Fast Company May_2016

My 12-year-old son loves the United States. He’s always wearing red, white, and blue, drawn to anything with an American flag. He even dressed as Uncle Sam for Halloween. But talking with him about this year’s presidential campaign has been challenging. In part, that’s because the political discourse has included a coarseness and belligerence that we don’t condone in our household. More important, none of the candidates have expressed a coherent, compelling vision for the America my son will inherit. The world we live in is changing faster than it ever has, fueled by advances in technology, bioscience, and artificial intelligence. These changes are powerful and exciting and sometimes a little scary. They hold the seeds of our future; their impact is already both unmistakable (people are holding smartphones around the…

Unshakeable shelter SHOP ARCHITECTS How can great design make a difference when it comes to natural disasters? That’s what SHoP Architects is hoping to answer this summer, when the New York City–based firm opens the first of 50 earthquakeresistant schools in Nepal, which was devastated last year by an 8.1-magnitude temblor. The not-forprofit Kids of Kathmandu tapped SHoP to build schools that can not only withstand the impact of a quake but also function as meeting points for families in the aftermath. “We didn’t want to do just a pretty design that would get published,” says Kim Holden, a founding principal at SHoP. “We wanted to do something that would actually get built.” Over numerous Skype calls, her team worked with officials to solve logistical challenges, such as finding locally available materials. “You…

PADMASREE WARRIOR Then CTSO, CISCO SYSTEMS Now CEO, NEXTEV U.S. Padmasree Warrior wants to make your car as smart as your computer. After leaving Cisco Systems last fall, she was hired in December to run the U.S. division of Shanghai-based electric-vehicle startup NextEV, a Tesla rival that is working to integrate advanced Internet technology into automobiles. “Machine learning, computer vision, data science—all the things we’ve learned in the consumer Internet space we can now apply to the vehicle,” says Warrior. “I was trying to decide what to do [after Cisco], and I wanted to pick an area where we could apply technology to solve big problems, things with a global impact.” NextEV is planning to release its first consumer-targeted vehicle later this year, a “supercar” that is expected to crank out more than 1,000 horsepower and…

”My favorite place for shopping at the moment is Wildfang. Their gender-neutral clothes cover everything you could want or need, and they have great notebooks, too. Very important.“Robyn Exton Founder and CEO, Her“The Industries of the Futureby Alec Ross takes an in-depth look at the opportunities for technology in a changing world. It’s inspiring and sobering at the same time.” IF YOU’ RE IN A TIME CRUNCH, TRY... 1 GETTING BRIEFED “T o prepare for meetings, I log in to the Charlie app and learn about a person: mutual friends, professional background, and company info.” Jamie Miller President and CEO, GE Transportation 2 OUTSOURCING SERVICE CALLS “If I’ve booked the wrong flight or need a refund, Get Service’s free customer-service tool lets me avoid being put on hold for hours.” Ocean Pleasant CEO and editor-in-chief, Real Magazine…

Most mornings, Brett Broviak rises at 4:30 for a walk around a nearby track before work. The winters in his native Indiana are long and cold, but Broviak trudges on. Occasionally, he steals a glance at his Fitbit to check his progress toward his daily goal: 20,000 steps, or about 10 miles. It wasn’t always that way. In 2014, Broviak’s cholesterol and blood sugar levels were sky-high. After years of unhealthy habits, his weight had ballooned to 255 pounds. Like many Americans, he regularly indulged in fast food and drove almost everywhere, including to the Indiana University Health Center where he worked as a respiratory therapy manager. “I was borderline diabetic,” he says. “I knew I had to make some changes.” Broviak is now the poster child for his employer’s corporate wellness…

Can my Fitbit tell if... 1 I’M PREGNANT? Perhaps. According to University of California, San Francisco, cardiologist Ethan Weiss, a lot of physiological changes occur during pregnancy, including an elevated heart rate and temperature. Some may appear as early as the first trimester. 2 I’M ONLY PRETENDING TO BE SICK? Yes and no. Fitbit devices don’t have diagnostic abilities, but their trend data can suggest if something is up. When you’re sick, your resting heart rate may rise and you often require more sleep. 3 I’M NERVOUS IN A MEETING? Heart rate is a useful, albeit not totally reliable, indicator of stress and anxiety. Although your heart may feel like it’s racing during that high-profile presentation, it may not be as dramatic as you think. 4 I’M TRYING TO HIDE AN OFFICE CRUSH? Unlikely, says Weiss—unless your heart…