I went recently to hear the futurist and sustainability adviser David Bent talk on ‘business policy and transformation’ at the Bartlett School in London.
How Britain’s Four-Day Week Pilot Turned Out
I’ve been meaning to write here for some time about the British six-month pilot of the four-day week, because it involved a decent number of firms across a reasonable spectrum of the economy.
I’ve been meaning to write here for some time about the British six-month pilot of the four-day week, because it involved a decent number of firms across a reasonable spectrum of the economy.
A Lexicon of Time
The four examples in the post are ‘time-blinkered’, ‘temporal stresses’, ‘temporal habits’, and ‘long-minded’.
The four examples in the post are ‘time-blinkered’, ‘temporal stresses’, ‘temporal habits’, and ‘long-minded’.
The End Times (or Why I Am No Longer Talking About Climate)
Dougald Hine's new book "At Work in the Ruins: Finding our place in the time of science, climate change, pandemics, & all the other emergencies" has us thinking about endings -- and how to begin again.
Dougald Hine’s new book “At Work in the Ruins: Finding our place in the time of science, climate change, pandemics, & all the other emergencies” has us thinking about endings — and how to begin again.
The Future of Cities and the Future of Work
You can’t talk about the the future of work without thinking about the future city, since the shape and structure of work is bound up more or less completely with the shape and structure of cities.
You can’t talk about the the future of work without thinking about the future city, since the shape and structure of work is bound up more or less completely with the shape and structure of cities.
Giant Leap, or Too Little Too Late
“One of the things we learn right at the start of our futures journey is that “there are no future facts”. It is hard-coded into the literature. But—it isn’t clear why."
“One of the things we learn right at the start of our futures journey is that “there are no future facts”. It is hard-coded into the literature. But—it isn’t clear why.”
The ‘Enshittification’ of the Corporate World
Cory Doctorow has added a neologism to the language, even if it is both ugly and memorable.
Cory Doctorow has added a neologism to the language, even if it is both ugly and memorable.
The Long Century of the Car
A review of Tom Standage’s book A Brief History of Motion.
A review of Tom Standage’s book A Brief History of Motion.
Making Change
One of the things I like about Three Horizons is that in mapping a model of change in a single space, it also does two more things.
One of the things I like about Three Horizons is that in mapping a model of change in a single space, it also does two more things.
Modernity and Our Crisis of Meaning
I went last week to hear Richard McNeill Douglas, who’s an academic at the CUSP research programme, talk about the idea that 1972 was “the high water mark of modernity”.
I went last week to hear Richard McNeill Douglas, who’s an academic at the CUSP research programme, talk about the idea that 1972 was “the high water mark of modernity”.
How Britain Fell in and Out of Love With Roads
I noticed Joe Moran’s 2010 book On Roads in the local library, and I’m interested in roads and like Moran’s work.
I noticed Joe Moran’s 2010 book On Roads in the local library, and I’m interested in roads and like Moran’s work.
Tacit Knowledge and High Value Work
There was a lively discussion about the role of tacit knowledge over a couple of days at John Naughton’s daily blog recently. I’ll come back to the reason why the subject came up in a moment or so.
There was a lively discussion about the role of tacit knowledge over a couple of days at John Naughton’s daily blog recently. I’ll come back to the reason why the subject came up in a moment or so.
The History of the Office
This book is about the the cultural significance of the office. It is a history of gender and control, as much as it is a history of economics and technology.
This book is about the the cultural significance of the office. It is a history of gender and control, as much as it is a history of economics and technology.
Five Things I’ve Learnt About Horizon Scanning
One of the underlying principles of futures work is that change comes from the outside.
One of the underlying principles of futures work is that change comes from the outside.
The Finance Curse and the British Economy
UK economy has a financial sector that is about significantly larger than it needs to be to service the productive parts of the economy, and the effects of this are almost completely extractive.
UK economy has a financial sector that is about significantly larger than it needs to be to service the productive parts of the economy, and the effects of this are almost completely extractive.
Social Change Isn’t Accelerating
Social change was proceeding at hyper-speed and, moreover, that it had consequently come to outpace technological change.
Social change was proceeding at hyper-speed and, moreover, that it had consequently come to outpace technological change.