Lesson 10 - 24 Oct 11

Technology assessment and forecasting

In a rapidly changing world, i feel that it is important to change your strategies to suit the times, unless you can change the times to suit you

The present is shaped by the past, but dwelling on the past is definitely not the way to go.

I believed that in Singapore, how we came to where we are today, we owe it to good foresights.

We owed it to the governments who set policies and recommendations for the various industries that are of the cloud and summit opportunities, so that we could experience rapid economic growth.

We also owed it to our forefathers who came to Singapore in search for better job opportunities, in which they have found themselves a better home. With rapid economic growth, free of natural disaster, stable political growth, and high technology advances here, i think we are in one of the best places to live in.

A check on the Purchasing Power Index : Singapore is ranked top 3!


Perhaps this is why on the public transports, first we see the Nokia mobile phones, which was the SMS era, then came the PSP era, where everyone took gaming on the go, then now, eventually we reached the 3G era. We could use our iPhones, iPads, Blackberrys and other gadgets to engage in social networking or business communication on the go. We have such good purchasing power that we are bring lifestyle out on the roads!

When you travel to other country, you don't see it everywhere, but here, you see it EVERYWHERE. It's that common. When you go to other countries and take their public transport, you may feel alienated with you using social networking, or wait, 3G coverage isn't that widespread in bigger countries actually. The challenge is of course the distance, which Singapore does not face.


Back to forecasting, I'm really glad i get to experience these lifestyle changes as it really shows me that mobile technology allows me to save time and process more information at the same time.

Session rating : 10/10!
+fascinated with the future!
-Implications are quite a killjoy, we have to work on this to ensure that the technology doesn't backfire.

Issues for discussion :
Can you imagine life now if Singapore is suddenly without 3G, WIFI, or broadband?