The Futurist Magazine has published its top 10 forecasts on what will happen on Earth over the next few decades, with an interesting nod towards geospatial information and big data, as well as a host of other interesting predictions. Well worth a read, even though it does stray a little way from our usual spatial topic.

Google Maps Mania has an example of a very interesting web map entitled Map My Dinner, where you can enter the ingredients for your next meal, and see where they were first domesticated. Great for the spatially inclined foodies in the audience (like myself).

Azavea’s blog, Azavea Atlas, has a post that outlines five technology trends that every non-profit needs to know about. It’s also relevant to private and govt. sectors, too, and despite it being a plug for some upcoming webinars, it’s worth a read.

The All Points Blog points readers towards Bitly’s media map, which shows clicks of its shortened URLs by media outlet and US state. It’s a good example of real-time data visualisation, and an interesting insight into the different outlets’ reach across the US. You can also read more about the map from Bitly itself.

The GeoTools team has a post talking about a new random fill tool for cartographers that’s now available from user GeoWolf, as sponsored by the  New South Wales Geological Survey.

In further news of interest to map developers, the Google Geo Developers Blog has a post that shows the methods used by abbyputinski.com in creating a unique-looking Google Maps map.

And, to wrap up, an interesting piece from Between The Poles, which talks of Ergon Energy’s realisation that the days of electricity generators holding a monopoly over their customers have come to an end, as self-generation becomes the norm.