NextDraft

The Booming Wearable Tech Market

The most fascinating news from around the web on July 11, 2013

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  1. The Unstoppable Fashion Trend

    One morning when my daughter was two years-old, I asked her what she thought of the shirt I was wearing. She said it was fine. But when I pushed her for more feedback, she said: “It too big and it no match.” That was an easy fashion trend to undo. But there’s no stopping the trend of wearable computing. Experts expect us to purchase about 15 million wearable computing devices this year, and we’re just warming up. And humans may not be the only ones who become wearable tech fashion victims. Some inventors are already designing wearable devices for dogs.

    Quartz: What I learned from researching almost every single smart watch that has been rumored or announced.

    + I already have a smart watch. It tells me when it’s time to put down my phone. Maybe we should all do that a little more often. According to some researchers at HBS, your iPhone may weaken your will.

  2. This Should Suck

    Khalid Sheik Mohammed masterminded the 9/11 attacks. According to a former CIA official, he later masterminded a vacuum cleaner. Why would the CIA approve a terrorist’s weird request to design a household cleaning device? “‘We didn’t want them to go nuts,’ the former senior CIA official said, one of several who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about the now-shuttered CIA prisons or Mohammed’s interest in vacuums.”

  3. What Goes Up Must Come Down

    “Hedge funds may have gotten too big for their yachts, for their market, and for their own possibilities for success. After a decade as rock stars, hedge fund managers seem to be fading just as quickly as musicians do.” So says Sheelah Kolhatkar in this Bloomberg Businessweek cover story. Like several recent BW cover stories, the cover itself is getting the most coverage.

  4. Sentenced to Time Served

    Thanks to DNA testing, police in Boston think they’ve finally cracked the case. Albert DeSalvo confessed fifty years ago and died forty years ago. But it’s only now that law enforcement has officially confirmed he was the Boston Strangler.

  5. The Well Faring State

    Cheaper medical care. Reasonably priced education. Happier parents. Less anxious citizens. Better working conditions. Olga Khazan on the secret to Finland’s success with schools, moms, kids — and everything.

    + Finland doesn’t out-do America in every category. Just look at America’s dollar store revolution.

  6. Hitting the Switch in Egypt

    In the days following Egypt’s ousting of President Mohamed Morsi, some interesting things have been happening in the country. “Gas lines have disappeared, power cuts have stopped and the police have returned to the street.” That was fast.

  7. The Mockbuster

    Sharknado. It’s exactly what you think it is — a tornado full of sharks. That movie cannot be bad.” The box office bust of The Lone Ranger is a reminder of the risks associated with producing an expensive summer blockbuster. In Burbank, one studio clings to the exact opposite strategy. They make low budget, often sort of terrible, movies that they know will make money. “All we know is we’re making a film for Netflix, and they tell us what they want.”

  8. Googling Stereotypes

    How is your city stereotyped by people on the Internet? You can find the answer by using Google’s autocomplete. Why is Chicago so… Why is Boston so… Apparently, San Francisco is cold, expensive, and dirty. In other words, we got off pretty easy.

  9. Tough News to Swallow

    Strike That Reverse It

    — Willy Wonka

    Today in health and nutrition: Fish oil is good for you, unless it’s really bad for you. Diet drinks make you gain weight. Quinoa is excellent for your health, but there isn’t enough of it, so too bad. And a study found benefits in delaying the severing of umbilical cord. Now I don’t feel so bad about refusing to sever mine for decades.

  10. The Bottom of the News

    Just beat it… When they sing together, the hearts of members of choirs also beat as one.

    + BuzzFeed responds to critics of its incessant lists with 27 signs you’re an obsessive list maker. There is no fighting against the age of online lists. Even PBS Newshour is doing it: 8 Things You Didn’t Know About Nikola Tesla.

    + Why hasn’t Capitol One dumped Alec Baldwin? (Hint: Maybe they sort of hired him for his occasional outbursts.)