2008 Trends

In the spirit of user generated content and open innovation I’d thought I’d share my early thoughts on trends for 2008. These will eventually end up in my 2008+ Ten Trends: Predictions & Provocations report.

My trend (draft) trends are:

1. Rhythm & balance
2. Collaboration
3. Making things
4. Robotics
5. Industrial provenance
6. Information design
7. Data mining
8. Folklore
9. Rites of passage
10. Fantasy & escape

Any comments from out there?

Future Files (Yes Again)

Oh dear. There’s a “writer and reviewer” in New Zealand that seems to be quite upset with me. I think it might be because I was unkind about MySpace and Facebook. Anyway, just to keep things straight, the reason that there’s no index in my book (Future Files) is because I felt it was a slight waste of space and a somewhat old fashioned and one-dimensional idea. Instead all references are indexed as hyperlinks online at the book website at http://www.futuretrendsbook.com.

Secondly, whilst the sources for almost everything do indeed come from “my trend reports”, these are in turn are sourced from various highly credible sources such as the New York Times, New Scientist, The BBC, The Economist and so on.

One thing I do really like about Matt (apart from his observation that hyphenation will be huge in the future – I just love that) is that he says that if you’re going to be audacious enough to make predictions about the future, “you may as well go nuts”. Absolutely. But then don’t on the one hand accuse me of making “vague predictions” and on the other go on to quote me about the human race fracturing into two halves: the natural and the enhanced.

It’s a hard call this. Do you respond every time someone says something that’s inaccurate or out of context or do you just let it all wash over you? In general I think the latter, but sometimes bitterness is the new black and it’s just too tempting not to respond.