Thinking out of the box is an often-used term in creative sessions. Thinking outside existing boundaries. This is especially important in a changing world. Consider the following sentence:

"How can our department of our organization reach our target audience better?"

It's filled with assumptions. What is an organization? Does that organization stay? What is a target audience? Are those people? Should we see them as a target audience, as a group we want to inform? Or do we want to involve them? And more importantly: what do they want from us? And then the organization? What is that weird term? Is that some statistic we draw with a little rake? How do informal relationships play a part? But do we want to organize everything neatly so we can report success at the highest level: to the stock holders? Stocks, another weird term. And relationships with those people in the target audience? And with people on the site? And with former employees? And people who write about as? And then we haven't even discussed department? There once was a reason to put us in a separate cubicle. But is that still true? If we could do everything over again, would we still organize it the same way? Would we organize it at all or would good communication tools be enough?

And then this is still very practical. You can think further on humans. How do you view people? Are people relationships? Are people like bouts in the sea, bobbing along with the rest? How do I undertake things then? Or should I undertake nothing at all and just constantly feel when something should happen? And how do I do that?

But however far you want to think out of the box, it always has a limitation, and I'm looking for mine. Who can help me?

Women who live together, like they do in prisons, convents or brothels, subconsciously synchronize their menstrual cycles. This effect is known as the McClintock effect. This phenomena was first determined officially in 1971 (but has been around as long as humanity). Also, animals have a comparable effect. In 1998 Martha McClintock did a follow-up study in which she determined that (axilla)smell has an influence on this synchronization. The research isn't completely uncontested.

Future vision by Erwin van Lun

Controversial or not, if matter consists of waves, our behavior consists of waves, women’s menstrual cycles are also the result of counting up waves. For who has forgotten old physics classes: grab a piece of paper, draw a three axis diagram and add up the waves. The result is a new wave, with a special form, but again a form that repeats itself. Always, no matter what you draw.

If people get in sync with one another, ‘get on the same frequency with one another’, it’s not so weird that the result of different waves starts to resemble one another. In this case: that menstrual cycles too start to look like one another.

Such an approach could also give insight in for example telepathy.

They’re thoughts, twists, and I’d like to know more about them. Not just because, but because I think that this kind of insight could give an image of humanity in 2050, in the time of the Pamper Planet.

Related trends

• 2050-2100: Pamper planet

Often I use the raree show as a metaphor for the creation of the virtual world, wherein the hole of the box is our window onto the virtual world and stands for screens today, and especially of tomorrow. But as time passed I realized that the metaphor needs to be sharpened. If you view your house as a collection of screens: all your windows, 'tv' screens that cover the entire wall, with holographic projection and light controls, then you can't go through a single screen, but in fact you're in the raree show surrounded by windows. And that box is placed in an environment: in the middle of the forest, in Rome of a thousand years ago, or on Mars. Wherever you look, it seems like your house was moved in its entirety. If we can also get additional stimulation for our other senses through holographic projection or the addition of warm or cold or other stimulating air flows – with smell of course – then a raree show as metaphor just doesn't cover it. The year that goes with this, 2025?

Google, Microsoft and Yahoo have signed a world wide treaty that's intended to better protect online freedom of speech and privacy. This Global Initiative Network is supposed to silence criticism that the companies let themselves be used by censuring governments like China.

Future vision by Erwin van Lun

The power of national governments is getting increasingly smaller. Worldwide networks that people join freely – call them companies for now, call it communities, call it brands – are taking over. So it’s not about the limited amount of people in the offices of these companies, but the whole community they serve. That community will eventually decide. And that community will ‘seize’ power.

Related trends

• De-nationalizing

Midomi recognizes the music being played in your environment, recognizes what you hum and the title or artist that you pronounce. The song found can be played and bought directly from Midomi or the iTunes store; you get information about the artist and can play the video clip on YouTube. Midomi is now also available on the iPhone, so everywhere you hear music, think of music or talk about music, it's available with a press of a button. (tip: Hans Ruinemans).

Future vision by Erwin van Lun

Currently it’s a little restricted in the amount of numbers recognized, but later Midomi will be able to recognize everything ever created, anywhere in the world, in any language. At first we actively have to tell it we want to identify a song and actively indicate what we think of a song. In time we can just enjoy the music and let Midomi watch (and especially listen) along with us continuously, 24 hours a day. Afterwards we can ask Midomi what number we danced to so wonderfully while we were on vacation. Midomi will play it for us immediately and, if desired, also project the tape that was playing holographically. That’s the meaning Midomi will have in our lives. A real digital troubadour that’s always with us to entertain us musically.

Although it may not be immediately visible, I'm changing a lot of things below the surface as preparation for the new site version (2.0). For example, there's a new category for leisure coaching brands this time. A brand that helps us entertain outside of our home, what's happening? That can be an event, a cinema or a fun restaurant.

Also there's a new section called 'related' on the full post pages. What have I written about a brand before? Those appear too now. And lots more to come...

Social network Hyves is now available on the iPhone. This allows you to se if your friends are available for chatting, texting, leaving a message or calling someone directly by touch. Before the end of 2008 another (java) application suitable for other cell phones will be released as well.

Future vision by Erwin van Lun

This is the essence of social coaching. Hyves facilitates not just the exchange of text messages, but also of speech by letting users call each other. In a next step you’ll be able to leave voice mail and Hyves can save the conversations in a file, even type it out for you. All automated. Hyves will then be our contact to ‘calling’ others instead of a box in a car. We just call out ‘John’ (an example of Hyves’ brand agent), John appears and we ask John to connect us. Then Hyves can analyze the emotions in your conversation, give you tips about wording your thoughts and feelings and in this way help you manage your relationships with your friends. We’ll be twenty years along then, but that’s where Hyves will slowly be offering added value. Not as a fun tool, but as a brand that will take a special place in people’s lives.

From now on all Thalys-trains (which connect Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Köln) are equipped with wireless internet. In May the first carriages were equipped with wireless internet for commercial use. According to Thalys, over 60,000 travelers have used the service since then.

Future vision by Erwin van Lun

Wherever we are in the world, we’ll find a fast wireless internet connection. It’ll be in contact with all devices near you effortlessly, without any technical knowledge, without you realizing it even. That’s the infrastructure. And that’s only the beginning of communication. With each other. With brands.

A technical tip: using SwitchProxy tool 1.4.1, a FireFox add-on, you can pretend to be from a different country. As such you can still watch those movies in America or, what I need it for: "What kind of ads appear in Germany when someone search for 'chatbot' in Google?". This lets you pretend to be someone from Germany very quickly and search on. Very useful for someone who wants to view the world from a different perspective.

Happenr.com is a vertical search engine that gives Europeans insight into which events (concerts, exhibitions, plays, sport matches, etc) take place in their home town or their vacation address today, tomorrow or in the near future. Through a special map they can even look on street level. The company says that they currently have complete coverage for Germany, Ireland and Flanders, and also for 100 tourist spots (usually large cities) in all of Europe. The site is available in German, English and Dutch.

Future vision by Erwin van Lun

Sometimes you just want to get away. Do something else for a while. Wherever you are, wherever in the world. The leisure coaching brand knows exactly what can be done where, what your friends are doing, and most importantly: what you like to do. Happenr is the primal shape of such a brand.

Using Google Voice Search iPhone users can enter their search query by voice. The speech command will be saved on the iPhone and sent to Google. Google's central servers convert the query into text through voice recognition and then they look it up.

Future vision by Erwin van Lun

Brands are entering the spoken dialogue. Currently by sending files, but soon they’ll listen directly to what you have to say. Currently affordable only for the biggest companies in the world, but in a year or ten available for the baker at the end of the street. Then you can just ask whether there’s still ‘pine nut bread’ and you’ll receive an answer immediately. All automated.

Related trends

• Brand-dialogue

Google is launching a web service that can map a potential flu epidemic in an early stage: Google Flu Trends. The company assumes that people who feel sickly will google words like 'flu', 'symptoms' and 'muscle ache'. If the term is entered in the same region multiple times that region will be given a different color on Google Flu Trends. Stopping an epidemic with Google Flu Trends. Furthermore the company thinks they'll be faster than officials.

Future vision by Erwin van Lun

Brands are aiming their sensors at consumers, and combine what they see. Currently with pictures, but soon they’ll be listening to our coughing and we’ll be carrying biosensors which are permanently connected to our health coaching brands. This is a step in that direction.

Hyves, a Dutch social network, is now also available on Sony's Playstation Portable (PSP).

Future vision by Erwin van Lun

It’ll be the biggest trend of 2009: communication through multiple screens. Not just mobile screens like the iPhone are rapidly rising to prominence, but brands are also seeking the dialogue through screens like this. With one CRM system to continue the conversation where you left it off last at each step.

Related trends

• Brand-dialogue

Google's Gmail recently added a voice and video chat function which makes it possible to video-chat within Gmail. With this new function you can start a video conversation without first having to open a separate application or making a new account. And if you don't have a webcam, you can chat by voice. Google recognizes from your email traffic with a person who your friends are and gives you access to your online status so you can chat with this. You can also turn this option off (Automatically allow people I communicate with often to chat with me and see when I'm online). Keeping a contact list is no longer needed.

Future vision by Erwin van Lun

Social coaching brands understand who your friends are. Not because they’re registered elsewhere, but because we have ‘hot’ contacts. Currently based on the amount of contacts, but soon based on the contact of the contacts: do we say nice things or is arguing all we do? Is it purely business? Then maybe we shouldn’t be disturbed in the evening or weekends. That’s the next step. To afterwards analyze the (spoken) conversations and really help us with starting, maintaining and breaking off relationships. This is a start.

Werkplekzoeker.nl allows flexible workers an easy way to find an alternative working or conference space like a café, a restaurant or some other public occasion. There are also offices which offer 'an empty desk for (part of) the day'. The idea of the site is 'for and by users': everyone can come up with work space and share their experiences regarding them.

Future vision by Erwin van Lun

In the network economy that’s being created, everything is about flexibility. Currently ‘working long-distance’ means reading mil, writing documents and other computer work. In a year or ten we’ll be actively working with our colleagues in the virtual world. They’ll be life-sized and we’ll have creative sessions that completely dwarf the e-mail exchange or chat conversation we have today. While you’re at home, on your vacation, or at a flexible working location. Werkplekzoeker fits neatly into this development. Currently the model seems to be financed by ads, but soon Werkplekzoeker will be paid per reservation. Or for amount.

Related trends

• Network economy

David Nott, a British doctor without any experience with amputations, has saved the life of a boy in Congo thanks to instructions he received in text messages.

Future vision by Erwin van Lun

The development of the virtual world in combination with cheap devices and solar energy is one of the biggest developments in the world. It’ll ensure that knowledge which is currently only available in the west will be available in even the smallest of villages as needed. This is just a simple example. Currently text messages, soon mobile internet with video. Now in a place where electricity is already found, but soon in all sorts of places where it’s never even been near.