Latest Trend – Page 12

More start-ups have an unfamiliar message for Venture Capitalists: Get lost

January 20, 2019

From left, Mara Zepeda, Aniyia Williams, Astrid Scholz and Jennifer Brandel of Zebras Unite. The group encourages a more ethical industry with greater gender and racial diversity.

On a sunny Saturday morning in New York a few months ago, a group of 50 start-up founders gathered in the dank basement of a Lower East Side bar. They scribbled notes at long tables, sipping coffee and LaCroix while a stack of pizza boxes emanated the odor of hot garlic. One by one, they gave testimonials taking aim at something nearly sacred in the technology industry: venture capital.

Continue reading… “More start-ups have an unfamiliar message for Venture Capitalists: Get lost”

Employment, Human Behavior, Latest Trend

The crazy unfortunate rise of ‘Vacation Shaming’

January 20, 2019

Hope this nice couple isn’t feeling too guilty about taking their vacation.

About a month ago I got a call from a journalist named Leslie Stevens-Huffman wanting to interview me about vacations and management. She’d noticed I’d written on the subject before (“Why America Has Become ‘The No-Vacation Nation'”) and that I’d been critical that large numbers of U.S. employees (47% in one survey) were not using all their vacation time.

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Business, Latest Trend, New Viewpoints, Science & Technology News

The ‘Right to Repair ‘ movement is gaining ground and could hit manufacturers hard

January 19, 2019

The EU and at least 18 U.S. states are considering proposals that address the impact of planned obsolescence by making household goods sturdier and easier to mend.

European Union member states are this week voting on dishwasher efficiency and repair. If that sounds as dull as, well, dishwater, then you need to consider the last time your own dishwasher broke. With the right rules in place, it would be a cheap and easy fix. However, you’re not allowed to fiddle with the machine because it would invalidate the warranty. So, instead, you go and buy a new model and throw the old one on the dump.

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Human Behavior, Latest Trend, Parenting

Only two US states are making enough babies to maintain their populations

January 15, 2019

But some demographers think it’s a good thing.

Populations of humans around the world are generally on the rise, but the United States is an exception. The US birth rate is at a historic low, and on Thursday, the CDC reported that the fertility rate has plunged in tandem with it. As it stands, there are only two states in the country where there are enough babies being born to keep the population steady.

“There are likely a number of factors behind the drop, including the decline in the birth rates to women under 30 years of age over that last 10 years, particularly the decline in birth rates for teens.”

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China, Internet, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News

Rise of foreign stars in Chinese social media marks the beginning of a new trend

January 5, 2019

China’s internet celebrity economy has expanded exponentially in recent years. According to a report released by iResearch, the number of online celebrities in China with more than 100,000 followers has increased by 57.3 percent since 2016.

With a single embedded ad in a WeChat post worth up to $145,000 USD for influencers with dedicated followings, and a total market estimated at $14 billion USD in 2018 by Beijing-based research agency Analysus, it’s a sizeable, attractive market for internet personalities.

Chinese internet celebrities have capitalized on these huge audiences and lucrative businesses, but foreigners have started to realize they can join in the fun.

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2019 Predictions, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News, Space Flight, Wearables

19 trends we’ll be obsessing over in 2019

December 28, 2018

Last year was dizzying, with exciting moments that were both good (the Central Park duck! Lena Dunham’s comeuppance!) and bad (tiny sunglasses! market volatility!). But if the experts who track social change are to be believed, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Next year promises even bigger surprises both in real life and online…

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Analysis, Housing, Human Behavior, Latest Trend

The challenge of rural depopulation: Facing the scenario of demographic deserts in the EU

December 28, 2018

The rural exodus has been triggered in Europe since the early decades of the second half of the twentieth century. Many people, especially the younger members of society, continue to migrate to the cities looking for job opportunities, better felicities, and higher wages than in the countryside. Over the years, the exodus to the vibrant urban centers together with the negative natural growth has led to an unstoppable dynamic of population decline in many EU territories, which in addition generate substantial gaps between regions of the same country. As a result, Europe must face today the scenario of demographic deserts threatening throughout the ‘old continent’.

The European Commission report on poverty in rural areas identified the exodus and aging problem, the remoteness, the lack of education facilities and the labor market issues (such a lower employment rates and seasonal work) as the four main factors to determine the risk of poverty and social exclusion. It is not a coincidence that these deficiencies are features of sparsely populated and underpopulated regions. According to a Joint Research Centre report, if the current economic and demographic trends continue, one would expect a growing number of regions to be classified as ‘less developed’.

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App, Dating, Human Behavior, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News

The 5 years that changed dating

December 26, 2018

When Tinder became available to all smartphone users in 2013, it ushered in a new era in the history of romance.

On the 20th anniversary of The New York Times’ popular Vows column, a weekly feature on notable weddings and engagements launched in 1992, its longtime editor wrote that Vows was meant to be more than just a news notice about society events. It aimed to give readers the backstory on marrying couples and, in the meantime, to explore how romance was changing with the times. “Twenty years ago, as now, most couples told us they’d met through their friends or family, or in college,” wrote the editor, Bob Woletz, in 2012. “For a period that ran into the late 1990s, a number said, often sheepishly, that they had met through personal advertisements.”

But in 2018, seven of the 53 couples profiled in the Vows column met on dating apps. And in the Times’ more populous Wedding Announcements section, 93 out of some 1,000 couples profiled this year met on dating apps—Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, Coffee Meets Bagel, Happn, and other specialized dating apps designed for smaller communities, like JSwipe for Jewish singles and MuzMatch for Muslims. The year before, 71 couples whose weddings were announced by the Times met on dating apps.

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2019 Predictions, Employment, Latest Trend

10 remote work trends that will dominate 2019

December 24, 2018

Remote work is no longer a privilege. It’s become the standard operating mode for at least 50% of the U.S. population. Virtual retreats are no longer attributed solely to progressive startups. Traditional employers are finally on-board and ready to propose a flexible work arrangement higher up the pipeline.

2019 will further reinforce the current global shift towards “remote-friendly” workplaces and dictate a few more unique trends.

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AI, Big Data, Latest Trend, Machine Learning

How fast is artificial intelligence growing? Look at the key bellwethers

December 23, 2018

AI & Big Data

One can intuitively surmise artificial intelligence (AI) is today’s hot commodity, gaining traction in businesses, academia and government in recent years. Now, there is data — all in one place — that documents growth across many indicators, including startups, venture capital, job openings and academic programs. These bellwethers were captured in the AI Index, produced under the auspices of was conceived within Stanford University’s Human-Centered AI Institute and the One Hundred Year Study on AI (AI100).

One key measure of AI development is startups and venture capital funding. From January 2015 to January 2018, active AI startups increased 2.1x, while all active startups increased 1.3x, the report states. “For the most part, growth in all active startups has remained relatively steady, while the number of AI startups has seen exponential growth,” the report’s authors add. The trickle of venture capital into AI startups, another bellwether, also turned into a torrent. VC funding for AI startups in the US increased 4.5x from 2013 to 2017. Meanwhile, VC funding for all active startups increased 2.08x.

Another key measure, job openings, accelerated in AI. While machine learning is the largest skill cited as a requirement, deep learning is growing at the fastest rate — from 2015 to 2017 the number of job openings requiring deep learning increased 35x, the report’s authors state.

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Agriculture, China, Farming, Food, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News

Chinese PhDs and MBAs give up city life for farming, driven by desire to improve agriculture and livelihoods

December 22, 2018

Millions of educated Chinese have left cities to become farmers, inspired to change agriculture or disenchanted with the pressures of urban life
They practise organic farming and water conservation, hoping to set an example for fellow farmers, and revive traditional technique

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2019 Predictions, Advertising, Latest Trend

The digital marketing trends of 2019 you can’t ignore

December 20, 2018

While you may think that advanced digital marketing tactics are only reserved for the “big guys,” think again.

Regardless of the size of your business you, too, can use sophisticated features like automating processes, pixel tracking and analyzing data. Not only do these strategies help you stay ahead of the game, you can use them to capture new leads and nurture existing customers while you’re at it. That is, if you have the latest products like an all-in-one business solution to ensure that your brand can implement these must-haves.

Let’s unwrap the five digital marketing trends you simply can’t ignore in 2019.

Continue reading… “The digital marketing trends of 2019 you can’t ignore”