China’s shadow banks have increased credit from 120 to 190 percent of GDP.
A historic credit boom, unregulated lenders promising high, “risk-free” returns, and surging property prices making it all go – is this the U.S. in 2004, or China in 2014?
Continue reading… “Is China’s credit bubble about to burst?”
TrackingPoint smart rifle
The startup TrackingPoint unveiled the first in their line of “smart rifles” last summer. The smart rifles are unlike your average sniper rifle, which requires a great deal of training and expertise to effectively kill at range. The TrackingPoint rifles can be picked up by absolute novices, even those as young as 12 years old. (Videos)
Continue reading… “U.S. military testing TrackingPoint ‘smart rifles’”
Triton scuba mask
Jeabyun Yeon, a South Korean designer, just unveiled a conceptual scuba mask that would allow divers to breathe underwater without oxygen tanks. The mask, called the Triton, consists of two branching arms designed to serve as “gills” that extract oxygen from the water and deliver breathable air directly into their wearer’s lungs. Instead of hauling around heavy scuba equipment, swimmers could simply bite down on a plastic mouth piece.
Continue reading… “Triton scuba mask turns divers into human fish”
The role of a CMO today isn’t what it used to be.
When it comes time to hire a head of marketing, many tech entrepreneurs imagine bringing on someone who’s a master of SEO and A/B testing, who will drive millions of new visitors to their website. They may see a role for the CMO beyond this — perhaps they’ll ask their job candidates “How will your marketing take advantage of big data?”
Continue reading… “Marketing isn’t really marketing anymore”
Local authorities are seeing tangible benefits from citizen innovation.
In numerous towns and cities across the world, citizens are having more of a say in sorting out civic problems. Through open innovation and crowdsourcing initiatives thousands of people are not only involved in identifying particular challenges such as pollution, poor water quality and graffiti, but also in designing and implementing the solutions.
Continue reading… “The roles of citizens in civic problem-solving and innovation”
There were plenty of skeptics who didn’t think a list of links could ever turn a profit when Google was first getting started. That was before advertising came along and gave Google a way to pay its bills. Thanks in part to that fortuitous accident, in today’s Internet market, advertising isn’t just an also-ran with new technologies: Marketers are bending innovation to their needs as startups chase prospective revenue streams.
Continue reading… “Computers know what you’re thinking with emotion recognition algorithms”
Seattle Central Library
Technology has had a lasting impact on libraries. They were once thought to be going the way of traditional bookstores, but libraries have rebounded and are thriving in a technology fueled world. With the help of innovation, re-imagination and vision, libraries are embracing new technologies while creating dynamic community centers filled with life. They are no longer a house of dusty books and card files; they are centers of creativity, research and collaboration… and they are free.
Continue reading… “New roles librarians play in the digital age (Infographic)”
Honey bee with sensor.
Scientists in Australia have devised a way to pinpoint the causes of the global die-off of bees that pollinate a third of the world’s crops: Attach tiny sensors to 5,000 honey bees, and follow where they fly.
Continue reading… “Scientists attach tiny sensors to bees to study decline in colonies”
Lyft drivers sport “carstaches” on their vehicles while on duty.
San Francisco is where Uber and Lyft got their starts and resistance to these services seems futile. One third of taxi cab drivers in San Francisco have ditched their registered cabs and are now working for Uber, Lyft, or Sidecar, according to Fortune.
A review and update of a controversial 20-year-old theory of consciousness published in Elsevier’s Physics of Life Reviews claims that consciousness derives from deeper-level, finer-scale activities inside brain neurons.
The U.S. Marshals will likely auction off the Bitcoins.
The online drug bazaar, Silk Road, was taken down this past October by the feds. Nearly, 30,000 bitcoins in Silk Road’s coffers was seized in the process. Last week, the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office, which is prosecuting the Silk Road case, announced that a judge had signed off on a forfeiture order for those coins. That means they’re now free to get rid of the 29,655 bitcoins, worth about $25 million at Bitcoin’s current $850 value.
Continue reading… “Feds are free to sell seized Silk Road bitcoins worth $25 million”
Google’s smart contact lens.
Google announced its next big project last week—smart contact lenses intended to help diabetics manage their condition. The tiny contact lens uses a wireless chip attached to a glucose sensor that measures glucose levels in tears.
Continue reading… “Google developing ‘smart’ contact lenses to monitor diabetes”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.