Category Archives: Transhuman News

As a new generation of clients comes of age, and technology continues to seep its way into every corner of a decidedly old-school profession, its likely that design wont be exactly the same in 2030 as it is in 2020. What will it be like? And just as importantly, what will it be worth? We asked three futurists to find out.

These days, who has time to even get to the bottom of their inbox, let alone think long-term about the future of the industry? While no one wants to believe theyve got their head in the sand, most of us have a hard time imagining that interior design will be that different in 10 years. Theres even a name for this phenomenon: the end-of-history illusion. Its the universally shared psychological delusion that convinces us all that weand the world around uswont change.

Change does come, of course, and you only have to take a quick glance back to realize how radical it can be. A hundred years ago, interior design was an extremely rarefied profession, the province of a tiny handful of ultrawealthy clients. Now, there are far more interior designers in America than coal miners, a reality that would have been unimaginable in 1920. Luckily, most of the change the industry has undergone over the last century has been positive for designers. But whos to say that trend will continue?

Most of us plot our lives a few weeks in advance. The well-organized think in months, and the truly exceptional can make (and actually stick to) a five-year plan. There are, however, professionals whose entire job it is to think about the future. These consultants study big-picture trends and put together predictions to help their clients stay ahead of the curve. When looking into the future of interior design, it only made sense to start with the people who do it for a living.

Our crystal-ball gazers are Brian David Johnson, the futurist-in-residence at Arizona State Universitys Center for Science and the Imagination; Dror Poleg, a consultant and the author of Rethinking Real Estate: A Roadmap to Technologys Impact on the Worlds Largest Asset Class; and Piers Fawkes, an innovation consultant and the founder and president of consumer research agency PSFK.

This is the first installmentof a three-part exploration of what the future holds for the design industry. What will interior design be worth in 2030? We also asked two historians and a travel agent.

What do you think homes will look like in 10 years?

Brian David Johnson: The dirty secret is that in 10 years, homes are going to look a lot like they do today. Thats not a bad thing. Thats understanding that we as humans like things that are comfortable and have history. I tell my students that if you walk out your front door and it looks like it did on The Jetsons, thats a nightmare. We dont want our homes to change all that much.

Piers Fawkes: A luxury brand wanted me to do a project about the home of the future. Every conversation was them saying, When are you going to come up with this list of big TVs and massive sound systems? And I would reply, Thats not what the research is showing. I occasionally visit the home of an ultrawealthy person, and they absolutely dont want to live in Tony Starks homepartly because of data concerns and privacy. People now buy old Sonos speakers that dont have Alexa in them, just for privacy. The project never happened, because the brand just didnt believe me. What are the big forces that will change the nature of interior design and home in general?

Dror Poleg: More and more, the way a property looks online is much more important than what it looks like offline. Whether its an office space or residence, increasingly, you attract buyers through digital channels, and only then do they visit the actual building. So youre seeing people design spaces to look better online, because thats the visibility that matters. Thats only going to continue.

Fawkes: More people are going to be living in urban areas, and are going to have Uber-type jobs, where the work is fractional. Thats going to create more demand for co-living, where theres only a certain amount of private space. The manipulation of space will become more important, and furniture will get more and more multifunctional. Do you think interior design will have more value in the future, or less?

Poleg: Lets take the personal computer industry as a lesson. In the beginning, IBM had to build every piece themselves. But once PCs became popular, other companies came along that could build computersmaybe not as good as IBM, but good enough. At that point, the value shifted from the physical product to other aspects of the product, like the design, usability, [the after-sales] service, and the sales experience.

You can see an analogy in the world of real estate and design. If you look at ads for apartment buildings and offices in the 1950s or 60s, you see them focus on the physical characteristics of the building: windows, air conditioning, elevators, fire sprinklers. In 2020, apartments and office buildings have those things at a level that is good enough. So in a world like this, the ability to capture more profit shifts to the design of a space, the sales experience, the unique components, all of that. Long story short: Interior design is becoming increasingly a driver of the value of a building, and that will continue to be the case.

What about the actual profession? Are we headed for design done by AI?

Johnson: Interior design isnt really just about designing the interior of a home. Its about people and solving their problems. People like people, especially when youre in their home. Yes, computers will play more of a role. If you talk to architects nowmodeling the substrata of weatherproofing and waterproofing that they used to do on paper, now most of it is handled by a computer, and thats OK. But [interior design] isnt going to be done by robots and artificial intelligence.

Courtesy of PSFK

Fawkes: The profession will still exist, but I think interior designers may need to develop another layer of technical sophistication to understand what peoples desires are for their homes. They may need to go from This is wallpaper that looks nice to This is wallpaper that looks nice and blocks Wi-Fi signals and protects digital privacy.

A young person asks you, Is there a future in being an interior designer? What do you say?

Poleg: Someone who handles the creativeside and establishes differentiating aspects for propertythats going to grow in importance, and there is value in that. But I think in the future, designers who are really good will make tons of money, and everyone else will be commodities. The notion of just being average and having a nice stable job is not going to work anymore.

Johnson: Absolutely. A profession I wouldnt recommend going into? Being a CPA. Thats going to be done by algorithms.

More here:
What will design look like in 2030? We asked 3 futurists - Business of Home

Hailstorm

Scientists say that Oumuamua, the giant space object that came from outside our solar system, could actually be an extremely rare chunk of hydrogen ice.

Its an out-there idea Wired reports that there are only a few places in the universe capable of creating a hydrogen iceberg. But the Yale scientists behind the theory say that if the interstellar visitor were a giant iceberg, many of its more bizarre properties would suddenly make sense.

One of the hardest things to explain about Oumuamuas path through our solar system is how it accelerated as it traveled. Comets accelerate, but there was no indication that Oumuamua relied on that mechanism.

But if Oumuamua were a hydrogen iceberg, the gradually-sublimating ice would propel it forward, according to research accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal.

Even though the hydrogen iceberg thing is a little exotic, it explains every single mysterious thing about Oumuamua, recent Yale Ph.D. graduate Darryl Seligman told Wired.

These hydrogen icebergs are extaaordinarily unusual. Hydrogen doesnt solidify unless it drops to just a few degrees above absolute zero, the lowest theoretical temperature in the universe. Only cosmic structures called giant molecular clouds reach that temperature.

The Yale scientists plotted Oumuamuas course back through one of these clouds, where it may have initially formed as a blob of dust and hydrogen sticking together. But unless astronomers manage to intercept the bizarre object, it will bea tough theory to actually prove.

READ MORE: Oumuamua Might Be a Giant Interstellar Hydrogen Iceberg [Wired]

More on interstellar visitors: NASA: Something Is Off About This Interstellar Comet

See the original post here:
Interstellar Visitor May Be One of Rarest Objects In Universe - Futurism

Six months ago, Greater Victoria was celebrating one of its strongest business climate in years.

Now, much like the rest of the world, its facing an economic recovery that could take years.

All around Vancouver Island, local economies are faltering. Health-care systems are strained. Were all told to stay at home and when we do venture out to observe social distancing.

Blame the coronavirus.

ALSO READ: Depression-era unemployment figures could hit Greater Victoria

Even futurist Jim Bottomley didnt see it coming.

This isnt like any economic downturn before because when you look at past recessions, typically theyre human-made, said Bottomley, a Sooke resident.

This time its an actual physical threat. Its a very scary because people didnt see it coming.

But recovery is coming, say officials.

Paul Nursey, the CEO of Destination Greater Victoria, says the Islands tourism industry was the first to be affected by the COVID-19-induced slump, and will likely be the last to fully recover.

His group is working on an 18-month plan through to next summer that aims to keep as much of the industry intact as possible, including reaching out for more government support.

Its really about making sure [those government measures] can actually help us back to recovery and are not just there in the short term. Otherwise, I cant see how our small- to medium-sized businesses are going to last until next summer, Nursey said.

Sooke Mayor Maja Tait, who is also president of the Union of B.C. Municipalities, said recovery will likely look different from one corner of the province to the other.

We know a rush to recover economically will result in a spike of [COVID19] cases, she said.

The road to recovery will be long and hard for most industries, Bottomley said.

This is something thats not going away, he said, noting the 1918 flu pandemic lasted nearly two years, and the second wave was bigger than the first.

The scary part about this particular virus is that its very spreadable.

But there are positives, Bottomley said.

As with any major disruption throughout world history, society has changed often for the better.

He predicts a real disruption on how industries work, more entrepreneurs (although he admits many small businesses will likely shutter), and how we connect each with each other through innovation and technology.

Many businesses have realized that employees can work at home and be productive, and that will mean communities like Sooke could be in for more growth.

Companies wont locate to where they want to locate. Theyll be going to where the workers live, Bottomley said, noting we are entering an innovation age where jobs and careers are changing.

READ MORE: Employers worry about safety, cash flow, second wave in COVID-19 restart

Tait said the District of Sooke is already seeing that movement as council work towards a new work plan for some of its employees.

Were likely going to see more municipal staff work at home permanently, those who dont necessarily meet with the public on a daily basis, she said.

Weve seen through the pandemic productivity and performance climb through the roof.

For more news from the Island and beyond delivered directly to your email inbox, click here.

editor@sookenewsmirror.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter

SIDEBAR

The quickest way to economic recovery is to find a vaccine for COVID-19, says futurist Jim Bottomley.

Vaccines are perceived as key to ending the restraints on work and life that have decimated the global economy, and returning to some sense of normalcy.

Worldwide, there are nearly five million positive cases and over 300,000 have been killed by the virus.

The vaccine is what everyone is hoping for and the sooner the better. But it could still be years away, Bottomley said.

Coronavirus

More:
Vancouver Island's long road to recovery will have a few bumps - vancouverislandfreedaily.com

The coming of widespread 5G technology promises more than just faster everything, enhanced capacity and greater reliability. Leading proponents of the wonders of 5G, such as the theoretical physicist and author Michio Kaku, paint a picture of a true technological paradigm shift, a game-changer.

The self-described futurist invites us to imagine a lightning-fast global communications network that will fuel dramatic advancements in societys productivity and ultimately enrich and empower our lives.

Every once in a while there is this technology which changes the entire landscape, he says in a video produced by wireless network operator T-Mobile. Much like the arrival of the Gutenberg printing press in the mid-1400s triggered a Renaissance of knowledge, he explains that 5G hold the promise to bring connectedness to the rest of the world for millions of people who currently lack easy access to broadband technology.

Lets hope he is correct. Because there is also no shortage of bright minds waving red flags about potential risks to health and online security. Many are warning that 5G also holds the power to enrich and empower high-speed malicious hackers, supercharging their ability to wreak untold havoc in the global cybercrime epidemic.

One of the fundamental challenges of 5G involves balancing its far-reaching potential for human progress against the significant new security risks presented by this extraordinary technological breakthrough, said cybersecurity expert Chuck Bane, academic director for the University of San Diegos online Master of Science in Cyber Security Engineering program and retired naval officer whose experience includes collaboration on cybersecurity projects with the Department of Homeland Security, the NSA and the DoD.

Remember when 4G promised to revolutionize data-based communication across the globe? That was so 2010. The G, of course, stands for generation meaning that 5G is the next generation of wireless mobile communications technology after 4G.

And generations, in this case, move much more quickly than in human terms. A quick review of the evolution of wireless communication reveals that the advent of 1G in the late 1970s marked the beginning of cellphone technology; so people born prior to that have gone from a 0G world to 4G, and now 5G. Each generation has been marked by technological advancements that allow greater data transmission speeds.

But, as technology website CNET explains, 5G networks will bring usmuch more than a simple bandwidth or speed improvementon phones: Critical improvements likelow latency, intelligent power consumption, high device density and network slicing make it a breakthrough.

Like other cellular networks, 5G networks use a system of cell sites that divide their territory into sectors and send encoded data through radio waves, according to PCmag.com.

The fifth generation of wireless internet technology will rely on hundreds of thousands of these small cell transmitters, which consume less power but cover smaller areas than 4G towers.

The size and number of the small cells which power 5G also means that they will be placed anywhere in streets and buildings, according to Forbes.com, marking the biggest shift in telecommunications since the invention of the cellphone.

For more details on how it all works, HackerNoon.com offers helpful explanations in 5 quick things to know about 5G.

5G is sometimes described as 100 times faster than 4G. Or, depending upon what type of application youre talking about, 10 times faster. Or 1,000 times faster.

Why is enhanced speed such a game-changer?

Faster data transmission and greater bandwidth obviously has far more important applications than consuming media, playing online games and exchanging work documents and files online.

In the medical world, for example, it can accelerate caregivers ability to deliver services like physician-to-physician consultations, at-home monitoring and video-based telemedicine, according to ModernHealthcare.com.

Another example involves self-driving cars, which rely on a continuous stream of data to operate. The quicker that information is delivered to autonomous vehicles, the better and safer they can run, according to a CNBC video.

The CNBC report forecasts 5G becoming the essential the connective tissue for the Internet of Things enabling the worldwide network of internet-connected devices to grow three-fold by 2025, linking and controlling not just robots, but medical devices, industrial equipment and agricultural machinery.

Along with the many positive benefits of 5G technology detailed above comes a lengthy list of concerns, from the individual and personal to the national and global.

Such concerns are closely examined in media reports with headlines like the following:

Concerns about potential health risks presented by electromagnetic radiation produced by higher-frequency radio waves emitted by the 5G small cells have been front and center (Wired.com offers some reassurance in an article titles Worried About 5Gs Health Effects? Dont Be), but this report will focus on the cybersecurity implications of 5G.

The future of wireless technology holds the promise of total connectivity.

But it will also be especially susceptible to cyberattacks and surveillance.

Thats the premise of an in-depth review of the terrifying potential of 5G published in The New Yorker.

The article cites estimates that 5G will pump $12 trillion into the global economy by 2035, and add 22 million new jobs in the United States alone, while ushering in a fourth industrial revolution.

However, A totally connected world will also be especially susceptible to cyberattacks. Even before the introduction of 5G networks, hackers have breached the control center of a municipal dam system, stopped an Internet-connected car as it travelled down an interstate, and sabotaged home appliances. Ransomware, malware, crypto-jacking, identity theft, and data breaches have become so common that more Americans are afraid of cybercrime than they are of becoming a victim of violent crime.

Industry watchdogs warn that 5G has the potential to worsen existing threats and introduce new ones. For example, the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy organization, has identified five ways in which 5G networks are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than their predecessors in a report titled: Why 5G Requires New Approaches to Cybersecurity.

Since one of the chief benefits envisioned for 5G is the ability to connect more and more devices to the IoT, this also increases the threat vectors for hackers, according to HackerNoon.com.

Another potential worst-case scenario outlined by HackerNoon: Faster networks can also mean faster ways for viruses and malware to spread. If more users are on the network, then you also have the potential for more infected devices and systems than ever before.

Commenting on the concern that a greatly expanded IoT multiplies the potential points of entry for cyberattacks in an article titled 5G Dangers: What are the Cybersecurity Implications? Heimdal Security notes that, 5G technology could also lead to botnet attacks, which will spread at a much higher speed than the current networks allow it.

Of particular relevance to the cybersecurity community, the dawn of the 5G era demands that new and improved defenses and cybersecurity protocols be developed and put in place to counter the potential risks.

This means the current and future work of many cybersecurity professionals will be inextricably connected to understanding and defending against the new security risks, both known and unknown, posed by this rapidly emerging technological breakthrough.

Because, in the final analysis, a world with vastly improved speed and bandwidth, as well as greatly expanded threat vectors, creates new possibilities for humans to do both wonderful things and horrible things faster than you can say 5G.

About the Author:

Dr. Michelle Moore is academic director and professor of practice for the University of San Diegos innovative online Master of Science in Cyber Security Operations and Leadership degree program. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy Administration with a concentration in Homeland Security and a masters degree in the Management of Information Systems. Her research topics are dedicated to the ongoing progression of cybersecurity, cyber law, cybercrime, national and international cyber policy, and disaster recovery efforts.

Editors Note:The opinions expressed in this guest author article are solely those of the contributor, and do not necessarily reflect those of Tripwire, Inc.

Excerpt from:
5G Technology - The Cybersecurity Implications of Widespread - tripwire.com

Search Party

Ever since scientists first calculated how much matter is in the universe, theyve been unable to find half of it.

Baryonic matter, sometimes called luminous matter to distinguish it from dark matter, has been estimated to make up about five percent of the stuff in the universe. But half of it has never been found, CNET reports until now.

Astronomers increasing ability to track fast radio bursts as they pass Earth gave them a new clue. These signals get distorted as they pass through objects, according to research published Wednesday in the journal Nature, and the extent of that distortion seems to account for the entirety of the universes missing matter, the team told CNET.

We all expected to detect it, eventually, University of California, Santa Cruz astronomer Xavier Prochaska told CNET, but until we did, it was an embarrassment.

Over the past few years, other scientists also claimed to have found the missing baryonic matter. They used techniques like scanning for clouds of gas surrounding black holes or cosmic strands of matter linking galaxies.

But they all relied on incomplete data sets and their papers made large extrapolations, Macquart told CNET. He compared it to guessing how big a dog is by looking at the size of its tail.

READ MORE: The universes missing matter problem has finally been solved [CNET]

More on baryonic matter: Scientists May Have Finally Found the Universes Missing Matter

Read more:
Half the Visible Universe Was Missing. Scientists Just Found It. - Futurism

From air travel to restaurants and mom-and-pop shops, businesses relying heavily on the in-person customer connection have been hit hard by the novel coronavirus pandemic. Shopping malls are no exception.

Retail futurist Doug Stephens ends an interview trying to sound positive about the retail industry. But he acknowledges its not easy to be upbeat.

We could be facing a retail refugee crisis, said Stephens, who founded and runs the consulting firm Retail Prophet. He describes monumental changes ahead for Canadas retailers and their employees, especially those located in large and medium-size shopping malls across the country.

Problems lie ahead for workers and the companies that own historically-profitable shopping properties occupied by retail brands that are struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are going to have a crisis in the commercial real estate market, Stephens makes clear.

Theres no way to get around or candy-coat it.

READ MORE: What shopping will look like as retail stores open across Canada

Retailers couldnt open their stores for weeks as a result of the global pandemic. In many parts of Canada, including Ontario, shopping malls still are not permitted to reopen to the public.

Many stores and shopping malls that have reopened have found an unenthusiastic consumer base reluctant to come back.

If they had no great reason to go four months ago, they are going to have much less reason to go in (the next) four months, said Marina Strauss, who spent 40 years as a Canadian journalist, mostly with the Globe and Mail.

Strauss spent the last 20 years at the newspaper reporting on the retail industry until her retirement in 2019.

To get people back at the malls they will need to really convince people theyre safe and theyre something to go for, she told Global News in an interview.

It wont be easy.

READ MORE: Can I try on clothes now that stores are reopening?

I dont predict the death of the shopping centre, I think the question is: what will it become?' said Lisa Hutcheson, managing partner of J.C. Williams Group, a Toronto-based retail industry consultancy.

Hutcheson says mall owners and retailers are wrestling to figure out how to open and operate businesses safely, knowing they must limit the number of customers in stores to ensure physical distancing.

The COVID-19 crisis has driven consumers to shop differently out of necessity. Online shopping for everything from groceries to clothing to electronics has become mainstream.

The internet is the biggest big box store in the world, said Stephens.

Anything I want is in that store 24 hours a day.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated change in retail, which was already in the midst of upheaval. For example, J.C. Penney, a 118-year-old retailer, filed for bankruptcy in May.

What COVID-19 is really doing is pushing the retail industry out of the industrial age of retail and into the digital age of retail. This is going to be really painful, not just for brands, it will be painful for consumers as well, said Stephens.

Almost inevitably, the shift to digital will have an effect on traditional stores.

READ MORE: B.C. retail stores are reopening mid-May. Heres what they need to do

We are going to see stores close, we are going to see more dark spaces in malls, thats not going to attract people either, said Strauss.

Rather than occupying a huge footprint, retailers may favour smaller stores designed to give consumers a taste of what theyre about.

It might be a showroom where people come in and the product is shipped to them at a separate time, said Hutcheson.

2020Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Link:
The New Reality: Future of shopping malls in jeopardy as COVID-19 pandemic pushes shoppers online - cjoy.com