On a daily basis, I’m impressed by the accelerating pace of technological change, but I have to admit that some days the dizzying pace leaves even my head spinning. Today is one of those days. I began this morning by reading an informative article in the Washington Post describing how faster supercomputers are accelerating the pace of scientific discovery. These supercomputers are poised to transform everything from drug discovery to the computational design of next-generation materials, automobiles and airplanes.
Next, I read this article about the creation of a new shape-shifting rubber. Among the products it might create are new biomedical implants and “smart” labels that can inform customers if their milk—or any other product—is about to expire or has otherwise encountered a change in temperature or humidity that might have an adverse affect on it.
The third article I persued was this interesting piece on Techcrunch highlighting a new company called iMedix. In its simpliest form, the company is a combination of WebMD + Facebook + Wikipedia. More importantly, however, iMedix could transform how people obtain medical information as well as which medical procedures they choose to utilize.
Finally, Technology Review had a fascinating article about a new technology that could turn carbon dioxide into fuel. Imagine being able to pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to create fuel! Not only could we ween outselves from foreign fossil fuels, we could potentially curb climate change. (Note: The technology is still a long way from commercial viability, but if you “jump the curve” and extrapolate where the technology is headed, you can understand how we may soon be able to “do the impossible” and reverse global climate change.)
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Jack Uldrich is a writer, futurist, public speaker and host of jumpthecurve.net. He is the author of seven books, including Jump the Curve and The Next Big Thing is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business. He is also a frequent speaker on future technology and future trends, nanotechnology, innovation, change management and executive leadership to a variety of businesses, industries and non-profit organizations and trade associations.
