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Wrld Future Studies Federation
In contrast to the World Future Society's techno-determinist emphasis, the World Future Studies Federation focuses on synthesizing a diversity of sociopolitical, economic, and cultural worldviews. This site includes extensive information, including a message board and links list.
World Future Society
Learn about the World Futurist Society, read excerpts from The Futurist and other publications, view forecasts, participate in discussion forums and more. One of the best futurist-oriented Web sites.
John Naisbitt
The official site for Megatrends author John Naisbitt. Read his author bio and find out about Naisbitt's speaking engagements.
High Tech, High Touch
The official site for John Naisbitt, Nana Naisbitt and Douglas Phillip's book High Tech, High Touch: Technology and Our Accelerated Search for Meaning (London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2001). Read book excerpts, browse the Specimen Art Galllery and more.
Global Business Network
The Global Business Network attained 1990s notoriety through its association with Wired magazine and its high-profile members, including Brian Eno, Stewart Brand, Mary Catherine Bateson, Peter Schwartz and others. This public controversy overshadowed some interesting perspectives on futures and scenario planning, evident in this site's extensive bibliography.
World Game Institute's Worldometers
The World Game Institute's 60 worldometers will give you a view of Earth's future unlike any you will have previously encountered. Very scary.
Arlington Institute
Founded by futurist John L. Petersen, the Arlington Institute spearheads "wildcard"-style scenarios analysis. Petersen's book The Road to 2015: Profiles of the Future [2nd. ed.] (Corte Madera: Waite Group Press, 1994) is highly recommended.
Club of Rome
The Club of Rome became infamous for Donna Meadow's seminal Limits to Growth: A Report for the Club of Rome on the Predicament of Mankind (New York: Universe Books, 1972). The computer modelling had errors, but the connection between diabolical world domination and futures-research had already become implanted in the public consciousness.
The McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology
The official Marshall McLuhan site at the University of Toronto. I still wonder what other futures might have come into being if Wired had chosen someone else as their Patron Saint.
Adizes Institute
Here's a secret you now know that many dotcom CEOs didn't: companies and entrepreneurial management have lifecycles. The Pathfinder on the Trail is Ichak Adizes, a legendary analyst and scholar.
Soros Foundations Network
Financial analyst and philanthropist George Soros knows the future.
International Crisis Group
The International Crisis Group is a nongovernmental organization founded in 1995 to help the geopolitical community "anticipate, understand and act to prevent and contain conflict." Excellent research material and extensive site links.
Global Trends 2015: A Dialogue About the Future With Nongovernment Experts
Read a geopolitical scenario paper (December 2000), prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency and National Foreign Intelligence Board, in discussion with non-government organizations. Plain text and Adobe PDF versions available.
Max More
Read the Extropian and futures-oriented writings of Max More. Subjects covered include technology acceleration, scenario planning, values and life extension.
The Next 20 Years Conference
Find out about The Next 20 Years Conference (May 21-23, 2002), featuring your favorite futurist on their best future scenario. Bonus points if you can predict which futurists won't be attending due to last-minute environment complexity.
Red Herring: Peter Schwartz
Search the Red Herring magazine archives for Peter Schwartz's monthly commentary and scenarios. Authoritative and excellent insights.
Leading Edge International Research Group
Conspiriologist and UFO specialist Val Valerian has compiled an extensive research collection on futures research, geopolitics and invisible wars.
The Long Boom: A History of the Future, 1980-2020
This Wired article (July 1997), by Peter Schwartz and Peter Leyden, created the Long Boom memeplex. But will this scenario of hope actually come to pass?
The Long Boom
A promotional site for Peter Schwartz, Peter Layden and Joel Hyatt's book The Long Boom: A Vision for the Coming Age of Prosperity (New York: Perseus Books, 2000). Track the Long Boom memeplex, read articles and harness those network externalities.
Why The Future Doesn't Need Us
This Wired magazine article (April 2000), by Bill Joy, became a publishing phenomenon and created a firestorm of debate. Joy feared the spreading of Artificial Intelligence and Nanotechnology. Read this article and then send me some reasons why the future doesn't need Bill Joy or Sun anymore.
A Calculated Budget
Watch the US military spend your future to help fight their battles. War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength.
Out of Control: The Rise of Neo-biological Civilization
The complete text of Kevin Kelly's classic opus Out of Control: The Rise of Neo-biological Civilization (New York: Addison-Wesley, 1994). Kelly's insights into biology, Darwinian evolution and systems theory provide a roadmap to creating better futures.
New Rules for the New Economy
This Wired magazine article (September 1997), by Kevin Kelly, outlines and then applies twelve principles drawn from biology, Darwinian evolution and systems theory. Formed the basis for Kelly's book New Rules for the New Economy (New York: Penguin USA, 1999).
Die Off
"The human species may be seen as having evolved in the service of entropy, and it cannot be expected to outlast the dense accumulations of energy that have helped define its niche. Human beings like to believe they are in control of their destiny, but when the history of life on Earth is seen in perspective, the evolution of Homo sapiens is merely a transient episode that acts to redress the planet's energy balance." An intriguing collection of discussion papers and links, ranging from energy supply cycles and population patterns to underlying economic models and scientific consensus.
Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation
A promotional site for Neil Howe and William Strauss's book Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation (New York: Vintage Books, 2000). Read the book, then decide for yourself if Strauss and Howe's forecast will turn out to be correct.
Speak the Future
This Wired magazine article (June 1997) by Jim Taylor and Watts Wacker contends that the legacy of John Naisbitt and Alvin Toffler may be their buzzwords: Megatrends and Future Shock, respectively.
Shock Wave (Anti) Warrior
This Wired magazine article (November 1993), by Peter Schwartz, profiles Alvin Toffler, futurist uber alles. "The most successful futurists don't predict the future. They make their fortune by interpreting the present in a new way - a way that makes more sense and seems more conventional the farther into the future one goes.
Anticipatory Democracy
This Wired article (July 1996) dissects the rise and fall of futurist Alvin Toffler's political rhetoric.
New Internationalist: Back to the Future
This New Internationalist issue (December 1999) considers progressive and socialist views of futures research. Offers contrarian views and insights not found elsewhere.
The Future on The Future
A HotWired collection of interviews (1993-1998) with key US futurists on their methodologies and techniques. Danny Hillis on The Long Now Foundation, John Perry Barlow on technology and humans, Neal Stephenson on globalization, Ralph Merkle on nanotechnology, Douglas Coupland on time capsules, Paul Safflo on leisure parties, Bruce Sterling on futurists, Lawrence Wilkinson on generating scenarios and Stewart Brand on optimism.
Layoff Tracker
The Standard magazine tracks the future of the Dotcom Crash: tech layoffs and the foreclosure of broken dreams.
lobal Urban Indicators Database
"The Global Urban Indicators Database, a project of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements, profiles 237 cities in 110 countries. Learn more about socioeconomic development, infrastructure, services, transportation systems, environmental management, quality of local government and land use."
World Bank: Economic Growth Indicators
The World Bank offers geopolitical statistics, an online essay library, and development book reviews. This site tracks everything from energy and trade flows to local governance and political corruption.
Temple of Set Reading List (1989): The Future
Dr. Michael A. Aquino lists some useful futures-oriented resources: "The following selections include some of the more sophisticated futurological thinking in conventional society - as well as a few experiments-gone-wrong from The Outer Limits."
Social Indicators Site
"Social indicators are measures of well-being which assess such things as school performance, life expectancy, or our population's health, and which can provide important information upon which to base public policy decisions."
Social Indicators Launchpad
An intriguing collection of social indicators research: browse, then decide which future you desire to come into being.
100 Harshest Facts About Our Future
"This list is from Revolution X by Rob Nelson and Jon Cowan, co-founders of Lead . . . or Leave." Even if only some of these "facts" turn out to be true, the future for Gen-X and the Millennials could be a cold thaw . . .
Journal of Development Studies
Read abstracts and contents from The Journal of Development Studies.
Theoretical Population Biology
Read abstracts and contents from the interdisciplinary journal Theoretical Population Biology.
Third World Quarterly: Journal of Emerging Areas
Read abstracts and contents from Third World Quarterly: Journal of Emerging Areas
World Development
Read abstracts and contents from the interdisciplinary journal World Development.
Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology
Read abstracts and contents from the interdisciplinary Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology.
Disinformation Review of Critical Path
Read Disinformation's review of Buckminster Fuller's book Critical Path.
Disinformation Article on the Expanded Spiral Dynamics® Bibliography
Check out the Expanded Spiral Dynamics® Bibliography.
Disinformation Dossier on Riane Eisler
Check out the Disinformation dossier on Riane Eisler.
Disinformation Dossier on Timothy Leary
Check out the Disinformation dossier on Timothy Leary.
Disinformation Dossier on Terence McKenna
Check out the Disinformation dossier on Terence McKenna.
Disinformation Dossier on The Physics of Immortality
Check out the Disinformation dossier on The Physics of Immortality.
Disinformation Dossier on Memetic Engineering
Check out the Disinformation dossier on Memetic Engineering.
Disinformation Dossier on Extropianism: Nanites, Immortality and Freedom
Check out the Disinformation dossier on Extropianism: Nanites, Immortality and Freedom.
Disinformation Dossier on Robert Anton Wilson
Check out the Disinformation Dossier on Robert Anton Wilson.
Disinformation Dossier on Robert Wright
Check out the Disinformation dossier on Robert Wright.
Disinformation Dossier on Buckminster Fuller
Check out the Disinformation Dossier on Buckminster Fuller
Disinformation Dossier on Space Migration
Disinformation Dossier on Space Migration
Disinformation Dossier on Howard Bloom
Check out the Disinformation dossier on Howard Bloom.
Disinformation Dossier on John Godolphin Bennett
Check out the Disinformation dossier on John Godolphin Bennett.
Disinformation Dossier on the Temple of Set
Check out the Disinformation dossier on the Temple of Set.
Disinformation Dossier on The Voluntary Human Extinction Movement
Check out the Disinformation dossier on The Voluntary Human Extinction Movement.
Disinformation Dossier on Pentti Linkola
Check out the Disinformation dossier on Pentti Linkola.
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