A ban on office communications in the evening and during vacation time could even become law.
Some German companies such as BMW, Volkswagen and Deutsche Telekom, in the last few years, have banned after-hours calls and emails to workers. The point of the ban is to actually let people take time off in the evening, rather than effectively being half-working all the time.
Continue reading… “Germany considers ban on after-hours office communications to workers”
Electric vehicles will yield big environmental improvements in China.
China is supposedly about to invest a hundred billion yuan (equivalent to about 16.3 billion US dollars at today’s exchange rate) into electric vehicles and the infrastructure to support them, like public charging stations, according to “two people familiar with the matter”, says Bloomberg.
Continue reading… “China to invest $16.3 B in electric cars”
Does a greater number of years in school mean more learning?
When you compare education systems around the world to see what’s working and what isn’t, one of the metrics we often see is ‘school life expectancy.’ This is known as how many years students go to school. We most often assume that students go to school for at least 13 years (K-12), plus “some” college or post high school education in the U.S. In schools in developing countries, we hear about children who can’t go to school past a young age (sometimes around 8 years old) because they need to make money for their family’s survival, because they don’t have the opportunity to do so, because of their gender, or because it would be dangerous or prohibitively expensive to do so.
Continue reading… “How much time do students spend in classrooms worldwide?”
Private investment in electric transmission has quintupled from $2.7 billion in 1997 to $14.1 billion in 2012.
Private electric utilities in America have been doing something surprising over the past ten years – they have been investing a lot of money in power lines and other electric-transmission infrastructure. (Chart)
Library vending machine in China.
By Zach Hyman: There seems to be sufficient demand and interest in China for enabling people to check out books 24 hours a day. The not-so-cheap library vending machines have taken root across both urban and rural areas, each with a very different set of needs and each bearing vastly different reputations for serving their citizens. (Pics)
Kala Segway
The Segway offers transportation solutions that would reduce congestion, pollution and other environmental problems. The unique design and function of the Segway has a fresh idea and excites the imagination of several people, designers included. If we fast forward a few years, we will see quite a number of concept vehicles entering the market with the same vision. Here are some of these futuristic models Segway lovers would need to look out for in the near future. (Pics)
Continue reading… “Futuristic scooter concepts built around the Segway”
Malloy Aeronautics’ hoverbike
Malloy Aeronautics’ hoverbike is a solid substitution for the real hoverboard we are still waiting for. The hoverbike which has successfully been funded on Kickstarter in the form of a drone, is the prototype for an eventual manned hoverbike that will whisk riders into the air. (Video)
Continue reading… “Malloy Aeronautics launches hoverbike drone”
Undercover Colors detects date-rape drug.
Four college students from North Carolina State University have created a nail polish that may help protect the lives of college partiers everywhere. The polish — called “Undercover Colors” — will change shades if it becomes exposed to a drugged drink.
For high-tech workers in San Francisco, the average annual wage rose to $156,518 in 2013, up almost 19 percent from the year before. That ranked the city No. 1 for high-tech wage growth out of 34 markets nationwide, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data crunched by JLL, a commercial real estate services firm.
The Sense sleep tracking device has been backed by angel investors and crowdfunding campaigns.
Wall Street Journal’s Evelyn Rusli reports that startups are tapping new sources of early-stage funding, including ad hoc networks of wealthy tech executives doing some investing on the side, and that should give some big venture capital firms pause. Twenty-three year old entrepreneur James Proud is the latest example. He has raised $10.5 million from a circle of well-connected angel investors and an additional $2.4 million in a Kickstarter campaign for his sleep-tracker device Hello.
Continue reading… “Pre-VC rounds are shaking up early-stage funding”
Doctor-patient video consultations will exceed 130M in 2018.
Harry Wang, Director, Health & Mobile Product Research, Parks Associates said, “the number of doctor-patient video consultations will nearly triple from this year to the next, from 5.7 million in 2014 to over 16 million in 2015, and will exceed 130 million in 2018. The connected health markets are experiencing tremendous growth both in end-user connected devices and on the institutional side, and the early collaboration with our Charter Sponsors helped us focus our first-year event as a key industry forum to connect the technology industry with healthcare stakeholders.”
What will the workforce look like in 2019?
Human-resources experts predict significant changes within the workforce over the next five years. They predict a sizable shift as millennials take their seats at businesses large and small, and Baby Boomers simultaneously either retire or modify their work styles to reflect increasingly flexible and mobile opportunities.
Continue reading… “Top 5 ways the workforce will change in the next 5 years”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
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