Canton, James

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Canton, James

PERSONAL:

Male.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Institute for Global Futures, 2084 Union St., San Francisco, CA 94123.

CAREER:

Institute for Global Futures, San Francisco, CA, founder, CEO, and chairman, 1990—. Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management, Center for Research in Innovation, senior fellow; serves on Motorola's Visionary Advisory Board; consultant and advisor. Commentator for CNN.

WRITINGS:

Technofutures: How Leading-Edge Technology Will Transform Business in the 21st Century, Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 1999.

The Extreme Future: The Top Trends That Will Reshape the World for the Next 5, 10, and 20 Years, Dutton (New York, NY), 2006.

Author of the James Canton blog.

SIDELIGHTS:

James Canton, who studied under futurist Alvin Toffler during the 1970s and has advised several administrations, shares his knowledge with clients and others interested in trends in technology and business that will impact the future. He does this through his blog, speaking engagements, and books, which include Technofutures: How Leading-Edge Technology Will Transform Business in the 21st Century. Canton describes the volume as "a book of ideas, scenarios, and forecasts sparked by technology" and "a strategic overview of the future shaped by emerging technology." Written at the very end of the twentieth century, the book advises businesses to draw on the power of the Internet and develop marketing techniques to reach its users.

In The Extreme Future: The Top Trends That Will Reshape the World for the Next 5, 10, and 20 Years, Canton foresees the future of energy, as well as technology, and bases many of his assessments on the assumptions of climate change and scarcity of natural resources. He suggests jobs that will match our increasingly science-based lives, and will include those related to longevity medicine, security, and globalization. Canton projects that women and Hispanics will make up a more significant percentage of the workforce. A Publishers Weekly contributor felt that Canton's "lively scenarios are designed to spark debates, and they surely will." Booklist reviewer Mary Whaley called Canton's perspective "important and fascinating."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, August 1, 2006, Mary Whaley, review of The Extreme Future: The Top Trends That Will Reshape the World for the Next 5, 10, and 20 Years, p. 20.

Business Journal Serving Charlotte and the Metropolitan Area, April 6, 2001, "‘Techno phobia’ Is Doom for Business," p. 29.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram, November 16, 2006, Cecil Johnson, review of The Extreme Future.

Futurist, January-February, 2007, review of The Extreme Future, p. 48.

Publishers Weekly, July 31, 2006, review of The Extreme Future, p. 72.

Reference & Research Book News, November, 2006, review of The Extreme Future.

Research-Technology Management, July-August, 2003, review of Technofutures: How Leading-Edge Technology Will Transform Business in the 21st Century, p. 62.