Visioning 2026 Global Economy/Internet

8/21/06 – 5:30 pm

The group was given an explanation of the goal of a dialogue session, that there is no set agenda, not wrong answers, just a desire for dialogue on future trends for technology, global economy and the internet.

A handout of icebreaker questions were distributed to the group and everyone was asked to review and discuss the issues posed.

The group identified the following key factors of global economy, internet and technology trends for future research and dialogue at the next meeting set for Monday, August 28, 2006, at the City Council Chamber 309 Madison Ave. starting at 5:30pm:

Communications (GPS systems, network/internet, telecommunications, automobile services)/Privacy issues

Generational differences/Age related dynamics (where are the youth today compared to their parents/grandparents)

Relationships/Community Building (getting along, what “common goods” means)

Educate ourselves and continue to learn

Attract a diversity of people to or back to our area

Jobs (availability and types)

Variety of Entertainment/Act ivies

Raw Materials (price of electricity, labor force, cost of living)

Speed of Change/Time (priorities, management, choices)

Reaching the bottom 10% (educational reference on how if you can bring up the bottom 10% of the class you raise the standard for the whole class/school)

Healthy lifestyle

Impact of technology (health, relationships, lifestyle)

Success (how we define and measure it)

Connection/Connectivity (internet, global economy, after the internet)

Living opportunities downtown

Reading Material for next session.

Trendpackters for Technology PDF file

How the U.S. Can Keep its Innovation Edge, by Business Week PDF file

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Internet – Global Economy – Technology Bibliography

These are suggested readings. For the books, if you can’t get a hold of one to thumb through over the week – look them up on Amazon.com and read the excerpts.

The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century by Thomas Friedman

It's Alive: The Coming Convergence of Information, Biology, and Business by Christopher Meyer and Stan Davis

A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age by Daniel Pink

The Cheating Culture: Why More Americans are Doing Wrong to Get Ahead by David Callahan

Linked: How Everything is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means by Albert-Laszlo Barabasi

The Hydrogen Economy by Jeremy Rifkin

Freakonomics: A Rouge Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner

Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell

Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever by Ray Kurzweil and Terry Grossman

The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology by Ray Kurzweil

Websites:

All about future issues and artificial intelligence www.kurzweilai.net

Institute for the Future - www.iftf.org

MIT Video Library, “The World Is Flat”, Thomas L. Friedman, a 1:15 hour presentation given at MIT. http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/266/ Requires use of RealPlayer video player, http://www.real.com/

The Arlington Institute www.arlingtoninstitute.org

Background information on the Visioning 2026 www.norfolkvisioining2026.pbwiki.com

Rick Smyre’s website on future thinking www.communitiesofthefuture.org

A network of people interested in and dialoguing about the future www.2enlightenment.com