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A futurist is someone who uses knowledge of science, technology, social trends and human needs, adds a little bit of imagination, and creates a hypotheses about what the future might look like. Jules Verne may be the most famous futurist of all, having predicted space flight to the Moon, global transportation and submarines. Other science fiction writers (like the folks behind Star Trek) have...

As you begin a new learning curve or take the first steps towards bringing an idea into existence, you should ask yourself if you’re determined to be determined. It’s an important question because we can say with almost 100% certainty that your idea will not work the first time and you will not learn that new skill overnight. Was that too discouraging? We don’t think so. It’s just the...

William Kamkwamba All William wanted was to have electricity for reading books after sunset. Instead, he became an internationally known role model for determination and inventive solutions by building a windmill—at age 14, while living in rural Malawi, with only library books as guides and junk bicycle parts for building material. Kind of makes you wonder what you’re doing with all your...

While past generations have dreamed of building rocket ships or designing movie creatures, those kinds of jobs were few and far between. However, because there’s now a space race in the private sector, the entertainment industry’s use of computing power has boomed, and consumer goods are getting increasingly smart. The jobs that were once only daydreams are now listed on numerous job...

As a life-long rule of thumb, never stop learning. Ever. Learning a new skill not only allows you to use and enjoy that new skill, it’s the neuro equivalent of heaving lifting—only it’s your memory and cognitive function that gets the six-pack abs. What’s more, learning can improve your brain at almost any age. There’s even a term, “brain plasticity,” to describe how the brain can...

It’s safe to say that technology is advancing so fast that the future will have jobs that don’t exist today. Which is why it’s fun to dream a little bit about what might be on your not-too-distant resume. Artificial Intelligence Psychologist. Will code cheer up your sad computer or will it need a personal touch to talk through difficult issues? Space Trash Engineer. Along with...

Most people usually don’t think of farming as a high-tech profession, but farmers are always utilizing leading edge technology. Take self-driving cars. Farmers have already had self-driving tractors for years to maximize planting and efficiency. Combines are able to generate accurate yield maps that show which parts of the field produced the most grain. And even the irrigation pivots we see...

Photography evolved into motion pictures, black and white turned into full color, then the stunning size of IMAX immersed us into new landscapes. Now multiple camera configurations working with software are able to capture footage simultaneously in 360 degrees. With the right virtual reality goggles, you can go from your living room to underwater caves in an instant. Wherever you look – up,...

When Bill Gates was 13, he wrote a computer program that played tic-tac-toe. Age 13. That’s when it all started, that’s when his fascination began. While Bill is a really smart guy, his story shows how one “first” and one pursuit of an interest can lead to truly incredible things. It doesn’t matter if you’re 13, 31 or 62, you can always take that one step forward. Wikipedia.org -...

Fact: your smart phone has more computing power than the original space shuttle, which used only 1MB of RAM. By comparison, an iPhone 4s had 512 MB of RAM. So why didn’t NASA upgrade? Because even at 30-years old (500 in technology years), the computing system was incredibly reliable. Four computers operated simultaneously, and if one had a different result, it was presumed wrong by the...