Michael Malorny/Getty
Have you ever felt like you are destined to become a supplicant whose chief purpose is to be sensed electronically, generate data and have it processed by intelligent machines for somebody else’s benefit? If not, you are probably lucky enough to have been spared the hype of the smart-city lobby.
Not for long though. That hype is hitting fever pitch. An investment group, backed by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, just pledged $80 million to kick-start Belmont, an 80,000-home smart city near Phoenix, Arizona, which will reportedly be replete with driverless vehicles, high-speed internet, jobs in advanced manufacturing and autonomous delivery services.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
In Canada, Google owner Alphabet has partnered with the city of Toronto to consult on and develop a section of Lake Ontario waterfront into a high-tech smart district. In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the government revealed a $500 billion