The document discusses various topics related to futuring and innovation including:
- Defining what a futurist is and examples of early futurists like H.G. Wells and Jules Verne.
- Techniques for forecasting the future like the Delphi method, scenario writing, and analyzing forces of change.
- Examples of past predictions and technological innovations that came to fruition as well as those that did not.
- The impact of emerging technologies and social media in enabling new forms of communication, collaboration, and sharing of information in real-time across the world.
2. Agenda
What is a Futurist?
Thoughts about the future
Reflections on Forecasts
Visioning
Forecasting techniques
The NMC Horizon Report
Science fiction, science fact
Research
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4. Who is a Futurist?
H.G. Wells – Professors of Foresight
Early -- 40 years before academic futures studies
Jules Verne – futurist and futurologist
World Future Society
TechCast
Are you a futurist?
5. Think Tanks
Futurist, nuclear scientist,
and systems theorist
Predicted the rise of Japan
as a world power
Rand
Corporation, 1948
The Hudson Institute, 1961
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6. Thoughts about the Future
“We can't solve problems by using the same kind of
thinking we used when we created them.” (Albert
Einstein)
“Science without religion is lame, religion without
science is blind.” (Albert Einstein)
7. Forecasts by Herman Kahn
1. Nuclear explosives for excavation & power
2. Weather and climate control
3. More reliable propaganda and education for affecting behavior
4. Human hibernation – months to years
5. Improved capability to change the sex of children & adults
6. Substantial increase in life expectancy and rejuvenation
7. High quality medical care for underdeveloped nations
8. Permanent manned satellite and lunar installations & travel
9. Life systems for terrestrial installations – outer space travel
10. Undersea installations and colonies
From p. 173 The Fortune Sellers by W. Sherdan
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8. Forecasts by Herman Kahn 2
11. Automated grocery and department stores
12. Extensive use of robots and machines performing mundane tasks
13. Chemical methods for improving learning and memory
14. Greater use of underground buildings
15. Very low cost buildings for home and business use
16. Simulated, planned and even programmed dreams
17. Inexpensive worldwide transportation of humans and cargo
18. Inexpensive road-free transportation
19. Artificial moons and other methods for lighting large areas at night
From p. 173 The Fortune Sellers by W. Sherdan
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9. Thoughts About the Future II
"Any useful idea about the future should appear to be
ridiculous." (Jim Dator)
"A part of our future appears to be evolutionary and
unpredictable, and another part looks developmental
and predictable. Our challenge is to invent the first and
discover the second." (John Smart)
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10. Visioning Activity
If you had unlimited Time, Money and Talent,
what would you accomplish and acquire?
List 10 ideas for each category
Categories:
Education, Job/Research,
Philosophical/Religious, Travel, Home
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11. Forecasting and Futuring Ideas
Will Ferrell’s Tour of Tech That Never Took
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/08/ff_future_ferrell/all/1
The World Future Society http://www.wfs.org/
Influx: 17 thoughts & ideas on forecasting the future from Paul Saffo
http://influxinsights.com/2008/technology/17-thoughts-and-ideas-on-fore
New York Times: And the Pursuit of Happiness, Maira Kalman blog
http://kalman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/can-do/
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12. Major Forecasting Techniques
Technique Description
Delphi method Brainstorming
Nominal group Delphi - leader
Case study Analogous problems
S-Curve Looking beyond trends
Correlation analysis Past to future tech
Lead-user analysis Leading edge users
Analytic hierarchy Forces influencing development
Systems dynamics Dynamic relationships model
Cross-impact analysis Interrelated future events
Relevance trees Goal trees & probability
Scenario writing Alternate future views
From p. 167 The Fortune Sellers by W. Sherdan [7]
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13. The Methods, Forces and Social Media
Delphi Method – waves of independent contributions
The Forces: Influences on potential innovations
Technological, economical, cultural, ethical, legal, political
Horizon Report over the years: cloud computing, semantic
Web, mobile computing, virtual worlds, smart objects,
game-based learning, eBooks and learning analytics
Social media culture shift – consumers become producers
Tools: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Flickr, & Wikis
Global awareness, creativity, community and collaboration
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15. The one Web
We are the computer
From Ted Talks, 2007 [8]
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16. Political and Societal Influences
“Futurists predict societal change.”
Political impact on futurism
The Newtonian Socialists
Extending the Story of Stuff to John Stuart Mill’s
taxation of goods and economic subsidization
http://www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-stuff/
17. The Fortune Sellers by Sherden
In 1990, 115 professors, writers and leaders noted those
who had ideas that were significant, fresh & profound
Alvin Toffler
Mikhail Gorbachev
Nelson Mandela
Arthur C. Clarke
Gene Roddenberry
Peter Drucker
John Naisbitt
David Suzuki
Marilyn Ferguson
Hazel Henderson
18. Top Ten Futurists from the 80s
Alvin Toffler – Future Shock & 1st Univ futuring course
Mikhail Gorbachev – last head of state in the USSR
Nelson Mandela – political activist - social change
Arthur C. Clarke – 2001: A Space Odyssey
Gene Roddenberry – Star Trek
Peter Drucker- America’s Next Twenty Years
John Naisbitt – Megatrends
David Suzuki – Inventing the Future, environmental
Marilyn Ferguson, Assoc of Humanistic Psychology
Hazel Henderson – The Politics of Money
19. Why do things work that way?
Bryan Alexander’s Twitter feed [5]
In hindsight, Berners-Lee wouldn’t use
http://
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20. At age 14, W. Kamkwamba built a windmill
from a book, using a bicycle and 4 blades
It powers 4 bulbs and 2 radios with 12 watts
Next step: to build a 20-watt irrigation system
Windmills as part of a sustainable future – Ted Talks [1]
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21. Sustainability
Changing viewpoints as we gaze into the future
Stewart Brand on the 4 environmental heresies [2]
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22. A train moves down a narrow track
as tables and shops recede into
the walls.
In a matter of seconds, a thriving
marketplace emerges. [2]
(6 minutes into the S. Brand video)
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23. Harmony
Cities are green
Stewart Brand on
Ted Talks
Bangkok train – co-existing
with the marketplace [2]
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24. The Influence of Social Media
Community
Turbo Tax chat
40% of customer questions were
answered by other customers
with the highest accuracy rate in 24 years
Disaster Response
May 2008 Sichuan Earthquake
90,000 lost, schools destroyed
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25. Clay Shirky – How social media can make history
“The tools don’t get socially Media is global, social, ubiquitous & cheap
interesting until they get Most of the media is no longer produced by
technologically boring.” [4] professionals [4]
Consumers become producers -Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Facebook
The same tools support them. - The influence of social media
People listening all over the world Photos and Twitter’s micro blogging
news broadcast real-time information on
Twitter announced the quake first the aftermath of China’s earthquakes
During the previous quake, China June 2, 2009 - China blocked access to
announced it 3 months after it Twitter, Flickr, and Hotmail two days
happened. before the anniversary of the
Tiananmen Square protests
The Great Firewall of China – successful censorship of social media [4]
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26. Perception
Global and poignant [3]
Broadcasting the news
as it is happening [4]
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27. Technology Forecasters
Evolution Futurists
Scientific Discovery Einstein
Inventions Inventors
Science Fiction Jules Verne
Futurology H.G. Wells
Tech Forecasting Herman Kahn
Dr. Strangelove
Think Tanks
Rand Corporation www.rand.org/
Forecasters
www.forecastinternational.com/
Forecast International
From p. 160-166 The Fortune Sellers by W. Sherdan [7]
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28. Japan’s Technology Forecasts
Characteristics Bottom-up view, begins with
Structured approach Firms
Organized Universities, research institutes
Firms, universities National associations
Feedback loops Long term vision
Chief strategists (MITI) Govt ministries, MITI, JRDC
Micromanagement
Long term technology forecasts
ERATO projects
Science & Tech Agency
Institute of Future Technology
Directing Japanese R&D
Economic Planning Agency
investments
JICST
From p. 160-166 The Fortune Sellers by W. Sherdan [7]
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30. Web Services
Proposal Defense
By Paul Yanzick
Communicating by voice, local
chat text, instant messages and
visually.
Includes a meeting log for easy
reference.
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31. Real and Virtual Meetings
Blended reality meetings & collaborative work in 2006
MacArthur Foundation panel from Harvard and MIT
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32. Global Learning Forum
Research consortium
Researchers and game designers
- Explore the potential
- Imagine breakthrough ideas
- Create transformations
New horizons in game simulation
and virtual world research
Blending social media and virtual worlds
This is not your grandmother’s internet
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33. Exploring the Future in SL
Collaboration in a Learning extends
worldwide community beyond the classroom
Architecture (AWG) Seminars
Cultural venues Symposia
Second Life groups Scientific programs
Educational networks Research & Development
Co-author papers
Present your research, collaborate with other scholars, network and share ideas,
and advance the state of technology.
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34. Gazing Into the Future
Web science research initiative
Multidisciplinary approach to emerging media
Focuses on technology, tools, behavior and Web engineering
For more information, visit:
What is the Web Science Initiative
http://webscience.org/
Proposed curriculum and courses offered around the world
http://webscience.org/wiki/Curriculum
The Tetherless World & TW Research Constellation
http://tw.rpi.edu/wiki/Main_Page
http://tw.rpi.edu/launch/
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35. Resources
Teaching using emerging media
Lyr Lobo in Second Life
http://ctusoftware.blogspot.com/
Visual tour of social media & virtual worlds
http://www.slideshare.net/lyrlobo/presentations
Animoto videos from social media and game simulation research
http://ctusoftware.blogspot.com/2009/09/global-learning-forum-event-tour.html
http://animoto.com/play/giF9IkshVTXZ3bewYUsXnA
http://ctusoftware.blogspot.com/2009/09/game-simulation-tour-in-second-life.html
http://animoto.com/play/ktooen8b0XqwLp6HnNEGtA
http://ctusoftware.blogspot.com/2009/09/animoto-video-second-life-summer-09.html
http://animoto.com/play/z2TLLCwEoOt2qonSa5S5Gw
Constitution Day, Graduation Party – How music changes a video
http://ctusoftware.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-music-changes-video.html
Constitution Day, Graduation party 2009 – original music
http://animoto.com/play/15T3PngF3l68010ryw24SQ
Remix http://animoto.com/play/joPGETsdYQBdcLqIlCwTkQ
Questions? Contact
Cynthia Calongne on Facebook & at 719-337-1526 (cell); email calongne@pcisys.net
Lyr Lobo in Second Life; Twitter: lyrlobo; Skype: Lyr Lobo; Slideshare: lyrlobo
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36. Videos and References
[1] William Kamkwamba on building a windmill
http://www.ted.com/talks/william_kamkwamba_on_building_a_windmill.html
[2] Stewart Brand proclaims 4 environmental ‘heresies’
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/stewart_brand_proclaims_4_environmental_heresies.html
1.3 million people around the world – move to town each week!
[3] Kdingflickr’s photostream - China’s biggest earthquake in 32 years
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hzdkl/tags/2008chinasbiggestearthquakein32years/
[4] Clay Shirky how social media can make history
http://www.ted.com/talks/clay_shirky_how_cellphones_twitter_facebook_can_make_history.html
[5] Bryan Alexander ‘s Twitter Feed http://tinyurl.com/yhdeo5q on Berners-Lee
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article6872873.ece
[6] Matt Purkeypile - an Animoto video on Quantum Computing using Cove
http://mpurkeypile.blogspot.com/2009/08/animoto-video-of-cove.html
[7] Sherdan, H. (1999). The Fortune Sellers. The Big Business of Buying and
Selling Predications. Wiley, New York.
[8] Kelly, Kevin. The Next 5000 Days of the Web.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_of_the_web.html
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37. Featured Videos
The Story of Stuff
http://www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-stuff/
Stewart Brand proclaims 4 environmental ‘heresies’
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/stewart_brand_proclaims_4_environmental_heresies.html
1.3 million people around the world – move to town each week!
Clay Shirky how social media can make history
http://www.ted.com/talks/clay_shirky_how_cellphones_twitter_facebook_can_make_history.html
Matt Purkeypile - an Animoto video on Quantum Computing using Cove
http://mpurkeypile.blogspot.com/2009/08/animoto-video-of-cove.html
Kelly, Kevin. The Next 5000 Days of the Web.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_of_the_web.html
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