TechTV's Catalog of Tomorrow (Paperback)

~ Andrew Zolli (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

TechTV's Catalog of Tomorrow provides moderately interesting browsing material, and will help clarify a few buzzwords if you've missed a few newspaper science pages during the past 10 years. Illustrated essays on genetic therapies, microscopic robots, virtual and augmented reality, and novel sources of energy fill this book. There's plenty of marketing material, too, covering everything from the Segway scooter to Boeing private jets. Some of it's exciting, some of it's old news, and some of it's just weird (like one remarkable picture of a guy wearing scuba gear while hanging by a sort of jockstrap inside a giant plastic bag filled with water). In any case, the information on products and technologies has to be taken on its own level (again, that of a newspaper's science page) and some readers may wish for coverage of the social and ethical ideas that will surely influence the future as much as any electric hat.

Scanning this book--you don't really read it; it's too much like a magazine and has too many authorial voices for that--reminds you of looking at Wired magazine four or five years ago. So many technologies, so casually explained! So many people designated "futurists" and "visionaries" by fawning article writers! Sure, having a television screen built into your clothing seems like a hassle, but... maybe there's money to be made! That's the experience you'll find here. Nostalgia can be fun. --David Wall

Topics covered: Problems (like global warming and overpopulation) and solutions (like telemedicine and environmentally benign energy generators) that look like they have a chance of affecting the course of mankind in the future.

Product Description

From medicine to the movies, from computers to the climate, change is everywhere around us, transforming the way we will live, work, play, and learn. We will likely experience as much change in the next three decades than we have in the two previous centuries.

In such a world, how do we make sense of our future, and our place within it?

TechTV's Catalog of Tomorrow offers an exciting glimpse at the new trends and technologies that will shape our lives, our society and our planet in the next 15-20 years. Nearly one hundred topics are showcased, in a clearly written and visually arresting style that provides an overview of current and future developments, with timelines, statistics, and pointers to online resources. Deeply researched and beautifully designed, TechTV's Catalog of Tomorrow is more than a book: it's a tool for thinking about the future.

Numerous futurists, visionaries, and technology commentators have added their insights and visions of the future to the book, including:

Paul Saffo, leading futurist and director of the Institute for the Future,Howard Rheingold, technology visionary and author,Craig Venter, co-decoder of the human genome,Jef Raskin, designer of the original Macintosh computer,Christine Peterson, expert on nanotechnology and president of the Foresight Institute,Nathan Shedroff, leading digital media designer,Stefano Marzano, CEO of Philips Design,Richard Garriott, legendary video game designer,Clement Bezold, president of Alternative Futures,Douglas Rushkoff, cultural critic, commentator, and author,William McDonough, architect and environmental champion,Alex Marshall, urban planning theorist, journalist, and author,Martin Siegel, professor of education and informatics at Indiana University,John Arquilla, leading military theorist on the future of war,Maurice Strong, Senior Advisor to the United Nations and World Bank and organizer of the Rio Earth Summit,Rory Stears, CEO of Freeplay, pioneers in human-powered devices,Frank Drake, astrophysicist and chairman of the SETI Institute

This book is edited by Andrew Zolli, a futurist working at the intersection of technology, design, innovation, and futures research.

This book encourages your participation in thinking about the future -- and in shaping your own. It is a book to ponder, argue with, revisit often, and use as a platform for your own speculation. It helps you stay connected to the coming changes in your world, and serves as a gateway to a world of infinite possibilities. The future is in your hands literally.

TechTV is the cable television network for those excited by and curious about all things related to technology. By using technology as a backdrop to entertain, amaze, and engage viewers, TechTV is the lifestyle network that showcases how the latest trends, products, and events enhance our lives. Check your local television for TechTV.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: TechTV; illustrated edition edition (September 24, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789728109
• ISBN-13: 978-0789728104
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,043,542 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Looking ahead to a different and better future, October 13, 2002

By	Charles Ashbacher "([e-mail])" (Marion, Iowa United States([e-mail])) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

While the advancement of computing technology gets most of the major headlines, there are an enormous number of other technical advances that will dramatically change our lives in the next decade. Some, like the development of extremely small machines, are major differences in kind from what we now have. However, many are simply the results of continued advances that have been proceeding at various speeds for decades. One example of this is the generation of electric power from wind. It was given a temporary boost in the late 70's as a consequence of what was then called the "energy crunch", but shortly after, fell out of favor. After two decades of low-velocity progress and rising utility rates, windmills are now economically viable alternatives to other types of power plants.
Both revolutionary and evolutionary advancements are covered in this book. I found some of the descriptions to be rather routine, but others were extremely interesting, really piquing my interests. A series of pointers to relevant web sites is included at the end of each section and I took advantage of many of them. The most fascinating of all the topics in the book is that of nanomachines, extremely small machines that can be programmed to repair or destroy things. While such machines could be a force for great achievement, they also pose a great danger and in fact may be the ultimate weapon of terror and blackmail. It is conceivable that nanomachines could be released into an area and activated by a coded message to destroy only selected people or structures.
None of the topics covered in this book was new to me, all appeared in the literature over a decade ago. Nevertheless, it was refreshing to read about them again and realize that, despite all of our problems and fears, we really are better off that we were a few decades ago. Technical progress continues at a rapid pace and offers us solutions to the difficulties that humans encounter and in some cases generate. It makes you optimistic about the future.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A dazzling dreambook!!, October 11, 2002

By A Customer

The book review from DingBat Magazine:
Here's a fab, futurist extravaganza-nearly 300 glossy illustrated pages of where we'll probably be tomorrow. The list of contributing visionaries is impressive (Howard Rheingold, Jef Raskin, Douglas Rushkoff, and others) and the illustrations superb. Just pop open the covers and you'll be sucked right into the vortex of spellbinding trends & cutting edges... like "Floating Cities" which includes plans for the "Freedom Ship" -a city on a boat a mile long, wide as two football fields, and high as a 25-story building! There's literally something for everyone here, with sections on cloning, biotech food, smart garments, digital paper, telemedicine, the future office, cryonics, biowarfare, deep sea exploration, and a whole lot more. It's more readable than WIRED and a lot more fun. A dazzling dreambook the whole family will enjoy.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Gift for Fathers, October 10, 2002

By A Customer

I loved this book. My father gave it to me and I'm fascinated. There are a lot of things in here that I had no idea about -- especially scientific developments that may have huge impacts on our society. The book makes its ideas very understandable, and I especially like that they provide links to places for more information. If my father hadn't given it to me, I would have given it to him.