With any endeavor that pushes innovation and technological progress, planning an interstellar journey will generate some inevitable spin-offs that may help us solve some of the most pressing issues of our time.

MSN: Uniting the planet for a journey to another star

The mix of unstoppable technological change with the apparently unanswerable intellectual defeat of central planning has made globalisation appear inevitable: only its speed and its consequences seem open to debate.

ECONOMIST: A bad time to be an ostrich

Key to creating a successful hybrid will be whether Japan's leaders allow certain parts of the system to be unmanaged -- whether they fully understand that detailed planning and close interfirm cooperation have limitations when exploring the technological frontier, especially in software and biotechnology.

CNN: Misreading Japan

Shandong Heavy is reportedly planning further overseas deals to buy fairly inexpensive assets and gain technological expertise.

BBC: Viewpoint: Why Chinese firms buy Western rivals

Instead, Schlumberger is planning more of what it is best at: pushing the technological boundaries of extracting the black stuff.

ECONOMIST: Oil firms you have never heard of are booming

Planning for the future will require both the government and everyday citizens to much more seriously forecast technological penetration and map their strategies accordingly.

FORBES: Is Your Job Robot-Proof?