Prior to establishing Spy I had worked for New
Jersey Senator Bill Bradley on his 1984 re-election campaign before
studying Law at the London School of Economics. I began working in
electronic publishing in the US when I got a summer job working on
a small newsletter in Georgetown, Washington DC. I had gone there to
intern on Capitol Hill.
Future Files: A History of the Next 50 Years by Richard Watson (Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2008)
Lecture
The video of the talk has been published, including the In Conversation element.
Nico Macdonald in conversation with Richard Watson
[Notes on answers will be added shortly]
Who is this book aimed at?
What is the function of the economic and business ‘trends’ you cite? And what role does increased productivity play in realising the new products and services you envision.
What is your critique of other models of forecasting and other forecasts, for instance scenario planning, or are they complementary?
How would you explain the adoption of the Internet as a platform among ordinary people in Western societies?
What are our fundamental needs that drive future developments?
On media: considering your observations on the drive for quality and physicalisation, functionality and personalisation, and the revival of local news, how would you advise a media organisation, such as your client New Corporation?
What advice would you give to institutions such as the RSA which are interested not only in the understanding of futures, but how best to incorporate that understanding into our mission for the betterment of society?
Audience Q&A
[Notes to come]
