Randall Mayes

Randall Mayes is a technology analyst, author, futurist, and instructor of emerging technologies in Duke University’s OLLI program.

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6 Posts

The Metaverse: Science Fiction or Reality?

We tend to overestimate a technology’s abilities in the near term, and massively underestimate what it can do in the long term.

Randall Mayes

14 Jul 2022 · 9 min read

The Mismeasure and Misuse of GDP

In The Great Questions of Tomorrow, David Rothkopf, an international policy expert and former editor of Foreign Policy, noted that we are on the cusp of a sweeping revolution—one that will change every facet of our lives. Klaus Schwab, the executive director and founder of the World Economic Forum,

Randall Mayes

16 Jan 2022 · 10 min read

The Peculiar Economics of 3D Printing

Most new technologies, when they are launched, arrive with a lot of hype. While 3D printing fits the business model for customized products, it is not yet cost effective in a commercial manufacturing sector which requires mass production.

Randall Mayes

21 Dec 2021 · 10 min read

Flying Cars: What, How, When, and Why?

Even though electric and self-driving cars have yet to saturate the market, dozens of companies are at various stages of launching flying cars in a variety of models.

Randall Mayes

18 Nov 2021 · 10 min read

A Perfect Storm: The Chocolate, Coffee, and Climate Crises

The major food staples are essential to human survival. Chocolate and coffee are not essential, but try to imagine a world without them. One of the numerous concerns with climate change is that many species will lose their habitats. Scientists are projecting that, in the coming decades, this could lead

Randall Mayes

4 Nov 2021 · 10 min read

Autonomous Vehicles: Hype or Reality?

AVs are essentially robots with the same requirements as human-driven vehicles—driving and parking skills, the ability to communicate with other cars and the infrastructure, navigation skills, and access to a source of energy.

Randall Mayes

19 Oct 2021 · 14 min read