The population of the world as I write this, at CET 8 PM on Tuesday March 29th, 2016, is estimated to be 7,411,904,385 people. At the dawn of agriculture, about 8000 B.C., the population of the world was approximately 5 million. Over the 8,000-year period up to 1 A.D. it grew to 200 million, with… Continue reading If the World Were 100 People
Category: Trends
The Global Economy since 1980 in 20 seconds
Many of my friends were born around 1980. It was the same year I entered high school and also the same year I travelled around in Europe for the first time, the brave teenager I was. Back then I had to show my passport at all borders and I got proper passport stamps. The world… Continue reading The Global Economy since 1980 in 20 seconds
Virtual Reality Comes Through
Virtual Reality has been around for 30 years, but application have continuously flopped as the technology has not been mature for mainstream use. As with so many other new technologies, breakthrough is about the availability of cheap platforms, and we have this now with smart phones and low-cost computer helmet screens. With the platform in… Continue reading Virtual Reality Comes Through
Trends Which Will Affect Our Lives in the Future
Trends tend to creep up on us, not noticeable at first, and then one day we realise things have changed and the World is no longer as we thought it was. We often speak about four mega trends which affects our work. They are the demographic change (on average we are getting older), urbanisation, globalisation and climate… Continue reading Trends Which Will Affect Our Lives in the Future
Big Data and the Fourth Industrial Revolution
The potential of Big Data is slowly emerging on us, as analytical methods become increasingly more powerful in making the huge amounts of data we collect in todays society meaningful for understanding reality and to make predictions. We have already covered the development in several blog posts, including Big Data is Better Data, The Challenge… Continue reading Big Data and the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Adapting to Climate Change
Climate Change is upon us and we have to adapt to survive it. Now more than ever we need creative thinking and innovation in order to adapt. What is the real situation and what has to be done? The video below explains what is done in one of the most affected countries, Bangladesh. Adapting to… Continue reading Adapting to Climate Change
Debate on the Fourth Industrial Revolution
In The World Economic Forum Abu Dhabi session on October 27, there was an interesting debate about the fourth industrial revolution. Humankind is at the threshold of a new industrial revolution driven by the confluence of a staggering range of emerging technologies. How will politics, economies and societies be transformed? The participants were: Justine Cassell,… Continue reading Debate on the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Debate on Future Innovation
At the World Economic Forum in Abu Dhabi this month, there was a panel discussion on the state of innovation, not surprisingly highlighting the role of big data. Innovation is happening at light speed but what does the progress in areas like robotics, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, nanotechnology and genome editing mean? The speakers were: Victoria… Continue reading Debate on Future Innovation
Brian Dalgetty on the Internet of Things–From Hype to Insight
Brian Dalgetty is CMO for Internet of Things at IBM, and he gave a presentation yesterday at the European Innovation Academy titled “The Internet of Things – From Hype to Insight”. Mr Dalgetty is a veteran at IBM with 25 years of corporate experience and his main point was how insights from sensors and from… Continue reading Brian Dalgetty on the Internet of Things–From Hype to Insight
The Final Future of Places Conference
The final Future of Places Conference will be held in Stockholm from today, 29 June to 1 July. This is the final of a series of three international conferences and it will involve some of the world’s most profound minds and dedicated professionals in dialogue on the subject of public space, placemaking and place governance.… Continue reading The Final Future of Places Conference