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It would be naïve to say that the times we are going through are not as bad as they seem. Millions are hurting, many are hurting badly. The global financial crisis is a tragedy of uncommon proportion. But the fact is, things will not be as bad as they now seem. I’m not being optimistic, I’m being realistic. As I watch my own savings depleted by the slumped stock market, and my own business slammed by loss of clients and contracts, I have to somehow remember that I am a professional futurist, and in that role I don’t have the luxury of wallowing in my own troubles. I have to look out over the horizon, and see what comes next. And what comes next is pretty amazing.

         

Those who gaze at big-box stores and fail to see future cathedrals, museums or artists’ communities have no sense of history. Or imagination.

It is beyond time to start thinking creatively about what to do with all of those big boxes becoming unsuited to their original function long before they physically wear out. Here are some brilliant ideas from a small team of artists, architects, engineers and developers assembled for the purpose. The result? Everything from truck farms to fabulous apartments to, um, kitty-litter boxes for 10-story tall intergalactic cats (Refer to the artist’s rendering above. -Ed).

         

In early October, a small asteroid, about the size of a VW bug, impacted Earth coming in over Sudan. It was very special. This sort of event happens every several months on average, so just why was this one of particular note?

Because it was spotted headed our way less than 24 hours prior to impact by the guys (and presumably gals?) at the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona — and then subsequently by many other asteroid trackers around the world. The sum of all this intense telescopic tracking was the first ever predicted Near-Earth Object (or NEO) impact time, impact location and estimated energy. All of which came true — to the extent that it has been check-able.

Now this was of particular interest to a group of us who have been putting together a detailed report for consideration by the United Nations regarding a decision-making process which needs to be coordinated within the international community if we are ever to respond in a timely way to threatened NEO impact.

         

It’s Green Week here at NBC Universal, and How You Can Save The World is always thinking about the environment. That’s because our planet plays a big role in how we are — and should be — shaping the way we think, act and react to the political and technological challenges that sometimes make it hard to be green. That’s why it’s important to stay informed, and explore how you feel about energy, science, nutrition and more — and how it all plugs back into our planet.

Catch up on our evolving dialogue about a more environmentally-minded future by clicking on the headlines below.

• Tomorrow matters, as much as today, by Jamais Cascio

• Change the food system, and you change the world, by Denise Caruso

• Why your personal carbon footprint matters, by Siel

• Is your cheeseburger causing global warming? by Jamais Cascio

• We ignored our looming energy crisis for far too long, by Lee Schipper

• A case for vegetarianism, without the guilt trip, by Brian Sager

• The Earth will be just fine, thank you, by Jamais Cascio

• Nature’s Wrath: Who stands to lose the most? by John Podesta

• Do we no longer believe in a better tomorrow? by Peter Schwartz

• The dangers of a politicized scientific community, by Neal Lane

• Opening up new horizons for solar energy, by John M. Deutch

• Down the rabbit, er, prairie dog hole , by Anton Yelchin

         

I remember the excitement and hope that accompanied JFK into the White House. This is the first time in half a century that I sense the same excitement. When I look at the racial situation in the US during the Kennedy era and now see Obama as president, it gives me pride in our country’s ability to change. JFK had trouble achieving many of his goals, and Obama is far more constrained by external circumstances; but let’s hope he can move us to address some of the many serious problems we now face.

On a more parochial note, I await anxiously Obama’s decisions on the future of our country’s space exploration program, which for the first time was addressed by both candidates in this election.

We asked the contributors here at How You Can Save The World to weigh in on President-elect Barack Obama’s victory. Continue reading to find out how they responded.