God all you people are much hipper than me
I'll give this a shot.

The Age of Unreason by Charles Handy.

The man predicted the future, or rather pointed out trends that layman just hadn't noticed at the time. For example the takeover of mobile phones, the trend towards outsourcing things like cleaning, the trend of earnings becoming more "top and bottom" rather than "top, middle bottom", the idea of having a career rather than just a job, the rise of people changing careers in their late 40s (and why this is a good thing for companies who aren't short sighted), school departments separating out, the trend of a decreased amount of middle managers in various companies, and so on. He also pointed out the paradox of encouraging as much work as possible to be accounted for and paid for (which we're now badgering the 3rd world to do), and so on. (I also liked the idea of marriage being a renewable contract to take into account people living much longer)

Two particular points always stuck in my head.

1. The chimney probably changing more in society than the big changes perceived by us (and are taught at school).
Think about it... no chimney - people huddled together. Chimneys = people can sit in various rooms, do their own thing, and central heating even more so. It's the inventions that we don't even think about are probably the most life changing ones, the things that affect our day to day lives (living, working, children).

2. The anecdote about an American visiting a campus in Europe, and people asking him for advice about how to stop people walking on the grass.
"Why do people walk on the grass?"
"It's the quickest way across the court"
"Put a path there then"

Those who have read the book can probably recall the book better than I can... I read it once, at 14 and it pretty much changed my life.
I no longer saw society as stupid... merely a group changing in time, with relative values and changing descriptions of "good" and "success". I essentially stopped being a stroppy teenager and became the easy going odd creature I am today.

I recall being asked to write an essay about school in detention and I was ranting about how you can expect kids to be productive if you put the lessons in 35 minute blocks, expect them to work in groups of 30 that change most lessons, and streaming by ability in one area only: in business when you solve a problem, you have a group of people with different skills and mindsets, why not at school?

Didn't stop my arrogance though, heh.
(mmmm curry doesn't really understand this sig lark, Tue 20 May 2008, 18:40, 2 replies)

Ah yes, but don't forget the amazing American space pen?
Where $millions were spend on developing the incredible pressurised pen which can write underwater, in space, upside down, and so on.

The Russians used a pencil...
( Fireflier La la la la, not listening on, Wed 21 May 2008, 9:37, closed)

I bet you want to play with that pen though...

(mmmm curry doesn't really understand this sig lark, Wed 21 May 2008, 20:23, closed)