Explaining the Future | Singularity or decline?
September 28, 2012
Explaining the Future | Is a new, more prosperous age beyond a technological Singularity on the horizon? Or does human civilization now face an inevitable decline? This video by futurist Christopher Barnatt discusses the great debate at the heart of future studies.
About Explaining the Future and Christopher Barnatt
Hello, I am Christopher Barnatt — a futurist, author, videographer, and Associate Professor of Computing and Future Studies in Nottingham University Business School.
As addition to this website and ExplainingComputers.com, I’m the author of eight books on future studies and computing. These include Seven Ways to Fix the World, 25 Things You Need to Know About the Future and A Brief Guide to Cloud Computing, and my Future Trilogy.
I have made more than 60 appearances on the radio talking about the topics covered on this site. Many of my appearances have been on BBC Radio Nottingham. You can read more about this on my BBC Nottingham Profile Page. I have also been interviewed on 16 other BBC local radio stations spanning from Jersey to Scotland. In 2008 and 2009 I appeared many times on Kerrang! Radio’s epic The Night Before with Nick Margerrison.
I acted as a consultant to Discovery Channel in the production of Helium3Game.com, and am a member of the World Future Society. On occasion I work with Dutch futurist Marcel Bullinga of Futurecheck. I also contribute to 3DPrinter.net.
Recently I have made presentations or undertaken other work for a range of clients including the Clore Leadership Program, ConsumerEyes, Holland Centraal, Medilink East Midlands, the U.K. Government’s Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, Greenbelt and the Jersey Arts Trust.
Video Source: Explaining the Future | Christopher Barnatt
Related:
Explaining the Future
Explaining the Future YouTube channel
Comments (7)
by Peter
I mostly agree with shane and melajara.
Though the video is very informative, well paced and fine in general I suggest removing cheesy video effects like lensflares and glowing and rotating typewriter-fonts – stay with one font, one color and use less crossfades.
In contrary to melajara I don’t think a sexy co-presenter is necessary. That just distracts from the topic.
Apart from that, I really enjoyed the video. Keep them coming.
Thanks.
by Christopher Barnatt
@Melajara — thanks for your feedback. Your idea for a “sexy, witty and even mischievous co-presenter sounds great . . . :)
by melajara
You are welcome, too bad I can’t qualify for the job ;-)
I can’t speak for Shane but maybe the “silly sound effects” is just referring to the intro. I tend to agree, it’s funny at first time but can be felt as aggressive if you peruse the videos.
This has proved a good rule of design for me: tend to avoid effects funny at first time but tiring in the long run.
Off course de gustibus non est disputandum, LOL
PS Speaking about videos, sounds, and creative nerds, I friend recommended to me yesterday this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BftRP-77Zls&feature=youtu.be
I found it quite fascinating, especially after having read how the music has been composed and the comment it suggested to my friend, food for thought and meditation here.
Cheers
by melajara
The world has an urgent need for more pedagogical material like this to introduce ordinary citizens to what is at stake right now, so congratulations for this initiative.
I appreciated the balanced treatment, this is not the exposition of a zealot in awe for the Singularity but a timely call for action.
Then I just watched the life extension video you can access from this page http://explainingthefuture.com/life.html. Well done, in 7 minutes the essential is conveyed in a very straightforward style (albeit no mention of de Grey SENS path to life extension through piecemeal intracellular damage repair).
Yet I have a small critic, the speeches still sounds geeky and nerdy. Maybe, Mr Barnatt, you could be joined for the presentations by a lady, if only to consider the advices of a woman on what really matters for potentially half of the audience and voters.
Having a couple presenting this kind of stuff is very good as the material can be delivered in a dialog with questions and answers or a mini debate pro and contra the topic of the day.
And if the girl could be sexy, witty and even mischievous, sometimes mocking an all too serious Barnatt, all the better, LOL
@Editor, maybe you could add a hyperlink to Mr Barnatt website (e.g right at the beginning “Explaining the Future” in your presentation). Of course it’s in the video, but just in case people are not watching the video). Oh, huh, my mistake, you already did it, at the end under the “Related” header. It’s here but not so obvious ;-)
by Shane
I agree. The content of this is very good. But, the production and narration need a LOT of work.
It’s reminiscent of a 90′s primary school educational video. From experience, I know most of us spent more time laughing at those videos than learning anything. Silly sound effects and an almost comical narration voice.
Besides that though, very good and concise.
by Christopher Barnatt
Thanks for your positive feedback here. But what do mean the production needs a “LOT of work”? OK, so you may not agree with the pace of the narration, but it is — as you note — an educational video and many people like my style (I’ve got about 1.8million views so far on YouTube to prove it). I also work professionally as a speaker for many organizations. Listen to the narration on many documentaries — eg those by David Attenborough — and the pace is if anything slower. With material of any stature, clarity is important and the audience needs to be given tmie to think. By all means disagree with this, but this is not a production problem, it is a creative choice I have made.
Production wise the visuals are broadcast quality (for many years I supplied animation to the BBC, and my work has recently appeared on two ABC news channels). And where are the “silly sound effects”? I would check out the videos on your website, but i see that you have linked yourself to “website”, rather than to a real web address . . .
by UConnRon
I thought the video was informative and well done. I did not find production variables distracting.