Is TV Advertising Dead?

Whenever a news item appears that discusses the future of advertising, I immediately zero in on it. Not just because I'm a former ad copywriter, but because advertising is, like it or not, a major factor in our lives, and a barometer of where we're going economically, socially and technologically. This month, Wired has a piece on how males aged 18 to 34 -- for years considered the prime demographic for advertisers -- no longer pay attention to traditional TV advertising. Anyone who follows advertising and marketing trends realizes that this is not news, but it shows that a lot of predictions that were made in the '80's and '90's are coming...

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Hotel Living: The Newest Trend in Real Estate?

Trendspotting.com, a site that tracks marketing trends, has an item in its August 2004 newsletter about what it calls "5 Star Living." It's an interesting concept, and if it takes off, it could heavily affect the future of real estate. Many upscale hotel chains are launching "residence hotels" that are something of a cross between a condominium and a traditional hotel. In other words, a hotel room that's your permanent home. The appeals of such an arrangement are obvious to anyone who's stayed at a fine hotel: all the services you could possibly need (concierge, valet, laundry, room service, housekeeping) in elegant surroundings. Currently,...

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9/11 Commission Report Has Technology Implications

Anyone who hasn't been living on the moon for the past two weeks is aware of the release of the final report from the 9/11 Commission, attempting to explain how the events of Sept. 11, 2001 occurred, and (more importantly) how to prevent them from happening again. As you might expect, technology is recommended as a solution, albeit a tiny part of a comprehensive anti-terror strategy. The technical discussion of the report covers biometric identification systems -- how to standadarize them, and how to use them more effectively. The report also discusses profiling and command-and-control systems. However, this is likely stratching the surface of the ways in which technology can be used to combat terrorists. Lots of process work needs to happen as well before anything can be deployed effectively....

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How ATMs Changed Our Lives

FORTUNE magazine has an interesting article in its most recent issue on the history of the automated teller machine (ATM). In addition to being historically valuable, it says a lot about how technology is adopted, and how the rate of technological change has accelerated. For instance, ATMs were first developed in the early 1960s, but were largely rejected by bank customers, and didn't become commonplace for 20 years after. In New York City, it took an emergency (the blizzard of 1977) to make customers realize the unique advantages of ATMs. Contrast the 20-year adoption process for ATMs versus the adoption rates for today's technologies... which can often be measured in months or even weeks!...

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Welcome

Welcome to the Assistive Technology BlogHappy BloggingBr...

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Building a better alarm clock

I'm not sure what really got me thinking about this. It's probably when my alarm clock had the audacity to go off this morning and wake me from a sound sleep...Earlier this year, the alarm clock came in second in an MIT poll of most hated inventions (cell phones were number one). "Hate" is a strong word here, as gadgets like nerve gas and various implements of torture are far more deserving of that epithet. The poll, however, pinpointed inventions that we can't live without yet still annoy the hell out of us, like that adorable puppy who poops on the rug.To that end, any invention that makes this list is a candidate for some serious upgrading. As with the puppy, we don't want to take him back to the pound, so we housebreak him. What to do about alarm clocks? The bell or buzzer that goes...

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Do we really want "killer devices"?

Nova Spivack writes in his emerging technology blog Minding the Planet that he would like to see a device that combines (as he puts it):- Cell phone- Email (Blackberry pager style) & PIM (Palm Desktop)- iPod MP3 player- Digital camera (stills or short videos)- e-Wallet (all my credit/debit cards on a chip, securely protected)- GPS- LCD for video/still images and text- Broadband wireless Internet- Bluetooth, and Bluetooth earbud/mic- Java OS so I can download and run stuff- Laser gun (OK, OK, had to throw that in)- AM/FM radio receiver- Retinal or fingerprint scanner or some other built-in biometric security so only I can use it- Bar code reader (would be useful to have -- would enable me to scan items that I want to price compare or remember for later)This begs the question of how exactly...

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What are the top future trends?

One of the first things I've done as an aspiring futuristic is to research and analyze what others feel are the top future trends -- social, political, and technical. To that end, I've developed my own matrix to help me sift through and make sense of all the disparate trends. Here are the top "megatrends" that have come to light (in no particular order):* Obesity will become a global epidemic as the developing world adopts Western eating habits. The health consequences will have a serious impact on healthcare and economic productivity worldwide.* At the same time, the world's population is aging as families in both developed and developing countries have fewer children. The burden of supporting a large elderly population will fall on a dwindling youth workforce. It will also have as-yet-unforeseen...

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What is FutureWire?

FutureWire is my attempt to make sense of and share the information I'm accruing on emerging technologies and trends. In my new job, I look at emerging technologies, especially their impact on healthcare. But on a personal level, I am interested in a holisic look at the future, and in exploring how the social, political as well as technical aspects of futurism converge.I don't have time to post to this blog that frequently, but when I do, I promise to make my posts count. I welcome constructive feedback as well as topic ideas. Thank you in advance for your interest and suppo...

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