Pew report finds Millennials are avid readers and library users

millennials reading

Forty-three percent of Millennials say that they read a book in some format (print, audiobook, or ebook) every day.

Lisa Peet:  In September, the Pew Research Center Internet Project issued a new report on the library habits of Americans under 30. “Younger Americans and Public Libraries” examines the ways Millennials engage with libraries, and how they see libraries’ roles in their lives and communities. The good news is that young people are reading as much as older adults, and are even more likely to have read a book in the past 12 months. Also, their library use is holding steady. Nonetheless, the report warns, their levels of engagement vary in a number of ways.

 

 

Continue reading… “Pew report finds Millennials are avid readers and library users”

LittleBits’ BitLab is an app store for hardware

bitlab

LittleBits has just announced something called the BitLab, a contest merged with a crowd sourced technology system that allows inventors to create new LittleBits blocks, upload them, and have them made and sold by the company. The system also includes a hardware development kit that allows anyone access to LittleBits’ custom magnetic snap-together leads. (Videos)

 

 

Continue reading… “LittleBits’ BitLab is an app store for hardware”

Micro-payments between connected devices could enable a new layer of the economy

micropayments

Many of us now receive payments as well as make payments.

Ross Dawson: Last week I gave a keynote on The Future of Banking to a group of the most senior risk leaders in a major bank, sharing some provocative ideas on how the banking landscape may change in the years to come.

 

 

Continue reading… “Micro-payments between connected devices could enable a new layer of the economy”

$100B invested in wind or solar will produce more energy than oil

Solar-panel-array-and-wind-turbines-

By the late 2020s or early 2030s renewables could be competing much more aggressively with the oil market.

Kepler Chevreux, a French investment bank, has produced a fascinating analysis that has dramatic implications for the global oil industry. The investment bank estimates that $100 billion invested in either wind energy or solar energy – and deployed as energy for light and commercial vehicles – will produce significantly more energy than that same $100 billion invested in oil.

 

 

Continue reading… “$100B invested in wind or solar will produce more energy than oil”

Competition is for losers: Peter Thiel

google

Google makes so much money that it is now worth three times more than every U.S. airline combined.

This question is harder than it looks – what valuable company is nobody building? That’s because your company could create a lot of value without becoming very valuable itself. Creating value isn’t enough—you also need to capture some of the value you create.

 

 

Continue reading… “Competition is for losers: Peter Thiel”

The sky’s the limit for 3D printing solar panels

solar-cell-printer

Solar cell printers.

We’ve come a long way from the solar-powered calculator to waiting to see when innovators are going to give us solar-powered smartphones, where most of our calculators are these days.  While the average energy consumer is busy worrying about such everyday concerns, scientists at the Victorian Organic Solar Cell Consortium (VICOSC) are wondering how to power entire buildings, and pretty much the whole planet, as the technology they are creating will be easily transferred inexpensively to developing and third-world areas, thanks to 3D printing and design. (Video)

 

 

Continue reading… “The sky’s the limit for 3D printing solar panels”

Top 10 ways connected devices will impact every business

internet of things

The IoT will affect all types of organizations.

The number of mobile-connected devices this year will exceed the world’s population. Most organizations will have to respond in some way to the rise of connected devices in order to survive the next decade. As connected products, connected logistics, and connected phones become ubiquitous, they create value for users and risks for companies.

 

 

Continue reading… “Top 10 ways connected devices will impact every business”

Let algorithms make real-time decisions for your company

algorithms

Operational analytics  not only predict what the next best action is, but also cause the action to happen without human intervention.

In the future, just having predictive models that suggest what might be done won’t be enough to stay ahead of the competition. Instead, smart organizations are driving analytics to an even deeper level within business processes—to make real-time operational decisions, on a daily basis.

 

Continue reading… “Let algorithms make real-time decisions for your company”

The ‘sharing economy’ – sharing isn’t free and price gouging isn’t mean

uber-surge-pricing

Uber implements “dynamic pricing,” which some customers see as price gouging.

There is plenty of press these days on the pros and cons of the so-called “sharing economy.”  Consider the diverse takes last week from MIT Technology Review, the New York Times, and the Kansas City Star.

 

 

Continue reading… “The ‘sharing economy’ – sharing isn’t free and price gouging isn’t mean”

How digital technologies are changing the physical world

digital tech

Our physical world is now technology-enabled by the digitization of everything.

Ted Hall, CEO of ShopBot Tools, which designs and manufactures digital fabrication tools priced for individuals and smaller manufacturing shops, says “complexity is cheap now, and quality is almost free.”

 

 

Continue reading… “How digital technologies are changing the physical world”

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.