My own suspicion is that a stand-alone artificial mind will be more a tool of narrow utility than something especially apocalyptic.

Crackdowns on Internet content make clear the need for an anonymized Web. Now, someone just needs to implement it.

I have to admit it: I'm not a huge fan of the cloud computing concept.

But here's the ugly truth: nature doesn't care about democracy, or who's right, or what's fair. And because of the slow-change aspect of climate, we can't wait until the worst effects are upon us to make a decision -- by then, it would be far, far too late. The scenario we may be faced with is one where doing something for the wrong reasons, run by the wrong people, may still save more lives than holding out for a more appealing option.

Everything we think about regarding sustainability - from energy to agriculture to manufacturing to population - has a water footprint. Almost all of the water on Earth is salt water, and the remaining freshwater supplies are split between agricultural use and human use - as well as maintaining the existing natural environment.

Trying to do what your competitors are doing but basically a little bit better is probably not going to be the winning strategy. The problem is finding what your competitors wouldnt even consider doing.

Resilience is all about being able to overcome the unexpected. Sustainability is about survival. The goal of resilience is to thrive.