Both Google Ventures’ Bill Maris and XPrize head Peter Diamandis discussed a gamut of subjects, including life extension research, sentient robots, and self-driving cars versus those that can fly at the Wall Street Journal Live conference in Laguna Beach, California this week.
Whether it’s the new iPhone, a Blu-ray movie with deleted scenes or a simple firmware update people are obsessed with the new and improved, and according to researchers at the University of York, there’s a good reason: New features can create a placebo effect for an experience feeling more fun and immersive.
Continue reading… “New video game features create a placebo effect”
The bathroom of the future is going to make your electric toothbrush look decidedly low-tech. A futurologist has predicted that in less than 25 years smart mirrors could perform health checks, while robots will be able to do a person’s make-up and even paint their nails.
Continue reading… “The smart bathroom of the future”
A burger made with cultured meat.
By 2030, the average person is expected to consume around 45 pounds of meat annually, according to a study from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. That’s a number that rises substantially in the United States. The strain that will put on the planet is extreme, to say the least. But according to developing lab science, soon you can have your burger and eat it too.
There is some startling news from the world’s most notorious whistleblower: Your smartphone can be taken over with an invisible text message.
Continue reading… “Edward Snowden warns about a scary new privacy threat”
The Fair Pay Act is a strict gender-equality law recently enacted in California. The law puts the burden of proof on a company to show that it has not shortchanged an employee’s salary based on gender. It’s a powerful tool to address a wrong that has already happened. But can discrimination be prevented in the first place? Even managers who don’t think they are biased may be—and just their word choices can send a signal. A new wave of artificial intelligence companies aims to spot nuanced biases in workplace language and behavior in order to root them out.
Continue reading… “How AI is finding gender-inequality in the workplace”
Researchers at MIT have developed a new camera that can photograph a trillion frames per second. Compare that with a traditional movie camera which takes a mere 24. This new advancement in photographic technology has given scientists the ability to photograph the movement of the fastest thing in the Universe, light.
A paralyzed man is able to move using his brainpower thanks to a ‘neural-bypass procedure’ that has been heralded a world first. Neurosurgeons achieved the world first by transmitting signals from the 26-year-old American’s brain to electrodes placed around both knees.
Continue reading… “Paralyzed man first to walk using brain power alone”
The DaVinci Institute’s senior futurist and executive director, Thomas Frey, shares a glimpse at how current workplace trends – from freelancing to coworking – are shaping the future of recruitment.
Continue reading… “The future of recruiting, with top futurist Thomas Frey”
Japanese car maker Toyota announced this month that it has planned to have self-driving cars commercially available by 2020 — the same year Nissan, General Motors and Google plan to have autonomous vehicles on the road.
Continue reading… “Toyota plans to have self-driving cars on the road by 2020”
By 2025, half of all adults under 32 won’t pay for traditional cable subscriptions, according to a new Forrester study. An online survey of 32,000 U.S. adults found that 76 percent subscribe to cable. Of the 24 percent who don’t pay for cable, 18 percent are cord-nevers—people who have never paid for a cable subscription—while 6 percent are cord cutters, meaning they have canceled their cable subscriptions. The report notes that this year, digital cord-nevers have surpassed cord cutters and represent “the next stage of evolution in TV viewing.”
Continue reading… “By 2025, 50% 0f consumers under 32 won’t pay for cable”
We usually think of rockets that are headed to space are being launched from the ground. But, as demand for satellite launch services rapidly increases year-over-year, interest in air launching rockets is returning to a growing market of lighter-weight payloads. And those might want a mothership.
Continue reading… “Motherships are making a comeback for air launching rockets into space”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.