Fostering the development of leading edge innovations is
becoming harder than ever. Paradigms such as Moore’s Law, the law
that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit doubles
every two years, have become increasingly harder to achieve.
Even the greatest tech giants such as Intel and IBM have found that there resources are tapped, and
that r&d efforts are becoming increasingly difficult to carry
out alone. This presented a problem for corporations engaged in
tech innovation, since collaboration involves sharing knowledge and
even valuable trade secrets. Companies such as IBM took the plunge however, joining with other
companies and universities in an effort to enhance their r&d
capabilities. Did companies such as IBM
lose their competitive advantage through collaboration? In fact
what they found was that it was greatly increased. (IBM now turns
out more patents a day than any other corporation on the
planet.)
Collaboration centers, syndicates that bring together a wide
variety of public and private institutions under one roof, have
become the platforms for the type of innovation described above.
Often located in and around universities, these centers are growing
at an astounding rate, and attracting billions of dollars in
investment.
(cont.)
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With the coming of the gene age, should the human species in its
natural state be protected like other endangered species? 
We now live in an era where profound genetic manipulation is a
fact of life. Assuming genetic manipulation is here to stay I offer
several thought provoking questions.
Should human beings be allowed to live in a natural state, and
should they be protected much like we protect other species?
If we do choose to protect natural humans with dignity (ie not
as a slave race)to what end should be dedicate resources, rights,
and privileges?
In his book Deep Economy
author Bill
McKibben offers a well researched discussion on the meaning of
growth, and its implications for us all.
Deep Economy offers an analysis of growth since the industrial
revolution, shedding light on the underpinnings for the
technological age we live in today. Using insights into
globalization, inequality, consumption, and peak oil, McKibben
theorizes that growth as we know it may in fact be a one time binge
that is entirely unsustainable. He describes in intricate detail
the definition of growth most of the world has come to accept since
the launch of the steam engine, the technological innovation
regarded as the mother of the industrial age, and the correspondent
harnessing of fossil fuel.
McKibben shows a definition of growth as an ever pressing need
for “more” that is hiding some serious problems with our so called
“progress.” In order to survive as humans, according to the
author,we may need to redefine our meaning of growth, curtail
consumption, and question many aspects of globalisation in order to
produce sustainability and happiness. In other words we may need a
redirection in the way we live when our economic inputs become
scarce. According to the author our growth calculus has led to the
mathematics of inequality. He points to the fact that income
inequality has risen steadily since the 1960’s.
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In the early part of the 20th century the United States made
unprecedented investment in education, technology, public health,
and infrastructure.
Programs like the New Deal America made the greatest investment
in human potential the world has ever seen. The fertile 
environment we created was a hotbed of knowledge and creativity.
Other countries attempted similar plans for their societies, and
all of them failed, with one unfortunate exception. The US then
blew past the competition in “planning technology.”
The ability to collaborate and create massive programs for
societal change from the top down put us out ahead of other
countries, all while maintaining a market economy. Knowledge and
innovation networks, clustered around universities and national
labs, created the digital economy from the ground up.
The secret sauce is not so secret anymore, my
future-friends.
From Dubai to Singapore, the worlds rising stars are planning
their destinies, and now blowing right past the US. A recent FB
post Futuristic Middle
East, serves to articulate this trend. Such City States have
been exceptional proving grounds, and benefactors, of “planning
technology.” With small geographies and simplified political
systems, they can implement national strategies with ease.
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