What we’re most thankful for in tech, science, business, and innovation

This was a 7 days when many of us in the U.S. paused to reflect and give thanks. We’re retaining the tradition alive on the GeekWire Podcast. On this special holiday getaway episode, we present our gratitude for some of the systems, developments and hopeful developments of the past yr, as reflected in news coverage on GeekWire.

Hear under, and subscribe to GeekWire in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you pay attention. Continue on examining for a rundown of our picks.

mRNA vaccines: Below we have science, engineering, innovation and a spirit of cooperation supporting to tackle one of the most hard scenarios on the world. COVID-19 vaccines are a no-brainer to leading this record.

Environmental awakening: 2021 has been a watershed moment for investors, startups, and the common company populace waking up to weather alter in a a lot bigger way. Some of the examples we discuss:

Electric autos and substantial-pace rail: The proliferation of electric autos on the highway, and extended-term setting up for substantial-pace rail in the Cascadia Corridor has us hopeful about the future of different forms of transportation.

Cloud storage: It is not a new advancement, of training course, but the relieve of storing, syncing and backing up knowledge in the cloud is a single of those innovations that grow to be an integral aspect of life practically without us noticing. Anything as seemingly mundane as Microsoft OneDrive has manufactured switching amongst PCs seamless, for case in point.

Daily AR: In substantially the similar way, the tiny touches of augmented truth in the world close to us have manufactured life much easier. An case in point: the suggestions in the backup digital camera on cars and trucks that make reversing into a area that substantially less difficult.

The subsequent generation of innovators: Illustrations abound, as evidenced by our Junior Geek of the Thirty day period sequence. Having said that, the illustration that stands out from the past yr is Seattle teen entrepreneurs Sage Khanuja and Nikolas Ioannou building and offering their telemedicine startup in a thriving exit earlier this year.

Business place tourism: Guaranteed, there are a lot of explanations to be skeptical about billionaires blasting by themselves and a preferred number of into small-Earth orbit. But if this is a critical step towards a multi-planetary species, there’s also cause to be optimistic. At least, that’s one particular way of seeking at it. We were divided on this just one.

MacKenzie and Melinda: We’re hopeful about the affect that MacKenzie Scott and Melinda French Gates will have as philanthropists in their individual right. For needs of fascinating information protection, we hope the former spouses of Jeff Bezos and Monthly bill Gates group up even a lot more than they by now have, despite the fact that it may possibly be far better for the earth for them to get the job done independently.

Listen to the whole episode above, and subscribe to the GeekWire Podcast for prior episodes. Hosted by GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook dinner. Produced and edited by Curt Milton. Concept audio by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.