Future Files: The 5 Trends That Will Shape the Next 50 Years [Paperback]

Cheaper than a crystal ball and twice as fun...Part Jules Verne, part Malcolm Gladwell, Watson has a puckish sense of humor and his book is a thought-provoking, laughter-inducing delight. --Publishers Weekly Pick of the Week 13 October 2008

Woven together brilliantly. --Richard Hytner, Vice Chairman, Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide

Provocative, entertaining, full of surprising facts a book to help you decide whether the world is going mad or possibly becoming more intelligent. --Theodore Zeldin author of An Intimate History of Humanity

A detailed investigation into what author Richard Watson believes are the five key trends that will shape our future. There is an amusing "extinction timeline" for the next 50 years, where he nails his colours to the mast in predicting the ideas destined for the scrap-heap

Inspirational read. Take a peek 50 years into the future with this fascinating map of the trends that will change our lives. Mind-blowing predictions are interlaced with fictional letters from the future to better illustrate the effect of these scientific advances on people's lives.

Futurologist Richard Watson journeys into tomorrow's world.

A Must Read. Well written and concise predictions.

The book... is fascinating, frightening and strange.

A snappy look at possibilities and a timely dose of reality.

Wlliam Gladwell meets Alvin Toffler in this lively, provocative and witty look at our possible futures.Filled with provocative forecasts about how the world might change in the next half century Future Files examines emerging patterns and developments in society, technology, economy, and business, and makes educated speculations as to where they might take us.Indispensable to business analysts, strategists and organisations who need to stay ahead of the game as well as providing rich and fascinating material for dinner party conversations. Will machines become more intelligent than humans, and even be able to 'read' our minds? Will food in our fridge speak to each other using radio waves, then come up with options for tonight's menu? Is there a looming environmental crisis where Planet Earth is doomed? Would you like a pill that improves your memory? ... or a moistened tissue that could erase a bad day? Would you feel safer if your front door could tell you whether the person knocking is not a stranger? These are just some of the provocative forecasts about how the world might change in the next half century which Richard Watson explores in Future Files.

British writer Richard Watson advises organisations on the future, focusing on innovation and scenario planning. He is the author and publisher of What s Next, a quarterly report on global trends and writes about trends for a number of people and publications including Fast Company. His clients have included IBM, Virgin, Toyota, McDonald s, Tesco, News Limited, Westfield, Unilever, Coca-Cola and the Department of Education. A regular visitor to the UK, he maintains a website and blog at http://toptrends.nowandnext.com and is Chief Futurist at the Future Exploration Network , and a member of Futures House.