Coffee Break With Game-changers, Presented By Sap

The buzz: “We’ve all been there — woken up from a night’s sleep thinking about a dream from the night before. Why did the dream happen? What does it mean? (Jean-Marc Emden, DreamsCloud. www.wired.com/insights/2014/10/dreaming-innovation) Finally, answers! The Aurora headband from iWinks gives us the opportunity to control our dreams and access lucid dreams – awareness that one is dreaming – by prompting them in our sleep. The headband measures brain wave and eye movement activity, while tracking body movements to figure out when a user is in their dream state. Using Bluetooth technology, personal dream data is transferred to a mobile app, allowing us to analyze our sleep patterns over time. We’ll ask Roberta Moore at EQ-i Coach, Therapist Scott Schenck, Licensed Counselor Dr. Francesca Ferrentelli and Psychiatrist Leonard Cruz, MD, ME, for their take on “It's All In Your Head: Technology for Remembering Your Dreams.

The buzz: Vrooomm. Today, women account for only 27% of the US auto manufacturing workforce as compared to about 47% of the overall labor force. This talent gap is counterproductive for companies looking to tap into the rising opportunities for innovation, transformation, and disruption by digital technologies such as AI, AR, and the IoT. (www2.deloitte.com) Bogi Lateiner, owner of 180 Degrees Automotive in Phoenix, wanted to be a mechanic. “I had to go to 20 shops before I got the first job to say yes to hiring me”. She started her shop in her driveway. (cronkitenews..azpbs.org) In 2000, Automotive News had a difficult time filling its first list of 100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry. By 2015, it had hundreds of powerful female execs to choose from. (autonews.com) We’ll ask Julie Fream (OESA), Laurie Harbour (Harbour Results), Shannon Quinn (Bridgestone) and Jennifer A. Dukarski (Butzel Long) for their take on the future of women in the automotive industry.

The buzz X 3: Make me laugh! Though seemingly innocuous, cartoons, caricatures, comic strips and comic books are representative of important issues in society. Years ago, cartoons were handmade, frame by frame. Now many use flash, aftereffects or other software with interpolation features to produce movement illusion. (engadget.com) Caricature artists once heavily relied on pens and paper. Now, many use digital artistic tools for molding their imagination. (bmmagazine.co.uk) Storytelling using pictures, often with words, has existed at least since the ancient Egyptians. The American comic strip adapted this for the 20th century. (newworldencyclopedia.org) Comic books were once created using typewriters, pencils, pens, brushes, inks, and dyes. Now it's all ones and zeroes. (pcmag.com) We’ll ask visual artists Bruce Outridge, Sandra Bell-Lundy, Rina Piccolo, and Joe Bluhm for their take on the future of technology and the visual art they create to make us laugh or just think.

The buzz: “Web marketing is about delivering useful content at just the right moment that a buyer needs it.” (David Meerman Scott, The New Rules of Marketing and PR) For companies trying to sell you something right now, while you’re listening to us and in the midst of a pandemic, is this the right moment? How do you want them to find you, pitch you, engage you, earn your trust and get you to buy their products or services? Are you annoyed by their intrusion or do you welcome it? Today’s dynamic business and social landscapes are forcing sellers and marketers to creatively find you wherever you are – on social platforms, websites, email, perhaps still in the physical commerce world. As the world and society evolve, so does business. We’ll ask Lorraine Maurice at SAP, GL Hendricks at Chirp PR, and Brian Moran at Brian Moran & Associates to predict the post-pandemic 'next normal' for modern marketers with something to sell to consumers, including you, me and even each other.

The buzz: According to Engineering the Future of Creativity: How Technology is Revolutionizing Art (techspective.net 2019, technology has created more accessible tools for the production of art, changed the arena of self-expression, and accelerated the process of art funding and distribution. The artist’s palette now includes 3D printers. Eyal Gever is working with NASA scientists to create visualizations of human laughter that will be 3D printed on the International Space Station. Technology is redefining the canvas. The Bjork Digital traveling exhibition uses virtual reality and music to create a personalized experience that connects people to art. Via the Internet, art now can be produced and distributed all over the world, beyond the realm of the elite or the exceptionally talented. We’ll ask artist Dr. Lucie Marlo, gallery owner Jason Horejs, sculptor Philip Payne and art consultant Lynn Marks for their take on Draw Me A Picture: The Future of Art and Technology.

The buzz: Hard to imagine, but not so long ago, products and services were sold in the physical world and salespeople were the go-to experts before a sale. Remember being invited to coffee or lunch by a salesperson? But consumer habits change, often due to technology. Over the past few years, social selling has gained the attention of sales professionals. With nearly 3.6B people now using social media worldwide, and consumers now 5 times more reliant on digital content than in the early 2,000’s, the digital space is here to stay. Social selling is defined as when salespeople use social media to interact directly and build trust with target audiences until prospects are ready to buy a service or product. [digitalmarketinginstitute.com, statista.com, businesswire.com] We’ll ask Jason Taylor at Grapevine6, Julio Viskovich at NexLevel Sales, Chris Diskin at TIAA and Brandon Bornancin at Seamless.AI for their take on The Future of Digital Selling: Coming to Your Favorite Social Media.

The buzz: Cyberpsychology is the study of the human mind and behavior and how the culture of technology, specifically, virtual reality, and social media affect them. Hot topics: online identity, online relationships, personality types in cyberspace, transference to computers, addiction to computers and Internet, regressive behavior in cyberspace, and online gender-switching. An example: comparison, low self-esteem, depression, loneliness, and negative relationships are possible detrimental consequences associated with frequent use of Facebook. en.wikipedia.org And there’s cyberpsychiatry, which includes virtual reality, telepsychiatry, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and chatbot therapists. “There is always a risk of taking the humanity out of medicine by relying too heavily on technology,” says Edward Kaftarian, MD. psychcongress.com We’ll ask Chris Kalaboukis, Lynda Roth, Jacob Perkins and Roberta Moore for their take on CyberPsychology: What Would Dr. Freud Say?

The buzz! “As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, restaurants are still doing what they always do: taking care of their communities.…free food to medical workers on the frontlines, laid-off restaurant staff and their families, and basically anyone else in need.” (blog.opentable.com) “Giving back to others has had another much-needed consequence: It’s helping keep those restaurants in business and their staff working.” (cnbc.com) “Through the generosity of patrons, the fundraised meals are provided by area restaurants…many businesses [are] pivoting to stay afloat during the pandemic crisis.” (abc7ny.com) What’s on the menu to help restaurants owners and workers survive the pandemic? Virtual tastings, more carryout options, enhanced guest-centricity, new food sources, site purchase vs. lease, and more. We’ll ask restaurateurs Ryan Turner, Ryan Pernice, Bryan Schroeder and Mike Patrick for their take on The Care & Feeding of Restaurants Post-Pandemic: Technology on the Menu.

A social good is something that benefits the largest number of people in the largest possible way, such as clean air, clean water, healthcare, and literacy. Aka common good, social good can trace its history to Ancient Greece philosophers and implies a positive impact on individuals or society in general… Today, social good is used to refer to corporate initiatives that aim to enhance the social contract of corporations by promoting practices that are better for the environment and overall society.…and gain employee trust and loyalty…Social media platforms are an efficient way to educate the public, and advocate and fundraise for programs that support the social good. Social good has been connected with social media, as its definition has expanded to include a shareable deed or sentiment.” (www.investopedia.com/terms/s/social_good.asp) We’ll ask IDC’s Bob Parker, Ruthbea Yesner, David Reinsel and Cynthia Burghard for their take on The Future of Connectedness for Social Good.

The buzz! Europe-based Just Eat Takeaway, a merger between U.K.’s Just Eat and Netherlands-based Takeaway, is set to acquire its US competitor Grubhub in a $7.3B deal, beating out Uber. The new company will have an active customer base of 70M. When the pandemic forced restaurants to close on-site dining and find other ways to stay in business, Glasserie, a Brooklyn, N.Y. Mediterranean restaurant, experimented with delivery and takeout apps including Seamless, Grubhub and DoorDash. But they were disappointed by the fees and difficulty getting help using the apps’ service. It took one delivery app more than six weeks to update menu photos and other requested changes. Owner Sara Conklin said about 95 percent of sales are now coming directly from the restaurant’s website rather than through app companies. We’ll ask Chef Chris Hall of Local Three pizzeria, and Randy Evins, Evan Bowler and David Gruehn at SAP for their take on What’s For Dinner? The Future of Meal Delivery Apps.

The buzz! Yogurt is a food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. Yogurt is related to the verb yogurmak, to be curdled or coagulated; to thicken”. Ancient Greek cuisine included a similar dairy product, oxygala. Yogurt was introduced to the US in the early 20th century. In 2017, the average American ate 13.7 pounds of yogurt. Because it may contain live cultures, yogurt is often associated with probiotics, postulated as having positive effects on immune, cardiovascular or metabolic health. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogurt) According to NIH, “The future of yogurt is in the hands of scientists, technologists, and policy makers. There is a clear opportunity to build the knowledge, tools, and products needed to position a portfolio of new foods based on the concepts of traditional yogurt.” (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) We’ll ask Matt Billings at AYO Yogurt, Lori Corbin at ABC7, The Fit Foodie Mareya Ibrahim and Bernadette Judge, RN for their take on Yogurt of The Future: A Taste of Technology.

The buzz! themuse.com “Social media can also be a powerful tool for your professional life…build your personal brand, grow your network, establish yourself as an expert in your field, or give prospective employers a glimpse into your personality. It can also be full of pitfalls. More employers…check candidates’ social media profiles before hiring…screenshots of status updates and tweets mean your electronic words can live forever, even if you delete them later…not just your own posts—your activity, including those stealth “likes,” can come back to haunt you, too… every post you’ve liked, commented on, or shared, in addition to any posts you’re sharing to your feed.” digitalmarketinginstitute.com “Creating a personal brand on social media isn’t easy… not about what you look like or where you live, it’s about what you stand for.” We’ll ask Ashley Welch, Stuart Paap, Loic Simon and Sylvie Lachkar for their take on Personal Social Brands: Helping or Hurting Career, Business, and Life?

Ripped from the headlines: transwood.com: “Technology is becoming an increasingly important part of everyday trucking life…improving trucker safety, efficiency and saving transportation companies…a new mobile app [Jan. 2019] helps truckers find safe and close-by parking spaces via smart phone, in-cab information systems and the DOT 511 platform.” trucks.com: “Zero-emission (ZE) truck and bus models are on the verge of a major surge in the United States and Canada. Among the fastest-growing vehicle segments in the U.S. and Canada are medium-duty trucks typically used for urban delivery.” inboundlogistics.com: “Trucking companies and fleet managers must incorporate emergent tech and process innovations to stay relevant and retain their competitive edge.” We’ll ask Bruce Outridge, The Lead Pedal Podcast for Truck Drivers; Chris Harris, Dawg On-It Trucking PAWEDcast; Vickie DeVos, Fleet-Tax Services and iMVR Canada; Jeremy Thiel, DriverCheck, for their take on Tech and Future Trucking.

The buzz: Lifeboat Foundation Scientific Advisory Board member Michael Anissimov says, “Transhumanists advocate the improvement of human capacities through advanced technology. Not just…in gadgets you get from Best Buy, but technology in the grander sense of strategies for eliminating disease, providing cheap but high-quality products to the world’s poorest, improving quality of life and social interconnectedness…Technology we don’t notice because it’s blended in with the fabric of the world, but would immediately take note of its absence if it became unavailable.…looking…twenty years, thirty years, and beyond.” Anissimov’s top ten transhumanist technologies: Cryonics, Virtual Reality, Gene Therapy/RNA Interference, Space Colonization, Cybernetics, Autonomous Self-Replicating Robotics, Molecular Manufacturing, Megascale Engineering, Mind Uploading, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). We’ll ask Prof. Agnis Stibe, Chris Kalaboukis, Jacob Perkins and Lynda Roth for their predictions.

The buzz: Ripped from the headlines. WebMD.com: “Contact tracing is essentially detective work.“… “One of the oldest public health tactics, dating back centuries.” CNN.com: …public health staff work with a patient to help them recall everyone with whom they have had close contact during the timeframe while they may have been infectious. To protect patient privacy, contacts are only informed that they may have been exposed to a patient with the infection…not the identity of the patient… [CDC) . ZDnet.com: “…gathering information about people's geo-location and other personal data, to aid management of the pandemic, risks infringing on our individual privacy more than ever before.”…“We might never get rid of it (Prof. Ross Anderson). We’ll ask Heather Federman at Big ID, Joe Jerome at Common Sense Media, Sara Collins at PublicKnowledge, and Kenesa Ahmad at Aleada for their take on these privacy issues on We Know Where You Were Last Night and Right Now: Contact Tracing & Your Future.

The Buzz: “The Factory of the Future…Perhaps manufacturing will at last be able to leave behind the public impressions of labor-intensive, dirty and dangerous worksites…There is only one characteristic of the Factory of the Future that is essential: A creative mindset for problem-solving and out-of-the-box thinking is key to embracing new technologies.” (industryweek.com) So many questions! What will future factory jobs look like – only programmers, AI experts and supervisors in Silicon Valley and MIT Boston? Will there be a role for the not-so-educated, perhaps today’s burger-flipping job level? Will everyone receive a base welfare-level monthly allowance for life? Will the work week be reduced to 35 or 30 hours for all? Will first the Chinese and then Europe have truly smart factories before the US does? We’ll ask Gerd Hoppe at Beckhoff, Dr. Christian Liedtke at KUKA AG, Rakesh Gandhi and Nils Herzberg at SAP about Jobs in the Factory of the Future: Who, What, Where, How Much $?

The Buzz: “For better and for worse, robots will alter humans’ capacity for altruism, love, and friendship…‘hybrid systems’—where people and robots interact socially—the right kind of AI can improve the way humans relate to one another” (theatlantic.com). “The internet acts like a kind of digital-fuelled alcohol, freeing us to say things to strangers that we would never dare to say if we met them” (bbc.com). “Being a good online citizen is more than being a safe Internet user—it’s about being responsible, smart, and having respect for yourself and others” (goguardian.com). In our global pandemic, more people are online more than ever– working, learning, meeting from home. Are they always nice to each other? No, continuing a pre-Covid-19 trend. We’ll ask Frank Diana, Prof. John H. Shannon, Ruchin Kansal and Kevin Benedict if AI, machine learning and other technologies will boost humans’ civility and respect online and offline? And will a “New Nice” last?

The buzz: “Pet adoptions are way up amid coronavirus crisis, even with shelters closed to public” (USA TODAY). “Like everyone else forced to improvise in the face of an unprecedented crisis, America's animal shelters are coming up with creative ways to stay open, so they can continue pairing people and pets. Americans are rushing, well, not to their local shelters but to their phones and laptops to check out available pets, to donate money and supplies, to share the word on social media about rescuing homeless balls of furry fun. Appointment-only and call-ahead adoptions, drive-up fostering and curbside adoptions, online training and at-home volunteer projects…are some of the solutions…to help care for vulnerable animals during the pandemic.” We’ll ask four pet-loving-and-adopting actors – Lori Hammel, Samantha B. Northart, Neal Mayer and Shirleyann Kaladjian – for their take on Technology and The Future of Pet Adoptions.

The buzz: “Even incubators/accelerators [in India] that have been around for years, and have “processed” 50+ startups, usually don't have even one startup that has achieved impressive revenues/valuations” (Source). 90% of startups fail. Doomed from the start? Likely if they work with accelerators, which invest low seed capital in multiple startups for 12-week mentoring, expecting most to flop when Demo Day investors say No. If you’re a wannabe entrepreneur or a serial entrepreneur with your eye on the next big prize, here’s another path. Venture studios dawned in the late 00’s when successful-exit tech entrepreneurs assembled experts and investors to create their own ventures or boost the commercialization of post-incubator, post-accelerator, post-corporate innovation labs. We’ll ask Don Deloach at Rocket Wagon Venture Studios, Chris Morgan at Lantern Partners, and Chris Rezendes at Spherical | Analytics for their take on Hatching Your BIG Idea: Venture Studios and Startup Success.

The buzz X2: “Humans have been co-evolving with their technologies since the dawn of prehistory…. Coping with this new means liberating ourselves from such categories as ‘human,’ ‘technological,’ and ‘natural’ to embrace a new techno-human relationship” (Allenby & Sarewitz). “Growing up I always considered the interaction of humanity and technology presented in the original Star Trek series as a fairly accurate representation of the way things would someday go. Then came the Next Generation’s Borg…our future may have more in common with the Borg” (J. Huang). Uncertainty and dramatic changes are not new, but our human window of tolerance is being stretched to the limit more than ever. As a global civilization, we’ve been catapulted into the awareness that we need new technohuman ecosystems. How we react, adapt and evolve will define our success. We’ll ask Judy Ryan, Jacob Perkins, Marti Konstant and Lynda Roth for their take on Falling to Pieces? Technohuman Game-Changers to the Rescue!