Weak Signals Blog | Forum For The Future

…are ideas, trends, technologies or behaviour changes that are as yet unrecognised by mainstream society. They might have a big impact or they might disappear. We monitor them to help our partners challenge their assumptions about the future, navigate risk and seize new opportunities.

Change your behaviour by 'putting a contract on yourself'

David Bent, July 21st 2010, Futures

StickK is a web-based way to change behaviour with a difference. You commit to a goal (weight-loss, green initiatives, whatever), sign a contract, nominate a friend to keep you to task and put up some money...

Electronic open source cash

Hugh Knowles, July 12th 2010, Futures, Finance

For the paranoid amongst you there is now a money system that has no centralised distribution system and relies on "cryptographic principles to create unique, unreproducible, and divisible...

Forget organ donation, just print body parts

, June 25th 2010, Health

Forget endless waiting lists for life-saving organs, and incentives suchas Israel’s first claim policy for those willing to donate. All you need is a blueprint and the right sort of ink to print your own...

Waterscraper: the answer to crowded cities?

Anna Simpson, June 24th 2010, Built environment

One up on the yellow submarine – how about a giant floating underwater ‘skyscraper’ as your new abode? Your pad offers a 360º view onto shoals of herring and the occasional circling whale...

Augmented reality contact lenses: just a blink away?

, June 25th 2010, Innovation

Augmented reality vision could leave the snazziest Apps in the past. You just pop in a contact lens embedded with hundreds of tiny semitransparent LEDs, and the day begins. Colours are more vivid...

Rise and rise of the indie sectors

Louise Armstrong, June 10th 2010, Innovation

Nothing totally new here, but I've been made aware of the rise and rise of independant makers and doers this week. Whole new indie-sectors and business models are popping up witihin many of...

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