Continental and IBM to collaborate on connected car solutions for auto makers

German automotive supplier Continental has entered into a collaboration agreement with technology giant IBM.

At the Frankfurt IAA International Auto Show this week, Continental AG and IBM announced a collaboration agreement to jointly develop fully-connected mobile vehicle solutions for car manufacturers around the world.

 

Continue reading… “Continental and IBM to collaborate on connected car solutions for auto makers”

‘Superstar programmers’ can get paid as much as a pro athlete

Paying superstar programmers tens of millions of dollars is called the “Kobe Bryant effect.”

Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen says that engineers are being paid their “true value” in the technology industry, where some engineers are drawing multi-million dollar paychecks.

Continue reading… “‘Superstar programmers’ can get paid as much as a pro athlete”

Here’s what you might have missed about the U.S. jobs report

Like the unemployment rate, the employment-population ratio is also affected by labor participation.

The US jobs report last week added to a long string of lackluster monthly installments of data, but at least one thing has been looking up: The unemployment rate is ticking down steadily, dropping almost a tenth of a percentage point with each new report.

 

 

Continue reading… “Here’s what you might have missed about the U.S. jobs report”

The growing success of piggybacking

Piggyback on a thriving network as long as your platform is contextual and complementary to that network.

When creating a two-sided network one of the key challenges is deciding how to get both sides on board. What does a marketplace do first – get the consumer or the merchant first? Why would either side join without the other? It’s a chicken and egg problem that often occurs during the initial stages of seeding. A great way to gain traction for such a network is to steal traction from another one.

 

 

Continue reading… “The growing success of piggybacking”

UK’s Angel CoFund can super-charge angel syndicates with extra cash

The Angel CoFund is a government-backed fund in the UK.

Startups in the UK that are raising financing have a new route to funds in the shape of a government-backed fund which can super-charge an Angel round with extra cash. The UK government-backed fund, Angel CoFund ,is able to make initial investments of between £100,000 to £1 million into businesses, alongside syndicates of business angels. Angel CoFund launched in November 2011, and it was an early backer of Yplan, the events app which this year raised $12 million and PlayJam (a games maker for smart TVs). The fund started out investing in just some parts of the UK, but now it works nationwide. And it’s now had its first exit in its short, two year history.

 

 

Continue reading… “UK’s Angel CoFund can super-charge angel syndicates with extra cash”

Can Jeff Bezos reinvent the newspaper industry?

Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO,  purchased the Washington Post for $250 million.

Jeff Bezos , Amazon’s CEO, may be able to transfer his Midas touch from Amazon to usher in a “Golden Era” for the newspaper industry. He has announced that he plans to provide guidance “from a distance” – the secret to this experiment will ultimately come down to Bezos’ infamous personality.

 

 

Continue reading… “Can Jeff Bezos reinvent the newspaper industry?”

Another 1.8 million people drop their cable TV subscriptions this year

The numbers of people who pay for any type of TV service are in decline.

There’s another dismal set of numbers for the TV business from Q2 2013. About 1.8 million people ended their cable TV subscriptions during the second quarter, according to analysts at SNL Kagan.

 

 

Continue reading… “Another 1.8 million people drop their cable TV subscriptions this year”

China’s delivery companies testing parcel delivery with drones

SF Express is testing a drone it has built for delivering packages in China.

The US has a couple-decade head start on China in building drones that kill people. But when it comes to domestic uses, US businesses are hamstrung because the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) isn’t required to issue commercial drone rules until 2015. In the meantime, one of China’s biggest delivery companies is tinkering with using drones—with Chinese government permission. (Video)

Continue reading… “China’s delivery companies testing parcel delivery with drones”

Life as a Teenager in 1994, 2014, and 2034 – What a difference a generation makes! – Part One

Futurist Thomas Frey: How quickly we forget. Events of 20 years ago seem like a distant memory, but 1994 was the year when Nelson Mandela was elected President of South Africa, O.J. Simpson was arrested for killing his wife, huge massacres were happening in Rwanda and Sarajevo, and China got its first connection to the Internet.

 

 

Continue reading… “Life as a Teenager in 1994, 2014, and 2034 – What a difference a generation makes! – Part One”

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.