Linknote — — 187 words

Culture — Economics — Politics — Society — Technology

There will be no “back to normal” — Nesta

Faded out aerial view of an urban area taken on a fisheye lens

This is more than a month old. In terms of the coronavirus outbreak, that’s an eternity. But I still found this list of possible future scenarios interesting and thought-provoking.

It also comes with the major caveat that predicting the future is a mug’s game at the best of times, never mind during these times. This is inherently recognised in the fact that some of the predictions are contradictory.

I was particularly interested in the political, economic and sociocultural predictions. For instance, I have wondered if in the coming decades society will prioritise getting the basics right more over relentless innovation. This article suggests that may be the case, but that the shift may not last long.

The crisis may prompt a reappraisal of what society cares about most, with short-term attention focusing on the bottom of Maslow’s ‘hierarchy of needs’. (This may have the effect of, for example, boosting relative status of health workers and farmers, and diminishing ‘luxury’ industries, including leisure, gaming, arts – although history suggests that this will be short-lived, and the luxury status of some goods and services may ultimately be reinforced.)

Linknote — — 27 words

Digital — Human-centred approaches — User experience

A brief rant on the future of interaction design

A fascinating perspective on why futuristic interfaces need to think beyond the touch screen — “Pictures Under Glass”.

Linknote — — 136 words

Society — Technology

Confounding machines: How the future looked — Peter Edidin — The New York Times

Nothing dates as quickly as our ideas of the future. Here is an interesting article about the predictions people have made in the past about new technologies. So just remember to keep your hat on about this internet thing.

Bruce Bliven wrote about the radio in 1922:

There will be only one orchestra left on earth, giving nightly worldwide concerts; when all universities will be combined into one super-institution, conducting courses by radio for students in Zanzibar, Kamchatka and Oskaloose…

Though some made good points, and some predictions were quite right.

It is believed that brief pithy statements as to the positions of the parties and candidates, which reach the emotions through the minds of millions of radio listeners, will play an important part in the race to the White House.

All-in-all, an interesting read. Via Qwghlm.