Pandemics, terrorism, energy shortages, cancer risks, corporate scandals, second-hand smoke, AIDS, famine, killer bees, deadly nanoparticles. . . and if that’s not enough, it’s likely that another fear-inducing threat will emerge before the week ends. It seems that as soon as one “reason to panic” subsides, another one bursts into the headlines. What’s going on? Since at least the middle of the last century, a whole ecosystem has emerged that feeds on our uncertainty, anxiety, and aversion to risk. When all but a few of these “crises” have passed, there is a small number of winners and a large number of losers. And, because of human nature, we don’t seem to learn much each time the cycle is repeated. We’ll explain why this “culture of fear” pervades our society, and how you can become immune to it.

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Winners in these turbulent times have acquired the attribute of resilience — the ability to emerge from each maelstrom stronger than when it began. What do you have to do to make certain your company is resilient? We’ll explain.

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Several times every decade, you’ll encounter a whole series of articles in the media lamenting the spendthrift ways of the American consumer: too little saving; too much debt and consumption. Inevitably, a chorus of pundits will explain that disaster is just around the corner. Is the sky really falling? We’ll show you why this threat, perceived by many and frequently hyped by the press, doesn’t actually exist.

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It now costs more than $800 million to develop a major new drug. But what if pharmaceutical companies could use technology to predict which experimental drugs will get FDA approval, and which ones will fail? What if semiconductor companies could use similar methods to design chips? And, what if other companies could use computers rather than humans to design vehicles and write computer software? Well, that’s exactly what’s happening. While these methods won’t replace top research scientists or engineers any time soon, they are likely to take the place of a lot of the technicians and assistants who typically surround them. We’ll tell you how this trend will develop, and what the implications will be.

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For a dramatic example of innovation snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, consider the continuing advance of semiconductor performance predicted by Intel’s Gordon Moore nearly 40 years ago. Time after time, the semiconductor industry has rushed headlong toward an apparent brick wall blocking its progress, only to vaporize that barrier at the last minute. We’ll explain what this means for the future of computing, and for all companies that innovate.

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BusinessWeek tells us, “With the skeptics almost silenced, businesses are fighting over how to cut carbon emissions.” Boy, have they got it wrong! Until now, decision makers in the crucial economies of the United States, China, and India have regarded climate change as an abstract concept. But, as the public comes face-to-face with the personal sacrifices implicit in responses, an enormous and largely unexpected backlash will occur. We’ll map out the issues that need to be confronted, and offer a realistic assessment of how they will be resolved.

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