True or false? (I found this on my desktop. No idea where its from I’m afraid). I suspect it’s a little more nuanced than the chart suggests.
Information overload
2
Kids and Technology
As a source of balance to the earlier post (Digital Vs. Human), the web genius that has been working with me on What’s Next and Brainmail for 10 years now has just launched a blog called BrightPips about kids learning through technology. It’s good. If you have kids aged under 16 I think it’s worth a regular read.
Digital Vs Human
Or, perhaps, dream drunk, implement sober.
3D Print Futures
Just been playing around with a scenario matrix for the future of 3D printing. The vertical axis seems obvious – whether control remains closed or opens up (i.e. is the copyright of designs vigorously defended or opened up). The horizontal axis is much less clear and currently seems to close to the vertical (you could argue that both are identical, which is useless). Anyway, it’s a start.
Russian expansionism
Just spotted this at the end of my book Future Files – 2012 update, page 302.
“Russia will become more nationalistic (and go outward militarily).”
This wasn’t my idea. It stems from reading The Next 100 Years by George Friedman. His chapter on Russia 2020 is worth a look. His general argument is that major conflicts tend to repeat themselves and therefore history can indeed be a good guide to the future.
” The Russians are extremely well aware that they are facing a massive demographic crisis. Russia’s current population is about 145 million, and projections for 2050 are for between 90 million and 125 million. Time is working against it. Russia’s problem will soon be its ability to field an army sufficient for its strategic needs. Internally, the number of Russians compared to other ethnic groups is declining, placing intense pressure on Russia to male a move sooner rather than later.”
I also liked his thought that you need to look at the psychology driving national politics. In the case of Russia (and France and the UK) it’s all about the loss of empire and a desire to regain influence. Anyone for the Rise of the Fifth Reich?
Technology hype cycles
Just finishing off something on 3D printing (bigger than the internet or just a load of plastic junk?) and thought I’d share this with you. As you can see, consumer 3D printing is at the top of the hype cycle and about to plunge into the trough of disillusionment. Not sure if Gartner have done a 2014 update yet, but it doesn’t appear so.
Brainmail issue 89 is alive
Just to let you know that that brainmail just went up. If you don’t know about it brainmail is a digital cabinet of curious facts and wonderful ideas that’s been feeding hungry minds since 2004. It’s still free so why not sign up here.
http://brainmail.nowandnext.com/
Here are some bits from the current use.
According to OK Cupid, an online dating site, men
exaggerate their height by an average of two inches and
expand their income by an average of 20% when posting
profiles of themselves.The older the person is the older their
photograph tends to be too. Ladies (and Gentlemen)
you have been warned.
On almost every measure that matters (longevity, literacy,
infant mortality, wars, extreme poverty etc.) life is getting
better, not worse, for the vast majority of the world’s
people. For example, in 1990, slightly over 40% of the
population in developing countries (1.9 billion people)
were living in conditions of extreme poverty (then defined
as living on less than $1 per day). By 2000, this number
had shrunk to 21% (1.2 billion).
People that text more than 100 times per day are 30% less
likely to think that being ethical is important, according
to a study by the University of Winnipeg. (I don’t really
understand this either).
1/3 of the National Health Service’s 39,409
consultants were born outside the UK.
Of 16 female US senators in 2010 aged 56-74, not one had visible grey hair and neither did 90% of women in the House of Representatives.
Issue links:
http://brainmail.nowandnext.com/brainmail_issue89.txt
And for smartphone users:
http://brainmail.nowandnext.com/brainmail_issue89i.txt
Women (not) in the movies
A report called ‘It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World’, looking at the 100 biggest grossing US movies of 2013, found that men played around 70% of onscreen speaking roles, 71% of major characters were men and 85% of characters deriving the plot were male.
A copy of the report can be found here.
Things you should be able to do in your local library
Sorry, got caught up with some work and then somehow managed to open the car door onto my head, which confused me a bit. How is this even possible? Still rather sore 3 days on. Anyway, libraries…
Following on from my lecture in the Netherlands, here is a list of things that I feel you should be able to do in a local library. With acknowledgement to Thomas Frey from the Da Vinci Institute in the USA, who also spoke at the conference.
Borrow books
Read books
Borrow music
Listen to music
Borrow films
Watch films
Borrow toys
Donate toys
Borrow a meeting room
Borrow clothes (especially work clothes for interviews)
Donate unwanted clothes
Borrow a pet
Borrow a heater
Borrow a fridge
Borrow a computer, iPad, Kindle etc.
Borrow an expert in something
Eat a meal (especially if you can’t afford to eat)
Sit quietly all day without being asked to leave or buy something
Play with a 3D printer
Build Lego
Learn a language
Learn how to use technology
Find yourself
Improve yourself
Photocopy or scan things
Meet people
Engage in conversation with people that live alone
Exchange knowledge, information and wisdom
Get out of the cold and wet (sun in Australia)
Gain access to pay-walled information – for free
Look up your family history
Access government services
Have a health check
Learn to read
Listen to stories
Ask questions
Use a telescope (yes, at night)
Use the (very clean) bathroom
Attend a local event
Paint or draw
Swap plant seeds
Exchange recipes
Please add some more things under comments…