Welcome to the Wealth Daily Weekend Edition — our insights from the week in investing and links to our most-read Wealth Daily and sister publication articles.
As the markets continue to feed the bulls with yet another push to the upside, it’s but a sideshow to the world’s entrepreneurs.
Deaf to market chatter, they simply go about their work as the talking heads on CNBC like Cramer and Maria take it all into overdrive.
And while the markets matter in the grand scheme of things, to the truly creative types, it only provides a faint background noise.
Instead, they are busy doing what they have always done: pushing their dreams down the unknown road.
As always, the ascent of man reaches for a higher place.
That’s why the future is so hard to predict. Innovation alters the world in ways we don’t always expect.
So what can we look forward to over the course of the next five years?
According to IBM’s (NYSE:IBM) latest “Five in Five,” technology will change people’s lives in the following ways…
1. You’ll beam up your friends in 3D.
In the next five years, 3D interfaces (like those in the movies) will let you interact with 3D holograms of your friends in real time. Movies and TVs are already moving to 3D, and as 3D and holographic cameras get more sophisticated and miniaturized to fit into cell phones, you will be able to interact with photos, browse the Web, and chat with your friends in entirely new ways.
2. Batteries will breathe air to power our devices.
In the next five years, scientific advances in transistors and battery technology will allow your devices to last about 10 times longer than they do today.
And better yet, in some cases, batteries may disappear altogether in smaller devices…
Instead of the heavy lithium-ion batteries used today, scientists are working on batteries that use the air we breathe to react with energy-dense metal, eliminating a key inhibitor to longer lasting batteries. If successful, the result will be a lightweight, powerful, rechargeable battery capable of powering everything from electric cars to consumer devices.
3. You won’t need to be a scientist to save the planet.
While you may not be a physicist, you are a walking sensor. In five years, sensors in your phone, your car, your wallet, and even your Tweets will collect data that will give scientists a real-time picture of your environment.
In the next five years, a whole class of “citizen scientists” will emerge, using simple sensors that already exist to create massive data sets for research.
4. Your commute will be personalized.
Imagine your commute without jam-packed highways, crowded subways, construction delays, and without having to worry about being late for work…
In the next five years, advanced analytics technologies will provide personalized recommendations that get commuters where they need to go in the fastest time. Adaptive traffic systems will intuitively learn traveler patterns and behavior to provide more dynamic travel safety and route information to travelers than is available today.
5. Computers will help energize your city.
Innovations in computers and data centers are enabling the excessive heat and energy that they give off to do things like heat buildings in the winter and power air conditioning in the summer. With new technologies — such as novel on-chip water-cooling systems developed by IBM — the thermal energy from a cluster of computer processors can be efficiently recycled to provide hot water for an office or for houses.
Now I must admit, some of these changes sound kind of crazy to me…
But who am I to argue? I still carry cash and I don’t own a cell phone.
But either way, one thing is for sure — one day, we will all wake up in a world we barely recognize.
In the meantime, our editors have been busy with their own crystal balls…
They’ve put together a few of their best investment ideas for the years to come. Below are this week’s top-read articles from Wealth Daily and Energy & Capital.
Have a great weekend.
Your bargain-hunting analyst,
Steve Christ
Editor, Wealth Daily
Mongolian Markets: China + Energy = Surefire Opportunity
“The Hammer” explains how this Mongolian wasteland could make you $10,950 richer this year.
Palladium Profits: On the Trail of the Commodity Bull Market
Editor Luke Burgess discusses global palladium supply and demand and reveals why the auto industry’s “big switch” could lead you to your next ten-bagger.
Nighttime Solar Power: The Energy Company No One Can Catch
Editor Nick Hodge explains how this secret technology, and the tiny startup firm that owns it, could earn you the easiest $131,500 you’ve ever made.
Top Dividend Stocks: How to Close the Lifestyle Gap in Your Golden Years
Editor Steve Christ takes a look at the coming lifestyle gap and explains how dividend stocks can ease the burden of your golden years.
Time to Buy Uranium: Uranium Spot Prices Hitting Year Highs
Editor Christian DeHaemer spells out for readers the massive opportunities in the global uranium shortage.
Better with Batteries: Finding the Crown Joule
Editor Nick Hodge explains why batteries are emerging as the bridge to our energy future, and which technologies are already attracting investor attention.
The Only Biotech Stock to Own for 2011: Obama’s Favorite Drug
Publisher Brian Hicks explains why this microcap biotech pick is the most promising in the market today.
Fear the Reaper: Four Signs We Are Forsaken
Editor Christian DeHaemer explains the four signs of a top.
The Chart that Makes Investors Cry: Natural Gas Markets – Dead or Alive?
Editor Keith Kohl takes a hard look at why natural gas investments will heat up in 2011.
Renewable Energy Predictions: Is This Energy Prediction Complete Bullcrap?
Editor Jeff Siegel discusses the latest studies on renewable energy growth.
The Great American Snooze Button: Belt-Tightening Cometh
Analyst Adam Sharp talks about why in 2011, Social Security is set to pay out $130 billion more in benefits than it collects in revenue…
Uranium’s Bull Market Pushes Forward: Uranium Traders “Scared Into Buying”
Analyst Luke Burgess discusses rising uranium prices and tells investors several ways to start profiting from the current uranium bull market.
We’re Propping Up Failure: It Doesn’t Add Up
Editor Nick Hodge takes a break from the energy world to warn you what’s wrong with our capital.
