Author: Pablo Valerio
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An Assault on Reason: Airbnb Defeats Proposition F
Airbnb defeated Proposition F by combining mass advertising with crowd politics. It gave $8 million to political groups opposing it, then mobilized all the hosts and renters living in the city to convince their friends and neighbors. When I read the news about the way Airbnb fought and finally defeated proposition F in San Francisco […]
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Thank you for cheating, Volkswagen
The automaker’s emissions scandal could end up being a boon if it pushes governments and the industry to reassess diesel’s impact more honestly and move away from it altogether. Before you start howling at me, I’d like to say that I do feel for all the people working for VW and its subsidiaries, suppliers, and […]
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NXP and MasterCard Enable IoT Devices to Make NFC Payments
Through MasterCard’s new program, which aims to enable any IoT device to become a payment device, the companies are revolutionizing how OEMs and banks deploy secure “pay” solutions to the market. NXP, having worked with Apple on Apple Pay, is now offering its Loader Service solution into MasterCard’s ecosystem. This will allow device manufacturers to […]
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Amazon Robotics Moves the Warehouse
The real magic of robots and the Internet of Things is happening right now at Amazon’s vast fulfillment warehouses in the US. See what it’s all about, and learn how simple robotics can transform your organization’s logistical needs. While there is no shortage of stories about the future potential of Amazon’s drone delivery program, the […]
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As Dog Days of Summer End, Cities Pick Up Pace Fighting Poop
Dog waste on city streets is more than a smelly inconvenience. It’s unsanitary, a hopscotch game for children and adults, extra work for cleaning crews, and in the words of one Spanish mayor, on a par with vandalism. Like vandalism, the fines for not picking up after your dog are high, as high as 500 […]
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London Pushes Through Stiff Resistance to Cycle Superhighways
Two new segregated bike paths will crisscross the city and open up speedy, safe cycling that will ease pollution and traffic for everyone, non-cyclists, too, Boris Johnson says. London is a big huffing puffing city, so Mayor Boris Johnson’s success in pushing ahead with his plan to build cycle superhighways right through the heart of it […]
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Cities Should Consider Going Cashless
It is starting to make sense for cities worldwide to prepare for a cashless society. Children in Iceland bake cookies to sell on the street, a tradition similar to American kids’ first taste of business selling lemonade. The difference is their choice of payment: While in the US, kids selling lemonade only take cash, Iceland’s children […]