'So, verily I say unto you, brothers and sisters - cast aside your digital rosary beads and look more closely at the world around you. Or better still, roll up your trouser legs and join me for a paddle through the shallow water at the edge of the future. Be curious, be positive, and embrace your inner sceptic!'

Do you really understand the world around you? Do you know how crowdsourcing works, what terraforming does, and what alternative currency is? Do you believe Google is great - or is there a sneaky feeling in the back of your mind that it might know way too much about you? And, by the way, just what happened to the great promises of the future, the paperless offices, the Jetsons-style commutes?

Come with guide and host of Radio National's Future Tense, Antony Funnell, as he unravels the mysteries of the world we've created, cuts through the mumbo jumbo, warns of the dangers and laughs at the hype. Smart, articulate and refreshingly humorous, The Future and #relatednonsense delivers the answers to things you should know - but were too busy or too confused to ask.

About the Author

Antony Funnell is a Walkley award-winning journalist and broadcaster. He is the presenter of the Future Tense series on ABC Radio National and is a former host of The Media Report. Over the past two decades he has worked for many of Australia′s leading news and current affairs programs, including AM, PM and 7.30 Report.