All posts tagged: Technology

The coming of transhumanism

Published by Gert Christen

Doctors have used technology to repair or improve human bodies for decades, and this has been uncontroversial. However, soon the technology will be available to be stronger, to better resist illnesses, and to live longer. This voluntary transhumanism is different – and it will become controversial. Should we do everything that we technically could? Is it right? Will it be only for the rich? Are we playing god? These are questions that we need to start exploring. Rena Seiler recently tackled the topic in a paper entitled “Transhumanism – the vision of the technological evolution of humans” at the Institute for Digital Business of HWZ University Zurich. You can read the English version here, or her original article in German here. Rena argues that this technology is being developed no matter what and that we as a society must seize the opportunity of the early stage to discuss the use of transhumanism. Otherwise, there is a risk that the technology will be exploited for selfish personal and strictly commercial reasons, which will exclude many from …

Transhumanism – The technological evolution of humankind.

Published by Gert Christen

Transhumanism is considered a philosophical school of thought that seeks to expand the boundaries of human possibilities through the use of technological methods. Rena Seiler, MAS Digital Business student at HWZ University in Zurich, Switzerland, offers insight into the challenges of the transhumanist vision. On February 18, 2021, Perseverance, NASA’s rover, landed safely on Mars. From tabloids to science magazines, the broad media covered the successful landing on the red planet, which marked the kickoff of NASA’s mission. Much of the population watched in fascination as humanity moved one step closer to one of the four explicit goals of NASA’s mission: the colonization of space, starting with Mars. So our aspiration to colonize space is no longer science fiction at all but reality. Colonizing space: Is the human object as ready as its rockets? The vision of space colonization also poses challenges for the “human object.” Currently, a one-way trip to Mars takes nine months. The associated strain on the human body leads to various, sometimes lasting, physical impairments. The question inevitably arises as to …

Thank you for a great 2017. And wishing you a happy 2018!

Published by Gert Christen

San Francisco is home to one of the most iconic bridges in the world. And I  crossed it a lot during 2017. And I took a picture every time…. While  driving on the bridge and while sailing underneath. Here are pictures of San Francisco’s prettiest bridge during 2017. I hope you enjoy this San Francisco landmark as much as I did. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all of you! Looking forward to seeing you again in 2018, Yours, Gert Christen

Superpublic San Francisco: Solving Urban Problems (thru Technology)

Published by Gert Christen

    We today announced* the launch of the Superpublic Innovation Lab in San  Francisco, to tackle urban problems. This is the result of a two-year effort by many in San Francisco, led by City Innovate Foundation, which I joined as COO. Why did I join, what does Superpublic do and why is this important? Cities world-wide grow fast: Two-thirds of the world’s population will live in cities by 2020**. Cities do their best to keep up, but problems will arise. Some are of massive ecological, social, and financial nature. However,  some of these problems can be solved thru technology. And that is why I decided to get involved, and that is what City Innovate Foundation does. City Innovate is a San Francisco-based organization taking on urban problems for cities world-wide. The approach is unique because cities are not only members of City Innovate but also the beneficiaries of the developed solutions: The cities provide input which problems should be worked on and they can get involved in the process as much if they desire. Once a solution is ready for global rollout, they have access to tried and tested solutions. What’s more, the development, …

Invitation to BRIDGE SF Summit, San Francisco, September 6-9th, 2016

Published by Gert Christen

BRIDGE SF brings public, private, non-profit, and academic institutions together to  drive innovation for a better tomorrow in cities. Organized in conjunction with the San Francisco Mayor’s Office and the University of California, Berkeley, City Innovate  invites policymakers and leading innovators for a four-day event focused on citizen-critical issues. Topics among others are: Mobility in Cities (City of San Francisco, City Innovate and MIT Media Lab) City Planning Best Practices (University of California Berkeley and UI Labs Chicago) City Infrastructure of the Future: (ID3 and CivicMakers) Urban Sensors (City of Los Angeles and Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University) Global City Knowledge Transfer (U.S. Department of Commerce and National Resource Defense Council) The Digital Age of Manufacturing (City Innovate) Clean Energy (City of San Francisco and Intelligent City Forum) The full program of the event can be found here. An event brochure can be downloaded. Registration for the Bridge SF Summit here. Looking forward to meeting you at the Bridge SF Summit 2016!

UBS Y Think Tank shares their methodology at BlueLion Incubator

Published by Gert Christen

The UBS Y Think Tank invited the Zurich Fintech scene to BlueLion Incubator and shared their methodology publicly. Markus Iofcea, the head of the think tank introduced the purpose developed methodology how his team explores the needs of society in the 21st century. Two UBS Y researchers discussed their findings on the topics of “New Wealth” and “New Social Interactions”. Afterwards all participants were invited to practice the UBS Y Vision Cone methodology on the newly launched topic of “New Currency”. Here’s the result: It was impressive how this open crowd sourcing approach yielded lots of good input in no time! UBS Y has published a first analysis of the evening’s surprising results here.

Corporate Innovation at Startup Speed. Necessary and becoming commonplace!

Published by Gert Christen

When corporations cooperate with startup companies they can pursue more innovation projects at a lower cost. BlueLion Incubator facilitates just that with its Corporate Innovation Partnering Program. Collaborations with startup companies can speed up corporate innovation, add flexibility, lower costs, and add a “go get it” culture for higher chances of success. First corporations are reaping the benefits of cooperating with startups. Cooperations between established companies and startups are becoming more commonplace, and the first best practices emerge. BlueLion is leading the way with a dedicated program to incubating corporate innovation projects, “the startup way”. Find more information about the Corporate Innovation Partnering program at BlueLion Incubator or in this cover story of the 2014 Swiss Venture Guide.

Zurich startups meet New York! Zurich meets New York!

Published by Gert Christen

We brought 10 selected hi-potential startups to New York and they got to pitch before a full house. Really enjoyed that evening – great energy and a great impression made by Swiss startups in the “Big Apple”. Since then, one of the startups set up their New York office in the space where we held the event: Flatev. … running the show that night: David Weber, project manager for the event at the City of Zurich and myself, MC for the night.