189 million people use Facebook without ever touching a computer

Facebook has a grand total of 189 million “mobile-only monthly active users (MAUs).

Facebook has for some time been focusing on getting its network into the hands of everyone around the world, be they tech sophisticates in urban centers or nomadic herdsmen in South Sudan.

 

 

Continue reading… “189 million people use Facebook without ever touching a computer”

Google is melding real and virtual worlds with games, apps, and Glass

.

Ingress, Google’s virtual reality game

In Google’s global alternative reality game, Ingress. that uses the real world as its gamespace, Ingress says, “the world around you is not what it seems.” And, perhaps, when Google’s semi-independent division Niantic Labs is finished with its mission, we humans won’t be, either.

 

 

Continue reading… “Google is melding real and virtual worlds with games, apps, and Glass”

Transgenics – next wave of genetically modified crops could ease concerns over ‘Frankenfoods’

Transgenic canola

When the first genetically modified (GM) organisms were being developed for the farm, says Anastasia Bodnar, “we were promised rocket jet packs” — futuristic, ultra-nutritious crops that would bring exotic produce to the supermarket and help to feed a hungry world.

 

 

Continue reading… “Transgenics – next wave of genetically modified crops could ease concerns over ‘Frankenfoods’”

Three myths about genetically modified crops

GM crop technologies have seen dramatic uptake in the past 20 years.

It can be hard to see where scientific evidence ends and dogma and speculation begin in the debate over genetically modified (GM) foods and crops. In the almost 20 years since they were first commercialized, GM crop technologies have seen dramatic uptake. Advocates say that they have increased agricultural production by more than US$98 billion and saved an estimated 473 million kilograms of pesticides from being sprayed. But critics question their environmental, social and economic impacts.

 

 

Continue reading… “Three myths about genetically modified crops”

Getting around the peak car conumdrum

New breakthroughs in connecting cars to the cloud (and eliminating the need for car ownership) show what a better future for cars might look like.

The global automotive industry is on a run by all accounts. Globally, sales are surging. Advances in hybrids, electric vehicles, and even conventional petrol engines are delivering eye-popping mileage gains.

 

 

Continue reading… “Getting around the peak car conumdrum”

Internet sales tax will force small businesses to abide by tax codes in 9,646 different jurisdictions

Every business could face 46 separate audits (from the 45 states that collect sales taxes plus the District of Columbia).

Legislation on internet sales tax could subject small online businesses to up to 46 state audits. And since sales taxes vary among thousands of tax jurisdictions across the country, the chances that auditors will find mistakes—and slap the business owners with penalties—are very good. If truth-in-advertising requirements applied to legislation, says Heritage Action’s Dan Holler, the Marketplace Fairness Act would be renamed the Tax Audits from Hell Act of 2013.

 

 

Continue reading… “Internet sales tax will force small businesses to abide by tax codes in 9,646 different jurisdictions”

MOOC mania – more action in 1 year than the last 1,000 years

MOOCs are a powerful force for good.

Where did all of the MOOC mania come from? It came faster than Facebook and it’s here to stay. In just a year MOOCs emerged from a unique mix of entrepreneurial spirit, a few leading US Universities, supported by not-for-profits and venture capital. It’s an ecosystem that can take an idea and support it through to a sustainable business. That’s impressive.

 

 

Continue reading… “MOOC mania – more action in 1 year than the last 1,000 years”

Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.