tech futurist and innovation expert
Tech futurist and innovation expert, and author of Flash Foresight: How to See the Invisible and Do the Impossible
PROFILE
Daniel Burrus
Guest
FROM Daniel Burrus
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Remembering Futurist Alvin Toffler and Forecasting the Future of Futurology Futurist Alvin Toffler has died at his home in Los Angeles. He was 87. Toffler authored a trilogy of best-selling books, beginning in 1970 with “Future Shock”, which sold 15 million copies and is still in print today. In that book, Toffler made incredibly accurate predictions about how science and technology would shape humankind. He forecasted cloning, the invention of the internet and cable TV, and the massive popularity of the personal computer. Futurists are still trying to predict how innovation will shape our society today.
To the Point
Using Big Data to Stop Crime Before It's Committed Every cop and sheriff's deputy dreams of the day that law enforcement can stop crimes rather than solving them after the fact. Now many are buying programs from tech companies like Hitachi and IBM which claim that analyzing big data can predict crime before it happens. But garbage in means garbage out, and critics are asking where all that data comes from. Is it information that beat cops and investigators already know? Is it making law enforcement more efficient and more effective—or reinforcing the biases that are leading to the erosion of public trust?
To the Point
Can Big Data Prevent Crime? Every cop and sheriff's deputy dreams of the day that law enforcement can stop crimes rather than solving them after the fact. Now many are buying programs from tech companies like Hitachi and IBM which claim that analyzing big data can predict crime before it happens. But garbage in means garbage out, and critics are asking where all that data comes from. Is it information that beat cops and investigators already know? Is it making law enforcement more efficient and more effective—or reinforcing the biases that are leading to the erosion of public trust?
Recommended
To the Point
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
To the Point
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
To the Point
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.
To the Point
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.