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"Memory allows for a kind of mental time travel, a way for us to picture not just the past but also a version of the future, according to a growing body of research. The studies suggest that the purpose of memory is far more extensive than simply helping us store and recall information about what has already happened. Researchers from University College London and Harvard University have made strides charting how memory helps us draw a mental sketch of someone's personality and imagine how that person might behave in a future social situation. They detailed their latest findings in work published in the journal Cerebral Cortex last week."

"Austin, Texas (CNN) -- Four years ago an unknown startup called MakerBot showed up at the South by Southwest Interactive conference here with a prototype of its first desktop 3-D printer, which spit out plastic replicas of small objects. Bre Pettis, the company's co-founder, took the machine around to Austin's watering holes, set it on the bar and showed off its capabilities by printing shot glasses. "They were pretty popular," he said. On Friday, Pettis was back at SXSW, this time as a keynote speaker before a packed hall of 3,000 people, further evidence that 3-D printing is a hot trend in the tech world. Once again, he brought a new prototype with him."

"Many are only just getting their heads around the idea of 3D printing but scientists at MIT are already working on an upgrade: 4D printing. At the TED conference in Los Angeles, architect and computer scientist Skylar Tibbits showed how the process allows objects to self-assemble."

"Great expectations and a virtual world are among the megatrends changing the role of museums and arts organisations. The megatrends, identified by CSIRO trend analyst Stefan Hajkowicz, are a major shift in the cultural, economic, social, environmental and technological milieu that are expected to radically change the context of everything we do over the next 20 years. Some of the trends go to the very nature of why people come to museums, raising the possibility that museums, galleries and theatres could replace shops as the 'third place' where people congregate. Others will change the processes by which our organisations operate and the subjects on which we focus. Speaking at the Musuems Australia National Conference in Canberra on Shaping the Future of Museums, Dr Hajkowicz said while some changes were 'black swans' - phenomena never seen until a major change of environment - many were more like a 'kangaroo in the headlights', who sees the car coming but remains frozen. He gave the example of Eastman Kodak, which was involved in the development of the digital camera in 1975 but failed to change its business model from dependence on film and filed for bankruptcy in 2011."

"The sewing machine was the smartphone of the nineteenth century. Just skim through the promotional materials of the leading sewing-machine manufacturers of that distant era and you will notice the many similarities with our own lofty, dizzy discourse. The catalog from Willcox & Gibbs, the Apple of its day, in 1864, includes glowing testimonials from a number of reverends thrilled by the civilizing powers of the new machine. One calls it a "Christian institution"; another celebrates its usefulness in his missionary efforts in Syria; a third, after praising it as an "honest machine," expresses his hope that "every man and woman who owns one will take pattern from it, in principle and duty." The brochure from Singer in 1880-modestly titled "Genius Rewarded: or, the Story of the Sewing Machine"-takes such rhetoric even further, presenting the sewing machine as the ultimate platform for spreading American culture. The machine's appeal is universal and its impact is revolutionary. Even its marketing is pure poetry:"

" "Now & Next"- MSLGROUP Publishes Report on the Future of Engagement"

" On November 11th 2013 researchers, innovators and creators will gather in Amsterdam for the co-working unconference LaFutura. The goal of this meeting is to map the business of trend research and future insights in order to create a framework for this new industry. The theme of this event is 'NOW NEW NEXT Building the future industry'. "

"Watch an exclusive interview with Rafael Ramirez, Director of the Oxford Scenarios Programme and Fellow in Strategy at the Saїd Business School and Green Templeton College, Oxford University. A world expert on scenario planning and a founder of theories on the aesthetics of business, work and organisation, Rafael Ramirez has worked in over 25 countries, spanning many corporations, governmental and inter-governmental organisations, trade union federations, NGO's and professional associations. As Director of the Oxford Scenarios Programme he leads one of the most highly respected programmes on the subject in the world."

Vitaliy and Elena's implicit answer: art will survive, as it always has, even if there is nothing left of the society that bore it. The important thing is that humanity's fixation upon the apocalypse--which they think is viewed in the modern world as an inevitability--does not paralyze us to stop designing and creating new things. Even after we're gone, Vitaliy and Elena imagine Earth as a dead world in which museums play time capsules to humanity's all too ephemeral creative spirit. Because art survives, and it will be all that is left of us when we're gone.

" Consider the disruption that technology has already introduced. The big data company BeyondCore can automatically evaluate vast amounts of data, identify statistically relevant insights, and present them through an animated briefing, rendering the junior analyst role obsolete. And the marketing intelligence company Motista employs predictive models and software to deliver insights into customer emotion and motivation at a small fraction of the price of a top consulting firm. These start-ups, though they lack the brand and reputation of the incumbents, are already making inroads with Fortune 500 companies-and as partners to the incumbents. "

SOIF's Vision Policy-makers and business leaders make better decisions when informed by strategic foresight, resulting in greater prosperity, security and well-being. SOIF's Way of Working Build a community and foster links internationally Host conferences, seminars, training events focusing on foresight approaches and tools Convene foresight activities involving multiple partners or countries, support foresight studies and develop foresight capacity

" Ask yourself Is your organisation being digitally disrupted? Does your future strategy lack clarity and buy-in? Is your analogue business model ready for the digital future? Do you currently balance the timeless wisdom of your organisation with timely and future-compatible strategies and action? Are your teams inspired by your brand's 2020 Vision? Do your leaders and staff suffer from change fatigue?"

The 65 year-old iconic Turing Test was passed for the very first time by supercomputer Eugene Goostman during Turing Test 2014 held at the renowned Royal Society in London on Saturday.

"We are Academically Qualified Futurists who provide innovative, dynamic leadership and qualified expertise in transformation practice from a futurist perspective. The purpose of our practice is to create powerful, measurable and practical results for individuals and organisations by providing the expertise and proven methodology to guide them to shape their best possible future, the future they aspire to live. We work one on one with individuals from Australia and around the world to assist them to identify, strategically plan and create significant, conscious and purposeful improvement in their life. We work with organisations in Australia to assist leaders in the strategic development and implementation of significant, cultural and business transformation."

Popular Mechanics reviews the predictions of Sci-Fi movies