Futurist Author and Keynote Speaker Jack Uldrich

The Future of the Internet Requires Unlearning

”If this is the information age, what are we so well-informed about?” So asks David Gelernter is this excellent essay in Edge entitled, Time to Start Taking the Internet Seriously.

Rather than rehash Gelernter’s entire article, I just want to highlight a few key concepts:

1. To date, the Internet has been about increasing the quantity of information. To get to the next level, it must concern itself with the quality of information.

2. To do this, Gelernter suggests “turning Cyberspace on its side, so that time instead of space is the main axis.” As a metaphor, he likens today’s websites to a stained-glass window which has many panels leaded together. What the Internet must become is a rushing flow of fresh information that can nurture new ways of thinking.

3. To this end, Gelertner argues the Internet of the future “can help us change our ways of thinking.”

4. In order to do this, however, the Internet move from away from it’s “culture of nowness.” As Gelertner suggests the Internet’s ability to focus like a laser on the “now” has a couple of unhealthy implications. First, a focus on “now” prevents many people from learning more about “then.” The current Internet is also “a machine for reinforcing our prejudices.” Sure, people can use it to find ten different perspectives on a story but, instead, many of us use it to review the same story from ten like-minded people.

Before Gelernter concludes with an optimistic vision of the Internet (which he says is “The best is yet to be"), he reminds his audience that “We would be fools to doubt our ignorance.”

As someone who is focused on unlearning, I think it is wonderful reminder that we must all have some intellectual humility. Or, as John Brockman writes in the introduction to the article, “Many of the people that desperately need to know, don’t even know that they don’t know.”

What don’t you know about the Internet of the future and what might you have to unlearn in order to embrace the fullness of its future potential?

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Powering Your Own Future

"Your home effectively becomes its own power station and gas station,” says Dan Nocera, an MIT chemist and co-founder of Sun Catalytix, in this short and informative video which describes his company’s innovative “direct solar fuels” or “electrofuels.”

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Mapping the Future of Video

If you want a peek into both the future of mapping as well as the future of video, I encourage you to watch this 8-minute video from Blaise Aguuera y Arcas at the recent TED conference:

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Erasing into the Future

“Only the hand that erases can write the truth”. So wrote the German theologian, philosopher and mystic Meister Eckardt more than 800 years ago.

They are still good words to live by.

In the middle of the 19th century, blackboards were all the rage. In fact, some universities, seeking to gain a competitive advantage, even advertised that they were the only college within “a 100 miles” to sport the new technology.

This historical analogy is worth keeping in mind as university’s today tout that they offer every student a laptop or, perhaps, house the only high-tech lab “within a 100 miles.” The technology is no doubt sophisticated and it does offer a real advantage but it is important to remember that it will eventually be replaced by something else.

The real question, of course, is how soon. Far too many teachers, professors and schools continue to rely on blackboards not because they are the best tool (although they still do have a role to play) but because their hands can’t erase their old habits and behaviors.

We are racing into the future but for those organizations unwilling to unlearn and change all they are really doing is erasing their students future.

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10 Jobs of the Future

Inventor: Until 1950, “inventor” was listed as an official occupation on the U.S. Census form.  The job title will soon return as a new industrial revolution—fueled by advances in material science, robotics; 3-D printing; information technology; and nanotechnology—takes root and unleashes a wave of new (and practical) inventions.

Video-Book (Vook) editor: As electronic books and e-readers become more popular, a new generation of editors who are skilled at providing readers with information in multiple forms—text, graphics, video, etc—will be required.

Data analyst: The flood of new data which the world will soon experience due to the continued growth of sensors; RFID tags and video will create growing demand for individuals who can not only interpret and decipher this data but who can also display it in new and more meaningful visual formats.

Video game designer: As immersive video becomes more common in schools and businesses due to the continued growth of haptics; augmented reality; and virtual reality, a growing number of video game designers trained in these areas will be required.

Virtual nurse: Continued advances in video; real-time monitoring tools; and expanded bandwidth will make it possible to safely and effectively monitor patients from afar. As a result of increasing health care costs and an aging population, more healthcare providers will turn to “virtual nurses” to monitor patients until the services of an “on-location” healthcare professional are required.

Robot Technicians: As robots become ever more popular and people come to rely on them for everything from cleaning to companionship, they will increasingly become seen as part of the family. Therefore, unlike many consumer products, robots won’t simply be abandoned when a new model arrives. Instead, people will demand their existing robots be upgraded. This will require the services of trained technicians who can upgrade robots with the latest software and hardware.

Custom manufacturer: In the hands of creative individuals, continued advances in software; computer aided design (CAD) and rapid prototype manufacturing will lead to more individuals drawing their livelihood from designing and building custom-made products. Among the areas most impacted will be health care and the arts. Specially, bioengineers will soon learn how to design and build new organs (e.g. hearts, livers, kidneys); while artists will use the tools to create new products and new forms of jewelry and art.

Marine biologist: The incredible diversity of ocean is nowhere near being understood or appreciated. A new generation of marine biologists trained in everything from biomimicry to genomics will remedy this situation and apply many of the lessons of the ocean to problems back on land.

Fish farmer: The world’s growing population will continue to put pressure on fish supplies. In response, companies will turn to fish farms as a sustainable method for meeting this growing demand.

Change management consultant: As the pace of technology accelerates and knowledge becomes obsolete more quickly, the ability to unlearn will be just as critical as the ability to learn. In increasing numbers, organizations will call upon the services of professionals trained in helping people adjust to the notion of “continuing change.”

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Video Killed the Video Star

If a picture is worth a thousand words how much is a picture within a picture worth? That’s the question every video provider should be asking itself because, like this famous picture from Pere Borrell del Caso, there is often more to a picture than meets the eye.

Earlier today, I came across a new full page ad in the Wall Street Journal from Cisco saying that “Video, the killer app, just got better.” It is touting a new telepresence interoperability protocol. What makes “telepresence” so exciting is not simply the ability to communicate with other individuals or groups in real-time; it is the ability to share additional information with them in a deeper, more visual and, ultimately, more meaningful manner.

Consider, for example, the case of a doctor communicating with a patient about a rare genetic disease which affects the heart. Instead of simply providing information orally and, perhaps, conferring with another doctor for a second opinion in real-time, the doctor will also be able show her a video of what is happening at the molecular level inside her body; display a 3-D rendering of her heart to explain how the disease is progressing; and provide the patient with a more intuitive and easy-to-understand chart (or graph) showing her the odds of being successfully treated by different treatment options.

Humans are visual creatures and, to the extent that video still soon be able to layer additional data on top of—and into—video, we will all be better off.

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The Value of a Futurist

It is a fact that 100% of the information we have—in terms of the data we collect or the patterns we spot—comes from the past. But is also true that 100% of the value of any decision we make will come the future. It therefore makes sense to deeply consider the future before making any decision.

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A Shorter Road to Our Energy Future

Michael Totty of The Wall Street Journal has a thoughtful piece in today’s paper entitled The Long Road to an Alternative-Energy Future. For the most part, the article does a good job of explaining the many obstacles that will confront this country’s transition to biofuels, nuclear, wind, and solar power. There is one key point which Totty mentions but completely overlooks and that is the fact that solar power is doubling every couple of years.

From Totty’s perspective just because solar only generates 0.1% of our electricity today it will never be more than a small, niche player in America’s energy equation. As I have done on numerous occasions, let me show you how fast solar energy could grow if it is doubling every two years:

2010—0.1%
2012—0.2%
2014—0.4%
2016—0.8%
2018—1.6%
2020—3.2%
2022—6.4%
2024—12.8%
2026—25.6%
2028—51.2%
2030—100%

Now, I don’t expect solar to meet 100% of America’s electricity needs by 2030 but it is entirely feasible that solar could meet well more than 25 percent—you just have to understand how to “jump the curve.”

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The Future of Science Accelerates

”Researchers don’t publish negative results, they only publish positive results. But the negative results can lead to positive results.”

The following quote might not appear revolutionary but I’d argue that is, in fact, quite extraordinary. According to this VentureBeat article researchers have now created a new website, www.researchgate.net, which has been dubbed a “FaceBook for Scientists.” As a professional futurist, I’m excited because the advance will facilitate and accelerate the discovery of new scientific advances by helping scientists understand and see what isn’t there.

As a self-described unlearning fanatic, I’m even more excited by the power of the tool because I think it is the type of thing that will allow new and younger scientists to challenge conventional wisdom; help people see new patterns; and maybe even break down old scientific paradigms by “getting more eyes” and new brains on an old topic.

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Why Hire a Futurist?

Why hire a futurist? In two words, creativity and innovation. The purpose of a futurist is not simply to help companies, corporations and organizations understand where the future is headed (although this is part of the job), the more important role of a futurist to help create the future. The emphasis is on the word create.

There are a number of ways to do but it all begins with using our understanding of future trends to spark creativity in order to drive innovation. Let me provide three quick examples. First, your organization can embrace intellectual diversity as a means to spot new opportunities—or dangerous threats—before others.

Another simple trick is to view the future from a different perspective. (This can also be viewed as unlearning your old perspective). If you and your organization do this not only can problems be turned into opportunities but powerful new connections between seemingly unrelated ideas can be created. The resulting new ideas can then drive new innovations.

Finally, I personally engage in the power of story-telling and use metaphors (such as this one on nanotechnology) to help open vistas from which creativity and innovative can spring.

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