MOBILE .

MEDIA .

Is anyone actually surprised? Cable companies are expected to lose $1 billion next year because of Netflix, et al., with the average consumer saving $104 a month switching to subscription services. So this is what Youtube is offering:

Amazon has been getting all the attention in drone delivery. This past December, the Amazon Prime Air drone delivered a bag of popcorn and an Amazon Fire TV in rural United Kingdom. That month the company also secured an ambitious patent for a flying warehouse that would hypothetically dispatch armies of delivery drones.

What has everyone else been up to? Last week UPS made its own first commercial drone delivery in Lithia, Florida. The drone launched from on top of a UPS van, which was driving to separate delivery.

Looks like UPS should be getting some of the spotlight as well. UPS has itself been using drones to deliver vaccines and blood to hard-to-reach locations in Rwanda. The recent commercial delivery now makes it seem we are right around the corner from a drone-filled delivery future, but the industry still needs regulation to be enacted in order to fully proceed. A recent executive order that restricts the issuing of new regulation could keep companies like Amazon and UPS hovering in place…

BITCOIN .

Bitcoin gets a big thumbs up from big business

It has been a killer week for bitcoin. Tuesday, the cost of 1 bitcoin reached an all-time high of $1210. And it keeps rising, at this moment it is $1258. This time last year 1 bitcoin was around $400, and $270 in the previous year.

Potentially securing bitcoin’s future in main-stream business is a new alliance of 28 major corporations. The Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA) was announced yesterday, including businesses such as Accenture, Intel, and Microsoft, and over two dozen banks including J.P. Morgan, UBS Group, and Santander. They are uniting their efforts to improve the Ethereum blockchain. Blockchain is the crucial technology that underpins bitcoin, yet there are still questions regarding its scalability and security when applied to business applications. By agreeing to collaborate on improving the Ethereum blockchain they hope to streamline some of their business processes in the future, and may indirectly help many non-Alliance businesses as well.

Augmented reality meets smartwatch? It’s a prototype, but still 😯

As always, check out our blog for more. That’s it for this week.✌️

— This newsletter was made with Ludlow.io —

This week we happily circumvent political dialogue and talk marathon running, mapping, hands-free piano playing, and good ol’ Ben Franklin instead.

* * *

Fun fact: The Rubik’s cube is the best-selling product of all time. The iPhone is second.

…though, it depends on your definition of “product” 😉

 * * * 

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

This past Sunday, over 50,000 runners traversed the 5 boroughs of New York City to cross the finish line in Central Park. So in the spirit of the marathon, we thought we’d share this article that discusses what marathon training can teach you about entrepreneurship.

DESIGN

Ever heard of the g-mark japan GOOD DESIGN Award? It’s the most prestigious design award in Japan, and each year it is given to only 1 entry chosen for its contemporary relevance, concept, aesthetics and symbolism.

Last year the winner was a personal mobility chair and the year before was a robotic arm. This year the grand prize went to a world map by Hajime Narukawa.

So, what’s so special about a world map?

For starters, the current one has a lot of issues – it dramatically distorts land and sea sizes. Creating a proportional map is no easy feat as the world is sphere and the map is flat. That’s why Designer Narukawa built a map projection method called AuthaGraph to fix this problem.

His solution? Triangles.

He divided the globe into 96 triangles and projected them onto a tetrahedron, maintaining the proportions of water and land. He then unfolded the tetrahedron into a rectangle, such that the 96 sections created a map resembling the surface of the original globe, but a flat one.

What’s really cool is that the map is also sold as a paper craft assembly kit. Users can transform a flat map into a three-dimensional globe without losing its accuracy by folding it into various shapes. This process is supposed to mirror the one that Narukawa and his team went through in order to arrive at their model.

(If you want to try your own hand at mapping, we recommend reaching out to our friends over at Carto who have created one of the coolest mapping tools ever.

VIRTUAL REALITY

No hands? No problem.

The University of Tsukuba’s Special Needs Education School and eye tracking technology FOVE partnered in a collaborative project called “Eye Play the Piano” which allows students without hands or arms to play the piano by using an eye tracking device. Take a look.

How does it work? The head mount is able to recognize the user’s eye movement. A user blinks on one of the many panels within the interface in order to trigger a preferred note, which is then conveyed to the piano.

Tilting the head down signals the software to hold the node, while selecting single notes or chords requires only a pointed gaze and blink of the eye.

Sound cool? There are tons of inventions that use virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to overcome physical deficiencies.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Want to (actually) learn how to write?

In the age where content is king, one of the best things we can do for ourselves is develop techniques for improving our communication and writing fluency. We found this post written by Charles Chu to be surprisingly helpful. Chu gives us actionable advice on how to become a better writer based on advice that Ben Franklin wrote in his autobiography almost 200 years ago – so go ahead and give it a try.

Fun fact: Adding  /4 to the end of Facebook’s URL will take you to Mark Zuckerberg’s profile.

ROBO VEHICLES

Does a 120-mile beer run justify as a “proof-of-concept” for autonomous vehicles?

Otto, the self-driving vehicle company owned by Uber, announced its prototype had successfully hauled 51,7444 cans of Budweiser from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs, in a 120-mile journey (here’s a video to see for yourself). To be clear, there was still a professional driver in the truck. His purpose was to activate the system’s autonomous drive mode and navigate the vehicle onto Interstate 25. Though once on the highway, the driver was able to lazily kick back (maybe even catch a few Z’s). From there, he let the truck do the rest of the work.

So, how do these “self-driving” trucks actually work?

To “see” the road, the system uses a high-precision camera that sits above the windshield. A radar connects to the bumper, allowing it to follow other vehicles and maintain an appropriate distance between them. Three LIDAR laser detection units, mounted in the cab and on the trailer, detect things like lane lines, speed limit signs, and stop signs. The data from all five sensors is fed and processed into an array of computers that control the movement. Its speed, steering, transmission and brakes are all monitored.

The march toward a future of self-driving trucks continues even on the other side of the planet…in Singapore. Singapore’s Land Transport Authority plans to conduct a trial using a pair of hybrid buses to shuttle passengers. They’d travel between Nanyang Technical University and CleanTech Park, which are about one mile apart. While the distance may not seem as impressive as Otto’s 150 mile trek, the pilot project represents a relatively new shift in thinking around autonomous vehicles: a driverless future is coming – but it won’t start with self-driving cars.

DESIGN

How do you feel about computerized bugs crawling up and down your body?

…a tad creepy?

A cross-university team of researchers from MIT and Stanford developed miniature robots that move freely on clothing called Rovables. These robots are stay in place by magnetic wheels and can climb vertically across a garment. They can move for up to 45 minutes before needing to re-charge. While these clothing-clinging creatures may seem a bit strange, the potential use cases for them are rather exciting: Imagine a fleet of robots rolling up your sleeve when riding a bicycle, or a health monitor crawling to your wrist to take your pulse. Maybe these robots could sync with your alarm and tap your shoulder when you have to wake up?

SCIENCE

If diamonds are forever, could data be too?

Diamonds can be harnessed to store data for the long term, according to a paper publish last Wednesday in Science Advances. To put this into perspective, a tiny diamond (about half the size of a grain of rice and thinner than a sheet of paper) can hold 100x more information than a DVD.

This isn’t anything new. Scientists have proposed diamonds for quantum data storage, however in this instance we’re still talking binary, 100100101110100101.

Tiny, atomic-sized imperfections inside diamonds, known as nitrogen vacancy centers, leave empty spaces perfect for stashing data. The researchers from City College of New York used lasers to encode and read data on these tiny spaces, which they treated like magnets that either repel or absorb an electron.  They encoded images of Albert Einstein and Erwin Schrödinger on a diamond by adding and removing electrons with green and red lasers (see image below).

When storing data in hard drives, the material it’s made of eventually degrades after 5 or 10 years, and the data stored becomes lost. The appeal of storing data in diamonds is that diamonds last forever, and therefore so would your data. Just imagine your diamond engagement ring could one day hold your wedding photos…but to Schrödinger, you wouldn’t know unless you checked.

WEARABLES

Will we soon see ads on each others t-shirts?

While Apple is keeping whatever augmented reality (AR) plans it has hush-hush, we do know that the company has recently been granted a patent for a “wearable display having an array of LEDs on a conformable silicon substrate.” The image below accompanied the patent, showing a shirt with a flexible display as well as a bracelet.

Some speculate there could be a tie-in with the Apple Watch. Perhaps a t-shirt that acts as an accompany wearable that can talk to your watch or fitness tracker.

Granted Apple files for lots of patents, and many are for inventions that never come to fruition. With that said, it’s always good to keep an eye out.

FUTURE TECH

What will the future of email be like?

It’s very possible that businesses are underestimating the potential of email. Let’s look at some of its advantages: it’s designed for mobile, has high engagement, works on any operating system, it’s quick and easy to customize, etc. Moreover, not many people realize interactive emails are even technically possible, since emails have no JavaScript (the programming language behind many web interactions). We tend to think of email as “read-only,” one-way channels. This is faulty thinking, as CSS3 allows for basic interactions, like switching tabs, without JavaScipt.

(Image above shows a shopping cart inside an email where “buy now” button takes the user directly to online payment)

In this Medium Post, Entrepreneur David Bailey provides some examples of Startups that are ahead of the curve, like Baby2Body that build an entire service for pregnant women entirely through email based on their child’s due date.

The future of email is definitely a hot topic, and the technologies that are powering changes in conversational interfaces (messaging bots) could be applied to the email space. Massimo Arrigoni shares how emails can go from no-reply@… to yes-reply@…if we shift our mindset from chatbots to emailbots. Curious to hear your thoughts on the future of email?

Tweet us at #SWARMnyc.

This week we talk cyber attacks, robo cradles, Swedish Fish Theory, and design secrets.

Fun fact: “Yahoo” is an acronym for “Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle.”

CYBERSECURITY

Last Friday, you may have noticed something unusual happen when Internet browsing. Perhaps you were checking your Twitter, only to see something like this:

As you probably have heard, a number of popular websites—from Netflix to Spotify to Github to the New York Times—went down for some users in a massive cyberattack. The attack, known as a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), is basically an attempt to overwhelm a system with data by causing a web server to crash or become inoperable – sort of like knocking someone over by blasting them with a fire hose (Here’s a great video that explains how a DDoS attack works).

The Friday attack was aimed at DynDNS, a New Hampshire-based company that provides a phonebook for the Internet. DNS companies make it easier for people to get exactly where they want to go by using domain names (i.e. Twitter.com) and translating them to machine friendly IP addresses (i.e. 199.59.149.165).

DDoS attacks aren’t anything new – you probably see them in the news all the time. What’s interesting to note is that while DDoS attacks have been happening for a while, the scope and sophistication of these cyberattacks have increased quite dramatically thanks to the proliferation of “Internet of Things” (IoTs) – devices ranging from security cameras to smart TVs to connected thermostats. What was responsible for the most recent Dyn attack was a piece of malware Mirai that targeted connected devices, like cameras and digital video recorders – the kind of stuff we don’t usually worry about.

Point is, as IoTs become more mainstream (Gartner estimates that there will be 6.4 billion connected things this year, and 20.8 billion by 2020) it is important that cyber security is not just an afterthought but instead embedded into the IoT (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dyn-ddos-attack-two-key-lessons-cyber-security-satyamoorthy-kabilan) .

SMART OBJECTS

Swaddle, Side-stomach, Shush, Swing, Suck. This “5 S’s” baby calming technique created by pediatrician Harvey Karp has been incorporated into SNOO, Smart Crib  – an MIT Media Lab-engineered “smart crib” designed to quiet a baby in under a minute by recreating the sounds and sensations experienced inside a mother’s womb.

So, how does this retro-looking bassinet actually work?

Here’s the lowdown: circular plates under the mattress swivel back and forth to stimulate rocking. Speakers emit a gentle swooshing sound to mimic the sound of a mother’s womb. The rocking will intensify if the baby stirs, thanks to algorithms developed by engineers from the MIT Media Lab. These algorithms can differentiate crying from outside noise and can even determine the level of distress within a given wail. The idea behind this $1200 cradle is to give babies more stimulation and parents more sleep, essentially allowing a robot to do the work for them.

BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS

Ever heard of the “Swedish Fish Theory () ”? It’s an idea that went viral via a Reddit thread, suggesting that packaging candy when sending computer hardware items for repair can lead to a quicker turnaround and better service. The theory rests on the assumption that a personal gesture goes a long way in an increasingly impersonal world. For whatever reason it seems that when people open a box and find some candy and a friendly note, they often choose to reward the sender by expediting their order. But is it possible that the only reason it “works” is because these gestures are rare?

DESIGN STRATEGY

Here’s a design secret: ignore the Internet. Matias Corea, co-founder of Behance, an online portfolio platform that has become the place for creatives to showcase their work, shares some surprising thoughts on creativity and work. He urges us to stop relying on the Internet for inspiration, and instead go for a walk. This will immerse ourselves in the everyday subtleties that pique our curiosity.

We have a key insight: creativity is not something that can be through a program. Nor is it a number you can punch into a calculator to get an answer. It starts with a happy state of mind – so if learning how to mountain climb makes you happy. Then why not take the time out of your week to try? Creativity beyond your day job will probably make you a better worker. Companies that invest in human happiness get employees that have a more textured, nuanced, detailed approach to everything in life. Thanks for the wise words, Matias!

* * *

Have an idea on creative learning, thinking about building a product, or simply want to chat about innovative tech?—we’d love to hear your thoughts, get in touch!

Newsletter | Wednesday, October 19th 2016

This week we talk mind-controlled robotic arms, Netflix A/B tests, Soylent sickness, social tech and stupid side projects.

 Fun fact: Google was originally called BackRub

TECH BREAKTHROUGH

Nathan Copeland, a 28-year-old man left paralysed after a car accident, has been able to actually feel again. How?? A mind-controlled robotic arm. Scientists used imaging techniques to identify the exact places in the brain that correspond to feelings in his fingers and palms, and then surgically implanted microelectrodes (about half the size of a shirt button) in those areas that would connect to his robotic arm. This is huge news for the treatment of paralysis, as it means people will not just be able to move their limbs but be able to control and feel them with their minds. Feel free to geek out over it…Obama already has.

DESIGN STRATEGY

Ever wonder how Netflix serves a great streaming experience? You can thank the team of engineers and data scientists who constantly A/B test their innovations to adaptive streaming and content delivery network algorithms …but what about more obvious changes, like the complete redesign of their UI layout? Yes, the product teams run rigorous A/B tests for designs, too.

Here’s the lowdown on how A/B testing is done at Netflix: as soon as the test is live, the team tracks specific metrics of importance, i.e. elements like streaming hours and retention. Once the participants have provided enough statistically meaningful conclusions, the team moves onto the efficacy of each test and defines a winner out of the different variations. Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that, but if you’re interested in the technical details read about it here.

One of the their A/B tests involves selecting the best art for videos (see image below of Netflix series Sense8). They found that images that have expressive facial emotion do particularly well and that artwork featuring recognizable or polarizing characters from the title tend to do well. Of course, winning images might be different in various parts of the world – Netflix accounts for this. Despite great stories transcending borders, their research highlights how presenting each story in different regions impacts how quickly members from around the world actually discover that story through artwork.

BIZ NEWS

Long live Soylent…maybe?

Soylent— the nutrient-dense “wet cardboard” or “aftertaste of Cheerios cereal” tasting food— has been the go-to meal replacement product….until about a week ago, when news broke out that soylent bars may be causing serious gastrointestinal issues. According to a discussion on Soylent’s website and several Reddit threads, customers have compained of the bars causing nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The problem is that it is not clear what exactly is responsible for the outbreak; some say it’s food poisoning,

others say it’s an intolerance to soy. Part of the challenge is distinguishing between real symptoms and the occasional hypochondriac who asks: is Soylent causing my left third toenail to turn yellow? Key takeaways: first, you should be skeptical of food replacement products (eat real food!). Second, companies must respond smartly when the quality/safety of their products are in question – and they can take a page from Soylent’s blog.

SOCIAL TECH

Hungry?…time for some food for thought: does Social Tech allow for a new type of mindfulness? Participating in online social activity can be incredibly powerful, productive and identity-forming. Nate Cooper touches upon how social tech can draw us into an empathic state at any moment. With the Internet, we have the ability to literally traverse the world from an almost omniscient perspective. We can then meditate on the grief, suffering, hope and happiness of others by projecting our empathy onto the screen. But just like doing yoga 24/7 would be detrimental, we need to find a balance. Sometimes we need to unplug ourselves (http://nationaldayofunplugging.com/) .

DESIGN THOUGHTS

In order for side projects to truly succeed, they have to be stupid.  Yes, stupid – that’s the advice of Tobias van Schneider, design lead at Spotify. His argument? People need to give themselves permission to think simple, to change their minds, and to not take themselves too seriously. With side projects you get to be a beginner because there are no expectations. It’s this no-stress, eager-to-learn attitude that allows us to work on things we truly want to work on. Sound easy? Keeping side projects stupid is actually really, really hard. Tobias gives us some actionable advice on how to manage side projects effectively.

* * *

Have an idea on stupid side projects, thinking about building a product, or simply want to chat about innovative tech?—we’d love to hear your thoughts, get in touch!