TECHNOLOGY FUTURIST
Technology is one of the most important change enablers to understand when examining the future. Technology itself has no agency, no desire for change. But as we apply our understanding of the physical world in ever more complex and powerful ways, it has a dramatic impact on all aspects of life and business.
As a technology futurist, you need two critical capabilities:
First, to be able to understand the technology itself.
And second, to be able to translate that technology into real world impact in a way that everyone can understand.
I’ve spent over two decades honing these capabilities, first working with technology companies to help them to communicate, then as a broadcaster, helping audiences to understand. Now I help technology companies to see the future and set strategy, and I help non-tech companies to understand the impact of inbound tech and prepare appropriately.
Trusted By:
Technology Futurism: An Applied Approach
I am frequently asked: ‘what qualifies you to be a futurist?’
The answer is a mix of passion, experience and self-directed study. But as a technology futurist I have one more particular strength, and that is my applied approach. I learn about technology through experimentation.
Over the years since my degree in mechatronic engineering, this experimentation has taken many forms, both commercial and purely for learning.
Start-Ups
I have launched and been part of a number of start-up businesses. While only one was a real success, the fundamental technology thesis behind all of them proved to be sound, from empowering music artists or streamlining food ordering, through web analytics, to leveraging low-cost hardware to apply Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to real human need. There’s no greater proof of your belief in your own foresight abilities than sinking in your own cash and time!
Projects
A number of client projects and research areas have inspired me to experiment with different technologies. I built my own car to learn about EV technologies. I built a semi-automated hydroponics system to learn about future farming. And I built my own home automation system to learn about the Internet of Things. I’m never going to be a great engineer, but I know enough to experiment and learn, and then share those learnings with my clients and audiences.
On Air: ‘Techie Tom’
One of my less-than-successful start-ups was an idea for a home technology support service called EggHeads, with the strapline “We will help you to choose, buy and use modern technology.“ The business actually proved profitable, but I couldn’t scale it because I couldn’t find anyone to take on the franchise: anyone who was good enough with people and machines was already earning good money and didn’t want to be selling their time at £30/hr.
Before I shut it down though, EggHeads brought me one enormous benefit. A few of my first customers were presenters on local radio. After I fixed her computer and explained what had been wrong, one of them invited me on her late night BBC Radio Manchester show to answer people’s tech questions and review gadgets. Late nights became day times, local radio became national TV, and before I knew it I was being invited on to some of the UK’s biggest shows as the resident tech expert.
After more than ten years of appearing on regular slots on national radio, and almost weekly TV appearances, I stepped back from broadcasting around 2018 to focus on futurism. I was being pigeonholed as purely a tech expert, when my futurist interests ranged much more widely.
Now that I’m more established and people have stopped thinking of me as just ‘Techie Tom’, I’ve started saying ‘yes’ to invitations on air again, answering tech questions - with a futurist slant of course - on the BBC Breakfast sofa and elsewhere again.
You can find a selection of my media appearances here.
Get in touch
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