In the conflict with China over net censorship and cyber attacks, Google won.

I know the media continues to cover this story as an on-going one as it may pertain to Google’s business, their competitor’s opportunities and attempts at describing the Great Fire Wall of China and how it operates.  That is just news media noise..

As a futurist I try to provide readers here with a “future look at today”.  Looking through the lens of the future, Google won.  Historians in the 2020s will look back at the last 3 months of confrontational dancing between Google and the Chinese government and …

The last column here about 20^th versus 21^st century generated not only on-line comments but many more offline conversations with people.  It does seem to be a way for non-futurists to separate what is steeped in legacy and what is new and forward facing.

It was with this mind set that I went to a concert last Saturday night.  The performer I saw could not have existed in the 20^th century.  He was the first truly 21^st century musician and entertainer I have ever seen.

My son Christopher has been raving about That1Guy for three years, ever since …

In the past year I have found that framing conversations about certain topics with the context of being of the 20^th century or of the 21^st century to be clarifying for most people.

I have written extensively about humanity being in transition between the Information Age and the Shift Age.  Those who have heard me speak or read my writings come to understand and accept this.  That said, this is a higher concept than the simple reality of the calendar.  No one can dispute the numerical fact that we are 10% into the 21^st Century, unless you want to debate whether …

In the 20 years after WWII Japan was the source of cheap goods for the U.S. and the world.  In the 1950s, “Made in Japan” meant cheap stuff that was showing up in a lot of product categories.  Then in the late 1960s and through the 1970s quality technology brands emerged; Sony, Panasonic and then Toyota and Datsun [now Nissan].  These brands changed American and global buying habits and often led the way down new paths of consumption such as VCRs, mobile music players and fuel efficient cars.

By the 1980s the major Japanese brands dominated major markets and product categories …