How to do new things effectively in 2009
The theme of 2009 and beyond is “Doing New Things.” After all, it’s not enough to describe which institutions (banking, media, governance, etc.) are breaking down - we’ve actually got to build new insitutions in their place. This is exciting - this is scary, too.
While you’re thinking about doing new things well, watch this great video from Tim Ferriss, author of The Four-Hour Workweek,” on how showing up and working hard is not enough when trying new things - there are special tricks involved. These are the kinds of skills we’ll need to master if we are to navigate so many changes in the years to come.
The g-space operating system
Approximately forty trillion times cooler than Microsoft Windows.
g-speak overview 1828121108 from john underkoffler on Vimeo.
Burlington, Vermont, the healthiest city in the United States
My birthplace and former residence, Burlington, Vermont has been named the healthiest city in the United 
States.
Two thoughts come to mind. First, shoveling snow and enduring weeks of -20 degree weather must be good for you.
Second, it must be incredibly good for you because this city is home to Nectar’s gravy fries, two pound sandwiches, and enough awesome cheddar cheese to kill a moose.
A first in surgery
People who know me well know two things:
- I’m a musician.
- I study the future with a distinct view on the past, trying to separate repeatable cycles from brand new developments.
Example of interest in the past: This quote from Cicero was sent to me today:
The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed…
…lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.
OK, written in 55 BC, applicable today. Some things never change.
But this - this is definitely new for humanity. Forget pain-free anethesia during surgery. This is playing the banjo while people cut your head open and operate on your brain.
That’s new.
Touchless computer screens - ultracool
What happens when you include a Wii remote hack, Minority Report style gloves, and Microsoft windows?
Oh, very cool stuff.
THE FUTURE OF POWERDRINKS
Back a few years ago, I did a study on the future of water. I know, I know, nanotechnology sounds sexier, but at the time, the whole bottled water craze was starting to hit. The clients made water infrastructure - pipes, taps, filtration systems - and they wanted to know how this would impact them. One of the major trends we ran across was the rise in "functional foods" - food and beverage products with added minerals, vitamins, maybe even pharmaceuticals.
Since then, much of what we forecast has come to pass, especially the development of the energy drink market. These drinks have been so successful you start to think, "are we pushing the whole stimulation thing a little too far? How much energy are we supposed to have, anyhow?"
The answer is below. These are the two funniest things I have ever seen on the subject of energy drinks or ANYTHING else for that matter:
Scientists save data in Bacteria — living hard drives!
New Technique Stores Data in Bacteria. Whoa.
Could this make your morning yogurt the world’s biggest hard drive?
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