In 1993 I began playing with the identification of long term trends using statistical data. I was taking a class in quantitative research methods and had a series of charts printed out. I was trying to compare the various charts and ended up with a pair of scissors, glue stick, and a roll of butcher paper. By the time I was finished, there were a lot of clippings on the floor and a rough version of a timeline on the wall.
As I played with that first timeline, I figured there needed to be a better way. I was just starting to work with some graphics software (a product called Freehand) and thought maybe it might be useful for laying out a variety of charts and other time-oriented information on a timeline.
By the time I finished that research methods class, I was intrigued by the potential use of timelines in forecasting and futures studies.
In 1994 I published my first timeline in full color in an 8-1/2 by 14 inch format. (Unfortunately, all of my printed copies of that timeline were given away or have been lost. The computer file for that first timeline also disappeared long ago.)
Four years later, in 1998, I published an updated and upgraded timeline that included significantly more information. While I no longer have any printed copies of that timeline, I managed to hang onto the original computer file.
It took me another decade before I did another update of the timeline. In 2008, in conjunction with Social Technologies (the futures consulting firm I worked for at the time), I added yet more information, increased the size of the timeline, and tried a new look.
Over the past couple of years I've been tinkering with more efficient ways to create the timelines and working at improving their look. While I'm far from done with that tinkering, I have some early examples that you can look at. (You can download PDFs of two examples here and here.)
In the next 6 months, I hope to have a whole new series of timelines available online, so stay tuned.
