Hermann Maurer : Predictions are necessary but impossible

Note: The first 70 visitors will receive a free copy of one of Hermann Maurer’s books from the »Xperts« science fiction series.

The first part of the lecture explains why forecasts over a period of at least 20 years are necessary, but impossible to make. Nevertheless, certain statements can be made about such a long period of time – not by predicting how a field of knowledge or area of application will develop, but by concentrating on the very least that will occur. The second part deals with Maurer’s wide-ranging »Xperts« series, which gives the author an opportunity to briefly present the first five volumes. The presentation concludes with a reading.

Hermann Maurer is Professor of Computer Studies at the Technical University in Graz, where he heads two research institutes. He previously spent five years as a professor at the University of Calgary and a further five years at the University of Karlsruhe (TH). He has held visiting professorships at the universities of Waterloo, Denver, Dallas, Brasilia, Auckland und Perth and is the author of some 600 publications. He is interested in applications for networked multimedia systems that range from e-learning to (virtual) museums and medical and organizational matters and always tries to take future developments into account, occasionally attempting to influence them even.