TREND REPORTS
(PDF) PwC’s 19th Annual Global CEO Survey
[Business]
2016/02/17 11:33
The global economy and geopolitical tensions are two of the key factors weighing on the minds of chief executives, according to a global CEO survey launched at Davos last week. Despite the fact that we are now eight years on from the financial crisis, business leaders are proving to be increasingly concerned about the global economy.Less than a third (27%) of the CEOs in the survey, which was c...
Mattel Unveils ThingMaker, A $300 3D Printer That Lets Kids Make Their Own Toys
[Product]
2016/02/17 11:32
At New York’s Toy Fair trade show over the weekend, Mattel unveiled its new, $300 3D Printer, the “ThingMaker,” which will allow children to print their own toys at home. The device works in conjunction with a 3D printing app developed in collaboration with Autodesk that offers a simple interface for designing items that can then come to life via Mattel’s ThingMaker as well as with other st...
Better Brews Come Delivered By Data Analytics
[Business]
2016/02/17 11:32
Cognitive and social context was the launchpad for these algorithmically alcoholic beverages.Using sophisticated data science, IBM and Havas helia created a beer that tastes of joy and optimism. How you may ask? They used a tool called Watson Personality Insights, which analyzes language to produce a personality profile. The technology uses linguistic analysis to find meaning words. In linguist...
(Video) Razor's Jetts Turn Any Pair of Shoes Into Rolling Heelys
[Product]
2016/02/17 11:32
Admit it, when you see a bunch of kids wearing Heelys roll past you at the mall, deep down you wish there was a version for adults, right? With Razor’s new strap-on Jetts, there finally is. And they work with any pair of shoes, and any grownup weighing less than 176 pounds.That probably means some of you taller, larger folks won’t be able to use a pair of the $40 Jetts without them breaking u...
Virtual Reality to Drive Big Revenues in China
[Business]
2016/02/17 11:32
The virtual reality (VR) market is skyrocketing in China, according to 2016 estimates. Triple-digit growth is here to stay for a few years. Triple-digit growth is here to stay for a few years.According to Analysys International Enfodesk, revenues from hardware, software, content and other services associated with virtual reality reached RMB180.0 million ($28.89 million) last year. That was near...
How The Martian Is Helping to Sell Actual Potatoes (Astronaut Poop Not Included)
[Business]
2016/02/17 11:32
Two days ago, a Redditor posted a grocery-store photo of a DVD of The Martian placed strategically over baskets of potatoes. The thread has since become a subreddit of the month and is doing the viral rounds with Olympian-level speed. People who've seen the movie, or read the book, will get it: One trial of protagonist Mark Watney (played by Matt Damon, whose whole career right now revolves aro...
(Video) Eternal 5D Data Storage Could Record The History of Humankind
[Tech]
2016/02/17 11:32
Want to make sure you back something up indefinitely? Then you could do worse than a digital data storage technique that uses laser light to store 360 terabytes of information on nanostructured quartz for up to 14 billion years.Developed by researchers at Southampton University in the UK, the technique uses femtosecond laser pulses to write data in the 3D structure of quartz at the nanoscale. T...
Shipping Container-Based Student Housing Planned for Copenhagen
[Design]
2016/02/17 11:31
CPH Containers plans to build 2,000 student housing units before 2019.Copenhagen's CPH Containers aims to create low-cost container-based student homes for installation on underdeveloped land. Working with Vandkunsten Architects' Søren Nielsen, the firm has developed a container home with which it plans to construct its first "student village" in Copenhagen later this year. CPH Containers' pro...
The Serious Business Of Play
[Business]
2016/02/16 16:30
“The next big thing will start out looking like a toy.” At least according to A16Z partner Chris Dixon. He used the phrase to explain why incumbents often confuse new, disruptive threats to their businesses with trivial gimmicks. But what if the next big thing doesn’t just look like a toy, but actually is one?Last year was the first year where consumers showed sustained interest in connected...
