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50 Ideas You Really Need to Know
The Future: 50 Ideas You Really Need to Know
A dynamic insight into how science will shape human destiny over the coming century. What will the world look like in 2020, 2030 or even 2100? How will progress in scientific research affect human life in the areas of health and lifestyle, energy and the environment, politics and conflict, space exploration and even the ultimate questions of existence? This book offers an electrifying trip through the wonders - and terrors - awaiting us over the next hundred years. The ideas explored include: Therapeutic cloning Regenerative medicine Nanotechnology Quantum computers Cyber-warfare Space colonies The nature of consciousness Digital democracy About the Author: Richard Watson Richard Watson is an internationally renowned author,speaker,futurist and scenario planner who is best known for hisbook FutureFiles and for his graphic representations of futuretrends. Richardis the founder of www.nowandnext.com a website thatpublishes thequarterly Whats Next report, a monthly newsletter anda daily blog.He is a regular on the conference circuit worldwideand recentspeaking clients have included London Business School,Shell andIBM.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
26 people are currently reading
552 people want to read
About the author
Richard Watson
500 books49 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Richard Watson (born 1961) is an English author, lecturer and futurist known for his 2007 book Future Files: a Brief History of The Next 50 Years and for his infographics, especially his Trends & Technology Timeline 2010-2050 and the Timeline of Emerging Science and Technology 2015-2030.
He has written 5 books about the future and is the founder of What’s Next, a website that documents global trends. He has been a blogger on innovation for Fast Company Magazine and has written about creativity, innovation, and future thinking for a variety of publications including Future Orientation (Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies) and What Matters (McKinsey & Company). He is a proponent of scenario planning and an advocate of preferred futures, believing it is incumbent upon organisations to create compelling visions of the future and work towards their realisation.
In addition to writing, Watson works with the Technology Foresight Practice at Imperial College London and Lectures at London Business School and the King's Fund. He is also a network member of Stratforma and has worked with the Strategic Trends Unit at the UK Ministry of Defence, the RAND Corporation, CSIRO, the Cabinet Office and the Departments of Education in the UK and Australia.
Richard Watson (born 1961) is an English author, lecturer and futurist known for his 2007 book Future Files: a Brief History of The Next 50 Years and for his infographics, especially his Trends & Technology Timeline 2010-2050 and the Timeline of Emerging Science and Technology 2015-2030.
He has written 5 books about the future and is the founder of What’s Next, a website that documents global trends. He has been a blogger on innovation for Fast Company Magazine and has written about creativity, innovation, and future thinking for a variety of publications including Future Orientation (Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies) and What Matters (McKinsey & Company). He is a proponent of scenario planning and an advocate of preferred futures, believing it is incumbent upon organisations to create compelling visions of the future and work towards their realisation.
In addition to writing, Watson works with the Technology Foresight Practice at Imperial College London and Lectures at London Business School and the King's Fund. He is also a network member of Stratforma and has worked with the Strategic Trends Unit at the UK Ministry of Defence, the RAND Corporation, CSIRO, the Cabinet Office and the Departments of Education in the UK and Australia.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 25, 2018
A bit weird book with lots of speculations and theories-just the thing I like. But it had some boring parts too, which made it hard to get through, so I just skipped those parts. Nevertheless, I liked the book enough to give it 3.5 stars.
May 17, 2013
This was a rather curious book, probably one of the most peculiar works among the '50 Ideas' collection.
Trying to stem from the reality we are used to living now, but sometimes full of sheer speculation, the writer covers a wide range of topics about the future. Environmental, work, space, health and consciousness are some ideas used in the text, always following the classic structure shared by the other '50 Ideas' books.
Precisely, the variety of subjects covered might attract almost all kind of readers, therefore, it is difficult to say which are the best chapters because it is just a personal choice. But the selection is quite interesting.
About the deepening in the topics covered, the shallowness is patent and specultation takes an important role. But what can you expect about a book whose purpose is to talk about what is going to happen in the next 60 years or so? Some of the ideas may seems odd or exaggerated, but who knows. One thing is clear: if you read these pages, you will get a lot of fascinating matters to think about.
Trying to stem from the reality we are used to living now, but sometimes full of sheer speculation, the writer covers a wide range of topics about the future. Environmental, work, space, health and consciousness are some ideas used in the text, always following the classic structure shared by the other '50 Ideas' books.
Precisely, the variety of subjects covered might attract almost all kind of readers, therefore, it is difficult to say which are the best chapters because it is just a personal choice. But the selection is quite interesting.
About the deepening in the topics covered, the shallowness is patent and specultation takes an important role. But what can you expect about a book whose purpose is to talk about what is going to happen in the next 60 years or so? Some of the ideas may seems odd or exaggerated, but who knows. One thing is clear: if you read these pages, you will get a lot of fascinating matters to think about.
November 12, 2017
Enthralling!
July 5, 2020
Richard is well known futurist especially the famous infographic on technology trends. His book on the 50 ideas was thought provoking, he has shared some very good insights on what we expect the future to be, i'm impressed that he has give a 360 degrees view of different areas that are important to us.
July 21, 2014
Some contents like robotics, automation are not so innovative at this time.
But when I read some contents related with Urban Engineering, Smart City, Ubiquitous and Nano technology, this book gave me the reason why I should not stop to read it.
This book will give several ideas to the readers working in specific industry,
even if the whole contents of this book are not needed to the all readers.
But when I read some contents related with Urban Engineering, Smart City, Ubiquitous and Nano technology, this book gave me the reason why I should not stop to read it.
This book will give several ideas to the readers working in specific industry,
even if the whole contents of this book are not needed to the all readers.
March 17, 2013
a sturdy overview of this and that of everything of the present that is quickly transforming into the future. ironical, informative, rather giving quite some new general perspective. and fun to translate.
September 8, 2014
An okay read. A little depressing in parts, some interesting ideas but mainly just possibilities rather than probabilities.
July 12, 2019
Decent speculation on what shape the future is likely to take in terms of technology, science and social organisation. A brisk overview that futurists and science fiction writers are likely to enjoy.
That being said, the neoliberal undertones are a little hard to stomach. A particularly egregious example concerns the chapter on feral slums, when the book muses about tomorrow's urban entrepreneurs who will teach us all a thing or two about living more economically and efficiently. As if this might provide a panacea to the poverty of the global south.
The proposed solutions for climate change are pretty flaccid as well. Still, the book offers up an enjoyable buffet of thought-provoking predictions. And I can't fault it too much for failing to placate a quarrelsome leftist where politics are concerned.
That being said, the neoliberal undertones are a little hard to stomach. A particularly egregious example concerns the chapter on feral slums, when the book muses about tomorrow's urban entrepreneurs who will teach us all a thing or two about living more economically and efficiently. As if this might provide a panacea to the poverty of the global south.
The proposed solutions for climate change are pretty flaccid as well. Still, the book offers up an enjoyable buffet of thought-provoking predictions. And I can't fault it too much for failing to placate a quarrelsome leftist where politics are concerned.
February 5, 2023
A very informative book that does exactly what it says on the tin.
The book contains fifty chapters on various futuristic topics, and each one is explained in a very lucid, clear manner.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a brief rundown of futuristic topics, without going into too much depth and detail.
The book contains fifty chapters on various futuristic topics, and each one is explained in a very lucid, clear manner.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a brief rundown of futuristic topics, without going into too much depth and detail.
February 26, 2020
This was a pretty thorough exploration of What If? scenarios covering technology, politics, geological phenomena, and several other big topics. I had quite a few "Whoa!" moments, and more than a few "Well, that's gonna suck..."
Overall, a highly imaginative read, well organized.
Overall, a highly imaginative read, well organized.
July 24, 2023
This book has a few exciting snippets smattered throughout it but by and large, it's not that interesting, even given the pretense that you accept futurism as a worthwhile thing to think about - which I decidedly do not.
May 10, 2017
يتحدث الكتاب عن مستقبل العلم والتكنولوجيا في المستقبل القزيب والبعيد، يستحق القراءة لكن فيه تكرار للمواضيع من أجل الوصول إلى الرقم خمسين.
January 3, 2020
قصير وخفيف ماهو معقد أبدًا ، يتكلم عن البيانات الضخمة والذكاء الإصطناعي والمدن الضخمة ومستقبل البشرية والتكنولوجيا .. لو مهتمين بهالمجال أنصحكم فيه 🌟
June 7, 2020
A great view of the future
January 4, 2020
Đọc thấy khó vô vài mục thật (tại vì nó quá ư là...viễn tưởng)
Khoan bài về văn phong, mình nghĩ tác giả chỉ cần gói gọn vài mục vào thay vì dàn trải đến 50 ideas (theo mình thì chỉ 30-35 là cùng vì vài vấn đề xoay đi xoay lại cũng chỉ tương qua đanh lại nhau thôi). Đọc xong, nói chung cũng thấy quyển này hấp dẫn, những ai làm bên mảng hoạt định chính sách về mọi vấn đề có tác động trực tiếp đến xã hội con người thì rất nên nghía qua quyển này, vì bởi nó sẽ cho bạn ideas như chính title của nó mà.
Khoan bài về văn phong, mình nghĩ tác giả chỉ cần gói gọn vài mục vào thay vì dàn trải đến 50 ideas (theo mình thì chỉ 30-35 là cùng vì vài vấn đề xoay đi xoay lại cũng chỉ tương qua đanh lại nhau thôi). Đọc xong, nói chung cũng thấy quyển này hấp dẫn, những ai làm bên mảng hoạt định chính sách về mọi vấn đề có tác động trực tiếp đến xã hội con người thì rất nên nghía qua quyển này, vì bởi nó sẽ cho bạn ideas như chính title của nó mà.
August 9, 2024
Cuốn sách được viết vào năm 2012, nhưng mình lại đọc vào năm 2020. Công bằng mà nói, đa số các ý tưởng mà tác giả đề cập đến đều là những xu hướng chung của thế giới và chúng vẫn đang tiếp diễn một cách rất mạnh mẽ. Dù vậy, một số ý tưởng trong sách vẫn còn có phần hơi bay bổng, phi thực tế ngay cả ở thời điểm hiện tại. Sách có những phần đọc khá giải trí, ví dụ như màn đoán vui về các sự kiện qua từng năm (hầu hết là trật lất).
Tóm lại đây là một cuốn sách có ích nhưng không quá đặc sắc, phù hợp với những người muốn có một cái nhìn rõ hơn về tương lai của nhân loại.
Tóm lại đây là một cuốn sách có ích nhưng không quá đặc sắc, phù hợp với những người muốn có một cái nhìn rõ hơn về tương lai của nhân loại.
September 10, 2013
An interesting teaser that whets the appetite for further research.
July 22, 2014
A really interesting read, especially the sections on Health and Well-being.
January 23, 2016
I love this collection, looking forward Math and Physiq
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews