So you really want to know how come I’m so informed about the challenges facing us in the future? How I can tell you what the ‘long tail’ is and why it works, when Bruce Sterling thinks the singularity will hit, or how I smell so darn good? Well folks, I’ll let you in on my little secret.

The Long Now Foundation is a group of people dedicated to fostering responsibility in humanity over the next 10,000 years. They go for the slow and better, rather than the faster and cheaper that we’re used to. There’s a section I came across called Seminars for Long-Term Thinking, that has roughly one speaker a month come and give a talk. Everything from long-tail sales of books via the internet to philanthropic investment over the next fifty years is covered. Between this and a few science/news podcasts, my daily commute has been covered for over a year. The seminars are available via iTunes or whatever your favorite podcasting program may be. Some of my favorites are Jared Diamond, Bruce Sterling (though I honestly didn’t get much of it – but it was fun!), and Robert Neuwirth. Subscribe to the podcasts, but also check out the website for slideshows and occasionally video presentations. Or, if you’re in the Bay area, attend the seminars.