Jump The Curve Archives: 08/2008

Printing the House of the Future

One of the things I really enjoy about studying emerging technologies is that the field constantly challenges my thinking and forces me to think differently about the future. To this end, I invite you to read this article on a new “print-a-house” construction technology.

In the near future, it is possible that homes will be built in a few hours using automated fabrication techniques. Among other things, this means that the construction industry will need to “unlearn” its existing construction methods. It also suggests that “affordable” housing could become more than just a political platitude—it could become a political reality.

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The Future of War

In 2005, I wrote a book on General George C. Marshall entitled ”Soldier, Statesman, Peacemaker: Leadership Lessons from George C. Marshall.” One of my favorite quotes of Marshall’s is the advice he pounded into the heads of his junior officers: ”Study the first six months of the next war.”

It was great advice in the 1920s and 1930s (when Marshall trained over 200 officers who would later become generals during World War II), and it is still great advice today. To this end, I’d like to direct you to two news articles from today’s papers. The first is from The Guardian and it discusses how the brain will the battlefield of the future. Among other things it discusses how drugs may soon be used as “pharmacological land mines,” and how the advances in neuroscience could alter our definition of torture.

The second article reviews how the U.S. may be vulnerable to Internet attacks such as those which Russia is currently employing in its war against Georgia.

Together, the two stories strongly suggest that military planners should be “studying the first six months of the next war” because the next war is likely to be radically different from that which they are currently planning today.

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The Future of Telecommunications in Six Videos

On Tuesday, I am traveling to Florida to give a speech on the future of the telecommunications industry. One of the bigger (and, to be honest, not terribly new) trends in the field is the continued growth of video. In the spirit of this trend, I’d like to offer you six different videos which, each in its own unique way, offers a glimpse into the future of the telecommunications industry. The first three are very cool, and the next three are more technical but still provide some very good information.

The first clip from Nokia offers an idea of what future mobile devices might look like:

The second offers an idea of how holographic information might become more pervasive:

The third video reviews how advances in algorithms and nerotechnology could lead to “voiceless” communication:

The next three clips review how terahertz transmissions, sensors and RFID technology could lead to some cool new applications for future mobile devices:

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Say Good-bye to the Courtroom Stenographer

Intel recently released details of a new generation “multi-core” chip. One implication of these powerful chips is that they will soon help users bridge the physical world with the virtual world. One possible application is that the chips—in combination with improved voice recognition technology—will allow small mobile devices to accurately and seamlessly record witness testimony in courtroom proceedings. In other words, we will soon be saying good-bye to the courtroom stenographer—provided, that is, the legal community can unlearn its long-held reliance on courtroom stenographers.

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The Future is Coming to a (Holograph) Screen Near You!

In the 2001 movie, The Minority Report (which supposedly took place in the year 2050), one of the cooler scenes had Tom Cruise’s character interacting in real-time with a holograph. Well, that future is now a lot closer than the year 2050. I invite you to watch this short video:

As this technology continues to improve, it will likely impact everything from how we communicate and interact with advertisements to how we teach our children and entertain ourselves.

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Nanotechnology & the Future of the Cellphone

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth at least 10,000 words. Check out this cool vision of the cellphone brought to you compliments of Nokia—and nanotechnology:

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