Technology Revolution: The Future of Now

The Buzz: According to FutureWineExpo.com, "Just a decade from now, the wine industry is likely to look a lot different than it does now. A number of important factors – including the rise of China as the next great wine nation, the global impact of climate change, and the wide-scale embrace of technological change by growers, winemakers and retailers – are making it highly likely that the way we drink and enjoy wine will continue to change at a rapidly accelerating pace." 10 Ways the Future of Wine Is Changing Faster Than You Think: "Winemakers and grape growers are embracing innovations like drones and robots in the vineyard. The impact of climate change on the wine industry. Sustainability and the popularity of eco-friendly wines. New taste trends. Innovations in packaging and bottling. The rise of the "beverage wine". Blended vintages and new winemaking trends. New retail wine concepts. Technologically augmented bottles. Blockchain-based authentication of fine wine." [https://futurewineexpo.com/en/blog/insights-64/10-ways-the-future-of-wine-is-changing-faster-than-you-think-255.htm] We'll ask Lisa Allen at Wine Insite, Jeff Lubin at Independence Wine Consulting, Heidi Scheid at Scheid Family Wines, Doug Bell at Adult Beverage Innovation and Product Development, and Matthew Goldman at Vertical Finance, for their take on The Future of Wine and Technology: Drink Up!

The Buzz: The first modern 'detective story' is considered to be The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe. First published in the April 1841 issue of Graham's Magazine, the short story is about an amateur detective who sets out to solve the murders of a mother and daughter within a locked room of their apartment. (https://www.biblio.com/blog/2020/01/a-brief-history-of-mystery-books/#) The first mystery novel: Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White (1859). The Moonstone (1868): the first detective novel. The Woman in White is a gripping tale of murder, madness and mistaken identity that is so beloved it has never been out of print. The Moonstone set the standards for the detective novel formula – an enormous diamond is stolen from a Hindu temple and resurfaces at a birthday party in an English manor, and with numerous narrators and suspects, the story weaves through superstitions, romance, humor and suspicion to solve the puzzle. According to MasterClass.com, "When it comes to twenty-first century Americans' tastes in fiction, few genres sell better than crime, mystery, and thriller…gripping, suspenseful, and full of intrigue until the very end. They routinely top New York Times bestseller lists, and many spawn larger series, leaving enthralled readers eager for each new book…Crime novels focus on a criminal who must be apprehended. Mystery novels on the question of who committed a particular crime. Thriller novels on suspense, dread, and the fear of a future crime. Let's look at trends. * CrimeRead.com: "AJohn Thibault continuing golden age of women writing spy fiction, a new surge of rural noirs…a panoply of evil twins, clones, and doubles…an influx of temps and new mothers…the gothic revival continues." * NovelSuspects.com: "Where the digital world truly delivers is among the elite hackers competing to crack the world's most secure systems." * BestScienceFictionBooks.com: "'The mystery' meets 'science fiction', a blend of genres…'Mystery Science Fiction'…'Noir Science Fiction'…'Detective Science Fiction'." We'll ask novelists John Thibault, Matt Cost, and Chris Wheatley and publisher Eddie Vincent for their take on The Future of Mystery Writers: Can They Keep Thrilling Us?

Throughout recorded human history, people have figured out how to use the latest "technology" to scam, con or hack others for their own benefit. William Chaloner (1650–1699): Serial counterfeiter and confidence trickster proven guilty by Sir Isaac Newton. Gregor MacGregor (1786–1845): Scottish con man who tried to attract investment and settlers for the non-existent country of Poyais. Cassie Chadwick (1857–1907): Canadian who defrauded banks out of millions by pretending to be the illegitimate daughter and heir of Andrew Carnegie. Joseph Weil (1875–1976): Chicago's infamous Yellow Kid posed as bank presidents, inventors, millionaires, and scientists. "I have played more roles in real life than the average actor ever dreamed of." Frank Abagnale, Jr. (born 1948): U.S. check forger and impostor turned FBI consultant, who impersonated a PanAm airline pilot, a doctor, a lawyer, and a teacher to illegally make over $2.5 million. The 2002 movie Catch Me If You Can is based on his autobiography. Is there a term for this? Yup. Social engineering is the psychological manipulation of a person by a malicious attacker/s into performing actions or divulging confidential information for the purpose of information gathering, fraud, or system access. It differs from a traditional "con" when it is one of many steps in a complex scheme. Social engineering techniques are based on specific attributes of human decision-making known as cognitive biases, aka "bugs in the human hardware" that are exploited to create attack techniques. Did you know that you risk being hacked when you use the forgot password function on websites that require login? An improperly secured password-recovery system can grant a malicious attacker full access to your account, and lock you out. The good news: Social engineering as a force for good can be in your future — to help you regain your confidence and control. When you use human hacking for good, you can become more empathetic, generous and kind, and leave people feeling better for having met you, says master hacker and social engineering pioneer and author Christopher Hadnagy, who is on this panel. We'll ask Chris Hadnagy, Ryan MacDougall, Maxie Reynolds and Shane McCombs for their take on The Future of Social Engineering: You As The Good Human Hacker!

The Buzz 1: "Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you've got Till it's gone." (Big Yellow Taxi, Joni Mitchell, 1970) The Buzz 2: "I would be proud to partake of your pecan pie." (Harry Burns (Billy Crystal), When Harry Met Sally, 1989 film) The Buzz 3: "Covid-19 revealed the everyday activities many people take for granted until they're no longer for an option—like eating out in a restaurant…more than 70,000 restaurants across the U.S. have permanently closed. Restaurants had to quickly pivot to curbside pickup and delivery and adjust their menus and staffing in hopes of staying afloat…to find new, creative ways to serve customers." [www.forbes.com] We'll ask your food futurists Kerry N. Brown at SAP, Chef Chris Hall at Unsukay, Lisa Allen at Wine Insite, and Chef Andy Gonzales at Steinbeck's & The Companion for their take on The Future of Dining: Restaurants, Menus, Takeout, Delivery and AI.

The Buzz 1: "You care more about that car than you do about most people." [Thelma (Geena Davis) to Louise (Susan Sarandon) in Thelma & Louise (1991) The Buzz 2: "A driver don't pick the cars. Mmm-mm. Cars pick the driver. It's a mystical bond between man and machine." (Bernie Mac as Bobby Bolivia in Transformers,2 007 film) The Buzz 3: "The next few years should be exciting. We're in the midst of an electric vehicle onslaught and seeing a flood of new EV pickup trucks. We're also watching more supercar and hypercar debuts than ever before." [www.motor1.com/car-lists/future-cars] Fast-forward to 2025. Will you own, lease by the hour, day, season or year, share, borrow, or be cargo in a vehicle that moves you from point A to point B? As the automotive industry literally shifts gears and accelerates, concepts like ICE, BEV and AV are grabbing headlines and the steering wheel as mainstream options for your future transportation comfort, speed and safety. Whether you're driving or simply along for the ride, will you want or need technology-enabled, driver-assisted, touchless/online, or virtual experiences? Remember how semiconductors changed the speed and capabilities in the computer industry? Let's see what's changing the automotive industry. We'll ask five car futurists – Tom Madonna at SAP, Julie Fream at OESA, Otto Schell at IGDCR, Clint Crook at Accenture, and Marco Gollarza at SAP – to predict our automotive journey, including the economic and environmental impacts of this evolution. Join us for The Future of Cars: What Will You Be Driving – Or Not – By 2025?

The Buzz: "The Fourth Industrial Revolution…a fusion of advances in AI, robotics, IoT, 3D printing, genetic engineering, quantum computing, other technologies…collective force behind many products and services that are fast becoming indispensable to modern life." [salesforce.com] Every industrial revolution has had a profound impact on how we live, work and relate. The first industrialized our world with steam and water. The second electrified it. The third computerized it, setting the technology stage for the fourth and an unprecedented pace of transformation. What's in it for you? Advances that often seem like a sci-fi movie. GPS systems that recommend the fastest route. Netflix's personalized recommendations for you. Voice-activated virtual assistants that answer your questions, play your music, find recipes, tell corny jokes, bring you the news. We'll ask Marty Groover, John Gretter, Derek Dyer and Don Young for their take on The Future of the 4th Industrial Revolution: What's In It For You?

The Buzz 1: "During the Revolutionary War, women served the U.S. Army in traditional roles as nurses, seamstresses and cooks for troops in camp. Some courageous women served in combat either alongside their husbands or disguised as men, while others operated as spies for the cause. Though not in uniform, women shared Soldiers' hardships, including inadequate housing and little compensation." [www.army.mil] The Buzz 2: "The U.S. military has been one of America's most progressive institutions…But it also embodies a traditional, conservative, and in some ways "macho" culture…There is so much further to go and addressing these issues of gender equity will not be easy." [brookings.edu/essay co-written by retired General Lori J. Robinson] We'll ask Colonel Deb Lewis, Major General Suzanne P. Vares-Lum, former US Army officer Donna Matturro McAleer and Chief Warrant Officer Five Phyllis Wilson to predict The Future of Women in the Military: Mental Toughness Required?

The buzz 1: "Women earn about half of science and engineering degrees, but they make up less than 20 percent of people employed in those fields." (mckinsey.com) The buzz 2: "Women are missing out on entrepreneurial success, making up just 17% of IT specialists in the UK. Worse still, a new survey shows that the number of women in the tech sector has barely moved over the past 10 years despite an industry-wide push. When tech has never had it so good, where are the women?" (theguardian.com) The buzz 3: "Women who have decided to pursue a career in computer science…credited early exposure to programming as the greatest factor in their decision to become engineers. Conversely, a lack of early exposure to computer science was the primary deterrent for women who leave—or never join—the field." (themuse.com) We ask SAP's Maria Villar, NTT DATA's Theresa Kushner, Treeverse's Einat Orr and VMware's Radhika Rangarajan to predict The Future of Women in Tech: How to Level The Playing Field?

The Buzz 1: "Social media can also be a powerful tool for your professional life…It can also be full of pitfalls. More employers and recruiters now regularly check candidates' social media profiles before hiring them, and screenshots of status updates and tweets mean your electronic words can live forever, even if you delete them later…it's not just your own posts—your activity, including those stealth "likes," can come back to haunt you, too… every post you've liked, commented on, or shared, in addition to any posts you're sharing to your feed." [themuse.com] The Buzz 2: "Creating a personal brand on social media…it's about what you stand for and what people should expect when they see you've posted a new piece of content." [digitalmarketinginstitute.com] We'll ask Loic Simon, Lindsey Boggs, Jonathan Pogact and Sylvia Lachkar to predict How Your Personal Social Brand Could Help or Hurt Your Future Career, Business, Influence, Reputation and Life.

The buzz: In a 2017 ISACA survey, only 53% of surveyed business technology professionals believe their organization's leadership is digitally literate. The other 47% don't think their leaders have a solid understanding of tech and its impacts or are unsure. (helpnetsecurity.com) Despite better AI, easier app developing, and robots joining the workforce, there's still a huge disconnect between non-technical CXOs and their tech teams, even in Silicon Valley. If you are a non-techy entrepreneur or CXO, how do you ask for technical solutions or hire engineers if stack, back-end or RAM are gibberish to you? Executives need to develop technical intuition and systems-thinking to be proficient at technical communication and ability, says Aman Agarwal, Sanpram Transnational founder and CEO. We'll ask Aman, Dr. Sharon Jones, John Lester and Justin Bouldin to predict whether speaking tech will be a basic business requirement on The Future of Digital Literacy: Will CXOs Have to Talk Tech?