Mathew Burrows

This is a deeply conservative book. It's convinced that the way things are is the way they will stay if we will only exert ourselves to make it happen. The analytical chapters are, as one expects, very data-heavy and also very interesting if one will absorb them slowly. The end chapters are exercises in "scenario planning," and since that's something I used to do for my employer, I found more to criticize there.

Disruption never comes from thinking the same thoughts as you've always thought; the issue, really, is that the author argues for a course of action not simply allowing the data to spool out a story before him.

Worth the time and the effort to read it.… (plus d'informations)

One thing I like about a lot of non-fiction books these days, is that if there is something that interests you, there's probably a book out there that will introduce you to the subject and let you delve deeper into it's details and let you discover things you didn't know before. I'm usually always interested in these types of books, but it seems, that for me, my expectations for them are much too high. I've attempted to read a bunch of these books recently and it seems all but two have lost my interest within a few chapters. Sadly this book was no different.

I'm hoping my issue with these non-fiction books, may be that it's not the right time. Sometimes I get into a mood where some books interest me and others don't. But I'm not too sure. It seems like a lot of these books aren't written for the casual reader, one who doesn't always delve into non-fiction. It seems like they are written for someone who already has a tie to the book in their career somehow. I feel like this book, a long with the others aren't aimed at readers like me, and I lose interest. Like I've said before, I hope in the future to come back to this book and better appreciate it then, but for now, I sadly just can't get into it.… (plus d'informations)

Looking into the future can be a fascinating preoccupation. Mathew Burrows book, The Future Declassified: Megatrends That Will Undo the World Unless We Take Action, is an insightful look at what is to come. It considers some things that could unravel life as we know it. In many ways global society could be on a fast-track towards doomsday. One such potentiality is the nightmare of long-range strategic weaponry, which seems to worry Matthew Burrows a great deal.

Author Burrows is surprisingly optimistic about possibilities, and how in many ways future generations could fare better. That's what I found most fascinating about the book. Americans should be encouraged by his guess that the U.S. could reach a state of energy self-sufficiency in just 10 to 20 years. Looking at immigration reform, he concludes that a growing population is an important economic asset. He foresees disease management technologies resulting in people living older and healthier.

A tad amount of fictional narrative can be found towards the end. That part of the book comes in an abrupt shift from the discussion that went before. But the stories are plausible and well-conceived. I enjoyed Burrows ability to foresee the possibilities through fiction as well as he does through nonfiction.

The book will intrigue any reader who thinks analytically.… (plus d'informations)

A book that doesn't seem to know what it wants to be when it grows up. One half is a compilation, discussion, and analysis of current trends in the world and how they may play out in the future. One half are narratives built on the points in the first half of the book. The book is clearly written and organized. In this sort of book you inevitably find a lot of "if, then, maybe." The author presents the information in an easy to understand format. The book can be read in an afternoon.

I found nothing new for me in the first half of the book. Perhaps this is because I read The Economist? I feel like I have read about all the points he mentions.

I found the second half of the book distracting. The stories were interesting. I did not feel they added anything to the "value" of his book.… (plus d'informations)