Imagine you’ve got an unlimited budget to create the most efficient garbage system the world has ever seen. (Okay, maybe not the most glamorous hypothetical I’ve ever offered you. But earth’s human population is producing 1,300,000,000 tons of solid waste every year, and it’s got to go somewhere. Just think what a hero you’d be!) … Continue reading
Tag Archives: economics
5 More Wild, But Possible, Futures
Last week, we looked at several crazy – but plausible! – paradigms of the world to come. But there are way more futurist visions than I can fit in a single post, so here are 5 more futures that YOU might end up living in. Which one would you pick, if it was up to … Continue reading
Conversation with futurist Douglas Rushkoff
Last week, I skeptically dissected a book preview from futurist Douglas Rushkoff, whose forthcoming book Present Shock will tackle issues like sustainability, sufficiency and corporate dominance of the economy. The preview he wrote was quite short, and while intriguing, it brought up many more questions than it answered. Now, Co.exist (who featured the article originally) … Continue reading
Book Preview: Why Futurists Suck
It’s no surprise that this preview for the book Present Shock, called “Why Futurists Suck,” would catch my eye when someone passed along the link: It’s hard not to take it personally when someone goes so far out of their way to denigrate futurists! But a quick read through the article on Good.is suggests the … Continue reading
I’m Live on Urban Times!
The Urban Times calls itself an “optimistic, forward-thinking online magazine” and they’ve just published my first article! I put in the same extensive research, careful crafting and loving care that I put into articles here at Cosmic Revolutions, so I hope you’ll click below and check it out: Sharing Is the Economy of the Future … Continue reading
The Future of Race in America
America’s colors are changing – and I don’t mean the flag. As I mentioned on Monday, the Census Bureau found that over half of the babies born in 2011 were members of ethnic or racial minorities. Those babies are the future population of the United States, and it’s going to be an increasingly black, brown … Continue reading
New Media Continues to Eclipse the Old
Two news items for you today, both about the constantly shifting media landscape. First, a short piece from the Atlantic on the approaching end of cable TV. It’s a sharp observation of the internet’s ability to empower consumers and demolish traditional revenue models. As a consumer, I say the useless and overpriced “cable bundle” can’t … Continue reading
The Future of Prediction
Today, I’m dusting off two quickie-but-goodie items from my accumulated stash of articles. They’re two different perspectives on the same question, a question that lies at the very heart of this blog: Can we ever know what the future holds? Continue reading
The End of Work: Good or Bad?
Automated systems grow more sophisticated every day. They’re now poised to take on many tasks that we would’ve considered “human-only” just a few years ago. We’ve discussed that trend here several times, from robot nurses and lawyers to robots that drive your car. While these developments are fascinating on their own, today I want to … Continue reading
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