Digital privacy

The biggest tug-of-war on the internet right now is that between privacy and transparency. There is no doubt that the internet has brought tremendous transparency to industry and many areas that were previously obscure. One need only reflect upon the many criminals who have been apprehended by the authorities in recent years via the web, to truly grasp the power of the digital spectrum in this regard. It is certainly becoming more difficult for criminals and sinister enterprises to hide in the background without leaving any footprints, in the age of big data and the Internet of Things. However, this heightened level of global transparency has the capacity to intrude upon our privacy in ways unimagined. Even seemingly benign Social Media platforms like Facebook of Twitter can be used against individuals by employers or authorities, in view of inappropriate comments or content. While this is advantageous in some respects, it can potentially do more harm than good. Could the Internet of Things eventually become a global Panopticon? Could we eventually end up living in an Orwellian Big Brother state? These are questions that must be urgently addressed right now. Digital privacy is becoming increasingly important now in light of the digital audit trails we all leave behind. The video below is worth watching in regard to the issue of digital privacy and addresses the issue of quantum encryption. Quantum encryption may provide the answer to attaining better digital privacy levels, but other options must be considered too.

3D printing in medicine

3D printing has made extraordinary progress in recent years. Just recently, 3D printing helped surgeons conduct an intensive brain surgery operation. According to this article, the usual approach to surgery would not have enabled surgeons to facilitate the operation in question. According to the video below, more than 40,000 hip replacements have been produced using 3D printing. We may well be on the cusp of an incredible medical scientific revolution with 3D printing. If so, our very concept and understanding of doctors, nurses and hospitals is about to undergo a radical change. Although this constitutes an amazing technological development, it does not come without challenges. For instance, what regulations should be in place in regard to 3D printing? What kind of bodies should regulate this technology? There are many ethical hurdles that will need to be crossed as we enter this new domain. But there is not doubt that it heralds tremendous potential for the health and well-being of millions of human beings worldwide.

Paris attacks

Over the past few days since the heinous attacks in Paris, the media has given huge attention to the reaction from across the world. As nations across the world rally behind France to express their solidarity with Europe's second largest country. What was interesting and moving to observe after the atrocity in Paris, was the influential role played by Social Media. Nothing was more touching than the enormous outpouring of support from across the world in the aftermath of the attacks. From the changing of Facebook profiles to the colours of the French flag to the harsh condemnation of the atrocities on Twitter, Social Media proved an unequivocal force for good on this occasion. Political leaders and civilians alike united around the world to stand by our French brothers and sisters during this dark and tragic time. Atrocities of this nature can make one very cynical towards humanity, until one is confronted with the heartwarming messages on Facebook that point to something far better. Many Parisians used Social Media to offer safe houses to anyone seeking refuge from the attackers. Community pages for survivors of the terror attacks were created on Facebook within days after the events in question. What is undeniable is that Social Media can be a source of tremendous unity and solidarity in times of trouble. As we move day by day into an increasingly digitalised world, Social Media will continue to bring people together to work for the common good. This level of unity will be critical in order to facilitate intelligent discourse about how to rid the world of some of the bad ideas that have been disseminated throughout the Middle East and beyond. In a world torn apart by dangerous religious ideology, is it too optimistic to hope that Social Media may bring us together to overcome these toxic ideas?

Sello app

Recent years have witnessed an explosion in online shopping and Smartphones, to the extent that phones have now become an integral component of shopping decisions for many customers. This is an extraordinary move in regard to online shopping. One particular company that has done extremely well from this disruptive technology is Canadian ecommerce firm Shopify. Recently, Shopify has launched an app entitled Sello that allows customers to create online stores from their phones. The video below demonstrates how exactly this works. This will be a fascinating development to watch in coming years, as it means that Smartphones can effectively become virtual office stores.

The future of wireless

One hot topic right now is the future of wireless connectivity. Every day we become more interconnected with one another and take one step further towards the Internet of Things. However, one major challenge to this is the sheer volume of energy required to power the internet. Current estimates hold that 50 billion devices will be online by the year 2020. This will require a staggering amount of energy. With concerns rising over depleting fossil fuels, attention is now focused upon renewable energy. If the coming years can witness a convergence or synergy between internet technology and renewable energy, so much the better for everyone. Solar energy is of particular interest in this regard. If we could harness 0.01% of the energy we obtain from the sun, we could power the entire earth six times over. Li-Fi technology, pioneered by Professor Harald Haas of Vienna, has received enormous interest in this regard. Li-Fi is wireless technology that relies upon visible light. The video below by Harald Haas is particularly illuminating in regard to getting a glimpse of likely future developments in this exciting area. Li-Fi could potentially lead to huge cost savings in energy consumption. 

The evolution of everything

Science journalist Matt Ridley has just written a fascinating book entitled "The evolution of everything". This illuminating book addresses how everything in our world from genetic life to money, government and technology have evolved slowly over time, rather than having being created or designed. Ridley's style of writing is lucid and engaging and the book grabs the reader's attention right from the first page. The principal message of the book is the fact that many people still have a creationist mindset in regard to many different phenomena in our world. That is to say, many people think that things like culture, industry and education have been purposely designed in their present-form from the top-down, rather than have slowly arisen from the bottom-up. Nothing we observe has been intentionally designed to look the way it does. Instead, just has life has slowly emerged over millions of years via natural selection, everything else has likewise developed over long periods of time via a process of trial and error. The implications of this are profound. Ridley argues that people need to abandon the pseudoscientific creationist/design mentality and embrace the scientific evolutionary mindset. This is especially poignant in regard to the internet.
The internet has no centre and no hierarchy. There is no authority to whom everybody is answerable within the digital space. Rather, the internet is the result of a lengthy process of collaboration amongst millions of independent individuals globally. This is particularly visible in regard to the likes of crowd-sourcing and Wikipedia. Another spectacular example is Bitcoin. Blockchain technology is about to revolutionize the world, particularly the financial services. It would be foolish to assert that Bitcoin is the end-result of the internet. Rather, it is the beginning of something enormous. Ultimately, Blockchain technology could radically decentralize financial institutions and even governments, possibly even making banks and companies obsolete. What Bitcoin does very effectively, as many other digital technologies do, is render the middlemen obsolete. This has huge implications for the future of our planet, whatever profession we choose to pursue. "The evolution of everything" is a must read for anyone interested in gaining an insight in what the digital future holds.