009). Project 2058 Methodology version 3. Sustainable Future: Wellington. adapted from C. Ilbury & C. Sunter (2001). The Mind of a Fox: Scenario planning in action. Cape Town: Human and Rousseau Tafelberg.
Of the 97 billion who have lived
90 billion have died
Of the 7 billion alive
3 billion currently live on $2 or less a day
Of the 4 billion living on more than $2
2 billion are financially and physically dependent
So we represent the 2 billion earning, alive and able to make a difference
(2 billion divided into 97 – we are the 2%)
Every generation needs to answer two questions: What is possible and what is acceptable?
Its our watch to protect mankind – like in the Gettysburg address - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion - 1865
The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. President Abraham Lincoln
Its not just about numbers, its also about composition
Notes:
About 1.5 billion in 1900
Implications for food and water – long term global social conflict seems inevitable without serious food and water policies
To summarise: the developed countries and China grow old – while Africa and India remains young.
Source (text): J.C. Glenn, T. J. Gordon, & E. Florescu (2008). State of the Future 2008. Washington DC: World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA).
Source (images): Wendy McGuinness
See also Time Magazine, 18 October 2010 – The Real Challenge from China: Its People, Not its Currency. The article reports:
China is moving up the value chain. For much of the past three decades, China focused its efforts on building up its physical infrastructure (not people). Now its entering a new phase of economic development – with the same determination it invested in infrastructure.
In the last decade the number of colleges in China has doubled and the number of students have quantrippled, going from 1 million in 1997 to 5.5 million in 2007. China has identified its ivy league of nine top universities. Yale president said this expansion is without precedent! –
“””The increase in China’s postsecondary enrollment since the turn of the millennium exceeds the total post secondary enrollment in the United States.”””
What does this mean…..
in the US, a high-school educated worker is 1.8 times productive as someone with a ninth grade education…..
, and a college graduate 3 times more productive as someone with a ninth grade education…..some estimates think this will mean China has a GDP of around 123 trillion US by 2040. – by far the largest economy in the world.
Harvard Center Shanghai
State of the Future 2008: Change to Low mortality and low fertility – see pages 16 and 17- Over 25% of the world (excl Africa) will be over 60 years of age. In contrast, Africa will be more like 10% over 60 years of age
50 Years from today - One per person – page 5
So today, if you are 30 with a baby, in fifty years you may be 80 looking after the same baby.
92 in 2030 plus longer – World Futures Conference – Maddy Dychtwald and Fifty years from now – page 5
Fifty Years from Now – obesity – page 27
The total spent on the military world wide is about $1 trillion – page 4, State of the Future, 2008
(i) The first computer chip, otherwise known as a microprocessor, was invented by Ted Hoff while he was working for Intel. The chip was the size of a pencil eraser and was originally invented to be used in calculators instead of computers.
Source:
The Computer Chronicles: News Flash
Read more: Who made the first computer chip? | Answerbag http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1916830#ixzz159oB5JUM and http://www.enotes.com/history-fact-finder/science-invention/when-was-first-computer-chip-developed
(2) YouTube Did You Know 4.0.
Also Silicon Chips Embedded in Human Cells Could Detect Diseases EarlierRetrieved November from http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/03/18/silicon-chips-embedded-in-human-cells-could-detect-diseases-earlier/
Over 1 million industrial robots are working today
Radar Image, Wrapped Color as Height, Lanai and West Maui, Hawaii
This topographic radar image shows Lanai (left) and western Maui (right). Data such as these will be useful for studying the history of volcanic activity on these now extinct volcanoes. SRTM data also will help local officials evaluate and mitigate natural hazards for islands throughout the Pacific. For example, improved elevation data will make it easier for communities to plan for tsunamis (tidal waves generated by earthquakes around the perimeter of the Pacific) by helping them identify evacuation routes and areas prone to flooding.
This image combines two types of data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. The image brightness corresponds to the strength of the radar signal reflected from the ground, while colors show the elevation as measured by SRTM. Each cycle of colors (from pink through blue back to pink) represents an equal amount of elevation difference (400 meters or 1300 feet) similar to contour lines on a standard topographic map. This image contains about 1800 meters (5900 feet) of total relief.
The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), launched on February 11,2000, uses the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) that flew twice on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994. The mission is designed to collect three-dimensional measurements of the Earth's surface. To collect the 3-D data, engineers added a 60-meter-long (200-foot) mast, an additional C-band imaging antenna and improved tracking and navigation devices. The mission is a cooperative project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) and the German (DLR) and Italian (ASI) space agencies. It is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise,Washington, DC.
Size: 68 by 45 kilometers (42 by 28 miles) Location: 20.8 deg. North lat., 156.7 deg. West lon. Orientation: North toward upper left Original Data Resolution: 30 meters (99 feet) Date Acquired: February 18, 2000 Image: NASA/JPL/NIMA
Image Credit:
NASA/JPL
Image Addition Date:
2000-02-19
Retrieved November 17, 2010 from: http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02723
A traditional French riddle also illustrates the surprising nature of exponential growth:
The water lily will cover half the pond on the 29th day, leaving you only 24 hours before it chokes out the life in your pond.
See Lily example retrieved November 2010: http://www.pegasuscom.com/tstart2.html
So do I think there is and emergency….
The only hope for the future lies in co-operative international action, legitimized by democracy.
To survive in the world we have transformed, we must learn to think in a new way. As never before, the future of each depends on the good of all.
Published on Friday, December 7, 2001 On the 100th anniversary of the Nobel prize,
Retrieved November 2010 fro0m http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/1207-01.htm
It is time to turn our backs on the unilateral search for security, in which we seek to shelter behind walls. Instead, we must persist in the quest for united action to counter both global warming and a weaponized world.These twin goals will constitute vital components of stability as we move toward the wider degree of social justice that alone gives hope of peace.Some of the needed legal instruments are already at hand, such as the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, the Convention on Climate Change, the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. As concerned citizens, we urge all governments to commit to these goals that constitute steps on the way to replacement of war by law. Published on Friday, December 7, 2001 in the Toronto Globe & Mail
(i) GI defined: global intelligence is the human capabilities that enable us to co-exist and co-create with people different from ourselves (Mark Gerzon in Global Citizens (2010), Page 166.) – building bridges between us and them – page xxii
(ii) Number of Countries as at Jun 14 2010, Retrieved November 2010 from http://geography.about.com/cs/countries/a/numbercountries.htm
A very frequent geographical question is "How many countries are in the world?" Different numbers pop up when one inquires or reads about the number of countries in the world. Each source you use often yields a different answer. Ultimately, the best answer is that there are 195 countries in the world. United Nations: There are 192 members of the United Nations. Unfortunately, the number 192 is too often used to represent the number of countries in the world. Although this number represents almost all of the countries in the world, there are still two recognized independent countries, the Vatican City and Kosovo, that are independent and are not members of the U.N. so 192 is not the number of countries in the world.
(iii) Population of New Zealand as at Saturday, 13 Nov 2010 at 02:43:34 pm was 4,386,609. Retrieved November 2010 from http://www.stats.govt.nz/tools_and_services/tools/population_clock.aspx
(iv) Five W's and a H that should come *after* every story (A model for the 21st century newsroom: pt3). Retrieved November 2010 from http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2007/11/12/five-ws-and-a-h-that-should-come-after-every-story-a-model-for-the-21st-century-newsroom-pt3/
November 12, 2007
By Paul Bradshaw
So far this model has looked at sourcing stories in the new media age, and reporting a news story in the new media age. In this third part I look at what should happen after a news story has been reported, using a familiar framework: the 5 Ws and a H – who, what, where, why, when and how.
A web page – unlike a newspaper, magazine or broadcast – is never finished – or at least, can always be updated. Its permanence is central to its power, and relates directly to its connectivity (and therefore visibility).
(v) Analog v Digital http: / Retrieved November 2010 from /www.techterms.com/definition/analog
As humans, we perceive the world in analog. Everything we see and hear is a continuous transmission of information to our senses. This continuous stream is what defines analog data. Digital information, on the other hand, estimates analog data using only ones and zeros.For example, a turntable (or record player) is an analog device, while a CD player is digital. This is because a turntable reads bumps and grooves from a record as a continuous signal, while a CD player only reads a series of ones and zeros. Likewise, a VCR is an analog device, while a DVD player is digital. A VCR reads audio and video from a tape as a continuous stream of information, while a DVD player just reads ones and zeros from a disc.Since digital devices read only ones and zeros, they can only approximate an audio or video signal. This means analog data is actually more accurate than digital data. However, digital data can can be manipulated easier and preserved better than analog data. More importantly, computers can only handle digital data, which is why most information today is stored digitally. But if you want to transfer video from old analog video tapes into your computer so you can edit them, you're not out of luck. You can use a digital to analog converter (DAC) to convert the analog information into a digital signal that can be recognized by your computer.
See Cubberley and Dewey, Retrieved November 2010 from http://www.pbs.org/kcet/publicschool/innovators/index.html
See Terman, Retrieved November 2010 from http://www.education.com/reference/article/terman-lewis-1877-1956
See YouTube: History of Education (1900-1950)
Why should we care
What evidence are we relying upon (or not)?
Who needs to connect with who?
When should this happen?
Where should this happen?
How can we make a difference? (EI or IQ)
EI = Emotional Intelligence
EQ = Environmental
CI = cultural
TI = understanding of time, consequences
FI = Family – interconnectedness
Email from I'd be happy to help you however I can, so feel free to use my site for anything. I'm currently 23 years old and am working as a software engineer in San Francisco.
As far as some key skills/characteristics for younger people, I don't think I can come up with seven characteristics, but I definitely have three that I value very much. These are of course coming from a computer science/engineering perspective as its what I know best.
1) Attention to detail. This to me is one of the most important skills that anyone can acquire. Being able to finish a task is important, but being able to finish a task well is so much more important especially when having to work with other people.
2) Patience. Having the drive to tackle problems over and over again is essential in being able to complete real world problems. Without patience I would never get anything done.
3) Courage to learn. Being able to jump into the unknown and start learning is incredibly hard for some people and it definitely takes some time to get used to it. But once you get comfortable with the unknown your potential for learning and working is limitless.
Xero was founded in July 2006 by successful technology entrepreneur Rod Drury and specialist small business accountant Hamish Edwards. Xero is listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange and is a fast growing company with offices in Wellington, Auckland, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and London. Retrieved November 2008 from http://www.xero.com/press/
See http://longtail.typepad.com/the_long_tail/
September 27, 2009
Chris Anderson
(i) Retrieved November 2010 from http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/08/ff_webrip/all/1
“Two decades after its birth, the World Wide Web is in decline, as simpler, sleeker services — think apps — are less about the searching and more about the getting. Chris Anderson explains how this new paradigm reflects the inevitable course of capitalism. And Michael Wolff explains why the new breed of media titan is forsaking the Web for more promising (and profitable) pastures.”
(ii) Retreved November 2010 from http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Internet/2002/Web_vs_Internet.asp
What is The Internet?
The Internet is a massive network of networks, a networking infrastructure. It connects millions of computers together globally, forming a network in which any computer can communicate with any other computer as long as they are both connected to the Internet. Information that travels over the Internet does so via a variety of languages known as protocols.
What is The Web (World Wide Web)?
The World Wide Web, or simply Web, is a way of accessing information over the medium of the Internet. It is an information-sharing model that is built on top of the Internet. The Web uses the HTTP protocol, only one of the languages spoken over the Internet, to transmit data.
(iii) Peer-to-peer is a communications model in which each party has the same capabilities and either party can initiate a communication session. Other models with which it might be contrasted include the client/server model and the master/slave model. Retrieved November 2010 from http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci212769,00.html
(iii) Skype was founded in 2003 … In 2010, a report by TeleGeography Research stated that Skype-to-Skype calls accounted for 13% of all international call minutes in 2009. Retrieved November 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skype
(iV FTP is built on a client-server architecture and utilizes separate control and data connections between the client and server.[1] FTP users may authenticate themselves using a clear-text sign-in protocol but can connect anonymously if the server is configured to allow it. Retrieved November 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_Transfer_Protocol
(v) The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical naming system built on a distributed database for computers, services, or any resource connected to the Internet or a private network. It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities. Most importantly, it translates domain names meaningful to humans into the numerical identifiers associated with networking equipment for the purpose of locating and addressing these devices worldwide. Retrieved November 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_Name_System
(vi) Telnet is a network protocol used on the Internet or local area networks to provide a bidirectional interactive text-oriented communications facility using a virtual terminal connection. User data is interspersed in-band with Telnet control information in an 8-bit byte oriented data connection over the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). Retrieved November 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telnet
(vii) Wired, Retrieved November 2010 from http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/08/ff_webrip/all/1
Chris Anderson. “We’ll pay for convenience and reliability, which is why iTunes can sell songs for 99 cents despite the fact that they are out there, somewhere, in some form, for free. When you are young, you have more time than money, and LimeWire is worth the hassle. As you get older, you have more money than time. The iTunes toll is a small price to pay for the simplicity of just getting what you want. The more Facebook becomes part of your life, the more locked in you become. Artificial scarcity is the natural goal of the profit-seeking.
The Internet is the real revolution, as important as electricity; what we do with it is still evolving. As it moved from your desktop to your pocket, the nature of the Net changed. The delirious chaos of the open Web was an adolescent phase subsidized by industrial giants groping their way in a new world. Now they’re doing what industrialists do best — finding choke points. And by the looks of it, we’re loving it.”
Mark Gerzon – Global Citizen – page 13
World-wide view based on one-self
World-wide view based on ones group
World view based on ones nation
World-wide view based on ones culture
World-wide view based on the whole earth
One single global mega-colony
Ants = Equal to biomass of humans
Ants from European, Californian and Japan rub antennae with one another and never became aggressive or try to avoid one another. In short, they act as if they all belong to the same colony, despite living on different continents separated by vast oceans.
http://www.pnas.org/content/97/26/14028.full
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8127000/8127519.stm
A single mega-colony of ants has colonised much of the world, scientists have discovered.
Argentine ants living in vast numbers across Europe, the US and Japan belong to the same inter-related colony, and will refuse to fight one another.
The colony may be the largest of its type ever known for any insect species, and could rival humans in the scale of its world domination.
What's more, people are unwittingly helping the mega-colony stick together.
Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) were once native to South America. But people have unintentionally introduced the ants to all continents except Antarctica.
These introduced Argentine ants are renowned for forming large colonies, and for becoming a significant pest, attacking native animals and crops.
In Europe, one vast colony of Argentine ants is thought to stretch for 6,000km (3,700 miles) along the Mediterranean coast, while another in the US, known as the "Californian large", extends over 900km (560 miles) along the coast of California. A third huge colony exists on the west coast of Japan.
The enormous extent of this population is paralleled only by human society
Entomologists reveal the ant colony's true size
While ants are usually highly territorial, those living within each super-colony are tolerant of one another, even if they live tens or hundreds of kilometres apart. Each super-colony, however, was thought to be quite distinct.
But it now appears that billions of Argentine ants around the world all actually belong to one single global mega-colony.
Researchers in Japan and Spain led by Eiriki Sunamura of the University of Tokyo found that Argentine ants living in Europe, Japan and California shared a strikingly similar chemical profile of hydrocarbons on their cuticles.
But further experiments revealed the true extent of the insects' global ambition.
The team selected wild ants from the main European super-colony, from another smaller one called the Catalonian super-colony which lives on the Iberian coast, the Californian super-colony and from the super-colony in west Japan, as well as another in Kobe, Japan.
They then matched up the ants in a series of one-on-one tests to see how aggressive individuals from different colonies would be to one another.
Ants from the smaller super-colonies were always aggressive to one another. So ants from the west coast of Japan fought their rivals from Kobe, while ants from the European super-colony didn't get on with those from the Iberian colony.
One big family
But whenever ants from the main European and Californian super-colonies and those from the largest colony in Japan came into contact, they acted as if they were old friends.
These ants rubbed antennae with one another and never became aggressive or tried to avoid one another.
In short, they acted as if they all belonged to the same colony, despite living on different continents separated by vast oceans.
The most plausible explanation is that ants from these three super-colonies are indeed family, and are all genetically related, say the researchers. When they come into contact, they recognise each other by the chemical composition of their cuticles.
"The enormous extent of this population is paralleled only by human society," the researchers write in the journal Insect Sociaux, in which they report their findings.
However, the irony is that it is us who likely created the ant mega-colony by initially transporting the insects around the world, and by continually introducing ants from the three continents to each other, ensuring the mega-colony continues to mingle.
"Humans created this great non-aggressive ant population," the researchers write.
I have been trying to think of the earth as a kind of organism, but it is no go. I cannot think of it this way. It is too big, too complex, with too many working parts lacking visible connections. The other night, driving through a hilly, wooded part of southern New England, I wondered about this. If not like an organism, what is it like, what is it most like? Then, satisfactorily for that moment, it came to me: it is most like a single cell. – Lewis Thomas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Thomas
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