Advanced robots and automation are taking jobs from humans.
2013 has been a fast moving year. We thought we would revisit some of the year’s most notable stories in exponential technology before we dive headlong into 2014. Just keep in min this list is by no means all-inclusive.
Continue reading… “Top 8 stories in exponential technology in 2013”
On November 7, 2014, I attended the “Idea Jam – Innovating for the Future” session put on by the Pacific Center for Workforce Innovation in San Diego. The purpose of the session was to identify the major challenges to the San Diego workforce in the coming years and to generate audience participation in visioning exercises to explore new and innovative workforce development ideas. The event was held at Colman University, and major sponsors were SDG&E, Qualcomm, the Eastridge Group, Point Loma Nazarene College, and Cal State University, San Marcos.
To get our creative juices flowing, Master of Ceremonies Susan Taylor, San Diego’s TV news icon, introduced futurist speaker, Thomas Frey, of the DaVinci Institute as the keynote speaker. It is difficult to do justice to his very visual presentation of images of break-through technologies, but his statements alone created much food for thought about the future. He stated, “We are a backward-looking society…the future gets created in the mind. The future creates the present…Visions of the future affect the way people act today.” He rhetorically asked, “What are the big things that need to be accomplished today?
Continue reading… “Exploring the Future of Jobs and Education”
A 3-D printer can already make a prototype or spare part out of metal or polymer. Researchers at Princeton University have now taken an important step toward expanding the technology’s potential by developing a way to print functioning electronic circuitry out of semiconductors and other materials. They are also refining ways to combine electronics with biocompatible materials and even living tissue, which could pave the way for exotic new implants.
Continue reading… “3-D Printing for Bionic Implants”
Robin Speronis lives off the grid in Florida, completely independent of the city’s water and electric system. A few weeks ago, officials ruled her off-grid home illegal. Officials cited the International Property Maintenance Code, which mandates that homes be connected to an electricity grid and a running water source.
Continue reading… “Living off the Grid is now Illegal in the State of Florida”
For many more people than realize it, electric cars are already adequate for their needs and better than a gasmobile for their bank account and quality of life. However, it often isn’t good enough for disruptive technology to be better than the incumbents. It has to be much better. The target for electric cars, in order to meet that challenge, is a very long-range and affordable electric car. That would bring electric car convenience to another level, and leave gasmobiles with not a single actual advantage over electric cars, compared to nearly 10 for electric cars.
Continue reading… “Nissan’s New Electric Car has Range”
Pinterest has experienced strong growth among women in particular.
According to a new Pew Research study, Pinterest’s popularity in the United States has surged in the last year, particularly among women. Pinterest is now used by more than one-fifth (21%) of American adults, up from 15% a year earlier, according to a survey of U.S. social networking habits from Pew Research. That puts the social bookmarking service slightly ahead of Twitter and Instagram, though all three are well behind Facebook.
Continue reading… “A third of women in the U.S. use Pinterest: Study”
Denver, Colorado
Denver will become one of the few American cities that allows its residents to purchase and recreationally consume marijuana starting in January. It’s a move that is expected to create jobs and generate tax revenue. Denver is roughly 1,200 miles away from the heart of Silicon Valley, where San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed is pushing for restrictions that will shutter many of the city’s medical marijuana dispensaries.
Continue reading… “Why Denver needs to be on your tech radar next year”
Futurist Thomas Frey: 2013 has been a year of considerable change for both me and the rest of our team at the DaVinci Institute. While most of what you see here on Futurist Speaker is about my research, thinking, and philosophy on the future, I thought this might be a good time to step back and fill you in on the people behind everything you’re reading.
Continue reading… “Top 13 ‘Futurist Speaker’ Columns in 2013”
Fastest business jet on the planet.
Spike Aerospace, a Boston based aerospace company, is working on a new aircraft that it believes will be the fastest business jet in the world. The aircraft is called the S-512 and Spike says that the jet will be capable of cruising at Mach 1.6 and will have a max speed of Mach 1.8. (Video)
Continue reading… “Supersonic Jets being resurrected for the business elite”
To the untrained eye, this prototype New York Police Department cruiser looks like almost any other squad car combing the streets of New York City. But this high-tech cruiser is the smartest cop car in the world.
Continue reading… “This prototype NYPD cruiser is the smartest cop car in the world”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rs1z9XigUA[/youtube]
In France, A 75-year-old man has just been given the gift of life as a team of surgeons have successfully completed the transplant of the world’s first true artificial heart.
Continue reading… “A half-cow, half-electronic artificial heart has saved this Frenchman”
Andreas Raptopoulos, CEO of Matternet, a startup in Palo Alto, Calif., has introduced a new type of transportation system that will deliver medicine, food, goods and supplies wherever they are needed — with drones.
Continue reading… “Forget roads – drones are the future of transporting goods”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.