THE GLOBAL FUTURIST - Douglas E Castle

NEW BOOK

2018-11-01T01:09:00.000-04:00

https://ShatteredResistance.blogspot.com. New book of poetry offers insight into Bipolar illness. Available on Amazon either in paperback or in Kindle. Fabulous, timely poetic verse. Controversial and disturbing.

THE GLOBAL FUTURIST – Douglas E Castle

http://theglobalfuturist.blogspot.com

Discovering and following significant trends across an extensive range of domestic and international consumer, business, demographic, cultural, economic, political, technological and other key areas of influence and impact on life and business; predicting future change, preparing for it and profiting from it.

Key Terms: business, forecasting, trends, future, prediction, disruption, displacement, innovation, complexity theory, economic waves and cycles, projections, planning

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A Major Disruption In Your Living Room

2015-12-20T14:38:00.000-05:00

A MAJOR DISRUPTION IN YOUR LIVING ROOM

I just read a newsletter which I received from The Motley Fool. I believe that what it speaks about is absolute near-term Global Futurist gospel. The is about to be a major disruption right in your living room. Please forgive the spacing and idiosyncratic fonts in this post -- I was so excited and so eager to get it out on a timely basis, that I didn't get a chance to edit it properly.

I have excerpted the following information from that newsletter [this excerpt does not contain the full content of the newsletter itself]:

December 20, 2015

Hi Fellow Fools:

It shouldn't shock you to hear that I'm known as "tech-guy" in my extended family ... always rambling about new gadgets and predictions for the future.

So when scheduling conflicts forced us to open Christmas presents early and my wife unwrapped the newest version of Apple TV, I was more than happy to oblige my family's request to immediately set it up. After setup was complete, their next request shouldn't surprise you either: they wanted to watch a Christmas movie.

So, I handed my wife the remote and told her to simply ask for what she wanted.

Pressing down a button to activate Siri, she said, "Let's watch a Christmas movie on Netflix" ... and was immediately provided a listing of holiday films matching her search. One click later, the movie popped up in Netflix, and we were enjoying a family Christmas flick together. It took all of 10 seconds. Everyone thought the new device was pretty magical. I could tell because they actually applauded when we found a movie so effortlessly.

The future of TV is here ... and there may still be time for you to profit from it.

The future is now

Long-time readers of this column will recall that I've discussed the huge profits up for grabs as consumers shift their spending dollars from expensive cable bills to new forms of entertainment.

An email I sent on July 19 titled, "How you could profit from millions canceling cable" predicted the following:

"My research ... [from February 2014]... showed that we were nearing a tipping point where consumers would begin calling it quits [with their cable bill]. I anticipated that these cancelations would be relatively light to start, but would gain traction and eventually destabilize the entire industry."

At the time, that opinion was very controversial. Up to 2013, the number of people subscribing to paid television options like cable TV had never declined in a single year!

But just last week, we saw the clearest indication yet that my prediction will be right on the money. New findings from researcher eMarketer now predict that before the end of the decade, 23% of households won't pay for the traditional TV we're used to.

Think about that for a moment. We've gone from cable growing every single year to years of accelerating losses so great that nearly a quarter of American homes will have "cut the cord!"

From this new research to my family's reaction to the Apple TV (a device built to appeal to cord cutters), all evidence points toward Americans shifting away from the "old TV" that's been dominant for decades at a stunning pace.

A bet you can make that's worked for centuries

While this trend is unwelcome news to TV incumbents like Comcast (not that you'll be shedding a tear for them!), there's a larger shift that creates huge opportunity for investors like you.

TV is at the center of an entertainment industry that PwC estimates will hit $2.2 trillion by 2017. The industry's continuing growth is a pretty safe bet. Namely because entertainment's growth is fueled by people being more productive at work and having more free time, and also having more discretionary wealth to spend on being entertained. With the world's wealth and productivity having risen for centuries, that's the kind of investing bet I like to make.

Netflix (NFLX) has been the poster child of how ahead-of-the-curve investors can benefit from this trend so far. Fool co-founder David Gardner recommended Netflix six different times to Stock Advisor members through the years. As I'm writing this, the best of those recommendations (from December 2004) is up a stunning 6,393%!

But, there's more opportunity ahead

However, while Netflix is the clearest beneficiary of the evolution sweeping the television industry, there are plenty of other areas of opportunity spread across the trillions of entertainment dollars spent each year.

Here's one example of a booming area of entertainment that's set for huge growth: virtual reality. Yes, it's been an absolute joke for decades, but don't be surprised to see it finally begin invading homes next year.

The promise of virtual reality - taking tours of the world's greatest wonders, stepping inside the scenes of movies - has always been a no-brainer experience consumers would love. The missing ingredient was technology good enough (and cheap enough!) to deliver compelling experiences.

That's about to change in 2016. A series of VR headsets are coming out from companies like Facebook (FB), Samsung, HTC, and many others. I'm going to the world's largest technology show in two weeks, and the number of emails flooding my inbox from virtual reality companies wanting to show me new, amazing technologies is simply overwhelming.

Best of all if you're an investor, this progress has turned into results. The company that makes the processors that many of these VR sets rely on to power their visuals has seen its share price explode in the second half of 2015 as tech insiders saw the advances in VR technology.

###

Yes, I believe that it is inevitable. Expect a major disruption right in your living room. Also, please be mindful of the fact that neither this blog nor the author ever provide investment advice. There will be some kinks to be worked out (aren't there always some bugs and bug fixes with every major consumer technology app release?), some privacy or other concerns, some die-hard traditionalists and the usual background noise of the naysayers, but this is an innovation and an application which simply should not and cannot be ignored by anyone.

Happy holidays, and my very best wishes to each and all for a happy, healthy, safe and prosperous New Year.

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Apple TV, app, television, TV, Netflix, disruption, home, entertainment, Douglas E. Castle, The Global Futurist Blog, technology,

- Douglas E. Castle

THE GLOBAL FUTURIST – Douglas E Castle

http://theglobalfuturist.blogspot.com

Discovering and following significant trends across an extensive range of domestic and international consumer, business, demographic, cultural, economic, political, technological and other key areas of influence and impact on life and business; predicting future change, preparing for it and profiting from it.

Key Terms: business, forecasting, trends, future, prediction, disruption, displacement, innovation, complexity theory, economic waves and cycles, projections, planning

***************
This site is proudly affiliated with Global Edge International Consulting Associates, Inc. ["GEI”]
Free Subscription to The GEI Business Daily!
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Eight Technologies Will Dominate The Near-Term Future

2015-11-29T20:08:00.000-05:00

EIGHT TECHNOLOGIES WILL SHAPE THE NEAR-TERM FUTURE

According to an IBM-led study of C-Suite executives, these are the technological foci (focuses) which will shape the near-term (3-5 years) future. While C-Suite executives tend to be fadists more than Global Futurists, the power of the effect of their self-fulfilling prophesy must be given its due. It might be a good exercise to at least understand the aspects and implications of each of these innovative areas before we judge the C-Suite denizens too harshly.

Cloud Computing And Related Services:

Cloud computing, also known as on-demand computing, is a kind of internet-based computing, where shared resources and information are provided to computers and other devices on-demand. It is a model for enabling ubiquitous, on-demand access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources.

Cloud computing and storage solutions provide users and enterprises with various capabilities to store and process their data in third-party data centers. It relies on sharing of resources to achieve coherence and economies of scale, similar to a utility (like the electricity grid) over a network. At the foundation of cloud computing is the broader concept of converged infrastructure and shared services.

Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort.
Cloud computing, or in simpler shorthand just "the cloud", also focuses on maximizing the effectiveness of the shared resources. Cloud resources are usually not only shared by multiple users but are also dynamically reallocated per demand. This can work for allocating resources to users. For example, a cloud computer facility that serves European users during European business hours with a specific application (e.g., email) may reallocate the same resources to serve North American users during North America's business hours with a different application (e.g., a web server). This approach helps maximize the use of computing power while reducing the overall cost of resources by using less power, air conditioning, rack space, etc. to maintain the system. With cloud computing, multiple users can access a single server to retrieve and update their data without purchasing licenses for different applications.

Mobile Solutions:

Definition

Mobile solutions refer to the online services that are made available to users while they are on the go. Mobile solutions technology has not only traversed geographical boundaries but has also accessed various domains. Providers of the technology continue to provide services in many different countries through by making use of the many developments in mobile technology. Today, this technology continues to give services in tune to today’s urban mobility needs.

Components

The first component is wireless data networks. This refers to an electronic communications process that allows the orderly transmitting and receiving of data through the use of a wireless network of computers. The next component is wireless data modems. These are devices that allow computers to connect to a wireless local area network (WLAN) without wires or cabling for transmitting and receiving data. 2 Devices need this in order to connect to networks. The third component is mobile computers. These are devices that are wireless ready. These can be easily connected to wireless modems and run wireless enabled applications. These include laptops and notebook computers, handheld computers, palm-sized computers and many more. Next is wireless middleware. Middleware is defined as software that connects different parts of an application or a series of applications. The last component is wireless-enabled applications. These refer to programs and other software that can be readily used once connected to a network.

Functionality and General Uses

There are many mobile solutions providers all over the world. Each provider strives to set itself apart from the other providers by boosting its competitive advantage through differentiation, lower costs and the formation of alliances with leading companies.
Mobile solutions providers have an array of services. Some providers focus purely on payment solutions. Some providers offer an electronic wallet feature that allows businesses to make or accept payments, accept international and local credit card payments and industry specific payments using only their mobile phone. There are also providers that offer online hotel reservations with a deposit, ticketing solutions for events and events organizers, mobile banking and other electronic payment services.
Some providers offer mobile solutions for personal use. Some make use of services such as information alerts and notifications, travel updates, news alerts, sports updates and horoscopes. Other mobile solutions providers have brought the chat services to a whole new level through personal chat, dating and personal consultations. Some providers generate great profit by providing entertainment to their clients through quizzes and games, jokes and cartoons, videos with the use of mobile phones with 3G.
Some providers focus on mobile solutions for providing corporate or business use through file storage, file sharing and mobile e-mailing system. Some companies involved in direct selling also make use of short message service or SMS to allow their customers to check availability of stocks, updates on products, check distribution address and other details for their business. The most common use of mobile solutions technology today is for direct marketing. Companies are able to utilize mobile solutions for their promos and contests and brand advertisements. They are able to advertise their products and services through SMS. Because of the popularity of SMS all over the globe, most companies make use of this as their medium in their promotions.

The Internet Of Things (IoT):

The Internet of Things (IoT) is an environment in which objects, animals or people are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. IoT has evolved from the convergence of wireless technologies, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and the Internet. The concept may also be referred to as the Internet of Everything.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of physical objects or "things" embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity, which enables these objects to collect and exchange data. The Internet of Things allows objects to be sensed and controlled remotely across existing network infrastructure, creating opportunities for more direct integration between the physical world and computer-based systems, and resulting in improved efficiency, accuracy and economic benefit. Each thing is uniquely identifiable through its embedded computing system but is able to interoperate within the existing Internet infrastructure. Experts estimate that the IoT will consist of almost 50 billion objects by 2020.
British entrepreneur Kevin Ashton first coined the term in 1999 while working at the Auto-ID Labs (originally called Auto-ID centers - referring to a global network of RFID connected objects). Typically, IoT is expected to offer advanced connectivity of devices, systems, and services that goes beyond machine-to-machine communications (M2M) and covers a variety of protocols, domains, and applications. The interconnection of these embedded devices (including smart objects), is expected to usher in automation in nearly all fields, while also enabling advanced applications like a Smart Grid, and expanding to the areas such as smart cities.
"Things," in the IoT sense, can refer to a wide variety of devices such as heart monitoring implants, biochip transponders on farm animals, electric clams in coastal waters, automobiles with built-in sensors, or field operation devices that assist firefighters in search and rescue operations. These devices collect useful data with the help of various existing technologies and then autonomously flow the data between other devices. Current market examples include smart thermostat systems and washer/dryers that use Wi-Fi for remote monitoring.
Besides the plethora of new application areas for Internet connected automation to expand into, IoT is also expected to generate large amounts of data from diverse locations that is aggregated very quickly, thereby increasing the need to better index, store and process such data.

Cognitive Computing:

Cognitive computing is the simulation of human thought processes in a computerized model.
Cognitive computing involves self-learning systems that use data mining, pattern recognition and natural language processing to mimic the way the human brain works. The goal of cognitive computing is to create automated IT systems that are capable of solving problems without requiring human assistance.
Cognitive computing systems use machine learning algorithms. Such systems continually acquire knowledge from the data fed into them by mining data for information. The systems refine the way they look for patterns and as well as the way they process data so they become capable of anticipating new problems and modeling possible solutions.
Cognitive computing is used in numerous artificial intelligence (AI) applications, including expert systems, natural language programming, neural networks, robotics and virtual reality. The term cognitive computing is closely associated with IBM’s cognitive computer system, Watson.
Cognitive computing (CC) makes a new class of problems computable. It addresses complex situations that are characterized by ambiguity and uncertainty; in other words it handles human kinds of problems. In these dynamic, information-rich, and shifting situations, data tends to change frequently, and it is often conflicting. The goals of users evolve as they learn more and redefine their objectives. To respond to the fluid nature of users’ understanding of their problems, the cognitive computing system offers a synthesis not just of information sources but of influences, contexts, and insights. To do this, systems often need to weigh conflicting evidence and suggest an answer that is “best” rather than “right”.
Cognitive computing systems make context computable. They identify and extract context features such as hour, location, task, history or profile to present an information set that is appropriate for an individual or for a dependent application engaged in a specific process at a specific time and place. They provide machine-aided serendipity by wading through massive collections of diverse information to find patterns and then apply those patterns to respond to the needs of the moment.
Cognitive computing systems redefine the nature of the relationship between people and their increasingly pervasive digital environment. They may play the role of assistant or coach for the user, and they may act virtually autonomously in many problem-solving situations. The boundaries of the processes and domains these systems will affect are still elastic and emergent. Their output may be prescriptive, suggestive, instructive, or simply entertaining.

Advanced Manufacturing Technologies:

Advanced manufacturing technology is defined as computer-controlled or micro-electronics-based equipment used in the design, manufacture or handling of a product.
Typical applications include computer-aided design (CAD), computer- aided engineering (CAE), flexible machining centres, robots, automated guided vehicles, and automated storage and retrieval systems. These may be linked by communications systems (factory local area networks) into integrated flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) and ultimately into an overall automated factory or computer-integrated manufacturing system (CIM).

New Energy Sources And Systems:

There are the variations on the fossil fuel formulations and then there are the “alternative” energy sources which either minimize or negate any carbon footprint and are ecologically more desirable.
The variations on the fossil fuel formulations include more extensive offshore drilling and fracking, which is the process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside. Water, sand and chemicals are injected into the rock at high pressure which allows the gas to flow out to the head of the well. Both drilling and fracking have their share of pro-environmental opponents, perhaps with valid reason.
Everyday, the world produces carbon dioxide that is released to the earth’s atmosphere and which will still be there in one hundred years time.
This increased content of Carbon Dioxide increases the warmth of our planet and is believed by many to be the main cause of the so-called “Global Warming Effect”. One answer to global warming is to replace and retrofit current technologies with alternatives that have comparable or better performance, but do not emit carbon dioxide. This is generally referred to as alternate energy.
By 2050, one-third of the world's energy will need to come from solar, wind, and other renewable resources. Who says this? British Petroleum and Royal Dutch Shell, two of the world's largest oil companies, do. Climate change, population growth, and fossil fuel depletion mean that renewables will need to play a bigger role in the future than they do today.
Alternative energy refers to energy sources that have no undesired consequences such for example fossil fuels or nuclear energy. Alternative energy sources are renewable and are thought to be "free" energy sources. They all have lower carbon emissions, compared to conventional energy sources. These include Biomass Energy, Wind Energy, Solar Energy, Geothermal Energy, Hydroelectric Energy sources. Combined with the use of recycling, the use of clean alternative energies such as the home use of solar power systems will help ensure Humankind's survival into the 21st century and beyond.

Bioengineering:

Bioengineering is the application of the life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics and engineering principles to define and solve problems in biology, medicine, health care and other fields.

Bioengineering is a relatively new discipline that combines many aspects of traditional engineering fields such as chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering. Examples of bioengineering include:

artificial hips, knees and other joints
ultrasound, MRI and other medical imaging techniques
using engineered organisms for chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing

This vast field of integrating or developing mechanical, electrical or design skills to either perform work on, or to become integrated with physiology, also subsumes aspects of stem cell research, the Human Genome Project, cloning and biometrics. These are all terms worth being familiar with, as they will become more and more prominent in the practice of medicine and life sciences in general, and due to the high likelihood of an increasing number of very large companies (conglomerates) who will be investing increasing sums into the research and development of biomedical engineering.

Man-Machine Hybrids [Does Anyone Remember “Robocop”?]:

Yes, indeed... remotely man-operated drones may be considered a crude example of man-machine hybrids (more likely they are man-machine partnerships), but Futurist and scientist Ray Kurzweil has a fascinating view of what true-man-machine hybrids are and will be, and what their potential might be.
Human brains will be boosted with artificial intelligence at some point after the year 2030, one of the foremost thinkers on Artificial Intelligence has said.
The brain will connect to online Artificial Intelligence to become a “hybrid of biological and non-biological thinking”, Ray Kurzweil, director of engineering at Google, suggested.
Tiny “nanobots” made from DNA strands would connect our brains to the internet, allowing us to augment our own intelligence with artificial intelligence, he said.
Professor Stephen Hawking, noted physicist, mathematician, cosmologist and Futurist has expressed fear that Artificial Intelligence might eventually be the undoing of our species and lead to our ultimate demise as a species.
This subject has considerable overlap with biomechanical and biomedical engineering, except that in these last two fields of endeavor, the physical body is integrated with robotic or artificial parts or enhancements, without a change in the basic operation of the Human mind. In Kurzweil's view of the future, the mind will be an amalgam of native Human (organic) thought and neurological capabilities with computer intelligence, storage, pattern recognition and enhanced learning and retention capabilities.

The take-away from all of the foregoing information is not necessarily that each of the areas identified will be one of the “Next Big Things” within the coming three to five-year period; but it is a safe bet to assume (and we all know what happens when we count too much on assumptions) that each of the identified areas will be where C-Suite executives, in their capacities as decision makers, will be investing money and time. Carrying this a step further, The Global Futurist and Global Edge International Consulting Associates, Inc. would see that these anticipated expenditures of money, time and focus are actually leading indicators of the growth and dominance in business and society of these technologies. Being a bit conservative, one might think that these technologies will come to market dominance during the next five to seven-year period, allowing for this “lead indicator effect”.

As always, thank you for reading me.

Douglas Castle, for The Global Futurist, Global Edge International Consulting Associates, Inc. and The Global Edge International Blog

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NOTE: THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS ARTICLE SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED BY THE READER AS BEING LEGAL, FINANCIAL, TAX, ACCOUNTING, ECONOMIC OR INVESTMENT ADVICE. NO OFFERING OF SECURITIES OR OTHER INVESTMENT INTERESTS OF ANY TYPE IN ANY ENTITY IS MADE HEREBY, NOR IS A SOLICITATION FOR THE PURCHASE OF SECURITIES OR OTHER INVESTMENT INTERESTS OF ANY TYPE IN ANY ENTITY MADE HEREBY. THIS ARTICLE IS INTENDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND REPRESENTS THE VIEW OF THE AUTHOR ONLY.

THIS ARTICLE IS COPYRIGHT 2015 BY DOUGLAS E. CASTLE, WITH ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ANY REPRODUCTION, TRANSMITTAL OR DISTRIBUTION OF THIS ARTICLE, EITHER IN WHOLE OR PART, IS UNAUTHORIZED AND MAY BE UNLAWFUL, UNLESS FULL ATTRIBUTION IS GIVEN TO THE AUTHOR AND ALL LINKS IN THE ARTICLE REMAIN INCLUDED AND “LIVE.”

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THE GLOBAL FUTURIST – Douglas E Castle

http://theglobalfuturist.blogspot.com

Discovering and following significant trends across an extensive range of domestic and international consumer, business, demographic, cultural, economic, political, technological and other key areas of influence and impact on life and business; predicting future change, preparing for it and profiting from it.

Key Terms: business, forecasting, trends, future, prediction, disruption, displacement, innovation, complexity theory, economic waves and cycles, projections, planning

***************
This site is proudly affiliated with Global Edge International Consulting Associates, Inc. ["GEI”]
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Where The Smart Money Is Going

2015-09-11T11:48:00.001-04:00

Where The Smart Money's Going

Direct Participation Programs

Preferred Stocks

StartUps

By Douglas Castle For Global Edge International Consulting Associates, Inc. & The Global Futurist

NOTE: This article should not be construed by the reader as containing or offering any financial, investment, legal, tax or accounting advice. Any financial computations, tables, projections, or statements are presented for illustrative purposes exclusively. Global Edge International Consulting Associates, Inc. [GEI] assists companies in creating and constructing their crowdfunding campaigns. For further information regarding this, see http://bit.ly/GEIserve . This article is copyright 2015 by Douglas E. Castle, and it may not be reproduced or republished without the author's express written consent unless the article is reproduced in totality without any changes or deletions, all links and images are kept intact and functional, and proper attribution is given to the author of this article and GEI.

With the increasing incidence of high-volatility periods and “corrections” in the publicly-traded capital markets, and with the low interest returns being offered by well-rated banks and bond issuers domestically and internationally, accumulating a small fortune (never mind about a large one for now) through the traditional vehicles of “buy low, sell high” in the stock market, or “ride the yield curve” in the bond market has become feeble propositions. The risk-reward ratio just isn't as inviting as it might have been during some long periods of economic prosperity and market stability years ago.

Additionally, new vehicles for investment, such as crowdfunding, peer-to-peer (P2P) financing and other variations on these themes using the internet as a surrogate exchange have opened up alternative means of investing capital in microdoses with a built-in means of diversification by simply spreading small investments over a large variety of early-stage enterprises. That having been said, these rapidly-proliferating investment vehicles and their accompanying strategies have a great deal of inherent early-stage business risk, but there is the inherent possibility of hitting several winners, even if this occurs just randomly.

Some smart money rules are listed below:

Rule 1: Diversify your investment portfolio in industries which are not interdependent and not correlated in terms of their pricing in the marketplace (in whichever marketplace that you are trading);

Rule 2: Invest in assets which offer you the possibility of gains (due to a rise in market pricing), but which, first and foremost, generate a current “cash-on-cash” return, in the form of interest, dividends, rents, royalties or a flow through of profits. By way of a quick example, if you invest in an asset which generates a 15.00% return per year, you will have recovered 100% of your investment (without considering any income made by reinvesting your 10.00% received yearly) within 6.67 years, after which time you effectively own your investment for “free”;

Rule 3: Invest in assets which are to be managed with a clear operating strategy, and which are not dependent exclusively upon a future “exit strategy” (such as eventually going public, being acquired by a large conglomerate, etc.) for recovery of your invested capital.

Some smart money opportunities (by type) are listed below:

Preferred Stock In Established Companies: Preferred dividend stocks, or preferred shares, are special equity securities that are considered "hybrid" instruments. Although they trade on equities exchanges, preferreds more closely resemble debt instruments like bonds. Preferred stocks normally carry no shareholder voting rights, but usually pay a fixed dividend.

These stocks are generally not as volatile in their market pricing as common shares, but they offer the holder a “cash-on-cash” return, usually payable semiannually or quarterly. You don't purchase them for capital gains... you purchase them for income and total portfolio growth.

In the current low interest environment where banks are paying interest rates of less than 2% on deposits, there are some very stable preferred stocks which are offering dividend yields (the fixed dividend amount divided by the stock purchase price) of 6% to 7.5% – this is between 3 and 4 times what the banks are offering. And when the price of these stocks falls, the dividend yield rises. They are the last bargains left in the public capital markets;

Stock In Startups Bought Through The Various Internet Platforms: These common shares are usually relatively low in terms of price per share, but have some potential for significant capital gains either in the private aftermarket, or if the shares become publicly-traded on a recognized exchange. They are an outgrowth of the crowdfunding movement which has become so big in the westernized nations.

The key here is to buy a highly-diversified “basket” of these shares and watch them grow. While each company (i.e., each issuer of stock) may either rise or fall, with the usual incidence of risk, many of these shares are priced so low that the least bit of good news will cause a significant percentage rise in their market price.

And while you can lose money on some of your individual picks, odds are that your diversification in the “basket” will have it such that the winners outpace, overshadow and compensate for the losers. Look at each of these purchases as if it were a lottery ticket, but with much better odds of winning;

Direct Participation In Business Transactions And Their Related Investment Opportunities: If you have substantial wealth, you may choose to join an investment club or partnership which invests directly in businesses in exchange for a revenue-based royalty, rent, interest, or share of operating income and certain incidental tax benefits in certain cases. These investments are generally not loaded down with brokerage fees and are not subject to market risk or volatility. The only risk is the risk associated with the successful ongoing operation of the actual business itself. You can learn more about direct participation programs by clicking on the link which follows: https://www.google.com/#q=direct+participation , and you can learn more about investment clubs by clicking on: http://bit.ly/CLUBS101 .

Regardless of what you choose to do, know this: The Smart Money is trickling out of the conventional investments, the customary exchanges and traditional structures. That much is reasonably certain. And don't bother to take that to the bank – banks that pay interest at rates which are lower than the adjusted rate of inflation are ways of merely slowing the loss of your wealth.

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Thank you, as always, for reading me,

Douglas Castle for Global Edge International Consulting Associates, Inc. and The Global Edge International Blog

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The Disruption Of Our Future -- 4 Predictions -- Douglas E. Castle

2015-07-18T17:03:00.000-04:00

In a future warped around an increasing frequency of disruptive innovations, there will be great displacement, confusion, and much social, financial and emotional tribulation. Innovation may well a positive thing (per se), but the accelerating pace of the occurrence of innovations can (and will) leave many struggling to survive in the inevitable trauma of its deepening wake. This wave of disruptions, like a hailstorm, has already begun raining down upon us.

For the uninitiated, disruption is defined by Dictionary.Com as "... a radical change in an industry, business strategy, etc., especially involving the introduction of a new product or service that creates a new market..." By definition, disruption certainly sounds, in this context, like a positive thing, and it may well be, once it has reached its point of stabilization.

While the end of a disruptive event may produce a favorable outcome, there is apt to be a great deal of mayhem while things, i.e., changes, are "settling in". But in a futurescape scenario where disruption is layered upon disruption, that state of mayhem will be protracted and increased significantly in severity.

On our planet, we are entering an era, or perhaps an epoch, of accelerating disruptions. These may well be as traumatic to our species as a catastrophic meteor shower or a steepening climatic change. Human beings are generally resistant to change in general, whether it be advantageous or disadvantageous.

Change upsets our equilibrium and violates our 'default setting' of constancy and complacency. Going further, it could be said that a fair amount of predictability in our lives serves to keep us sane... walking upright in a straight line instead of falling all over ourselves in a situation of randomly changing gravity.

Amid this wave of accelerating disruptions, The Global Futurist anticipates the following trends [although we are not in the business of offering any type of investment, tax, financial, legal or other advice] during the next several years' time:

1) Transitional unemployment will increase dramatically. Individuals will not only be between jobs, but between careers. At present, the United States government (through the Bureau Of Labor Statistics and the Federal Reserve) reports a total unemployment rate of only 5.3%, the actual rate of people out of work but in need of employment (as reported by some very influential Wall Street advisers as of the date of this writing) may be in excess of 25%. As accelerating technological change eliminates many middle-management and other types of jobs across multiple industry sectors, The Global Futurist anticipates an increase in the 25% statistic to in excess of 33% by 2018, although the official pronouncements of the government and mainstream news media will not report this. Expect a higher crime rate and a burgeoning underground economy;

2) Smaller, more entrepreneurial enterprises will rise up in innovation, productivity, visibility and stakeholder value over short time frames, while they will be overtaken by technologically superior successors rapidly, giving them a reduced business lifespan of perhaps a mere 3 to 5 years;

3) A greatly increasing percentage of consumer income will be expended (despite the decreasing prices of various technologies and technology-based items) on purchasing updated, and upgrading items to replace the increasing amounts of techno items. At present, consumers are spending between 17% and 19% of the amount of their annual rent or mortgage payments on technological upgrades and updates. With accelerating obsolescence, the implicit consumer mandate will drive this percentage higher -- perhaps to as much as 25% by as early as 2018. This translates to reduced consumer income for survival expenditures and investment;

4) Due to the foregoing trends, an increasing portion of the population of industrialized nations will be living below the poverty line, with the middle class (the traditional backbone of stability for most every economy) all but disappearing. At present (by way of example) approximately 14.5% of the United States population, or 45 million persons live below the poverty line as defined by the U.S. government, down from a higher number in the year 2000. This trend away from poverty will reverse by 2018, and the reversal will be significant -- perhaps as high as +/- 18% by the end of 2018.

Generally speaking, this tsunami of accelerating disruptive events will create more loss than actual opportunity until a deceleration of this onslaught can be reached; but with increased instability (i.e., via disruption) comes increased volatility (in life and in the capital markets) and decreased security for individuals and organizations. Just as virtual communications are de-socializing us as fully-sensory beings, an increasing amount of our Humanity and any of its associated benefits can be expected to decay in a radioactive field of aggressive, undeterred accelerating disruption.

This effect will continue until the perceived value of stability finally begins to outweigh the perceived benefits of unbridled disruption. At this point in the evolution of society, industry and capital markets in industrialized nations, the newly positive ideological construct of disruption innovation may just be a bit overrated. I'm neither a technophobe nor a Luddite, but I have learned to take the more distant and larger view when it comes to change. There's a storm, and we've already begun to feel its first winds.

Thank you, as always, for reading me.

Douglas E. Castle for The Global Futurist, Global Edge International Consulting Associates, Inc., and the Global Edge International Blog

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THE GLOBAL FUTURIST – Douglas E Castle

http://theglobalfuturist.blogspot.com

Discovering and following significant trends across an extensive range of domestic and international consumer, business, demographic, cultural, economic, political, technological and other key areas of influence and impact on life and business; predicting future change, preparing for it and profiting from it.

Key Terms: business, forecasting, trends, future, prediction, disruption, displacement, innovation, complexity theory, economic waves and cycles, projections, planning

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Your Digital Footprints: An Indelible Electronic Trail

2015-06-28T18:35:00.001-04:00

Regardless of how you may feel politically about Hillary Rodham Clinton, her opinions, politics or candidacy, a recent article in the New York Times exposes some of the dangers which are manifest in our internet (or other electronic) communications and activities. While the article dealt with the political and legal implications of some "newly discovered" emails which Ms. Clinton failed to report to governmental authorities, the events described in the article could just have easily happened to you, me or anybody. Electronic communications contain our digital fingerprints (or, if you prefer, digital footprints) and always leave an indelible electronic trail.

While many of us are already striving to cover our digital fingerprints by regularly destroying or otherwise eradicating our email records (and even the hard drives which facilitated their creation, sending and receipt!), or by curtailing our activities and disclosures on social media, our digital footprints are not only something to be concerned about on our side; they have been transmitted to other parties (even if we have done all that is possible on our side to make them disappear).

This transmittal activity means that your electronic communications, whether sent or received, always leave an indelible electronic trail. With our increasingly dangerous dependency upon email and text messaging in lieu of in-person conversations and written correspondence, the potential for vulnerability and victimization is increasing for every otherwise tech-savvy citizen or subject. Remember that your electronic communications involve multiple parties - not just you!

There is no such thing as digital privacy. An excerpt from the Times article titled "State Department Gets Libya Emails That Clinton Didn't Hand Over," has serious implications for all of us.

The New York Times

WASHINGTON — The State Department said on Thursday that 15 emails sent or received by Hillary Rodham Clinton were missing from records that she has turned over, raising new questions about whether she deleted work-related emails from the private account she used exclusively while in office.

The disclosure appeared to open the door for Republicans on Capitol Hill to get more deeply involved in the issue. Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, who is running for president, said he planned to send a series of questions to the State Department about the missing emails and about why it allowed her to use the personal account.

Republicans said that the State Department’s statement was likely to increase pressure on the House speaker, John A. Boehner of Ohio, to subpoena the server in Mrs. Clinton’s home that housed the account.

Mrs. Clinton has said that she gave the State Department about 50,000 pages of emails that she deemed to be related to her work as secretary of state and deleted roughly the same number. She said the messages she deleted were personal, relating to topics like yoga, family vacations and her mother’s funeral.

Her longtime confidant and adviser Sidney Blumenthal, responding two weeks ago to a subpoena from the House committee investigating the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, gave it dozens of emails he had exchanged with Mrs. Clinton when she was in office. Mr. Blumenthal did not work at the State Department at the time, but he routinely provided her with intelligence memos about Libya, some with dubious information, which Mrs. Clinton circulated to her deputies.

State Department officials then crosschecked the emails from Mr. Blumenthal with the ones Mrs. Clinton had handed over and discovered that she had not provided nine of them and portions of six others.

Nick Merrill, a spokesman for Mrs. Clinton, who is running for president, said that she had given the State Department “over 55,000 pages of materials,” including “all emails in her possession from Mr. Blumenthal.”

The chairman of the House committee, Trey Gowdy, Republican of South Carolina, said that many of the emails that Mrs. Clinton had not handed over showed that “she was soliciting and regularly corresponding with Sidney Blumenthal, who was passing unvetted intelligence information about Libya from a source with a financial interest in the country.”

“It just so happens these emails directly contradict her public statement that the messages from Blumenthal were unsolicited,” he said. Mr. Blumenthal identified the source of his information as Tyler Drumheller, a former high-ranking C.I.A. official, according to a person with knowledge of his testimony to the Benghazi panel. Mr. Drumheller was part of a group that sought to do business in Libya.

Supporters of Mrs. Clinton have argued that the committee’s mission has crept far beyond its original scope: to investigate the Benghazi attacks, which killed four Americans, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. Republican committee members have said that they are within their right to look into her email use because the resolution that created the panel directed them to examine how the administration complied with previous inquiries into the attacks. Mrs. Clinton’s emails relating to the attacks were not handed over to any of the panels conducting those inquiries.

Other panels in Congress may consider investigating the matter. Mr. Graham, who oversees a Senate subcommittee with sway over the State Department’s budget, said that the department “seems to have a system that is not working very well” in regards to its production of documents to Congress.

“I’m going to ask them whether they think Mrs. Clinton has handed over everything she should and what they are going to do about it,” he said. “And if they give me runaround responses, we’ll drag them up on Capitol Hill and make them answer these questions in public.”

While the State Department acknowledged that it did not have several of Mrs. Clinton’s emails, it also told the Benghazi committee that it had not turned over other messages of hers. The department said that it had not done so because the contents of those messages fell outside the requests made by the committee.

“The State Department is working diligently to review and publish the 55,000 pages of emails we received from former Secretary Clinton,” it said in a statement.

That statement is unlikely to satisfy the committee, which believes it has been clear in its requests. Members of the panel have contended that the State Department has withheld documents to protect Mrs. Clinton and grind the investigation to a halt. State Department officials have said that one of the reasons it has taken so long to produce documents is that the department’s record-keeping system is cumbersome. They have also said that the committee has not been specific enough in its requests.

###

The Takeaway: Every sender, or recipient, as well as all parties copied on all email and social media correspondence can become sources of information, regardless of your attempts to obfuscate, or destroy evidence of communications on your side, by yourself. And as regulatory and legal authorities become increasingly inquisitive about our communications via all electronic media (even our wireless cellphones, with our phone conversations and texts) in waging the war on terrorism, an increasing segment of the populations in each of the respective industrialized nations will become targets -- for better or for worse.

The Global Futurist Solution: If you wish to divulge or impart secret information to a second party, and you are reasonably certain that the party in question has not been bodily rigged to record any audio or video, have a live, in-person chat with that person (assuming , of course that you can be seen and don't necessarily mind being photographed from a distance associating with this second party) in a heavily-populated area. Nobody said that keeping secrets was particularly easy; and the trend is that it will become increasingly difficult.

Thank you, as always, for reading me.

Douglas E. Castle for The Global Futurist Blog

Please join me on LinkedIn

THE GLOBAL FUTURIST – Douglas E Castle

http://theglobalfuturist.blogspot.com

Discovering and following significant trends across an extensive range of domestic and international consumer, business, demographic, cultural, economic, political, technological and other key areas of influence and impact on life and business; predicting future change, preparing for it and profiting from it.

Key Terms: business, forecasting, trends, future, prediction, disruption, displacement, innovation, complexity theory, economic waves and cycles, projections, planning

***************
This site is proudly affiliated with Global Edge International Consulting Associates, Inc. ["GEI”]
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The Virtual Workplace: The Inevitable Disruption - Douglas E. Castle

2015-06-15T19:37:00.000-04:00

The virtual workplace is more than just a tech-speak catchphrase. It is revolutionary, and its effects will be felt in every quarter. The Virtual Workplace - The Inevitable Disruption is a topic worthy of consideration to every trend spotter and every futurist.

The virtual workplace is increasingly becoming the norm, while the traditional brick and mortar offices housing the companies' headquarters are becoming increasingly obsolete - more symbolic of the "old paradigm" businesses. Companies are leaning to the extreme in the direction of telecommuting, and expect these disruptive and progressive trends to be on the rise. Please bear in mind that this article does not provide financial or investment advice:

1) Virtual meeting software and platforms will be in increasing demand. Citrix, WebEx and their other market-dominating peers are going to be experiencing competition for their market space due to the increasing demand for virtual forums;

2) Companies will be retaining more independent contractors and employing fewer in-house employees in order to reduce staffing costs and personnel-related overhead;

3) Commercial real estate will be taking a tumble as companies move to virtual environments and away from renting and purchasing buildings and office space;

4) An increasing number of 1 - 5 person corporations and limited liability companies will be formed as contracting and outsourcing increase and direct corporate employment decreases. Incorporation and registered agent businesses such as Legal Zoom and The Company Corporation will be experiencing increased revenues and market demand, as will their less-dominant competitors;

5) The demand for IT and computer systems professionals will increase, disrupting and displacing many middle-management, administrative and accounting positions;

6) Internationalism, in terms of globally-diversified markets and supply chain structure, will be on the rise as outsourcing and offshoring increase;

7) E-commerce will be displacing and outpacing traditional retail commerce;

8) Tax collections by governmental agencies will become increasingly difficult as the traditional employer-employee structure becomes increasingly displaced and de-centralized;

9) The utilization of household interior space will be shifting in favor of a greater percentage of work-at-home or home office space versus family and leisure space;

10) Society will become increasingly destabilized, and interpersonal and communications skills will suffer greatly due to a breakdown in the traditional face-to-face meeting paradigm.

The rise of the virtual workplace will ultimately affect every aspect of society, from simple reading and writing skills (declining) to the deterioration of international boundaries and political barriers (through outsourcing, offshoring, e-commerce and independent contracting). Be prepared for a radical change in all markets and marketplaces. This all-encompassing sea change is already underway and should be anticipated to accelerate in its course and severity over the next three to five years. After that, watch out for the rise of Artificial Intelligence.

Thank you, as always, for reading me.

Douglas E. Castle for The Global Futurist

Please join me on LinkedIn!

THE GLOBAL FUTURIST – Douglas E Castle

http://theglobalfuturist.blogspot.com

Discovering and following significant trends across an extensive range of domestic and international consumer, business, demographic, cultural, economic, political, technological and other key areas of influence and impact on life and business; predicting future change, preparing for it and profiting from it.

Key Terms: business, forecasting, trends, future, prediction, disruption, displacement, innovation, complexity theory, economic waves and cycles, projections, planning

***************
This site is proudly affiliated with Global Edge International Consulting Associates, Inc. ["GEI”]
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Top Five Techno Trends: The Next Five Years -- Douglas E. Castle - The Global Futurist

2015-06-05T22:33:00.000-04:00

During the course of these next five years, several macro-trends are emerging for all futurists, strategists and investment professionals to observe closely. While I do not offer investment, financial, tax, legal or accounting advice in this article, any prudent businessperson should take heed of these sweeping macro-trends:

1) Technology will become increasingly smaller;

2) Technology will become increasingly multifunctional;

3) Technology will become increasingly either wearable on the Human body or implantable (think of applied nanotechnology) within the Human body;

4) Technology will be increasingly integrated with Human physiology and psychology;

5) Technology will become significantly capable of sending and receiving data, and acting upon it, in terms of self-regulation (think of a very futuristic thermostat).

It is unquestionable that biometrics, biofeedback, miniaturization technologies and all of the macro-trends described briefly above will represent the approaching intimacy of the relationship between Human and machine. Devices will be seen as enhancements to Human health, intelligence and capabilities. We will become increasingly dependent upon these devices, rendering us increasingly vulnerable to those who control or who can commandeer this technology.

Yes. It's going to be a brave new world - but with some major dangerous dependencies lying in wait.

Thank you, as always, for reading me.

Douglas E Castle

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THE GLOBAL FUTURIST – Douglas E Castle

http://theglobalfuturist.blogspot.com

Discovering and following significant trends across an extensive range of domestic and international consumer, business, demographic, cultural, economic, political, technological and other key areas of influence and impact on life and business; predicting future change, preparing for it and profiting from it.

Key Terms: business, forecasting, trends, future, prediction, disruption, displacement, innovation, complexity theory, economic waves and cycles, projections, planning

Transforming Ideas Into Reality - Douglas E. Castle

2015-03-29T10:39:00.000-04:00

Transforming Ideas Into Reality

New 3-D Printing Technology Is Revolutionizing The Art And Pace Of Innovation And Invention

By: Douglas E. Castle For THE GLOBAL FUTURIST Blog

I've heard it said that “What the mind can conceive, humankind can achieve.” This notion of transforming ideas into reality is nothing especially new. Visionaries work at converting their ideas, plans and schematics into corporeal, tangible substance. This process has historically been an arduous one, requiring promotion, evangelism, acceptance, engineering, testing and fabrication through mechanical production methods. In brief, the meandering path from an idea (at inception) to a viable, functional product or service has generally been a lengthy and tenuous one, with many otherwise great ideas failing to attain actual materialization along the way. Too many brilliant ideas have never been actualized. The Law Of Attraction may well be in effect, but it operates in a rather slow and indirect way...

This has all changed, and is continuing to change at an accelerating pace, due to the introduction and ongoing development of three-dimensional computer technology which can directly convert drawings into tangible, three-dimensional output. While the output is, generally speaking, somewhat crude, the underlying technological engine of the 3D printers is constantly improving, and the creations being rendered are improving in quality, as well. We are not speaking of arts and crafts, but of the potential to generate human tissue and human organs – and more. This incredibly efficient transformation of thought into matter will revolutionize medicine, manufacturing, technology and life. Although I do not provide investment or financial advice, it is becoming increasingly apparent that investments in companies which design and create 3D software and printers (i.e., the hardware and other peripherals) may well become extremely valuable.

Going further, this emerging technology can be expected to cause substantial displacement over a very wide range of more “traditional” industries, and a significant number of companies [as well as the value of their shares] can be anticipated to be adversely affected.

Following is some additional information relating to this revolutionary technology:

http://3dprinting.com/what-is-3d-printing/#whatitis

https://www.google.com/#q=3d+printing+stocks

https://www.google.com/#q=3d+printing+companies

Thank you, as always for reading me.

Douglas E. Castle

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THIS ARTICLE IS COPYRIGHT 2015 BY DOUGLAS E. CASTLE, WITH ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ANY REPRODUCTION, TRANSMITTAL OR DISTRIBUTION OF THIS ARTICLE, EITHER IN WHOLE OR PART, IS UNAUTHORIZED AND MAY BE UNLAWFUL, UNLESS FULL ATTRIBUTION IS GIVEN TO THE AUTHOR AND ALL LINKS IN THE ARTICLE REMAIN INCLUDED AND “LIVE.”

Cyber Security Assessments And Insurance - The Global Futurist - Douglas E. Castle

2015-02-23T09:30:00.000-05:00

The incidence and scale of hacking (and other types of data security breaching) activity, multiplied by its accelerating level of sophistication has individuals and businesses in an ever-increasing state of fear.

With our dangerous growing dependency on the electronic storage and transmittal of information, as well as with the growing percentage of commerce and banking transacted online and via mobile devices, there is a rapidly rising risk of significant financial and personal (real, physical) loss. Of course, this increasing risk, both actual and perceived, will translate to increasing opportunity for certain entrepreneurs, enterprises and visionary investors.

I would suggest that two business-to-business industry sectors which will ripen to full bloom during the next two to three years [although I do not provide financial or investment advice to any reader/s under any circumstances] will be: 1) cyber security assessments, evaluations and standardized ratings*; and 2) insurance (i.e., insurance products and policy providers) against losses due to incidents involving hacking or other types of data security breaches.
____
* These standardized security ratings could be some variation on the theme of ISO (the International Organization For Standardization) 27001, or promulgated by some other body, either existing or to be created.
____

Start scanning and scouring the news and marketplaces for companies which are contemplating significant investments or forays into either one or both of the above industry sectors, and you will be looking at the future, albeit today.

Prepare yourself, your systems, your routines and your portfolio accordingly.

Douglas E. Castle for The Global Futurist Blog

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THE GLOBAL FUTURIST – Douglas E Castle

http://theglobalfuturist.blogspot.com

Discovering and following significant trends across an extensive range of domestic and international consumer, business, demographic, cultural, economic, political, technological and other key areas of influence and impact on life and business; predicting future change, preparing for it and profiting from it.

Key Terms: business, forecasting, trends, future, prediction, disruption, displacement, innovation, complexity theory, economic waves and cycles, projections, planning

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