In my latest book, Foresight 20/20: A Futurist Explores the Trends Transforming Tomorrow, I devote an entire chapter to how 3D printing will transform not only the manufacturing sector but everyday life. To understand how rapidly 3D printing is advancing, consider just these three unrelated developments from the world of music: 1. Bloomberg News is…

Last week, it was announced for the first time that old records outsold new records. As a futurist and business forecaster, this is noteworthy because while many people can grasp how the Internet, digitization and social networking are opening up a new future, they are simultaneously causing a growing number of people to be exposed…

Lately, I have been noticing an interesting trend: More people are paying attention to how physical movement affects learning. For example, the other day, the Wall Street Journal had a fascinating article about how handwriting can help improve idea composition and expression. Clive Thompson at Wired had a great piece on how drawing–and not writing–may…

Unlearning is simple. Sometimes, as this hilarious video demonstrates, it is as easy as walking. Other times, however, it requires a little more creativity. For a wonderful example of how society might want to unlearn our heavy reliance on the escalator, I invite you to watch this short video:

Ben Harper has a new song on this latest album that touches on the theme of unlearning. The song is entitled "Fly One Time." Below are the lyrics. A video of the song being performed live can be found below. (It's a good tune.) I have an abilityIt’s pounding at my door.Screaming for more. In…

Who says a musical instrument can't have interchangeable parts. Meet the chameleon guitar. If the technology takes off, it may require musicians to unlearn some behaviors which they have spent their entire careers learning.