Breakpoint Book

Privacy in the Age of Big Data

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There’s a frightening proposition that the mysterious conglomeration called Big Data will nullify our concept privacy. But in reality, the idea of “privacy” has been eroding for a long time within both the digital and physical world.

But is this really a bad thing? Author Jeff Stibel doesn’t think so. “This is a great thing! It’s great for society, it’s great for business, it’s great for consumers,” he says.

Big data is just a massive amount of small data bundled together and sorted into relevant information. And this information provides great power and intelligence, which allows governments to keep us safe and businesses to produce more of what we want. Isn’t that a win-win?

To hear more about Stibel’s take on big data’s deletion of privacy and why it can be a good thing, get your copy of Breakpoint today! 

 

(CC photo by: Purple Phoenix)

Is the Internet Hurting Our Brains?

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What are some of your biggest fears? If your list is anything like mine, I’m guessing spiders, snakes, the dark, and heights may appear amongst your list of worst nightmares. But the real question is: Are you scared of the internet?

Turns out that one of the questions most often asked to brain scientists is, “Does the internet damage your brain?” This is a genuine concern for a lot of people. But as you’ll soon learn through Jeff Stibel’s video, the internet doesn’t so much change our brains as ours brains adapt to it.

http://youtu.be/OQr7HWfcjdo

One of the main points Stibel makes is that “we are fundamentally changing our beliefs on what intelligence actually is, what is important in society through an intelligence stand point.” This means that what people used to consider as smarts is now accessible through the internet. Thus, the internet is simply expanding our horizons and changing our idea of what smart really is.

Because the internet is storing knowledge for us, the focus of society can change to what makes us uniquely human. That has the power to benefit society in the years to come.

 

(CC photo by: epSos.de)

Understanding Your Network Relative to Market Size

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When I was five, I wanted to be a pop star princess who saved the world. Talk about big dreams. But before you judge, I bet when you were five you had dreams of being something as awesome as a pop star princess.

All things start small. Every adult starts off as a child, just like every big business starts as a small one. Children have huge hopes and dreams for when they grow up, just like small businesses have aspirations to thrive and grow to larger businesses.

The twist is that a business’s size isn’t just relative to other businesses. The size of a business is determined by the size of the general market it serves. Thus, a business that appears small may actually be the largest form of that business that the market it serves can support.

To learn more about network and market size relativity, get your copy of Breakpoint today!

 

 

(CC photo by: Miss Messie)

Smaller Size, Greater Intelligence

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One might assume that bigger is better, but that’s not necessarily the case.

Millions of years ago, dinosaurs roamed the earth, towering over itty bitty creatures building colonies in the dirt. Now fast-forward to modern day earth. Those itty bitty creatures are still among us while dinosaur bones are strung up in museums.

Author Jeff Stibel makes it known that “ants outlived the dinosaurs, and will most likely outlive us.” Scary stuff, huh?

Can you think of some examples where smaller is better than bigger? Here’s a quick few to get you thinking:

  • Smaller debt is better than bigger debt
  • Cockroaches outlived the dinosaurs
  • A mosquito is more dangerous than a lion
  • A smaller hole in the ozone makes Al Gore happier

Get your copy of the Breakpoint today to find out more fun facts and interesting quotes on why smaller can be better!

 

(CC photo by: Ramesh NG)

What Does Breakpoint Mean?

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With people come networks, and with networks come breakpoints. Whether you’re in social media, business, or just dealing with people, a network forms and eventually hits its limit.

Lucky for you, you can acquaint yourself with these so-called breakpoints before it happens. Author Jeff Stibel reveals that “by learning about [the consistent cycles of networks in biology] you can learn how to build better businesses.”

Quirkily enough, ants are the key to understanding how to deal with a breakpoint. Ants know when they hit their breakpoint. So, instead of producing more and more ants, they take their 10,000 or so ants and become a sophisticated, collective society that sustains itself.

If you want to learn more about the sophistication of ant colonies and how to know a breakpoint when you see one, get your copy of Breakpoint today!

 

(CC photo credit: davecobb)

Seagulls Get ‘Drunk’ on Flying Ants

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Recycling is good for the environment as well as the brain

With incurable diseases such as Huntington’s, Scientists have now realized that the rates of proteostasis may be the clue in figuring out why certain nerve cells die. Proteostasis is the biological machinery dominating the environmental movements of the cell. By studying this, scientists learn that recycling in cells helps the brain.

A study using rat cells indicates that quickly clearing out defective proteins in the brain may prevent loss of brain cells.

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Seagulls Get ‘Drunk’ on Flying Ants

There have been multiple sightings of inebriated seagulls in southwest England. Known as “anting”, these birds flail around acting, as some say, like drunk birds. And unlike alcohol making humans drunk, can you guess what animal causes seagulls to act drunk?

Seagulls in southwest England are getting ‘drunk’ off the formic acid in the bodies of flying ants, creating a nuisance of themselves.

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Google Now Serves 25 Percent of North American Internet Traffic

With a jump from 6% to 25% persuasion is key in Google’s huge leap forward in taking over the North American internet traffic. To handle this amount of growth google is expanding like crazy and now has data centers on four different continents.

Everyone knows Google is big. But the truth is that it’s huge. On an average day, Google accounts for about 25 percent of all consumer internet traffic running through North American ISPs. That’s a far larger slice of than previously thought, and it means that with so many consumer devices connecting to Google each day, it’s bigger than Facebook, Netflix, and Instagram combined.

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How Microsoft SkyDrive Is Making Cloud Storage Less Painful

With people’s data needs increasing by 50% every year, and the capacity of device capacity only increasing by 25% there is a clear issue confronting the amount of data storage a person can have. That is why Microsoft has fallen in love with the idea of Cloud Storage. Through the Microsoft SkyDrive they make cloud storage a lot easier for anyone to use to the cloud.


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Gold at the end of the Brainbow

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Video: Keep your kid’s brain active this summer

It’s summer time and to a kid just out of school, it’s fun time. The last thing a kid wants to think about is school, books, teachers or projects. So how do you keep their brains sprightly throughout their exciting summer? Here’s a video with a few tips and ideas in keeping your child’s brain up and running throughout their summer vacation.

Middle school teacher Jessica Lahey and psychologist Jennifer Hartstein discuss the “summer slide”: kids losing months of learning over the summer. They share tips and book suggestions to get your kids reading this summer so they’ll do better when they return to school. (TODAY)

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How the Rest of Us Can Build the Internet of Things

The amount of “things” connected through the internet remains endless and that’s where Ayla Networks sees the greatest opportunity. Ayla plans to connect “things” in as many ways possible in order to make “things” as simple as possible for it’s customers. See what Ayla Networks has already done and what they plan on doing in the future.

THE INTERNET OF THINGS Ayla The Internet of Things seems like a slam dunk if your perspective comes from roaming the halls of Google, Apple, Qualcomm or upstarts like Nest. Simply connect that “thing” to an Android or iPhone app and make it do what you want with a tap on a touchscreen.

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Gold at the end of the Brainbow

15 neuroscientists have been given the task to map out every brain circuit. Difficult? Obviously, yes. Now add a 10 year time limit. See what these neuroscientists have to say about the challenge given to them by President Obama, and how difficult, yet interesting this assignment proves to be.

Imagine opening a computer and finding that the manufacturer hasn’t bothered to provide multicoloured wires in the tangle of cords. Now multiply that tangle of grey wires by 100m, unplug the power …

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Traumatic Brain Injury May Raise Stroke Risk

New studies show that in the future, traumatic brain injuries may add an extra risk of stroke. After undergoing a traumatic brain injury, compared to those who just go through a trauma, people gain an extra 30% chance of experiencing a stroke.

Experiencing a traumatic brain injury could raise your risk of having a stroke in the future, a new study suggests. Researchers from the University of…

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Mobile Web Problems and How to Avoid Them

At some point everyone runs into a web design problem or two. Here’s a full list of different problems one may endure and why it’s a bigger problem then you think. So learn a little! See what mistakes others have made before you, learn from them, and save yourself the hassle of fixing them in the future.

Lessons learned from two years of collecting screenshots of poor experiences on mobile websites. Direct Link to Article – Permalink Mobile Web Problems and How to Avoid Them is a post from CSS-Tricks

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Are “Cheap” Carbs Really Like Drugs To Your Brain?

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As global warming heats waterways, brain-eating amoebas thrive in US lakes

Beware of the “brain-eating amoebas” that roam in lakes throughout the US! Sounds scary, huh? These amoebas, commonly known as PAM, enter through your nasal passage and right into your brain. There it multiples and eventually kills about 3-8 people a year. Now it’s spreading further North in the US and researchers are beginning to worry. There’s no cure for this infestation of the brain, and it’s extremely hard to even diagnose. See where these amoebas are and were about they’re spreading to.

It’s a fatal infection without an effective treatment, and one that strikes in a decidedly gruesome manner: An amoebic organism lurking in water is inadvertently inhaled during a swim on a hot …

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Babies Recognize Each Other’s Moods, Study Says

Looks like the show Rugrats was not just another fun kids show, but a portrayal of the scientific truth. Babies, starting at around 5 months, can communicate with other babies better than some adult could. They sense each others emotions and feelings, infants can understand what is going on. Here’s the study scientists conducted in order to find out the what’s going on. These little rugrats know more than we think. [Read more…]

Not Just Ants, Thieves Too Target Circuit Wires

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Grand Prix for Good: Ants March With Leaf Billboards in BBDO’s WWF Stunt

Ants that make a statement. Yes, you read that right, leaf-cutter ants are now activists for themselves and for the World Wildlife Fund. Ants protested with leaves reading “Help now!”, “Save Trees” and many other phrases supporting the environment. Look here for the awards won and a video showing the protest itself.

CANNES, France-One of the biggest cheers at Saturday’s award ceremony here at Cannes Lions was reserved for the Grand Prix for Good winner, which amusingly and ingeniously harnessed the power of …

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Can conservation biology save the planet’s biodiversity?

A new, innovative though coming from wildlife perservers and nature lovers is that wildlife needs room to grow and expand. It simply cannot be constrained to isolated parks throughout the world if it is expected to completely flourish. Different people share their views of what wildlife should look like, their experiences in wildlife, and some of the bumps along the road.

A new school of thought argues that wildlife needs land to roam — and that preserving isolated parks isn’t enough

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Not just ants, thieves too target circuit wires

Now we’ve all heard of the “Twanny Crazy Ants” by now, but in case you have not, they are ants that will destroy your technology. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) have contracted a number of complaints about missing copper and auxiliary foils from signal boxes. 5 culprits have been detained and arrested for such actions.

RPF nabs a gang of thieves that would rip off copper and aluminium foils from circuits at railway signals and sell them to scrap dealers, causing disruptions in train services

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Google Ventures and its investing tactics a new formula for venture capital business

A short synopsis of how Google approaches venture capital for business. Instead of taking it as an art form, Googles look at if from a science. The key is to collect data, organize and finally study the information, only the will money begin to emanate.

Here is how the venture capital game used to be played around here:

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Are fungus-farming ants the key to better biofuel?

With climate change and global warming everyone is constantly trying find new ways to fuel our society’s needs. Although ants are not everyone’s favorites, fungus-farming ants may be the next answer in creating biofuel to keep society going. The chemical enzymes used by these ants to breakdown leaves, can also be used to breakdown corn byproducts that will make fuel.

A group of scientists discovered a chemical key that could revitalize corn-based ethanol by allowing it to be made from stalks, leaves, and other bits beside the cob itself. Turns out, the savior of ethanol could be the South American leafcutter ant.

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Tech Can Make Immortality a Reality

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The First Farmers

Who comes to mind when you think of farming? Most likely you thought of humans, but did you know that humans were actually the 4th species to discover farming. Humans figured it out after some of the smaller creatures discovered it tens of thousands of years ago. And little did you know the first to discover farming was the ant! Check out what they grew and what other creepy crawlers farmed before humans.

Did you know that farming began about ten thousand years ago? Actually, before humans, there were other species that deliberately grew their own food. Learn more on this Moment of Science.

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Tech Can Make Immortality a Reality, Says Head Google Engineer

Google engineers predict that somewhere in the next 10 to 20 years, science will experience huge growth. Within the next 15 years science will hit a breakpoint with the amount of time they add onto a persons life because of such substantial growth. See what Ray Kurzweil, Head Google Engineer, has to say about the scientific progress and see how immortality may in fact become some sort of a reality.

Rapidly evolving technology is making immortality more realistic, Google’s engineering director told the Global Future 2045 World Conference.

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It’s Not All Miss Utah’s Fault That Her Response Was So Ridiculous – Some of it is Biology

Can you really believe that biology could cause such a silly response in the Miss USA pageant? Well you should. Scientists point out that when under pressure, stress can cause your brain to enter into “fight or flight” mode at the worst possible times. So maybe it’s not fully Miss Utah’s fault she came up with such an unlucky answer, blame the brain.

I caught just enough of the Miss USA pageant this weekend to be weirded out by Nick Jonas and Mo Rocca existing in the same space, but not enough to see the unfortunate answer that Miss Utah …

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Here are your top 20 U.S. cities for venture capital investment

Starting up a new small business and in need of venture capital? Well here is your very own list of top cities that rank the highest with venture capital investment. Check it out, maybe some of the cities will pleasantly surprise you.

San Francisco and San Jose, sure. Boston, New York and Austin? Certainly. But technology startups shouldn’t ignore Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and Atlanta.

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Using crowdsourcing technology to change the way we save lives

Crowd sourcing technology is the new innovative way of helping people get through disasters. By using texts, maps, and live-feed donor lists, people and cities will be even more prepared for disasters, thanks to crowd sourcing.

One scroll through your Facebook or Twitter news feed and you’d think the world was going crazy. People share their addresses, their heated political commentaries, and strange pictures of cats […]

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Lumosity launches new web-based data methodology for conducting human cognitive performance research

Lumosity has just announced the starting of the Human Cognition Project! A new web-based data methodology for running cognitive performance research. By doing this on the web, researchers gain speed, scale, efficiency and more range of topics in studying human cognition. Check out what the project entails and what scientists hope to gain from it…

Lumosity, the leading brain training company, today announced a new web-based, big data methodology for conducting human cognitive performance research. Lumosity’s research platform, the Human …

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Scientists use new ‘computational cell biology’ to kill cancer cells by making them sick

Scientists from Ottawa, Ontario are beating cancer by engineering viruses to contaminate and kill cancer cells. By using mathematical models these scientists are finding ways to kill cancerous cells without harming normal cells and eventually could be the next great way to cure cancer.

From The Raw Story 16 June 2013 – Scientists use new ‘computational cell biology’ to kill cancer cells by making them sick. One doesn’t often think of cancer cells themselves being vulnerable to …

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Technology makes Europe accessible

There is no sense in denying that travel has changed with technology. Rick Steves reminisces on his backpacking through Europe days and talks about how technology has changed the backpacking experience. It helps with budgeting, communication and so much more. Check out the different ways technology has changed the way you travel.

Internet is a quick and easy way to find economic options for overseas trip

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What is Responsive Web Design?

A web design that can tell whether the customer is on a smart phone, computer or tablet is a responsive web design. There are multiple compelling reasons why small businesses should format their websites with a responsive web designs, one of which is the fact that it’s cost effective. Check out more reasons and how to make the switch in this article.

Websites built with responsive Web design can better serve customers by adapting to different screens on different devices.

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Small dam construction to reduce greenhouse emissions is causing ecosystem disruption

Small dams help the environment, but they also hurt it. See how a small dam construction that helps reduce greenhouse emissions, also hurts the ecosystems surrounding it. Researchers point out that with main dams more people pay attention to ecosystems and take care of them, however with smaller dams, like this, less people notice the harm it brings to the biodiversity and the ecosystem.

Researchers conclude in a new report that a global push for small hydropower projects, supported by various nations and also the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, may cause unanticipated and potentially significant losses of habitat and biodiversity.

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For Press Inquiries or Speaking Engagements, Contact: Heather Herndon / HHerndon@dandb.com / 310-919-2290