Opinions + Links
Insight Links for Jan 12, 6:00 am
// January 12th, 2011 // Comments Off // Digests, Insight
- The LWOT: Obama grudgingly signs Gitmo ban; shooter attacks Congresswoman, others in Arizona – by Andrew Lebovich, ANDREW LEBOVICH @ Foreign Policy:
Foreign Policy and the New America Foundation bring you a twice weekly brief on the legal war on terror. You can read it on foreignpolicy.com or get it delivered directly to your inbox — just sign up here. - We are all cyborgs now: Amber Case on TED.com, Jenny Zurawell @ TED Blog:
Technology is evolving us, says Amber Case, as we become a screen-staring, button-clicking new version of homo sapiens. We now rely on “external brains” (cell phones and computers) to communicate, remember, even live out secondary lives. But will these machines ultimately connect or conquer us? Case offers surprising insight into … - Peak Travel?, Eric A. Morris @ Freakonomics:
Call me a skeptic about the “peak oil” story. Human ingenuity has always found ways to produce more of, find substitutes for, or discover ways to do without a scarce resource when price signals tell us to. But if peak oil is true, doesn’t one good peak… - An Air-Bag Wrinkle to Consider, Stephen J. Dubner @ Freakonomics:
In the SuperFreakonomics chapter on cheap and simple solutions, we wrote: And seat belts, at about $25 a pop, are one of the most cost-effective lifesaving devices ever invented. In a given year, it costs roughly $500 million to put them in every U.S. … - Remembering Zoe Anderson, 1986 — 2010, Team @ TED Blog:
The TED community is grieving the loss of Zoe Anderson, the 24-year-old daughter of TED Curator Chris Anderson. She died tragically of carbon monoxide poisoning on December 28, 2010. Chris has posted this beautiful tribute to Zoe’s life (including wonderful photos) and her many, many friends have created this Facebook …
Foresight Links for Jan 10, 6:00 am
// January 10th, 2011 // Comments Off // Digests, Foresight
- Honda Flies A Fuel-Efficient Jet Prototype, Anuradha Menon @ TFOT – The Future Of Things:
Honda has moved closer to bringing its first jet to market-one that uses 20 percent less fuel than similar-sized planes while also flying faster. A prototype of Honda’s light jet, which will seat five to six passengers and is scheduled to go on sale ne… - Energy Production And Usage Graphs, Randall Parker @ FuturePundit:
The Oil Drum has a great set of many graphs showing energy production and usage from a variety of perspectives. That page has over 100 charts and graphs and it takes quite a while to load them from a number of sites. The most sobering graph: World net … - Comprehensive Nanorobotic Control of Human Morbidity and Aging, Michael Anissimov @ Accelerating Future:
Robert Freitas’ book chapter for The Future of Aging compilation is now online. It looks very interesting. Freitas always produces fantastic work, that’s one of the reasons Kurzweil constantly cites him. Here’s the abstract: Nanotechnology involves the engineering of molecularly precise structures and molecular machines, and nanomedicine is the application … - Good Description of Ringworld/Orbital, Michael Anissimov @ Accelerating Future:
From here. This space blog seems pretty good, and has nice images. The author is a student from Singapore. - Transhumanism is Still Winning, Michael Anissimov @ Accelerating Future:
One of the most popular memes I generated in 2010 was the “transhumanism has already won” meme. Surprisingly, the phrase returns 1,570 results on Google.
Hindsight Links for Jan 7, 6:00 am
// January 7th, 2011 // Comments Off // Digests, Hindsight
- Threadless and Baggu, Julie Wolfson @ Cool Hunting:
Today Threadless launches ten selected designs printed on Baggu Duck bags. With adjustable straps, snap closures and interior pockets, these canvas bags are large enough to carry groceries and strong enough to safely transport books or a a laptop computer. Designs by Ross Zietz include a rainbow umbrella, a… - 41 First-Year Lessons from Asia, Scott Anthony @ HBR.org:
My return flight from Newark to Singapore on last week pushed me over 300,000 miles in the air in 2010…. - The G-20 is 2011′s Biggest Political Risk, Team @ HBR.org:
Among the acute political risks facing the world this year, the nuclear threats from Iran and North Korea are serious,… - How to Fix Capitalism, Sylvia Ann Hewlett @ HBR.org:
Featured Guest: Michael E. Porter, Bishop William Lawrence University Professor and coauthor of the HBR article Creating Shared Value. Download… - Master-Piece Spring/Summer 2011, Ami Kealoha @ Cool Hunting:
For an impromptu weekend trip or to get your Spring bag game tight early, Japanese label Master-piece’s latest collection includes a handful of backpacks that add under-the-radar styling and surprising details. The Over V4 Tyrol (starting at £180) keeps it classic with blue canvas, tan suede and a subtle…
Applying Integral Foresight
// January 5th, 2011 // Comments Off // Foresight, Opinion
Late last year I remembered that I was a member of the Shaping Tomorrow Ning group – the largest collection of futures orientated thinkers and actors in the world – and was responsible for the Integral Foresight group… very little activity I’m afraid to report. So, in a very unsuccessful effort to prompt some discussion I wrote the following post. Thought that since most of my posts on this site are automated, a little original content wouldn’t go astray;)
——->
I was prompted by Richard Slaughter to remember that I have some responsibility for this group, being the one to start it… I’m sure many of you would have if I hadn’t;) That said, I note the lack of discussion and thought I’d throw a hat in the ring and see if anyone bites…
Reporting from the front lines…. Any recent stories about Integral Futures?
* Explicit
* Implicit
* Sore lack of
* Natural emergence of
* Personal journeys…
For myself, I was visiting with Saniel Bonder, founder of Waking Down in Mutuality (and teacher at the Integral Spiritual Experience series), last month when he read out a great quote that emergently clarified where I am at with ‘Integral Futures,’ or more precisely Ken Wilber’s brand of integral theory. It is by Robert Godwin PhD, in his book “One Cosmos Under God:”
His [Ken Wilber's] work is a tremendous influence on my earlier intellectual development, and to a large extent one leaves his imposing corpus asking the question, “What’s left to say?” In order to have any thoughts of my own, I had to make him sort of an “unfluence,” even though no human who deserves the name should be unfamiliar with his work. [emphasis added]
Insight Links for Jan 5, 6:00 am
// January 5th, 2011 // Comments Off // Digests, Insight
- Terrifying Revelations, Richard Hames @ The Hames Report:
“Try as I may I can not escape the sound of suffering. Perhaps as an old man I will accept suffering with insouciance. But not now; men in their prime, if they have convictions are tasked to act on them.”… - FREAK Shots: That’s One Way to Reduce Sugar, Team @ Freakonomics:
Freakonomics reader Jerrod Savage sends in a couple images that seem to show a rather unwholesome advertising strategy. (Don Draper certainly wouldn’t ever pull something like this.) What happens when you reduce the size of a container of Nesquik choco… - Why Do Coptic Christians Celebrate Christmas on a Different Day? – By Joshua E. Keating, JOSHUA E. KEATING @ Foreign Policy:
Because they’re using a different calendar. - Game Theory and Child-Rearing, Stephen J. Dubner @ Freakonomics:
A reader named Clark Case, who lives in Aurora, Ohio, and works as a product manager, writes in with a child-rearing observation. - What now do you do at this pivotal point in your time?, Emil Möller @ Everyone’s Blog Posts – R2 Global Meshwork:
In the knowledge of this picture, which you are hardly able to acknowledge may even be a possibility, what can you do? First you must contemplate upon this understanding and come to face it within your own conscious thinking process.
You must consider it as possibly being…
…
Foresight Links for Jan 3, 6:00 am
// January 3rd, 2011 // Comments Off // Digests, Foresight
- New Prehistoric Crocodile Found, Anuradha Menon @ TFOT – The Future Of Things:
Fossils of a new species of ancient crocodile cousin have been found in limestone once destined for Italian kitchen countertops, a new study says. The fossils were originally discovered in a limestone quarry in Ferrara, Italy, in 1955 after workers sli… - Standard Phone Charger Due in Early 2011, Anuradha Menon @ TFOT – The Future Of Things:
All mobile phones could soon use a single type of charger. The world’s 14 most prominent mobile manufacturers have been sent details by the European Commission of a new standard connection, after they agreed to sign up to it in June 2009. The technical… - Anesthesia Puts You to ‘Sleep’? Not Really!, Anuradha Menon @ TFOT – The Future Of Things:
Anesthesia doesn’t put patients to "sleep," as they’re often told. Rather, anesthesia puts the brain into a state of unconsciousness that’s more like being in a reversible coma than being asleep, a new study says. The study published in the N… - HTC’s 4G Phone Could Be Dual-Core With 1080p, Anuradha Menon @ TFOT – The Future Of Things:
If these specs are to be believed, the Thunderbolt will be HTC’s first dual-core phone (with a 1.2GHz MSM8960 processor), and will contain an 8MP rear-facing camera and 5MP forward-facing camera. The leaks supposedly came from a German retailer’s syste… - Revive Extinct Species?, Randall Parker @ FuturePundit:
DNA from several extinct species has been found in good enough condition to enable sequencing. Some of those samples (e.g. for Neanderthal) are undergoing sequencing. So for a likely increasing number of species we will soon have DNA sequences essentia……
Insight Links for Dec 29, 6:00 am
// December 29th, 2010 // Comments Off // Digests, Insight
- The FCC Tries Its Own Race to the Top, Team @ Freakonomics:
The FCC seems to have taken note of the Department of Education’s controversial Race to the Top program. - It’s Official: 2001-2010 warmest 10-year period in recorded history, Robin Wood @ Everyone’s Blog Posts – R2 Global Meshwork:
Cancun/Geneva (WMO) – The year 2010 is almost certain to rank in the top 3 warmest years since the beginning of instrumental climate records in 1850, according to data sources compiled by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The global combined sea surface and land surface air temperature for 2010 (January–October) …
- Do We Drink Because We’re Monogamous, or Are We Monogamous Because We Drink?, Stephen J. Dubner @ Freakonomics:
Our latest Freakonomics Radio podcast is called “Do More Expensive Wines Taste Better?” It features some research presented by the American Association of Wine Economists, whose members include Karl Storchmann, managing editor of the group’s Journal of… - Iatrogenic Legal Assistance?, Ian Ayres @ Freakonomics:
Harvard Professors Jim Greiner and Cassandra Pattanayak have posted a remarkable randomized experiment (“What Difference Representation?”) with evidence showing that offers for free legal representation from the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau (HLAB) ended up… - some messages for the ground crew from George Green_a starter, Emil Möller @ Everyone’s Blog Posts – R2 Global Meshwork:
Handbook for the New Paradigm – Volume One
This Internet Edition of the Handbook…
Greenfields