(This is a blog post version of my latest newsletter. Want to get this monthly burst of wit and wisdom sent straight to your inbox? Email me at info@chriskeam.com and I’ll put you on the distribution list)
Growing up, I used to love an old television show called Tomorrow Today. It’s stock in trade was seemingly outlandish predictions about the way we’d live in the far distant 21st century. Now, with your average iPhone making a mockery of Spock’s tricorder capabilities, it’s a daring endeavour to forecast what technologies will be game-changers in the next year, let alone the next decade. Nonetheless, I’m going to take a shot at it. Here’s three things I think we’ll being seeing more of:
- E-bikes – They’re already a huge seller in Europe and Asia. Once you ride one you understand why. Electric-assist bicycles deliver on the promise of a sweat-free, speedy commute, overcoming the objections many have against biking to work. With electronics manufacturer Bosch, bike parts giant Shimano, and bicycle manufacturers such as Cannondale, Giant, and even KTM onboard with the trend, expect prices to drop and consumer acceptance to rise. Forget what The Graduate told you. Lithium (for bike batteries), not plastics, is the material to watch.
- Clockwork and Compressed Air – Two easy, proven ways to store energy. Couple them with advances in electronics to reduce power requirements and pretty soon you’re looking at self-winding mobile phones and stereos that really let you ‘pump up the volume’. What could be more environmentally friendly than never having to buy another battery and storing energy with sprung steel or pressurized canisters?
- Nuclear Energy – Like many people, I grew up under the shadow of the mushroom cloud. We’ve been acculturated to consider nuclear a really bad idea, thanks to Greenpeace, Three Mile Island, and Chernobyl. But, some prominent enviro-thinkers are pointing out that well-managed nuclear energy is way, way better for the planet than the cheap coal quickly becoming our only option for keeping the lights on. Author and activist Steward Brand, of ‘The Whole Earth Catalog’ fame is convinced there’s a future in fission and fusion. He makes a persausive argument for this prediction in his latest book.
There you go. Remember who told you first when you’re commuting to your job at the nuclear plant on your electric bike and you need to pull over to take a call on your wind-up cel phone. Want to convince the world your organization has a bright future? Let me help. Whether it’s a proposal, press release, newsletter, web or video content, I can help you showcase the reasons why your product or service has more staying power than a North Haverbrook monorail! Please contact me via email or give me a call (604.780.6125)
Thanks for reading,
Chris Keam
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