I don't know about you, but I cannot live without a few secrets. Without secrets, without a private inner life, we lose our individuality and our sense of self. Today though, we are bombarded with messages telling us that privacy is worth sacrificing for the greater good; for the good of community security, for the … Continue reading Secrets and Lies
Tag: futurist
Social Cooling
The below is a transcript of my recent Pecha Kucha (20 slides, 20 seconds each) talk on "Social Cooling" - a disturbing phenomenon I think everyone should be aware of. Personal data is said to be the new oil…not just because of the industry’s value, but because of its power. And, like big oil is blamed … Continue reading Social Cooling
The future library
"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in." - Greek proverb It's no secret - I love reading. In particular, I love reading books, real, paper books that don't hurt your eyes and don't require cables or charging. I also love future thinking and foresight. … Continue reading The future library
Do you (really) want to live forever?
The following is the original transcript from my TedX talk of the same name. Typos and all. All Illustrations by the lovely Raleen Bagg. Enjoy: Who wants to live forever? From the quest for the Holy Grail to the search for the Fountain of Eternal Youth; human history and mythology is littered with our obsession … Continue reading Do you (really) want to live forever?
Robot Rights
Can robots have rights? Should robots have rights? These deceptively big questions regarding "roborights" are shaping up to be among the Big Issues debated by law makers, scientists, engineers, and philosophers in 2019 - and far into the future. I read David J. Gunkel's Robot Rights to get a handle on where academia is "at" … Continue reading Robot Rights
On Writing
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot, learn, unlearn and relearn”. - American Futurist, Alvin Toffler In a world where the half-life of skills is shrinking, we have to get comfortable with the idea of learning and re-learning, just like Alvin Toffler says … Continue reading On Writing
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Anyone interested in the future is (or should be) familiar with Yuval Noah Harari's work. He is one of the great philosopher-historians of our time and he poses the questions all of us should be asking ourselves and each other. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is his latest offering. It's not my favourite book … Continue reading 21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Homo Deus – A Brief History of Tomorrow
Following on from Sapiens, Homo Deus is as illuminating as its predecessor. This volume looks at transhumanism, that is the evolution of homo sapiens (that's us) into an entirely new species: Homo Deus, the first terrestrial species to emerge to have created itself, though a combination of biological, genetic engineering and technological enhancements, rather than to … Continue reading Homo Deus – A Brief History of Tomorrow
Sapiens – A Brief History of Humankind
The first of Yuval Noah Harari's two best-selling books on the evolution of human society Sapiens, just like the book that follows it, Homo Deus (review coming soon), is a must-read for anyone interested in history or futurism. Sapiens tackles the same issues covered by Jared Diamond's (excellent) Guns, Germs and Steel, and Niall Ferguson's … Continue reading Sapiens – A Brief History of Humankind
On fractals, chaos and futurism
"While we often tend to think of chaos as referring to disorder, chaos theory really deals with the transitions between order and disorder." ~ Fractal Foundation Chaos is just a pattern waiting to be discovered. The present may look chaotic. Look closer. Find the pattern. Connect the dots. The future will be a lot less … Continue reading On fractals, chaos and futurism