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
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Technology Horizons ProgramSave the Date! Spring Conference: May 13-14, Palo Alto, CA
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Health Horizons ProgramSave the Date! Spring Conference on Health Care 2020 Scenarios, June 9-10, San Jose, CA
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Project Spotlight: The Future of Caring & Ruby's Bequest
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Project Spotlight: Signtific
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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