Technology Revolution: The Future of Now

The Buzz 1: "#Hashtags aren't as cool as they once were…A Next Web study found that more than half of consumers don't search for hashtags or use hashtags on their own content.… Spammers and bots are targeting popular hashtags at high rates, even if the hashtag isn't relevant to the content. This adds "noise" to the social sphere." (sellerschoice.digital) The Buzz 2: "It's been 13 years since the founding of the hashtag and marketers are now questioning if hashtags are still relevant…When we asked our community on our Instagram about hashtags, 66% said they're a key part of their social strategies but 34% said they're "over them." (sproutsocial.com) The Buzz 3: "Everyone's like sheep on social media; like, one person starts making noise, and everyone's like, 'Hey, yeah!' and then you got a whole bunch of people making noise at you." (Earl Sweatshirt, American rapper, songwriter, record producer) We'll ask Mike Grehan, Crispin Sheridan, Isabella Wang and Janet E. Johnson for their take on The Future of Social Media Noise: Time to Banish Hashtags?

The Buzz 1: "What do you need to start a business? Three simple things: know your product better than anyone, know your customer, and have a burning desire to succeed." (Dave Thomas, Wendy's founder) The Buzz 2: "The best startups generally come from somebody needing to scratch an itch." (Michael Arrington, TechCrunch founder and co-editor) The Buzz 3: "Don't let others convince you that the idea is good when your gut tells you it's bad." (Kevin Rose, Digg co-founder) The Buzz 4: "Ignore the hype of the startups that you see in the press. Mostly, it's a pack of lies. Half of these startups will be dead in a year. So, focus on building your business so you can be the one left standing." (Jules Pieri, The Grommet co-founder and CEO) We'll ask entrepreneurship experts Don DeLoach at Rocket Wagon Venture Studios, Professor Robert N. Eberhart at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, Jim Gagnard at Industrial IoT Studio, and Bob Mazer at Smart City Works for their insights on The Future of Entrepreneurship: Why Will Startups Keep Failing?

The Buzz 1: The future promised by self-driving car companies — in which the streets would be filled with autonomous vehicles — has yet to arrive. In May 2021, The New York Times reported that the cars are still unable to manage the multitude of scenarios they may encounter while driving…if it's drizzling, all the cameras are so strong that they can capture the tiniest water drop in the atmosphere. In a category called atmospherics, workers may be asked to label each individual drop of water so the cars don't mistake them for obstacles. (nytimes.com) The Buzz 2: "Mounting technical problems proved more difficult than designers expected, including the challenge of teaching cars to interpret the gazillion different types of everyday objects and data that real life presents, from passing birds to a moon that looks like a yellow traffic light to hand gestures from other drivers. (vice.com/en/) The Buzz 3: Training self-driving cars for $1 an hour: To master the roads, autonomous vehicles need lots of data. Workers everywhere from Kenya to Venezuela are providing it. (restofworld.org) The Buzz 4: Self-Taught, Self-Driving Cars? Boston University engineer Eshed Ohn-Bar is developing a new way for autonomous vehicles to learn safe driving techniques—by watching other cars on the road, predicting how they will respond to their environment, and using that information to make their own driving decisions.…Researchers had autonomous cars navigate two virtual towns—one with straightforward turns and obstacles similar to their training environment, and another with unexpected twists, like 5-way intersections…with just one hour of driving data to train the machine learning algorithm, the autonomous vehicles arrived safely at their destinations 92 percent of the time." (bu.edu) We'll ask automotive and AI visionaries Tom Madonna, Patrick Maroney and Praveen Ramamurthy for their take on The Future of Self-Driving Cars: Who Will Teach Them to Drive?

The Buzz 1: "The book is better" – you hear often when it comes to adaptations of books for the screen…plenty of TV adaptations are as good as the books they're based on, and some are even better…Book adaptations have become must-see TV, from Game of Thrones to The Handmaid's Tale and beyond. (www.stylist.co.uk) The Buzz 2: Some of the most talked-about TV series of the past few years are all based on novels and other published works…books, comic books, and graphic novels in development as TV or streaming series have the potential to become the next big Certified Fresh thing…Alex Cross, All The King's Men… (editorial.rottentomatoes.com) The Buzz 3: TV series based on crime novels: A Touch of Frost (1992–2010) based on the Inspector Frost series by R. D. Wingfield. Above Suspicion (2009–2012) based on the Anna Travis Mystery series by Lynda La Plante. DCI Banks (2010–2016) based on the Inspector Banks series by Peter Robinson. (imdb.com/list/ls050959758) We'll ask Dale T. Phillips, Joanna Schaffhausen, Connie Johnson Hambley and Clea Simon for their take on The Future of Crime Novels: Must-See TV Adaptation Required?

The Buzz 1: Drones are now, literally, out of this world. NASA successfully landed the Perseverance rover on Mars earlier this year, and it carried an important payload: the Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity.… Similar to Electronic Automobiles, drones offer another important option in fending off greenhouse gasses and becoming carbon neutral. (forbes.com) The Buzz 2: Start a game-changing career working with dynamic drone technology.…One of the first drone degree programs in the United States: Cal U's associate of science degree in unmanned aircraft systems/drone technology will give you comprehensive training in aviation principles and drone avionics. (calu.edu) The Buzz 3: Google's air delivery service, Wing, will soon begin to deliver library books to kids living in Christianburg, Virginia…A middle school teacher received groceries through the drone delivery service last year and petitioned the company to start also sending books. (popularmechanics.com) We'll ask Chuck Byers, Ryan Walsh, Pharns Genece and Steven Philpott, Sr. for their take on The Future of Drones: Landing on a Porch or Planet Near You Soon?

The Buzz 1: "In a study of 34 rhesus monkeys, males strongly preferred toys with wheels over plush toys, whereas females found plush toys likable. It would be tough to argue that the monkeys' parents bought them sex-typed toys or that simian society encourages its male offspring to play more with trucks…The role of culture is not zero. The role of biology is not zero." (stanmed.stanford.edu) The Buzz 2: "Estrogen is an asset…A new study from music researchers has found that women are engaged in creative fields like art, music and literature at higher rates than men. (www.rollingstone.com/ ) The Buzz 3: "If we could follow the brain journey of a baby girl or a baby boy, we could see that right from the moment of birth, or even before, these brains may be set on different roads. Toys, clothes, books, parents, families, teachers, schools, universities, employers, social and cultural norms – and, of course, gender stereotypes – all can signpost different directions for different brains." (theguardian.com) We'll ask returning guests, STEM women Alison Morgan, Cali Bird, Louisa and Sandra Estok for their take on The Future of Women vs Men in STEM: Technology, Passion, Creativity – Part 2.

The Buzz 1: "Consumers today don't just want their beverages to taste good and help them stay hydrated…Consumer interest in functional beverages over the last one year alone increased by a whopping 272%." (spoonshot.com/blog – Dec 2020) The Buzz 2: "The fastest growing categories in healthy beverages are sparkling and enhanced water, plant-based dairy alternatives like oat milk and almond milk, and probiotics…added functional benefits from soft drinks…clean labels, zero calories and sustainable packaging formats." (Ross Colbert, Director of Global Beverages, KPMG, insights.figlobal.com) The Buzz 3: "For Australians.…Sales of fruit juice had a greater rate of decline than sugar-sweetened soft drinks…Drinks of the future won't just be sugar free, but booze free too…Kombucha's reign as the health drink of choice looks set to continue…US soft drink manufacturers have embraced regulatory change and are creating drinks infused with cannabidiol (CBD)." (Australian Beverages Council CEO Geoff Parker, bodyandsoul.com.au) We'll ask Lisa Allen, Beryl Solomon, John Wiseman and Jill Portman for their take on The Future of Healthy Adult Beverages – Good Taste and Good For You!

The Buzz 1: "There is no royal flower-strewn path to success. And if there is, I have not found it, for if I have accomplished anything in life it is because I have been willing to work hard." (Madam C.J. Walker (1867 –1919), America's first female entrepreneur millionaire) The Buzz 2: "You're not in competition with other women. You're in competition with everyone." (Tina Fey, actress, comedian, writer, producer, playwright) The Buzz 3: "The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it." (Roseanne Barr, actress, comedian, writer, producer) The Buzz 4: "Entrepreneurship is the last refuge of the troublemaking individual." (Natalie Clifford Barney (1876–1972), playwright, poet, novelist) The Buzz 5: "More women than ever are starting businesses – yet so few are sharing how they do it. Why? Because being a successful female entrepreneur is hard work and comes with a unique set of challenges…whether it's lack of experience, not knowing where to begin, money issues, or not understanding how to turn your purpose into profit…women need to lean into their zone of genius and create a business they love…" (Female Entrepreneur's Playbook: Secret Strategies From 20+ Women for Building a Business You Love and Getting Paid for It – October 2021) We'll ask Cindy Zuelsdorf, Patricia Wooster, Lindsey Ardmore and Tamra Andress – contributors to this book – for their take on The Future for Female Entrepreneurs: Level or Raise the Playing Field?

The Buzz 1: "Since the creation of bitcoin, hundreds and hundreds of crypto assets are gradually finding their place in society…many companies are already accepting virtual currencies as a form of payment (KFC, Subway...). Others have considered creating their own cryptocurrency, such as Amazon." (daviescoin.io/blog) The Buzz 2: "Once a hard-to-grasp concept, cryptocurrencies are experiencing their "arrival"…More than three in 10 Americans describe cryptocurrencies as the future of money, according to a recent national Harris Poll…nearly 28% of millennials own or have owned some form of cryptocurrency…a growing number of retailers are now accepting the currencies. (forbes.com) The Buzz 3: "Belgian milk chocolate Bitcoins…Imprinted with the rallying cry of the rise of Bitcoin, "Vires in Numeris" translated to the dual-meaning "Strength in Numbers.…[you can] be the coolest kid on the blockchain." (foiledagainchocolate.com) We'll ask Darren Hunter at Rizing, Prabhudev Konana at Robert H. Smith School of Business / University of Maryland, Brian Cederborg at Rizing and Jimmy Kilpatrick at Amazon for their take on The Future of Cryptocurrency in Retail: Pay Now, Pay How?

The Buzz 1: "Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." (Charlie "Yardbird" Parker, 1920–1955, jazz saxophonist, band leader, composer) The Buzz 2: "Musicians want to be the loud voice for so many quiet hearts." (Billy Joel, born 1949, musician, singer-songwriter, composer, Piano Man" ) The Buzz 3: "People ask me how I make music. I tell them I just step into it. It's like stepping into a river and joining the flow. Every moment in the river has its song." (Michael Jackson, 1958–2009, singer, songwriter, dancer, "King of Pop", the most awarded music artist in history) The Buzz 4: "I've always said music should make you laugh, make you cry or make you think." (Kenny Rogers, 1938–2020, singer-songwriter, musician, actor, record producer) The Buzz 5: "Music kept me off the streets and out of trouble and gave me something that was mine that no one could take away from me." (Eddie Van Halen, 1955–2020, musician, songwriter, one of the all-time greatest guitar players in rock history) We'll ask musicians and music educators Serge Hoffmann, Dr. George Viney, Rebecca Armstrong and Jessica Baron for their insights on The Future of Music Education, Musicians and Technology.