April Showers, Innovation and Spring flowers. Tech companies and their partners continue to propel forward, with new ideas, innovations, products. Consider that April offered up the winners of the Stanford Design Challenge – a computer-integrated bicycle handle with blind spot warning and fall detection and emergency alert. Stay tuned for more innovation events upcoming, including the upcoming 2018 Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit in June. Here are the five offerings from April with all material drawn directly from the company's websites:
A long time ago (7 years this month) in a tech world far, far away, a report sponsored by then-AARP executive Jody Holtzman predicted that technology change would deliver a new user experience. The concept was referred to as "Technology Design for All" -- defined as 'User experiences that appeal to all age groups, persisting across versions and devices.' According to the report Connected Living for Social Aging, which was published 7 years ago this month, the future was predicted. It is worth a look back -- note that it did happen just as described. Consider smart speakers (the Echo was launched in 2014), IoT boxes, phones, tablets, PCs, Macs and all cloud-based software. These work without the need to download and upgrade on Patch Tuesday, though privacy improvements are the next big technology hurdle. From the report, with the chart giving an italicized nod to tech of 2018:
Search for the word ‘pilot’ on this site. That is an interesting search – pages and pages of Start Me Up pilots in tech, programs, initiatives large and small, all linked, no doubt to corresponding media spend and press releases. Think back on the cycles of tech deployment. Remember the Alpha test, when the product barely worked at all. After those bugs were uncovered by testers who had scripts designed for successful outcomes, it is time for the Beta test – where selected prospective users are identified, put the offering through its paces, under an assumption that the pilot will be converted to permanent deployment.
The irony, the irony – everyone saw Europe’s data privacy initiatives. Why has this taken so long here? In a word – lobbying. The congressional hearing droned on, and Mark Zuckerberg tried so hard not to sound condescending towards his techno-light questioners about the so-called ‘Facebook Scandal.’ Which could have been the Google scandal, the Twitter scandal, or eve Amazon -- consolidation of industry players and using the data to sell them (or make ads ‘more effective’) or as with Amazon, sell them more stuff. The real scandal? Not the Cambridge Analytica role, which didn’t exactly sneak around in the long-time and paid analysis of Facebook data. The real scandal might be last year's $30 million of lobbying spent to avoid controls (and user protection) actions like those considered and in process in Europe.
The tech ideas of March -- change incremental or disruptive. March marked the annual American Society on Aging conference in San Francisco – where Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) are obtained for multiple social and service roles that serve older adults. The purpose was unchanged – and the limited representation of tech in the exhibit hall may hint at the peripheral role that technology use continues to play in these senior-focused jobs, despite the tech disruption this past year of voice first technology, or the availability of cheaper/smaller wearables and offerings for the smart home. The four blog posts from March are:
April Showers, Innovation and Spring flowers. Tech companies and their partners continue to propel forward, with new ideas, innovations, products. Consider that April offered up the winners of the 
A long time ago (7 years this month) in a tech world far, far away, a report sponsored by then-AARP executive 
Search for the word ‘pilot’ on this site
The irony, the irony – everyone saw Europe’s data privacy initiatives. Why has this taken so long here? In a word – 
The tech ideas of March -- change incremental or disruptive. March marked the annual American Society on Aging conference in San Francisco – where