Tech Talk Column

Over the holidays I have been introducing my kids to some classic TV shows, including Gilligan’s Island. I still haven’t worked out why five passengers took so many bags of luggage on a ‘three hour tour’ and surely Thurston Howell III, w…

It is a familiar scene in our household. Early each morning our Maltese Poodle and Toy Poodle scratch at the front door to alert the humans in the house that they are ready to go outside. Very obligingly, a human slides out of bed and lets the two do…

This will be the year that…how many times do we hear a prediction that finally, after a few false starts or stalled attempts, the BIG change is about to happen. It might be about the performance of an individual in sport or in relation to an electi…

As a technology futurist, I perform my research and gather my data and use my experience to predict what medium and long-term trends we will see in the technology space. But somewhat like a Climate Change scientist can tell you the long-term effects …

Throughout the year I have talked technology across the airwaves with over three hundred radio segments and written over fifty technology columns. What were my technology highlights from talking and writing about technology throughout the year? My ov…

Significant dollars are spent on market research and statistical services across this nation. With over 14,000 people employed in the sector it is worth over $3 Billion (US$50 Billion worldwide). While I don’t propose that we should shut down this …

My kids have one major issue at Christmas time. You would think it would be a time of excitement and presents and family gatherings but the pressure on my kids to get a good present for their dad is immense. When you have an individual that has techn…

I was very excited this week. Back in the old days (pre-pandemic) I used to visit six different aged care facilities on a monthly basis and perform poetry and talk to the residents about technology. COVID-19 put a stop to that but with the easing of …

Australia is a popular place to visit for backpackers of the world. For those of us that live here, that makes perfect sense. Australians are welcoming and generous and relaxed. Just as importantly, it is relatively easy for backpackers to secure som…

When we purchase products, we should be thankful for the Innovators. Everett Rogers released his Diffusion of Innovations book in 1962 but his hypothesis is still used today for the methodology of adoption of any new idea, in particular tec…

My daughter came to me this morning and asked if she could use the milk in the fridge on her porridge. “The expiry date was yesterday,” she said. “Is it safe to use?” I did as any caring parent who wanted to avoid an early morning trip to the…

Back in 2015 I thought I was being very clever. Handing out a 90mm x 55mm card with my details on it seemed a little old-fashioned in a modern digital age…but many people still believed business cards were the single greatest marketing tool availab…

I try not to stand naked in front of strangers. Actually, I try and avoid doing it in front of friends as well! The problem is, that fear of being seen in the nude is impacting our health – particularly with men. Only 40 per cent of men over the ag…

Do you remember the original Pixar/Disney Cars movie? It was launched back in 2006 and was somewhat successful. It grossed $462 million at the box office but also generated $10 billion in merchandise sales in the five years after its releas…

Amenity. The main driver for deciding where to live is that all-encompassing term ‘amenity’ which can really mean what you want it to mean. I looked at a population heat map in Australia from the turn of last century and the country was smattered…

A moth navigates by transverse orientation. It keeps the dominant light source at a certain position in relation to their body to guide them. When we turn on a light on our verandah, those same moths keep flying around the light until they finally me…

I don’t sing. I am not against songs or music but I believe it is important you know your limitations. Holding a tune is not a talent I have so I don’t wish to subject people around me to listening to terribly out of tune singing. Similarly with …

Futurist. It conjures up the image of a person sitting in a darkened room with two hands placed on a large orb floating over a table with an unsuspecting victim waiting to hear if they should move to Toledo. In this context, possibly a better term mi…

Before COVID-19 hit the world, there were six aged care facilities in the region that I would regularly visit – sometimes with one of my children – to deliver a presentation on technology or perform poetry for the residents. On some occas…