Spark File 2017

Updated: 19 Feb 2017

Themes to Explore:


  •  Skills Shelf Life Vs Learning Speed – How will people keep up with the pace of change?

“Ten out of eleven good-to-great CEOs came from inside the company, three of them by family inheritance. The comparison companies turned to outsiders with six times greater frequency—yet they failed to produce sustained great results.

– Good to Great by Jim Collins


  •  The Next Economy – What will people do?

“Many people are seeing the erosion of their economic futures. The labor market troubles of the young—which you can observe in many countries—are a harbinger of the new world of work to come. Lacking the right training means being shut out of opportunities like never before. 

At the same time, the very top earners, who often have advanced postsecondary degrees, are earning much more. Average is over is the catchphrase of our age, and it is likely to apply all the more to our future.”

“If you and your skills are a complement to the computer, your wage and labor market prospects are likely to be cheery. If your skills do not complement the computer, you may want to address that mismatch. Ever more people are starting to fall on one side of the divide or the other. That’s why average is over.”

Average is Over by Tyler Cowan


  • Jobs, Identies & Socities – How will people demonstrate worth?

Long Arc Projects

Brains. Education. What does the brain do? How do you improve it?

Brains. Behavior. Identity. How are individual roles in society identified and developed?

Bodies. Fitness. What’s the best way to measure fitness? What’s the best way to increase fitness?

Bodies. Sustainable Food Supplies. What should we eat? How should we produce it.

Tribes. Conflict. Social Order. How do you generate cohesion in a society?