Ariadne

Tomorrow really never comes

Robert Hickson • Oct 10, 2017

• foresight,
• future,
• prediction,
• technology

In Zeno’s philosophical paradox Achilles can never overtake the tortoise. Similarly, it sometimes seems that future technologies never arrive. Grace Ballenger and Aaron Mak writing in Slate highlight the “Goldilocks” zone of technological predictions – the next big thing is neither too close to be here by Christmas, nor too far away to become purely fictional. The … Read More

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Peak State?

Robert Hickson • Oct 06, 2017

• cities,
• geopolitics,
• Society

Are we approaching “peak State”, where the power of diverse nation states starts to decline back toward greater power being held by large cities or culturally or religiously more homogeneous regions? Catalonians and Iraqi Kurds voted in independence referenda this last week. In contrast to Scotland’s and the UK’s Brexit referenda a few years … Read More

Thinking beyond capitalism

Robert Hickson • Sep 24, 2017

• capitalism,
• economics,
• future,
• post capitalist

Joey Eschrich, writing in Slate, suggests that the futures industry has a “dearth of imagination”. He contends that futurists pay too little attention to “post-capitalist” futures. “As we fret over the future, we worry about rising sea levels and robotic job-snatchers, but the economic and political supremacy of the capitalist market doesn’t seem to be up for … Read More

The once and future farmer

Robert Hickson • Sep 16, 2017

• agriculture,
• innovation,
• Netherlands,
• New Zealand,
• Sustainability,
• water management

In our own cultural memory New Zealand used to have the best farming system in the world. No more, according to some. Two recent articles about the Netherlands illustrate how we are falling behind in some ways, and can provide a stimulus for how we can do better. National Geographic highlights the Netherland’s sustainable agricultural system in … Read More

Electric avenue

Robert Hickson • Sep 08, 2017

• electric vehicles,
• New Zealand,
• Sustainability,
• transport,
• urban

Where to with electric vehicles? Christchurch is introducing a fleet of electric cars, for business and public use. That’s adding about 100 new electric vehicles (“EV”) cars to the existing 3,000 in NZ. That’s less than 0.1% of the over 3.5 million light vehicles registered here. Source: NZ Transport Agency   … Read More

Crafted bots

Robert Hickson • Aug 31, 2017

• autism,
• DIY,
• robots

We are getting used to seeing sleek, industrial robots. (I’m looking at you Air NZ). And previously I’ve noted some animal-inspired machines. From these and other technological developments we can tend to expect the future to be shiny, hard-edged and efficient. A different approach is being explored with “Blossom” (and others), a DIY soft robot … Read More

Smarter, spongier cities

Robert Hickson • Aug 25, 2017

• design,
• ecology,
• internet of things,
• Smart city,
• urban

There is a great deal of interest, and investment, in developing “smart” cities (and here, here, and here). That is, creating sensor networks to monitor human activities, traffic, waste, water, and environmental conditions to optimise city services and make cities more pleasant places to be in. But there is … Read More

Hopeful futures

Robert Hickson • Jul 15, 2017

• future,
• Society

A few weeks ago I gave a conference talk about using stories to look at the future. I focused on the need to pay more attention to creating stronger story lines and characters. That’s because it is more important to stimulate the audience to explore a range of possible futures than to try and predict what you think may happen. Read More

NZTech suggest a Ministry of the Future

Robert Hickson • May 24, 2017

• foresight,
• governance,
• government,
• policy

NZTech have promoted the creation of a Ministry of the Future in their 2017 Manifesto “New Zealand’s Digital Future“. As a country, we need to wholeheartedly embrace this change, installing a dedicated Ministry of the Future, and Chief Technology Officer, to consider the implications of change across social, economic, educational and all other areas of policy.   … Read More

The darker angles of our futures

Robert Hickson • May 21, 2017

• dystopian,
• future,
• futurist,
• optimism,
• science fiction

Futurists, on the whole, tend to be optimistic. On the other hand, Frank Bures wondered last year why many people (at least in the “West”) tend to gravitate to dystopian futures in novels and films. Is this a  challenge for futurists? Bures’ thoughts have now been turned into a short video:   The “good” times are here … Read More

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