And now (as they say), time for something completely different. So many great articles, books, videos and ideas-in-other-forms flow through The Nextsensing Project that it has not been possible to blog on all of them. To remedy that, once a month, we plan to bring you a choice list of items that we thought would interest anyone who is curious about the future of organisations, professions, and societies. And, if we find a profile of people we consider nextsensing leaders, we’ll include that as well. Hope you enjoy this change in our editorial pace! We’re calling this new feature…

NewNextNow

 

Get your head together! If you are into the world of Oculus Rift [link], then you know that virtual reality headsets are getting hotter by the minute. One of the latest models is called “Vive”. Check this headline: “HTC sold 15,000 Vive units in its first 10 minutes on sale.” According to Jacob Kastrenakes (@jake_k), the new headset goes on sale April 5. [Read More Now]

 

I’m slowing me down. When it comes to finding that next great idea, managers might consider getting out of their own way. According to Oliver Staley (@Ostaley), a new study suggests that collaborators are often better at pinpointing boom ideas over losing concepts; creators can enhance their batting avergae for success if they take a more holistic approach to creative thinking. It comes down to more involvement of co-workers, who may be of great help in deciding which ideas are worth strong commitment. [Read More Now]

 

SmokestackA billion good reasons to work harder Bill Gates believes he has the answer to climate change — and he’s putting up $1B to make it happen. Kevin J. Delaney (@delaney) reports that many scientists believe that “…carbon-emitting countries must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050… and stop emissions entirely by 2100.” Trouble is, no one’s working hard enough to make that happen. Per the article, Gates is “committing $1 billion of his own money over five years to invest in clean-energy technology, and has been pushing governments to increase their funding.” [Read More Now]

 

Read all about it! Is digital news already on its way out? That’s the scoop according to USA Today’s Michael Wolff (@MichaelWolffNYC), who cites falling ad revenue and less-than-competitive pricing as reasons for digital’s demise. [Read More Now]

 

You can ignore this. Researchers are now taking a hard look at how well we “ignore”, according to Kirstin Fawcett (@kirstinfawcett). Says the lead author of a new study: “Individuals who explicitly ignore distracting information improve their visual search performance….” [Read More Now]

 

An innovative bank? Really? The banking world is on the cutting edge and Chris Skinner (@Chris_Skinner) has everything you need to know in 2016: “The Top 10 Trends in Banking Innovation”. My favourite? “The 24/7 bank is here… it doesn’t cut the mustard to be 9 till 5 anymore.” [Read More Now]

 

Mr. Crusher, Engage! Techies and Trekkies rejoice! “Warp Drive” is upon us, but you’ll have to make the trip to Virginia’s Route 28 in the US in order to be part of the action. The newly christened boulevard on Orbital Sciences Corporation’s campus proves that forward thinking can also be a lot of fun. [Read More Now]

 

Batteries are included. Will electric cars finally start gaining traction on the global market? It’s all in the batteries, reports Bloomberg’s Tom Randall (@tsrandall): “Battery prices fell 35% last year…. By 2040, long-range electric cars will cost less than $22,000 [USD].” [Read More Now]

 

Also, from Bloomberg: “Beautiful Freaks” I’m keen to check out the new “Hello, World!” feature that Bloomberg is planning. Per their website announcement: “Hello World invites the viewer to come on a journey. It’s a journey that stretches across the globe to find the inventors, scientists and technologists shaping our future…. Join journalist and best-selling author Ashlee Vance on a quest to find the freshest, weirdest tech creations and the beautiful freaks behind them.” Can’t wait. [Read More Now]

Open Air Chair

Wait’ll you see this! Bold new office design aims to eschew the bleak experience of working in a cubicle. But is the trend actually working? Nikil Saval cites a 2013 study: “50% of workers in open-plan spaces suffer from a lack of sound privacy…. 30% complain about a lack of visual privacy.” Great photos accompany the article. Now, you just need to find a quiet place to look at them. [Read More Now]

 

Ten who truly changed the game Jeffrey Garten served as dean of the Yale School of Management. He just published From Silk to Silicon: The Story of Globalisation Through Ten Extraordinary Lives and it’s excerpted in the five-star journal, strategy+business (@stratandbiz). The excerpt will give you a feel for Andy Grove, the CEO of Intel for many years. Says Garten: “… [No] person had as much to do with making possible the third industrial revolution as this Hungarian immigrant who arrived in the US in 1956.” [Read More Now]

 

Need a lift? The future is here for car dashboards. Sam McMillan (@samismo) reports that auto manufacturers are doubling down on innovative design, especially for self-driving cars — everything from touch displays to fully automated workstations. [Read More Now]

And we’ll leave you with one from my old stomping grounds, Michigan…

 

Polished into Chromebooks… A group of enterprising educators in Michigan have proven that old tech can make a new and lasting impact. Ben Popper (@benpopper) spotlights the NYC startup, Neverware [link], that helped them transform outdated PCs into Google Chromebooks (or, at least, the next best thing to a real Chromebook). It’s an inspiring story of how old PCs tossed in a “junk pile” were upgraded helping low-income students and schools keep pace with the 21st century.  [Read More Now]

 

B C N U