SuperStruct: A Collective Futures Endeavour

Recently the Institute for the Future, based oin Palo Alto, California, US, has initiated a project aimed at collectivizing the creation process of alternative future scenarios. The project, titiled SuperStruct, is open now, and goes fully functional Oct. 6th with open participation encouraged.

The first SuperStruct experiment will be based around a future scenario based in 2019. 5 Different videocasts have been compiled outlying the various difficulties facing humanity. The broad storyline is that of a human race facing a very real anticipatory computer model that outlines the extinction of our species. The videos provide provocative and idea-filled snapshots of Earth:2019 in order to evoke the future-concerned portions in all of us.

With thousands of participants worldwide, this promises to be one of the most exciting "futures invention" experiments in recent histroy. Utilizing various web-based medias, interfaces, and groups all are hopeful that SuperStruct will engage a user-base that represents the WORLD wideweb.

Thought this project might be of interest to the Space Collective and post this to encourage all members to voice their opinions, and bring their excellent ideas to another community.

Sat, Oct 4, 2008  Permanent link

Beijing Futures: One World, One Dream. Whose?

This project (Beijing Futures: One World, One Dream. Whose?)was begun to encompass a full "futures" workshop exercise pointed at China, and thematically revolving around the motto for the 2008 Olympic games.

A quick overview of the project aligns itself with the general schedule for a Futures Research project:
1) Brief Re-cap of History
2) Analysis of current trends across a variety of sectors
3) Creation of Futures Scenarios

Futures Scenarios gnerally follow the guidlines of the 4 distinct Futures Models as laid out by Dr. Jim Dator, a 50 year specialist in Futures Studies and techniques.

Continued Growth Scenario: Assumes that currently active trends should continue in their projected paths, idealisticall forever. Trends include spending, production, environmental impacts, population charts, technology and many peripheral and more specific industries and categories.

Collapse Scenario: This type of scenario takes into account a sweeping reversal in many current up trends. Though in some situations, such as environmental degradation, a trend reversal may be preferrable, the Collapse Scenario also assumes downtrends in many categories in whcih growth would be better. Life expectancy, standard of living, and cultural awareness will collapse just as pollution.

Disciplined Society Scenario: This constitutes a society or organization that strictly controls all trends, and polices growth and decline in all secotrs of society. The situation can best be described as a comunity of any size that believes a sitation is "as good as it gets," and institutes any necessary measures to maintain that standard.

Transformational Society: This scenario assumes a dynamic, or several dynamics colluding, in which the outcome is wholly unlike any trend or situation as yet faced by the society. This can often happen due to certain technological, cultural, or economic windfalls and their radical changing of a societal norm, or a series thereof.


The project is currently in its final stages: the creation of Futures Scenarios. Through the next month we will be constructing short situational stories stemming from the concept of One World, One Dream. Each story will revolve around one of the four futures, and we welcome any input, or commentary concerning these scenarios. Please feel free to visit.

Sun, Oct 5, 2008  Permanent link