The Futurist back issues from January 2001:
Dinner Bell for Fish.(fish farms use sonar technology)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2001 ... Fish farmers may soon use sonar technology to feed their fish stocks in open marine environments. Researchers at the University of Plymouth in England are using fish psychology and bioacoustics to replicate mating calls or feeding signals, thus attracting fish to feeding ...
Life Expectancy Exceeds Expectations.(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2001 ... Citizens of the world's wealthiest countries may live longer than previously predicted, according to a study sponsored by the National Institute on Aging. By 2050, people in the G-7 nations (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States) may be living ...
Musical Tablecloth.(future of electronic fabrics)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2001 ... Computer hardware in the future could be downy-soft: Electronic fabrics may increasingly replace hard plastic keypads and other computer components. Early prototypes include a tablecloth that serves as an electronic musical ...
Respect for Teachers Is Growing.(Brief Article)(Polling Data)(Statistical Data Included)
Jan 01, 2001 ... Teaching is gaining more respect as a profession in the United States: In a summer 2000 Louis Harris poll, 53% of respondents said teaching had very great prestige," compared with just 28% of respondents in 1982. Doctors (61%) and scientists (56%) ranked first and second in the 2000 poll, ...
Farmers Markets On the Rise.(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2001 ... The number of farmers markets in the United States grew by 63% between 1994 and 2000, reaching a record number of 2,863, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Sales at farmers markets now exceed $1 billion a year, with most of the money going directly from consumers to farmers, ...
You Asked for It: The Major Trends Shaping the Future.(publication of "50 Trends Now Changing the World")(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2001 ... Last summer, members of THE FUTURIST's Reader Panel were surveyed on what should be the lead story for the January-February 2001 issue--the first issue of the twenty-first century. The winner: A special report focusing on the major trends that will shape the world in the next two decades. ...
FEEDBACK.(Letter to the Editor)
Jan 01, 2001 ... * Goofy Ideas? In his article, "24 Trends Reshaping the Workplace" (September-October 2000), John Challenger suggests that "resumes will be implanted in workers' bodies." Does this mean that all workers will carry embedded microchips? When will this begin to happen ...
The Century of Democracy.(globalization of democracy)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2001; ... The average level of freedom is higher than ever before. Despite the twentieth century's political turmoil and human rights horrors, democracy has emerged as the most widespread system of governance, according to Larry Diamond, senior research fellow at the Hoover Institution. ...
Terrorists: Hype and Reality.(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2001 ... The threat of terrorists armed with chemical and biological weapons, and more-powerful explosives, has prompted government policy makers to spend freely on countermeasures in recent years, according to arms expert Brad Roberts. "The United States now spends about $10 billion per ...
Why Nations Develop Differently.(culture, geography, and values)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2001; ... Cultural values may hinder or accelerate human progress. Having good climate, good natural resources, and good policy advice may not be enough to make a nation succeed. Scholars are now looking seriously at the role of having a good culture for improving prospects for national ...
Passing On Religious Values.(discussion is as important as action)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2001 ... Parents who want their children to share their beliefs may find that passing on religious traditions depends as much on talk as on action, according to researchers at Purdue University. A Purdue study of young adults aged 18-25 probed the influence of parents' words and deeds on ...
Asia in the New Economy.(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2001; ... Infotech investment could boost Asia's economic development. Asia could emerge as the world leader in the New Economy, despite its tardiness in joining the race to build it, according to several speakers at the World Economic Forum's Asia Pacific Economic Summit, held in ...
Repairing Earth's Ecosystems.(new report from World Resources Institute)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2001; ... A holistic management strategy might heal ailing ecosystems. The world's ecosystems are suffering under the stress of high demands for food, timber, fish, and many other products required by a growing human population, according to a new report from the World Resources ...
A Private High-Rise.(tall and narrow homes of the future)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2001 ... The next generation of houses may resemble the Seattle Space Needle. The three-bedroom "SkyHome" stands on a pedestal four to 12 stories tall and accommodates a family of five, according to the manufacturer, Skypad Technologies International. The glass, steel, and concrete ...
Is the World Kicking the Cigarette Habit?(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2001; ... Antismoking campaigns may be globalizing. Cigarette use increased worldwide for a century but is now on the decline, according to Worldwatch Institute Chairman Lester R. Brown. Cigarette consumption in 1999 dropped by 8% in the United States and by more than 3% worldwide. ...
Nanotubes Make Handy Devices.(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2001; ... New design reduces wear and tear. Nanomechanics may soon have new low-wear, low-friction devices at their disposal. A recent experiment conducted at the University of California at Berkeley found that carbon nanotubes can function as tiny, frictionless bearings and springs in ...
Fuel Cells Grow More Practical.(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2001 ... Laptop computers, hand-held CD players, and other portable devices may one day be powered not by batteries but by portable fuel cells. One company has debuted such a device, which is about the size of a cola can. The Enable PFC (Portable Fuel Cell) measures 6 inches long by 2.75 ...
Taming the Technological Beast: The Case of the E-Book.
Jan 01, 2001; ... Each technology connects us to some opportunities while disconnecting us from others. We should get in the habit of evaluating the likely impacts of a given technology before we adopt it. One useful exercise in technology evaluation is to assume that we are employed by the ...
Building a Creative Hothouse: Strategies of History's Most Creative Groups.
Jan 01, 2001; ... If your organization needs a boost in innovative thinking, you'll find lessons in history's most successful "creative hothouses," such as ancient Greece, Renaissance Florence, Elizabethan England, and Parisian cafe society. History's most creative communities enchant us with the ...
Trends Now Changing the World: Economics and Society, Values and Concerns, Energy and Environment.(Statistical Data Included)
Jan 01, 2001; ... Editor's Note An "exceptional" economy, increasingly integrated cultures, and stepped-up action on environmental concerns are among the key trends that will shape the world of the next two decades and beyond. Veteran forecaster Marvin J. Cetron of Forecasting International Ltd. ...
Cultural Amnesia: A Threat to Our Future.
Jan 01, 2001; ... Like Alzheimer's disease, cultural amnesia is a progressive and debilitating disease. It may threaten America capacity to extend its democratic traditions into the future. In 1816, Thomas Jefferson warned: "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, ...
Alternative Visions For the Future University.
Jan 01, 2001; ... The old paradigm of universities as self-contained villages is being shattered by new technologies and new societal values, according to the contributors to The University in Transformation. The conventional wisdom that it takes a small village--the college campus--to produce a ...
Scouting for Trends.(Intelligence Factory)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2001 ... Young & Rubicam's Intelligence Factory is expanding its trend-spotting capability by drawing on the ranks of its partners, including office workers, heads of offices, clients, and even media members. The Intelligence Factory, formerly known as Brand Futures Group, encourages ...
Assessing School Reforms.(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2001 ... Rising math scores in recent years suggest that the education reforms of the 1980s and 1990s are working, according to a recent report by RAND, a think tank in Santa Monica, California. The study analyzed scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests given ...
Scenarios and Decision Making.(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2001 ... CEOs would rather make decisions than plans, observes management consultant Terry J. van der Werff. In his scenario-sketching workshops, he presents the multi-step scenario process as a planning tool and focuses the participants on a key issue, but the bottom-line-oriented execs ...
Identifying Career Unrest.(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2001 ... Does your career bring meaning to your life? Are you learning new skills that will help you achieve personal growth and meet your professional goals? These and other questions are part of a survey created by career consultant Helen Harkness, principal of ...
Facing the Electronic Future In Classrooms.(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2001; ... Classroom design integrates computers into the learning environment. Students using computers in the classroom have usually had to turn their backs on their classmates, teachers, and the chalkboard. Now, a classroom in London is demonstrating a new look for electronic ...