This Fight Won't Be Our Last As the global population continues its fight against the invisible enemy, I can't help but wonder what disease will cause the next pandemic. Yes, we are undoubtedly learning how to more effectively combat the spread of the coronavirus. We will find a way to more rapidly develop vaccines and administer them at scale. But, pandemic preparedness requires coordinated efforts between state, federal, and global government leaders. Many of these leaders have failed time and again to put their constituents' interests first. Their failures won't just compromise the success of this recovery. They may also result in the next disaster. Having said that, we need to ask: what … [Read more...] about What Disease Will Cause the Next Pandemic?
technology
3 Dynamics that Will Force Changes in the Insurance Industry
When Risk Becomes too Great Hurricane Dorian recently ravaged the Bahamas, leaving tens of thousands homeless. The Category 5 hurricane was even worse than expected. Unfortunately, as climate change worsens, the number of devastating weather events like Dorian will rise. Homes and businesses in coastal areas will grow increasingly exposed to the possibility of ruin. How, then, will high risk properties be insured? Will certain geographic locations ultimately be considered uninsurable? At what point will regions within Florida and the Bahamas be written off as lost causes? The insurance industry is beginning to undergo some big changes. Some of these changes are due to technological … [Read more...] about 3 Dynamics that Will Force Changes in the Insurance Industry
Four Areas to Watch As Big Tech and Government Work Together
Blurred Boundaries Between Big Tech and Government Amazon has been in the news lately due to its nearly finalized cloud contract with the government. Amazon Web Services, Amazon's cloud hosting service, has been a huge revenue driver for the conglomerate. The Department of Defense favors Amazon Web Services over the competition to host its data for military missions. Amazon could make $10 billion on this contract alone. The partnership with the DoD, though, isn't the extent of Amazon's relationship with the government. Amazon also released a product called Ring, a home security system that acts as a private surveillance network. Ring footage is being shared with local police forces to … [Read more...] about Four Areas to Watch As Big Tech and Government Work Together
What Would a World Without Facebook Look Like?
Failing to Bring the World Closer Together A little over two years ago, Facebook updated its mission statement to, "Give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together." Since the update, though, Facebook has pushed the world further apart. The data they've collected on their users have been exploited to the extent they've influenced multiple elections across the globe. Most notably, a data analytics firm called Cambridge Analytica used Facebook's data to create a profile of voters that were susceptible to advertisements. The Cambridge Analytica scandal was covered at length in Netflix's latest hit, The Great Hack. I highly recommend you watch it. Facebook … [Read more...] about What Would a World Without Facebook Look Like?
Technology Companies Will Become More Transparent Over Time
Poor Prioritization Creates Riches The rapid rise of Silicon Valley technology companies inspired a new capitalist paradigm. Software no longer needed to be mature or devoid of bugs before ending up in the hands of consumers. With venture capital to burn and dreams of exponential returns, founding technology teams raced as fast as they could to grow their customer bases. The “Internet 2.0” business model seemed perfect. Technology teams focus on growth at all costs with the ultimate goal of monetizing their users. Monetization is primarily done through targeted advertising. In exchange for the use of a company’s products and services, users are subjected to advertisements. The inputs … [Read more...] about Technology Companies Will Become More Transparent Over Time
