Techonomy

How Walmart is going all out with mobile

TUSCON, Ariz.-- Here's the takeaway from a panel called, "Shopping Outside the Box: The Intersection of Data and Dollars," that took place at the Techonomy conference: For all retailers -- that means brick-and-mortar giants -- it's all about the data.

"Data is the weapon," said Dan Schulman, the Group President of Enterprise Growth at American Express.

And, increasingly, that data is coming from mobile devices. The challenges facing brick-and-mortar stores are only growing as online shopping moves from the desktop to smartphones. People look up prices online while they're inside a store. … Read more

Here come the humanoids. There go U.S. jobs

TUCSON, Ariz.--Rethink Robotics founder Rodney Brooks took to the stage at the Techonomy conference here to talk about the wonders of his new robot, Baxter, which is designed to work on factory floors doing dull and necessary tasks. He costs just $22,000 and works for what amounts to $4 an hour.

Baxter is a step forward in robotics with mass potential. It has a face and sensors to tell it when people are near. It's about as close to a humanoid robot as we can get, and Brooks said it's just the beginning.

"Within 10 … Read more

Futurist Ray Kurzweil on smartphones, AI, and the human brain

MARANA, Ariz.--Inventor, author, and futurist Ray Kurzweil took to the stage here at the Techonomy conference in Tucson to offer his thoughts on a future where humanity is enhanced by technology.

Kurzweil spoke to Techonomy founder David Kirkpatrick about his new book on human thought, "How to Create a Mind," and the various themes that stem from it. Their talk was varied and at times scattered -- with a topic this big, you can imagine the temptation of tangents -- but Kurzweil had a few choice things to say along the way.

The highlights:

• "I'… Read more

Sean Parker thinks Silicon Valley is in trouble

Tucson, Ariz.--Sean Parker, a big reason for Facebook's success (remember Justin Timberlake) and a now a partner with Founders Fund, thinks Silicon Valley is in big trouble. His beef: Too many angel investors are throwing way too much money--albeit in little drips--at aspiring entrepreneurs who aren't up to the task of building a company.

The subject came up during a panel Parker was on at Techonomy 2011, a conference that took place this week in Tucson, Ariz. It's a hot-button issue -every young coder in the Valley, it seems, is either doing a startup or toying … Read more

Sean Parker: Beware of 'wackos' on Facebook, other social media

TUCSON, Ariz.--Sean Parker, a co-founder of Napster and Facebook's first president, said the key thing that worries him about the growth of Facebook and the use of social networks essentially boils down to one word: wackos.

Parker's remarks came up during a conversation at Techonomy here about trade-offs between privacy and empowerment people throughout the world now make, due to the likes of Facebook, Twitter, and technology in general.

"The tools can be used for good [or] for evil, and you sort of have to bet that better angels will prevail and will offset mischief," … Read more

At Techonomy, innovation is the hot topic

roundup The conference in Tucson, Ariz., takes a look at the common ground for tech breakthroughs, productivity, and jobs, against a social and economic backdrop.

Sean Parker thinks Silicon Valley is in trouble The rock star entrepreneur and investor thinks the investment gravy train entrepreneurs have been riding will crash. Yup, he's talking bubble. (Posted in Digital Media by Paul Sloan) November 16, 2011 3:54 p.m. PT

Sean Parker: Beware of 'wackos' on Facebook, other social media Facebook's founding president tells what concerns him about the hyperconnected world we now live in. (Posted in Digital Media … Read more

Autonomy's wizardry: Bringing still images to virtual life

Autonomy CEO Mike Lynch took to the stage of at Techonomy 2011 and gave a glimpse of some amazing stuff that phones and tablet cameras will soon be able to do.

Autonomy, which Hewlett Packard just acquired for almost $12 billion, bills itself as a leader in "meaning based computing," a tagline that's easy to dismiss. Then Lynch brought out an iPad to demonstrate Autonomy's technology, and he wowed the audience. And this was a jaded crowd, folks.

Lynch had an assistant hold up poster-size images--an ad for a Harry Potter move, a front page of … Read more

DreamWorks CEO: How animation will change business

TUCSON, Ariz.--It may seem like creating a top-animated movie has become a simpler process with the advent of computer graphics. Yet in a talk here at Techonomy 2011, DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg shared details that show just how tedious the work remains--even today.

"An expert animator can do about three seconds of animation in a week," said Katzenberg, who was interviewed today by moderator David Kirkpatrick.

Even more challenging is that the designers are working largely in the dark, unable for hours to see, for instance, how exactly a character's leg moves during a dance scene. … Read more

Jack Dorsey: Twitter's business model based on 'serendipity'

TUSCON, Ariz.--It's not the kind of business model one expects to hear from a startup, especially one now valued by the private markets at $8 billion.

But when Jack Dorsey, the creator and executive chairman of Twitter, was asked about Twitter's business model, he said it was hardly thought out.

"The business model is focused around serendipity," said Dorsey, who spoke with moderator David Kirkpatrick on Sunday at Techonomy 2011.

It's hard to imagine that answer will silence the Twitter skeptics.

Twitter, for now, is about growth and, according to Dorsey, engagement. While growth … Read more