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Rating: 
Summary: Future of Life & Society -- Unfolding Faster than You Think!
Review: .
Frank Feather is a to-the-point business futurist who marshalls an extraordinary amount of evidence on future trends but presents it in common-sense terms and in few words. This book is only 200 pages but it is jam-packed with valuable info for citizens, businesspeople and policymakers alike.
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Feather presents a big-picture view of the impact of the Internet on North American life and society. Nine entertaining chapters then spell out the implications on how a critical mass of North Americans will soon live a Web Lifestyle. These 9 chapters are as follows:
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Chapter 1. Telecommute: Escape the Skyscraper
Chapter 2. Shop Online: Have it Delivered
Chapter 3. Bank Online: e-Manage Your Money
Chapter 4. School @ Home: e-Learn a Living
Chapter 5. Self-Doctor: Heal Thyself @ Home
Chapter 6. Digitize Your Fun; Download It
Chapter 7. Cyber Worship: Congregate Online
Chapter 8. Vote Online: Click the Rascals Out
Chapter 9. Build e-Wealth: Start an e-Business
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This is no pie-in-the-sky futurism but facts about what many people are doing right now. Feather does not argue that everybody will be doing all these things all of the time. But that (as Bill Gates argues) the majority of people will be doing some of these things at least some of the time to live a Web Lifestyle by later in this decade -- what Gates calls the Digital Decade.
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The implications are profound for consumer businesses because the Web Lifestyle is radically altering the way in which products are made, marketed and distributed. (Amazon.com is a prime example.) The Web Life also will require changes in many laws about telecommuting and home-based businesses. And for families caught up in harried lives, the Web Life offers an exciting future that frees up a remarkable amount of time, saves money, and even can help families make money by starting their own online business. Indeed, Feather predicts that, with 630 million people worldwide already online and starting to shop online, most future economic growth will come from family-owned enterprises rather than large corporations.
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These and other forecasts are well argued, backed up with solid facts and, whether you agree with them all or not, are bound to provoke your thinking. As for me, I'm getting a Web Life. And this book is going to be my roadmap. I rate FUTURE LIVING highly. I think you will too.
Rating:
Summary: The Web as the Way to a Better Life for You and Your Family
Review: It seems especially appropriate to review this book on September 11th. Mr. Feather points out that September 11, 2001 changed the way we will all think about and experience our lives in North America. How will we respond in the future? Although no one can know for sure, Future Living is a helpful inspiration to look for the opportunities to improve the world for everyone. When the stock market bubble burst in 2000, many people assumed that the aggressive forecasts for the on-line world also burst. Some did, but the on-line world is still developing rapidly . . . adding new possibilities and changing behaviors. The book begins with a look at major forces that are affecting us, "G-Forces" in the book's nomenclature. These are social forces (increasing aspirations for the top part of Maslow's hierarchy), technological innovation (especially microchips, software and the Web), economic modernization (the effects of long-term economic cycles are about to turn positive), and political reformation (democracy reasserts itself against special interests). Trending those thoughts into the future, Mr. Feather describes a world that has most of the good qualities of both the Agricultural and the Industrial eras with relatively few of the drawbacks. See the comparison on page 21. The core thought is that your world will become home- and cyber-based at the same time. People will telecommute rather than physically commute, shop on-line and have most things delivered, bank on-line and manage their money there, use the Web for at-home learning (replacing even school), take more responsibility for one's own health and health care, use the Web for more forms of entertainment, increase spirituality through on-line activities including on-line congregations, vote on-line and start e-businesses based at home. I found the speculations about changing democracy to contain the most interesting ideas. Most of the other forecasts have already happened to a large degree with one member or another of our family. I was also very interested in his thoughts on economic cycles. I hadn't heard anyone say much about Kondratieff Waves and Juglar Cycles in years. Mr. Feather's analysis (summarized on a stylized graph on page 69) is most interesting, and seems to suggest that the best days are ahead (at least though around 2020). Although no one can be sure until it happens, I think that Mr. Feather is more right than wrong in his forecasts. We have yet to see the full benefit from the Web and advances in microchips. We will inevitably start to gain disproportionate benefits as time passes and people become more accustomed to the possibilities. The only major conclusion that I disagreed with was that most people would be better off setting up a multi-level marketing business than trying some other form of start-up. If you run the economics of having everyone do MLM, you quickly see that there will be little long-term gain. I think that local services for the elderly or Web-based information services based on proprietary survey data would be better bets. I was especially drawn to the notion that we now have the potential to spend more time with our families, expend less energy in nonproductive ways, and devote ourselves to more meaningful lives. That potential is certainly there, but we have to grasp it . . . or it will not happen. If you still commute a long distance to work, hopefully this book will get you to rethink that choice. Future Living will be most appealing to those who are relatively unfamiliar with using the Web, especially older people. For teens, the reaction to reading this book might be . . . "so what's new about that?" After you finish this book, spend some time thinking about how you could make more time available for your family and yourself. Then discuss with your family how they would like to spend any additional time you can make available with them. Then this book will have had a great payoff for you and those you love!
Rating:
Summary: The Web as the Way to a Better Life for You and Your Family
Review: It seems especially appropriate to review this book on September 11th. Mr. Feather points out that September 11, 2001 changed the way we will all think about and experience our lives in North America. How will we respond in the future? Although no one can know for sure, Future Living is a helpful inspiration to look for the opportunities to improve the world for everyone. When the stock market bubble burst in 2000, many people assumed that the aggressive forecasts for the on-line world also burst. Some did, but the on-line world is still developing rapidly . . . adding new possibilities and changing behaviors. The book begins with a look at major forces that are affecting us, "G-Forces" in the book's nomenclature. These are social forces (increasing aspirations for the top part of Maslow's hierarchy), technological innovation (especially microchips, software and the Web), economic modernization (the effects of long-term economic cycles are about to turn positive), and political reformation (democracy reasserts itself against special interests). Trending those thoughts into the future, Mr. Feather describes a world that has most of the good qualities of both the Agricultural and the Industrial eras with relatively few of the drawbacks. See the comparison on page 21. The core thought is that your world will become home- and cyber-based at the same time. People will telecommute rather than physically commute, shop on-line and have most things delivered, bank on-line and manage their money there, use the Web for at-home learning (replacing even school), take more responsibility for one's own health and health care, use the Web for more forms of entertainment, increase spirituality through on-line activities including on-line congregations, vote on-line and start e-businesses based at home. I found the speculations about changing democracy to contain the most interesting ideas. Most of the other forecasts have already happened to a large degree with one member or another of our family. I was also very interested in his thoughts on economic cycles. I hadn't heard anyone say much about Kondratieff Waves and Juglar Cycles in years. Mr. Feather's analysis (summarized on a stylized graph on page 69) is most interesting, and seems to suggest that the best days are ahead (at least though around 2020). Although no one can be sure until it happens, I think that Mr. Feather is more right than wrong in his forecasts. We have yet to see the full benefit from the Web and advances in microchips. We will inevitably start to gain disproportionate benefits as time passes and people become more accustomed to the possibilities. The only major conclusion that I disagreed with was that most people would be better off setting up a multi-level marketing business than trying some other form of start-up. If you run the economics of having everyone do MLM, you quickly see that there will be little long-term gain. I think that local services for the elderly or Web-based information services based on proprietary survey data would be better bets. I was especially drawn to the notion that we now have the potential to spend more time with our families, expend less energy in nonproductive ways, and devote ourselves to more meaningful lives. That potential is certainly there, but we have to grasp it . . . or it will not happen. If you still commute a long distance to work, hopefully this book will get you to rethink that choice. Future Living will be most appealing to those who are relatively unfamiliar with using the Web, especially older people. For teens, the reaction to reading this book might be . . . "so what's new about that?" After you finish this book, spend some time thinking about how you could make more time available for your family and yourself. Then discuss with your family how they would like to spend any additional time you can make available with them. Then this book will have had a great payoff for you and those you love!
Rating:
Summary: Get a web life...!!
Review: The value of the networks to your web connected homes will be awesome for you and your family...IF...you participate (See "Metcalfe's Law" p.187-188). The near future holds great surprises for you and your family...IF...you participate (See "The 57.5 Year Megacycle of Prosperity" p.69). Just wait till the wireless web hits the masses. Yes. We must dream bigger, and buy this book!
Rating:
Summary: Get a web life...!!
Review: The value of the networks to your web connected homes will be awesome for you and your family...IF...you participate (See "Metcalfe's Law" p.187-188). The near future holds great surprises for you and your family...IF...you participate (See "The 57.5 Year Megacycle of Prosperity" p.69). Just wait till the wireless web hits the masses. Yes. We must dream bigger, and buy this book!
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