Edward Niedbalski’s Post

Call for Papers for the Hesitant Feminist's Guide to the Future Deadline extended - 15 Oct 2024. Submission details can be found here https://lnkd.in/gsNDtwd2 Ivana Milojević will be presenting a keynote at the APFN 2024 Bangkok Day 2, 5th Sept, 08:30 – 10:00  : Becoming a Feminist Futurist - Asia Pacific Perspectives In this session leading female futurists in the region will explore the enduring reasons behind gender inequality and will focus on envisioning alternative and preferred futures. Opening speaker Ivana Milojević will discuss “The Hesitant Feminist’s Guide to the Future and What That Means for the Asia Pacific?” Following by an engaging panel with futurist from different parts of Asia and the Pacific. Note: This session can be continued in a more participatory session followed after the coffee break.  Keynote: Ivana Milojević, Metafuture This is followed by a workshop at 11:00 – 12:30 :  Workshops C1: Become a Feminist Futurist: Asia Pacific Perspectives {Room 503} This participatory workshop on Gender Equitable/Feminist Futures will utilize futures thinking and three futures methodologies (The Futures Triangle, The Change Progression Scenario Method, and The Causal Layered Analysis) to refine and/or transform current strategies. Participants will explore constructive approaches and diverse ways of knowing, aiming to expand and deepen the dialogue on achieving gender-equitable goals in the region. This session is open to participants of all genders and will serve as a platform to utilise futures thinking to guide our collective and individual endeavor Facilitators: Nur Anisah PhD, Ivana Milojević Are you coming to the Conference? Registration https://lnkd.in/gKy3gsi9

Thailand has made tremendous progress in Foresight and Futures Thinking in recent years. For a Thai-speaking audience we also have created a special 'track' of learning during the 10th Asia-Pacific Futures Conference on 4-5 September taking place at #Sasin School of Management. This will give a great snapshot of achievements and current thinking in the Thai Futures Thinking. Please visit the APFN website for all information and to register. https://lnkd.in/gt8wW36S #Futuresthinking #Foresight #strategicforesight #APFN10 #futuresliteracy. Ora-orn Poocharoen Jost Wagner Theerada Suphaphong Nok Boonmavichit

JFS and Tamkang are very happy to publish this article from Professor Somporn Sangchai with an introduction from myself and Dr. Nok. Nok Boonmavichit. "We are thrilled to publish this piece by Dr. Somporn Sangchai. The monograph was originally written in 1974 for the Hawaii Research Centre for Futures Studies, headed by James Dator. Dr. Sangchai was a fellow at the time at the East-West Centre and a colleague of Professor Dator’s. I would have been either eighteen or nineteen years old when Dator gave me a copy of the monograph. I read it and have kept it with me ever since. It was an interesting read in the 1970s, but now, 45 years later, it is a fascinating read. Dr. Sangchai’s work presages the developments in the field. First, as many others did later, he articulated numerous names for the field (Futurism, Futuristics, etc.). Secondly, he begins the process of dividing the field into objective and qualitative, as well as quantitative aspects. Third, he invents the futures cone, now a mainstay of many practitioners (calling it distances in alternative futures), introducing spatiality to the temporal nature of the field. Fourth, he links spatiality to the planning cycle. Fifth, he introduces non-Western futures studies, which has certainly been a significant theme in the last 50 or so years, articulating a Buddhist futures studies. Philosophers such as P.R. Sarkar, Ashish Nandy, Zia Sardar, Mahdi Elmandjra, and many others have all added their thoughts to articulate a more integrated view of the future, challenging the Jetsons’ prototype of flying cars and robot dogs. Finally, he begins the work that numerous writers have since championed: an inner-directed Futures Studies, the narrative and integrated turn we have witnessed over the past two decades. Dr. Sangchai divides this area into two dimensions: movement toward the mystical (intuition) and movement toward the scientific (brain research). We hope it is cited repeatedly for its originality and framing of the grand debates of the field." Nur Anisah PhD Ora-orn Poocharoen Natalie Phaholyothin Jose Ramos Edward Niedbalski JFS Futures Community Journal of Futures Studies Buddhist Digital Resource Center https://lnkd.in/gTdj5PkQ

The Dark Side of the Olympic Games: Anti Doping Agency Scam. Did you know Olympic Anti Doping agency WADA is controlled by U.S. and it allows 3 countries to hold 63% of all Therapeutic DRUG use exemptions and the same 3 countries hold most number of medal tally. The agency itself is set up with the sole purpose to enable massive doping of the US/Western athletes and to forbid and target other athletes in the name of anti-doping. Athletes can legally dope themselves with performance-enhancing drugs, all under the guise of "medical treatment." All thanks to system that World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has created, a system that allows western countries to dominate the medal tally with: WADA's "exemption list". This list is a little-known secret that allows athletes to use banned drugs, as long as they get approval. Approval by whom? US controlled WADA. But here's the catch - the applications are kept private, opening the door for widespread doping. And guess which countries are taking advantage of this loophole? The same three countries that top the medal tally. If you take a closer look at the numbers. In 2015, 653 American athletes applied for exemptions, with a staggering 60% approval rate. Compare that to Russia, which had a mere 37% approval rate, and China, which had only a single-digit number of approved exemptions. But that's not all in 2016, the Russian hacker group "Magic Bear" leaked into the WADA database and found that American athletes have been using banned drugs with the help of their own anti-doping agency. Yes, you read that right - the very agency meant to prevent doping has been enabling it. Over 200 American athletes have received medical exemptions, allowing them to use drugs like synthetic steroids and diuretics. And it's not just limited to one or two sports. Cycling, athletics, triathlon, swimming, and skiing - all the sports that require peak physical performance - have been hit hard by doping. Even tennis superstars like Serena and Venus Williams have been allowed to take banned drugs, without revealing the medical certificates that justified their use. WADA's system is a scam. Games should be about fair play and sportsmanship, instead WADA is used as a US weapon to attack adversaries in foreign policy.

🎉 Announcing the Joint APFN-JFS Award 2023 for the Best Academic work published in the Journal of Futures Studies recognizing outstanding contributions in futures studies focusing on the Pacific-Asia region. 🏆 Best Overall Futures Article Dave Adams for “The Future of Sport and Recreation in New Zealand” 🔗 Read the article https://lnkd.in/g_k8mpnJ However, the selection committee for the best articles, consisting of six distinguished futurists and foresight practitioners, wanted to acknowledge two more articles by the following authors: 🏆 Best Research/Methods Article Dr. Nur Anisah Abdullah & Azra Naimi Ismadi for “Exploring Images of Women Cyclists’ Futures Using the Futures Triangle” 🔗 Read the article https://lnkd.in/gNrdVf4b 🏆 Best Philosophical Focused Article Mr. Steven Lichty for “The Role of the Chef: Exploring Eschatological and Nationalistic Components in Recipes for Change in the Asia-Pacific Region” 🔗 Read the article https://lnkd.in/gJbGXX7U Congratulations to all the awardees for their exemplary scholarship and dedication! 🌟 Your work not only enriches our academic community but also provides valuable insights for the future of the Pacific-Asia region. Note: The APFN awards are given on a yearly basis only in three categories: (1) Individual Contribution in an Institution Enhancing Futures Thinking in Asia and the Pacific, (2) Best Article Enhancing Futures Thinking in Asia and the Pacific, and (3) The Most Significant Contribution as an Institution to the Asia-Pacific Futures Community. #APFN #JFS #FuturesStudies #FuturesLiteracy #Futuresthinking #APF #Strategicforesight

The APFN awards are out. The APFN network would like to recognize Prof. Dzulkifli bin Abdul Razak, former Rector of the International Islamic University Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur with the 2023 APFN award as an individual, for his outstanding contributions to futures thinking in Malaysia and beyond. Prof. Razak has been a visionary leader, tirelessly advocating for the integration of futures studies into academic and policy-making arenas. His pioneering work has significantly influenced the strategic directions of educational institutions, fostering a culture of forward-thinking and innovation. Under his leadership, the International Islamic University Malaysia has also become one beacon of excellence in futures studies. Congratulations Prof. Dzul. Note: These awards are given in order to acknowledging the growing importance of Futures Thinking and Strategic Foresight in Asia and the Pacific by the APFN. They are only given in three categories: (1) Individual Contribution in an institution enhancing Futures Thinking in Asia and the Pacific, (2) Best article enhancing Futures Thinking in Asia and the Pacific in collaboration with the Journal of Futures Studies (3) The most significant contribution as an institution to the Asia-Pacific Futures Community.

Here are only twenty of the many futurists and foresight practitioners who are assembling for our 10th edition of the Asia-Pacific Futures Network Conference taking place in Bangkok from 4-5th September in downtown Bangkok. A great programme with lots of interesting topics, interactive workshops, lectures and even an Open Space Session created for the Futures Thinking Community in Asai and the Pacific. All information incl. registration here: https://lnkd.in/gt8wW36S. . #Futuresthinking #Futuresliteracy #StrategicForesight

“A pharma company stopped using Microsoft's Copilot AI tool, with an exec citing high cost and low value.” “He compared the slide-generation capability of Microsoft's AI tools to middle school presentations, according to a transcript of a call with the Morgan Stanley analysts that was included in their research note.” “The chief information officer of a pharma company paid extra to have 500 employees use Office 365 Copilot in the fourth quarter of 2023 and first quarter of 2024. This is Microsoft's much-heralded AI upgrade to its popular suite of productivity software.” He paid “about $34 per user a month” for the “E3 version of Microsoft's 365 software suite.” “Adding Copilot AI features costs another $30 per user a month. For 500 employees, that would roughly add an extra $180,000 a year.” “These new Microsoft tools are considered some of the premier examples of powerful artificial intelligence in action in the real world. Investors have bid up Microsoft and other big #tech shares massively, betting that this product and similar offerings will catch on with paying customers.” But the article says: “If a large pharma company can't see $180,000 of value in these tools, that's a problem that should worry the entire tech industry,” a worry that I have written about many times. I have trouble finding any examples of companies claiming productivity improvements from generative text AI, and only a few for generative video AI (marketing videos and helping with movie and TV shows). There was one AI feature that the IT executive found somewhat compelling: that “was the ability to archive and summarize video meetings on Microsoft's Teams app. But he said his legal team was wary of retaining meeting transcripts, so the pharma company didn't use that feature.” Other people have shared their concerns with me about the legal problems from storing their proprietary information like this. Investors are also concerned and thus there are many comments, both internal and external to Microsoft, about “whether its AI services will create enough value to persuade corporate customers to pay more.” “The company is amassing 1.8 million graphics processing units to build and run AI models and related products. It also has a plan to triple data-center capacity, mainly to handle AI workloads. Its capital expenditure hit a record $14 billion in the most recent quarter.” Many investors are concerned that this pharma company isn’t the only company that is finding Microsoft’s Copilot AI services, and those from other companies, not as beneficial as many proclaim. With a big runup in the market capitalizations of the big tech companies over the last 18 months, particularly of the so-called Magnificent 7, those concerns could spark a move in the opposite direction for the share prices of the Magnificent 7.   #technology #innovation #startups #ethics #artificialintelligence https://lnkd.in/gJ_FHBAB