“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” ~ John F. Kennedy
Preferences and expectations are changing and growing among consumers just as quickly as advancements in technology, encouraging (if not demanding) that brands embrace a strategy of non-stop adaptation to the next generation and the next big thing.
Continue reading… “20 expert predictions for the future of customer service”
Morph airline seating.
Traveling by air on a budget isn’t pleasant. Despite huge leaps forward in comfort for the upper classes (and the more recent “premium economy” class), the economy section of a cabin is more often than not cramped, packed, and charmless. Seymourpowell, a British design firm, has a seating concept that it believes will change that. It’s called Morph. (Photos and video)
Continue reading… “Morph: Airline seat concept that could morph to fit each passenger”
3D-printed human tissue could very soon begin saving millions of lives — those of the humble lab mice.
A hundred million animals are killed in labs and classrooms across the U.S. every year. Many of these mice, rats and rabbits are needed in part to develop the early stages of new vaccines and medicines, which might later go on to treat human illnesses. It is a harsh reality for the animals involved, but one which may be about to change.
Continue reading… “3D printed human cells could end animal testing within 5 years”
3D printed underwear.
For those who hate to do laundry the days of washing your underwear may soon be over. Thanks to the power and versatility of 3D textile printing, the Tamicare company has created a biodegradable and completely customizable fabric that comes in any desired shape, with no fabric waste. (Video)
Continue reading… “3D printed biodegradable underwear can be made in 3 seconds”
15% of Americans older than 18 don’t use the Internet.
Jim Crawford, sixty-three years old and retired from a career as a welder, doesn’t have much use for the Internet. Crawford, who lives in Manhattan, Kan. said, “I never had to use it on the job and didn’t have to use it at home for any reason. So I never really learned to do it — and never really got interested.”
Continue reading… “Widening gap between those who use the internet and those who don’t”
A simple graphic that shows how the NSA hacked Google.
As technology races ahead, from time to time public debate and the law of the land must catch up to it. Government surveillance is one of the most important technology issues of our times. In the US, the NSA files have already had a profound impact on the perceptions of Americans about surveillance and civil liberties. Outside the US, Germany is aghast that the US and UK, NATO allies would spy on Angela Merkel and Germany. On the other hand, there is some evidence that the NSA has aided in combating Mexican drug cartels and prevented terrorism.
Continue reading… “Government mass surveillance will create a surge of technology spending”
The big online companies are calling for urgent reforms to protect us from having data intercepted.
Over a few weeks’ worth of bedtimes in the summer of 1984, my dad read me Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. Though the dystopian context would have been lost on nine-year old me, the pervasive malevolence and the futility of the struggle was not.
Continue reading… “Our best defenders against Big Brother may be Google and Facebook”
Halo
Smartphone thefts are on the rise in cities. It was only a matter of time until someone decided to bring the concept of a car alarm to your iPhone. (Video)
Continue reading… “Halo – an intriguing new iPhone security gadget that implements a loud alarm”
The world’s first ever permanent bitcoin ATM.
The first Bitcoin ATM in North America made a lot of hoopla when it went live in a Vancouver coffee shop last week. The ATM trades cash for Bitcoins. How many people actually used it? Here are some of the numbers:
Continue reading… “World’s first bitcoin ATM gets 348 transactions in first 8 days”
When Curalate, a visual analytics platform, set out to quantify the impact that different image qualities have on Instagram, it discovered that photos with blue as the main color got the most likes. Reds and oranges on the other hand tended to receive 24 percent less likes than blue-tinted shots. (Infographic)
Continue reading… “Instagram photos that are mostly blue get more likes: Study”
Electricity usage doesn’t seem to be affected by electric cars so far.
Since electric cars lessen dependence on fossil fuels, what effect are they having on power consumption? The concern is that the large numbers of electric cars will increase the demand for electricity and overwhelm power grids — despite studies to the contrary.
Continue reading… “Electric cars have almost no grid impact so far”
Solid Concepts 3D printed metal gun.
The first 3D printed gun was the Liberator pistol. Then came the Grizzly, a 3D printed rifle. Now a third one has surfaced, and it’s a doozy. This one is printed entirely out of metal and the gun’s design was copied from a classic 1911 model. (Video)