Categories: Articles

700 Million Appliances Will Soon Be Connected To The Internet

Every Monday morning at 7:10 am, I am a guest contributor on CHOM 97.7 FM radio broadcasting out of Montreal (home base). It’s not a long segment – about 5 to 10 minutes every week – about everything that is happening in the world of technology and digital media. The good folks at CHOM 97.7 FM are posting these segments weekly to SoundCloud, if you’re interested in hearing more of me blathering away. I’m really excited about this opportunity, because this is the radio station that I grew up on listening to, and it really is a fun treat to be invited to the Mornings Rock with Terry and Heather B. morning show. The segment is called, CTRL ALT Delete with Mitch Joel.

This week we discussed:

When we think of digital, we think of Facebook… or YouTube… or Twitter. You know, stuff with a screen. We are quickly moving into the connected era. They’re calling this The Internet of Things. We used to wonder why we would ever need our fridges or toasters to be connected to the Internet. Suddenly, we’re left wondering why our fridges and toasters are not connected? So, a recent study came out, and it states that the connected home appliance market is forecast to hit 700 million units within the next five years. Yes, anything that you have to plug into a wall will also be connected and controllable. And, if it does not? Well, then it’s just dumb.
Last week, we talked about Heather’s dating. Who are we kidding, it’s an ongoing narrative for CHOM in the morning! Well, let’s say that your really don’t want to do the Tinder thing, but just want to meet up and have a friend on demand. Possible? FriendsTonight is such an app. Their philosophy is: “my friends + your friends = a great night!” The app sets up groups of friends who don’t know each other, with the aim of getting them to hang out immediately, in real-time. You’ll never go friendless again! And, these groups disappear at the end of the night.
You may be more interested in using FriendsTonight, if you knew whether or not you are really teetering into a depressive mode. Well, guess what? Passive data from your iPhone can detect depression by tracking the number of minutes you use… and where you go. It’s a interesting thought, if you’re spending a lot of time on your smartphone, and spending most of your time at home, this could be a significant indicator. Interesting to think that phones can passively monitor your behavior and be an indicator of your behavior in relation to depression. So, would you be up for this kind of monitoring happening in the background of your mobile usage?
App of the week: Star Wars.

Listen here…

Mitch Joel

Mitch Joel lives at the intersection of technology, business transformation and consumer culture. He is the Executive Director of Next Era Institute, a strategic intelligence platform helping leaders understand the forces reshaping business, technology, culture and society. The Institute identifies which shifts matter, explores their wider significance and translates them into strategic direction and momentum. Mitch is also a globally recognized keynote speaker. He has delivered thousands of presentations across both B2B and B2C industries to organizations including Google, Walmart, LEGO, Shopify, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Strategy Magazine has called him “one of North America’s leading visionaries.” Mitch built his career by working directly inside the waves of change that reshaped modern business. He founded and built a digital marketing agency that worked with some of the world’s largest brands and was later acquired by WPP, where he served as President of a firm operating in 25 countries with almost 3,000 employees. Mitch is the bestselling author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, and the host of Thinking With Mitch Joel, one of the longest-running business podcasts in the world. His writing and commentary appear in outlets including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and Inc. Magazine. He is a member of Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches and was named to the Thinkers50 Radar. Mitch also hosts Groove – The No Treble Podcast, documenting the oral history of electric bass players. Mitch is also Co-Founder of ThinkersOne, a platform that enables companies to bring personalized thought leadership from world-class experts into meetings, events and off-sites in focused 15-minute bursts.