Tom Raftery's weekly newsletter - Issue #7

Welcome to issue 7 of this newsletter - thanks to everyone who signed up for, and who are receiving this newsletter 

I must be doing something right, the number of unsubscriptions has been less than one per issue, and the number of email opens has been well over 30% per newsletter (roughly twice the average for newsletters)

Some fascinating stories again this week - enjoy...

The Internet of Things (IoT)

Two pieces of news caught my eye this week in the IoT space. The first was the funding round Vivint landed. And not because I have much interest in company fundings, but rather because the article explains why they are different from other IoT companies

And the second piece talks about an oft overlooked aspect of IoT - securing all the things

Vivint Smart Home raises $100M from Peter Thiel, Mitt Romney — www.businessinsider.com Vivint Smart Home has raised $100 million from Peter Thiel and Solamere Capital.

Global IoT security spending to hit $348m in 2016 — readwrite.com

The rapid growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the tandem acceleration in malicious attacks on connected devices will drive worldwide expenditures on IoT security by 24% this year to $348 million.

Energy

Two interesting articles in the energy section this week - the first talks about using trains and concrete slabs as an energy storage mechanism - a fascinating idea

and the second story shows how wind turbines are ever increasing in size, and efficiency

The train goes up, the train goes down: a simple new way to store energy - Vox — www.vox.com A new company stores energy using high-tech solutions, namely rocks and gravity.

World's Biggest Windmills Now Make Jumbo Jets Look Tiny — www.bloomberg.com A rare look inside the giant installations being developed to withstand the world's worst climates - even the Arctic.

CleanTech/Misc

Several stories in the electric/autonomous vehicle space this week. I selected the two I thought were more interesting (ok, alright, I wrote the one about Elon Musk, and his plans to disrupt more industries)

Elon Musk has two more “Secret Master Plans” — medium.com In August 2006 Elon Musk first published his Secret Master Plan for Tesla:

Google, Ford, Uber launch coalition to further self-driving cars — www.reuters.com Alphabet Inc's Google unit (GOOGL.O), Ford Motor Co (F.N), the ride-sharing service Uber [UBER.UL] and two other companies said on Tuesday they are forming a coalition to push for federal action to help speed self-driving cars to market.

Climate

In the climate section this week, bad news in India and Southeast Asia with a deadly heatwave, but good news in Indonesia with a dentist helping reduce illegal logging, and in the US, now almost half of the GOP supporters believe climate change is real (finally!)

Deadly heat wave is shattering all-time records in Southeast Asia and India — mashable.com A deadly, record-shattering heat wave continues to grip India, Thailand, Cambodia and other countries in southern Asia.

Dentist wins 'green oscar' for using healthcare incentives to halt logging — www.theguardian.com Scheme offering Indonesian villages that stop illegal logging large discounts on medical care is saving lives as well as the rainforest

Half of U.S. Conservatives Say Climate Change Is Real — www.bloomberg.com Trump and Cruz reject global warming, while more Republicans see it as a threat.

In conclusion

Thanks for taking the time to read this newsletter. I hope you found it interesting

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