SESSION 28 | FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS

Global Catastrophes

In a bit of serendipity, MIT's Technology Review a while back had a list of interesting things on this topic and they will serve to guide our conversations today.

Don’t be alarmed, but the world is at risk. Despite humanity’s best efforts to prosper, there are international threats—some man-made, others beyond our control—that could cripple or destroy modern life as we know it. This macabre trawl through the MIT Technology Review archive will help you work out which ones you really need to worry about.

1. Our Fear of Artificial Intelligence. Every serious nerd worries about the technological singularity: the moment when an artificial superintelligence suddenly becomes so advanced that human civilization is changed beyond recognition. But how likely is that to happen, really?
2. Where Are They?. Many people find the prospect of identifying alien life incredibly exciting. But Nick Bostrom, the director of the Future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford, is terrified at the prospect. Here he explains why such a discovery could prove troubling for humankind.
3. The Knowledge. Genetic engineering is more straightforward than ever. Most of the time it’s used with the best of intentions, but could terrorists tweak the genes of a virus or bacterium to make a pathogen that kills huge swaths of the global population?
4. Hot and Violent. The climate is changing, and it will affect more than the weather. Research suggests that as temperatures rise, economies will slump, crop yields plummet, and inequality soar—increasing political tensions and the risk of widespread violence.
5. The Rare-Earth Crisis. Our attempts to avoid a global climate meltdown requires an all-electric economy. But there lies a sticking point: the hardware that will power that brave new world demands minerals that are in short supply. What happens when they run out?
6. The Extinction Invention. One of the most popular suggestions for eradicating malaria right now is a gene drive, in which disease-carrying mosquitoes would be genetically altered to kill off the population. Problem is, it could fundamentally change the world’s ecosystem.

But maybe there's hope in structural changing

The 14 Principles Of The Future Organization. From Forbes, some thoughts from Jacob Morgan.

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You don't have to read this unless you wish to, but it might be worth your time

Containers Will Not Fix Your Broken Culture (and Other Hard Truths)
Bridget Kromhaut in COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM | APRIL 2018 | VOL. 61 | NO. 4

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Decide among your group members which of these topics is the most interesting to your group

We'll spend some time in groups deciding which topic will be led by which group, and then each of the groups will take the lead in discussing their future topic with the rest of the class.

Plan to work in groups for about a half hour, and then we'll have futures discussions for the rest of our time.

If your group doesn't think one of these topics is the most important to discuss, introduce and lead a discussion on a topic of your choice. But tie your topic and your discussion to the twin themes of information and organizations.

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something to take away

Past, present, and future

Past - Gene Krupa

In the PBS television series about the history of jazz music, it was mentioned that a 1938 concert in Carnegie Hall was the big breakthrough for jazz music into the American mainstream. But at the start of the concert, things were dragging and not looking good. Gene Krupa couldn't stand it and burst forth with a solo on his drums, a solo that no one had expected. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, At a groundbreaking Benny Goodman concert in Carnegie Hall on January 16, 1938, Krupa’s sensational driving beat behind “Sing Sing Sing” ... defined him as the very model of a modern drummer.

Present - Bernard Purdie

... this prolific studio player grew up in Maryland before moving to New York in the early 1960s where he got his start doing sessions with jazz artists like Nina Simone and Gabor Szabo. Known for his intricate hi-hat "ghost notes," Purdue soon became one of the most in-demand drummers in the entire industry, serving as Aretha Franklin's musical director for several years when he wasn't busy recording with everyone from Steely Dan to Mongo Santamaria to Bob Marley. The question isn't who Pretty Purdie played with; it's who he hasn't.

Future - Yokoma Soma

Eight-year-old Yoyoka Soma's favorite drummer is John Bonham, so for her entry into the 2018 Hit Like A Girl drum contest, she covered Bonham's part on Led Zeppelin's "Good Times Bad Times." ... She absolutely smashes through the song with three foot pedals and polka dot socks putting in bass work. She's even got the facials and head banging down. And the dampening of the cymbal is a detail only a tenured drummer like herself could add.

But even more relevant to the future

This is a 12 year old Spanish girl, singing in the competition for the Spanish entry to the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. This is both an operatic voice and a call from the future to those of us in the present.

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