| Future Files: The 5 Trends That Will Shape the Next 50 Years |  | Author: Richard Watson
Publisher: Nicholas Brealey Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $22.95
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Seller: Deja Vu
Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 273,443
Media: Paperback
Pages: 288
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6 x 1
ISBN: 1857885147
Dewey Decimal Number: 303.49
EAN: 9781857885149
ASIN: 1857885147
Publication Date: September 25, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
"Cheaper than a crystal ball and twice as fun.... Part Jules Verne, part Malcolm Gladwell, Watson has a puckish sense of humor and his book is a thought-provoking, laughter-inducing delight." -PublishersWeekly.com
"Provocative, entertaining, full of surprising facts a book to help you decide whether the world is going mad or possibly becoming more intelligent." --Theodore Zeldin author of An Intimate History of Humanity
"Woven together brilliantly." --Richard Hytner, Vice Chairman, Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide
William Gladwell meets Alvin Toffler in this lively, provocative and witty look at our possible futures.Filled with provocative forecasts about how the world might change in the next half century Future Files examines emerging patterns and developments in society, technology, economy, and business, and makes educated speculations as to where they might take us.Indispensable to business analysts, strategists and organizations who need to stay ahead of the game as well as providing rich and fascinating material for dinner party conversations. Will machines become more intelligent than humans, and even be able to 'read' our minds? Will food in our fridge speak to each other using radio waves, then come up with options for tonight's menu? Is there a looming environmental crisis where Planet Earth is doomed? Would you like a pill that improves your memory? ... or a moistened tissue that could erase a bad day? Would you feel safer if your front door could tell you whether the person knocking is not a stranger? These are just some of the provocative forecasts about how the world might change in the next half century which Richard Watson explores in Future Files.
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| Customer Reviews:
Back to the future December 5, 2008
Sam Harvey (New Jersey)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I've never been a huge fan of so called trendcasters because a lot of times they'll focus on such limited audiences or topics. A friend raved about Future Files, so I thought I'd give it a glance- I couldn't put it down. Now I'm not naive enough to imagine that just because the author says something means it will happen (and I don't think we'll be around in 50 years to argue whether he was wrong or right anyway) but he brings in such entertaining references that you understand how he reaches these conclusions. I think that it would be interesting to compare a few of the new books about what's next and see the recurring themes. In all, this is a book I thoroughly enjoyed, though some aspects really disturbed me (can you imagine hiring someone to hold your hand after surgery to help soothe you?). A lot of fun and a lot to think about- great gift book too.
Accessible manual of near-future trends July 26, 2010
Rolf Dobelli (Switzerland)
In this bold, entertaining book, futurist Richard Watson reports the results of decades of thought about the future. He identifies more than 200 separate trends, which he helpfully winnows down into five overarching themes illustrated with real-world and hypothetical examples. His breezy style weaves these themes into the major areas of life: work, finances, politics, science, health care and entertainment, among others. Watson's vision of the future covers all aspects - literally everything from taking baths to artificial intelligence - and the sweep of his ambition is impressive. He augments his text with good graphics, some perhaps tongue-in-cheek (his "Extinction Timeline" has Belgium biting the bullet around 2049). The book's one weakness is that, while Watson tells readers what will happen in the future, he doesn't always explain why. This caveat aside, getAbstract recommends this engaging book to leaders, innovators and all those interested in the future.
A must read for anyone who plans to live more then one more year. May 9, 2009
David Hodgson (New York, NY USA)
0 out of 8 found this review helpful
Loved this incite full, well thought out book. Not everything is likely but found many things already have come about. Need to know this now so you are not surprised.
 Biodegradable cars and no more Belgium November 17, 2008
S. Michael Bowen (Spokane, WA USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Oh, in 2050, how happy we'll be. We'll have "soft" bathtubs that mold to our bodies, smart bullets (that follow bad guys around corners) and "gravity tubes" (small but weightless areas). An Internet that appeals to all five senses. Female Viagra. Driverless cars that are biodegradable and shift their paint jobs with our moods. Cash and coins will go away (we'll all have "wallet-phones"), as will desktop computers, nation-states (like Belgium) and insistence on proper spelling. You'll bag your own groceries and just walk out -- nano-transmitters will scan your purchases and e-mail you the bill. Doctors will listen for cancer (because aggressive but tiny cells still make noise). And the military will download combat "memories" into recruits' minds.
That's what Richard Watson predicts in *Future Files,* anyway. Of course, futurists can be wrong. (Remember "paperless offices" and "more leisure time"?) Still, readers will enjoy Watson's browsable book, which states its organizing principles right off: The "5 Trends That Will Shape the Next 50 Years" include aging (it's not just America's Social Security system that's going to be strained); power-shifts to China (manufacturing), India (services) and the Middle East (finances); connectivity (cell phones, cell phones everywhere, and not a thought to think); GRIN technologies (advances in genetics, robotics, the Internet and nanotechnology that will have computers outsmarting us); and the environment (with sustainability and conservation becoming badges of honor).
But Watson also falls into two traps: hedging his bets and over-generalizing. Today, people like their food fast and convenient -- though there's also a slow-food movement brewing. Watson doesn't sort out which of these alternate trends will predominate; he simply says they'll both continue, which is self-evident and unhelpful. He also shilly-shallies his discussion of targeted shopping (getting in and then out) as opposed to social shopping (making it a leisurely experience).
As for the generalizations, Watson's "5 Things That Won't Change Over the Next 50 Years" amount to mere common sense: People will be anxious and nostalgic, and they'll crave respect. (Well, duh.) But he retains a sense of humor, cites a variety of sources and has organized his book in digestible chunks.
My own prediction? Readers will think Richard Watson's *Future Files* is worth skimming.
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