We’ve talked about devices that aid the visually impaired in the past. As with much modern innovation, many tools are…
Browsing: Social Impact
Recently there has been a spurt in technology that makes other technology accessible to people with various disabilities. In some…
For years, carpooling has been a great way to cut commute costs while minimizing environmental footprint. It’s a concept with…
Mark Zuckerberg’s charitable company, The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, recently partnered with the Obama Administration to host an invitation-only Summit on…
When you think of microscopes, what comes to mind? If you’re like most people, you probably think of high-end hardware,…
Using dating apps can be a challenge for anyone–having to worry about choosing the right pictures, writing a bio that’s…
There are significantly more citizens than there are police. The limited size of many departments means there’s only so many…
Focusing can be surprisingly uncomfortable. If you’ve got an overactive imagination (read: crippling ADD), it can be damn near unbearable,…
It’s an established fact that the tech industry has a significant diversity problem. In 2014, the combined US workforces of…
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump finally faced off this past Monday in the first Presidential Debate. I left it feeling…
GiveSafe is a new, innovative solution that combines both software and hardware, and both technology and human touch to support the…
It has been called many things; universal basic income, guaranteed minimum income, guaranteed basic income, etc. It all means the…
Some educators do their darndest to make learning fun (some just keep it boring), but is it possible to make…
New drones from a company called Zipline will fly medical supplies to remote parts of developing countries. They use GPS technology to find their targets after being summoned by text message. It seems “the future of healthcare is out for delivery.”
Smart bricks may be the smartest future of the smart home market, thanks to a team of scientists out of the University of the West of England. These “living” bricks will do things like clean water, reclaim phosphate, generate electricity and facilitate the production of new detergents.
From bulldozing poor neighborhoods, to fires at the unfinished Olympic Village dorms, to robberies during fire evacuations and robberies while…
There’s something about hearing the words “I dare you” that brings out the fight in a lot of us. Now there’s…
After a few weeks on the Nextdoor social networking site, I have a few concerns about the surveillance we’re under. Not from the NSA, but the person down the street. For a social platform about being neighborly, my neighbors sure know how to expect the worst from people.
The startup what3words wants to change the world by changing one of its most established naming conventions: the address system. Rather than rely on house numbers, street names and zipcodes, the app provides a three-word “name” for every location on the planet and helps you navigate to it using a traditional map app and a compass. It addresses holes in the U.S.’s address system, but, perhaps more importantly, it can work really well in developing nations.
With just a few taps, Ctzen enables regular citizens to report city issues to their local officials, and, through gamification, encourages regular interaction with city government. The app is nicely designed and serves a need. The only obstacle that remains is user adoption, particularly by the government officials.
Ten or even five years ago “impact” was seen as its own industry. Few people had heard of impact investing,…
At any given time, there are good startup ideas and there are bad startup ideas. Here are 13 bad ones. Email, messaging, networking, collaboration and friend finding apps – they’ve been done. And smart toys, foodie apps, and selfie sticks are killing our collective souls. So, when you’re looking for the next great business idea, please pass on these. Please.
Startup iGrow lets regular folks contribute to the growth and upkeep of crops and farming without ever having to handle a plow or pitchfork. The benefits may include a more human-touch in agriculture, improved crop output, and a improved standard of living for farmers across the world.
Sure virtual reality could be the future of video games and porn, but it should be the future of human connection and a supportive global engagement. Several organizations are exploring ways to use VR for social impact, encouraging empathy, and changing the current reality.