Tuesday, June 23, 2015

A Productivity Dilemma

The working week. For most of us, it's five days in a row where we work like hell before achieving the relaxing two-day weekend we so desperately want. This traditional way of working was shaped progressively across the ages by multiple factors like religion for example. Sundays are supposed to be the rest days for Christians and Saturday is important in Judaism during Sabbath. In modern times, working 5 days a week is considered normal mainly because it is a good way to accommodate the majority of the many religious views.

Closer to us now (talking about time here), in 1908, the five-day working week was introduced in the United States to accommodate the Sabbath's rules. Henry Ford was actually one of the first to close his factories during the weekend in 1926. The rest of America slowly followed after 1940 when a reform forced workers to never work more than 40 hours a week. The Arab World also had an influence over its surroundings during multiple workweek reforms.

There is a trend in America where working as much as possible is considered a good thing from a career point of view. The American Dream mentality is usually blamed because it promotes the idea that if you want to succeed in life, have a house and a car, you have to work hard. People usually associate working hard with working long hours.

So here is an idea that has gained a lot of attention in the last year: a new 4 day workweek reform that seems promising. But will it be? 

If you look at Germany, the Netherlands or Denmark, you realize that they work less hours, are more happy and have more robust economies than countries like Japan or the UK. So what can we actually learn from that? And is it sufficient proof that the 4-day workweek is an amazing idea for everyone?


Lets see: working less hours leaves more free time for yourself, people have more opportunities to relax, enjoy life, spend time with their kids and train to become better at their job or to seek better ones. From a productivity point of view, having one less day to worry about work seems to make people more productive, more efficient and less wasteful of time than in their full five days of work. From a company point of view, it seems to make recruitment easier, it helps save money and helps with the moral of the people.

For now, everything seems great. But let's not forget what having a job is all about; it's not about being with your family, it's not about relaxing, it's about making money. And if a 4-day workweek is imposed, the number of hours per day might climb a lot. For example, if you used to work 40 hours per week, doing the same amount of hours will result in working 10 hours per day, instead of 8. Now, if there is a limit on the number of hours worked, then the annual salary of each person is going to suffer drastically; without mentioning the fact that work will be more intense and won't accept any slow-downs. Some people might want to find another job, which would mean losing the benefits of the 4-day system. All of this without mentioning the problems it might bring to essential services like healthcare, government or educational institutions.



So those are the main problems and the expected advantages such a change might bring if it was implemented. From my point of view, something this big should not happen over-night and companies should think twice before implementing such a system. The best way to go, in my opinion, would be to dedicate a period of time to this new way of doing things, get feedback and see if it's a good idea in the end. Something like this might reduce the income of the company or boost it if it is well implemented. Creating a huge reform out of this is not a good idea. In the end, it should just require a bit of testing and tweaking. Nothing more.

For a bit more drops of future, visit:

http://i.imgur.com/UAMeBef.jpg
https://lissanne.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/4-day-work-week-au.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=580VyI6hFmo&feature=youtu.be
http://money.cnn.com/2014/10/08/investing/carlos-slim-3-day-work-week-will-happen/index.html
- http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/real-money-with-alivelshi/articles/2014/6/30/inside-the-life-ofacompanythatworksa4workweek.html
http://simplicity.laserfiche.com/is-a-four-day-work-week-right-for-your-company/

Friday, June 12, 2015

A Loop in Modern Transportation

One might be impressed with the technological advancements that have been made in the transportation category in the last few years: cars have become safer, more powerful, faster and much more economical. The same thing goes for airplanes, trains, boats, trucks and buses. Well, if you really think about it, transportation has not really changed in the last 100 years. We still move around the same way. Only much faster...Right?

Faster? Yes. But how much faster? Let's compare a train during the 1930's to a modern high-speed train. And lets set this comparison in Germany. Just for fun. So in 1930, you could hop on a train called the Flying Hamburger that easily went at an average speed of 124 km/h from Berlin to Hamburg. Today, if I left Berlin tomorrow, I would arrive in Hamburg after 1 hour and 38 minutes at an average speed of about 173 km/h. So +50 km/h in 85 years? Not that much faster.

Of course that was just an example; yet, it still shows that transportation has not really changed in the last century all that much. Why? We are still stuck with the same old options as before. We are limited only by our budget and by the inventions of another time.



And this is where the new Hyperloop, Elon Musk's invention, comes in. It's basically a pod that travels above ground in a pressurized tube. But it has lots of perks, from being charged by solar and wind energy to virtual reality experience instead of windows. But what is important for us is the speed and cost of this new method of transportation.

San Francisco to Los Angeles in 35 minutes. Los Angeles to New York in 155 minutes (compared to around 7 hours of normal flight). The Hyperloop could reach speeds of about 760 mph. On paper at least. So this new technology claims to be faster than air travel. If it becomes a reality, the tickets would only cost around 20$; a lot less than traveling by air.


Yet, I have my doubts about this new idea. The idea is being taken by an architecture studio and a start-up based in downtown LA because Elon Musk is busy with other projects (mainly Space X and Tesla Motors). A Hyperloop of 400 miles would cost around 6-10 billion dollars. But the real problem in my opinion comes from the fact that one of these tracks would take a lot of time to build. The test track (5 miles) will be open in 2018. Essentially, the future predicts that this new way of getting around will cover the entire USA. But who knows how much time that will take. If everything goes according to plan, this might revolutionize transportation one day.

Still, if everything turns out just fine, I agree it will make getting from point A to point B faster, making flying obsolete (except for when you want to go from one continent to another). Who knows, maybe this technology could one day cross the oceans and connect us to anywhere. All we can do is wait, and hope it stays inexpensive, fast, eco-efficient and of course, safe.

For a bit more drops of future, visit:

https://transportevolved.com/2015/06/08/elon-musks-hyperloop-becomes-reality-as-agreements-secured-for-5-mile-track-in-california/
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1095990_engineers-continue-work-on-elon-musks-hyperloop?km
http://gizmodo.com/heres-a-glimpse-at-what-the-hyperloop-might-actually-be-1710274900

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Impressive Wireless Technology

You can't live without it, I can't live without it, we can't live without it. OK. That being said, a big percentage of the world's population surprisingly does not have access to Wi-Fi. So yes, they can live without it. But I guess they won't be living without it for long.

Let's start from the beginning. Wi-Fi began 2 years after the first moon landing of 1969 in the Hawaiian Islands. From there, the technology was popularized in the United-States under the not very well known name of WaveLAN. Wi-Fi was then (and today) just a transmission of information by radio frequencies. 

But today, things have changed. And our way of looking at Wi-Fi will too. Google, like Facebook, is looking for a way to bring Wi-Fi to the rest of the world that has yet to be illuminated by the magical attraction that the internet.



So the plan, called Project Loon by Google, is to create a network of high altitude balloons that spread the internet to the entire world. The balloons float in the Stratosphere and connect to the cellular spectrum (provided by the cell-phone companies in place) of the people to share the internet via high speed links.

That  seems awesome, but why would Google want to do that? Well, it is pretty obvious that, with Facebook, all Google wants is to access more costumers with their products.What is Google's main product? Google Chrome and their Search Engine. What is Facebook? A social network. Both of these companies rely on the internet to reach their customers. So if everyone had internet, they'll obviously have a lot more costumers.

But I can't blame Google and Facebook; in doing so, they help the rest of the world access vast amounts of knowledge and an incredible way to communicate. I think this is a fantastic idea, but also a dangerous one. Now that the entire world will have access to the internet, anyone can connect with anyone or steal from anyone. "Private" is not really a word that can be used when referring to the internet; everything that is in there is shared. 


Finally, I would also like to mention an emerging new technology that uses sensors to harvest emitted radio-frequencies and turn it into a DC current. In other words, those sensors can use the Wi-Fi without damaging the signal to charge any electrical device without touching it. For now, this can charge your phone from 20 feet away; but it will get better and better. Imagine charging all of your house using only your Wi-Fi. Combine the balloons and this technology, and, who knows? Maybe everything will be able to get charged from thin air one day.

So are theses new Wi-Fi technologies all that great? I think so. But we'll always need to be careful of how we use it. You never know who is out there.... Every person in the whole world will have the possibility to stalk your profile on Facebook without you ever knowing! Careful what you put out there.

For a bit more drops of future, visit: 

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Living Off the Grid

Who never dreamed of running away far from society and living in a tree-house or in anything we would happen to find on the way to freedom? Who never dreamed of living another life, one where stress and work could not exist and the only goal was to explore as much of the world as we can? Maybe we imagined we could live life in society for a certain period of time, building our empire, learning, teaching and, when the time is right, leave everything behind to open a private vineyard with a honey farm somewhere in the South of Italy.

For some, this is an amazing dream that is inaccessible due to financial or personal constraints. Yet, there is a new product out there that looks like a rounded shipping container that might bring this dream closer to reality.


This interesting-looking little capsule is called the Ecocapsule, is made by the Slovakia-based Nice Architects and is more affordable than you think. The interior has an 86 square-foot living area and the whole thing is designed to sustain your lifestyle for a long period of time (up to a year!) without exterior help. As you can see, you can bring your phone charger as electricity is stored and produced by the solar panels and the little wind turbine. The whole thing can easily be towed to the desired location, has an exterior that is made out of plastic, is insulated, harvests rain water and removes bacteria all by itself. The battery can also charge electric cars. 

The interior is design for two people at a time. It is exactly like a little self-sustainable house due to the fact that it has two windows that can be opened on both sides, a folding bed for two, external and internal storage, a toilet and shower, a kitchenette and a working/dining place. This little capsule packs everything you need.


The pods are right now in pre-production and should become available around 2016. The pod can easily be inserted in shipping containers and therefore can be shipped around the world for a couple thousand dollars. It is designed for tourism (you can take it and literally live anywhere) or for helping in places that need housing as fast as possible. 

So is it worth it? I think we still need to figure out how much  it costs before answering that question as the creators have not yet talked about the price. But, from my point of view, this is almost a dream come true as I imagine all the possibilities, the experiences and the places you can visit with this little pod. Its an interesting concept, and I think it deserves some recognition. Whether this opens up new possibilities in world exploration and visiting or creates a new way of planning vacations, this is a bright idea that should be made affordable and accessible to all.

For a bit more drops of future, visit: 

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Inside an Avant-Garde Company

My first article on this blog talked about the new PowerWall Tesla unveiled weeks ago at a conference and the amazing things it could do for our society. But I can't talk about Tesla without obviously mentioning the electric cars and the elaborate plan this company has established to change the way we look at energy consumption worldwide.

So, why Tesla? Well, Tesla has been growing and growing non-stop on the global market from its very start. With the release of the Tesla Roadster, the company entered the automobile market and became the first modern electrical vehicle company to beat other companies that have been around for a long time.



As Tesla is getting bigger and bigger, it is getting pretty obvious that in the next few years, it will become an important company, not only on the market, but also in the eyes of the consumer due to the technological advances and innovations the company promises. 

I talked in other articles about how electrical energy can and will become the leading source of renewable energy in the future along with wind energy. This means that, for a modern company, Tesla is way ahead of its time. No other company has had such a success selling electronic cars especially in the US for years. When Tesla came along, they also brought so much more than just an electric car; they brought the idea and dream that by using electricity, and making it affordable for anyone, we can depend only on renewable energy.

Besides the PowerWall, Tesla obviously have their innovative electronic cars. The newest version of the Model S is even equipped with autopilot. The cars are fully electric, very fast (0 to 60 in 3.1 seconds), have all-wheel drive and one of the best safety rating for a car out there. That makes them very competitive when compared to other luxury cars out there.



Besides the luxury Model S, Tesla is also working on an SUV called Model X and a more affordable electric car named Model 3 that will cost around 35 000$. This last car will fulfill Elon Musk's dream of creating an affordable electrical car for the normal public.

Besides the cars, Tesla is also providing free fast charging stations where each user can quickly charge their car. Until now, these stations cover a good part of the US and Europe. But after 2016, they will be positioned so the Tesla car user won't have to pay for electricity when traveling long distances in America or in Europe. These stations will start to be implemented everywhere in the world and, one day, they might make transportation completely electric as Tesla will build more cars (and even Trucks). Further more, knowing the PowerWall might also make homes completely electric, we can easily see where this is going.

Most polluting sectors: Electricity Production, Transportation and Industry

Apart from all those awesome things, Tesla is planning on building a Gigafactory powered by solar and wind energy in the state of Nevada, USA. The factory will produce about 500 000 Lithium-ion Batteries per year as well as employ about 6500 people. This idea will create both jobs and new car parts but some say it might become obsolete before the building is even finished (around 2017). This is due to the fact that new batteries that are a lot more powerful than the ones that will be in production have appeared (like the aluminum-air battery developed by Fuji Pigment Co.).

So is Tesla what we might call an "Avant-Garde" Company? I believe so. They have managed to change an industry that has been doing things the same way for the past 150 years and this is a step in the right direction. As batteries become cheaper and more powerful, so will Tesla's cars. How far can Tesla go? As far as electricity can go and as far as the public's appreciation will go. Tesla is now more than a CEO's dream, its an electric reality that is now rolling faster than ever.

For a bit more drops of future, visit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UziAXis9yg
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-most-important-automaker-20140620-story.html
http://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger
http://www.thestar.com/business/2015/06/02/tesla-trucks-sort-of-co-founder-in-ambitious-electric-truck-start-up.html
http://www.teslamotors.com/sites/default/files/blog_attachments/gigafactory.pdf
http://fortune.com/2015/04/27/gigafactory-obsolete/

Monday, June 1, 2015

Technology's New Milestone

From the first autonomous car to the first optical wearable tech, Google has consistently revolutionized the technological market by not only developing new gadgets that have proven useful to millions of people, but by also coming up with never before seen technologies.

Touchscreens, a technology that is used in everything these days (watches, computers, tablets, cell phones, etc.), dates back to the 1980's, but became popular only around 2004. Today, it is still a very interesting and useful technology to have because it makes everything accessible to the human touch. Like babies discovering things with their hands, the touchscreen enables us to discover and access the world within our devices with our fingers. 

And as time has gone by, there really didn't seem like anything could become more powerful or more useful than a touchscreen. Until Google decided to show off new technologies last Friday and unveiled their Project Soli.


Google has been working on something that could make the touchscreen obsolete: manipulating technology without actually touching it. Google showcased an early prototype of this using a small chip.

The idea is fascinatingly simple but this may very well be the future of household devices and even of technology itself. By using radar waves, the chip senses the movements of the user's hand and can detect and distinguish various movements. Each movement or action is then translated into commands that can be interpreted like rubbing your fingers to reduce the volume or to scroll. 


The technology is still in its early stages but still represents a good leap forward in manipulating objects in virtual realities. But how will this new technology affect us? It is pretty obvious that it will have an impact on how we perceive and interact with the technological world but I guess it will counter-intuitively make us less dependent of the machines we use. Imagine if we could do anything without having to touch the screen. By using hand gestures or vocal commands, we might become more connected with the real world because we don't have to always focus on one object at a time. With one command, we might, from our bed, stop the oven, reduce the volume of our music, position an image on our PowerPoint and call a friend to dinner. All of this, quicker than ever, from the comfort of your bed. 

Yet, the opposite might happen too. We might lose track of our surroundings because we are too busy gesticulating. Also, this might open up new applications in virtual reality that will make it more and more realistic. I think people will have to get use to it too; gesticulating over a cellphone seems more like something a magician would do and an obvious question is: "Are you trying to levitate it?".

Finally, is this such a good idea after all? I think it all depends on how far this new technology is implemented and how it will be used. It might help distance us from being technological zombies, or it might make us even more addicted to what we already have. I guess only time will answer this question. Until then, we can only wait and be amazed at the numerous applications this new technology can and will probably have. 

For a little more drops of future, visit:

http://uk.businessinsider.com/google-soli-finger-control-technology-2015-5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QNiZfSsPc0
http://www.roadtovr.com/googles-project-soli-radar-hand-tracking-and-how-vr-and-ar-input-might-use-it/