Internet of Things (IoT) systems usually consist of a set of sensors that collect information, which is then transmitted between different devices without human intervention. At the same time, today’s mobile infrastructure — the devices, the apps — is typically all about human interaction.
Continue reading… “Input from humans can make the Internet of Things smarter”
The U.S. is the only advanced economy in the world that doesn’t guarantee workers paid vacation.
There’s a problem in the United States when it comes to Americans taking a vacation. Four in 10 employees offered paid time off don’t use it all, which is kind of a slap in the face to those who don’t take a vacation because they can’t afford a vacation without pay.
Continue reading… “America is the no-vacation nation”
Smartphone users found they use their smartphones for 221 tasks consuming three hours and 16 minutes per day.
Here are a few stats that were pulled together for the Code/Mobile conference that provide a snapshot of just how pervasive mobile technology is today.
Continue reading… “The mobile world by the numbers”
Harvesting the blood of horseshoe crabs.
The marvelous thing about horseshoe crab blood besides the baby blue color, is a chemical found only in the amoebocytes of its blood cells that can detect mere traces of bacterial presence and trap them in inescapable clots.
“Over the past five years we’ve seen major disruptions to work, and the driver is technology.”
Several trends will profoundly reshape the context and practice of work in coming decades, according to Lynda Gratton, professor of management practice at the London Business School. These include the rebalancing of globalized markets for goods and labor; dramatically changing demographics; the widening of skills gaps; the demise of middle-skill work; and the rise in the importance of talent clusters. But one other stands out as having the most profound impact on the way work is done and, indeed, as underpinning all of these: IT-enabled hyperconnectivity.
Continue reading… “How digital forces are shaping the future of work”
U.S. based executives see a larger share of their manufacturing capacity will be in the U.S. in 5 years.
The number of U.S. manufacturers moving home is growing. According to a new survey from The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), more U.S. companies are moving production back from China.
Continue reading… “More U.S. manufacturers are moving production back from China”
Consumers who are wary of privacy can take some comfort in the settings tab of our smartphones or browsers, which allow us to tell a device not to track our location or monitor what we are reading. But what can they do when the internet-connected device is inside their body or mounted on a city lamp-post? (Video)
Thanks to technological advancements in health care, the industry has made remarkable progress in the understanding, detection and treatment of disease, in recent decades. Given that the majority of Americans are healthy most of the time, one might expect that medical progress would dramatically reduce the cost of health care due to preventative education, early detection and more effective treatments.
Continue reading… “Health tech’s promise to patients – pay doctors for results, not treatment”
Steve Jellard’s job is unlikely to exist in 20 years.
Almost a third of New Zealand’s workers believe their job will not exist in 20 years’ time, according to new research.
Continue reading… “Technology will kill many New Zealander’s jobs in 20 years”
Louisville’s Big Four Bridge, built in 1895 and later known as “The Bridge to Nowhere,” reopened to pedestrian and bicycle traffic after a $30 million-plus renovation.
Ron Littlefield: Recently, I visited two cohort communities of the City Accelerator, a program sponsored in part by Governing, sister publication to Government Technology: Louisville and Nashville. I expect to be in the third city, Philadelphia, before the end of the year. The purpose of these visits is to meet face to face with the mayors and their principal innovation staff, to experience how their innovation efforts fit within the context of the community and to see how the City Accelerator project is affecting the overall climate for innovation. In simple terms, I want to sense the air of change and creativity in each place.
Continue reading… “Cities using innovation and imagination in their infrastructure”
Installing solar panels.
Anyone with enough roof space will be leaving the grid within the decade for solar power. And in most cases they won’t be leaving just one grid, they will be leaving two. That’s because solar is going to become, to put a new spin on an old phrase, “too cheap to have a meter”. It just won’t be worth paying daily service charges to have a grid supplied meter and grid access.
Continue reading… “How power companies will commit suicide by solar”
There are 89 tankers sailing for Chinese ports.
The US Shale Oil industry and Venezuala up in arms, Russia is being awkwardly quiet as the ‘secret’ Saudi-US oil deal that pressured prices for crude down to $80 has ‘hurt’ a lot of the world’s producer nations. However, China is the one country that is very grateful, Bloomberg reports.
Continue reading… “Who is quietly buying all of the cheap oil?”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.