Technology

Monday Musing: rethinking design at the opera

By Elizabeth Merritt

I’m devoting my brief musing today to a story from the Harvard Business Review that I included in “Dispatches from the Future of Museums” last week. In case you missed it, please do read “What Design Thinking is …
And the 2016 MUSE Awards Go To…

By Elizabeth Merritt

My biggest frustration at the annual meeting is that I can’t be everywhere at once (at least, not until we master cloning). I rely on a host of correspondents to fill me in on the great events I miss. This week Dacia Massengill, …
Why VR?: Enhancing IRL (In Real Life) Experiences for visitors to the British Museum

By Elizabeth Merritt

2016 is clearly a break-out year for Virtual Reality (VR) technologies, with numerous companies releasing relatively affordable, consumer-ready devices. Still, when I was writing TrendsWatch 2016 last fall, I found relatively few museums …
Futurist Friday: Coming this Fall, the First Cyborg Olympics

By Elizabeth Merritt

One of the themes I explore in TrendsWatch 2016 is the blurring boundaries between ability, disability and augmented ability. We are experiencing a surge in “assistive technology” that can compensate for physical impairments …
Futurist Friday: Inventing the Edge-y Workplace

By Elizabeth Merritt

One of the themes I explore in TrendsWatch 2016 is the way cultural, economic and technological forces rapidly transforming the way we work. Our infrastructure, for the most part, hasn’t caught up. Here’s one workplace that …
Experiments in Virtual Reality at The Museum of Flight

By Elizabeth Merritt

TrendsWatch 2016 will go up on the web at the end of this week! And (spoiler alert) one of the topics I cover this year is the explosive rise of Augmented and Virtual Reality devices. The technology behind AR/VR is rapidly becoming more …
Futurist Friday: Marie Kondo, meet Brad the Toaster

By Elizabeth Merritt

I just listened to an NPR interview with Japanese decluttering guru Marie Kondo, talking about her new book “Spark Joy.” Her approach to simplifying and organizing life has taken the US by storm. (How popular is she? Her video …
What Museums Can Learn from the NYT’s Google Cardboard Project

By Elizabeth Merritt

Lookie what I found bundled in with my Sunday newspaper: It’s a free Google Cardboard device from the New York Times. I promptly downloaded the app and started watching the 3-D, immersive short films they have already released: a profile …
Futurist Friday: RoboKindness

By Elizabeth Merritt

Here are some facts on autism in the US, from the advocacy group Autism Speaks: Autism now affects 1 in 68 children and 1 in 42 boys Autism prevalence figures are growing Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disorder in the U.S. …
Futurist Friday: Send in the Drones

By Elizabeth Merritt

This week smart drone manufacturer 3DR is premiering Life After Gravity, an original sci-fi series described as “a thriller on a global scale—intergalactic, really—about the blessingsand poisons of extraordinary power, the many …