Services 2020

2 million photographs are uploaded to Facebook each day. As of this week, every new image will be processed by automatic face recognition software, designed to identify the people in the photographs. It's not the addition of this new function that has caused the creeping sense of unease, but the covert manner with which it has been activated

Examples of building sustainability with local involvement

Wikicity - How citizens can improve their ciities

Limits of probabilistic models 1.4 years if nuclear power expands from today's 440 commercial power reactors to the 1,000

"Presenting on the heels of Canada, which argued that it is difficult to achieve emissions reductions while continuing on a path of economic growth, the EU stated that, in fact, its own GDP has grown, by 40%+ percent between 1990-2009, while its emissions have been reduced by 16%. "So it is possible," said the EU's lead climate negotiator Artur Runge-Metzger, "to de-couple economic growth from increased emissions.""

"'The Institute of Knowledge Transfer exists for those who are professionally engaged in making the exchange of knowledge more effective. I want the Institute to be of equal value to everyone involved in the process; from the innovators, to those immersed in science and technology, to those within the creative arts. The Institute's agenda is to be set by its members; it is the members that give it life. As the first Institute of this kind in the world others will watch our evolution. With the help of those who have already joined us, the Institute is currently developing the services required by members. Mentoring is one example and is an important step in sharing the experiences of a new profession'. "

"At the Cold War's end, some pundits proclaimed that "geo-economics" had replaced geopolitics. Economic power would become the key to success in world politics, a change that many people thought would usher in a world dominated by Japan and Germany."

"OnGreen is the world's largest cleantech social marketplace. Members from across the globe work together, connecting the best ideas in cleantech to funding and expertise, translating IP into ROI. With thousands of entrepreneurs, investors, and business and technology experts spanning 177 countries, it's never been easier to connect with the people and resources needed to turn today's energy and environmental challenges into business opportunities."

"This is a forum where participants from different disciplines and organisations can meet and challenge each other to develop the field of participatory innovation. It will be held in Melbourne Australia from 12-14 January 2012. The conference presents an exciting programme of five tracks: "

"To address this and similar challenges, we're developing Open Foresight - a social response to accelerating change. It's a new process that crowdsources the future of given topics, as demonstrated by the Future of Facebook pilot project. It's different because it structures data around established futures categories and methods, then synthesizes that information into easily digestible video format."

Why the drop? Most prominently, the United States lost nearly 6 million users, falling from 155.2 million at the start of May to 149.4 million at the end of it. This is the first time the country has lost users in the past year. Canada also fell significantly, by 1.52 million down to 16.6 million, although it has been fluctuating around that number for the past year. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom, Norway and Russia all posted losses of more than 100,000. If these countries - most of whom had adopted Facebook many years ago - had not lost users, and instead posted even small gains, Facebook would have had a much more typical month

"From my experience, I get the sense that being on Facebook is not cool anymore," Hoglund said. "The early adopters and trend-setters are moving away. [But] these are also exactly the type of people brand advertisers want to reach; if they are leaving, it doesn't look good for Facebook."

What's Next is a trends report offering clear, concise and non-sensationalist commentary on trends in society, business, science & technology, government and the environment. Each issue covers trends across twelve sectors and speculates about future risks and opportunities.

Future Exploration Network - connecting ideas and people at the edge of the future(!) Not sure if we've captured these guys before.

Museums of the Future talk at TEDx Sydney

Future Government conference  Australia, September 12-18

Public Sees a Future Full of Promise and Peril Life in 2050: Amazing Science, Familiar Threats

TIMN talk by Ronfeldt and others

Scenario Thinking for Small Business Survival with Professor George Cairns, RMIT University.Thursday, September 01, 2011 from 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM (GMT+1000)Melbourne, Australia

We (Cognitive Edge) would be really grateful if you would be prepared to share your thoughts, fears and hopes about the current state of the world post the financial cris. What are the implications for public service? How will our institutions adapt? What will be important for the public service in the future? What is going to happen to public service anyway? We want your micro-narratives, you mini-scenarios as part of a crowd sourcing project. Anyone who participates can have access to the data, results will be published here. Basically you click here and contribute your ideas, then you signify their meaning. The signifier (or index) set was produced in conjunction with experts in strategic foresight. We want to demonstrate the power of networks, the ability of the voice of the person on the metaphorical Clapham Omnibus, Jo Public (or whatever yiyr cultural phrase is) to stand up there with the views of experts. One is not better than the other, we need both! Also we want them fast - as many as you can over the next couple of days. The first report will come out on Sunday, then more over next week. Please participate please pass this on in your blog, Twitter, Facebook, emails lists or good old word of mouth.