1. Systems Innovation videos claim that economic globalization could only have reached the scale it has once certain thresholds in technology, innovation, and cooperation were crossed. What do you think may have been some of the historical developments that got us over these thresholds? I expect you to include the Internet as one of them, for sure, but you'll need to think back much further.

2. Is it possible for the global economy to shift from one dominated by agriculture and industry, to one based on services and information (3:15 in the Global Cities: Globalization video)? Don't people still have the same material needs? You may explore reasons both for and against this idea.

3. If we sustained a direct hit from a powerful Coronal Mass Ejection, what do you think might happen immediately? What might happen over time? What do you think could be done, given the technologically networked nature of the world we live in, to reduce and overcome the impact of such an event?