The Hammock Blog

Each year about this time, I'm asked by various publications and websites to contribute my predictions on trends in the magazine industry and new media in general. After a couple of decades of constant curiosity about the evolving roles of media focused on helping companies and associations strengthen their relationships with customers and members, I've come to this conclusion: In attempting to predict the future, it is far more challenging to predict the "when" than to predict the "what."

For instance, the people who follow my blog know that I spent years predicting what finally, eight months ago, became the iPad. While I predicted the "what it was going to be" with great accuracy, I was less accurate on the when. In his book, Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation, author Steven Johnson explains the concept of "adjacent possibilities," a term coined by scientist Stuart Kauffman. The term is an attempt to capture the essence of a creative process wherein new possibilities are made possible only after the occurrence of some preceding "first order" innovation. For the iPad that means two-decades of innovations were required before the "adjacent possibility" of the iPad could finally arrive — innovations in the areas of networking, mobility, memory, miniaturization, Moore's law, Metcalfe's law and lots of laws related to the FCC and telephone carriers.

I can only guess about when the following predictions will occur because some of them may not quite be ready for their prime time. But I'm fairly confident that one day, they will be.

Several of us plan to attend the 85th annual Waffle Shop at Nashville's beautiful and historic Downtown Presbyterian Church on Dec. 2, from 11 to 2. A major fundraiser for the church's ministry among the homeless, the Waffle Shop has become the holiday power lunch in Nashville. City leaders rub elbows with students at the crowded tables. Get there early, since there is always a line!

Individual plans include:

If you know a Marine, bid him or her happy birthday!

The Marine Corps starts its 236th year with a new Commandant, General James Amos, who assumed command on 22 October. We present excerpts from his testimony before Congress in this issue.

Marine Corps Special Ops comprise an elite group of warriors chosen from among America's elite armed service. Relatively new to the SpecOps segment of our military, the Marines have quickly reached the upper echelon of this select group.

In September, the Marine Corps League put on its 30th annual Modern Day Marine Expo, a gathering of Marines and defense industry suppliers held at Marine Corps Base Quantico, VA. Held under looming budget cuts and a drawdown in size, the Expo was the largest yet, with more than 8,500 visitors and 500 exhibits.

The Marine Corps Commandant's annual birthday message is below. To view it, go here.

The DAR Magazine National Chairman, Pamela Marshall, and her family have been dedicated Civil War re-enactors for 15 years. “Our oldest sons took this hobby to a new level and became U.S. Army Artillery Officers,” she says. "One served in Afghanistan and the other in Iraq."

Ms. Marshall’s sons are two of the brave military service members American Spirit salutes this Veterans Day for sacrificing so much for our freedom and the cause of liberty around the world.