March 2009 Archives

If you liked the TED Talk I sent last month about robotics, bioengineering and the state of the economy, you will probably also appreciate this little gem about wearable technology that promises to let you practically live inside the Web.

Here's the link to: Pattie Maes & Pranav Mistry: Unveiling the "Sixth Sense", game-changing wearable tech.

And if you are a marketer concerned about the potential power of consumers who have real-time access to all the knowledge in the world at the moment they contemplate buying your product, then this 9-minute video will be sobering and entertaining at the same time.

If you take the time to watch it, please let me know what you think.

I just got back from the TED Conference and I heard a lot of optimistic notes amid the chaos and gloom of the current financial meltdown. One talk that I particularly thought you might enjoy was delivered by Juan Enriquez, the founding director of the Harvard Business School Life Sciences Project. I've heard him speak before and I always find his perspective fascinating, enlightening and entertaining. He is an omnivore of ideas who studies the intersection of science, business and society.

This talk begins with the idea that the proper way to manage in a crisis is to keep your eye on the long term even while you are dancing in the flames. Professor Enriquez does a wonderful job of describing the flames without sinking into despair, and then looks beyond the immediate crisis to three trends in science and technology that, between them, offer the promise of rebooting human capability in a way that offers great hope for the future.

Here's the link to his talk:  Juan Enriquez: Beyond the crisis, mindboggling science and the arrival of Homo evolutis

All the TED Talks are 20 minutes or less, and they are all available for free at www.ted.com. If you haven't already gotten in the habit of downloading some of these talks to listen to on long flights, I highly recommend it. And if you do take the time to listen to Juan Enriquez, please let me know what you think.