Things I Learned this Week

Among the things I learned this week:
* Sharps Rifle Co., in 1859, released a rifle with a coffee grinder in the butt. (Courtesy: The Kitchen Sisters/NPR)

* Democrats Abroad is state-level organization with delegate votes, as recognized by the Democratic National Committee. It doesn’t seem as if the Republican Party has an equivalent. (Courtesy: Democratic National Convention)

* One-third of Malawi is Lake Malawi. (Courtesy: Wikipedia)

* Congolese coffee. (Courtesy: Caffe Vita)

* Uninstall and reinstall Microsoft Solitaire Collection on Windows 10 if your Grandpa can’t load his daily challenges and receives an Internet connection issue. (Courtesy: Personal Experience)

* “At the six Sweetgreen locations where cash is not accepted, employees can perform 5 to 15 percent more transactions an hour, [Mr. Jonathan Neman, co-founder and co-CEO of Sweetgreen] said.” (Courtesy: Gloria Dawson/NYT)

Things I Learned this Week

Among the things I learned this week:
* The path to take if you want to drive across the United States and maintain a comfortable 70 degree temperature. (Courtesy: Nathan Yau/Flowing Data)

* Noh, a type of Japanese theater. (Courtesy: Charles Isherwood/NYT)

* Britain has about 20 civil servants with relevant experience negotiating trade deals. (Courtesy: Economist)

* Wildlife and humans cooperate to find beehives. (Courtesy: Natalie Angier/NYT)

Capitalist Times: Maturing Gracefully

Maturing Gracefully is my latest Capitallist Times contribution, and examines the mobile technology space. It’s both a review of the past, as well as way to think about the next big change in the connected market, machine learning and Internet of Things.

The internet of things involves the connection of a growing number of consumer products and capital equipment to the cloud for automation and data collection. You may be familiar with the connected home, where residents can monitor and control lights, thermostats, smoke detectors, security systems, locks and other features remotely, via their smartphones.

Discussions of this phenomenon often focus on sensors and the data they generate. But how systems learn from the information collected and communicate to the sensors is arguably more important. The internet of things doesn’t exist purely for monitoring functionality; these systems aim to identify subtle but meaningful patterns and respond with smart, automated actions.