The Topic: Future Easier - The future is the time that is yet to come.   Harder - Throughout history, mankind have speculated on the future and what changes time will bring. The uncertain and unknown have always been fascinating. People who research and forecast the future are called futurists.   In the social sciences, futurology is the study of current trends in order to forecast future developments. Futurology can be traced to its roots in utopian literature and science fiction. But the methodology of the field originated in the 'technological forecasting' developed near the end of World War II.   Chronicle of the Future http://www.chronicle-future.co.uk/ This is a future scenario site, that goes up to 2050 or so! Similar Websites: 2) Future History by D. Cary http://www.rdrop.com/~cary/html/future_history.html 3) Profile of Predictions by J. C. Sprott http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/predsamp.htm 4) Which World?: Scenarios for the 21st Century http://mars3.gps.caltech.edu/whichworld// 5) World of 2088 http://www.washington.edu/alumni/columns/june98/2088.html   Future http://www.rbjones.com/rbjpub/future/fut000.htm This links-site connects to resources on the future including nanotechnology, scenario planning, the Singularity, organizations, issues, and lots more. Similar Website: 2) Crossroads to the Future by J. de Rosnay http://csiweb2.cite-sciences.fr/derosnay/english/   Futurism http://www.scholiast.org/futurism/ This page is devoted to the scientific and philosophical exploration of the potentialities and dangers of the immediate as well as the remote future.   Great Thinkers and Visionaries http://www.lucifer.com/~sasha/thinkers.html This is a list of people whose ideas on how and where the world is - and should be - evolving, may be of interest to those who want to understand the frontier of human thought.    After visiting several of the websites, complete one or more of the following projects:   Compare and Contrast Civic Responsibilities. Think about the responsibilities of citizens in past and present societies, and then compare and contrast them to those you believe will be needed in the future. An alternative activity would be to analyze the leadership qualities have been needed and valued in the past and present times and predict the changed demands that will be made of future leaders. What groups, professions, or types of people will play the most significant roles in the future?   Predict Shifts in Societal Problems. Identify the major societal problems of today such as substance use, population growth, crime, disease, digital divide, distribution of wealth, and others. Then predict the shifts in attitude and approach toward solutions or strategies for the future. Construct a flyer or poster that focuses attention on a societal problem of a future society.   Design a House for the Future. Explain and illustrate how architecture and construction might change to meet the housing needs of the future.   Focus on the Impact of Science and Technology. Consider the future evolution of communications, bioengineering including cloning, computers, space travel, and other technologies. Also think about the energies that will be needed to power these technologies. What kinds of problems will have to be solved? Write a personal journal that describes life at a space station, a biosphere, in an underwater community, or some other future environment.   Imagine Farms of the Future. During the twentieth century, agriculture underwent tremendous changes. Focus on the possibilities for farms and farming in the future. Draw a mural that illustrates your predicted farm for the future.   What Geographic Changes Do You Expect? Examine historical maps and maps of today to find out about changes that have occurred. Then use those same maps to predict the future effects of present-day environmental issues. Predict what changes you think will occur due to desertification, glaciers, earthquakes, volcanic activity, global warming, population movement and growth, etc. Also examine how natural resources will effect our future development.   How Will Students Be Educated? Will schools even exist or how will they change? Design a learning environment for the future. Identify the changes that you expect to occur.   Websites By Kids For Kids Future of Medicine (1999 ThinkQuest Project) http://library.thinkquest.org/28281/ This site looks at future trends in medicine.   Futures Organizations World Future Society http://www.wfs.org/ The World Future Society is an association of people interested in how social and technological developments are shaping the future. Related Website: 2) Greater Boston Chapter of World Future Society http://www.lucifer.com/~sasha/refs/wfsgbc.html   Online Journals, Magazines and Newsletters International Journal of Futures Studies http://www.systems.org/HTML/fsj-room.htm This is a refereed journal for scholarly notes and papers dealing with any area of futures research.   In Context http://www.context.org/ICLIB/backi.htm This is the online version of a quarterly journal for humane sustainable culture.   New Renaissance http://www.ru.org/index.html This is a quarterly magazine serving as a forum for progressive discussion on the future of society.   Plausible Futures Newsletter http://www.plausiblefutures.com/ This newsletter covers future studies and strategic planning.   Wired Magazine http://www.wired.com/wired/current.html This magazine covers cultural and technological trends.   Worldwatch Magazine http://www.worldwatch.org/mag/index.html This magazine focuses exclusively on issues consumer economy, to stabilize the global climate, and to protect our rapidly declining cultural and biological diversity.   More Websites on the Future Biotechnology on the Ground: What Kind of Future Can Farmers Expect and What Kind Should They Create? http://www.biotech-info.net/biotech_onthe_ground.html This is a presentation made by Frederick Kirschenmann to a June 1999 National Agricultural Biotechnology Council meeting in Lincoln, Nebraska. Related Website on the Future of farming: 2) Sustainable Future at PBS http://www.pbs.org/ktca/farmhouses/sustainable.html   Encyclopedia of the New Economy http://hotwired.lycos.com/special/ene/ So what is the new economy? Its a world so different, its emergence can only be described as a revolution.     Future of the Future http://www.wired.com/wired/scenarios/ Here are a series of scenarios from Wired magazine.   Futures Community Center http://www.planet-tech.com/community/ This is the site for a user-created community for futures research and social progress. It was developed to serve the needs of professional futurists and others concerned with long range planning or the sustainable health and well-being of their communities and businesses. Requires active participation; login and provide personal information.   Intelligent Life in the Universe: What Role Will It Play in Our Future? by A. Tough http://members.aol.com/AllenTough/bok.html How important is extraterrestrial intelligence? How diverse? Is it helpful, benign, or hostile? What are its capacities? How should we respond? What will be the long-term consequences of contact? Can life and intelligence survive forever?   Introduction to Future Studies by L. Groff & P. Smoker http://www.csudh.edu/global_options/IntroFS.HTML Here you find a brief overview of the field of study and its issues. Related Website: 2) Global Megacrisis http://www.csudh.edu/global_options/Megacrisis.HTML   Notes on Global Evolution for Fellow Thinkers by A. Chislenko http://www.lucifer.com/~sasha/articles/Futurology.txt This article presents the author's mix of ideas about the future of science fiction, economics, religion, science and art.   Paul Saffo http://www.saffo.org/index.html Paul is a technology forecaster studying long-term information technology trends and their impact on business and society. Related Website: 2) Howard Rheingold http://www.rheingold.com/    Progress and its Sustainablility by J. McCarthy http://www-formal.Stanford.EDU/jmc/progress/ This article discusses the resource limitations of the world and is aimed at showing that human material progress is desirable and sustainable.   School of the Future (Curriculum Article at Education World) http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr046.shtml Many educators and observers agree that the future school will go electronic! Related Websites on the Future of Schools: 2) Future Speculations by E. Strand http://home.swipnet.se/Erik_Strand/future.htm 3) Virtual High Schools: The High Schools of the Future? http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr119.shtml   Shock Wave (Anti) Warrior by P. Schwartz http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1.05/toffler.html This is an interview published in Wired magazine. From 'Future Shock' to 'The Third Wave' to his new book 'War and Anti-War', Alvin Toffler has been shocking us with his descriptions of the future. Related Website: 2) Alvin Toffler and the Third Wave by M. Finley http://www.skypoint.net/members/mfinley/toffler.htm   Singularity http://www.aleph.se/Trans/Global/Singularity/ There is no clear definition, but usually the 'Singularity' is meant as a future time when societal, scientific and economic change is so fast that we cannot even imagine what will happen from our present perspective. Another definition is that it denotes the singular time when technological development will be at its fastest.   Vision of the Future from Philips Electronics http://www.design.philips.com/vof/toc1/home.htm What will life be like in 2005? What will people want to do in the future? What will interest them and make their lives more fulfilled?    Websites For Teachers Future Problem Solving: Students Solving Global Challenges http://www.fpsp.org/ Under the guidance of teacher/coaches, teams of four students in grades 4-12 use the FPSP six-step model to explore challenges and propose action plans to complex societal problems, such as fads, financial security, amateur sports, the Internet and genetic engineering.    future scenario planning change information age technology chaos speculation Singularity alternatives transition sustainable development Utopia innovation transformation transhumanism biotechnology past predictions long range planning population forecasting unknown 'doom & gloom' visionary evolutionary possible probable preferable science fiction holistic systems view futurist global trends short-term planning nanotechnology futurecasting consumerism SETI future studies vision foresight precursor robot trend        Created by Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson, 9/00, Updated, 8/03.