About IGF

Virtual World Market: 3-D Bling

At the Institute for Global Futures, we track trends by visualizing complex information. We build information rich models to help construct our forecasts. History flow is a tool for visualizing dynamic, evolving documents and the interactions of multiple collaborating authors. In its current implementation, history flow is being used to visualize the evolutionary history of wiki pages on Wikipedia. The collaboration and conflict between authors can often be revealed in a dynamic environment. For more info., go here and click on gallery: History Flow

Too much complexity can be frustrating in getting meaning from information. Visualizing information, especially innovation, can be daunting. How do we better explain ways in which we think about innovation, or new models of reality, science and commerce? We have developed a series of Future Mapping Models that are an attempt to organize complex information so understanding may emerge. For examples, see: Mapping the Future

The recent Virtual Worlds conference in NY shows the excitement of this emerging new market, where virtual world's lifestyles are increasing. Already dozens of brands are in virtual worlds and over 60 virtual worlds exist. Are we witnessing the next transformation of the web? I say yes. For example, Second Life may reach the mega-city population level by 2010, outpacing real world cities in population numbers.

Most interesting to this futurist is the virtual economics--the buying and selling of virtual products. The emergence of a virtual economy in these worlds may come to rival real-world economies someday, I forecast. Coke or Pepsi sold over 50,000 cans of virtual soda. The buying and selling of virtual real estate is common. Even a Second Life virtual terrorist group attacked a shoe mall in a virtual world.

This is when real telepresense – sensory collaboration--feel me (smell me) technology becomes available. Then look out for 3-D bling – the cash will flow and advertisers will follow. It is not hard to see the beginning of this. Force-feedback is in games. Cheap virtual reality glasses are here. Web 2.0 hype has arrived. My forecast is that VR worlds will be here faster then anyone can imagine--mobile, seductive, and commercial.

The Top Ten Sales Innovation Trends That Every Executive Needs to Know About Now

1. Customer relationship management systems must have a human touch to be fully effective or they will turn customers off.
2. Data warehouses and data mining will be essential to creating the Real-Time Enterprise to access information and identify key customer opportunities.
3. Understanding who the highest profile customers are and who are the least profitable should guide the sales process.
4. Sales Knowledge Management: Getting the right information to the right people at the right time so they can make the right buying decision–will be mission-critical to sales.
5. Business Intelligence, about competitors, markets, and customers will enable business to strategically plan better, identify new opportunities and change fast.
6. Wireless access to remote product knowledge on-demand will differentiate sales people who need to "get back to you tomorrow".
7. Real-time knowledge about products and services and providing that on-demand to customers over electronic personalized networks, will be the key sales weapon of the 21st century
8. Sales Business Process Transformation, where organizations' rethink and change the sales process to maximize effectiveness and innovations will be vital.
9. The capture of ALL customer data around behavior, purchasing, preferences, profiles, from All customer touch points will provide the Holistic Sales View that every organization must have access to.
10. The sales supply chain, from producer to end-user–will become increasingly web-centric, end-to-end streamlined; linking all transactions, payments, logistics, shipping, and production in one super-efficient transparent network.

Web 2.0 Hype Watch

OK, so don't get nuts about Web 2.O, but it is here. How many companies are leveraging customer generated media, or Wikkis or blogs – not enough. The RSS revolution will transform mobility and commerce. Web 2.0 is not all hype when your competition is leveraging rich media on YouTube and you're still trying to figure out what RSS is. Collaboration, Search, Interactivity –Web 2.0 in a rich interactive cross platform mobile world is emerging. By the way, Berners-Lee's Semantic Web project, the grand-daddy of Ajax? is coming as soon as XML steps up.

The Top Ten Business Tech Trends for the 21st Century

1. Managing the convergence of 21st-century Power Tools-computers, networks, biotech, and nanotech-will create the highest yield market opportunities for future business.
2. Shaping customer relationships and enhancing customer satisfaction through the use of technology innovation will be business-critical for every enterprise.
3. Every business that wants to survive in the future must learn to evolve into an E-business: communicating, servicing, distributing, and marketing on the Net.
4. The convergence of the TV, computer, Net, and telephone will result in new business models, markets, and electronic channels that will revolutionize business.
5. The social impact of leading-edge technology on a longer-living, digitally savvy, globally connected marketplace will provide many new opportunities.
6. Real-time agility-how fast an enterprise can embrace leading-edge technology-will determine the efficiency, speed, and cost-effectiveness of its operations.
7. High-performance education about leading-edge technology solutions will become a central strategy for all companies.
8. Managing rapidly emerging technological change within an organization will be one of the central capabilities for everyone across the enterprise.
9. Technology-enabled products and services that incorporate deep customer contact, on-demand choices, and intuitive interaction will drive business success.
10. Learning to celebrate technology innovation, risk taking, and out-of-the-box thinking will be business-critical for the 21st-century enterprise.

Mobile Barcodes

Mobile barcodes, or rather software on phones to read barcodes – something old with something new – is fast emerging. In the EU and Latin America, mobile pay is the beginning. Motorola and Nokia are moving ahead. A whole lot more adoption by merchants to agree to bar code and share common platforms would be smart. Don't count on it soon. But, in select areas, this will be a fast mobile solution for buying. Maybe exchanging currency or other values – like info, stock or IP.

The Top Ten Computer Trends for the 21st Century

1. Computers will become powerful extensions of human beings designed to augment intelligence, learning, communications, and productivity.
2. Computers will become intuitive---they will "learn," "recognize," and "know" what we want, who we are, and even what we desire.
3. Computer chips will be everywhere, and they will become invisible-embedded in everything from brains and hearts, to clothes and toys.
4. Computers will manage essential global systems, such as transportation and food production, better than humans will.
5. Online computer resources will enable us to download applications on-demand via wireless access anywhere and anytime.
6. will become voice-activated, networked, video-enabled, and connected together over the Net, linked with each other and humans.
7. Computers will have digital senses-speech, sight, smell, hearing-enabling them to communicate with humans and other machines.
8. Neural networks and other forms of artificial intelligence will make computers both as smart as humans, and smarter for certain jobs.
9. Human and computer evolution will converge. Synthetic intelligence will greatly enhance the next generations of humans.
10. As computers surpass humans in intelligence, a new digital species and a new culture will evolve that is parallel to ours.

Boomer Generation PBS

Our friend and gerontologist, Ken Dychtwald, produced a terrific new PBS special last week on the Boomer Generation. This was a two hour special nailing down the key concepts that have created the boomer ethos. The historical overview was spot on for analyzing why the boomers actually believe and act as they do. The 60's and 70's for the boomers were periods of drastic change, crisis and even transformation. The Kennedy and Martin Luther King assassinations, Civil Rights, the Vietnam War, all defined the nation and the Boomer Generation. I heartily recommend it. PBS