June 8, 2012
Weekly Roundup: Food trucks in France, the looming trash crisis and mobile microwork
Posted by: Jessica Vaughn - New York in North America
-The U.N.’s Global Environmental Outlook sees little progress on green goals and warns that irreversible change could be on the horizon, reports BBC News.
-Food consumption is at a tipping point, with malnourishment becoming less of a global problem than obesity, reports Bloomberg Businessweek.
-As the world becomes more urban and living standards improve, the World Bank identifies trash management as a “looming crisis,” reports The Wall Street Journal.
-Within the next five years, the number of connected mobile phones will be greater than the global population, according to a new report from Ericsson.
-The Economist considers the future of medicine and how doctors may be “squeezed out” of their central role in health care.
-The Boston Consulting Group’s “Luxe Redux” report spotlights key ways in which the luxury market and its consumers are changing.
-JWT’s Tom Doctoroff writes on “the unique cultural challenges of marketing to China’s new middle class” in Fast Company.
-The FT spotlights a report finding that China’s wealthy may be losing interest in bling in favor of unique experiences. And a McKinsey report takes a look at “Japan’s Resilient Luxury Market.”
-The New York Times looks at the challenges of teaching journalism in China.
-The Wall Street Journal examines how male migration overseas for work is reshaping gender roles in rural Mexico.
-The New York Times takes a look at how privacy concerns are spurring startups that enable “sharing within boundaries.” And Fast Company explores the future of the sharing economy.
-ReadWriteWeb outlines “why crowdfunding is today’s goldrush.”
-The New York Times’ Bits blog observes that Silicon Valley is the new Hollywood.
-Silicon Valley is becoming less of a boys club, reports USA Today, noting that the rise of female-led firms “reflects sweeping change in the worlds of start-up companies and angel funding.”
-“Hardware is the new software,” says Wired, attributing the spike in hardware-focused startups in part to the popularity of crowdfunding.
-A new report spotlights a rise in immigrant entrepreneurs in the U.S., according to CNN.
-The BBC takes a look at how microwork is enabling people to earn money using their mobiles.
-Move over voice recognition, emotion-recognition systems—that can respond to user emotion—are just on the horizon, according to Fast Company.
-It’s increasingly hard for young Americans with no college education to find employment, according to a New York Times report.
-More and more American families are renting homes rather than buying, a shift that’s changing neighborhoods and the real estate market, according to USA Today.
-But both Americans and Europeans are becoming more flexible in how they think about leaving the full-time work force, the report by a Dutch insurer finds.
-Scientists have found a more accurate and noninvasive means of testing fetus DNA—but is it a cause for celebration? The New York Times has a look.
-American food trucks are finding favor with the French, reports The New York Times.
-Businessweek looks at how some airlines are swapping in-flight entertainment systems for iPad rentals and “bring your own device” programs.
-The New York Times outlines 32 Innovations That Will Change Your Tomorrow, including smart clothing, one of our 100 Things to Watch in 2012.
