Tech trends for non-techies

Bitcoin, blockchain and driverless taxis

I’m not a techie but the events in this Technology Revolution intrigue me. Here are some trends and thoughts you should know about.

Bitcoin currency up 900% this year and you can’t even put it in your wallet. You should to buy a little just to see what the hubbub is about. Here is how:

There are three main coins--- bitcoin, ethereum, and litecoin. They are popular in that order as well. In about 10 minutes, you can set up an account in Coinbase and become a “cryptocurrency” owner. The good news is that you don’t have to shell out $10,000 for a whole bitcoin. You can buy fractions in any amount you want.

Even with all the hype, the explosive potential lies in the technology behind Bitcoin, Blockchain.

What if you did not need a trusted intermediary (bank, insurance company or social media site) to keep your financial records, medical records or personal information private and secure? This is the power of blockchain technology. Originally developed to power bitcoin, blockchain will revolutionize countless industries by removing the middleman and allowing users to directly interface with buyers. Interesting article on applications at Business Insider.

Driverless cars will take years to scale up. Driverless taxis, not so much.

Volvo Cars said it has agreed to supply Uber Technologies Inc. with a fleet of 24,000 self-driving taxis beginning in 2019—one of the first and biggest commercial orders for such vehicles. Wall Street Journal

GM said that they can make it (self-driving ride hailing service) happen within two years, with a fleet ready to go to work by 2019. Tech Crunch

As low maintenance, electric, driverless taxis become prolific and the price of using them falls, will we even want to own a car? My granddaughter may never learn to drive.