What's new, Mr Fox?

What’s new, Mr Fox? I was asked this question before giving a talk to an ultra-intelligent group of Mensa members in Somerset West last week.

I started my presentation by saying that what was not new was being faced by brains more powerful than mine. I went up to Oxford University to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the same time as a relative of mine called Emma, who is the daughter of my mother’s cousin. She did the same degree as me and got a first at the age of 18 compared to my second at the age of 21. She is now a professor at Harvard University and married to a Nobel laureate.

Nevertheless, the question posed made me think of what distinguishes a foxy futurist from a normal person. The answer is that the bright-eyed fox spots a significant new trend in the world ahead of the crowd. As readers who have read previous articles of mine will know, I talk of such a trend as a flag indicative of a new normal to which we will all have to adapt.