TED Conference, Flying Cars, UberEATS And More On This Week's CTRL ALT Delete Segment On CHOM 97.7 FM
Every Monday morning at 7:10 am, I am a guest contributor on CHOM 97.7 FM radio 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 on iHeart Radio, if you’re interested in hearing more of me blathering away about what’s going on in the digital world. 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 DiMonte morning show. The segment is called, CTRL ALT Delete with Mitch Joel.
We thought autonomous vehicles were a long ways away, and now they are being tested and used in several markets. What about flying cars? Uber is starting to share details about these sky cabs. Last week in Dallas, they held an Uber Elevate Summit and discussed how cities like Dallas and Dubai are primed testing grounds. The company is hoping to have a demonstration ready for 2020 and earmarked 2023 for putting them into service. It’s not just Uber, last week Alphabet CEO, Larry Page, backed the flying car startup, Kitty Hawk, which showed a video of what the “car” might look like. It’s The Jetsons!
Speaking of Uber, last Wednesday the company launched UberEATS here in town. Montrealers can now order meals, desserts and late-night snacks from more than 100 restaurants. Here’s how it works: $4.99 delivery fee goes to UberEATS. A restaurant employee sees the order on an iPad and prepares the food. A delivery person, either an Uber driver or a bike courier, collects the food from the restaurant and delivers it to the customer. UberEATS said the meal should arrive at a customer’s door no more than 35 minutes after the order is placed. Now there’s more competition for services like Foodora and A La Carte Express.