Archives for December 2020

“While you weren’t watching, some futures arrived, a few trends trended, and some ideas ideated!” – Futurist Jim Carroll

The future is happening all around you right now – you just need to know where to look!

And it’s happening right now!  One thing I’ve learned on my strange career path to becoming a futurist is that it’s often while we weren’t watching that the future happens. That big ideas usually come from small beginnings! And that you can’t connect the dots unless you watch a lot of dots!

I watch a lot of dots.

Over the years, I’ve developed a folder of ‘stuff’ called ‘Screenshots to Keep.” I add to it every day with new things I’ve seen; these might often make their way into a keynote, a blog post, or a video. Others, I totally forget about, but remember them years later in some other context.  These are essentially, trends-in-the-making:  small items I’ve seen while surfing the Web; tweets that have caught my interest; something in an email that creates an idea; or a paragraph in a news article of a massive research dump that I’m reading that made me go, “hmmm.….”

Some months back, I went into this folder – it’s become pretty massive – and had a look around. At that moment, I realized that there’s just a lot of really great stuff in there. The fun thing is going back in time and realizing that some of those small items have since become big trends.

I’ve long thought that perhaps I could create a funny little newsletter with my screenshots – both new and old –  that I could share with my followers and friends.

Today, that funny little newsletter, which I’ve called ScreenThoughts, launches. I’ll post the inaugural issue sometime in the next hour. You can sign up and join it at https://screenthoughts.jimcarroll.com

It’s an easy read – it’s mostly pictures! It might take two minutes of your day, tops! And maybe it will make you smile, brighten your day, and make you go, hmmm….

I hope you can join me!

“Screen Thoughts: Inside the Mind of a Wandering Futurist!”

“We know he’s got a list. And it’s pretty certain it’s been reworked this year!” – Futurist Jim Carroll

Among the more interesting trends – and perhaps the most disturbing – is that it has permitted society a pretty frank way of looking into the soul and morality of some of your fellow human beings.

At the same time, as you look at the front line workers – medical professionals and everyone in the healthcare sector and many others – you see true heroes, compassionate warriors, selflessly focused on their fellow man and woman.

There’s a list. You’ve had an opportunity to be on the right side of history – and if you’ve made the wrong decisions along the way, you still have time.

This holiday season, stay safe, mask up, respect your bubble, and wash your hands.