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IT'S CHAOTIC AND WE LOVE IT
Published on: 31 July 2014  
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Digital darwininsm provides innovation opportunities for the bold and nimble
Dateline: 7 July 2024
"Let's go and get us some Randomness today!" That's the corporate battle cry of the new breed of innovators, business mavericks who are not fazed by the complexity or turbulence of the post digital age. "It's crazy out there; isn't it fantastic?" Life, and business, beyond 2020 is chaotic. Digital technology has disrupted every industry in every part of the globe. From robotic mining in Australia, to 3D-printed houses in China, to artificial intelligence accounting in America, precision agriculture ...
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Disney and the magic data kingdom
Posted: 30 July 2014  
While we futurists and trend watchers are expounding on the joys of the Internet of Things, and how we can use data to create deeper and richer customer experiences, companies like Disney are doing just that. Here's a first hand account of Disney magic put to work:

For those who reserve a vacation at Disney’s website, the MagicBands are treated like precious tiaras. Upon booking, each member ...
Welcome to Dataland | re:form
30 July 2014
Design fiction at the most magical place on Earth
MindBullet logo TRACK ME ONCE, TRACK ME TWICE
New wearable tech is making (some of) us happier and healthier people
Dateline: 2 September 2015
Google Glass started it all, and now the viral spread of the Quantified Self meme is showing us the good, the bad and the ugly on the screens of our high ...
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Are we ready to take on the Robots?
Posted: 30 July 2014  
The future of humans will depend on our future relevance, in a world where automated, smart, self learning, agile robots are about to enter the mainstream. Are we ready for this world and how do we educate and develop people to stay ahead of a fast changing relevance curve? Many industries already seek to reduce dependance on human labour...where will it end? New opportunities and new careers ...
When Robots Come for Our Jobs, Will We Be Ready to Outsmart Them? | Opinion | WIRED
30 July 2014
To survive in this new environment, we human beings must foster high-level cognitive or emotional skills, and find jobs that require them.
MindBullet logo NETWORKED ROBOTS ALL OVER MY HOUSE & GARDEN
Is this my worst nightmare, or perfect Utopia?
Dateline: 12 November 2015
Ever since Karel Capek coined the term 'robot' in his 1920 play Rossum's Universal Robots, we have associated these 'working machines' with the human form. ...
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Internet of Things changes everything!
Posted: 30 July 2014  
A fully connected world is different to anything we know today, and every business will need to think of the impacts and opportunities. New ideas and opportunities will abound and big social, moral, legal and other questions will arise and create space for the slow movers to get with the program. Maybe!
How-the-internet-of-things-changes-business-models
30 July 2014
Value creation is no longer one-and-done.
MindBullet logo DATA CENTERS DISAPPEAR, WEB SERVERS GO VIRTUAL
Amazon, Google and eBay dominate internet hardware
Dateline: 5 September 2009
Why buy cows when all you need is milk? Have you noticed how no-one buys any server hardware anymore? In fact, I can't remember the last time a company ...
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Gazprom might have problems
Posted: 30 July 2014  
Gazprom might think Europe needs it more than it needs customers in the west, because it has plenty of demand in Asia. But it seems it's not only demand that's at issue.
Power failure
30 July 2014
GAZPROM is usually seen, especially by Europeans, as a powerful tool of Kremlin-led statecraft. But in Central Asia, a region that was once part of the ...
MindBullet logo GAZPROM THUMBS ITS NOSE AT EUROPE
China becomes Russia's biggest single customer as massive pipeline goes live
Dateline: 7 April 2018
Four years ago, Europe was Russia's largest energy importer, and the bulk of that business was pipeline gas from Gazprom. Then came the Crimea Crisis, and ...
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China's frozen food craze
Posted: 29 July 2014  
This article in the New York Times magazine gives great insight into the birth of Chinese innovation and entrepreneurship, what I like to call an "innovateur":

"His first patent covered a production process for the balls themselves; a second was for the packaging that would protect them from freezer burn. Soon enough, Chen realized that both innovations could be applied to pot stickers, too. ...
What Do Chinese Dumplings Have to Do With Global Warming?
29 July 2014
Chen, who is 72, never planned on being a dumpling mogul. Like almost everyone who came of age during the Cultural Revolution, he didn’t get to choose his ...
MindBullet logo FUEL AND FOOD CRISIS SPARKS NEW GLOBAL INFLATION SPIRAL
Millions of automobiles and western lifestyles push China's consumption beyond sustainable limits. It's another '70s style stagflation scenario.
Dateline: 25 August 2017
Even as computers and electronic devices become as cheap as the value of their waste components, prices are rocketing up for gasoline, diesel and food ...
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OK computer, improve yourself
Posted: 29 July 2014  
Here's a fascinating look at one of the seven digital megatrends - the rise of super artificial intelligence. What if you could tell your AI computer to "go read the internet" or watch every movie ever made, then improve itself from what it has learned?
How Artificial Superintelligence Will Give Birth To Itself
29 July 2014
There's a saying among futurists that a human-equivalent artificial intelligence will be our last invention. After that, AIs will be capable of designing ...
MindBullet logo SAM DOESN'T KNOW SHE'S A BOT
Super Artificial Intelligence agent thinks it's a real person
Dateline: 7 January 2019
You may recall the movie 'Her' where the lead character falls hopelessly in love with his virtual girlfriend Samantha. She returns his love, even though ...
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Fracking in the UK
Posted: 28 July 2014  
As the need for energy security increases, even environmentalists are in favour of fracking:

"This is because Britain will continue to use gas for heating and as a backup to capricious wind and solar electricity. If the industry can't get British gas it will import liquefied gas - and the energy needed to turn gas liquid makes it worse for the climate than home-produced gas."

And it would be ...
Limits on fracking in beauty spots
28 July 2014
The controversial process of fracking, could get the go ahead in Britain's top beauty spots, but only in "exceptional circumstances".
MindBullet logo GAZPROM THE BIGGEST CASUALTY IN CRIMEA CRISIS AFTERMATH
Merkel declares Germany free of Russian gas
Dateline: 5 April 2019
Yesterday, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that Germany had achieved a new level of energy security and independence. "It has taken us five years to ...
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Social Students
Posted: 28 July 2014  
I've clearly forgotten what it was like to be a student but in any event being a student has changed fundamentally. This series on UK's Channel 4 really has some excellent insights into how students use social media. Apart from this trailer there are a host of snippets from the show available on YouTube - just search for "Channel 4 Secret Life of Students".
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Using less power to do more
Posted: 28 July 2014   1 Comment
This really interests me! I have long believed that the first way to manage our ever-increasing demand for electricity in a world of potential shortages is simply to use less - and that;s a pretty decent way to also start tackling climate change issues. It seems the devices we use are become more power-effecicient. Now can we tackle ineffecient fuel-guzzling vehicles!
On the other hand, could ...
New Research Shows Household Electronics Are Using Less Energy | MIT Technology Review
28 July 2014
New research shows a decline in the electricity used by all the electronic devices in U.S. homes.
MindBullet logo ELECTRIC CARS CREATE GRIDLOCK
Power utilities caught by surprise as charging demand soars
Dateline: 18 July 2019
The sudden surge in the popularity of electric vehicles has taken everyone by surprise - and is causing unexpected problems. The late night hours, when ...
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3 day work scheme
Posted: 28 July 2014   1 Comment
The suggestion of the EU politicians is out of this world :

the 35 hours in France created a discontent : people serch for a second job,

the more free time available equals to the need for more money to be spent,

the kids go to school : the parents sit at home watching TV

The solution lies in the revision of the taxation structure as all over continental Europe the labor cost is simply too ...
MindBullet logo EU ANNOUNCES 3-DAY WORK WEEK
Maximum working hours cut to 30 per week
Dateline: 1 July 2016
In a desperate attempt to stem the rising unemployment tide, the EU has imposed a limit of three days per week that people may work, and a maximum of 10 hours per day. "We're not trying to drive business under," said labour commissioner László Andor, "just reduce inequality between working people and the unemployed. Businesses can have a post filled for six days a week, up to 60 hours, they ...
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An assistant in your pocket
Posted: 26 July 2014   1 Comment
We've become so used to the concept of internet searching that we've turned the name 'Google' into a verb. But what if the whole search experience was turned on its head, and instead of providing links in answer to a query, Google acted like an intelligent human assistant, providing cogent and insightful answers and even advice? Far-fetched? That's exactly what Ray Kurzweil is working on for ...
Futurist Kurzweil Says He’s Building AI into Google Search | MIT Technology Review
26 July 2014
Inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil says work is under way at Google to apply his theory of intelligence to understanding online information.
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See-in-the-dark contact lenses - and that's just the start!
Posted: 24 July 2014  
We're only just scratching the surface of what smart contact lenses could do. And now the competition is hotting up.
Google and Novartis Aren’t the Only Ones Working on Futuristic Contacts | MIT Technology Review
24 July 2014
Besides health tracking, contact lens technology under development could enable drug delivery, night vision, and augmented reality.
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Terabytes in your smartphone
Posted: 24 July 2014  
Yet another reason why mobile is the future. And who says Moore's law has treated its end?
The Next Big Thing in Computer Memory | MIT Technology Review
24 July 2014
Researchers have discovered a new way to make chips that could pack terabytes into smartphones.
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Your 'glasses" built into the screen!
Posted: 24 July 2014  
As we access more and more of our information through screens - and indeed, live much of our lives that way - developments like this will change the world for millions of people.
Display Technology Makes Reading Glasses Unnecessary | MIT Technology Review
24 July 2014
Researchers are developing technology that can adjust an image on a display so you can see it clearly without corrective lenses.
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Printing electronics
Posted: 24 July 2014  
At this point, most desktop 3D printers let you make plastic objects from a computer design, but there are some others available or in development too. One startup is building an affordable metal 3D printer, while Squink lets you print circuit boards.

It's just a matter of time before we'll be able to print a whole smartphone, including the battery and screen! ...
Squink Lets You Print A Circuit Board For The Price Of A Cup Of Coffee
24 July 2014
3D printing has changed the way engineers test products, allowing them to cut down on time and costs. But what about 3D printing the components that go ...
MindBullet logo YOUR LATEST GADGET HAS ARRIVED - BY EMAIL
Apple's Nanofax creates digital consumer products at home
Dateline: 5 January 2012
At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas today, Apple's designers unveiled their latest strategic innovation. Dubbed the nanofax, this device is ...
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Spaceflight becomes routine business
Posted: 24 July 2014  
It was 45 years ago that Apollo 11 landed on the moon, an incredible feat of engineering. The Saturn V launch vehicle remains the most powerful rocket ever launched.

Ten days ago, SpaceX launched six satellites into orbit on Flight 12 of the Falcon 9 rocket, and it hardly got any press. Because it was routine, humdrum, maybe slightly boring. Nothing went wrong. But an interesting feature was a ...
Moonwalkers: Stunning Photos from Apollo 11 : DNews
24 July 2014
45 years after the Apollo 11 launched to the moon, Discovery News relives the adventure of Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins' lunar mission through some ...
MindBullet logo THE FINAL (BUSINESS) FRONTIER
Space tourism and satellite launches compete for profits
Dateline: 27 September 2015
The race to launch a successful private space business has been won - and the victor, surprisingly, is not Virgin's Sir Richard Branson, but a 40-year-old ...
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EU ANNOUNCES 3-DAY WORK WEEK
Published on: 24 July 2014   2 Comments
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Maximum working hours cut to 30 per week
Dateline: 1 July 2016
In a desperate attempt to stem the rising unemployment tide, the EU has imposed a limit of three days per week that people may work, and a maximum of 10 hours per day. "We're not trying to drive business under," said labour commissioner László Andor, "just reduce inequality between working people and the unemployed. Businesses can have a post filled for six days a week, up to 60 hours, they just have to employ two people to do it." Originally proposed by Carlos Slim two years ago, the 3-day work ...
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Clash of the Tech Titans
Posted: 23 July 2014  
In this struggle, the corporate market is the prize. Who will win the battle, Microsoft or Apple? Or will it be Google, or possibly Amazon? Are the old giants like IBM going to survive? It could be a fight to the death, for some.
Game On: The Struggle for the Enterprise Begins
23 July 2014
Landmark announcements rocked the Enterprise IT market in last week. First Apple and IBM announced an historic partnership to bring iOS devices to the ...
MindBullet logo SILICON VALLEY'S GOLDEN YEARS DRAW TO A CLOSE
It's the end of the Boomer era in Silicon Valley - and the start of something much bigger
Dateline: 16 June 2016
Bill Gates has said his last goodbye. Announcing his decision to retire from his position as Chairman of Microsoft, Gates wished the company well and said ...
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Fascinating use of fractals in computer games
Posted: 23 July 2014  
This stuff really stretches the imagination - exactly what Benoit Mandelbrot expected is coming to a Playstation near you! Do take a moment to watch the video trailer too.
Exploring No Man’s Sky, A Computer Game Forged by Algorithms | MIT Technology Review
23 July 2014
A new computer game, No Man’s Sky, demonstrates a new way to build computer games filled with diverse flora and fauna.
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