Daily Archives: September 22, 2014

David L. Smith - Economist, Futurist and Market Strategist
David L. Smith has the education, experience and proven track record to reassure audiences he knows what he is talking about. A Dartmouth- and Stanford-train...

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David L. Smith - Economist, Futurist and Market Strategist - Video

The claims were made by futurist and system theorist John Smart He believes we will have digital twins within the next five years These twins could act like digital personal secretaries or agents They could also, one day, have human faces and hold conversations In addition, when people die, loved ones could converse with digital versions of ourselves long after our death Apps already exist that offer similar tools including Siri and Google Now The claims signal a step towards the futurist theory of singularity

By Victoria Woollaston for MailOnline

Published: 06:56 EST, 22 September 2014 | Updated: 06:57 EST, 22 September 2014

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By 2020, our day-to-day lives, relationships and even what to have for dinner could be controlled and run by digital versions of ourselves.

According to futurist John Smart, within the next six years many of us could have so-called digital twins that schedule our appointments and even have conversations with others on our behalf.

And they could one day console loved ones after we die by mimicking our voice, emotions, mannerisms and thoughts.

According to futurist John Smart, within the next five years many of us could have so-called digital twins (illustrated) that schedule appointments, make decisions and have conversations with others on our behalf. They could even console loved ones after we die by mimicking our voice, emotions, mannerisms and thoughts

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'Digital twins' will make decisions for us - and even console loved ones after we die by 2020, futurist claims

The X PRIZE Foundation, the brainchild of entrepreneur and futurist Peter Diamandis, is already working on everything from sending people to the moon, to cleaning up our oceans, to developing a real life Star Trek tricorder. And on Monday, the venerable non-profit announced another ambitious goal. It wants to bootstrap technology that will let the worlds children teach themselves to read and write.

The newly launched Global Learning X PRIZE is offering up $15 million to fund open source software that can remake education in the developing world. Ideally, Diamandis says, the X PRIZE team is looking for software that is artificially intelligent, so it can better understand how students learn and what their interests are, in order to keep them more engaged in their education.

This 200-year-old industrial age educational system that we all grew up in, in which we all sit in a classroom, the bell rings, and like cogs in a wheel, we change classrooms? Inevitably, half the students are lost, and half are bored, Diamandis told WIRED on Monday at the Social Good Summit in New York City, where the new prize was announced. The question is: How do you change that so its personalized education? Thats possible, and thats the goal.

Were aiming at kids who live in villages where theres nothing. This has to take them from complete illiteracy to basic reading, writing and numeracy.

As Diamandis admits, theres no shortage of technological innovation in education these days. The last few years have given birth to models like the massively open online course, which promises to give an elite global education to anyone online for free. But as important as this technology may be, he says, it often assumes a higher state of learning than exists. If you dont have the basics of education, you dont know how to use the web and dont know how to type in a URL, he says. Were aiming at kids who live in villages where theres nothing. This has to take them from complete illiteracy to basic reading, writing and numeracy.

If X PRIZE were to achieve such an ambitious goal, it wouldnt be the first time. In 2004, the foundation launched its Ansari X PRIZE, which challenged teams to create their own private spacecraft and is often credited with kickstarting what is now becoming a mature commercial spaceflight industry. Just last week, NASA awarded two multibillion dollar contracts to SpaceX and Boeing, entrusting them with the development of two new spacecraft that will shuttle NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station in the near future.

Im really proud we helped kick the private space flight industry in the butt, Diamandis says of the Ansari prizes legacy. We helped bring regulatory reform, capital to the marketplace, and more excitement about spaceflight to the industry.

Now, Diamandis hopes to replicate that success with the Global Learning prize. Teams will have six months to register, after which theyll have 18 months to build their software. It could be teams from Microsoft and Google or two kids in a garage from Nairobi, he says.

Then, the foundation will test those technologies with children throughout Africa, and it is now raising money through crowdfunding to expand that test from 5,000 kids to 10,000. Once the winning team is chosen, Diamandis says he plans to work with companies like Google, Samsung, HTC, and other device manufacturers to ensure the software is integrated into all of their new phones and tablets.

I want to make this software available for every tablet and smartphone out there, Diamandis says. Imagine that when someone gets a tablet in the future, it will become their teacher, as well.

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X Prize Pledges $15M for Software That Lets Children Teach Themselves

Scottsdale, AZ (PRWEB) September 22, 2014

The Internet of Things, that vast connectivity that is happening with everything from the Apple Watch to Internet-enabled doorbells, is changing personal life for the better, but business is poised to change as well. Jason Hope, futurist and entrepreneur, indicates that the Internet of Things is going to make vast changes in the business world in the coming years. According to Hope, the Internet of Things is going to change the way we do business, the way employees function in the work place and the way consumers interact with businesses.

Mr. Hope was quoted in a recent blog post, "We're already seeing these changes in the world of cloud computing," notes Hope. "We've been able to eliminate much hardware in favor of computing in the cloud. As that continues to be implemented in the future, and new connected devices are brought to market; we'll see greater connectivity in the business world as a whole."

Hope is not the only one who is making these types of predictions. Earlier this year, Samsung's president for North America, Gregory Lee, declared in a recent September 16, 2014 article on TechRadar, that 2014 would be the "Year of the Internet of Things." The IDC has found that nearly 40 percent of the world force will be mobile workers by 2015, said BusinessNewsDay even back on January 5, 2012.

"Imagine a device that will lock your front door as you leave, open your car and start the remote start, notify you of your morning meeting and send a text to your boss based on your GPS location telling him that you will be a little late for that meeting. This is the reality that the Internet of Things brings to the business world," comments Hope.

The function of work may also change. People's work will become more anticipatory rather than reactionary as the Internet of Things, and the devices it brings, is able to anticipate work patterns, objectives and even basic movements.

"It's an exciting time for business, and watching it all unfold is like having a front row seat to a blockbuster film," says Hope.

About Jason Hope:

Jason Hope, an Arizona native currently living in Scottsdale, is an entrepreneur and futurist who is passionate about technology and health, and how the two can complement each other. His recent donations to the SENS Research Foundation to fight the effects of aging points to this passion. To learn more about Jason's work, visit him at http://www.jasonhope.com.

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Jason Hope Predicts the Internet of Things Will Change the Face of Business