Futurist Thomas Frey: The insurance industry exists as a tool for mitigating the costs and damage associated with a single incident occurring for an individual or organization.
Continue reading… “Transforming the Future of the Insurance Industry”
Inventing Our Next Great Scarcities
Futurist Thomas Frey: Scarcity is defined as an economic condition that arises when people have far greater wants than the available resources. Most often we think about the limited supplies of natural resources, but it includes far more than that.
Continue reading… “Inventing Our Next Great Scarcities”
We’re heading towards a future where brain scans replace the SAT
No memorization will be necessary in the future.
Imagine if the extent your natural intelligence could be determined with a simple scan where you’d have to do nothing at all. What if it became the new standard for college admissions. Deterministic as it may seem, at least we wouldn’t have anymore goddamn vocab flash cards to memorize.
According to Duke University professor Jonathan Wai, writing in Psychology Today, there’s been a study conducted at UC Irvine since 1988, in which test subjects were put through various aptitude tests while conducting brain scans. What they discovered is the smartest patients required less brain power to accomplish a task. Efficiency!
Continue reading… “We’re heading towards a future where brain scans replace the SAT”
The Rise of the SuperProfessor
Futurist Thomas Frey: For colleges and universities, the great age of experimentation is now upon us.
Last week, Harvard and MIT announced a new nonprofit partnership, known as edX, to offer free online courses from both universities.
Continue reading… “The Rise of the SuperProfessor”
The Eight Critical Value Points of A Futurist
Futurist Thomas Frey: As a Futurist, people often ask me how many of my predictions have come true. I find this to be a rather uncomfortable question. It’s uncomfortable, not because my track record hasn’t been up to par (actually, a high percentage have come true), but because accuracy of predictions is a poor way of measuring the value of a Futurist.
Continue reading… “The Eight Critical Value Points of A Futurist”
Dental filling of the future kills bacteria and regenerates tooth
The new filling contains calcium phosphate nanoparticles that rebuild tooth minerals.
Thanks to a new dental breakthrough, the dreaded trip to the dentist to replace a worn-out filling could soon be a thing of the past. Scientists have used nanotechnology to create the first cavity-filling composite that kills harmful bacteria and regenerates tooth structure lost to decay.
Continue reading… “Dental filling of the future kills bacteria and regenerates tooth”
Pre-Testing Your Right to Vote
Futurist Thomas Frey: Every couple years, as the November election draws near, my wife Deb and I receive our ballots in the mail. Both of us spend considerable time studying the issues and candidates before making our final decisions. As with most couples, we don’t always agree.
Continue reading… “Pre-Testing Your Right to Vote”
Top 10 changes we can expect from the library of the future
Libraries have acted as community cornerstones for millennia.
Every April marks School Library Month. Libraries celebrate how they promote education and awareness in an open, nurturing space. What makes them such lasting institutions, though, isn’t the mere act of preserving books and promoting knowledge. Rather, it’s the almost uncanny ability to consistently adapt to the changing demands of the local populace and emerging technology alike. The library system probably won’t disappear anytime soon, but rather, see itself blossoming into something new and exciting in congruence with today’s myriad informational demands.
Continue reading… “Top 10 changes we can expect from the library of the future”
Teacherless Education and the Competition that will Change Everything
Nephew Mikaia showing Grandpa Norman what he knows
Futurist Thomas Frey: Over the past couple months I’ve become enamored with watching my two-year-old nephew Mikaia learn the letters of the alphabet, colors, and numbers. Even though he doesn’t have them all perfect, he’s scoring in the high 90% when we quiz him verbally.
Next up, the periodic table of elements?
Continue reading… “Teacherless Education and the Competition that will Change Everything”
Researchers predict brothels will offer robot prostitutes by 2050
“In 2050, Amsterdam’s red light district will all be about android prostitutes.”
Researchers in New Zealand predict that in the future brothels will serve-up robot prostitutes offering clean, guilt-free sex.
Continue reading… “Researchers predict brothels will offer robot prostitutes by 2050”
Future smartphone cameras could see through walls
X-ray spex in your cell phone?
Researchers at UT Dallas have designed an imager chip that could turn mobile phones into devices that can see through walls, wood, plastics, paper and other objects.
Continue reading… “Future smartphone cameras could see through walls”
Ford sets goal of cutting 750 pounds out of every car by end of decade
2013 Ford Shelby GT500 includes a new carbon fiber driveshaft.
If dieters think they have it hard, consider what Ford Motor is going through. Ford has created a goal of cutting 750 pounds of ugly, dangerous fat out of every car by the end of the decade.
Continue reading… “Ford sets goal of cutting 750 pounds out of every car by end of decade”
