{"id":37521,"date":"2013-04-12T20:22:19","date_gmt":"2013-04-13T00:22:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/countingpips.com\/forex-news\/?p=37521"},"modified":"2013-04-12T20:22:20","modified_gmt":"2013-04-13T00:22:20","slug":"money-weekend-digest-13-april-2013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/forex-news\/2013\/04\/12\/money-weekend-digest-13-april-2013\/","title":{"rendered":"Money Weekend Digest: 13 April 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"

By MoneyMorning.com.au<\/u><\/a> <\/p>\n

Technology: Why I\u2019m Throwing Away My Keyboard and Mouse<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll see a theme when it comes to technology<\/strong>. A merging of \u2018immersive technologies\u2019 devices linked with our physical activity and digital world. Google Glass, the MYO Armband and Microsoft\u2019s Kinect are all examples.<\/p>\n

One of the exciting new technologies<\/strong> at the moment is the Leap Motion controller<\/a>. It\u2019s a piece of tech (scheduled to ship soon) which allows three dimensional control of your computer.<\/p>\n

So instead of using a mouse and keyboard to surf, scroll and click through the net, you could just reach into your computer with your hand. Imagine being able to grab the web page you want and flick it to one side. Or push a page back and drag another one forward.<\/p>\n

\"Leap<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
Source: Leap Motion<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/p>\n

The actual technology is quite mysterious, so I can\u2019t really say how it works. But Leap says it\u2019s 100 times more accurate than Kinect. There\u2019s a host of developers working on mind-blowing programs and apps for the Leap controller<\/strong>. Here\u2019s<\/a> an example of the Leap developers\u2019 work.<\/p>\n

PC\u2019s and laptops are the main target for Leap. And work\u2019s underway on reverse engineering it for phones and other devices. This means you could reach into your phone and the space around your phone to work your digital environment. <\/p>\n

Like we\u2019ve said before, the combination of motion sensing devices with wearable tech is coming. Think Google Glass plus Leap plus MYO…<\/p>\n

It means we might see a new \u2018reality\u2019 where your digital world and your \u2018normal\u2019 world become one. <\/p>\n

Note: I\u2019ve pre-ordered a Leap and hope to get it in May. When it lands on my desk hopefully I can throw away my keyboard and mouse.<\/p>\n

Health: Tracking Yourself Has More Benefit Than You Might Think<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a movement underway to help us live a healthier lifestyle using tracking information<\/strong>. It\u2019s possible you\u2019re already a part of it but don\u2019t even know. It\u2019s called the Quantified Self (QS) movement<\/strong>. It\u2019s not some fancy catch tag to sell some gadgets and apps. It\u2019s a real effort to make new technology and programs to help us be healthier, armed with our own information.<\/p>\n

This is a concept multi-billion dollar companies like Nike and Adidas realise is catching on. They\u2019re investing heavily in projects like Nike+, Nike Fuel and Adidas MiCoach. These are all technologies forming the QS movement.<\/p>\n

At the core of QS is self-tracking<\/strong>. Another way to look at it is self-knowledge through numbers. It\u2019s about using the flow of info through technology and apps to make better life choices.<\/p>\n

Digifit, RunKeeper, SleepCycle and Mood Panda are all examples of different apps that track different parts of your lifestyle.<\/p>\n

And the technologies and apps are getting more complex and comprehensive.<\/p>\n

Take for example the Jawbone Up. You wear it on your wrist, and it links to an app on your phone. It tracks how far you travel, time spent sitting, standing, moving and calories burned. It helps log your food intake, moods and how you\u2019re sleeping. The linked app collates all this information to give you your own personal lifestyle analytics.<\/p>\n

\"Jawbone<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
Source: T3.com<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/p>\n

There are some people that disagree with this level of information. They argue the app companies may use the info against you, or steal it. Sure, this is possible.<\/p>\n

But think about this example: John is suffering from early stage congestive heart failure and is unaware of his condition. He may have warning signs which indicate his illness. But in his busy day to day life, he doesn\u2019t see the warning signs. One day John has a sudden heart attack.<\/p>\n

With QS apps and technology, it\u2019s possible John may have already been alerted to the warning signs. He could have put treatment measure in place and avoided a heart attack.<\/p>\n

The QS movement isn\u2019t about gathering data to use and abuse, it\u2019s about giving us the ability to make better life choices. It\u2019s means hopefully we all get to live a happier, healthier life.<\/p>\n

Energy: If You Don\u2019t Eat Your Greens…They Might Power the House<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

There are different types of innovation across the energy sector such as solar, wind, nuclear, gas and hydrogen. We think it\u2019s not one solution, but a combination that will help solve the world\u2019s energy issues.<\/p>\n

One way that doesn\u2019t get much attention is food power. An amazing amount of food is wasted and thrown out every year. In Australia we throw away approximately 20% of all food we purchase. This infograph<\/a> shows the staggering statistics.<\/p>\n

But thanks to science and technology there\u2019s a way to convert food into renewable power<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

An example of food-to-energy power is happening at Colorado State University\u2019s (CSU) Fort Collins campus. They are trying a new food-to-energy program with the city of Fort Collins. <\/p>\n

The university realised they produce a large amount of food waste. This used to go to landfill. Well not any more. The university is diverting 1000 pounds a day of food waste to the city\u2019s water reclamation plant. There it\u2019s recycled and the methane by-product heats the plant and its building.<\/p>\n

CSU aren\u2019t the only ones using food-to-energy power. In Avonmouth, Bristol (UK) a food waste recycling plant opened late last year. It has the potential to power about 3,000 homes. Using the same process to create methane, the plant has capacity to produce about 10GWh of energy per year.<\/p>\n

And there are more examples of this popping up around the world. Sweden has been doing it for years and Edinburgh has recently opened a plant.<\/p>\n

Australia has also realised this is a real source of renewable energy<\/strong>. Veolia, Transpacific Industries and Earthpower Technologies have opened a food-waste to energy plant in Sydney. <\/p>\n

The Sydney plant has the capacity to power around 3,600 homes. It\u2019s the first of its kind in Australia, and also and a positive sign private industry is heading in the right direction with renewable energy. Now if only the government had the same foresight…<\/p>\n

Sam Volkering
\nTechnology Analyst, Money Weekend<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ed Note:<\/strong> Sam Volkering is assistant editor and analyst for a new breakthrough technology investment service to be launched by Money Morning<\/em> editor Kris Sayce. The breakthrough technology service will introduce cutting edge investment ideas from the technologies of the future, including medicine, science, energy, mining, and more. <\/p>\n

Join Money Morning on Google+<\/u><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

From the Archives…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Only Lunatics Need Apply for This Stock Market Rally<\/a>
\n5-04-2013 \u2013 Kris Sayce <\/p>\n

The Run-on Effect of Aussie Housing on the Australian Stock Market<\/a>
\n4-04-2013 \u2013 Murray Dawes <\/p>\n

Good News in China\u2019s Economy? Put This Date in Your Diary…<\/a>
\n3-04-2013 \u2013 Dr Alex Cowie <\/p>\n

\u2018Gold Only Rises During the Bad Times\u2019 and other Fairy Tales<\/a>
\n2-04-2013 \u2013 Dr Alex Cowie<\/p>\n


\nOn Gold \u2014 Billionaire Investor Eric Sprott Says : \u2018I\u2019m in Alex Cowie\u2019s Camp\u2019<\/a>
\n1-04-2013 \u2013 Dr. Alex Cowie <\/p>\n

\n<\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By MoneyMorning.com.au Technology: Why I\u2019m Throwing Away My Keyboard and Mouse You\u2019ll see a theme when it comes to technology. A merging of \u2018immersive technologies\u2019 devices linked with our physical activity and digital world. Google Glass, the MYO Armband and Microsoft\u2019s Kinect are all examples. One of the exciting new technologies at the moment is … <\/p>\n

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