Future Now
The IFTF Blog
IFTF Update: Winter 2009
2008 was an inspiring year for us and despite external forces in the world today, we are moving into 2009—our 41st year—with new vigor. As Distinguished IFTF Fellow Bob Johansen puts it, 2009 "has great potential to be a springboard year." Across the world now more than ever is the time to invest in looking at what lies in the coming decade and beyond. We have seen that basic forms of the organizations that served us well in the 20th century must be revamped and restructured to better serve us as we find our stride in the 21st century. It's a transformative time, providing us unique opportunities for reflection, consideration, and experimentation in a world that is rebooting itself. Now more than ever leaders need to apply foresight and insight to create solid action plans to ensure we come out of 2009 on track for a better future. For more on the IFTF's approach to superstructing our world, please read a message from Executive Director Marina Gorbis.
Social Impact InitiativeIFTF’s Social Impact Initiative is taking shape under the leadership of Jackie Carlson-Copeland, and with the financial support of the Roy Amara Fund for Participatory Foresight. For more information about IFTF’s Social Impact Initiative and related research projects, please contact Jackie Copeland-Carson, 650-233-9582, [email protected].More on Social Impact at IFTF...
Ten-Year Forecast ProgramSave the Date! Annual Retreat, April 20-21, Sausalito, CA
The time between now and 2019 may be foggy, but that’s all the more reason that our Ten-Year Forecast’s Map of the Decade is more important than ever. If we have a clear understanding of what we’ll find ten years from now, we can plan and prepare for how we’ll navigate the world between now and then. TYF Members will have a chance to learn first hand all the details associated with the ’09 program during the Annual Ten-Year Forecast Retreat that takes place April 20-21 in Sausalito, just north of San Francisco. Please look for the registration materials that have been sent to members.The Ten-Year Forecast Program can help you launch the next era of your organization. For more information about the 2009 Program and Retreat, please contact Sean Ness, (650) 233-9517, [email protected].More on the Ten-Year Forecast Program...Technology Horizons ProgramSave the Date! Spring Conference: May 13-14, Palo Alto, CA
We may not yet know what the world will look like in 2019, but we will have an idea of what technologies will be available and how they may impact society. We wrapped up 2008 with our Blended Realities conference, a look at the physical/digital future. The report will be available to Tech Horizons members within the next few weeks. We also finished our project on An Open Mobile Ecosystem, compiling a Tech Foundations report and a set of digital stories forecasting future mobile use around the globe. The first conference of 2009, focusing on the Future of Video, is scheduled for May 13-14 in Palo Alto. Save the date and watch your email in March for the registration package. For more information, please contact Sean Ness, (650) 233-9517, [email protected].More on the Tech Horizons Program...Health Horizons ProgramSave the Date! Spring Conference on Health Care 2020 Scenarios, June 9-10, San Jose, CA
This year the Health Horizons Program is uniquely positioned to engage with thought leaders and key stakeholders about the future of health and health care in this country. The research agenda is based on the global health economy; health and medical technologies; food, nutrition, and sustainability; consumer behavior and social media; health care delivery systems; and other important societal forces. In 2009, Health Horizons will launch a collaborative online platform for exchanging ideas, gathering insights, and developing forecasts. This will bring together IFTF’s forecasting experience and the expertise of key stakeholders to provide our clients with an unparalleled opportunity to continuously anticipate the future of health and health care. Scenario Building: Discovering Alternative FuturesThe first 2009 Health Horizons’ conference, we will present our Health Care 2020 Scenarios, which will focus on broad strategic responses to the challenges health care faces in the years ahead. This conference will take place June 9-10, 2009, at the Sainte Claire Hotel in San Jose, CA. Please contact Neela Nuristani for additional information at [email protected].For more information about the Health Horizons Program, please contact Dawn Alva at [email protected] or (650) 233-9585.More on the Health Horizons Program...Project Spotlight: The Future of Caring & Ruby's Bequest
In partnership with United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) and AARP, IFTF will be launching a open collaborative story-telling platform to address the troubled future of caring for the public good. The online forum, named Ruby’s Bequest, invites people of all backgrounds and experiences to share their concerns, questions and innovative solutions on topics ranging from elder care to Medicare to Social Security and any other component of the caring ecosystem. Ruby’s Bequest will launch to the public on March 9 and run through April 12, 2009.For more information about The Future of Caring project, please contact Rachel Hatch, [email protected].More on Ruby's Bequest...Project Spotlight: Signtific
On February 23, IFTF announces the launch of Signtific (www.signtific.org) to the public. Signtific is a global collaborative research platform designed to help advance key signals and forecasts emerging within science and technology. Designed to identify future disruptions, opportunities and competitive landscapes, Signtific is completely open, easy to use and unilaterally accessible to anyone wishing to participate. The project is also designed to leverage the growing network of science and technology experts and enthusiasts across the globe through collaborative physical workshops and a series of engaging alternate reality games. Signtific invites scientists, engineers, designers, researchers, technologists and creative thinkers from any discipline to participate in discussing, dissecting and discovering both nascent and time-tested ideas that will shape our future.Be sure to stay tuned to the latest news on Signtific through Facebook, LinkedIn, the official Signtific blog, and on Twitter: @signtific and @signtificlab (for the game). For more information on Signtific, please contact Cesar Castro, [email protected].Staff Changes: New Technology Horizons Program DirectorFor the better part of 10 years, Marina Gorbis used her insight to guide Technology Horizons research activities in the program director role. In November, Marina passed this leadership role to Jake Dunagan, an IFTF Research Director. The move allows Marina to focus exclusively on her role as the Institute’s Executive Director while fully leveraging Jake’s training and experience as a futurist with the Hawai’i Research Center for Future Studies. Marina summed up her feelings about the change by saying, “I will miss leading the Institute’s Tech Horizons research, but it will be exciting to see the innovative approaches and direction Jake brings to the program. Our members should know Tech Horizons is in very capable hands with Jake.”If you have any questions about this leadership change or the Technology Horizons Program, please contact Sean Ness, (650) 233-9517, [email protected].
Recently Released
Members OnlyTechnology Horizons
- An Open Mobile Ecosystem (SR-1206): Digital stories & technology foundations memo
- Knowledge Tools of the Future (SR-1179): Report
Health Horizons
- Industry Compass 2.0: Map
Boomers
- Three New Forecasts: Ecologies of Risk, Civil Society, and Frontiers of Technology.
Available to the Public
- Abundant Computing: The Next Ten Years (SR-1125): Map and videos
- A Model World: Simulation and the Future of Virtuality (SR-1121): Report
- GEMI Digital Story: Dilemma Management Around Sustainability
IFTF on the WebInteresting Viewing, Listening & Reading
- Jane and IFTF are featured in a New York Times article entitled, “Inspiration Can Be Found in Many Places, but You Need to be Looking.”
- An in-depth interview with Richard Adler about Boomers on MarketWatch, Risky times ahead: Baby boomers face three new risks in coming decades, but there are answers
- Jane and IFTF are featured in NPR radio’s All Things Considered episode titled "Interactive Games Make Museums A Place To Play." In this particular program—which explores the future of museums and how ARGs can make them a place to play—Jane provides perspective on how people derive happiness from ARGs.
- Alex Pang comments on Apple's 25th Anniversary for CNN.
- Marina participates in an IFC Media Project piece on the future of the news.
IFTF Projects
- Signtific - the future of science and technology
- Ruby's Bequest - Tell it to someone who cares!
IFTF blogs
- Future Now - emerging technologies and their social implications
- Signtific - the future of science and technology
- Signtific Lab - scientific thought experiments
- Virtual China - an exploration of virtual experiences and environments in and about China
- Ten-Year Forecast (members only) - a broad scan of the leading edge of change in business, government, and the global community
- Technology Horizons (members only) - a blog on emerging technologies and their implications for business, society, and family life
- Health Horizons (members only) - an 'outboard brain" and collective memory for Health Horizons researchers and members
Social Media
- IFTF on Twitter - Follow IFTF on Twitter
- Signtific on Twitter - Follow Signtific on Twitter
- Signtific on Twitter - Follow Signtific Lab on Twitter
IFTF Library
- The IFTF Library contains our publicly-available research
Post image via nicolasnova on Flickr