What Is the Internet of Things, Anyway? [Infographic]

If you’re a frequent visitor on our blog, chances are you’ve read our recent analysis of the impact of IoT (Internet of Things) in the foreseeable future. And if the Privacy Panic Cycle is indeed about to be renewed, it’s probably a good idea to stay informed about the next wave of intimidating technologies.

So what exactly is the Internet of Things? Harbor Research in cooperation with Postscapes decided to answer this question once and for all using the best way you can convey information – an infographic

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Nielsen: Innovation Has Nothing to Do With Genius

Does your “innovative” product offer consumers something that performs tasks where all currently available solutions are lackluster, or nonexistent altogether? According to information and measurement company Nielsen, this is the right question to ask when discussing innovation, and its very foundations – “when consumers discover these products, they pull them into their lives again and again.”

Nielsen’s latest Breakthrough Innovation Report focuses on China, where 15 products (out of 24,654) are said to meet the requirements to earn the title of Breakthrough Product. Examples include the

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Companies with Digital Growth Strategies Make All the Money [Study]

Photo by Samson Creative. on Unsplash

New research reveals that companies with a digital transformation plan set in place are the ones raking in the most cash annually, compared to regular organizations that use traditional tools and methods to do business. It’s not the first time a market study reveals this, but then why isn’t everyone doing it? Simple: because it takes technology-literate executives to drive these initiatives. And they don’t grow on trees.

The study, conducted by Freefrom Dynamics, has produced a measurement tool capable of assessing the digital effectiveness of companies worldwide, showing the impact that digital investments have on a company’s bottom line. The Digital Effectiveness Index (DEI) reveals that the companies achieving high returns from digital investments drive the most market disruption, securing them as “digital distruptors” in the study

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IoT – How The World Will React to the Sensors of Tomorrow

“In the next century, planet earth will don an electronic skin. It will use the Internet as a scaffold to support and transmit its sensations.” – Neil Gross 1999

Did you know that society undergoes a “privacy panic cycle” every time new technologies come out? It’s true. The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) has documented this well. The non-partisan think tank has put together a diagram that shows exactly how the process takes place, and if research by Deloitte is any indication, we’re in for a new wave of panic. A tsunami even

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Celebrating Ada Lovelace – The First Computer Programmer in History

Photo by martaposemuckel on Pixabay

Google isn’t featuring a doodle today and, by all means, it should. In 2009, as a response to the lack of women on stage at tech conferences, former Executive Director of the Open Rights Group, Suw Charman-Anderson decided to make October 13 “Ada Lovelace Day,” in an effort to increase the profile of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education). Ada, who lived in the 1800s, is often regarded as the first computer programmer

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Quote of the Day by Susan Erz

Photo by Rhendi Rukmana on Unsplash

Ever heard of cryonics? Sure you have. The sci-fi genre is filled with references to the practice, and there are even documentaries describing the low-temperature preservation procedure that several (dead) people have already undergone with hopes that they will be revived in the future.

Immortality is something we seem desperate to attain. Many of our scientific endeavors seek to find ways to stop the aging process, but also to transcend ourselves digitally. We’re probably on the right track, too. But what we do with ourselves when we get there is a question left unanswered. This famous quote by British novelist Susan Erz echoes it best

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Chasing Digital Value – Most Companies Want Returns, Not Disruption

Photo by Laura Ockel on Unsplash

According to the PWC 2015 Global Digital IQ Survey, “digital” is creating significant disruption inside organizations everywhere, but not so much on the outside. Few companies are looking at tech investments with the same eyes, but those who see disruption power in digital have been attributed a “Digital IQ” that surpasses that of ordinary companies.

If technology does one thing right, it’s disruption. New technology means new capabilities, new inroads, new ways to reach the market or answer customer needs, faster ways to reach the market and customer needs, and so on, and so forth

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Coding Could Become a Requirement for US Students

It’s becoming increasingly important to master a computer, not just the basic stuff, but also the underpinnings: making apps, building a site, or leveraging the cloud in business. Today, software engineering is one of the highest-paid jobs worldwide, and there are plenty of slices to be had from that financial pie still.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel knows this. He is rooting for computer science and coding classes in school. Not optionally, but mandatory. Specifically, he wants programming to be a graduation prerequisite

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Humans and Ants May Have More in Common Than We Think

Photo by Thomas Kinto on Unsplash

We hold ants as restless and enduring, hard workers worthy of our utmost respect. But if recent studies are any indication, not all ant species have such a dignified conduct.

Ants are eusocial insects that share a lot of common traits with us humans. Chief among them is social behavior, particularly the fact that both humans and ants solve problems in groups. Like us, ants delegate tasks within the group: “defend the hive,” or “stock up the nest with supplies for the winter.” But there are some types of ants that (apparently) refuse to apply themselves

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Stephen Hawking’s AMA Answers Are In – “Beware of AI”

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Remember when theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking teamed up with other illustrious minds to sign an open letter warning about the potential dangers of Artificial Intelligence? No? Well, he did, and he also agreed to do an AMA (Ask Me Anything) where everyone could pitch in with their own questions and opinions about the future – not necessarily about AI in particular – and now the answers are in.

Hawking is still bent on making his own artificial voice heard about the perils of AI, so he focused on answering the questions that touched this topic in particular. Some highlights:

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