The Future of Philanthropy

Recently, Jasper Grosskurth of STT Netherlands Study Centre for Technology Trends asked me, “What’s the Future of Africa?”. We wasn’t asking about the the day we all hope for in the future where all Africans have jobs, health and peace. Rather, he wanted to know about the future — the Kurzweil-ian, Kubrick-ian, Lessig-ian future that adolescent sci-fi dreams are made of and how current trends in technology would affect us.

His question got me thinking about things less ‘far-out’ and more of things ‘just-around-the-corner’. What if all the technologies currently being developed in the ‘first-world’ to do things like find out how old a building was, where the nearest Wal-Mart is, or to find out where the closest twitter user is, were used for more. In this new series of posts, ‘The Future of Philanthropy’ I will look at what the future (2010 to 2012) could actually bring using emerging technologies that exist today. Some of the technologies are conceptual, but all are based on existing technologies that would make Jane Jetson squeal with joy.

“For tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” – African Proverb