The Segway, the two-wheeled, self-balancing mobility of the future, has gone out of production. So much for predictions of the future. Rarely has an invention been introduced with greater hype. It would change the world. It would make cars redundant. It solved transportation’s “last mile” problem. It did none of those things and now it […]
Posted on July 17th, 2020 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 142 Comments »
It is hard to believe a Harvard graduate student said this to Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon when the company was young and unproven. The point of the article is that people judge businesses from the perspective of the present and not with an eye to the future. They don’t have the vision and foresight […]
Posted on March 2nd, 2020 by admin
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Who would think that speech to text software would run afoul of copyright law? This is a legal battle Amazon is facing. Its new Captions feature translates audio to text and lets readers follow the written word while hearing it. The software is intended for students in public school settings. Publishers will have none of […]
Posted on August 27th, 2019 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 128 Comments »
There are times when a short-term fix generates long-term problems and this might be one. To solve a housing shortage in Los Angeles County, the board of supervisors has approved a vast development on raw land. The problem? It is wildfire country and Los Angeles and its environs are particularly susceptible to conflagration. The county […]
Posted on December 13th, 2018 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 156 Comments »
Pharmaceutical companies are going to Third World countries to test drugs. Part of their protocol is to infect volunteers with a disease then test treatments on them. So far, there have been no complaints from those who have been experimented on, and companies have been careful to explain to potential subjects the risks and rewards. […]
Posted on November 21st, 2018 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 137 Comments »
The media have a bias of a kind. That is heralding the imminent arrival of the flying car. Reporters lap up hype from developers and publish again and again about the evanescent vehicles fated always to be in the future. Not only is the technology of a fly-drive machine difficult, but if an inventor is […]
Posted on June 9th, 2018 by admin
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Three D movies and broadcasting always seems to be a future technology. The industry tried again last year to sell 3D TV sets but once again failed in the attempt. Although some movies are coming out in 3D, the movie industry has not adopted it on a major scale. There are reasons why. People don’t […]
Posted on January 18th, 2017 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 198 Comments »
How do you motivate employees when your company has no future? This is the task facing Takata, the manufacturer of millions of faulty air bags. Takata is now working for consumers who need replacement parts. It is not selling many air bags for new installs. There is a strong possibility that the company will go […]
Posted on June 28th, 2016 by admin
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As this shows, even the best analysts have trouble predicting the future. There is no guideline for wearable technology. Apple is not the first to market with a software watch, but it is the first to put the heft of a major brand behind the product. Even so, analysts can’t figure out how many people will want to spend hundreds to thousands […]
Posted on March 11th, 2015 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 208 Comments »
PR practitioners have a new set of challenges for 2014 — the practical use of wearable computers. As this article indicates, the future is here. More people will start wearing computer-based watches, eyeglasses and other accessories during the coming year. What does this portend for communications? It is not clear now other than we know […]
Posted on December 30th, 2013 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 180 Comments »
