Happy Easter!
Here are some of the posts that caught my eye recently. Hope you find something interesting.
- CDC Says Travel is Safe for Fully Vaccinated People, But Opposes Non-Essential Trips. (NPR)
- Here's the Story Behind the Amazing Moscone Center Vaccine Playlist. (SF Chronicle)
- April Fools' Day: 10 Stories that Look Like Pranks But Aren't. (BBC)
- How NFL Teams Use Sophisticated AI Projections in the Draft. (ESPN)
- Mark Cuban On the Company that Made Him a Billionaire: Why He Knew It Would Succeed Despite Many Naysayers. (CNBC)
- The Microchip Shortage Explained: How It's Impacting Car Prices and the Tech Industry. (USAToday)
- The New Stock Influencers Have Huge and Devoted Followings. (Wall Street Journal)
- 3D Printed Architecture that Shows Why this Trend is the Future of Modern Architecture. (YankoDesign)
- What the U.S. Can Learn From China's Infatuation With Infrastructure. (Wall Street Journal)
- The Death of the American Mall Was a Warning Sign that Our Dystopian Future Was Closer Than We All Thought. (BusinessInsider)
The Rise of Augmented Reality
Last week, Microsoft won a contract to provide the U.S. army augmented reality ("AR") headsets. It's worth up to $21.9 billion over 10 years, and they'll be providing over 120,000 AR headsets. Porn has been the leader in VR/AR innovation, but it's unsurprising that war is also being used to drive innovation. Human nature is human nature.
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality have been around for a long time, but there's been a massive boom in innovation and interest over the last 3-5 years. Not only are the technologies becoming more affordable, but the animation is becoming more realistic, headsets are becoming more portable and longer-lasting, and our physical and virtual realities are beginning to blend.
We're moving towards a world where technology envelops every aspect of our lives ... figuratively and literally. It's funny because I felt the same way in the late 90s as cell phones and the internet proliferated. It feels quaint in comparison to the ubiquity of technology today. Even our toasters are smart now.
The following (still fictional) video is thought-provoking. What happens when these new technologies are used to influence behavior, decision-making, and even your identity?
Keiichi Matsuda via Vimeo
Like many things, these technologies make possible awesome new capabilities (if used well) and horrific consequences (if abused or used in authoritarian ways).
Your doctor or nutritionist could help you make better choices for yourself. Your therapist or coach could help you perceive and respond differently to the challenges life presents you. Marketers could better influence your purchases. Employers could better monitor and measure your performance and productivity. And governments will not be far behind ... doing what they do. It all toes the line between beneficial and creepy.
Because of where we are in the adoption curve, it is becoming more common to discuss bioethics and AI ethics. Likewise, as we accelerate into an age of exponential technologies and mindsets, be prepared for increasing scrutiny of the promise versus the peril of various new technologies and capabilities.
We live in interesting times, and only getting more interesting as it goes!
Posted at 05:39 PM in Business, Current Affairs, Film, Gadgets, Games, Ideas, Just for Fun, Market Commentary, Science, Trading Tools, Travel, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)
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