How To Prepare for the Unexpected

We hear news about things that are broken - whether it’s the global economy collapsing, bankruptcies, unemployment numbers, and this week, the catastrophic loss of human life and historic buildings when an earthquake shook L’Aquila and surrounding towns in central Italy.

All the technology and money in the world can’t immunize us against tragedy. The news reminds us of how fragile and vulnerable we are, and those reminders got Jamais Cascio thinking: why not build systems that are more resilient to sudden changes? Jamais covers emerging technologies and cultural transformation, and is affiliated with The Institute For The Future. He recently wrote a column for Fast Company proposing that we design systems and institutions that are more resilient to sudden change, and he joins us from San Francisco to talk about what he found.

Jamais Cascio in Fast Company: "Resilience in the Face of Crisis: Why the Future Will Be Flexible"

(Photo courtesy kcolwell via Flickr/Creative Commons)