futurist – Page 2 – Impact Lab

DaVinci Institute, Futurist, People Making a Difference, Tom Frey

Living the Life of Bubble People and Unlocking the Next Phase of Human Existence

March 19, 2015

Futurist Thomas Frey: Having been born and raised on a small rural farm in South Dakota, I grew up with a very narrow perspective of the rest of the world. With only two TV channels and three radio stations to pick from, our news options were very limited. As a teenager, watching the nightly newscasts on television, I was thoroughly amazed at all of the things happening around the world, and yet none of them were happening near me. I truly felt like I was living in a bubble, far away from all the excitement. Continue reading… “Living the Life of Bubble People and Unlocking the Next Phase of Human Existence”

DaVinci Institute, Futurist, People Making a Difference, Tom Frey

The Great Cow Epiphany and the Six Immutable Laws of Information

February 27, 2015

Futurist Thomas Frey: Recent comments by Vint Cerf, vice president of Google and one of the founding fathers of the Internet, about the long-term viability of our data has many wondering what will happen to our digital information over the next 100, 200, or even 1,000 years. Continue reading… “The Great Cow Epiphany and the Six Immutable Laws of Information”

DaVinci Institute, Futurist, Tom Frey

Three Great Machine Learning Paradoxes

February 19, 2015

Futurist Thomas Frey: I installed my Nest Thermostat a little over a year ago. This “learning” machine was billed as being able to study the habits of people and adjust the settings to optimize both temperature and energy usage.

But ever since then I’ve found myself in a constant battle with my thermostat. It’s cooling things down when I need heat, warming things up when I’d rather be cool, and the amount of energy it’s saved is far less than the loss of productivity I’ve experienced from being uncomfortable. Continue reading… “Three Great Machine Learning Paradoxes”

DaVinci Institute, Futurist, People Making a Difference, Tom Frey

Semi-Random Walks #26: Futurist Thomas Frey

January 24, 2015

Thomas Frey is a the founder of the DaVinci Institute, and his job is to think about the future. How cool is that? Continue reading… “Semi-Random Walks #26: Futurist Thomas Frey”

3D Printer, Artificial Intelligence, Big Problems, Business, Economy, Hot Issues, Latest Trend, New Viewpoints, Robotics, Robots, Technological Unemployment, Upcoming Events

Technological Automation of Jobs Debate

December 30, 2014

The topic of job displacement has, throughout US history, ignited frustration over technological advances and their tendency to make traditional jobs obsolete; artisans protested textile mills in the early 19th century, for example. In recent years, start-ups and the high-tech industry have become the focus of this discussion. A recent Pew Research Center study found that technology experts are almost evenly split on whether robots and artificial intelligence will displace a significant number of jobs over the next decade, so there is plenty of room for debate.

Continue reading… “Technological Automation of Jobs Debate”

Analysis, Big Problems, Breakthrough Thinking, DaVinci Institute, Historical Perspectives, Hot Issues, New Viewpoints, Tom Frey

A Futurist on our Future

December 21, 2014

Jared Lindzon – Mining asteroids, an activity that could produce the world’s first trillionaire by 2030. 3D-printed cruises ships and hospitals. But no more taxi drivers, firefighters and (gulp) journalists. Indeed, the future of the world according to Thomas Frey is not quite what you might expect.

Frey is executive director and “senior futurist” at the DaVinci Institute, a 17-year-old think tank where he gathers a group of high-profile intellectuals for deep conversations about tomorrow. And we mean high profile: regular contributors to these “mastermind groups” include nearly every sitting governor of Colorado (the think tank’s home state), CEOs like Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer, the commissioner of the U.S. patent office, university presidents and science fiction authors like David Brin.

Continue reading… “A Futurist on our Future”

Analysis, Great Videos, People Making a Difference, Science & Technology News

Growing Bolder TV interview with Thomas Frey, one of the world’s top futurists

December 10, 2014

Futurist Thomas Frey

If there’s one thing we all wonder about, it’s the future. Being able to predict the future would come in handy when it comes to running your business and your life. Did you know you could turn to a futurist for answers? (Video)

Continue reading… “Growing Bolder TV interview with Thomas Frey, one of the world’s top futurists”

Analysis, Business, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News

Why everyone needs to be a futurist

July 2, 2014

Everyone needs to assume his or her part in understanding what the future may look like.

Today’s organizations are being consistently challenged to focus on meeting short-term objectives, such as quarterly numbers, while fundamentally transforming the way they do business because the economic climate is changing and competition continues to grow.

Continue reading… “Why everyone needs to be a futurist”

Analysis, Business, Food, Science & Technology News

Hershey’s looking to hire a chocolate futurist

February 27, 2014

The Hershey Company is hiring a futurist.

The Hershey Company is it the largest chocolate manufacturer in the United States, selling 40 percent of domestic dark chocolate. But Hershey also operates a store/museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania. And one in Times Square. And one in Las Vegas. And they also operate an amusement park.

Continue reading… “Hershey’s looking to hire a chocolate futurist”

Analysis, Great Videos, Science & Technology News

To understand new technology ask the people using it for crime

May 27, 2013

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The best way to understand new technology, according to futurist Jamais Cascio, isn’t to ask people who made it, but you need to ask the people who are using it in off-label ways to do potentially illicit things. These are the people who are going to find the most compelling ways of using things, and also unpack the ways a new tech might impact society in unpredictable ways.

Continue reading… “To understand new technology ask the people using it for crime”

Internet, Science & Technology News

Google’s Futurist Ray Kurzweil is working on a search system that can understand your emotions

April 30, 2013

Futurist Ray Kurzweil

Futurist Ray Kurzweil has some ambitious plans for search at Google. Kurzweil joined Google at the end of last year as director of engineering and he became famous for creating the first text-to-speech software. He’s also been called “the ultimate thinking machine.”

Continue reading… “Google’s Futurist Ray Kurzweil is working on a search system that can understand your emotions”

Analysis, Historical Perspectives, People Making a Difference

Happy Birthday! The futurist movement turns 104

February 20, 2013

The futurist … Filippo Tommaso Marinetti.

Don’t forget to wish any futurists you see today a happy anniversary. February 20th is the movement’s birthday. On this date in 1909 Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, an Italian poet, technophile, and promoter of the arts, had his The Founding and Manifesto of Futurism published on the front page of Le Figaro.

Continue reading… “Happy Birthday! The futurist movement turns 104”