Category Archives: futures

Why do we love aristocracies in the 21st century?

Posted on February 2, 2018 by Bryan Alexander

Why do we still love aristocrats? As we stagger through the 21st century, I’m very curious.  Why do we cling to these medieval, even ancient mental, social, and behavioral patterns? Lately I’ve been observing the American obsession with our own … Continue reading →

Posted in futures | 1 Comment

A new report from an all-women futurists group

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Bryan Alexander

We need more women’s voices in the futures field. buy vidalista online buy vidalista no prescription generic   That’s a well known issue in the profession, reflected in discussion, planning, and work (for the latter, witness the new, gender-balanced APF … Continue reading →

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How would you design a professional association for the future?

Posted on December 17, 2017 by Bryan Alexander

If you could design an organization from scratch, aimed at life in towards the middle of the 21st century, what would it look like? I’m thinking of professional associations in particular. buy symbicort online buy symbicort no prescription generic   … Continue reading →

Posted in futures, Uncategorized | 21 Comments

"Slaughterbots": drones, some futures, and education

Posted on December 6, 2017 by Bryan Alexander

It’s a vision of a possible future.  Tiny, friendly-looking drones fly out of a truck and buzz across a college campus.  There they work their individual ways into a classroom and explode against several students, killing them. What? That’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in futures, technology, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Getting the future wrong: my bad forecasts

Posted on December 3, 2017 by Bryan Alexander

It’s essential for futurists to analyze their own forecasting work over time.  We check to see how we can improve our skills and understanding by looking back at how we looked ahead. It sounds obvious, and it is obvious within … Continue reading →

Posted in futures, personal | 5 Comments

Reasons to be optimistic about the future in 2017

Posted on July 30, 2017 by Bryan Alexander

What cheers me up in mid-2017? The nature of my work means I have to spend a great deal of time with grim stuff.  In looking hard at the future of education I study (among other things): rising income inequality, … Continue reading →

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After human-driven cars: one future for automotive spaces

Posted on May 2, 2017 by Bryan Alexander

How will widespread adoption of autonomous cars change America?  One way of answering – and a useful example of futures thinking – is to focus on one small piece of the puzzle.  Namely, what can we do with parking lots … Continue reading →

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The shock of the old: still living in the 20th century

Posted on April 26, 2017 by Bryan Alexander

Yesterday I wrote about a day in the life of a futurist like me.  At the post’s end I wonder about the most futuristic parts of the day, and the least. As I worked on that post, off and on … Continue reading →

Posted in futures, personal | 11 Comments

Americans versus the future

Posted on April 16, 2017 by Bryan Alexander

For a country that prides itself on invention and innovation, Americans actually don’t think very much about the future.  That’s the conclusion of a new survey (pdf) by the Institute for the Future (IFTF). Let me pull out some key … Continue reading →

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