We will be contemplating various aspects of 2014 in a live video forum with Daniel Franklin, editor of The Economist's annual book of predictions, "The World In", at 3pm London time (10am New York time).Daniel will highlight our predictions for next year and will discuss with viewers items such as the world economy, space travel and sporting events in Brazil.
Klein herself observed at the outset that this is "not a book of predictions, but of first-hand observation".
He said that many of the book's predictions had been borne out and that it would be "stupid" not to consider the possibility that the book was true, even if the chance was "one in a million".
Writing to his friend Elizabeth Healy, he described Anticipations, his 1901 book of predictions, as "designed to undermine and destroy the monarch, monogamy, faith in God and respectability – and the British empire, all under the guise of a speculation about motor cars and electric heating".
Bueno de Mesquita gets a lot right, and he shows guts by ending the book with predictions: support for tough global warming regulations will steadily decline over the next several decades; militants in Pakistan are going to gain significant political power unless the current government receives about $1.5 billion in foreign aid.
Some scientists think that the book's predictions were overly bleak.
Earlier today, Jeff Rivera over at MediaBistro interviewed me for my ten book publishing predictions for 2011.
The book's prediction of increased conflict as China enters the World Trade Organization suggests the complex challenge to those hoping for more democracy.
My colleague Nate Silver, whose book on prediction comes out later this year, has found that a simple average of well-known economic forecasts is substantially more accurate than individual forecasts.
Soon, the inventor of the world's most logical detective was preaching to the nation on life after death, fairies, automatic writing, spirit photography and ectoplasm, as well as publishing books of predictions from his wife's spirit guide, Pheneas.
