Big thinkers show the way forward [BBC]
The BBC News website reporters attending the TEDGlobal (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conference in Oxford sum up their impressions as the gathering ends. Read full story
Insights curated by Experientia, the UX research and design consultancy
Insights curated by Experientia, the UX research and design consultancy
Experientia
A future full of hopes and fears [BBC]
Science and technology have powered huge leaps in understanding and a fantastic future of novel life forms and advances in biotech beckons. But it isn’t without dangers. Our biggest challenges lie ahead. The science of complexity is perhaps the greatest…
Walking towards a better life [BBC]
Rambling in the countryside has never been so popular, but a conference this weekend, hosted by the Living Streets charity, will examine how taking a daily stroll down the High Street can breathe new life into towns. Read full story
Co-opting the creative revolution [BBC]
Digital technology is providing people with the tools to produce and share content like never before, and it is set to throw the relationship between them and institutions into turmoil, say experts. “I am predicting 50 years of chaos,” said…
Simulated society may generate virtual culture [New Scientist]
A society of virtual “agents†— each with a remarkably realistic personality and the ability to learn and communicate in their own language — is being crafted by scientists from five European research institutes who hope to gain insights into…
MobileActive | cell phones for civic engagement
As with all previous leaps in technology, cell phones are used to empower organising efforts (just like early campaigns using printed materials, TV, radio, fax, email, web, etc.). The time has come to recognise the power of the cell phone…
Time to switch off and slow down [BBC]
Journalist Carl Honoré told attendees of the TEDGlobal conference in Oxford they should unplug and slow down in a world that was stuck in fast- forward. And author Barry Schwartz told the conference that it was better when we had…
Eco-designs on future cities [BBC]
Internationally renowned designer, sustainability architect and author of Cradle to Cradle, William McDonough, argued at the TEDGlobal (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conference in Oxford, UK, that we can only think of our future cities if we think about what our…
Extra, extra! Foreign press, translated [Christian Science Monitor]
Website lets Americans see what the world’s non-English publications say about US policy. The headline reads, “Columbus’ Discovery of America: History’s ‘Biggest Mistake.’ ” That might sound harsh to an American audience, but it’s less likely to ruffle Iraqis reading…
A passage from India [New York Times | Op-Ed]
There is a perverse hypocrisy about the whole jobs debate, especially in Europe. The colonial powers invaded countries like India and China, pillaged them of their treasures and commodities and made sure their industries weren’t allowed to develop, so…
Technologies ‘to aid the poor’ [BBC]
The best way to help developing nations is to recognise that development is “of the people, by the people and for the people”, says a Bangladeshi entrepreneur. Iqbal Quadir, Grameen Phone founder in Bangladesh, told experts gathered for TEDGlobal in…
The new face of IBM [Wired Magazine]
China’s biggest IT brand wants to go global. So it bought the PC division – and the world-class management – of an American icon. Who says being “oceans apart” is a bad thing? Read full story
Secret grooming habits – NPR’s Marketplace reports on corporate ethnography
You’ve seen “The Bachelor” and “The Apprentice” … now, “The Consumer.” Or maybe “The Urban Ethnographer.” Chances are these private episodes won’t be screened for you; Carl Marziali reports. Listen to this feature
Social machines [MIT Technology Review]
[…] The latest [technological] tools are both digital, rooted in the world of electrons and bits, and fundamentally social, built to enable new kinds of interactions among people. Blogging, text messaging, photo sharing, and Web surfing from a smart phone…
Electronic pen has yet to make its mark [International Herald Tribune]
A few years ago, a wireless “digital pen” developed by the Swedish start-up Anoto Group was poised for a splash. Leveraging scanning technology and assisted by “smart” paper, the trumped-up ball-point pen technology was designed to capture handwriting and convert…
Exporting Israel [Red Herring]
Veteran Israeli companies along with startups are developing new products in the fight against terror worldwide. Read full story
It will pay to be creative, nimble in the ‘conceptual age’ [Boston Globe]
We are entering a new age in economic history, and it will elevate those who are nimble and creative. When we moved from industrial economy to the information economy, jobs became more interesting; coal miners were unemployed, tech support centres…
Leading brains take on big ideas [BBC]
Luminaries from the worlds of technology, entertainment and design are gathering in Oxford to share their thinking about our future. The big thinkers include leading authors, musicians, playwrights, and pioneers in technology and science. Sir Bob Geldof, top political author…
Mobile communication society
“The mobile communication society: A cross-cultural analysis of available evidence on the social uses of wireless communication technology” is the title of a research report that offers an analytical overview of existing research on the social uses of wireless…
CNN vision
CNN asked leading thinkers for their thoughts and ideas about the challenges facing the world. Norman Forster: Building a sustainable future Two trends will affect global practice over the next two decades: the need to pursue sustainable patterns of development;…