Published by Jeffrey Mackie on Jul 26, 2017
On July 5, the Swedish automaker Volvo announced that by 2019 all of the passenger vehicles that it produces will have some form of electric power. The three options will be either full electric, plug-in hybrid or the so called ‘mild hybrid’. While Volvo’s... Read more Published by Jeffrey Mackie on Jun 13, 2017
A trip to the Silicon Valley Maker Faire… and what on earth is a ‘Maker Faire'? A few weeks ago I had the good fortune to visit the San Francisco Bay area on the weekend of the annual ‘Bay Area Maker Faire’ (I don’t know why they choose to spell Fair... Read more Published by Jeffrey Mackie on Mar 30, 2017
The introduction of self-driving or autonomous cars has many broad implications to employment, insurance, where people live and how they get around major cities. The vision that is portrayed by Waymo, Tesla, Uber and other companies at the forefront of... Read more Published by Jeffrey Mackie on Feb 10, 2017
Apple recently pushed an update to the software for the iPhone that allows users to simply say ‘Hey Siri” to activate the iPhone’s built in virtual assistant ‘Siri’. The implication of this new ‘feature’ is that the phone’s microphone is always on and... Read more Published by Jeffrey Mackie on Jan 05, 2017
As I look back at the blogs that I wrote in 2016 and reflect on the trends that made headlines throughout the year, it is a thought-provoking exercise to predict which trends will continue and which will be the false starts or ‘head-fakes’ that are all... Read more Published by Jeffrey Mackie on Nov 29, 2016
In Canada we see protests over the construction of new pipelines on nearly a weekly basis. Whether it is Keystone XL, Northern Gateway or even the reversal or expansion of existing pipelines, it seems that all major pipeline projects are met with strong... Read more Published by Jeffrey Mackie on Oct 27, 2016
I must admit that I did a double take when I read the headline last week stating that Germany, the country that was home to much of the initial development of the internal combustion engine, has taken steps to phase out and eventually stop the sale of... Read more Published by Jeffrey Mackie on Sep 30, 2016
On a recent flight back to Calgary I watched a movie called ‘Into the Heart of the Sea’ which is a film adaptation of the true story of the sinking of the American whaling ship ‘Essex’ and the plight of its crew that drifts in the lifeboats at sea for... Read more Published by Jeffrey Mackie on Aug 30, 2016
Self driving taxis, Tesla’s masterplan and other science fiction ideas that may be just around the corner. The first fatal crash of a Tesla vehicle in self-driving or ‘Autopilot’ mode made headlines last month. While the headlines were nothing short of... Read more Published by Jeffrey Mackie on Jun 29, 2016
I recently finished reading a new book called ‘Inevitable’ by Kevin Kelly. Mr. Kelly is one of the founding editors of Wired Magazine and a well-known author and commentator in the area of technology. Inevitable was a fascinating read and fit well with... Read more