Magic 8 Ball

I wonder if Abe Bookman ever imagined back in 1946 when he invented the Magic Eight Ball™ that a genuine fortune teller could exist some 50 years into the future and would be available in most every home and on every desk in Corporate America. More than telling fortunes, the Internet serves as the trusted advisor where we anonymously ask advice, without fear or hesitation. And, aside from the monthly ISP bill, the counseling is free.

I use this vastly advanced and somewhat reliable “Magic Eight Ball” everyday. Asking questions like, “What investments are safe?”, and, “Where should put my life’s savings?” The modern “Magic Eight Ball” responds with the logic and sage advice only a mystic could conjure, but most of the answers are as dismal as my luck with the original toy.

“Outlook not so good,” and “Reply hazy, try again,” the familiar phrases; the same answers I read as a kid sitting on my bunk bed, long before Al Gore invented the new Magic Eight Ball.

Not all of the search terms entered, return such bleak results however. Cities and regions outpacing the abysmal performance experienced in much of the world, are focusing on clean-tech manufacturing and alternative energy.

While economists disagree on an official list of “recession proof” industries, one constant remains: the need for power. Whether we as a nation continue down the path of high consumption of non-renewable resources, with our heads firmly planted in the sand depends a bit on our willingness to remain true to our roots. Independence Day may come again, but not in the form of a war with the British or a Hollywood blockbuster. Clean renewable energy brings true independence.