Futurist Thomas Frey: For colleges and universities, the great age of experimentation is now upon us.
Last week, Harvard and MIT announced a new nonprofit partnership, known as edX, to offer free online courses from both universities.
Continue reading… “The Rise of the SuperProfessor”
App Center
Facebook is launching a new App Center, The App Center will not just have Facebook apps but will be “a place to find social web, desktop, and mobile apps”, as well.
Continue reading… “Facebook to launch its own app store”
Futurist Thomas Frey: As a Futurist, people often ask me how many of my predictions have come true. I find this to be a rather uncomfortable question. It’s uncomfortable, not because my track record hasn’t been up to par (actually, a high percentage have come true), but because accuracy of predictions is a poor way of measuring the value of a Futurist.
Continue reading… “The Eight Critical Value Points of A Futurist”
One billion dollars neatly stacked.
With all the chatter about Billion dollar valuations — like Instagram, Evernote, Splunk — combined with recent S1 filings and IPOs, the topic of tech company valuation is coming to the forefront of people’s minds. Specifically related to the software industry, the growing number of SaaS IPO candidates of late is signaling an important shift in the way that enterprise software is built and sold. It also indicates that the subscription business model is here to stay. What does this shift towards a subscription economy means for startups, investors and the IPO landscape?
First of all – get Instagram out of your mind. The price it sold for is not relevant to us mere mortals who are building B2B software businesses. For all good, non-bubble reasons, SaaS companies need tens of millions in revenue, high growth, and solid business fundamentals. What you may notice though, is that revenue may be lower than what we’ve become accustomed to during the last few years of IPO drought…
Continue reading… “How much revenue does it take to be a $1B public company?”
Futurist Thomas Frey: Every couple years, as the November election draws near, my wife Deb and I receive our ballots in the mail. Both of us spend considerable time studying the issues and candidates before making our final decisions. As with most couples, we don’t always agree.
Continue reading… “Pre-Testing Your Right to Vote”
“China’s evaporating cheap labor pool will disrupt supply chains and consumption habits around the world.”
Shaun Rein takes a hard look at the economic colossus in The End of Cheap China. Rein is managing director of China Market Research Group, a strategic market intelligence firm with clients like Apple, DuPont and Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Continue reading… “World must adjust to end of cheap labor in China”
Mike Mann has been snapping up Internet domain names and selling them off to the highest bidder for years.
Mike Mann is one of the longest members of the world of domain speculators, and he’s buying up names in force these days. Not all of them are on the aftermarket, as some other speculators buy domain names. They are new names. Dot-com names that aren’t registered — even though 100 million-plus already are — that he then turns around and sells for a few hundred bucks, sometimes far more.
Continue reading… “Mike Mann registers 14,962 domain names in 24 hours”
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Ten years ago, offshoring manufacturing jobs to China looked like the perfect way to cut costs. But now companies that manufacture everything from computers to car parts are returning to the United States in growing numbers. The country needs to invest in more vocational and technical training programs so millions of jobless factory workers are equipped with the skills to benefit from this trend, say labor economists.
“In 2050, Amsterdam’s red light district will all be about android prostitutes.”
Researchers in New Zealand predict that in the future brothels will serve-up robot prostitutes offering clean, guilt-free sex.
Continue reading… “Researchers predict brothels will offer robot prostitutes by 2050”
Restaurant workers are among those that have sued for overtime pay.
From pharmaceutical reps to home health care aides to waiters and waitresses in fancy restaurants, everyone is sick of working off the clock, and they’re looking to finally punch in.
Continue reading… “Employees fighting for overtime pay”
This is the third straight quarter where the number of ad pages declined.
During the first quarter of 2012 U.S. consumer magazines saw their number of ad pages fall 8.2% from the year earlier period. This is the third straight quarter where the number of ad pages declined from the year-earlier period, according to the Publishers Information Bureau, according to the Publishers Information Bureau.
Continue reading… “Magazine ad pages fall 8.2% during first quarter of 2012”
The income tax system is only one of many systems that will collapse in the coming years.
An enormous opportunity is presenting itself as a frightening problem—Complexity. How leaders react will determine the future of their businesses, and indeed the future and prosperity of America for decades to come.
Continue reading… “Collapse of the income tax system – does it mean the end of life as we know it?”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
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