‘Big Bang Data’ exhibition at Somerset House, London

• Who is this post for? Anyone interested in understanding how the growth in collection and use of data is impacting our lives
• What does it discuss? A new exhibition on the subject at Somerset House, London
• How does it benefit you? A fascinating outing for your weekend!

Yesterday I paid a visit to Somerset House to see a major new exhibition at Somerset House, ‘Big Bang Data’.  In the show, artists, designers and innovators show and discuss how the increased capture and usage of data is impacting our lives now and how it may do so in the future.

It’s a deeply fascinating show – sometimes wonderfully inspiring, sometimes horribly alarming. You need not be interested in the science of data collection and usage, simply interested in understanding what you know of who knows what about you, and how that information is used. For that reason alone I would heartily recommend, even say it’s vital that you take any children in your family whose ages have now reached double figures – it’s crucial that they take on this level of understanding as they start to use mobile devices, apps and social media. Here’s some pics I snapped along the way:

Datafied global representations of things like freedom of the press and credit ratings:

Take control of London’s future by making choices on how to plan its resources:

A horribly poignant visualisation of who really suffers in wartime:

And perhaps the key message for those who believe data is the answer to all our problems:

Do let us know what you think of the show after you’ve been!

Can Technology Help You Cook Christmas Dinner?

We want to find technology that genuinely benefits us in our real lives, so every week we will be trying to find answers to everyday problems. So if you have any experiences to share, please let us know.

One of the most stressful things about big occasions is the prospect of cooking for a large group of people. With different tastes but all needing to eat together…..So, this week’s question is, can technology help you cook Christmas dinner?

We’re looking for any Apps, Gadgets or websites that could support or inspire.

We’ll be reporting back next week on what people have found the most beneficial.

If you have any experience to share, or if you have a problem you would like to get community advice on then please let us know.

Will your business be using 3D printing?

• Who is this post for? Anyone working in a business that produces physical products
• What does it discuss? The contexts in which 3D printers are helping businesses compete
• How does it benefit you? Understanding of how a rapidly growing technology could benefit your business

The sale of 3D printers is forecast to be worth about £3.5bn this year. Many industry commentators proclaim we are on the verge of a new revolution where 3D printers are common place in our homes. But if we understand that 3D printing is not really printing at all, at least not in the traditional sense, then perhaps we will get a better understanding of how these ‘robots’ will more likely be used in the near future.

3D printing involves the creation of a three-dimensional, solid object from a digital file. It’s a process that really needs you to be a specialist in what you are creating so perhaps the workplace is the more likely arena in which this process will continue to deliver its benefits to us all, as this summary from BBC Business explains

 

What can a doctor do with your fitness tracker’s data?

• Who is this post for? Anyone who has or is thinking of buying a fitness tracker
• What does it discuss? The growing notion that doctor’s can make a meaningful analysis of your data to diagnose your health
• How does it benefit you? Fresh perspective

I bought a fitness tracker earlier in the year. I have used it sporadically and find the data interesting to look at but to be completely truthful it’s affected neither my weight or my fitness levels.  I have however found it intriguing that devices like smart watches and wristbands can measure my heart rate, maybe helping me to avoid a heart attack and potentially sending data to my doctor.

I say I find it ‘intriguing’ because I always wonder what a doctor would actually do with this data. So I’m happy to point you in the direction of an article I read last week, asking doctors what they do when people show up with reams of personal fitness data. Clearly we have some way to go before our data is a) meaningful to any health experts (clearly there is a difference with fitness experts) and b) our data is connected to any centralised system that monitors the data itself.  We’ll get back to you on this one in 2020!

Read the piece from Forbes here

 

 

6 ways to improve life for those with dementia

• Who is this post for? Anyone who is responsible for caring for those suffering from symptoms of dementia
• What does it discuss? Gadgets and products that can help relieve burden, worry and stress
• How does it benefit you? Make life at least a little easier and less stressful

Suffering from dementia in old age runs in my family. I know that my parents and I are more likely to suffer from symptoms of dementia or Alzheimers than not. 1 in 3 seniors are likely to die with some symptoms of dementia and Alzheimers is the sixth-leading cause of death in the UK.

I’ve witnessed first hand through grandparents and their own relatives what this looks like and it can be incredibly stressful for those looking after their loved ones.

Thus I was delighted to come across an article on Mashable listing 6 ways (including some excellent, simple to use gadgets) to help improve life for those suffering. I won’t steal the article’s thunder, I simply hope it proves useful to many of you. Read it here

Can Technology Help You To Learn A Language?

We want to find technology that genuinely benefits us in our real lives, so every week we will be trying to find answers to everyday problems. With many people travelling to visit friends and family this Christmas (or escaping to go on holiday) perhaps it’s worth picking up a few phrases in a different language. So, this week’s question is, can technology help you to learn a new language?

We have pulled together some recommendations for how technology can help – Many thanks to those who shared their experiences for this week’s question.

Duolingo

• Website and App – completely free
• Great for complete beginners
• Can feel a bit patronising for an adult – but if you get past that you genuinely pick up the basics quickly
• Structured so you can invest 10 minutes per day to build up your knowledge
• If you’re just starting to learn a language – or only want to know enough to get by on a vacation then this is excellent

https://www.duolingo.com/welcome

Memrise

• Online resource that works by giving visual references as you learn to help you remember – and provides a community of native speakers to interact with
• Good fun and gives you a flavour of a country – rather than just learning the words
• Very social in feel
• If you’re willing to invest your time and want to interact with others then this is a very engaging resource

http://www.memrise.com/home/

Busuu

• Website and App – Free for basics with option for a paid premium service
• The free service is great for beginnings – you’ll learn enough to get by on holiday and the lessons structure means you learn the basics fast
• Easy to switch between website and app
• Allows you to interact with native speakers
• Paid option works for those who have mastered the basics and want to move on to have a better knowledge of grammar

https://www.busuu.com/enc/

Livemocha

• Online resource that also operates as a social network – you get to learn and interact with others
• If you benefit from learning alongside others rather than alone then this has some great features
• If you’re fully committed to learning a language then this is worth investing time in – you can also help others by ‘tutoring’ others in your native language
• If you just want to learn the basics though then this is a lot of work

http://livemocha.com

Audible

• If you’re bored of websites and Apps then an audio book could be a good option – you can listen while on the move
• Works really well if you know the basics but want to get to grips with pronunciation and complete sentences
• Not free – but if you’re at the stage where you want to perfect your skills then it’s a great option

http://www.audible.co.uk/cat/Languages-Audiobooks

If you have any experience to share, or if you have a problem you would like to get community advice on then please let us know.

Is a smart toy a smart option this Christmas?

• Who is this post for? Parents of children
• What does it discuss? The pros and perils of buying a smart toy
• How does it benefit you? Balanced perspective on whether a smart toy is the right choice for you and your child

If you’re a parent there’s a good chance you noticed a story that appeared mid-November about the company Vtech, a major player in the kids’ toys business. Vtech had its database hacked and had personal information stolen from 6.4 million (!) children’s accounts. The stolen information, which was not encrypted, included names, email addresses, passwords, secret questions and answers for password retrieval, IP addresses, postal addresses, download histories and children’s names, genders and birthdates.

If a toy is called ‘smart’ then it’s very likely to be connected to the Internet in some way. IT security, however, is not a traditional area of expertise for toymakers thus leading to some IT security experts calling the ‘internet of Toys’ the ‘Wild West’. There are also concerns that information shared with such toys are ultimately used for advertising and marketing purposes. The activist group Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood recently analysed Mattel’s new ‘Hello Barbie’ toy and said “When Barbie’s belt buckle is held down, everything your child says is transmitted to cloud servers, where it will be stored and analysed by ToyTalk, Mattel’s technology partner.” Mattel did respond by saying that no conversation history was stored and data would never be used for advertising purposes.

We do however believe there are many benefits to smart toys if toy companies can rigorously address their gaps in IT security. The company Elemental Path is soon to release a toy dinosaur that learns the best way to interact with your child and answer his/her questions. For example, if a child asks it “How far away is the moon?”, a five-year-old will get a different answer to an eight-year-old. Donald Coolidge, head of business strategy at Elemental Path said “One of the reasons we built the dinosaur was because kids ask so many questions and we wanted to build something so that they could continue to ask questions and make up stories”

What are your views on smart toys? Friend or foe (or somewhere in between!)?

How to deal with abuse on social media

• Who is this post for? Anyone who regularly expresses thoughts and opinions online
• What does it discuss? How to deal with abuse on social media
• How does it benefit you? Know how to react without expending fear or negative energy

Recently I was struck by a story about Holly Brockwell, who was asked to write an article by the BBC’s 100 Women project about why she wanted to be sterilised. The abuse she received was extraordinarily vile and no need to sensationalise it by reproducing it on this site, but if you wish to read Holly’s story you can do so here

I was waiting for a helpful follow-up to the story regarding what people can do if they encounter such abuse. Sadly there was none, so here are 5 tips we’d recommend if you are unfortunate enough find yourself in a situation such as Holly’s:

1. There is no need to interact. Take a step back, calm down and ask yourself if there is anything to gain from yourself melting down online. There very likely isn’t and you’re only providing the response that the abuser wants in the first place. Nobody fair-minded or balanced will think you are weak for not responding!
2. Think about the true nature of what has been said. If someone is disagreeing with you, even if it is in a passionate way, then you’ll just have to get used to it if you want to have a voice online. However if the words are genuinely threatening – for example threatening to find and harm you or your children – then you should report the abuse to the site owner and the relevant authorities. It doesn’t matter whether it’s online or not, it’s still a genuine threat.
3. Did you incite the response in any way? If you have a passionate view about something then you should expect someone out there to be equally passionate with the exact opposite opinion. Disagreement does not equal abuse.
4. You can block people. You are not a news outlet, this isn’t censorship! There are no obligations on you to be fair and balanced or spend your time and energy dealing with negative emotion and behaviour.
5. Learn how to use your privacy controls.  Be selective about what you reveal online or use controls present in most social media to hide your profile or contact details from strangers.

Do you have any tips for dealing with abuse online? Did you have any negative experiences and have experience to share?  If so we’d love to hear from you!

3D Printing That Helps Animals To Walk

 

• Who is this post for? Animal lovers
• What does it discuss? Life changing applications for 3D Printing
• How does it benefit you? Potential health benefits for you and those around you, even your pets

The benefits of 3D Printing have usually been confined to designers or engineers, but new applications are showing truly life changing uses.

Vincent the cat is a perfect example –  born without rear tibias the month-old kitten was rescued by an animal shelter in the US and was luckily introduced to Dr. Mary Sarah Bergh at the Iowa State veterinary hospital. She had the idea to use 3D Printing to create bespoke prosthetics, and by working with veterinary orthopedics company BioMedtrix was able to construct implants which were then inserted into the femur bones of Vincent’s legs and come out through the skin.

Vincent’s recovery has been long, but his future looks bright. He already walks around very well, and his hind legs will continue to be lengthened until they are as long as his front legs. Dr. Bergh says he will even be jumping and doing other normal cat activities soon.

Do you know of any other new technologies having such a big impact on our animal companions? Or do you know any pets who may benefit from such an advancement? Let us know. 

What are the three technologies Bill Gates says could help the entire planet?

• Who is this post for? Anyone interested in understanding what technologies might help the future of our planet
• What does it discuss? How public and private sectors need to invest in order to ensure our safe future
• How does it benefit you? It might influence your next vote at the election or purchase at the till

Last week was a MAJOR time for big announcements from titans of technology. We had Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement about the use of 99% of his Facebook fortune.  we also had Bill Gates and 27 other wealthy individuals announcing a new collaboration in order to find new ways to create new technologies that can help solve the looming energy crisis.

I really don’t want to enter the debate about the wealthy opting-out of corporation tax. This post is about the possibility that technology might safeguard the future of the planet for future generations and, therefore, what we might demand of the governments we vote for and the companies where we spend our wages.

Bill Gates has written an 8-page essay called ‘Energy innovation: Why we need it and how to get it’ and you can download it right here. It highlights Solar Chemical, Flow Batteries and Solar Paint as the three key technologies – I knew nothing about these prior to reading the essay and found it fascinating and digestible reading. I hope you do too and would be fascinated to hear about this might change your behaviour in any way.