Technology Revolution: The Future of Now

The Buzz 1: "Bicycle, bicycle, bicycle. I want to ride my bicycle, bicycle, bicycle... I want to ride it where I like." (Queen, Bicycle Race) The Buzz 2: "When my legs hurt, I say: 'Shut up legs! Do what I tell you to do!'" (Jens Voigt, German former professional road bicycle racer) The Buzz 3: "Cyclists see considerably more of this beautiful world than any other class of citizens. A good bicycle, well applied, will cure most ills this flesh is heir to." (Dr K.K. Doty, 19th century New Yorker and cycling evangelist) German baron Karl von Drais created a steerable, two-wheeled contraption in 1817, known as the "velocipede," "hobby-horse," "draisine" and "running machine." He is widely acknowledged as the 'Father of the Bicycle'. The bicycle – a self-propelled, human-powered mode of active transportation – has transformed lives. If you're willing to pedal, a bike provides self-reliant, practical, affordable, eco-friendly transportation as well as freedom and adventure, allowing you to go where you want, when you want. More people in the world own bicycles than cars. The number of people commuting to work on bikes has increased significantly in last decade – but they need safe, bicycle-appropriate accommodations including accessible paths, trails and parks, lighting and traffic patterns. We'll ask Donna Matturro McAleer, Executive Director of the Bicycle Collective; Teri Newell, Deputy Director for Planning and Investment for the Utah Department of Transportation; Hugh Van Wagenen, Active Transportation Planner with the Wasatch Front Regional Council (Utah); and Maria Vyas, AICP, a Senior Associate with Fehr & Peers, for their take on The Future of Active Transportation and the Biking Boom.

The buzz: "Ten years ago, e-books made up less than 1 percent of the trade book market, yet they now make up 40 to 50 percent of units sold…In genres like fantasy, romance, and science fiction, traditional publishers have lost their former iron grip on the industry…Successful major authors are even choosing to self-publish.…As smartphone ownership expands internationally, so will the market for e-books.…Books could take advantage of the capabilities of digital devices by offering color, interactivity, connectivity, share ability, and new features we can't even imagine yet." https://izzardink.com/future-of-self-publishing/ We'll ask publisher Eddie Vincent, novelist Ursula Wong, ghostwriter and novelist Jeff Deck, novelist Barbara Eppich Struna and indie novelist Dale T. Phillips for their take on The Future of Self-Publishing: A Real Page-Turner!

The buzz: Stress has been defined as a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances – or as the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change. In her verywellmind.com article, When Stress Is Actually Good for You, Elizabeth Scott, MS, observes, "We rarely hear people say, 'I'm really feeling stressed. Isn't that great?' But if we didn't have some stress in our lives—the 'good stress' variety—we'd feel rudderless and unhappy. If we define stress as anything that alters our homeostasis, then good stress, in its many forms, is vital for a healthy life. Bad stress can even turn into good stress, and vice versa." With 'good stress', our pulse quickens, hormones surge…it keeps us feeling excited about life. Adrenaline junkies know that too much good stress can become bad. Acute or 'bad stress' comes from quick surprises that need a response. Chronic stress comes from repeated stressors that feel inescapable and can result in negative physical and emotional health effects. Big questions: Is technology a major chronic stressor? Should you avoid all stress? Will talking about stress in the workplace increase employee engagement? If we talk with our children about stress, will we help them cope better as adults? Can we learn balanced responses to stress that will toughen our resilience to whatever life throws at us? We'll ask Colonel Deb Lewis, Alexey Katko, Marcia Daszko and Doug Krug for their take on The Future of Stress: Use It Or Lose It?

The buzz: "Most people think of hackers as young techno-thugs who pound Moutain Dew and tap at their computers stealing data, crashing websites, or sending spam about Viagra. But there are good hackers, too, top-security professionals that governments and companies hire to protect them from the bad guys. And among these, there are a select few who don't specialize in the technical side of breaking into computers, but rather the messy, human side…fast talkers who convince unsuspecting people to let them into machines and secured physical locations. The best are so good, they not only get what they want, they make it so their targets feel better for having met them." Human Hacking by Chris Hadnagy, 2021. Welcome to the world of social engineering or human hacking, the psychological manipulation of a person by a malicious attacker into performing actions or divulging confidential information for the purpose of information gathering, fraud, or system access. Good news: Social engineering can help you regain confidence and control, become more empathetic, generous and kind. We'll ask Chris Hadnagy, Shelby Dacko, Shane McCombs and Ryan MacDougall for their take on The Future of Social Engineering: Be A Good Human Hacker – Part 2!

The Buzz: During 2020, video was the "king" of media types. Americans were Zooming into work meetings, logging into online classrooms, FaceTiming friends and family, and streaming entertainment more than ever. Binge-watching and gaming were up 25 percent and 75 percent, respectively. Americans spent an average of 42 minutes a day viewing digital video on their phones last year, compared to 23 minutes on computers. [Connie Chan: https://a16z.com/2020/12/07/social-strikes-back-video/] But this began way before COVID. Since 2015, video streaming has risen 13 percent year-over-year. Now, we're about to enter a new era of video-first products beyond entertainment and gaming. If video 1.0 phase was laid-back, video 2.0 will be more interactive and participatory, with users engaging with the platform, giving direct feedback on the content, and shaping the experience in real time. How did we get to this moment? The first era was television – controlled by big budgets and lead time to produce 30 or 60 minute shows. In the second era, YouTube unleashed a new category where anyone can be a creator – videos 1 minute, 10 minutes, even 24 hours long. Then the TikTok era— video condensed to one minute or less, with some of the best just 10 or 20 seconds long. All you need is a smartphone. TikTok reached 1 billion monthly active users in just four years, half the time it took Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. We'll ask Kirsten Boileau, Karl Yeh, Ryan Sonnenberg, Loic Simon and Vincenzo Landino for their take on The Future of Video: How Many Words Will A Picture Be Worth?

The Buzz: In 2013, Terry Heick wrote, "While learning by no means requires technology, to design learning without technology is an exercise in spite—proving a point at the cost of potential. And it's difficult to forget how new this is…Fifteen years ago, a current high school sophomore was born. So was Google." www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/30-incredible-ways-technology-will-change-education-by-2028/ Heick predicted that by 2024, learning simulations will begin to replace teachers in some eLearning-based environments. Truly mobile learning will support not just moving from one side of the classroom to another, but from a learning studio to a community, physically or through a Google+ or Skype-like technology. Personalized learning algorithms will be the de facto standard in schools that continue the traditional academic approach. The daily transition from eLearning and face-to-face learning will more elegant, but…will create "migratory ripples" as families move in response to educational disparity. We'll ask Dr Sharon Jones at dot. Consulting, Janali Dighe at Code Ninjas Charlotte, Renee Houser at Read.Write.Think. with Renee, and Asia Stevenson at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in NC, for their take on The Future of Learning: Tech-Enhanced Education.

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.