Technology and Science

• Nanotechnology (nanotech)

  • How will nanotech impact manufacturing, fossil fuel dependence, and need for raw materials?

  • Will nanotech "lift all boats" or widen the gaps?

  • Will nanotech result in small scale economies as the wave of the future?

  • What are other possible nanotech impacts on business culture, community, and the way that people live and work?

• Information technology (IT)

  • Beyond the Internet

  • The next information frontier

  • Impact on downtime, vacation, social life, and entertainment (stimulation and diversion)?

  • Impact of information overload on stress levels in general? 

  • Other consequences of information overload?

  • Impact on knowledge workers?

  • Impact on cultural diversity?

  • Impact on media and communications?

• Neuroscience and brain scanning research

  • Impact on education, including people with learning disabilities

  • Impact on social behavior and law enforcement

  • Impact on religion and spirituality

• Science and technology in general

  • Impact of technology on "down time" (disposable or leisure time)

  • Will most future innovation be incremental or breakthrough?  Evolutionary or revolutionary?

  • What is the next new technology after biotech, nanotech, information technology (IT), and artificial intelligence (AI)?

  • What is the future of space exploration?

  • Characterize next-generation manufacturing

  • Do science and technology favor criminals or law enforcement?

  • Will the scientific method itself evolve?