LI FE CAN BE PERFECT

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contents
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Right: Hen Jones, founder of
the Welsh Space Campaign
0 8 8
069
The more apt question is, Why isnt
there a Pill for men, in addition to
the Pill for women? Carl Djerassi
101
Europes 100
hottest startups
Welcome to WIREDs third
annual list of the ten tech
cities you need to know
about, and 100 companies
causing the greatest buzz
126
The nano
nose
Breathe out: you are
releasing a powerful
chemical trail that can
identify early signs of
cancer and other diseases
134
Built by
the crowd
Community cash is
building parks, community
centres and skyscrapers
so where does that
leave governments?
140
Life
scientist
J Craig Venter, the rst
person to sequence the
human genome, has a
new project converting
DNA into a digital signal
FEATURES
SECTIONS 048
START
For brighter, whiter bones
Swizzels Double Dip also does double-duty as
a re extinguisher and a taxidermists tool
087
PLAY
Forging the future
An industrious Canadian collective is ensuring
blacksmiths skills will live forever online
061
FETISH
Objects of desire
Hi-tech running vest; illuminated dress; midi-
controller jacket; retro rides; coffee makers
018
START
Heli-plane, no driver required
Project Zero, a hybrid helicopter-aeroplane,
is taking to the skies without a pilot
088
PLAY
Lift I Ffwrdd
Wales is joining the space race and its
using its history as a launch pad
069
IDEAS BANK
Brain food and provocations
Carl Djerassi; Hal Gregersen; Adam Penenberg;
Nicholas Lovell; Greg Lindsay
041
START
Destination Moon
Astro Teller of Google[x] aims to improve the
worlds broken industries to the power of ten
093
HOWTO
Life enhancement
Defend against pirates; boost your Twitter
followers; make compost using worms
077
PLAY
Hacking the hidden city
Bradley Garrett explores the urban worlds
forgotten treasures, from tunnels to rooftops
027
START
Mail-order microbiome
Jessica Richmans uBiome can reveal your
hidden microbial machinations
147
TEST
Lab results
Fishing rods with added nanotechnology;
reworks for your back-garden display P
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Jamie Bill, Jean Faulkner, Shelagh Crofts, Albert Read, Patricia Stevenson W
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Some of our guiding dermatologists recommendations are quite practical:
Use a face scrub to lift hairs. Lather up to reduce friction. Thenthedoctor goes
deeper: Cleanse and exfoliate daily, and you can expect fewer ingrown hairs,
less razor burn. Our formulas help you satisfy all the good doctors advice.
And guarantee great skin, great shaves.
Find your routine at clinique.co.uk
RANTS
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WHAT WIRED.CO.UK
LEARNT THIS MONTH
The City of Londons recycling bins are
tracking thousands of smartphones.
tinyurl.com/mh57669
Selling Raspberry Pi cases has made
Jacob Marsh rich. tinyurl.com/mcqc54n
Working at Nasa can lead to a
career designing Halloween outts
tinyurl.com/n5m2lfg
Im surprised Google+ has more than
50,000 users. @chrisbeach, on WIRED
attracting 50,000 Google+ followers
Nice article about makers assisting
big design names. When digital
makers means doing it with ngers!
@stonemasonryco
One of the inspirations of our
generation. Great article on Thomas
Heatherwick. @compareschoolse
Good to see Lovejoy on the
cover of @WiredUK. @jneill
Id like Christians to explain howTHIS [Three-
metre bobbit wormis the oceans most disturbing
predator, wired.co.uk] made it on to the Ark
without eviscerating everything. @demolition
OWN A TABLET?
Theres a digital
edition of WIRED
just for you
10.13 HOW TO INNOVATE Thomas Heatherwick was the cover star
of our gloss-spattered October issue. Inside, the master maker
oferedsomerules of designandsharedwithus his studios plans
forthefuture. Wevehadbridges, boatsandcauldrons: whatshould
he tackle next? Let us know: [email protected]; #WIREDUK
PLAGUED BY DESIGN
Having lived in Manchester and London,
I know two of Thomas Heatherwicks
designs quite well (Master builder, 10.13).
His B of the Bang sculpture in Mancunia
startedsheddingthe tips of its metal spikes
from a height of over 50 metres before
it was even unveiled. It didnt manage to
impale me, but another of his projects, the
remodelled Routemaster, did get under
my skin. Replacing the unpopular bendy
buses, Heatherwicks vehicle should have
received a free pass frompress and public,
but it was designedwithwindows that can-
not be opened. Summertime temperatures
on the upper deck of the 38 exceeded the
limits allowed for transporting livestock. It
seems you can have decent air-con or a big
door that continually opens, but not both.
Steve Fentiman, via email
FROM OUR FACEBOOK PAGE
Ugandas tech community is steadily
evolving (Ugandas tech pioneers, 09.13).
I trust that we will get to the pinnacle
of technology innovation that will help
transformour communities for the better.
Great strides, folks. Ambrose Etigu
What a great idea (This headline has been
written for dyslexics, 09.13). I hope its
effective. Its actually quite an attractive
face. Please can this replace Comic Sans
now? Please? Ben Capewell
Apps are NEVER going to take over the net
(The web is dead and the app killed it,
09.13). Theyrenotcuttingthroughanything.
Theyre dumber due to being incapable of
including a lot of information, for technical
andergonomic reasons. JackHertz
Enjoy autumns
rst reworks
display as we put a
selection of home-use
bangers and
rockets to the test.
Download the
WIRED app to
hear exclusive
interviews with select
members of Europes
100 Hottest Startups.
THIS MONTH IN OUR
TABLET EDITIONS
WIRED TWEETS
Explore the
Proper Coffee
Cold-Drip coffee
maker from this
months Fetish
section in 360.
0 1 0
SUBSCRIBE TO WIRED: GET 6 PRINT ISSUES FOR 9
AND RECEIVE 6 FREE DIGITAL EDITIONS
wired.co.uk/sub or call 0844 848 5202
contri butors
CARL
DJERASSI
In Ideas Bank this month,
Djerassi one of the
scientists responsible for
the breakthrough that
led to the creation of the
female contraceptive Pill
tells us why were still
waiting for a male Pill.
The clinical development
time would be too long,
he says. Men would
need guarantees that,
after 40 years [of use],
they would still be fertile.
Id have used it, though.
JORDAN
METCALF
Based in Cape Town,
Metcalf provided the
striking illustrated
lettering for the opening
pages of our J Craig
Venter interview.
People such as Venter
are modern pioneers
who drag everyone else
kicking and screaming
into the new world,
says Metcalf. Its vital
to have people like him
pushing the boundaries
of human knowledge.
COURTNEY
BOYD MYERS
Splitting her time
between working with
startups in New York and
London, Boyd Myers was
perfectly positioned to
tell us about Prizeo a
startup that harnesses
celeb-power for charity.
It helps charities
to take more effective
advantage of social
media and analytics,
she says. Many of them
just arent procient
with web technologies.
ROGER
HI GHFI ELD
The director of external
affairs at the Science
Museum Group, Higheld
interviews genomics
pioneer J Craig Venter.
Most journalists say
Venter is a maverick,
says Higheld. But hes
a scientist who became
rich and successful by
doing great research.
And hes straightforward
if he thinks that youve
buggered something
up, hell say so.
PERRY
CURTI ES
Curties photographed the
big three in our Fetish
section this month.
I like objects that blend
practicality with great
design, he says. Using
a really nice spatula can
make someone as happy
as using an iPad. And
is there something hed
like to photograph for
the section? Ive seen
an experimental organic
fabric that grows
in sheets, underwater.
DETECTI NG
THE DOCTOR
Maarten de Groot,
The nano nose, p126:
Meeting Tjip [van der
Werf] in Groningen was
amazing he has a great
sense of humour, but
also knows how to be
very direct, which I think
his patients probably
appreciate. It didnt take
too long for him to get
comfortable in front of
the camera. We did his
shoot in a controlled
environment I dont
think Ive ever washed
my hands so often.
FEELI NG
THE HEAT
Jean-Mathieu Brub,
Forging the future,
p87: Everything
about the Les Forges
de Montral foundry
was atmospheric: the
heat, the forged metal,
the noise, the sweaty,
tattooed workers. I was
really focused on getting
the shot, so I didnt
notice the metal sparks
flying out and burning
a hole in my trousers.
I definitely noticed
when it burnt through
to my skin, though
MAKI NG
WI RED
0 1 2
Vintage Sport Heritage collection pays tribute to the Falcons 50th anniversary Bell & Ross: +44 207 096 0878 e-Boutique: www.bellross.com
Welcome to wireds annual survey of
Europes startup hubs featuring the
hottest, most exciting100companies, from
Shoreditch to Stockholm, that you need to
know about now. For the third year
running, our team has hit the road to
investigate the nance innovators, games
developers, databasewranglers, commerce
enablers, travel si mpl i f iers, media
impresarios, fashion analysts, security
providers and all sorts of other bold
entrepreneurs using digital tools to build
scalable, fast-growingbusinesses. Wecant
claimthis is a scientic study but were
certainly confident that our months of
inquiry have unearthed 100 companies
which at this moment have an influence
that goes way beyondtheir home market.
Whenwe came toplanthis special report, we made some ground
rules. First, we should aimto identify the companies that we felt
were making an international mark. Not necessarily the biggest,
most profitable or best-known businesses but those that our
networks consider hot right now. Second, we would look for
stronglocal ecosystemswhereclustersof startupsaredevelopinga
condent entrepreneurial culture. After concluding that Europes
most significant clusters are Amsterdam, Istanbul, Stockholm,
Helsinki, Moscow, Barcelona, Paris, Berlin, Tel Aviv and London
(Tom Blomfield, Hiroki Takeuchi and Matt Robinson of London-
basedGoCardless areshownbelow), weaskedmorethan150of our
most informedconnections inthese cities whowe shouldspeakto.
We had some intense discussions. Should Tel Aviv count as
Europe? (Yes, we decided, on grounds both of proximity and
EurovisionSongContest rules.) Shouldshoestringlocal operations
such as Berlins GetYourGuide compete with well-funded
neighbours suchas ResearchGate for a list position? (Yes, as this is
anindexof inuenceandattentionrather thannancial might.) Did
we miss any no-brainers and over-play companies that may not
survive? Of course. Helpbetter informus, at [email protected].
More than ever, this years list highlights significant local
strengths, such as Helsinkis gaming sector, or Pariss role in retail.
Europe is innovating, not just copyingUSsuccess stories, although
some of our biggest hits are localised versions of Silicon Valley
heroes. Now we need European governments to boost
entrepreneurs freedom of movement with visa reforms, and to
create newtax incentives for investors and founding teams. And
across the continent, lets continue to celebrate informed risk, and
condone rather thancondemnambitionthat ends infailure.
Thankstoall ourreportersandeveryoneinvolvedincompilingour
2013guidetoEuropeshotteststartups. Will youbeonnextyearslist?
David Rowan, Editor
PPAMedia Brand of the Year, Consumer 2013
DMATechnology Magazine of the Year 2012
DMAEditor of the Year 2012
BSMEEditor of the Year, Special Interest 2012
D&ADAward: Covers 2012
DMAEditor of the Year 2011
DMAMagazine of the Year 2011
DMATechnology Magazine of the Year 2011
BSMEArt Director of the Year, Consumer 2011
D&ADAward: Entire Magazine 2011
D&ADAward: Covers 2010
Maggies Technology Cover 2010
PPADesigner of the Year, Consumer 2010
BSMELaunch of the Year 2009
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NEWS AND OBSESSI ONS
THIS MONTH: 11. 13
BACTERIA COMMUNITIES
SHADOW ROBOT
CAPTAIN OF MOONSHOTS
WIRED MONEY
EDITED BY
JOO MEDEIROS
Project Zeros patents
cite a top speed of
500kph and an altitude
ceiling of 7.5km
Heli-plane, no
pilot required
his aircraft is a tiltrotor an all-electric
helicopter-aeroplane hybrid. It uses two
rotors that can be angled either to ease
off the ground vertically and hover like a
helicopter, or incline more than90 to y at
similar speeds and altitudes as aeroplanes.
Anglo-Italian helicopter maker Agusta-
Westland developed the pilotless craft,
called Project Zero, beating efforts by the US
Army, Nasa and Boeing, which have all tried
developing a working tiltrotor since the 1930s.
vice president of research and technology at AgustaWestland and
Morettis project partner. Wang and three designers locked themselves
away in a room hand-drawing the designs. Everything in this aircraft
was a challenge because I wanted something that was supposedly
impossible to realise, says Wang. So it has electric propulsion and vertical
takeofbutnotlikeahelicopterwhichrequiredtworotorsandnomechanical
transmission. Mostly, I wanted it to look sexy.
In December 2012, after getting the green light for his impossible
mission from the CEO, Wang assembled a team of 20 at AgustaWestland
headquarters and they set about finishing
Project Zero within months. If the project
takes youtwoyears youlose your chance, you
lose your moment, he explains.
The project drew on the expertise of all
AgustaWestlands partners: UK-based Lola
Composites providedthe carbongraphite for
the body; American company Rotor Systems
Research helped with the aerodynamics of
the rotors, whichwere producedby Japanese
company Uchida. This project has had the
most intellectual input of all the companys
work, says Moretti. Even the people work-
ing on the forklifts were involved, like they
were PhDstudents in engineering.
Project Zeros new system for swashplate-
less, electromechanically controlled rotors
couldbe adaptedtomake existinghelicopters
more stable in ight. The crafts combination
of speed and control means it could replace
helicopters in emergency rescues, and pilot-
less ight allows it tobe usedat highaltitudes
or in heavily polluted or toxic environments,
such as during a volcanic eruption.
Only one obstacle remains, says Moretti:
The engines are there but the batteries are
not. Duringthetests, theengineswereworking
at three times their capacity. The lithium-
polymer batteries remove the need for main-
tenance-heavy hydraulics but theyre not
resilient enough for sustained ight. Agusta-
Westlandtriedtoadapt theultrafast batteries
by integrating a safety switch that prevents
themfromshort-circuiting, overheating and
catching fire. They are also considering a
transition to a hybrid diesel-fuelled engine,
and changing the blades so that, meeting
the wind at the right angle, the turbines
could be made to recharge the batteries.
Carola Frediani agustawestland.com
Its the rst craft of its kind to integrate
two swing-bucket rotors into the main
fuselage, making it more efficient and
easier to control when taking off. The
body, designed by Italian car company
Bertone, is made entirely of carbon
graphi te to maxi mi se i ts strength
and keep the weight down to 900kg.
It also has no transmission or swash-
plates, instead using electromechanical
actuators that individually rotate each blade,
reducing vibrations and making flight smoother.
Its a ying test bench, the most beautiful in the
world, says lead engineer Luigi Moretti, along-
side the 13m-wide aircraft at AgustaWestlands
headquarters in Lombardy. The whole project
took just one year, of which the first three months
were devoted to planning,
according to James Wang,
The outer wings of the tiltrotor are
detachable for helicopter-only missions
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5
m
Left: James Wang, vice president of research
and technology at AgustaWestland
13m
The site measures
240,000m
2
, of which
4,090m
2
is the oor
space of the building
ERIC FRIEDMAN
CTO AND COFOUNDER,
FITBIT
Were seeing a new manifestation of the age-old
quest for self-understanding and self-discovery.
There will be an increase in information about
what we do and how we do it. At Fitbit we believe
going beyond the numbers is equally important
to enable users to act on the information in a
way that does not overwhelm them with charts.
TOM WILLIAMS
FOUNDER,
HAPPIILY/BETTERCOMPANY
Its impossible to talk about impact as a single
outcome. The impact of QS data will run the gamut
of predictable human reactions: obsessiveness,
laziness and, for some, action. The more signicant
impact will come from quantied everyone
when were automatically compared to others
and told explicitly how we measure up.
SC PIKE
PARTNER AND CHIEF
EXPERIENCE OFFICER, CITIZEN
Well begin to see the emergence of digital soul.
Not machines with souls, as the singularity theory
suggests, but the exact opposite. We humans
will digitise aspects of ourselves from personality
traits to bio-data to create a simulacrum of our
soul. This will give us all the possibility to recreate
ourselves as digital entities.
DANIELLE ROBERTS
FOUNDER,
AWARENESS LAB
People will have more intimate knowledge about
themselves and others. Tiny sensors and actuators
in connected clothing will enable real-time
physiological tracking, giving us insight into what
makes us happy and healthy. Knowing someones
stressed, we can reach out before they have
to bring up the subject, even before they realise.
ADRIANA LUKAS
FOUNDER,
LONDON QUANTIFIED SELF
QS will either be essential in our lives, bringing
data literacy and individual empowerment, or yet
another trend subsumed into big platforms. It
requires open personal-data infrastructure that
puts the three main requirements of QS users
under their control how to collect and export data,
how and where to keep it, and how to use it. MV
THE BIG
QUESTION
What will be the impact of the
quantied self in the next decade?
ANNE WOJCICKI
COFOUNDER AND
CEO, 23ANDME
We dont have enough data about how lifestyle
decisions impact our health. The QS movement will
generate a massive amount of data about how we
live. The aggregate of this will help us understand
the impact of various behaviours such as diet
and that will allow us to know the optimal lifestyle
for each of us to live longer, healthier lives.
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0 2 3
Reflecting
on 300,000
years
olzer-Kobler, the Berlin- and Zurich-
based architectural practice, produced this
angular, reflective structure as a homage
to an archaeological discovery in Schnin-
gen, in Germany. Near the building, archae-
ologists found 300,000-year-old wooden
spears and skeletons of hunting horses. The
local authorities wanted to display them
to the public and commissioned the Palon Research
Centre (left), which was completed in June, to exhibit the
artefacts. The building is reflective we wanted it to
almost disappear into the environment, so it mirrors the
surroundingmeadows, forestsandclouds,explainsTristan
Kobler, cofounderandpartnerof Holzer-Kobler. Thedesign
is split into two halves by the 17m-high foyer: one side is a
lab for scientists to examine finds; the other is a public
education centre including galleries, a caf and interative
lab. Looking out, youhave views to a 3km-long coal mine,
the excavation site and
Schningen, says Kobler.
This building is special; it
gives each of us a new per-
spective onearlyhumanity.
MVholzerkobler.ch
H
A laboratory-museum
on an archaeological
site aims to blend in
The three-storey structure
cost 15 million (13m) and
was completed in 36 months
The ancient landscape was
evoked by planting trees and
reintroducing wild horses
68m
16.7m
THE FUTURE WI L L BE HERE
OCTOB E R 1 7- 1 8 , L OND ON
BOOK NOW AT WI RE D. CO. UK/ 1 3
GROW YOUR MI ND
( AND CONTACTS)
BJRK
SI NGER- SONGWRI TER
AND MUSI C I NNOVATOR
MARTI N REES
COSMOLOGI ST AND
ASTROPHYSI CI ST
KEVI N ASHTON
TECHNOLOGY PI ONEER
LANG LANG
CONCERT PI ANI ST
ROSALI ND PI CARD
PROFESSOR, MI T MEDI A LAB
JONAH PERETTI
COFOUNDER,
THE HUFFI NGTON POST;
FOUNDER AND CEO, BUZZFEED
SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED SO FAR:
JACK ANDRAKA
YOUNG I NVENTOR,
AMATEUR SCI ENTI ST AND
CANCER RESEARCHER
SUNEET TULI
CEO, DATAWI ND, CREATOR
OF THE AAKASH COMPUTER
Ni ck DAloi si o
FOUNDER, SUMMLY
BEAU LOTTO
NEUROSCI ENTI ST AND ARTI ST
LI AM CASEY
FOUNDER, PCH I NTERNATI ONAL
JOSHUA DAVI S
US WI RED
CONTRI BUTI NG EDI TOR
# WI RE D2 01 3
DAVI D EDWARDS
FOUNDER OF LE
LABORATOI RE, PARI S
LI NDA STONE
WRI TER AND CONSULTANT
EBEN UPTON
FOUNDER AND TRUSTEE, THE
RASPBERRY PI FOUNDATI ON
MI KE GUNTON
CREATI VE DI RECTOR,
FACTUAL, BBC
Deb Roy
ASSOCI ATE PROFESSOR,
MI T MEDI A LAB; CHI EF
MEDI A SCI ENTI ST, TWI TTER
MORAN CERF
NEUROSCI ENTI ST
KATHRYN MYRONUK
DI RECTOR OF RESEARCH,
SI NGULARI TY UNI VERSI TY
ADAM SADOWSKY
ENTREPRENEUR AND MAKER
OF RUBE GOLDBERG MACHI NES
DEEPAK RAVI NDRAN
FOUNDER, I NNOZ
BRAD TEMPLETON
CHAI R OF NETWORKS &
COMPUTI NG, SI NGULARI TY
UNI VERSI TY
EVAN GRANT
FOUNDER, SEEPER
CARL BASS
PRESI DENT AND
CEO, AUTODESK
NATASCHA MCELHONE
ACTRESS
WALTER DE BROUWER
FOUNDER, SCANADU
JANE N DHULCHAOI NTI GH
I NVENTOR, SUGRU
MOLLY CROCKETT
NEUROSCI ENTI ST
OREN YAKOBOVI CH
CEO, VI DERE
MARCO TEMPEST
MULTI MEDI A I LLUSI ONI ST
I SABEL BEHNCKE I ZQUI ERDO
SOCI AL AND EVOLUTI ONARY
NEUROSCI ENCE RESEARCH GROUP
(SENRG) , OXFORD UNI VERSI TY
SESSI ON
PARTNER
PARTNER ANCHOR
PARTNER
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he body contains ten microbial
cells for every human cell on your
skin, in your mouth, nose, ears
and gut. This network is called the
human microbiome and, like the
human genome, you can find out
exactly whats in it by sequencing
its DNA a service San Francisco-
basedstartupuBiomeis bringingtothepublic.
The microbiome is a cutting-edge area of
research, explains uBiome cofounder Jessica
Richman(right). But it canalsobe brought to
people, and people can be allowed to use it.
She wanted to give individuals the chance to
learnabout their ownbodies, while contribut-
ingtoresearchintothe microbiome. Themore
people get sequenced, the more connections
canbedrawnbetweendiferent microbial pop-
ulations and demographic, lifestyle or health
factors. In recent years, the microbiome
has been linked to conditions including gut
disorders, diabetes, obesity and depression.
Richman cofounded uBiome last October
with biophysicist Zachary Apte and microbi-
ologist Will Ludington. InFebruary, theproject was crowdfundedonIndiegogoandraised
more than three times its $100,000 (64,000) goal. Its backers are the rst to receive
kits, which start at $89. Its simple, says Richman. You buy it, we send you the tube,
you take a sample, send it back, and we tell you whats in it. Participants can swab their
skin, mouth, nose, genitals or gastrointestinal tract (takenbyswabbingusedtoilet paper).
RichmansteamthenprocessestheswabsinalabattheUniversityofCalifornia, SanFrancisco.
Individual results are kept private, but participants can see
where their microbiome ts in with the dataset in general. And as
Indiegogos
mail-order
microbiome
Jessica Richmans uBiome can
reveal your hidden microbial
machinations: just swab and send
the project progresses, Richman hopes to
allow people to ask questions of the data
that might never be addressedby scientic
studies. Things like, doyouswiminachlo-
rinated pool? Do you eat one meal a day?
she says. Questions that might be a bit
unusual but might afect the microbiome.
Victoria Turk uBiome.com
Jessica Richman: uBiome tells you every single base-pair of the DNA in that little tube
TIRED
Digg as newspaper killer
Refraining from Godwin
Stellar Wind
The attention economy
Lojban
Pro-am Werewolf
WIRED
Digg as RSS reader
Passing the Bechdel Test
Tempora
The co-ordination economy
Indignadese
Meta tic-tac-toe
EXPIRED
Digg as cultural phenomenon
Not using Comic Sans
Echelon
The economy
Esperanto
3D chess
0 2 7
I NTRODUCI NG
PLAY AND PLUG
TECHNOLOGY
The Soccket, a football designed
by New York-based entrepreneur
Jessica Matthews, harnesses
kinetic energy as you play with it.
Plug it in after a 30-minute
game and it will give you three
hours of light, says Matthews,
CEO of Uncharted Play, the
startup behind the device.
Nigeria-born Matthews, 25,
designed it while at Harvard
University. We had to nd a
solution to a social problem,
combining art and science, she
says. She chose to tackle energy
poverty. Power cuts are frequent
in Nigeria, she says, but people
are so complacent about them.
Matthews decided to design a
ball that could generate power
through play and Africans are
passionate about football. Inside
the Soccket is a generator with a
mechanism similar to that in a
self-winding watch, and a battery
that charges as the ball is kicked.
It has been distributed on a
small scale in Costa Rica, Haiti,
Benin and Nigeria, and will be on
sale in the US by the end of the
year. For every ball bought, one
will be given away in a developing
country. Im not saying it can
solve the energy problem,
says Matthews, but it is a way
to pull people into clean
energy. MV unchartedplay.com
Bacteria:
thesocial
network
Friendly micro-organisms
have learned the value of
neighbourly co-operation
hese 600 billion soil
bacter i a, known as
Paeni baci l l us vortex
(l eft) are one of the
most elaborately struc-
tured bacterial commu-
nities in nature. These
bacteria have a great
social life, they work like a team,
using chemicals to communicate
in a very sophisticated way, says
biophysicist Eshel Ben-Jacob,
who captured these images in his
lab at Tel Aviv University.
Recently, hefoundtheseswarms
have a social intelligence similar
to that of humans. The bacteria
use algae as a tool to produce
food; theytransport algaetowards
light-rich places, where the algae
produce biofuel. They also move
fungal spores to locations where
the spores can germinate and
put out roots. The bacteria use
these roots to cross into places
they could otherwise never get
to, says Ben-Jacob. His team
also found that the microbes can
adapt to environmental dangers
(such as antibiotics), distribute
tasks, make collective decisions
about risk and hoard food. Com-
paredtodisease-causingbacteria,
who live comfortably in humans,
these bacteria have to survive in
much more complex ecosystems,
Ben-Jacob says. Just think how
much smarter that makes them.
MV tamar.tau.ac.il/~eshel
0 2 9
*Covers must be shut. Only in freshwater up to 1.5m for 30 min. Full T&C apply. See sonymobile.com/testresults.
Icons are for illustrative purposes only. Sony, make.believe, WALKMAN and WALKMAN W logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony
Corporation. Xperia is a trademark or registered trademark of Sony Mobile Communications AB. PlayStation is a trademark or registered trademark of
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. Android, Google Chrome and Google Play are trademarks of Google Inc. 2013 Sony Mobile Communications AB.
Order now at sonymobile.com/Xperia-Z1
#XperiaZ1
The new Xperia
TM
Z1 smartphone brings you our best waterproof design,
so you can take photos and record video even underwater, to a depth of
1.5 metres and for up to 30 minutes.* Capture your best moments,
no matter where they happen. The best of Sony for the best of you.
BE MOVED
Your best pose, our best
waterproof smartphone
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Bryan Baum, One Tree Hill
actress Sophia Bush (who
will be rafing a chance
to skydive with her), Andrej
Pancik and Leo Seigal
If you look at every
healthcare system in the
world, its nished, says
Don Cowling, VP at Proteus
Digital Health. Instead
of spending $10 billion
[6.4bn] trying to nd a
new molecule, why not
spend half a billion getting
todays products working
properly? Thats what he
is doing at California- and
London-based Proteus
Digital Health, which
harvests biological data
using ingestible sensors and
skin patches, to improve
diagnosis and treatments
already available. Its
making edible sensors that
t inside pills and tell your
doctor when pills are taken.
Theyre expected to come
to market in late 2014.
When a patient takes
pills erratically and their
condition worsens, a doctor
may simply up the dose.
Proteus is building silicon,
copper and magnesium
chips of about 1mm
2
that
can be inserted into tablets
these report via Bluetooth
when a pills been taken.
In May, the rm
announced a $62.5 million
funding round, including
investment from Oracle.
But smart pills are just
the start, says Cowling.
Proteuss patch sensor can
gather dozens of other data
points, including heart rate,
to present a sophisticated
picture of patient health
like a medical-grade
FuelBand. We can now
get a formal classication
of what disability looks
like we can measure it.
Jeremy Kingsley
proteusdigitalhealth.com
Fan-funding charities
A Y Combinator startup runs lotteries that give fans a
chance to meet their idols whose causes get a boost
0 3 1
PILL CALLING
DOCTOR... COME
IN, DOCTOR...
Los Angeles-based Prizeo helps celebrities
to fundraise for good causes via their online
fan-bases. On the first day of its partnership
withboybandOneDirection, it raised$110,000
(70,000) from fans for Trekstock, a cancer-
researchcharity. Donors hadthe chance towin
aneveningout withbandmembersLiamPayneandHarryStyles. There
were 750,000 page-views on the first day and 10,000 donors in the
rst ten days. Our real-time-analytics provider called because they
couldnt believe how large the traffic was in such a short amount of
time, says Bryan Baum, 24, Prizeos cofounder and chief executive.
Launched in June by Oxford University alumni Baum, Leo Seigal,
22, andAndrej Pancik, 24, Prizeos website rafes once-in-a-lifetime
experiences, such as private cooking lessons
with chef Jamie Oliver or golf weekends with
Samuel L Jackson. Fans enter each contest for a mini-
mum contribution of $3 to the celebritys cause, and
are prompted to share the contest via Facebook, Twit-
ter andemail. Prizeohas run25 fundraisingcampaigns
and charities receive 90 per cent of revenue after com-
mission. Its shocking howmany charities dont even
have a donate buttonontheir website, says Baum. It
demonstratesthepowerful inuencecelebritieshaveto
fuel social impact. Courtney Boyd-Myers prizeo.com
Infrared laser
Invisible to the human
eye, the laser beam
is reected out from
micro-mirrors of
just 3.5mm in diameter.
A robot
with light
fingers
Yellow Line
There are parking
apps, and then
theres Yellow Line.
This innovative and visually
impressive tool helps London-
based residents or visitors nd
parking, whether free, paid, or
free off-peak. It has a pay-by-
phone button, too. iOS,
free yellowlineparking.com
what3words
When its makers
claimed that any
location in the world
can be identied with just three
words, we raised a collective
eyebrow. But thats what this app
does, with surprising accuracy.
It actually manages to make
maps sort of fun, too. Android,
iOS, free what3words.com
Moves
Wearable tech such
as Nike+ is all the
rage, but your phone
features mostly the same
sensors. This app lets you take
advantage of that, logging your
activity from your pocket or bag
as you bustle through the city.
Or village. Or long-haul ight.
iOS, free moves-app.com
Find My Car
Imagine you could
assign your parked car
a GPS co-ordinate on
your phone. Then imagine using
your phones GPS to navigate
back to your vehicle. Imagine no
longer. Heres an app that does
all this and more it can even
send your co-ordinates to a
friend. Android, free elibera.com
Nokia City Lens
This app is one of the
best reasons to own
a Windows Phone if
youre often found wandering
through cities. Hold the phone
up and use augmented reality
and Microsofts Bing Maps to
unearth hidden venues around
you. Genius. Windows
Phone, free goo.gl/2XzkO
Places Ive Pooped
We feature an oddball
app every month,
but we may have
surpassed ourselves with this
particular specimen. The title
says it all: keep track of all
the places across the world
you have visited. Thanks,
technology. iOS, free (thankfully)
goo.gl/LlKBN Nate Lanxon
0 3 2
hadowRobot, a London-based robotics company, has developed a
robot hand that has 24 joints driven by 20 motors. With such a wide
range of movement, it canpickupeventrickyobjects, suchas pencils.
Duringsummerof thisyear, thecompanyconnectedoneof thehands
to an extremely precise 3Dsensor. Developed by a European Commis-
sion-funded project, the sensor lets the hand efectively see what to
grasp by scanning the environment in front of it. Future applications
could include the hand picking up a swab located by the sensor and
using it to test a potentially con-
taminated package. Weve spent
a lot of time looking at howwe can
put robots inplaces where humans
currently go, which we as a society
would much rather people didnt
have to, explains Rich Walker,
ShadowRobots MD. So the clas-
sic difcult, dirty anddangerous.
Walker says the original plan
for the TACO (Three-Dimensional
Adaptive Camera with Object
Detection and Foveation) was to
make a simple 3D-sensor and
then the Kinect came out. So the
research group, which consists of
seven European partners, turned
upthepower. Thelasers 2kWpeak
output allows thesensor torecogniseobjects smaller thantheKinect canresolve.
An infrared beamshines on ve oscillating micro-mirrors. It bounces of the
objects in front of it and is detected by a second sensor that measures the time it
tooktoreturn, andcalculates the depthof the surfaces. Usingobject-recognition
systems, a computer can match a detected object to an itemin its database, then
instruct the robot arm to handle it appropriately. But with such power, its not
to be toyed with. If the beamstops scanning, whatever its pointing at will start
to burn, says Walker. Things catch re with this laser. VT shadowrobot.com
SCREENED:
URBAN APPS
WIRED
WEIRD
Infrared laser
Invisible to the human
eye, the laser beam
is reected out from
micro-mirrors of
just 3.5mm in diameter.
hadowRobot, a London-based robotics company, has developed a
robot hand that has 24 joints driven by 20 motors. With such a wide
range of movement, it canpickupeventrickyobjects, suchas pencils.
Duringsummerof thisyear, thecompanyconnectedoneof thehands
to an extremely precise 3Dsensor. Developed by a European Commis-
sion-funded project, the sensor lets the hand efectively see what to
grasp by scanning the environment in front of it. Future applications
could include the hand picking up a swab located by the sensor and
using it to test a potentially con-
taminated package. Weve spent
a lot of time looking at howwe can
put robots inplaces where humans
currently go, which we as a society
would much rather people didnt
have to, explains Rich Walker,
ShadowRobots MD. So the clas-
sic difcult, dirty anddangerous.
Walker says the original plan
for the TACO (Three-Dimensional
Adaptive Camera with Object
Detection and Foveation) was to
make a simple 3D-sensor and
then the Kinect came out. So the
research group, which consists of
seven European partners, turned
upthepower. Thelasers 2kWpeak
output allows thesensor torecogniseobjects smaller thantheKinect canresolve.
An infrared beamshines on ve oscillating micro-mirrors. It bounces of the
objects in front of it and is detected by a second sensor that measures the time it
tooktoreturn, andcalculates the depthof the surfaces. Usingobject-recognition
systems, a computer can match a detected object to an itemin its database, then
instruct the robot arm to handle it appropriately. But with such power, its not
to be toyed with. If the beamstops scanning, whatever its pointing at will start
to burn, says Walker. Things catch re with this laser. VT shadowrobot.comm
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Its not always easy
to hear an ambulance
siren in heavy trafc,
especially if you have
the radio blaring.
Now ambulances in
Guayaquil Ecuadors
largest city can
beat the queues
by hijacking car
radios to announce
their approach. An
ambulance trialling
the system in June
improved its response
time by 40 per cent.
Radio Ambulance
was developed by
advertising agency
Maruri Grey, based
in Guayaquil, for its
client Ecuadorian
Radio Association,
and the Association
of Clinics of Ecuador.
We want to show
that radio is relevant
in society, explains
Daniel Prez Pallares,
the projects 38-year-
old chief creative
ofcer. Using an
RF antenna and a
universal software
radio peripheral, the
company developed
a system that
interrupts AM and
FM stations up to one
kilometre ahead, with
a message asking
drivers to give way.
The project won
a silver and two
bronze awards at
Cannes Lions this
year. The company
hopes to integrate it
into more emergency
vehicles: We want
all the ambulances
in the city to have
this system, says
Prez Pallares. VT
www.maruri.ec
EMERGENCY
SIRENS GET
A TUNE-UP
Human touch
The robot hand
is designed to mimic
the kinematics of a
human hand, including
the thumb and palm.
Exact science
Position sensors for
each joint, and force
sensors for each degree
of movement, allow
for precise manipulation.
S T A R T
P
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:
N
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K
W
I
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S
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Its not always easy
to hear an ambulance
siren in heavy trafc,
especially if you have
the radio blaring.
Now ambulances in
Guayaquil Ecuadors
largest city can
beat the queues
by hijacking car
radios to announce
their approach. An
ambulance trialling
the system in June
improved its response
time by 40 per cent.
Radio Ambulance
was developed by
advertising agency
Maruri Grey, based
in Guayaquil, for its
client Ecuadorian
Radio Association,
and the Association
of Clinics of Ecuador.
We want to show
that radio is relevant
in society, explains
Daniel Prez Pallares,
the projects 38-year-
old chief creative
ofcer. Using an
RF antenna and a
universal software
radio peripheral, the
company developed
a system that
interrupts AM and
FM stations up to one
kilometre ahead, with
a message asking
drivers to give way.
The project won
a silver and two
bronze awards at
Cannes Lions this
year. The company
hopes to integrate it
into more emergency
vehicles: We want
all the ambulances
in the city to have
this system, says
Prez Pallares. VT
www.maruri.ec
EMERGENCY
SIRENS GET
A TUNE-UP
Human touch
The robot hand
is designed to mimic
the kinematics of a
human hand, including
the thumb and palm.
Exact science
Position sensors for
each joint, and force
sensors for each degree
of movement, allow
for precise manipulation.
S T A R T S T A R T
Floridas 12
eyes of
the storm
Capable of producing winds of more
than 250kph, this hurricane-mimicking
tunnel is a force to be reckoned with
Do you need to simulate a Category 5 hurricane? Located at
the Florida International University, the Wall of Wind (WOW) is
a vast tunnel housing 12 fans that can produce winds in excess of
250kph. (Shown above is the rear view.) The majority of hurri-
canes dont reachthesespeeds, but thestrongest tohit theUKwas
278kph, recorded at CairngormSummit in March 1986.
WOWs fans were designed for ventilating mine shafts, but
were tweaked for their current purpose, says Roy Liu-Marques,
a research scientist at the centre. The current configuration is
the third: the first was a two-fan mobile unit, assembled in
2005 and capable of generating winds of up to 193kph; followed
by a six-fan WOW. On this model, up to 1,359 cumecs of air is
driven from the fans through ow-management devices, includ-
ingvertical spires androws of roughness:
oor-level triangles that create turbulence.
This is howthe teamsimulates
what happens in the atmos-
pheric boundary layer of a
hurricane, where the winds
meet obstructions. In a typical
windtunnel, says Liu-Marques,
the blockage percentage is
kept at around five to six per
cent, but at WOW, this can be
as much as 30 per cent without
afectingthe quality of the sim-
ulation. This means that scale
models of entiretowns couldbe
put in front of the fans.
Liu-Marques says the focus
is currently on testing single
resi denti al bui l di ngs and
specic building materials. But
however muchWOWs ndings
go against current thinking
on damage prevention, it could
take a while for themto have a
positive impact. Regulations
are not retroactive. There
are still a lot of buildings that
do not even meet the current
regulations. To get towns
hurri cane-ready wi l l take
ti me, even though we re
doing manifold research.
Katie Scott wow.u.edu
Whats exciting...
KATE LAVENDER
COO,
Struq
I love the Daily Spank
app. Its not as rude as
it sounds! Launched by
Mind Candys Michael
Acton Smith and
Malcolm Scovil, Daily
Spank sets you tasks
each day to take a certain
photograph Three of
a Kind, for example. It
forces you to look at the
world in a different way
and notice things you
wouldnt usually see.
Whats exciting...
BERNIE KRAUSE
Author of The Great
Animal Orchestra
Noise: A Human History
of Sound and Listening
(Prole), by David
Hendy, is a riveting
depiction for anyone
whose life is informed
by the soundscapes that
envelope us. His lyrical
account of this elusive
subject is an exhilarating
and accessible
page-turner. MV
Whats exciting
CHRISTOPH RIECHE
CEO and cofounder,
iwoca
Im a big fan of
Dark Sky, the short-term
weather forecasting
app. It uses statistical
methods to analyse radar
weather-data and make
hyper-local forecasts. Its
the perfect combination
of an innovative idea,
a powerful back end and
a beautifully simple
user interface.
EARLY
ADOPTERS
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ountries have several indicators for economic
wellbeing, but what about their emotional health?
MathematiciansChrisDanforthandPeter Dodds, at the
University of Vermonts Complex Systems Center, built
their web-based Hedonometer (a device to gauge
happiness) to track peoples emotions according to
their tweets. I call it theDowJones of happiness, says
Danforth, 34. To make the algorithm, the pair used Amazons
Mechanical Turk service to score 10,000 of the most common
words on a level of happiness, with a score of one for a sad word
such as death, and a maximum score of nine for a happy word
such as laughter. They assigned these scores to words in a sam-
ple of about 15milliontweets adayusingsoftware theywrote. This
visualisationshows thehappiness readingfor eachdaysince2008.
The worlds mood
according to Twitter
Having crunched 27 billion tweets, two mathematicians
scored how happy or sad people have felt since 2008
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2008
Christmas Day is routinely the happiest
day according to the Hedonometer.
Celebratory words such as merry,
holidays and Santa overcome those
such as hate, bad and die to
give this day in 2008 a happiness
average of 6.37 the highest recorded.
SUNDAY, MAY 9, 2010
The top ranking words give away this
Sundays occasion: its Mothers Day,
at least in the US. The days happiness
average is 6.15, 0.1 higher than that
of the UK equivalent on March 14,
and also noticeably higher than
Fathers Day on June 20 of that year.
THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2009
This is the day that the death of pop
legend Michael Jackson was announced.
Negative words connoting death,
illness and loss are mitigated only
by a handful of messages of
peace, love, and the days most
positively shifted word, music.
2011 2012 2013
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
0 3 7
What weve found is that the happy days are very predicta-
ble they tend to fall on holidays celebrated in the United States
and the sad days occur when some unexpected event takes
place, says Danforth. The peaks of each year are on Christmas
Day, and the two lowest dips represent the Connecticut school
shooting in December 2012 and the
Boston Marathon bombings in April 2013.
Danforth and Dodds will add a dozen languages to the Hedo-
nometer by the end of the year and plan to include data fromother
sources, suchasGooglesearchterms, newsoutletsandsharedBitly
links. Usingmetadatasuchas geotagging, theyalsoaimtopinpoint
emotional responses topolitical events fromdiferent demograph-
ics. We hope that we can use that to provide real-time feedback
onpolicy measures, says Danforth. VThedonometer.org
INFO
PORN
S T A R T
2012
SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2012
Party occurs often in Saturday
rankings and the popularity of green
here suggests tweeters are celebrating
St Patricks Day. Theres a decrease
in the use of negative words such
as bitch but a notable increase in
drunk (which is scored as a negative).
MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2013
With a happiness average of 5.88, the
date of the Boston Marathon bombings
is the saddest day on the Hedonometer.
Although many people were inspired to
tweet about prayers and families,
there was much greater emphasis
on victims, bombs and tragedy.
MONDAY, MAY 2, 2011
You might think Osama Bin Ladens
death would have been ranked higher,
but the increase of words denoting
violence makes for a low happiness
average of 5.92. Specic words such as
terrorist and Pakistan (3.94 on
the scale) contribute to the low score.
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At White Labs in San
Diego, technicians work
to reanimate cryogenically
frozen single-celled
organisms. Their quest:
to unravel the genetics
behind the more than
500 avour and aroma
compounds found in beers.
Yeast has been brewed
for millennia but scientists
have only now begun to
learn how genetics affects
the resulting beverage.
White Labs and biotech rm
Illumina have sequenced
96 strains, looking for clues
as to why, say, some give
saison ale fruity notes
whereas others lend the
same recipe a clove aroma.
Still dont think yeasts
make a difference? White
Labs has a tasting room to
convince unbelievers. You
can tell people,Thats the
same beer, says founder
Chris White. You see the
look on their faces, like,
Wow, you must have added
some spice or herbs or
something in this beer.
But thats all from yeast.
The next round of
sequencing includes the
yeast Brettanomyces, known
for nefarious aromas (think
bandages or sweat) that
can be either contaminants
or the masters of funk in
Belgian lambics. See you at
the bar. Peter Andrey Smith
BEER S DNA DECODED
Saison Blend
Yeast WLP564
(multiple strains)
Tasting notes
Complex, with clove
aromas and medium
peppery character
Belgian Saison I
Yeast WLP565
Tasting notes
Earthy, peppery,
spicy, with slightly
sweet fruity notes
Marco Boerriess latest startup
hasnt even started yet but it still
convinced big-spending investors
SAME RECIPE,
DIFFERENT YEASTS
Ser i al Ger man ent repreneur
Marco Boerri ess l atest startup,
NumberFour, announcedit hadsecured
$38 million (24 million) funding in
June, inEuropes largest series-Around
since Rovio raised $42 million in 2011
and it hasnt launched a product yet.
Best known for creating software
suite OpenOffice, Boerries has been
quietly working on NumberFour, his
fourth company, since 2009. Though
hes yet to reveal exactly what theyre
building, he aims to bring 21st-century tools to a market he feels has been neglected:
small businesses. Fundamentally, theyre ina similar place as they were 25 years ago, in
that they are the most underdeveloped market froma technology perspective, he says.
The problem, he explains, is that small businesses alone donot make valuable customers.
However, as a whole, the market presents a huge opportunity 200 million plus small
businesses that, by the way, make up over 70 per cent of the worlds GDP.
NumberFouristargetingbusinesseswith20orfeweremployeesfromsmall restaurants
toindividualssellingaservice. Thecompanywill ofer acloud-basedplatformthat worksin
conjunctionwithaseriesof apps. Oneappwill handlesales, say, andanother will runinven-
tory or track reservations. These apps link together inthe wider business platform, which
connects the dots between activities. If a sale is made through one app, for example, the
platformcouldalsoupdate a companys inventory or adjust the accounts.
Boerries is condent that he has identied a market opportunity which, if his team
delivers, will make $38 million not seem so high after all. If you can make 200 million
small businesses look like one, he says, you change the dynamic. VTnumberfour.eu
A small
24m idea
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wired: Larry Page and Sergey
Brin have often said that, rather
than solving the fairly big prob-
lems, Google should go for the
huge problems. How would you
dene that mindset?
Astro Teller: There are tests that
you can apply to see if youre
thinking big enough. The easi-
est one, the mantra that we use
at Google[x], is ten times rather
than ten per cent. When you try to
do something ten per cent better, you tend to work from where
you are: if I ask you to make a car that goes 50 miles a gallon,
you can just retool the engine you already have. But if I tell you
it has to run on a gallon of gas for 500 miles, youre going to have
to start over. And that causes you to approach the problem so
differently that weirdly, counter-intuitively, its often easier to
make something ten times better because perspective-shifting
is just that much more powerful than hard work and resources
being thrown at problems via traditional, well-tried paths.
Give some examples of 10x projects.
You know about Google Glass and self-driving cars, but [previ-
ously] when I was a serial tech-entrepreneur, I built a wearable-
body-monitoring company, BodyMedia, that was recently sold to
Jawbone. For almost a hundred years before BodyMedia, people
had this perspective that [if] you put a sensor on a person, you
have a model for why the human body creates these signals on
that sensor and then when you put it on a newperson, you get a
reading. You run that mechanism model you have for the human
body inreverse, andthenyougure out what you
think is wrong with them. And we said, what if
instead we put many sensors on a person, and
we build mathematical models between the set
of sensors and how they change relative to each
other? This was very uncomfortable to the medi-
cal establishment 15 years ago when we started
doing this. Another example: I have had this
interest for a very long time in making
Destination Moon
Astro Teller of Google[x] is aiming to improve
the worlds broken industries to the power of ten
0 4 1
nly a few hundred
metres fromGoogles
main Mountain View
campus is Google[x],
its audacious skunk-
wor ks l ab where
researchers pursue
the companys hyper-
ambi ti ous proj ects such as
autonomous cars, augmented-
reality glasses and balloon-
powered Wi-Fi networks. The
secretivelab, overseenbySergey
Brin, is run by Astro Teller, 43,
whose business card describes
him as Google[x]s Captain of
Moonshots. wirededitor David
Rowan asks Teller about his
mission at the lab to prioritise
10x over ten per cent thinking.
O
TAKI NG LECTURES TO ANOTHER DI MENSI ON
a software factory for ideas, a software system that
builds its own ideas. I started a company that picked
finance as its first industry to use this software on.
Its a nontrivially sized hedge fund [CerebellumCapi-
tal] nowIt has wildly better returns than almost any
other hedge fund on the planet.
What characteristics, apart from a tolerance for
failure, do you notice in the entrepreneurs you see
as most likely to make a successful moonshot?
Really great entrepreneurs have this very special mix
of unstoppableoptimismandscathingparanoia. If you
dont have a tonne of optimism, youre not going to
make ityou wont be able to evangelise to everyone
else. On the other hand, if you arent constantly para-
noid about what can go wrong and put plans in place,
then youre going to get bitten at some point.
I canseesomewiredreadersinsidebigcorporations
now thinking, Its OK for this guy with his crazy
job-title to talk about moonshots, but thats just
a Silicon Valley fantasy we have thousands of
shareholders to think about.
Theyre right, and that is part of the problem. They
need to reset expectations with their shareholders.
This is one of the things that Larry and Sergey have
done brilliantly and unwaveringly: they told their
shareholders from day one that there will be two
classes of shares you dont get to vote, we do. And if
yourenot inthis for thelonghaul withus, youreprob-
ably better off putting your money somewhere else.
And the stock price is doing just neIts a little late
for Kodak, but you know, Nokia and others could have
that sameconversationwiththeir shareholders. If they
have already writtenoflong-termbets andlong-term
thinking because their shareholders wont tolerate it,
theyre already dead and they just dont knowit.
Howmuch autonomy do you have at Google[x]?
A lot. I report to Sergey. Sergey is like Bruce Wayne and ImLucius Fox its
sort of his Batcave, but I help himoversee it. Google[x] has been tasked with
somethingemotionally andintellectually hard, whichis goingandtakingbig,
smart risks. But in order to ask a group to do that, you do have to give thema
good bit of space you have to give themthe roomto fail.
Howfar do your ambitions stretch?
We have interest in every industry which is broken: the factory industry, the
energy industry, the industry of agriculture. If we could gure out a way to
builda technology that wouldmake the worldradically better by xing deep-
seated problems in one of those industries, as self-driving cars might in the
transportation industry, why shouldnt we?
I guess there will be some mid-career executives nowreading this who are
thinking, Maybe I ought to be pushing a bit harder
I talk to these mid-career execs all the time. I start hour-long presentations
on innovation by giving them two choices: you can deliver a million-dollar
bottom line to your company this
year, guaranteed or you get a one
in a hundred chance of delivering
a billion dollars. Nobody raises
their hand for choice A; every-
body raises their hand for choice
B. I say, Okay, congratulations,
youve all passed the maths test,
choice B on an expected utility
basis is worth ten times as much.
Howmany of you believe that your
manager, your boss or your board
of directors would let you choose
B? Not a single hand goes up.
And then I say, You dont need a lecture on innovation. You need to quit your
job. You can lecture about innovation till the cows come home, but if the peo-
ple at the topdont have the stomachfor areal risk, nothingis goingtohappen.
And thats why Google is successful. Larry and Sergey just innately arent
interestedinplayingit safe. Andthat permeates the whole organisation.
Great entrepreneurs have
this very special mix
of unstoppable optimism
and scathing paranoia.
If you dont have a tonne
of optimism, youre
not going to make it
0 4 2
London-based
junior doctors Kapil
Sugand and Pedro
Campos want to
liven up lectures by
replacing PowerPoints
with holographic
animations.
When we were
medical students,
it was painful at
times, says Sugand
(left). People are
stuck inside lecture
theatres for up to
nine hours, where
they go through back-
to-back PowerPoint
presentations on
very complicated and
abstract concepts.
Sugand and Campos
founded HAMLET
(Holography-Assisted
Medical Lecturing &
E-Teaching) at the
start of the year.
They tested the rst
3D animation, which
featured a rotating
four-metre-tall
kidney, at St Georges,
University of London.
The oating
image is made using
an illusion known
as Peppers ghost.
A screen is placed
at an angle, and the
animation projected
on to it is reected
into empty space.
The lecturer can
then walk around
and be seen through
the image. That
communication
is much clearer
using 3D holography
as opposed to
2D PowerPoints,
says Sugand.
The aim is to
get the technology
implemented
across the medical
curriculum, with the
goal of training safer
physicians: If you
improve yourself as a
student, you improve
yourself as a doctor.
VT sgul.ac.uk
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ngineer Richard Brown wants a
second shot at breaki ng the
world bike-speed record. His
bike, Jet Reaction, is a stream-
lined two-wheeler built around
a 932kW helicopter turbine that
Brown has modified to produce
extra thrust. This is paired with
an afterburner, which triples the thrust
when its switched on. The bike-speed
record currently stands at 606kph and was
set by Californian Rocky Robinson, driving
the two-engined bike, Ack Attack.
Brownsrst attempt, withabikecalledthe
Gillette Mach 3 Challenger (GM3C), won him
thethen-fastest one-wayrunin1999, but soft groundconditionsdeniedhimthe
returnrunrequiredtomakeit arecord. GM3Cwasfull of highlyvolatilehydro-
genperoxide,saysBrown, 48. Most of theimprovementsonJet Reactionwere
about logistics, cost and safety. Its a joy that it runs on regular kerosene.
Following a series of successful test
runs, Brown is now confident that
he can push the world record past
640kph. Partly its unfinished busi-
ness, he says. Its also an opportunity
to demonstrate how a small team of
talented individuals without vast nan-
cial support can produce a world-class
vehicle. Robin Hague jetreaction.net
In thrust
we trust
Richard Brown wants another crack at the record
books with his indie-funded afterburner bike
Boosting the bike
A 24v NiCd aircraft
battery is fitted in the
Jet Reactions nose.
The bodywork and fin are
made from carbon fibre,
Kevlar-reinforced glass
fibre and aluminium alloy.
Jet Reactions Goodyear
tyres can withstand
speeds of up to 725kph
Right: Richard Brown with
Jet Reaction at Elvington
Aireld, Yorkshire, where
the test runs took place
Whenever you see an historic
bui l di ng, you observe i ts
architecture. Acoustic Archives
focuses ona less tangible aspect:
its sound. The teamcaptures a places sonic imprint andapplies that prole to
other audio, impartingtheaural qualitiesof that location. Directorscanoverlay
these proles ondialogue to make it site-specic. Bands couldthengive a new
feel tostudiotracks. (Take U2s castle-recordedThe Unforgettable Fire.)
Archives cofounders Mesta Bish and Vito Finamore wanted a creepy
vibe for an album, so they teamed up with Ryan Schimmenti and Eric
Farahnai to record a closed-down insane asylum. This led to forays into
other buildings, where they record tones that then get processed out to
isolate the acoustics. Their secret weapon is this 3D microphone, designed
by Bish and Finamore. When people see it, Schimmenti says, theyre
like, what kind of Ghostbusters nonsense
is this? High on their sonic wish list: the Space
Shuttle Enterprise. Courtney Balestier
Cities of sound
It takes a 3D microphone and
imitation ear to capture
old buildings aural signatures
Tablet extra!
Download the WIRED app
to nd out what the
insane asylum sounds like
Austrian entrepreneur Bernhard Niesner wanted
learning a foreign language more sociable so, along
Adrian Hilti, he founded Busuu. Traditional means
have always been inexible and expensive, says Niesner
Busuus idea: combine learning with social networking.
creating a prole on the site or app, users have
exercises such as vocabulary drills and dialogue
languages. They can interact via text or video so youre not only a student, youre a tutor for your own
The pair founded Busuu in 2008 after graduating from IE Business School in Madrid. It now has
users, with 40,000 joining every day. For 5 a month, users can access extra features such as audio
After securing 3.5 million (3m) of series-A funding last year from PROfounders and Brent
the pair moved from Madrid to London and expanded the team from nine to 30. Theyre making the
more adaptive, to suit different learning goals. By analysing usage, it compares your progress to your
or sends a notication to prompt more practising. With technology, we can solve the traditional
[of language learning], says Niesner. We can solve the issue of motivation. VT busuu.com
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Humanlike ears
simulate the way
we hear sound
The microphones
housing is made of
industrial plastic
Social medias
Tower of Babel
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This classic sweet treat also does double-duty
as a re extinguisher and a taxidermists tool
For brighter,
whiter bones
WHATS INSIDE:
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CITRIC ACID
Citric acid is a weak
organic acid of
molecular formula
C
6
H
8
O
7
. When you put
the sherbet on your
tongue, the saliva in
your mouth dissolves
the citric acid
crystals. The acid
then reacts with
sodium bicarbonate
producing carbon
dioxide gas, which in
turn causes the
zzing sensation.
SODIUM
BICARBONATE
Sodium bicarbonate is
commonly used in
cooking as a
leavening agent, and
as an antacid to treat
heartburn and
indigestion. Until
recently, it was used
in kitchen re-
extinguishers as, in
the heat of a re, it
releases a cloud of
carbon dioxide that
smothers the ames.
MAGNESIUM
CARBONATE
This acts as an
anti-caking agent.
As a food additive
(E504) it has laxative
effects in high
concentrations. It is
employed as a drying
agent for hands in
rock climbing and
weight lifting, and,
when mixed with
hydrogen peroxide, it
is used in taxidermy
for whitening bones.
LUTEIN
In Double Dip, lutein
acts as a avouring
and colouring agent
(orange-red). Typically
found in green, leafy
vegetables, lutein is
an antioxidant and
helps protect the eyes
and the skin from UV
damage. It was
previously used in
chicken feed to
improve the colour of
the skin and fat, and
to give a darker yolk.
CURCUMIN
As the main, active
compound in
turmeric, curcumin is
responsible for its
yellow colouration.
With purported
antioxidant,
antifungal, antiviral,
antibiotic and
anti-inammatory
properties, Curcuma
longa has long been
a staple of Indian
and Chinese
traditional medicine.
WIRED chemist Dr Ling
Ge, based at Imperial
College, is the author
of many high-impact
research papers
and popular-science
articles, and has
edited two books
INGREDIENTS
Sodium bicarbonate
Modied starch
Sugar
Dextrose
Citric acid
Magnesium carbonate
Tartaric acid
Cornour
Stearic acid
Magnesium stearate
Beetroot red
Curcumin
Lutein
SWIZZELS DOUBLE DIP
INSPIRING
BETTER
BUSINESS
Red tape inspired me.
This is my story
I started programming when I was 10years old. My dreamwas
to work for the biggest technology companies in the world.
Years later having successfully worked for many of them,
I started to get fed up with the amount of internal politics
and red tape I dealt with day after day. Its a clich, but I
really felt like a small cog in a big machine.
I craved to be part of a company where my ideas and passion
meant something and above all made a diference in
driving the business forward.
FISCAL Technologies gave me that opportunity to make it
happen, and over the past four years Imworking harder than
ever, but loving every minute of it.
Building relationships with trusted suppliers is essential to
business growth. Our long partnership with Fasthosts has
always delivered reliability, security and exibility when
we needed it the most.
HowardDurdle CTO
FISCAL Technologies
Find out more at fasthosts.co.uk/inspireor call 08081686777
DEDICATEDSERVERS VIRTUAL PRIVATE SERVERS WEB HOSTING DOMAINNAMES EXCHANGE EMAIL RESELLER HOSTING
San Francisco-based designer Ri Liu
wanted to use hard data to inform the col-
our schemes she uses in her work. So she
created Web Colour Data, an app that
analyses the hues that appear across the
web. She plans to use the data to reveal
trends, such as which colour combinations
are favoured by particular industries.
Facebook
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Google
Firefox
Hacker
News
Microsoft
TechCrunch
Pinterest
The
Guardian
BuzzFeed
Dropbox
Apple
BBC
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Visitors to the site can enter any URL
and the app will analyse which shades it
contains, and in what quantity. By July,
three months after launch, it had col-
lected data from close to 50,000 sites and recorded more than 340,000
tones. Theres a particular shade of blue thats very common, Liu says.
Celestial blue (identified by the hex triplet #4997D0) appears most
frequently, while pinks and purples seemto be the least popular.
Liu thinks a tool such as this could help answer designers colour
conundrums: If I have a particular client that wants a website for this
market, targeting these people, what are the best
colours I can use? VT webcolourdata.com
Colours for clicks
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Investing in the
future of money
WIRED Money event, we assembled
innovators from the nancial world to discuss the threats
and opportunities ahead. Compiled by Mark Hooper
30 things we learned at WIRED Money
Taavet Hinrikus
TransferWise
Tom Blomfield
GoCardless
Rachel Botsman
Collaborative Lab
Yoni Assia
eToro
Peter Vessenes
CoinLab
Douglas Merrill
ZestFinance
On July 1 this year, wired launched the rst of our new series of one-day
summits by focusing on a sector facing imminent disruption money, banking
and nance. Onstage, a series of A-list speakers who are transforming nance
in the digital age highlighted the trends and risks that are shaping innovation
and the future of money. With a focus on keynotes and one-on-one
interviews rather than panel discussions, the event attracted financiers,
investors, startup entrepreneurs, regulators, technologists and policy-makers
to Canary Wharfs new accelerator space, Level39. On the main stage, among
many other speakers, MITMedia Labs KevinSlavinarguedthat market trading
needed to be rebuilt for humans, IDEOs Anne Pascual made the case for banks
to be remade as platforms and PayPals John Lunn revealed how well be
using wearable technology to make payments in the future. In a separate
pitch room, a series of exciting nancial startups announced their bold plans
to an audience of potential investors and inuencers.
02/
Customers stick to what they
know particularly where their
money is concerned.
Evenif theyre not good, protocols tendto
stickaround, saidPeter Vessenes, founder
and CEO of CoinLab, a Bitcoin exchange.
The email protocol designed in the 60s
is terrible, but we still use it. With money,
its doubly sticky youre almost paid to
implement this protocol.
03/
Banks have a very long and hard
roadaheadof them.
It could still end very badly for banks,
said Richard Johnson of mobile-payment
service Monitise. Banks could just end up
as thedumbpipe, therails over whichother
people provide high-value services.
04/
Many of us still choose our bank
predominantly because our par-
entsarecustomers, orbecauseitsnearby.
Youwouldnt choosemusic, fashionorfood
like that why choose nancial institutions
like that? asked Yoni Assia, founder of
social tradingandinvestingplatformeToro.
05/
Infrastructure is a problem
Payment systems are holdingback
online progress, said John Collison, co-
founder of online-payment service Stripe.
06/
and hardware rms need to get
wise to that, andfast.
If youre a company that only produces
payments hardware, youbetter start think-
ingabout howtostayrelevant inthefuture,
warned Jacob de Geer, CEO and founder
of card-payment
platform iZettle.
Banks need to understand what
customer firstreally means
Investment bankingis a perfect example of
banks forgettingwhotheir customers are,
saidGiles Andrews of peer-to-peer lender Zopa. The banking
industry needs todowhat low-cost airlines have done: identify
what is important toconsumers andsimplify accordingly.
01
/
07/
A little transparency can begin to
x bankings image problem.
Trading platforms need to offer fairer
deals without any hidden surprises, said
Michael Laven, CEO of foreign-exchange
platformThe Currency Cloud.
08/
The mid-market exchange rate
doesnt exist at your bank.
Taavet Hinrikusset upTransferWisetohelp
us exchangecurrencyat therates banks do:
Ask your bank to explain the mid-market
rate. I guarantee itll be fun, he promised.
11/
Emerging markets in the devel-
oping world need a dedicated B2B
foreign-exchange platformtohelpthem
discover the best possible rates.
Leslie Onyesoh founded Kwanji for that
reason. Think of us as... a money super-
market for the foreign-exchange market,
he saidof the soon-to-launchcompany.
12/
Banks still dont understand the
concept of opensource.
By sharing their API with developers,
banks can let trusted tech companies do
their research and development work for
them. Developers can enhance the banks
apps and digital oferings while ensuring
thebanksretaincontrol of theirdata. Thats
the idea behind the Open Bank Project,
according to founder Simon Redfern.
15/
Wonga isnt going away.
People want short-term loans, no
matter what aloudminoritysays, insisted
founder and CEO Errol Damelin of the
digital nance company.
16/
We needto demystify trading.
Major market crashes have occurred,
and will continue to occur, because the
market no longer has a human interface,
saidKevinSlavinfromMITMedia Lab.
17/
TheVCsystemis broken.
Stephen Piron founded consultancy
Bright*Sun to offer a curated database of
businesses for mid-range investors, aimed
at countering the herd mentality of VCs.
The best ideas will get money, he said.
The resources will be well distributed.
10
/
Technology needs
to be invisible
The best type of payment is
one you dont see. Thats the
future of spending money,
insisted JohnLunn, global
director of PayPal Developer,
which helps startups
integrate their systems
with the payment giant.
09/
The sectors smaller retailers
struggle withdata analysis.
To this end, has Darren Oddie formed
AGILE Customer Insight to ofer easy-to-
use, low-cost shopper insight software.
13/
Youve beenlendingtobusinesses
since youhad a bank account
youve just had no control or say in the
process, and it hasnt always been done
necessarily to your advantage. We need
to l earn to l end smarter and more
directly, urged Ed Wray of Funding Circle
and cofounder of Betfair.
14/
Investing in startups isnt just for
angels andventure capitalists.
This is the time for investing in start-
ups, announced Jef Lynn, cofounder and
CEO of crowdfunding platform Seedrs.
We needtoget that investment out of the
hands of theso-calledestablishedeliteand
into the hands of the massesThe model
is working, this shouldnt be a surprise.
18/
The basics of saving should be
taught as early as possible.
There is a fundamental disconnect
between the way young people today view
money and the way the previous genera-
tions did, said Lisa Halpern, founder and
CEO of Kiboo, which ofers budgeting and
personal-nance tools to children.
19/
We need to prevent reputational
damage caused by our growing
digital footprints.
Expectant mothers are posting ultrasound
photos on Facebook, so people have a
digital footprint before theyre even born,
said Alastair Paterson, CEO of cybersecu-
rity company Digital Shadows. Almost
every interaction we have is recorded.
Paul Hawtin
Derwent Capital Markets
John Fingleton
J Fingleton Associates
John Lunn
PayPal
Anne Pascual
IDEO
Jacob de Geer
iZettle
John Collison
Stripe

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One-snap payments
are coming
Soon, youwont need a
chip-and-pinmachine, or
evena cardreader, to make
instant payments using
your smartphone just
its camera, according to
Stevie Grahamof mobile-
payment platformZap.
20/
Soci al medi a has created a
currency of reputation.
Personal reputation is going to become
a currency and cornerstone of our society
in the next decade, said Collaborative
Lab founder Rachel Botsman. People are
realising that their reputation data has
tremendous value it can help themget a
job, aleaseor amortgage.
21/
Banks need to see themselves as
peer-to-peer networks.
Peers drive motivation, not experts, said
Anne Pascual of design agency IDEO.
22/
Theconsumer predicament is like
a plot froma sci-movie.
We need data artists to save zombie bor-
rowers,saidZestFinancesDouglasMerrill.
Richard Johnson
Monitise
Errol Damelin
Wonga
Alastair Paterson
Digital Shadows
Sean Park
Anthemis
WIRED Money
by numbers
48
The number of hours it took to
complete Tweetoro, a hack which
allows you to buy stock via a
tweet using your eToro account.
2030
The date by which cash will be
largely unused in the western
world, according to estimation
by Robot Corps Tom Le Bree
23/
Therewont beaTerminator-style
riseof themachinesanytimesoon
but the reality will be just as scary.
Anything Ive learned about giving com-
puters autonomy is that they crash, so
Im not so much worried about them
taking over as I am about the present in
which they fail dramatically, said Kevin
Slavin, founder of MIT Media Labs
Playful Systems group.
24/
Machines may soon need their
ownsocial networks.
Stan Stalnaker, founding director of Hub
Culture, the social network that runs Ven
Currency, revealed that the winner of a
hackathon it instigated allowed robots to
payeachother usingthecurrencyandcould
share more thanjust informationonline.
25/
Financial institutions need to
combine forces to face off the
threat of cyber attack
The relative inability of commercial
organisations to share threat information
and to collaborate is hampering the
resilience of the industry as a whole, said
Meline Von Brentano, forward deployed
engineer at Palantir. Hackers oftentarget
many institutions. One organisation has
only one part of the puzzle. Cyber defence
is not about competitive advantage but
combating a shared threat.
26/
And the response needs to be
pre-emptive, not reactive.
The reconnaissance phase of a cyber
attack has become the most critical phase,
according to Alistair Paterson.
01/
Scan the regulatory landscape
to identify anachronistic rules
that may disrupt your plans.
02/
Think about how incumbents
will try to block you.
03/
Think about how regulation
can help you gain
access to your customers.
(according to John Fingleton, left,
who ran the Ofce of Fair Trading)
Three important
lessons for startups
when dealing
with regulation
28/
Theres no such thing as
baddata.
If misinformation moves the
market, its valuable to traders,
said Paul Hawtin of Derwent
Capital Markets, which used
social-media sentiment analysis
to trade financial derivatives.
29/
Regulatorsneedtounder-
standhowbanks work.
We need a regulatory frame-
work that accepts tolerable risks
and losses, suggested Sean Park,
founder of Anthemis. Lets start
anincubator of regulators. We can
crowdsource it. Weve got a blank
slate, so lets not go straight back
to the box-ticking mentality.
30
/
Some financial regulations are so
inflexible that theyre nonsensical
Thats accordingtoJohn
Fingleton, former headof the
Ofce of Fair Trading. Tesla
employees, for instance, arent
allowedtotell consumers
prices, ofer test drives or sell
cars, heexplained. This is how
regulationcanget inthe way.
To view video highlights
from this years
WIRED Money sessions
visitwired.co.uk/topics/
wired-money-2013.
WIRED Money will
return on July 1,
2014. For news and
updates about next
years event, visit
wiredmoney.co.uk
25,000
The number of trades carried
out each day by eToro,
the worlds largest social-
investment network.
122 million
The amount distributed
to startups via Innotribes
incubator programme and
Startup Challenge since its
2009 launch, according to
cofounder Matteo Rizzi.
Obsolescence
What Jesse Powell, founder
of Kraken an exchange and
trading platform focused on
alternative currencies has
planned for the industry.
FOR MORE, VISIT
WIRED.CO.UK
1
The number of
different fees banks
need to charge to
reect their customer
base, according
to Christopher
Kampshoff, CEO
of Lendstar. We
dont need to charge
different amounts.
One at fee is fairer.
Kevin Slavin
MIT Media Lab
Giles Andrews
Zopa
Meline von Brentano
Palantir
Ed Wray
Funding Circle
Jeff Lynn
Seedrs
wired Money also hosted a startup pitch room,
which brought together emerging and estab-
lished entrepreneurs to present new ideas in
quick-fire sessions. Startups were given nine
minutes each to introduce themselves, explain
their business idea and talk about how they are
trying to shake up the existing infrastructures.
Yoni Assia, eToro; Philippe
Gelis, Kantox; JF Groff,
Mobino; Lisa Halpern,
Kiboo (above); Christopher
Kampshoff, Lendstar UG;
Dominic Keen, MoPowered;
Michael Laven, The Currency
Cloud; Tom Le Bree, Robot
Corp; Samad Masood,
FinTech Innovation Lab;
Darren Oddie, AGILE.ci;
Leslie Onyesoh, Kwanji;
Stephen Piron, Bright*
Sun; Simon Redfern,
Open Bank Project;
Christoph Rieche, iwoca;
Matteo Rizzi, Innotribe;
Rupert Robson, Torch
Partners; Stan Stalnaker,
Hub Culture, Ven
IN THE WIRED MONEY
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OBJECTS OF DESI RE
THIS MONTH: 11. 13
RUNNING VEST
LUMINESCENT DRESS
WEARABLE MIDI
EDITED BY
JEREMY WHITE

COOL SPORTS KI T
NI KE AEROLOFT
RUNNI NG VEST
For athletes training
in the winter, staying
warm shouldnt mean
overheating this
running vest aims
to bridge the gap
between insulation
and ventilation.
Its blend of 800-ll
down and synthetic
bres is mapped
to zones of the
body. Laser-cut
perforations allow
excess heat to
escape, wicking
Dri-FIT side- and
shoulder-panels
improve breathability,
and the rip-stop nylon
material shields you
from the wind.
$180 nike.com/
aeroloft
Too warm? The vest
can be scrunched
down small enough to
t in a pocket
0 6 1
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ELECTRI C COUTURE
YI NG GAO ( NO)
WHERE ( NOW) HERE
I NTERACTI VE DRESS
The illumination of
this garment isnt
something that
the wearer can
control. Eye-tracking
technology activates
the photoluminescent
thread when it
detects a spectators
gaze. The maker
wasnt just concerned
with mixing fashion
and technology, but
wanted to explore
the artistic concept
of the gaze with a
dress that glows
when stared at, but
disappears into the
dark when ignored.
POA yinggao.ca
WEARABLE MI XER
MI DI CONTROLLER
JACKET V1 .0
BY MACHI NA
Typically, interacting
with your jacket is
probably limited to
pulling a few zips, but
four exible sensors,
an accelerometer,
a joystick and four
push-buttons make
this a wearable
machine. It has been
designed to work
as a midi controller
that lets its wearer
create music as they
move. Thats not
the limit, though
the independent
developers behind it
intend to make the
jacket fully hackable.
$400 machina.cc
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mak mak mak mak mmak mak mak makk mak ma mmak maak m kke b e b e b e b e b e b e b e bb e b e b e bbb e b e oat oat oat oat oa oat oat oat oat aat o t oa oat tt-sa -sa -sa -s -sa sa -sa -sa -sa -saaa -saa s -sa s ils ils ils ils ils ils ils ils ils ilss i s i ss an an an an an an an an an ann an an anddd t d t dd t d t d t d ttt d tt dd tent ent ent en ent en ent ent ent ent eentsssssssssss
The 270kg Venenum
is handmade in Tuscany,
without the use of
any heavy machinery
RETRO-RIDERS REINTERPRETED
STEP BACK I N TI ME WI TH MODERN TAKES ON MOTOR- BI KI NG CLASSI CS
STRI PPED- BACK SCOOTER
HONDA RUCKUS 201 3
For riders who
fondly recall the
rambunctious but
sadly discontinued
Honda Zoomer,
its US sibling, the
Ruckus, is still in
production. This
stripped-down 88kg
scamp of a scooter
has a liquid-cooled,
single-cylinder, four-
stroke 49cc engine
capable of 114mpg
so it will carry you
up to 238km on a
4.92-litre tank. The
automatic V-Matic
belt drive means no
gear-changing.
From $2,649 power
sports.honda.com
TI MEPI ECE- I NSPI RED
U- BOAT VENENUM
This is the watch
manufacturers rst
effort at creating a
motorcycle. It is part
of a limited series
of 100, designed
with Dino Romano
of Moto Dal Cuore
(translation: bike
from the heart).
It took four months
to make this custom
version of the
Triumph Rocket III
with a three-cylinder,
160hp, 2,300cc
engine. The Venenum
also features a petrol
cap that mimics the
distinctive U-BOAT
watch crown-guard.
TBC dinoromano.it
PEDAL- PETROL PUSH- BI KE
DERRI NGER CYCLE
An updated approach
to board-track racing
motorcycles of the
20s, the moto-hybrid
drivetrain here allows
this bike to achieve
fuel economy of 2.8
litres per 100km.
Each Derringer is
custom-built this
one is powered by
a pull-start, 49cc,
overhead valve,
four-stroke engine.
Patriotic patrons can
take comfort in the
knowledge that all
Derringers feature
Brooks saddles
handmade here in
Blighty. From $3,500
derringercycles.com
JANUS HALCYON 50
Paying homage to
20s and 30s record-
breakers such as
Brough Superior,
Indian and Zenith,
Janus has created
the Halcyon 50. The
leather panniers and
seat, together with
the 36-spoke rims
and hand-formed
aluminium fuel- and
oil-tanks, are a nod
to bygone elegance.
The Halcyon is about
cruising rather than
racing, so the 50cc,
water-cooled, six-
speed engine will
only achieve a stately
90kph. From $3,900
janusmotorcycles.com
0 6 4
The large halogen
headlight in the original
R90S is updated
here with a bright LED
RACE- READY TRI BUTE
BMW CONCEPT 90
Its been 40 years
since the launch of
the original R90S,
so BMW asked
champion racer
and award-winning
designer Roland
Sands to help sculpt
the gorgeously retro
Concept 90. Its 900cc,
air-cooled, at-twin
boxer engine puts
out 115hp, and
the handcrafted
aluminium bodywork
ensures the Concept
90 weighs in at under
190kg. The colour is
inspired by the R90Ss
lurid 70s Daytona
orange hue. TBC
bmw-motorrad.co.uk W
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BREWI NG FOR
PATI ENT PEOPLE
PROPER COFFEE
COLD- DRI P
COFFEE MAKER
The Japanese style
of coffee making
and Americas
artisanal Third
Wave of coffee
connoisseurship have
inspired this brewing
tower. At just 35
drips per minute, this
system cold-brews
coffee, taking a
leisurely 12 hours to
funnel up to a litre
of water through its
stone lter. $599
propercoffee.co
The stone filter traps
more moisture, and so
increases the amount of
coffee syrup produced
High-precision water jets
were used to cut out
the AutoCAD-designed
aluminium frame
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CONNOISSEUR COFFEE-CRAFTERS
JAVA- BREWI NG ESSENTI ALS FOR HANDS- ON ARTI SANS AND PUSH- BUTTON BARSI TAS
ESPRESSOS GO ONLI NE
BLOSSOM ONE LI MI TED COFFEE- MACHI NE
The former Nasa
engineers and Apple
alumni who designed
the hand-made
Blossom One, using
premium materials
such as mahogany
and teak, aimed to
balance the science
and art of coffee
brewing. A built-in
HANDMADE- COFFEE MACHI NE
HG ONE PRECI SI ON GRI NDER
The brainchild of a
classically trained
musician and a
Hollywood VFX
supervisor, this
hand-powered grinder
delivers the optimum
balance of coarse
and ne grounds
required for espresso.
Eschewing a motor
reduces repair-costs
and prevents excess
heat damaging the
avour of the coffee.
The vertical, free-
owing design of the
conical burr ensures
almost zero waste
and, consequently,
minimal cleaning.
$904.95 hg-one.com
QR-code reader and
internet connectivity
(802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi),
ensures that every
machine is part of
a network of coffee
enthusiasts, all
making and sharing
their perfected
recipes. $11,000
blossomcoffee.com
WHI P
SEVERI N I NDUCTI ON MI LK- FROTHER SM9688
You cant have a
proper macchiato
without frothy milk
but ddling with
milk-steamers is
tiresome. Your bad
barista imitations
can be replaced with
a simple button-
pressing exercise,
and any concerns
over burnt milk are
removed by the
induction-heating
process. Four heat-
settings (45C/55C
/60C/65C) and
a thermal safety
cutout should allow
for plenty of perfectly
foamed beverages.
90 severin.com
FOR YOUR SPEEDY FI X
PI AMO MI CROWAVE ESPRESSO
Look away now, slow-
brewed artisanal-
coffee fans: the
Piamo is all about
speed. Time-starved
ofce workers and
over-sleepers will
need only 30 seconds
and access to a
microwave to get
their espresso x.
This four-part set
quickly creates
steam in the upper
compartment which,
due to the resulting
pressure, forces
it down through a
lter and your coffee
grounds, and into the
expectant cup. 40
piamo-espresso.de
ESPRESSOS GO ONLI NE
RASPBERRY
PI - POWERED
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BRAI N FOOD AND PROVOCATI ONS THI S MONTH: 1 1 . 1 3
CARL DJERASSI _ HAL GREGERSEN_ ADAM PENENBERG_ NI CHOLAS LOVELL_ GREG LI NDSAY_
CARL DJERASSI
_
I, a feminist father of the
Pill, foresee no male Pill
ondomsandcoitusinter-
ruptusaretheonlymeans
of reversible birth con-
trol in men and will
remain so because the
problemis not scientic,
but economic. Scientifi-
cally, we know how to
create a male Pill. Yet
despite much clinical
research, the top 20
pharmaceutical companies have shown
zero interest in taking such a product to
market. Aside frombigpharmas focus on
olderpeople(aresoundingyesontreat-
ment for erectile function, an equally
resounding no for contraception), the
biggest problem is the fact that a young
mans reproductive span is two to three
times longer thana 20-year-oldwomans.
A young woman will not ask whether
continued use of her Pill would afect her
fertilityat 45or50, whereasmany
20-year-old men would require a
guaranteedanswer. Toprovidean
epidemiologicallyvalidanswerto
a young man would be expensive,
time-consuming (thus cannibal-
ising most of the potential patent
life) and open to lawsuits, since
men may blame their Pill for age-
related erectile dysfunction and
prostate-glandproblems.
Im a firm believer in men
assuming more responsibility for
birth control, but have been so
pessimistic about the prospects
of a male Pill that I made the fol-
lowingpredictioninmy1979book
The Politics of Contraception:
C
Every post-pubescent American female
readingthis in1979will bepast themeno-
pausebeforeshecandependonhersexual
partner tousehis Pill.
Inseveral hundredlecturesonadvances
infemalecontraception, I havefrequently
encountered aggrieved feminist crit-
ics asking: Why is there no Pill for men
instead of the Pill for women? A male
feminist such as me (who sees a liberated
woman as a person in charge of her own
fertility) would respond that under such
circumstances, most decision-making
power about a womans pregnancy would
still remaininmens hands.
The more apt question is Why is there
no Pill for men in addition to the Pill for
women? More recently, Ive addressed
that issue in my science-in-fiction as
case histories: in my writing I smuggle
such information into the readers mind
intheguiseof engagingctional plots.
My novels Menachems Seed and NO
concentrateonmalereproductivebiology.
In Menachems Seed, a male reproductive
biologist addresses the female director of
a foundation backing research in repro-
ductionandcontraception:
Couldyousupport aproject of mine?
I couldarrange anexpeditedreview
Im sure you could but to be frank,
Id rather not have the competition see
what weve got up our sleeves. You know
how small a community male reproduc-
tivebiologyis. Yourpanel must befull of
OK,sheinterrupted. Sowhatssohot
about your project?
Its anewapproachtoimpotence
Areyoutryingtocauseit or cureit?
Be serious. Were tryingtocure it.
Thats all you men ever think of. What
about prevention rather than perfor-
mance? In other words, pay some atten-
tion to contraception. We get so few
applications for contraceptive research.
And virtually none for male birth control.
All the reproductive fraternity is inter-
estedinis impotenceor infertility.
Shethenoutlinessomepromisingnovel
approaches to male contraception, many
of which have worked in actual clinical
studies, but which no large pharmaceuti-
cal companywill pursue.
Scientists and pharma are not inter-
ested in male contraception,
but rather in the more glamor-
ous topic of impotence, thus the
capitalised NO in my title. To a
chemist, NO is nitric oxide the
causative agent for penile erec-
tion and the basis through which
Viagraandrelateddrugs operate.
In 1951, Carl Djerassi synthe-
sisedthemoleculenorethisterone,
a feat which led to the develop-
ment of the oral contraceptive.
He is emeritus professor of chem-
istry at Stanford University and
author of many books and plays.
He will speak at wired2013 on
October 17-18, and turns 90
on October 29. djerassi.com I
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ADAM PENENBERG
_
We are architects of the
simulation were living in
eve all heard that Life
is a game. But what if we
areall, right now, actually
living in one, designed by
someone who is living
deepintothefuture?
Its usually the kind of
far-out idea debated in
college dorms with the
ritual passing of a bong
and comprised of equal
parts The Matrix and Star Treks holo-
deck. According to the theory, which
an academic from Oxford and a scien-
tist fromNasa have put forth separately,
theres analmost mathematical certainty
that were toiling inside an intricate sim-
ulation created by beings existing any-
where from30 years to ve million years
from now. In essence, were just some
future beings hobby, his or her version
of a massively multiplayer online role-
playing game such as World of Warcraft.
I supposeyoucouldsaywerelivinginsim.
Mind-bending, sure, but is it more far-
fetched than religion, which promotes
the idea that God created the Earth and
Heavens? Or less believable than the Big
Bangtheory, whichholdsthattheuniverse
started out as a speck of matter of incred-
ible density, smaller than a pore on your
skin?Tento15billionyearsago, amassive
explosion began stretching the fabric of
space like a balloon, forming a hundred-
trilliongalaxies intheuniverseandthree-
hundred-trillionstarsinour galaxy. Inthe
process, it heraldedthebeginningsof time
and, somewhat later, the Earth coalesced
from hot gases and, by sheer luck and
happenstance, ultimately created an
environment fromwhichlifesprang.
Really? Compared to that, existing in a
gamesimulationseems plausible.
Nick Bostrom, a philosopher at Oxford
University and director of its Future of
Humanity Institute, calls it the Simula-
tion Argument. An adherent is astrono-
mer Rich Terrile, director of the Center
for Evolutionary Computation and Auto-
mated Design at Nasas Jet Propulsion
Laboratory. They dont wear tinfoil hats,
wanderaroundcityparksandspout sci--
worthy conspiracy theories. Their views
areshapedbymaths, science andhistory.
Bostrombases his thesis onanassump-
tion he calls substrate-independence,
meaning that mental states are not solely
attainable byhumans andother animals I
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HAL GREGERSEN
_
Teachers should reward
questions, not just answers
ccording to a paper inthe
journal Communication
Education, an average
child aged between six
and 18 asks only one ques-
tion per one-hour class
per month anumber that
starkly contrasts with the
innate curiosity exhibited
by an average four-year-
old. Contrast that with the
average teacher, who, accordingtothe Brit-
ish Education Research Journal, peppers
kids with 291 questions a day and waits an
average of a second for a reply, and its easy
to see why students quickly learn to value
right answers more thanright questions.
What if wereversedthis, andencouraged
questions year-roundat home?
Although Steve Jobs was earmarked as
a rebel in school for his curious nature, he
grewup with parents and neighbours who
cared about his creative skills. His father
gave himpart of his workbench and access
to tools so he could figure out how things
worked. Aneighbour who worked at Hewl-
ett-Packard fuelled his interest in electron-
ics by teaching him not only how devices
worked, but how to make them work.
These and many other adults gave Jobs the
creative condence to ask the provocative
questions, the ones that challenged the
status quoinany context at anytime.
The best and most famous leaders tell a
similar story. Eachhadfamily, teachers and
neighbourswhofosteredthecapacitytoask
the right question the fundamental first
step in finding an idea that creates value.
The same holds true for lesser-
known but equally successful
disruptors. Consider Howard
Rheingold, awriterandvisitinglec-
turer at Stanford, who understood
through his mother, an art teacher
who defended my right to colour
outside the lines, the importance
of questions; orOrit Gadiesh, chair-
womanof Bain, whose parents val-
ued questions so much her teacher
wroteinher yearbook: Always ask
those two questions. And then the
third and the fourth advice she
never stoppedfollowing.
To raise disruptive innovators
like these, we must, as parents and
educators, consider the following:
Pay close attention: children
around the age of four repeat a
questionbecausetheydont believe
adults are listening. If a pattern of
not feeling understood develops,
persistence in asking questions
can shift into reluctance to chal-
lenge the status quo. If theyre not
listened to and encouraged to ask
questions, children will lose curi-
osity, potentially stunting their
intellectual growth and assuredly
stuntingtheir creative growth.
Do question homework:
help children to unlock answers
to things they care about. This
approachcanbeassimpleastaking
time together when they get
stuck and then writing down 20
questions about the problem.
Ask better questions: when it
comes to increasing your childs
questioning, you must excel as an
adept questioner to truly impart
creativity and condence. Reserve
time to brainstorm questions for
fourminutesadaytohelpsolveany
vexing personal and pro-
fessional challenges.
Lets give the worlds
childrenthecouragetoask
morequestions. Lets keep
their what if?s andwhy
not?s alive, so they build
a better, brighter future.
Hal Gregersen (@Hal
Gregersen) is the Abu
Dhabi Commercial Bank
professor of innovation
andleadershipat INSEAD.
He is co-author of The
Innovators DNA (Har-
vard), founder of the 4-24
Project and he speaks on
innovation and change
A
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NI CHOLAS LOVELL
_
Everyone is your customer,
but only some will pay you
theycanexist inotherphysical and/ordig-
ital phenomena. Aconscious, intelligent,
self-awarebeingcouldresideinanorganic
brain, siliconbrainormagneticbrain. You
could say the product remains the same;
only the packaging has changed. If hes
right, a powerful computer with inordi-
nately complex software could achieve a
state of what we knowas consciousness
and which Terrile claims is no more than
the by-product of sophisticated architec-
tureinthehumanbrain.
According to Hans Moravec of Carne-
gie Mellons Robotic Institute, a $1,000
computer in 1980 had the brainpower
of a bacterium. But, he says, if comput-
ers processing power follows the same
growth curve, by 2030 a computer could
achieve a complexity equivalent to the
human brain. Terrile seconds the motion,
predicting that in the next ten to 30 years
articial consciousness will be embedded
in machines. The fastest Nasa computers
crunchdataat twicethespeedof ahuman
brain. Before 2020, we could compute the
equivalent of 10,000 human lives, includ-
ingeverythought, inonegamecontroller.
Of course, we wont know were in a
simulation. If the simulators dont want
us to nd out, we probably never
will, Bostrom wrote in a 2003
paper. Terrilends inspirationin
the idea that we may soon have
the technology to create our own
synthesised universes. Then we,
who live in a simulated world,
have created a simulated world,
whose denizens wouldnt know
theyre the product of our col-
lective computing imagination.
And what if our master design-
ers alsolivedinsideasimulation,
andso on, andso on? Potentially,
you could have levels and levels
of sims, perhapsmillionsof them.
Inthat case, Terrile speculates,
if there is a creator for our world,
it is we, or at least an ofshoot of
us, hailingfromthedistant future.
Then, We are both God and
servants of God, he says.
Now thats what Id call the
ultimate game design.
AdamL Penenberg is author of
Play at Work: HowGames Inspire
Breakthrough Thinking (Piaktus)
and a journalism professor at
NewYorkUniversity
ow much shoul d you
charge for what you do?
That is the question
that anyone trying to
make a living has wor-
ried about since the dawn
of civilisation. Is it about
how much it costs you to
provide? Is it about how
much the market wi l l
bear? Is it driven by com-
petition or marginal cost or some other
immutable rule of economics?
In the world of physical distribution
through physical shops, we made up our
mind what the price should be, and all of
our customers paid the same. Even though
we understood that our customers and
fans might vary in their willingness to pay
money for whatever it is we ofer, we were
forcedtopick a price andstick withit. Eve-
ryone paidthe same amount (give or take),
whether theywereanuninterestedpasser-
by or our biggest, most committed fan.
But how much is something really
worth? You wouldnt have to pay me to go
to a football match, but it would be close;
yet afanwas recentlyreportedtohavepaid
over 10,000 for a pair of tickets to the FA
Cup Final. So what is the value of that pair
of tickets? Somewhere between zero and
10,000, dependingonwhoyouare asking.
To many creators and businesses, the
webis about destructionof value, as indus-
tryafter industryis disrupted. Incumbents
complain about digital dimes replacing
physical dollars. We are still searching for
sustainable ways to fund art, culture and
niche businesses in a world where the big
are getting bigger all the time. Evendigital
H
utopians are concerned about the
issue. Kevin Kelly, the founding
executive editor of wired US, has
pointed out that the long tail has
two winners: a fewlucky aggrega-
tors, such as Amazon and Netflix,
and seven-billion potential con-
sumers, receiving products and
services at prices much lower than
werepossiblebefore. Thelongtail
isamixedblessingforcreators. The
long tail does not raise the sales
of creators much, but it does add
massive competition and endless
downwardpressure onprices.
Theres another way. The per-
ception that the long tail is bad for
creators and niche business is one
trappedinpre-internet thinking. It
is drivenbyanobsessionwithfree.
Itistruethatthewebhasenabled
cheap, low-friction sharing. It is
also true that much of this sharing
isinvoluntary, drivenbyillegal le-
sharingandacustomer basethat is
becoming increasingly disinclined
topayfor bitswhat theypreviously
paid for atoms. To many this is a
threat. I see it as anopportunity.
The web enables you to reach
a global audience at an unprece-
dented scale and a very low cost.
The key is to flip your thinking: if
you think that everyone should
pay the same and that freeloaders
are only a half a notch above evil
pirates, youwill struggle.
See freeloaders as potential
customers. Somewill beasuninter-
ested in what you have to offer as
I aminfootball. Others will happily
pay a premium perhaps 10x the
average or 1,000x for something
they truly value, like the fan pay-
ing 10,000 to a tout. The web ena-
bles you to service them all. Build
one-to-onerelationshipswithyour
customers. Let your biggest fans
spend lots on things they value.
Above all, realise that your audi-
ence is on a continuum from free-
loaders to superfans, and the web
makes it possible to satisfy all of
them. Some spend nothing, some
spend an enormous amount, some
spend at every point in between.
Understanding variable pricing is
oneof theprimaryskillsof creators
andbusiness inthe digital age.
Nicholas Lovell is the author of
The Curve: FromFreeloaders into
Superfans: The Future of Business
(Portfolio Penguin). He will speak
at wired2013 on October 17-18 I
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GREG LI NDSAY
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My phone knows your CV,
but not if I should knowyou
ilicon Valleys latest
management fad is to
not manage. Some of
the best decisions and
insights come from caf-
eteria discussions, meet-
i ng new peopl e, and
impromptu team meet-
ings, said Yahoo! when
it revoked working from
home. MarissaMayer, ex-
Google, knewthat hits such as Gmail and
Street Viewweretheproduct of engineers
meetingserendipitouslyover lunch.
Googles new campus is designed to
encourage casual collisions at its roof-
top cafs, and Facebook has hired Frank
Gehry to build the perfect engineering
space: one giant roomthat ts thousands
of people, all close enough to collaborate
together, MarkZuckerbergexplained.
Study after study has demonstrated
the power of proximity when it comes
to birthing ideas, and network theorists
have shown how bridging structural
holesbetweenteamsanddisciplinescon-
sistently leads to better and more inno-
vations. Whats ironic is howthe worlds
largest search companies and social net-
workappeartohavenobetterideasof how
to plug these holes than to toss everyone
intoaroomwithanespressomachine.
Google is obsessed with engineering
serendipity, combiningusers searchhis-
tory, locationandcontext toanswer ques-
tions before theyre asked. What would it
take to build a social serendipity engine
onethat couldidentifywhosnearby, mine
your hidden contexts and relationships
and make the necessary introductions?
After all, not everyone drinks cofee.
The first step is finding people, which
location-based dating services such as
OKCupidandGrindrmanagewell. Theyve
been joined by social discovery apps
suchasSonarandCircle, whichlinkusers
networks totheir smartphones GPS.
Ten years from now, you will look at
your phone or through Google Glass, and
knoweveryone in the room, says Social-
Radar founder Michael Chasen. I havent
met anyone whodisagrees withthat.
Thenext pieceis harder. Its not enough
toknowwhos inthe room youalsoneed
to care. Facebook likes arent accurate
predictors of a match. Whats missing is
context why I want to meet this person
now. Grindr works because its consider-
ation is binary. Any serendipity engine
withhigheraspirationsmustgraspdeeper
motivations thansocial mediasupplies.
One solution is to build rich profiles
manually. Thats the tack taken by Rela-
tionship Science, which maps potential
connections between 2.3 million mem-
bers of the 1 per cent. Customers can
trace the shortest pathtotheir quarry via
colleagues, corporate boards and alma
maters, each link graded into strong,
medium and weak ties captions Glass
might somedayashover their faces.
Another approach is to collect data
usingsensors. AnMITMediaLabspin-of,
SociometricSolutions, equipsofcework-
ers with sociometric badges to meas-
uremovement, speechandconversational
partners, usingthe results toplot maps of
organisations. Its ndings suggest Yahoo!
should invest in large cafeteria tables:
workers who eat at tables for 12 are more
productivethanthoseat tables for four.
The last step is the trickiest: given
enough context about the strangers
headed towards you, can an algorithm
crunchenoughdataintimetospot
connections? Another startup,
Ayasdi, does that by render-
i ng every bi g data set as a
network map, revealing hidden
connections that CEO Gurjeet
Singhlabelsdigital serendipity.
I f yoked together, these
approaches could help fill in the
blank spaces on the org chart
where workactuallyhappens and
newideas are spawned. Although
luring them into the same room
with an espresso machine would
probablyspeedthings upabit.
GregLindsayisaseniorfellowof
the WorldPolicy Institute andco-
author of Aerotropolis (Penguin)
S
0 7 2
PRODUCING
LNG LIQUID
NATURAL GAS
Obtain rawfuel
Traditionally,
natural gas has been
piped to market
fromits origin. This
has meant that gas
exploration and
extraction has been
located near its
point of use. Piping
fromdeep-ocean gas
elds, for example,
has been too costly.
Chill to liquefy
Today, thanks to
newextraction
methods, a third of
gas made available
is turned into LNG.
Once impurities
(such as C0
2
and
H
2
0) are removed,
its chilled to below
-170C, so it takes up
one six-hundredth of
its original volume.
Ship to market
The LNGcanthenbe
shippedfromthe
liquefactionplant to
where it canbe used
aroundthe world.
Its lowtemperature
requirements make
it best suitedto
long-haul transport
via rail, shipping and
some freight. It must
be kept chilled.
Re-gasify for use
Once at market, the
LNGis re-gasied to
natural gas, so it can
be used to generate
heat and electricity.
It can also be turned
to CNG(compressed
natural gas) and
used as a fuel for
cars and light
commercial vehicles
including lorries. P
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W I R E D

P R O M O T I O N /
Below: at the Sur
Oman facility, in
Qalhat, natural
gas is liqueed to be
transported abroad
NTURL GS. Why is it being talked
about so much? And what makes it so
important for the future? This naturally
occurring mixture is mostly methane,
with other alkanes (including ethane
and propane) and carbon dioxide. But, simply put, its made of short strands of hydrocarbons.
The gas is formed from the decay of organic matter. Like other hydrocarbons (such as oil
and coal) it was generated deep underground over millions of years, and lies in reservoirs, or
elds, of various accessibility. Newdevelopments inhorizontal drillingtechniques andhydro-
fractal extraction have introduced the possibility of tapping the previously hard-to-reach
reserves of tight gas, shale gas and coal-bed methane. The IEA World Energy Outlook esti-
mates that, if effective, this could roughly double global gas-reserves to over 750 trillion m
3
.
But why is natural gas seen as such a panacea? The answer lies in the strand length of
those hydrocarbons. When hydrocarbons react with oxygen, they produce water and carbon
dioxide. The ratioof this is inproportiontothe ratioof carbontohydrogenatoms inthe hydro-
carbon. Coal has a hydrogen-to-carbonratio of roughly 1:1, gasoline 2:1 and methane (CH
4
) of
4:1. This means that burningmethane produces far less CO
2
thanother fossil fuels. Of course,
the ideal would be no carbonor hydrogen, but current productionmethods rely onfossil fuels.
For now, at least, gas is our cleanest option. But it isnt perfect. Its tricky to transport,
so techniques such as liquefaction turning it into liqueed natural gas (LNG) have been
developed by Shell and others. This reduces its volume by more than 600 times, making it
easier to ship and viable as a transportation fuel on roads and water.
Such liquefaction plants have been constructed on land and at sea (such as Shells FLNG),
making it a potential global energy source. Although not a permanent solution to our energy
needs, its importance should not be underestimated. wired.co.uk/promotions/shell-lets-go
HR TODY
OR POWR
TOMORROW
THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES
HELPING GAS TO BRIDGE
THE PLANETS ENERGY GAP
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@WIREDINSIDERUK
COMPILED BY RUBY MUNSON-HIRST
3DFLYING
BEER
BOTTLES
Designer Jon Fidler uses
selective laser sintering
to create his pub
doodles. Fidler heads
up Modla, a creative
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WIREDNEXT
GENERATION
CONFERENCE
WIREDs new one-day
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Showcasing innovators,
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THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH THE MAGAZINES
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LEVERAGING OUR EXPERTISE AND THE WIRED NETWORK
If you want to knowhowyour
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P L A Y / B O O K S
Bradley Garrett explores the urban
worlds forgotten treasures
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WIRED CULTURE
THIS MONTH: 11. 13
WELSH SPACE MISSION
OLD TRAFFORD REDESIGNED
MISFITS RETURNS
EDITED BY TOM CHESHIRE

0 7 7
To find the head space to write his first
book, BradleyGarrett wouldtake his laptop
and some beers up into the unlocked cabin
of a disused 30-storey-high crane near Ald-
gate East in London. After spending the
night writing, hed descend through the
adjacent Ibis hotel via the employees areas
and walk out through the main entrance to
the have-a-nice-days of the receptionists.
Garrett calls himself a place hacker.
He started as a teenager in his native Cali-
fornia, driving out into the Mojave Desert
on the lookout for petroglyphs and Native
American ruins, often staying there for
weeks. His book, Explore Everything: Place
Hacking the City fromTunnels to Skyscrap-
ers, is an account of a year spent probing
Londons forgotten or forbidden places.
Each city has what we call a golden age of
exploration that usually lasts two to four
years, says the 32-year-old. For New
York, it was 2000 to 2005. London was
2008to2012. Garrett was intheUKduring
that time to complete a PhD in ethnogra-
phy at OxfordUniversity, but he spent most
of it in the capital with fellow explorers,
theLondonConsolidationCrew. Theyinves-
tigated sites such as the Shard, abandoned
asylums and stately homes, as well as bur-
iedrivers, sewers andunusedtunnels and
eventhrewa fewmonster parties.
For underground inltration, hed use a
map. You take a 1932 Tube map and com-
pare it with a 2012 one to spot [missing]
stations,saysGarrett. Thenyoundaway
in. Often, theres a little substation: you try
a door and its open. Most of the time, he
doesnt goback. Derelict spaceoftendisap-
pears. Were the onlyones whove recorded
these places its guerilla archaeology.
Garrett isnowworkingonanaugmented-
realityappthat will reveal Londons hidden
rivers. Hes also exploring Moscow, the city
currently in its golden age. His ultimate
place-hack, though? Theres a derelict
Metro station in Pyongyang. Id love to get
inthere, but wedprobablyneedachangein
regime.TCExploreEverythingispublished
by Verso on October 8 placehacking.co.uk
Below: Bradley Garrett pictured
underground in an RER tunnel in Paris
alhambra
552 pools
adams-normandie
FOUR pools
exposition park
26 pools
florence firestone
SIX pools
highland park
172 pools
compton
147 pools
fairfax
217 pools
highland park
172 172 pools
baldwin hills
421 pools
gardena
375 pools
cudahy
21 pools
del aire
79 pools
Angeleslife
Benedikt Gross
perspective
ying in for a
my Royal
all these
. It looked
was crazy.
wondered
mapped
So, with
oseph Lee,
ools.
mapping
kept mis-
the pair
an India-
companies
for sales
it toman-
pools. It was
began the
Indiadeal-
resulting
owdsourc-
Mechanical Turk.
patterns he
elations between
thats just
rich areas.
says, was
erprintsfor
have more
publicfacili-
shapes.
ys, wasthe
e thought
correlation
Ofender
about the pro-
as crazy as
benedikt-gross.de
POOLS
OF DATA
P L A Y / D E S I G N
T
historic south-central
pools
pacific palisades
pools
westlake
pools
lynwood
217 pools
view park-windsor hills
pools
each other.
Gross: In some neighbourhoods all the pools
might be medium-sized and rectangular, in others
they might range from small to large and be
oval-shaped and curvy. They are a physical
landmark that show how geography, planning,
and socioeconomics intermingle over time.
Benedikt Gross wanted to map LAs 43,123
swimming pools. So he took the plunge
palms
152 pools
studio city
299 pools
0 7 9
heabsurdityof LosAng
struck designer Benedik
once hed gained a perspective
on the city. I was ying
study trip during the rst year of my
College of Art degree, and I saw
swimmingpools,recallsGross, 33.
like there were millions. It was
Pools being social indicators, he wonder
what would happen if they were
alongside other data sets. So
California-based geographer Joseph
he began The Big Atlas of LAPools.
After an aborted attempt at mapping
themthemselvestheircomputer
identifying roofs or cars as pools
turned to clippingfactory.com, an
based service mostly used by companies
which need photographs edited
catalogues. Gross, however, askedit
ually trace more than 43,000 pools
cheap its interesting how we beg
project inLAandherewewereinIndia
ingwithcheaplabour issues.The
images were then analysed by crowdsour
ingmarketplace AmazonMechani
Did the dataset reveal the patt
expected? There are correlations
pools and crime, but I think that
because theres less crime in rich
A more intriguing outcome, he says
howpool shapesfunctionasngerprint
neighbourhoods. Poorer areas ha
rectangular pools(asthesearepublic
ties); wealthy areas have diferent
Themost valuableresult, hesays
act of trying to reacha result: We
the project would reveal a corr
between something like the Sex
List and pools. But its just about
cess of how to create a dataset as
that. Charlie Burton benedikt-gross.de
All 43,123 pools overlaid on top of each
There are many ways to
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P L A Y / T V
owardOvermanisreectinguponthesuperpowered
comedy-drama Mists. There are very fewtelevision
series where series five is the best one, he says. It
gets harder and harder. You use up all your best ideas,
youget tired, youget fedup. Overmanis the creator of the series,
in which a group of juvenile delinquents receives an assortment
of special abilities (telepathy, invisibility, the power to make any-
one you touch incredibly horny the usual). The fth and nal
series is on now. And it isnt shit, Overman says.
Season five introduces a rival gang of vigilantes (an A-list
version), along with a support group for superheroes with
underwhelming powers including a character who can turn into
aturtle, andthis older womanwhoknits visions of thefuture. The
trouble is, its hard to get a good likeness in wool, says Overman.
So youcannever be sure who it refers to.
The programme strikes a balance
between sci- and human drama. Mists
has always had a couple of diferent audiences, says
Overman. Its had a real comic-book-fan following,
who love the superhero stuff, then an audience that
enjoys the rude comedy. Improbably the person who
falls inthe middle of the Venndiagramof those two.
Misfits is part of a crop of social science-fiction,
characterised more by emotion than by lasers: think
Being Human and The Returned (inspired by Mists,
according to its creators). Its sci-fi for people who
dont like sci-, the 41-year-old says. Sci- is at its
best when it has something very human at its heart.
Overmans other work sticks to that rule. Hes
sold a US version of Misfits (It was the easiest gig
in the world. Slightly less swearing. They were like, Can he not
say piss on her tits? Can he just say eat jelly off her tits?), as
well asalm, TheSlackProject, aboutabaristawhosavestheworld
from a viral pandemic. His
newest creation, Atlantis, is
showing on BBC Two. In
it, Jason, pre-Argonauts,
is the hero. A youthful,
snakel ess Medusa al so
stars, as do Pythagoras a
geek and Hercules, who is
a fat PR man who spins his
own legend. Like Misfits,
its an irreverent spin on a
familiar trope. I dont ever
see myself writing anything
bleak. TC e4.com/misfits
Heroesof
emo-sci-fi
With the final series of Misfits showing now, the cult shows creator
discusses ancient Greece, pitching to the US and knitting the future
H
Above: Karla Crome,
who plays Mist Jess,
on set in Thamesmead
2 3 4 5 6 7
7
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9
10
1
Mists Lost The Wire Mad Men
Doctor Who (since 2005 revival)
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SERIES-FIVE STANDARDS-SLIDE
Series
When the fth time isnt the charm
0 8 1
P L A Y / D A N C E
Dancing
machine
en dancers appear in Wayne McGregors
newwork Atomos. An unseen eleventh is a
self-generatingdigital creaturethat scans
lms, then generates weird newlimbs and
uses themto dance on a plasma screen mounted in the
studio. Called Becoming, its moves join the human
perfomanceonstage. Itsabadlybehaveddancer,says
Marc Downie, a digital artist andBecomings creator.
Becomingisanevolutionof atool thatDowniecreated
for McGregor in 2007, the Choreographic Language
Agent (CLA), a prototype interactive notebook for cho-
reographers. The CLA was an attempt to get to the
middle ground, between the cold, formal language
that computers have and Waynes choreographic
language, says Downie. Although McGregor used the
CLA, it meant sittingdownat a computer witha mouse
everytimehewantedtomakeanote. Thatsafatal aw
whenyoureworkingwithmovement. Wethought wed
give Wayne something much closer to an autonomous
artwork that required much less intervention.
Computers and choreography combine to create bold new moves
Downies newsystemwatches a secret lm. No one
will ever gure out what it is, he says, only revealing
that it is a well-known title distributed to all of
McGregors collaborators as text and reference for
Atomos. The Becoming program
breaks the lm into 1,222 discrete
shots, analysing the movement
and the colours in each. The core
of the piece that results is about
how the creature can grow its
body. It will take a decision about
howtoedit itsbody, andthenit will
play out the motion that the body
generates. TC randomdance.org
Atomos opens on October 9 at
Sadlers Wells Theatre, London.
Aversionof Becomingis ondisplay
at the exhibition Thinking with the
Body, which runs until October 27
at theWellcomeCollection, London
T
A human dancer
(above) emulates
the moves created by
the digital dancer
Becoming (below)
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SAVED BY
TELETEXT
Tablet extra!
Download the WIRED
app to watch a video
of Becoming in action
P L A Y / A R T
Philipp Ronnenberg
is preparing for a
post-cyberwar world.
When regular networks
are under attack
from governments or
criminals, there needs
to be a set of alternative
networks that will stay
turned on, says the
29-year-old computer
scientist. So he designed
the Social Teletext
Network, to stream
simple data during an
internet blackout.
The network
repurposes Teletext
the now defunct proto-
internet, which overlayed
text and blocky diagrams
on a TV screen, using
analogue video frequency
signals. Ronnenbergs
prototype network
converts data entered
into your computer
into Teletext, via an
instrument called an
inserter, and requires
an antenna and a
television to view it.
Ronnenberg envisages
that activists in the
future will use it as a
secret communication
channel. The internet
in 20 or 30 years will be
different to what it is
today because of more
governmental control
over our networks. By
contrast, Social Teletext
is an independent,
uncontrolled alternative
where information can
exist safely, driven and
maintained by people.
MV phiron.de/
social-teletext-network
0 8 3
Manchester United
gets anupgrade
Old Traffords lack of atmosphere cant just be down to Fergies
departure. WI RED asks a firm of architects to give it 110 per cent
0 8 4
FANZONE GROUND
The experience of a game starts
when you leave home, says Lee.
A fanzone, featuring screens, drinks
and food, extends that experience
for the nal mile into the stadium.
SOUND CLOUD
With acoustic materials, you
can start directing sound in real
time, using reective materials
in the sound cloud that
hangs over the whole stadium.
CROWD ENERGY
Harness the crowds power: These
piezoelectric rockers move less than
half a millimetre. Each time someone
steps on one, energy is captured.
It is then used to heat seats.
LED SCREEN
Double-sided OLED screens would
update Old Trafford and allow the
clubs millions of fans worldwide
inside. Branded United bars could
have a live feed into the stadium.
LED PITCH
Lacing the turf with LEDs could add
an edge to replays, highlighting how
the play developed. Its about bringing
the information that you get at
home into a three-dimensional arena.
COMMUNICATIONS
Populous ts its stadia with turbo
Wi-Fi. This is about using mobile
devices to order a drink, and to get
social interaction between those in
the stadium and the remote audience.
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P L A Y / M U S I C
I used to go out a lot
in the early 90s, says
Matthew Johnson
but these days he
spends his evenings
cataloguing posters
and yers from his
home in Oregon for
the Rave Preservation
Project. Its a website
that shows his stash
of party memorabilia,
as well as that of
donors from the
US, UK, Canada and
Russia. He accepts
only physical, not
digital, submissions:
Im hoping it will
become a library for
[rave] memorabilia.
Now Johnson
is launching a
Kickstarter to buy
a faster scanner,
and is expanding his
website so that users
can search for events,
viewing all its posters
and yers along a
timeline, so youll
see the evolution of
the artwork. Sorted.
TC ravepreservation
project.com
RAVE
LI VES!
n April this year, the Manchester Evening News reported that
Manchester Unitedhadcommissionedanacoustic engineer tosurvey
Old Traford, to nd out why 75,000 football fans were producing so
little noise. The engineers findings remain undisclosed, so wired
askedPopulous, thearchitecturermthat built WembleyStadiumandtheOlympic
Stadium, to redesign the Theatre of Dreams, with the aimof generating a better
atmosphere. Christopher Lee, senior principal at thermsLondonofce, explains
the modications, all of which are very feasible nothing were talking about
here is prohibitively expensive. Quick, Moyes sign himup! TCpopulous.com
FANZONE ROOF
This extends the fanzone to the
top of the stadium it could be
a venue for pre- and post-match
entertainment, or a viewing
area for fans without tickets.
LED FAADE
A Populous-designed stadium in
Kazakhstan has a 160-metre-long
video faade of embedded red-green-
blue LEDs on a mesh. You could have
a 1,500-metre board to play live video.
THE KOP
A single-tier stand for 20,000 people.
It becomes the engine room for the
atmosphere in that seating bowl.
As it gets noisier, everyone else gets
noisier its natural amplication.
The money that is given to the World Land Trust, in my estimation,
has more effect on the wild world than almost anything I can think of.
Sir David Attenborough, Patron, World Land Trust
Orangutans are running out of habitat.
Were running out of time.
We have a lot in common with Orangutans. We share 97%
of our DNA with them. But Orangutans are in a state of
emergency. In the Bornean rainforest, their habitat is being
destroyed by agricultural industry forcing them into shrinking
islands of forest, stranded amidst vast expanses of plantations.
Small isolated families of Orangutans cannot survive for long
in these conditions as they arent able to travel to nd food
or to meet other Orangutans to breed, so their numbers are
rapidly decreasing.
We can help save the Orangutan, but we dont have much
time. October 2nd 16th is our Big Match Fortnight.
During this time, any donations we receive will be doubled
by our sponsors. We will use this money to secure corridors
of rainforest land, safeguarding it from destruction and
deforestation and giving Orangutans a safe place to live,
eat and breed, forever. For these animals, its now or never.
If we dont act now it will be too late.
For more information go to www.worldlandtrust.org
ORANG-UTAN. Pongo pygmaeus. FACING extinction.
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n a small, nondescript building near the
oldmanufacturingheart of Montreal, acol-
lectiveof artisanblacksmiths is workingto
saveitstradeandgiveit backtotheworld.
Les Forges de Montral aims to address the dwin-
dlingnumber of mastersof metalcraft. Our mandateis
to preserve and share traditional blacksmithing tech-
niques, explains MathieuCollette (above), founder of
Les Forges. [We] conduct research and host demon-
strations, inviting masters to share what they know.
Collettes mainareaof researchis inrecreatingedge
tools. Im researching the Canadian Biscayne trade
axe,hesays. It wasexchangedwiththenativesfor fur,
which was taken to France. Unfortunately, the Indus-
trial Revolution killed the blacksmith, so now I have
to rediscover howthose axes would have been made.
The ultimate aim is to build an online archive of
blacksmithing knowledge, accessible to all, and built
fromcrowdsourcedinformationandmetalwork reci-
pes passed frommaster to apprentice. Time is not on
the projects side, though. Were going to lose black-
smithing if we dont link together, Collette warns.
There are no [new] masters, so if this is not done
in the next ten to 15 years, its going to be too late to
collect theknowledgefromtheoldmasters. Thedesire
istoassembletheexpertisegatheredsofarintoaframe-
workfor anencyclopaediaof blacksmithing, aresource
that blacksmithseverywherecould
consult and contribute to.
Les Forges de Montral is cur-
rently looking for funding to allow
those who run the ambitious pro-
ject to spend more time estab-
lishing and populating the online
framework. Collette is optimistic
about the future: The success of
theencyclopaediaof blacksmithing
will rest inthehandsof blacksmiths
throughout the world via the
internet, of course. Matt Kamen
lesforgesdemontreal.org
FORGING
THEFUTURE
The Biscayne trade
axe dates back
to the 16th century
An industrious Canadian collective is ensuring
blacksmiths skills will live forever online
P L A Y / D E S I G N
0 8 7
I
It turns out that new media is actually pretty old:
Tom Standages new book, Writing on the Wall, is
subtitled Social media the rst 2,000 years.
Here he explains what links Twitter to the Tudors.
Youre so
passe, Zuck
P L A Y / B O O K S
ROMANS HAD
A TWI TTER
For the elite of the late Roman Republic in the
rst century, papyrus rolls carried by messengers
served the same purpose as Twitter does today,
allowing letters, news, speeches, essays and books
to be shared and discussed. Ciceros words give an
example of how it worked: I sent you on March
24 a copy of Balbuss letter to me and of Caesars
letter to him, he wrote to a friend. Scribes and
messengers copied and carried documents,
from dashed-off notes to books. A single copy of
the newspaper Acta Diurna was produced and
posted at the Forum. Choosing, copying and
distributing the best bits was left to its readers.
THE ENLI GHTENMENT
HAD TROLLS
A common complaint about social media is that
it distracts people from working. The same
charge was levelled at coffee houses in the late
17th century. People went to read the latest
pamphlets and discuss the news with strangers:
coffee-house rules required people to be polite
and to put aside distinctions of class. Critics,
however, worried that coffee houses were
enemies to diligence and industry. But this
mixing of people and ideas meant they were
crucibles of creativity, fuelling innovation: the
Royal Society, the London Stock Exchange and
Lloyds of London all grew out of coffee houses.
TUDORS HAD
A TUMBLR
Commonplace books were notebooks in which you
would note down inspiring quotations, favourite
poems, jokes, riddles, remedies and recipes. They
became particularly popular in the Tudor period, as
the emergence of printing made paper cheaper
and literacy more widespread. The poems or
aphorisms you chose to copy into your book or to
pass on to your correspondents said a lot about
you. Most material was quoted from other sources;
the same is true of modern scrapbooking platforms
such as Pinterest and Tumblr. Then, as now, people
enjoyed dening themselves by compiling and
curating content created by others.
Social media? Its not a
new idea. Try following
Cicero and Caesars feeds
Pembrokeshire wool-mill
Tregwynt supplied the fabric
Hens brother Rhodri built
the suits pressure system
A clog-maker created the
boots (called space clogs)
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0 8 8
olyhead, we have a problem.
The Welsh Space Campaign
aims to launch Welsh people
into outer space, says Hefin
Jones, the man behind the idea. It does
so through a recontextualisation of Welsh
culture andskills intoa cosmic context.
The project started in September 2012.
Jones (left) returned home from his Gold-
smiths College design course to Cardigan,
Wales, to work with his brother, a plumber.
We looked at domestic heating systems
to see if we could reappropriate them for
a space-travel pressure-system applica-
tion. He later asked his father to translate
theApollocountdownsequenceintoWelsh,
which he played over a recording of the
Nasa launch. That contradiction between
something so domestic and something so
far away thats when it began, says the
22-year-old. The campaign reimagines
local industries in an alternative universe
for their skills, a parallel existence. First,
Jones built a spacesuit (far left). Then he
worked with physicists at Aberystwyth
University to work out howto put a rocket
into near-Earth orbit over Wales. And Ceri
WynJones, themeurynfor TalwrnyBeirdd,
has writtena countdownpoem.
Whats next? A rocket, says Jones.
Werelookingat miningcultureandaban-
donedrailways. Does their reconguration
allow for a rocket launch platform? TC
welshspacecampaign.com
H
Wales is joining the Space Race and
its using its history as a launch pad
LIFFT I
FFWRDD*
P L A Y / S P A C E
The campaigns embroidered emblem features
the red dragons tail from the Welsh national ag
* LIFTOFF
C U L T U R A L P I C K S O F T H E M O N T H / 1 1 . 1 3
PLAY
PAWWS
After a tour with MGMT,
SoundCloud-sensation
songwriter Lucy Taylor is
playing UK and European
dates of her own.
soundcloud.com/pawws
STAR
WALLS
The LED Starry Light
lamp by Anagraphic
will spray your room
with the Northern
Hemispheres stars. 988
starrylightlamps.com
HOLLYWOOD
BEYOND
PS3 game Beyond: Two
Souls features Ellen
Page and Willem Dafoe,
motion-captured for
your gaming pleasure.
37.99 beyondps3.com
P
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LI VI NG ROOM
FURNI TURE
Brian McClellan and
Mercan Tara Sisman
grow furniture so far,
chairs and lamps from
mushrooms, later
baked. merjantara.com
0 9 0
AN E VE NT
F ROM WI RED TO
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BBC NATURAL
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DEB ROY
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PROFESSOR, MI T;
CHI EF MEDI A
SCI ENTI ST, TWI TTER
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WE RE HYPERSTI MUL ATED
L I KE NEVER BEFORE.
I S I T ACT UAL LY MAKI NG US S MART ER?
ON SAL E OCT 31
DEFEND
AGAINST
PIRATES
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EDITED BY MADHUMITA VENKATARAMANAN
3 9 0
LI FE ENHANCEMENT: 11. 13
H O W T O . . .
Big Phil Campion a mercenary and former SAS soldier works the private-
security circuit to protect everything from embassies to shipments in conflict zones
including Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza and Israel. He brags that hes never been kidnapped,
captured, tortured or killed (obviously) But Ive come bloody close. One of his
regular missions is to defend ships against pirates off the east coast of Africa:
heresCampions guide tokeepingyour crewsafe. VictoriaTurkbigphilcampion.co.uk
DEFEND
AGAINST PIRATES
HOW TO. . . HOW TO. . .
BOOST YOUR
T WI T T E R
F OL L OWE RS
BE INFORMATIVE
Tweets rich in URLs
are the biggest
predictor for positive
growth, so link to
interesting content
thats likely to be
re-tweeted, whether
thats a news story
or a cat video, as this
will increase your
exposure. In contrast,
only tweeting about
yourself is a sure
way to haemorrhage
followers unless
youre Rihanna.
Online, youre only
as inuential as your
follower count. But
how do you reach
as many people as
possible? In May,
after analysing half
a million tweets over
15 months, a team at
Georgia Tech published
its results on which
factors increased
Twitter followers.
Research scientist
CJ Hutto explains
how to enhance your
impact. Tom Banham
BE POSITIVE
Hutto breaks Twitter
users down into two
types Eeyores and
Tiggers. Eeyores,
like their donkey
namesake, moan a
lot. As Twitter users
tend not to know each
other in real life, an
Eeyores followers will
feel bored rather than
sympathetic. Tiggers
tweets are positive
a strong indicator for
increased followers
so keep yours upbeat.
HARDEN
YOUR VESSEL
Hardening your ship means
creating defences that are both
a visual and physical deterrent.
If you dont have access to
expensive gear, you can make do
with improvised, A-Team-style
defences, Campion, 44, suggests.
Hes used anti-climb spike barriers,
electric fences and what he calls
the bouncing bomb an empty
oil-barrel on a rope, ung over the
side. A line of these thumping
along the side of the ship will
make most attackers think twice.
SECURE
THE CI TADEL
Every ship will have somewhere
below deck that can be used as a
safe room. This is where the crew
should hunker down if pirates
board. Make sure you have
welding gear and enough material
to make an effective barricade that
will keep the bad guys out until
help arrives, says Campion. After
all, its the crew that has ransom
value the ship will be covered by
insurance. These defences can be
made offensive if you manage to
lure and lock an attacker inside
CALL THE
PI RATES BLUFF
Most pirates are only interested
in easy targets, so if you put out
a strong dont mess message,
a lot of them will back off, says
Campion. Lining the deck with
dummies to make it look like
there are more people on board is
a good tactic, especially if theyre
equipped with fake weapons: Im
a dab hand at knocking up a fake
AK-47 from a bit of cardboard.
It doesnt matter if its not so
convincing close up youre aiming
to keep the pirates at a distance.
PREPARE TO
DEFEND YOURSELF
The law is far from straightforward
regarding rearms on ships, so
check the vessels rules and the
regulations in any ports youll be
stopping at. If you cant take your
own weapons, oating armouries in
international waters will loan you
anything from guns to body armour
and extra manpower. Otherwise,
use on-board equipment, such as
ares or makeshift petrol bombs.
Of course, these days it is now a
lot easier to hire professionals,
says Campion. Like me.
MAKE COMPOST
USING WORMS
HOW TO. . .
HOW TO. . .
E XTRACT A
BOTF LY
arrot tops, apple cores, potato peels and other organic
scraps produce methane as they decompose in landfill.
This greenhouse gas is about 20 times more potent than
carbon dioxide. To help alleviate climate change, you
can use wormcompost-bins, and let a clewof Eisenia fetida digest
your table-scraps. People dont realise that worm-bin composting
fits into every kind of lifestyle, says Rebecca Louie, founder of The
Compostess, aNewYorkCitycompanydedicatedtointroducingurban
wormeries. Theycanbekept underasink, inacupboardoroutdoors.
Heres howtoget your wriggleon. Rachel Nuwer thecompostess.com
C
1 BUILDTHEBIN
Youll needastrongrubberstorage
box, at least 45 litres. Using a
6.350mm-diameter bit, drill holes
7.5cmapart in the lid. Shred some
old newspaper not glossy maga-
zine paper into long strips. This
provides carbon for the worms.
Diptheshreddedpaper intowater,
and then wring it out so its as wet
as a dampsponge. Fill your bin.
3 INTRODUCETHEWORMS
Order 500g of red wiggler
worms from an online provider
or shop that specialises in com-
posting. Empty your worms out
ontothedamppaper. Theyll need
a little time to get acclimatised.
If, by the next day, they havent
burrowed into the paper, you can
shine a light on the bin to encour-
age themtoheadunderground.
2 PREPARETHEWORMFOOD
Your worms will eat most organic
matter fruits, vegetables, coffee
grounds, grains, bread and egg-
shells are good. Dont feed them
dairy, oils or meat they cant
digest these. Beginwithanamount
of foodyoucanholdintwocupped
hands (you can increase this as
your worms multiply). Bury that
stful under alayer of thepaper.
4HARVESTTHECOMPOST
Once you have enough dark, rich
worm-droppings, you can harvest
them. Remove the top layer of
paper, thenuseasmall gardenfork
togentlyrakeanyundigestedfood
andthe worms toone side. Put the
bedding back on top of that area.
Place fresh scraps in only that
corner, so the worms migrate
there, leavingthecompost behind.
BE READABLE
Potential followers
merely glance
over your tweets,
so if theyre in
indecipherable text-
speak, expect to be
ignored. Over-use of
hashtags is equally
off-putting, warns
Hutto: One is ne.
Anything beyond that
signicantly degrades
your growth rate.
Keep them to single
words at the end
of tweets: #winning.
BE REGULAR
The Georgia Tech
study found that the
optimum number of
tweets is between
one and eight per
hour less than that
and you go unnoticed,
more and you may
irritate your followers
by clogging their
feeds. It also helps to
keep to a topic. Hutto
found that users
who used the same
words regularly grew
followers more rapidly.
BE HUMAN
Twitter is awash
with bots, so ensure
your followers know
youre the real deal by
reaching out to them.
Swap the default
Twitter prole for an
interesting biography,
post a clear picture
and interact with
people youd like to
follow you. Reply to
people, mention or re-
tweet them, advises
Hutto. It sends
a signal directly. I
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If youve visited South
America, you may
have brought back
an unexpected, nasty
souvenir. Boties are
rife there, and their
larvae are carried by
mosquitoes, whose
sting allows the eggs
into human skin, where
they incubate for eight
weeks. University
of Virginia physician
Jonathan West explains
how he extracted one
from a friend. RN
HAVE A MEDI CAL
DOCTOR ON HAND
Folk remedies abound
for removing boties
such as placing meat
over the wound to coax
the larva out but West
recommends having a
physician on board. If the
larva breaks, he says,
youre likely to end up
with an infected wound
and further complications.
VERI FY I TS
I DENTI TY
Outside South America
they are often mistaken
for cysts, so if youve
been to boty territory,
tell your doctor. Look
for the larvas breathing
apparatus a small hole
in the middle of the lump.
When Wests friend
was infected, he diagnosed
the boty himself.
APPLY A VENOM
EXTRACTOR
Once youre sure, use a
venom extractor (10 from
a camping-supplies shop).
Usually used for poisons,
it can vacuum the larvae
out of their burrows. West
used one on his friend: It
went off without a hitch.
But be gentle if the larva
ruptures, youll need the
services of a surgeon.
B H
5 9 0
goodpitch-deckisvital if youretryingtopersuade
investors to back your startup. Just ask payment-
networkDwolla, whichraised$16.5million(10mil-
lion) inaSeriesCroundthisApril withthehelpof an
18-slide PowerPoint. Cofounder BenMilne, whoadmits his rst
pitch-deck had around 80 slides and hundreds of bullet points,
shares what hes learnedabout makingawinningpresentation.
VTdwolla.com. You can see the pitch at tinyurl.com/k36vvjq
MAKE THE
PERFECT PI TCH
HOW TO. . .
A
GETGRAPHIC
Dwollas pitchincludes a sim-
ple ow-chart of Howcredit
cards work, followed by one
showingHowDwollaworks.
Milne explains that diagrams
demonstrate a technical pro-
cess toinvestors whomaynot
have specialised knowledge:
You want to talk about the
things you do diferently, at a
level that somebody can look
at it for afewseconds andsay,
OK, I understand that.
SHOWOFF THEPRODUCT
If youhaveaphysical product,
Milne advises demonstrating
it as soon as youve covered
the basics about ten min-
utes intothe pitch. Just close
the damn deck and show the
product, he says. The prod-
uct is more valuable than any
words. A slide titled Prod-
uct demoisauseful reminder
to cut to the chase. Dont be
surprisedif youneverget back
tore-openingthePowerPoint.
KEEPYOURDETAILS BRIEF
Im a college dropout from
a small school in Iowa, says
Milne. He argues that your
background isnt as impor-
tant as your product, and will
likelycomeuplater inconver-
sation anyway. Include a brief
descriptionof yourcompanys
leadership, but dont leadwith
your CV. Keepthefocus onthe
product, becausethats what
youregoingtobebuildingfor
the next ve or tenyears.
MAKESUREITS SIMPLE
Ratherthantryingtocompare
DwollatoPayPal, Milnespitch
deck describes it simply as a
payment network. Pitches
need to be as simple as possi-
ble, he says. Stop trying to
makethingssoundmorecom-
plicated or glorious. Just say
what it is. You want to dene
your product, say howits dif-
ferent fromexistingoferings,
how big the market is and
whos goingtobuildit.
4
2
6
HOW TO. . .
ACCE SS F RE E
ACADE MI A
LOAD A
CONTAI NER SHI P
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;
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;
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The big academic
publishers wrap their
scientic papers in
despotic paywalls. But
you need that research
to feed your natural
curiosity! Heres how to
read up without paying a
penny. Katie M Palmer
ASK THE AUTHOR
Many academics post
copies of their work
online. Search for titles
with site: [theirdomain]
and letype:pdf. Or just
ask directly, by sending
a brief, slightly fawning
message to the author.
ASK FOR HELP
Certain internet-dwellers
can do your highbrow dirty
work for you. On Twitter,
post the URL of a paper
with #icanhazpdf. Delete
the request afterwards,
and remember not to
thank the sender by name.
SEARCH SMARTER
Use Google Scholar to
search for the full title
of the paper you require.
Can you see [PDF] on
the right? Then youre in
luck some learned and
helpful soul has made a
copy available elsewhere.
TAP UP A STUDENT
Many libraries offer
database access or inter-
library loans on-site, so
head over if youre nearby.
Otherwise, locate a willing
student their account
and password should get
you in remotely.
GO I NCOGNI TO
If a site offers a limited
number of articles for free
per month, try browsing
via Chrome Incognito.
Your cookies get dumped
when you exit, so sites
cant recognise that
youve been there before.
1
3
5
7 9 0
1
HOW TO. . .
4 PLACE FLAMMABLE
STUFF NEAR THE CENTRE
If a ship will be travelling
through piracy-prone
waters, exposed containers
of combustible material
could be ignited by pirates
rocket-propelled grenades.
5 KEEP CERTAIN
CHEMICALS APART
Acetylene must be
separated by at least
one container space or
bulkhead from chlorine;
barium cyanide must
be isolated from acids.
6 ALWAYS GUARD
YOUR VESSEL
Containers are sealed after
inspection, but thieves
who have sneaked on
board can use simple tools
to get around the seals
and pop open the doors.
2 GIVE EVERY BOX
AN ID NUMBER
These show the owner and
category of the container,
plus a serial number and
check digit. Once theyre
loaded, a separate system
locates each container.
1 MINIMISE THE NUMBER
OF CRANE MOVES
Algorithms and computer
systems help plan the
most efcient and practical
storage schemes. This
means the ships can get
in and out of port quickly.
3 STACK THE HEAVIEST
BOXES DOWN LOW
A bit of common sense,
as this prevents the stack
from collapsing. Theyre
also distributed as evenly
as possible to ensure the
ship remains balanced.
Container ships are the pack mules of global trade, and
journalist Rose Georges new book, Ninety Percent of
Everything, examines how the steel boxes full of solids,
liquids and gases get where theyre going. One huge
challenge, George says, is simply loading and unloading
these giant ships, a task that calls on physics, chemistry
and knowledge of pirate tactics. Bryan Gardiner
You keep
sprinting.
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F E AT U R E S / 1 1 . 1 3
1 0 1 E U R O P E S 1 0 0 H O T T E S T S T A R T U P S / 1 2 6 T H E N A N O N O S E / 1 3 4 B U I L T B Y T H E C R O W D / 1 4 0 L I F E S C I E N T I S T
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1 0 1
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1 0 0
H O T T E S T
S T A R T U P S
For the third year, WI RED S editors have visited
the continents startup hubs to identify
the ten tech cities you need to know about.
Our conclusion: Europe is on a roll. Here
are the 100 companies causing the greatest
buzz, according to the local commentators,
investors and entrepreneurs we surveyed
ondonisontopof itsgame,
says Joanna Shields, CEO of
the governments Tech City
initiative. It has NewYorks
urban diversity, LAs con-
centration of media, lm, TV and creative
industries and Washington DCs proximity
of government, all inone place.
Thethree-year-oldstateproject hasbeen
responsible for tax breaks for investors, the
introductionof visasfor entrepreneurs and
theadditionof anewdivisionon
the London stock exchange, the
High Growth Segment. A num-
ber of high-growth companies
weresnappedupintherst half
S W I F T K E Y
91-95 Southwark Bridge Road, SE1 0AX
Founded by Cambridge graduates Jon
Reynolds and Ben Medlock, SwiftKey is
a keyboard app for Android phones. It
works in 60 languages and syncs with
Gmail, Facebook and Twitter accounts,
collecting data on previous typing habits
in order to predict what users want to
write. The app has been downloaded
over 15 million times and was the
best-selling Android app globally in
2012. The company has been licensing
its technology to manufacturers and it
estimates that it will be embedded in
100 million devices by the end of the
year. It also recently closed a $17.5
million series B funding round led by
Index Ventures. The way we create
language models by exposing our
algorithms to huge data sets means
we can create very specic language
models for any industry, Medlock
explains. swiftkey.net
of 2013, including Mendeley and
Summly, acquiredby ReedElsevier
andYahoo! respectively.
However, there remains a skills
gap: according to the UK Commis-
sion for Employment and Skills,
the UK digital sector needs around
30,000peopleeducatedtograduate
level or above each year, but applications
to IT-related degree courses have almost
halvedinthelast decade. Meanwhile, 44per
cent of digital employers report difcultyin
nding teammembers with the necessary
technical andpractical skills.
Weneedtodomuchmore,saysShields.
Im a big fan of MOOCs [massive online
opencourses] anditsencouragingtoseeUS
universities like Stanford and MIT opening
up their courses for free. We have exciting
plans in development to start
narrowing the digital-skills
gap i n thi s country and
creating opportunities for
learningon a major scale.
4 . S H U T L
5-25 Scrutton Street,
EC2A 4HJ
Shutl is a same-
day fullment
service that offers
customers rapid
delivery of packages.
Its algorithm
matches orders
with couriers, taking
details such as
location, cost and the
couriers reviews into
account, as well as
when the customer
wants the product to
be delivered either
as soon as possible
(with a record of just
15 minutes) or at a
specic time. It is
used by retailers such
as Argos and Maplin.
shutl.com
James Hay, Lucy Yu, Jon
Reynolds, Ben Medlock,
Caroline Gasperin,
Ruth Barnett, James
Clarke, all of SwiftKey
L O N D O N
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G L O B A L C I T I E S I N D E X R A N K I N G 2 0 1 2 : 2
The UKs capi tal conti nues to attract fundi ng and tal ent, hel ped by the
Tech Ci ty I nvestment Organi sati on, despi te a shortage of nati ve ski l l
w o r d s b y O L I V I A S O L O N p h o t o g r a p h y : A L E X L A K E a n d N I C K W I L S O N
L
1 0 3
MA K I E L A B
32-38 Scrutton Street,
EC2A 4RQ
MakieLab sells highly customised,
3D-printed dolls called Makies,
who occupy an accompanying
virtual world. We set out to
blend toys with games. We make
toys that our customers can
personalise through games and
apps, and then their toy is
locally manufactured using
3D printing. Each toy is unique,
and born digital, explains
founder Alice Taylor. Its
effectively the opposite of
traditional toys, which are
mass manufactured, made in
the Far East, with maybe some
digital stuff bolted on. Makies
became the rst 3D-printed
toys to pass the CE safety test
in February and the Makies Doll
Factory app, launched in March,
was installed 150,000 times
within a month. makielab.com
5 . A D Z U N A
67 Wingate Square,
SW4 0AF
Launched in 2011,
Adzuna is a search
engine for ads for
UK jobs, property
and cars. It was set
up by former Gumtree
employees Doug
Monro and Andrew
Hunter. It trawls
thousands of sites to
list items in a single
vertical search and
ties in with Facebook
and LinkedIn to
allow users nd job
connections or map
where friends live.
It claims to have
1.5 million monthly
visitors, with
revenue growing 50
per cent each quarter
in 2012 and 2013.
adzuna.co.uk
G O C A R D L E S S
22-25 Finsbury Square, EC2A 1DX
Fintech startup GoCardless allows users to tap into the direct-debit
network, usually reserved for big players such as utility companies
and mobile operators. It levels the eld, says cofounder Matthew
Robinson. GoCardless worked with banking authorities to create an
API that makes it simple for small businesses to take direct debit
payments, avoiding credit-card fees and
merchant accounts. It takes one per cent
of each transaction, up to a limit of
2, and, according to Robinson, revenue
has been growing 40 per cent every
month since 2011. gocardless.com
7 . D U E D I L
20 Broadwick Street,
W1F 8HT
DueDils free-to-
access database
brings together
a wide range of
company info
including Companies
House data and credit
ratings in a simple
interface. Users can
search for accounts,
shareholders and
company directors.
The company was
founded by New
Yorker Damian
Kimmelman, who
says the company,
whose user base has
grown around 20 per
cent per month, is
close to turning a
prot. duedil.com
8. T RANSF E RWI SE
56 Shoreditch High
Street, E1 6JJ
TransferWise is a
peer-to-peer money-
transfer service
that undercuts the
currency-exchange
fees charged by
banks. Founded by
Taavet Hinrikus and
Kristo Krmann,
TransferWise
takes a 1 fee
on transactions
below 200 and
0.5 per cent of the
payment amount on
anything larger. It
has processed more
than 100 million in
eight currencies and
plans to add ten more
by the end of 2013.
transferwise.com
9 . H A I L O C A B
HMS President,
EC4Y 0HJ
Hailo Cabs mobile
taxi-hailing app Hailo
launched in London
in November 2011
and is now used by
more than 11,000
London cabbies
around half and has
been downloaded by
250,000 potential
passengers. The
company takes ten
per cent commission.
Following a $30
million series B
funding round in
early 2013, Hailo
has launched in
New York, Tokyo
Washington, Madrid
and Barcelona.
hailocab.com
1 0 . G R A Z E
26 Dunstable Road,
TW1 2JN
Graze is a snack-
delivery company
that sends (mostly)
healthy snacks such
as dried fruit, nuts,
breads and dips
across the UK by
post. The 250-strong
company uses an
AI algorithm to
customise individual
portions and optimise
freshness of the
produce, based on
customer preferences.
Graze developed a
kids range in 2013,
which offers snacks
along with games
and activities. It is
expanding to the US.
graze.com
W H E R E T O F I N D
6 . Q U B I T
20 Broadwick Street,
W1F 8HT
QuBit allows retailers
to create dynamic,
personalised sites
that are tailored
to individual users
based on their
past behaviour and
preferences. Founded
by four ex-Googlers,
the company says
that it has doubled
revenues in 2012.
qubitproducts.com
1 . S W I F T K E Y
91-95 Southwark Bridge Road, SE1 0AX
2 . G O C A R D L E S S
22-25 Finsbury Square, EC2A 1DX
3 . M A K I E L A B
32-38 Scrutton Street, EC2A 4RQ
4 . S H U T L
5-25 Scrutton Street, EC2A 4HJ
5 . A D Z U N A W
67 Wingate Square, SW4 0AF
6 . Q U B I T
20 Broadwick Street, W1F 8HT
7 . D U E D I L
20 Broadwick Street, W1F 8HT
8 . T R A N S F E R W I S E
56 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JJ
9 . H A I L O C A B
HMS President, EC4Y 0HJ
1 0 . G R A Z E
26 Dunstable Road, TW1 2JN
Grey Baker, Hiroki
Takeuchi, Maria
Moynihan, Matt Robinson,
Harry Marr and Alina
Solovjova of GoCardless
T H E R E A R E N O W 1 , 0 0 0
S T A R T U P S R E G I S T E R E D A T
G O O G L E C A M P U S I N L O N D O N
Stats sources can be
found on page 154
ith 62 million internet users an
audience larger even than Germanys
Russia has an appetite for online services
thats growing steadily. Last June, British
investment bank GP Bullhound reported
the Russian digital-advertising market to be worth $1.4
billion, havingovertakenprint advertising. E-commerce
is simply explodinghere, says Misha Lyalin, CEOof gam-
ing company ZeptoLab and managing director at invest-
ment rmKite Ventures. Therere thousands of pounds
worth of packages being held by the Russian postal
service since Christmas, and people are still buying
online. The next trend to watch is nance. Russia has
been slow to adapt to credit cards, but adoption has
increased 2.5-fold since last year, Lyalin says. Look out
forinnovationinthissector, itsgrowingridiculouslyfast.
Z E P T O L A B
Moscow and London
Since Om Nom turned ZeptoLabs Cut the
Rope game into a global hit in 2011, the
startup has grown hugely. The physics
puzzle had 300 million user downloads and
60 million active monthly players, as of
April 2013. Since last year, it has launched
a game, Pudding Monsters, as well as Time
Travel, another sequel to Cut the Rope,
which includes a time-travel element. Our
new games such as Time Travel incorporate
animation as an integral part because we are
expanding into other media like television,
says CEO Misha Lyalin. The Moscow-based
startup, created by twins Semyon and Em
Voinov, still makes money on about 20 per
cent of its Cut the Rope downloads but is
cashing in on the Om Nom trademark. We released a series of
video stories called Om Nom Stories on YouTube, which have
had 100 million views, says Lyalin, 39. He says they will launch
two more games, unrelated to Cut the Rope, and another
sequel, featuring Om Nom, by the end of 2013. The company
has sales ofces across Europe and in Japan. zeptolab.com
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w o r d s b y M A D H U M I T A V E N K A T A R A M A N A N
In Russia, online advertising has eclipsed
print advertising, and financial startups are
flourishing as shoppers adopt credit cards
w
1 0 5
Z I N G A Y A
Serebryanicheskaya
Naberezhnaya 27, 109028
Click-to-call service Zingaya,
launched in 2010, enables
people to make free customer-
service calls to companies via
a button integrated into the
companys site. It now has
600 rms signed up, including US companies
such as TriNet, Swimoutlet and BlogTalkRadio,
as well as large Russian companies such as
Volkswagen Russia and national banks MTS
Bank and Promsvyazbank. Last year, 1.4 million
calls were made via Zingaya. That number has
already been exceeded in the rst quarter of
2013. Our revenue has grown 300 per cent
during 2012, to around $500,000 per year. We
are now really close to breaking even, says
Alexey Aylarov, 27, Zingayas founder and
CEO, who raised $1.15 million from American
investor Esther Dyson and others in 2011. The
company is now working with global software
company Salesforce to integrate a VoIP
module into its sales-rep software. zingaya.com
6 . D I G I T A L O C T O B E R
Bersenevskaya
Naberezhnaya 6,
119072
Digital October is a
hub, incubator and
events centre for the
international tech-
startup community.
We produce our
own content, such as
TechCrunch Moscow
and Demo Europe,
and we are working
on education with
Coursera, says CEO
Dmitry Repin, who
has just spun off
chess.tv.
digitaloctober.com
5 . A V I T O
Business Center
Summit, Tverskaya
22, 125009
Founded by Swedish
entrepreneurs Filip
Engelbert and Jonas
Nordlander in 2007,
Avito is the countrys
largest classieds
site. It has 40 million
monthly users and
450,000 ads are
posted a day. Thats
everything from cars
to clothing, says
COO Christoffer
Norman. The total
value is two per cent
of GDP. avito.ru
9 . L I N G U A L E O
Tverskaya St 6,
5, 125009
LinguaLeo teaches
English to four
million Russians and
Brazilians online, and
adds 10,000 users
daily. Students can
learn sets of words
and phrases, go
through interactive
courses on grammar
and writing (for a
fee), watch and read
English content with
a built-in contextual
dictionary and chat
with each other.
lingualeo.ru
4 . O S T R O V O K
Bolshoi Savvinskiy
18, 119435
Online hotel-booking
startup Ostrovok
continued to grow in
2012, and now has a
million unique visitors
a month. Founded
by Kirill Makharinsky
and Serge Faguet,
Ostrovok has
135,000 hotels in 200
countries and recently
added VC Yuri Milner
to its list of investors,
which includes Accel
Partners, Esther
Dyson and Atomico
Ventures. ostrovok.ru
1 0. E RUDI T OR GROUP
Aviakonstruktora
Mikoyana 12B
Egor Rudi launched
Eruditor in 2005, as
a marketplace for
private tutors. The
startup has over
100,000 registered
private tutors,
and about 400,000
customers. We
book over $200 million
of tutoring every
year, says Rudi, 32.
In 2010, Eruditor
opened up to other
skilled professionals
such as doctors.
eruditor-group.com
8 . G A ME I N S I G H T
Bolshaya Tulskaya
44, 115191
Three-year-old mobile
games publisher
Game Insight has
more than 150 million
monthly active users
playing its mobile and
tablet games, and 15
games studios. CEO
Alisa Chumachenko
started the company
with no investment
but recently
announced $25 million
in funding from
Russian investment
rm imi.vc.
game-insight.com
N A R R 8
Bolshaya
Tulskaya 44,
115191
NARR8 is a free
tablet app for iOS
and Android thats
a digital-content
channel (similar to
Netix). It produces
original, interactive
content such as
motion comics,
animations, novels
and non-ction.
Since its launch last
November, it has
been downloaded
more than 700,000
times. narr8.me
7 . O N E T W O T R I P
Bolshaya
Gruzinskaya 5
Founded in August
2011, as an online
ight-booking service,
OneTwoTrip is now
the most popular
ticketing website in
Russia. It has 600,000
unique users every
month and sells 5,000
tickets daily. Monthly
revenues are $50
million (32 million),
says executive
director Max Karaush.
Only Aeroot
sells more online.
onetwotrip.com
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T H E A V E R A G E A G E
O F A M O S C O W
E N T R E P R E N E U R
Moscow International Business Centre
erlin has been the most
talked-about (and talked-
up) startup hub in Europe
for several years. How-
ever, a backlash of sorts has
emerged over the past year, with some
asking when Berlin will produce an exit of
global signicance. Of course, there have
beensuccessful exits: Jambain2004($273
million/180 million), Brands4Friends
(150 million/129 million) and Citydeal
(130 million) in 2010, and DailyDeal in
2011 (around 130 million) are evidence
that Berlin can deliver. People expected
it just to happen, but these things take
three to ve years, says Sven Schmidt, a
venture partner at Accel.
JrgRheinboldt, anearly-stageinvestor
and long-time observer of Berlin start-
ups (he sold his ecommerce site Alando
to eBay in 1999 for 28 million), has been
advising the German government on
its technology strategy. Recently, hes
noticed a growth in accelerators and
incubators, such as Axel Springers Plug &
Play, BerlinStartupAcademy, The Factory
and initiatives from companies such as
Mozilla, Microsoft and Google, as well
as an increasing number of events and
conferences. And there is easier access to
capital Berlin attracted 173 million in
VC funding last year.
But some of the companies that have
been seen as exemplars of the citys stand-
ing in the tech scene, such as SoundCloud,
have yet to make money. Rheinboldt
sees a coming together of maker events
and hardware: Its super early but
I have the impression that therell be
more startups that are
hardware oriented.
Left: GetYourGuides
Johannes Reck
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Germany has had eight-figure exits since the 90s and is one of Europes
most talked-about hubs but when will its stars such as SoundCloud profit?
wo r d s b y G R E G W I L L I A M S p h o t o g r a p h y : F R E D M A C G R E G O R
B
1 0 7
G E T Y O U R G U I D E
Erich Weinert Strae 145, 10409
In 2009, Johannes Reck, Pascal Mathis and
Tobias Rein had spent the previous year
building a peer-to-peer travel network where
users would sign up for or offer to host
activities such as wine tastings or city tours.
But things werent going as they had hoped.
We went back to square one and rebuilt the
entire business plan, Reck says. We realised
that there was a huge opportunity in the
things-to-do market where you have thousands
and thousands of suppliers around the world
Stasi tours in Berlin, tickets without queuing
for the Empire State building. All these things
were not online yet; most of the transactions
were ofine. The peer-to-peer model was
ditched in favour of one where third-party
vendors use GetYourGuide as a platform for
their services. The site, according to Reck,
is now the largest platform on the web for
booking activities of all kinds. Our goal is to
digitise all the things you can do, he says.
The company, which employs 100 people,
takes a commission on each booking. Seed
funding came at the end of 2011, when Brent
Hoberman from ProFounders Capital invested
1.3million. That was really important it
transformed our student business into a
proper business, Reck says. getyourguide.com
5 . S O U N D C L O U D
Rosenthalerstrae
13, 10119
Its impossible to
write about Berlin
without including
SoundCloud, the citys
poster-child startup.
The biggest streaming
site in the world,
it has 38 million
users, with ve per
cent paying for Pro
access. It introduced
advertising features
in March 2013 to drive
revenue (it has yet
to turn a prot). Its
at the scale where
you can consider it
a platform, says
Ciarn OLeary of
Berlin-based VC
fund, Earlybird.
It was a sharing
thing but nowmajor
media companies
are embedding it.
soundcloud.com
4 . RE SE ARCHGAT E
Invalidenstrae 115,
10115
Founded in 2008
by doctors Ijad
Madisch and Sren
Hofmayer, and
computer specialist
Horst Fickenscher,
ResearchGate which
connects scientists,
data and research
has grown into a
clear category leader.
The platform, with
2.9 million members,
recently received
series C funding, led
by Bill Gates, which
brought investment
to 23m. This is
a great case of US
investors giving
founders the choice
of where to base a
rm, says Philipp
Hartmann, partner at
Rheingau Founders.
researchgate.net
6 . T H E F O O T B A L L A P P
Mnzstrae 19,
10178
With 3.5 million
monthly active users
(1.5 million active a
day), The Football
App is a mobile
service that provides
news and data from
100 leagues across
the world. Founded
in 2009, its been
bootstrapped by
entrepreneur Lucas
von Cranach but
recently received
10 million in
series A funding from
Earlybird Venture
Capital. Its uptake is
strong in Germany,
France and the UK
and looks set to
compete well in a
marketplace
that is rapidly
shifting to mobile.
thefootballapp.com
W O O G A
Saarbrcker Strae 38, 10405
Wooga is the third biggest games company on
Facebook, with 50 million active online users per
month, yet founder and CEO Jens Begemann has been thinking
beyond the social network for some time: at the end of 2011
the company released its game Diamond Dash as an iOS app.
It was downloaded 50 million times. At the end of 2012 the
company repeated the exercise, on Android. Its not that were
exclusively going to mobile, but its our rst focus, he says.
For all the new games we do them mobile rst. We do that
because to make a true and great mobile game we need to make
the most of whats special about mobile. Wooga has developed
a reputation for relentless, granular A/B testing of its products,
but the companys move into mobile has meant a shift in
focus. Its easier to do analytics on a PC, as the games are on
the web, than on mobile. On mobile the market is different:
analytics are still important, but there is more focus on testing.
So we invite people to our ofces and they play a game, and we
observe them and see how they react. Games are very human.
And the shift has caused a corresponding change in the
companys business model: 18 months ago its revenues were
entirely from online products, now 50 per cent come from
mobile products. The company, which has 250 employees
from 41 different countries, is growing at a rate of two new
employees per week and is planning multiple launches. We
were lucky to have the right timing in the shift to mobile,
Begemann says. Not too early, not too late. wooga.com
T HE N U MB E R O F P E O P L E E MP L O Y E D
B Y B E R L I N S T E C H S TA R T U P S 30, 000
9 . C L U E
Bethaniendamm 19,
10997
Clue is a period and
ovulation tracker
that predicts when a
womans next period,
fertile windowand
PMS will be, so she
can make the right
decisions, explains
founder Ida Tin. The
platformwas only
recently released but
has investment from
the founders of an
online property site.
Users input physical
and emotional data,
and the app calculates
events such as
ovulation. All data
is kept on the users
handset. The app is
free the business
model is based on
hardware that has
yet to be disclosed.
helloclue.com
1 0 . R E B U Y
Kanalstrae 139,
12357
Its rare to nd
someone who doesnt
have unwanted DVDs,
books, video games
and mobile phones in
their homes. ReBuy
is a recommerce
platformthat allows
consumers to sell
unwanted products
for a xed price and
helps businesses
unload extra stock.
Sales were in the
region of 40min
2012 and, in March,
Iris Capital led an
expansion round
of nance with an
undisclosed amount.
This is one of the
greatest founder
stories in Berlin,
says Rheingau
Partnerss Philipp
Hartmann. The
founders started this
venture out of their
kids rooms. rebuy.de
E Y E E M
Brunnenstrae 9a, 10119
The mobile photo-sharing
app is two years old and, in
January, briey overtook
Instagram on the iOS app
charts. Why? The company
reacted to the furore over
Instagrams terms and
conditions by announcing
that its users would retain
image rights. Its the one
Ive got my eye on, says
Aydogan Ali Schosswald,
a venture partner at
Deutsche Telekoms
incubator hub. eyeem.com
8 . S O C I O MA N T I C
Paul-Lincke-Ufer
39/40, 10999
This real-time-
bidding ad platform
is a strong example
of a business that
has been built
under the radar:
founded in 2009,
Sociomantic isnt a
typical Berlin hipster
startup. Rather, the
business-to-business
platform nds and
accesses consumers
who are searching
online and delivers
historical data about
them to e-commerce
platforms. Potentially
a global-scale
company, Sociomantic
is privately owned,
but is thought
by analysts to be
protable in the tens
of millions of euros.
sociomantic.com
7 . T R A D E M O B
Friedrichstrae 126,
10117
A mobile marketing
platform that claims
to reach 500 million
smartphone users
in 190 countries,
Trademob offers
clients optimisation
technology (the
algorithm will switch
between ad networks,
for instance), and
analysis tools to
see how campaigns
for mobile apps
are performing and
where trafc is
coming from. Clients
include Wooga,
eBay classieds and
Universal Music.
The company raised
$15 million in series
B nancing led by
Kennet Partners
in November 2012.
trademob.com
W H E R E T O F I N D
1 . G E T Y O U R G U I D E
Erich Weinert Strae 145
2 . E Y E E M
Brunnenstrae 9a
3 . W O O G A
Saarbrcker Strae 36-38
4 . R E S E A R C H G A T E
Invalidenstrae 115
5 . S O U N D C L O U D
Rosenthalerstrae 13
6 . T H E F O O T B A L L A P P
Mnzstrae 19
7 . T R A D E M O B
Friedrichstrae 126
8 . S O C I O M A N T I C
Paul-Lincke-Ufer 39/40
9 . C L U E
Bethaniendamm 19
1 0 . R E B U Y
Kanalstrae 139
Florian Meissner, Ramzi
Rizk, Lorenz Aschoff and
Gen Sadakane of EyeEm
1
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9
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6
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1 0 9
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H
O
T
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R
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O
H
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A
V
E
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;
C
O
R
B
I
S
wedish programmers find web development
so easy that they do it blindfolded. In March, the
windows of the Tictail ofces in Sdermalm were
blacked out with bin bags. Smoke filled the room
from a machine and lasers lit it up; electronic
music played loudly. It was really overdramatic, says Tictail
cofounder Kaj Drobin, whoput ontheevent, calledCodein
the Dark. In the middle of the roomwas a bank of screens,
the arena for the battle royal: 30 developers had to
recreatethefront endof somewell-knownsitesincluding
Pinterest andDropboxin20minutes, without previewing
them. The 40-strong crowd, comprising employees from
startups including Spotify, Klarna and Bloglovin, then
rated the best eforts. The nal took place at about 10pm
and the winner was chosen unanimously: Alexander
Ryden, who used to work at Tictail.
Stockholm is hosting more tech events than ever.
According to Drobin: If you look back a year ago, most
of theeventswereheldbythebigcompanies, likeKlarna
and Spotify. But nowyou see events everywhere. The
StockholmStartupHack, inits secondyear, tookover Skeppsholm-
skyrkan, achurch; theDJfor theafter-partyplayedfromthepulpit.
The startup scene has exploded in the last year, says Osom
cofounder and CEO Anton Johansson. With massive global
successes such as iZettle, Wrapp and Mojang showing that Swe-
den produces category winners, its party time in the capital city.
1 08 MI LLI ON
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Stockholms startups have the most fun but
the examples of iZettle, Mojang and Wrapp show that
they can also reach serious international scale
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M E M O T O
Teknikringen 7
It can take whole seconds to Instagram a picture of your lunch.
Who has that sort of time? Memotos life-logging camera,
about the size of a stamp, hangs on a lanyard. Every 30 seconds,
it takes a ve-megapixel photo, logging the GPS position and
time. Memetos killer app is an, er, app, for Android, that sorts
the photos to create moments, based on time, faces in the
photo, GPS and light level. So instead of a dump of 2,880 photos
at the end of each day, users end up with about 30 key frames.
CEO and cofounder Martin Kllstrm says the idea came from
miserably failing to keep his own diary. We thought about
how you could make documentation of your life effortless.
In March 2012, Kllstrm teamed up with Oskar Kalmaru and
Bjrn Wesn to build the hardware. They launched the camera
on Kickstarter, aiming to raise $50,000. It took ve hours,
eventually securing $550,189. The company has been user
testing the product aware of how some people might react to
a camera worn in public and thats always taking pictures. We
feel that the interactions with real people are more important
than the photos you get, Kllstrm says. memoto.com
T I C T A I L
Alsngatan 12
Tictail is a good-
looking, intuitive
service that lets
anyone set up an
online store painlessly.
It launched as a private
beta in May 2011 and
went public a year later. Building an
e-commerce platform is not a small
thing, says Carl Waldekranz, the
27-year-old cofounder and CEO. Its
not like an app that tells you when
your cat needs food. Tictails rst
client was Waldekranzs mother, an
artist. Since then, the platform has
boomed: within ten months there were
10,000 stores; a month later there
were 13,000. tictail.com
5 . I N S T A B R I D G E
Saltmtargatan 19A
Instabridge
lets Facebook
friends connect
to each others
Wi-Fi networks
automatically.
Launched in beta
in 2012, it now has
10,000 active users
and is preparing an
iPhone app, following
an Android version.
The ultimate vision,
though, is to be the
Dropbox for Wi-Fi,
allowing users access
to Wi-Fi on any
device wherever they
are, founder and CEO
Niklas Agevik says.
instabridge.com
7 . 1 3 T H L A B
Pilgatan 3
13th Lab is taking
Nasa technology -
originally invented for
use by autonomous
spacecraft to your
smartphone camera.
The rst implantation
was Ball Invasion,
an AR iPad game,
but in early 2012,
the startup released
PointCloud Browser,
a platform for
developers. It raised
550,000 from Nordic
VC rm Creandum
(which also invested
in Spotify) all part
of a mission to create
a user interface for
reality. 13thlab.com
6 . M A G I N E
Primusgatan 112
We can consume
music where
ever we are, on a
phone or laptop,
Mattias Hjelmstedt,
cofounder of magine,
says. But TV is
stuck on your wall. So
thats what we set
out to solve. Magine,
which launched in
September 2012, has
deals with channels
including the BBC and
National Geographic,
and streams
programmes from
its servers to any
device. A UK launch
is expected in
2014. magine.com
1 0 . S H A P E U P C L U B
Kungsgatan 73
ShapeUp Clubs
iPhone and Android
apps help users
keep track of what
they eat with data
visualisations and
tailored weight-loss
plans. It launched
in December 2011
and, in its rst year,
it lost its Swedish
members a combined
total of four million
kg (across one
million users). Henrik
Torstensson, former
head of premium
sales at Spotify,
is its new CEO.
shapeupclub.com
9 . B I O L A M I N A
Lfstrms All 5A
Stockholm has
a tradition of
consumer-facing
apps, but BioLamina
is proof it can do
hard biotech. Its
tagline is stem-
cell culturing made
easy: its laminin
(the protein network
that supports most
animal cells) is
affordable 100mg
of Laminin-521,
used for human cells,
costs 219) and
can be used either
clinically or for
research purposes.
biolamina.com
8 . F U N D E D B Y M E
Klara stra
Kyrkogata 2B
FundedByMe is
a startup thats
building the
Stockholm tech
scene more directly
than most: its
crowd-equity
platform connects
entrepreneurs with
business angels
and investors
around the world.
FundedByMe was
founded in February
2011 and claims
its pool has a total
of 266m (230m)
to invest each year.
fundedbyme.com
O S O M
Aprilgatan 12
Osom is
a money-
generating
version of Instagram:
every retro-ltered photo
on the app has a buy
button. Its founders,
veterans of Twingly and
Videoplaza, launched this
mobile marketplace for
beautiful things in April.
CEO Anton Johansson
calls it emotional
shopping. getosom.com
4 . S H O T B O X
Kungsgatan 33
Shotbox is a web-
based tool that lets
users create and
collaborate on video
storyboards during
the pre-production
process for lms,
games or television.
A bare-bones public
beta launched in
April this year. Its
founders who are
aiming for 20,000
users after one year
hope that by making
storyboarding easier,
creative types will do
more pre-production,
which means better
lms. shotbox.se
Right: Tictails Carl
Waldekranz. Left:
Stockholms Waterfront
Congress Centre
ne of the heroes of the
Paris tech community is the
billionaire Xavier Niel. Niel,
46, made a career champ-
ioning a digital economy
that has created internet giants such as
Vente-privee.comandCriteo. NielsVCrm,
KimaVentures, investsintwostartupsevery
week. In March this year, he announced the
creation of 42, a Paris-based tuition-free
academy for coders and entrepreneurs.
The school, opening in early November,
will take more than1,000students whowill
be taught through a project-based system.
The French education system
isnt working, Niel announced.
Two-hundred-thousandyouths
8 . W I T H I N G S
20 rue Rouget
de LIsle
At the LeWeb
conference last year,
Cdric Hutchings,
CEO of Withings,
announced the
Withings Health
Companion, an
app that lets you
track your weight,
activity, sleep and
blood pressure. The
latest product, the
Smart Body Analyzer,
launched in March
2013, costs 130 and
tracks and monitors
users weight,
body fat and blood
pressure, and also air
quality. withings.com
9 . D E E Z E R
12 rue dAthnes
Deezer competes in
the crowded music-
streaming market.
It has 26 million
customers, four
million of whom are
paying subscribers,
in 182 countries
and it received $130
million last year from
Access Industries.
Music streaming
isnt about giving
people a soulless
database of songs,
says CEO Axel
Dauchez. We want
to build an immersive
and entertaining
experience.
deezer.com
L E E T C H I
7 rue Commines
Cline Lazorthes got the idea for her startup when she was trying
to collect contributions for a university party. It was a nightmare.
People were lazy, they had no cash. I had to pay out of my own
pocket, says Lazorthes, 30. In 2009, she founded Leetchi, a social-
payments platform that allows people to collect money online and
make group purchases. With 600,000 users, it collected over 40
million in 2012. Since its inclusion on last years WIRED startup list,
its become an ofcial electronic-money institution and released
its API, MangoPay, as a separate app, allowing third parties to
make bank transfers and offer e-wallets and one-click payments.
The next step is internationalisation, says Lazorthes, who raised
$8 million from VC fund 360 Capital Partners, Oleg Tscheltzoff
and Jeremie Berrebi
of Kima Ventures.
Already 20 per cent
of our revenue comes
from abroad. Were
investing a lot in
Spain and Germany.
leetchi.com
leave French schools each year
without diplomas. They could be
the talents of the future and a part
of innovative companies.
This wasnt the only good news
for French entrepreneurs: in the
same month, president Franois
Hollande announced a series of
measures including a startup
visa for talented developers who
want to work in France. These
measures are an indication that
attitudes may be changing in
France after all, entrepreneurs
know that embracing
failure is usually a pre-
requisite for success.
Left: Cline Lazorthes,
previously at Eyeka,
now founder of Leetchi
6 . C A P T A I N
D A S H
86 rue de la Fontaine
au Roi
Captain Dash enables
users marketers
in particular to
visualise their social
media and digital data
in one app. Founded in
2012 by Gilles Babinet
and Bruno Walther,
former CEO of
OgilvyOne Worldwide,
it synchronises data
from many sources,
including Twitter and
Google Analytics.
captaindash.com
7 . C A P I T A I N E
T R A I N
9 rue Ambroise
Thomas
This search engine
allows users to buy
tickets for major
European train lines
Eurostar, SNCF,
Thalys and Deutsche
Bahn in 30 seconds.
Founded in 2009 by
Valentin Surrel, 30,
Martin Ottenwaelter,
28, and Jean-Daniel
Guyot, 30, it sold
more than 400,000
tickets last year.
capitainetrain.com
5 . V I A D E O
30 rue de la Victoire
With over 50 million
users, Viadeo is
the second-largest
professional social
network, after
LinkedIn. Its Chinese
arm, Tianji, has
over 14 million
members and
Viadeo is focusing
on expanding to the
BRICs. Last year it
received investment
of $32 million taking
the total to $50.2m
from a diverse group
of investors including
Idinvest, Ventech,
Allianz and Jefferies.
viadeo.com
4 . A P P S F I R E
23 rue du Dpart
AppsFire is an app
that offers app
recommendations.
Cofounded by
Ouriel Ohayon and
Yann Lechelle, the
service is used by 1.5
million people a day.
Features include an
App Score metric that
scores apps based
on criteria such as
consistent presence
in the rankings,
the reputation of
the developer and
external mentions on
social media, as well
as on review sites.
appsre.com
9 . 5 P E R D A Y
AV E R A G E H O U R S WO R K E D B Y
P A R I S I A N E N T R E P R E N E U R S
P A R I S
The government has relaxed the rules for work visas and theres a new
coding academy, while startups such as BlaBlaCar continue to thrive
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O
1 1 3
ME L T Y. F R
18 rue Pasteur
Melty is
an online media
platform for
teenagers, which
comprises 12
specialised channels
covering subjects
from food to fashion.
The startup, which
has a presence in
both France and
Italy, was founded in
2008 by Alexandre
Malsch and Jeremy
Nicolas, and has
11 million unique
monthly visitors
and a turnover of
3 million in 2012.
It recently closed a
funding round of 3.6
million led by Serena
Capital, and including
investors Marc
Simoncini and Pierre
Chappaz. melty.fr
B L A B L A C A R
33 rue de Chazelles
If you need a car ride, BlaBlaCar
is the digital alternative to raising
a thumb in the air. The Parisian
startup is responsible for moving
more than 600,000 people across
Europe every month. By the end
of the year, we will be transporting
more people than Eurostar, which
transports around 850,000 people
a month, says BlaBlaCars COO,
Nicolas Brusson. Today you can
build something with a hundredth
of their capital and transport more
people. BlaBlaCar was founded in
2007 by Brusson, Frdric Mazzella, 37, and Francis Nappez, 34.
Fred couldnt nd a train to go back home for Christmas one
year, says Brusson, 36. He thought there might be a website
where you could nd drivers going from Paris to the west of
France. There was nothing. The founders came up with the
idea of building a travel network based on car pooling. Today,
BlaBlaCar has three million members and its average trip is
320km. Passengers use an online booking system to book their
seat, with BlaBlaCar taking a commission. More than a third
of people using BlaBlaCar wouldnt have travelled otherwise,
Brusson says. I always thought most
European companies tend to expand
late, he says. We want to be
a European leader as opposed
to a French company. blablacar.com
W H E R E T O F I N D
1 . L E E T C H I
7 rue Commines
2 . B L A B L A C A R
33 rue de Chazelles
3 . M E L T Y . F R
18 rue Pasteur
4 . A P P S F I R E
23 rue du Dpart
5 . V I A D E O
30 rue de la Victoire
6 . C A P T A I N D A S H
86 rue de la Fontaine au Roi
7 . C A P I T A I N E T R A I N
9 rue Ambroise Thomas
8 . W I T H I N G S
20 rue Rouget de LIsle
9 . D E E Z E R
12 rue dAthnes
1 0 . D E V I A L E T
126 rue Raumur
Frdric Mazzella,
Francis Nappez
and Nicolas Brusson
of BlaBlaCar
1
4
5
6
7
8
9
2
3
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1 0 . D E V I A L E T
126 rue Raumur
Devialet makes
high-end ampliers.
Its latest product,
the Devialet 240, is
a hi- system that
uses an analogue-
digital technology
which, it claims,
ensures superb audio
delity. It comes
with the Devialet
AIR Wi-Fi streamer,
which lets you
wirelessly play audio
from your laptop.
Founded in 2007, the
rm is Paris-based
but production is
in Normandy. It
raised 19 million
from investors such
as Xavier Niel, and
Jacques-Antoine
Granjon, CEO
of Vente-privee.
devialet.com
romstreetlevel, numbers11-13onItmerenkatu, awideboulevard
near Helsinkis harbour, seems like any ofce block. Inside, though,
its getting a makeover: Nokias research teamhave moved out and
startups are moving in. Jolla, a smartphone rm, moved150devel-
opers in. Supercell, the wildly successful company behindHay Day
and Clash of Clans, has taken over one oor. There are lots of newcompanies in
Helsinki, quite a fewto do with mobile, Tomi Pienimki, the CEO of Jolla, says.
Finland is small so there are many people who have worked for Nokia. Rovio
released Angry Birds and became the newNokia which worried some: Over the
last year in Helsinki, Supercell has grown tremendously and has been topping the
charts,saysGregAnderson, editor of theblogArcticStartup. Asidefromthe$2.4
million a day thats pouring into Helsinki fromClash of Clans, Supercell has also
had the efect of giving us something more than Angry Birds to point to. We were
afraid of another Nokia situation: becoming a one-company town. Many smaller
studios are quietly creating successes: no big deal was made when Tribeflame
recently hit 15 million downloads with Benji Bananas,published by another Finn-
ish startup, Fingersoft. And an ecosystemof tertiary services such as Metrify.io,
EveryplayandApplierishelpingpublisherstogrow. Helsinkissmartphone-based
startups span everything fromretail analytics to sport fishing to pet fitness.
H O L V I
Tallberginkatu 1
Kristoffer Lawson and Tuomas Toivonen wanted to create a simpler
user-interface for online banking. The only solution we could
nd was to attack the very core of the nancial system, says
Lawson. In other words, rethink what a bank is and how it relates
to our life. Lawson and Toivonen founded Holvi in 2011. We got
increasingly frustrated with how difcult it was to manage our
own nances the user interfaces were horrible, the information
they gave you was non-existent, says Lawson. We thought, as
tech people, this is something that computers should be doing.
Holvi users can share accounts with others, set up shops for
collecting money owed, incorporate an easy-to-use invoice service
and set up bills. A budget tool creates nancial reports, breaking
down money in and out, according to category. The service launched
in Finland last autumn, and 1,000 organisations are now using Holvi.
Lawson says hes planning to launch Europe-wide, with the UK the
rst market subject to red tape. Theres a lot of paperwork and
regulations you need to be aware of. Its the biggest challenge.
But were actually quite proud none of us are bankers. holvi.com
1 1 5
F
Nokia taught the Finnish capital to be sure to hedge its bets.
In Rovios wake comes a fleet of highly successful game firms
H E L S I N K I
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J O L L A
Itmerenkatu 11-13
Thought the battle
for mobile OS
domination was a
straight slug-out
between iOS and
Android? Jolla begs
to differ. In general,
the operating
systems for the mobile world are
very old, the companys CEOTomi
Pienimki says. The startup was
founded in March 2011 by refugees
fromNokias cancelled MeeGo mobile
OS: they continued working on the OS
to create Sailsh. Its gesture-based,
built for multitasking, but energy-
efcient. The company recently
unveiled the Jolla phone, a sleek,
buttonless slab with a 4.5 screen,
which can run Android apps. jolla.com
K I P P T
Helsinki and
San Francisco
The rst
Finnish company
to be backed by
Y Combinator,
Kippt supercharges
bookmarking, making
it easy to store
web content, and
then collaborate
on it with others.
Aspecialised version
called Inc is pitched
for businesses. Earlier
this year the company
moved, giving it
a pretty distinct
identity: Handcrafted
in San Francisco with
Finnish heritage.
kippt.com
4 . S C A R L E T
MO T O R S
Lutherinkatu 2
Scarlet Motors is
taking Helsinkis
traditional strength
in mobile to the most
mobile of devices:
the car. It is designing
an electric sports
vehicle and open-
sourcing the process,
inviting users to offer
suggestions online.
Julien Fourgeaud,
CEO and cofounder,
has stepped down,
but remains as an
investor, and a design
is due this year.
scarletmotors.com
6 . G R A N D C R U
Hmeentie 33
Investors looking for
the next Rovio and
Supercell may already
have missed their
chance with Grand
Cru, which managed
to raise $2 million
for its debut game
The Supernauts a
puzzle platformer
that mixes Minecraft
with a social twist.
grandcrugames.com
8 . WA L K B A S E
Tykistkatu 4D
Its easy for online
retailers to track
shoppers activity,
but what about
ofine? Walkbase
puts sensors into
shops, letting
businesses monitor
consumer behaviour
including the
number of passers-
by entering a shop,
where customers
browse and for how
long based on
smartphones Wi-Fi
signals. The service
can be combined with
Google Analytics.
walkbase.com
7. P R O T O G E O
Salomonkatu 17
ProtoGeo is the
company behind
the Moves app,
which works just
like the Jawbone UP
or Nike+ Fuelband,
but without the
wristwear. It uses
a smartphones
sensor to recognise
automatically
when the user is
walking, running or
cycling. CEO Sampo
Karjalainen founded
kids virtual world
Habbo Hotel. In
January the company
raised 1.2 million.
moves-app.com
5 . S U P E R C E L L
Itmerenkatu 11-13
Is Supercell still a
startup? Each day
it takes $2.4 million
and its $130 million
funding round in
April valued it at
$770 million. But it
was founded only
three years ago and
has released just
two games. CEO
Ilkka Paananen isnt
getting carried away:
We remind ourselves
every day, dont grow
too quickly. We have
a saying: get big
by thinking small.
supercell.com
9 . Z E N R O B O T I C S
Vilhonkatu 5A
Computer vision,
metal detectors, 3D
scanners and brain
science combine
with a big robot arm
in the worlds rst
automated recycling
system, capable of
sorting wood, metal
and stone from
recyclable material.
A Zen Robotics
system wont be
taking out your
rubbish yet, though:
the cheapest costs
480,000, even though
its built from off-the-
shelf components.
zenrobotics.com
1 0. I NDOOR AT L AS
Elektroniikkatie 3
Googles street-
mapping involved
driving cars around
neighbourhoods;
Indoor Atlas wants to
map inside buildings.
But instead of
cameras, it will use
anomalies in the
Earths magnetic eld
that are caused by
building structures.
Users and businesses
can then build linked
location-aware apps.
In April the company
raised a 500,000
seed round from
Mobility Ventures.
indooratlas.com
F I N L A N D S R A N K I N G O N T H E
N E T W O R K R E A D I N E S S I N D E X 2 0 1 3 1
W I X
40 Hanamal
Wix has turned designing
websites into a simple drag-and-
drop activity. Even a non-creative
person can create a beautiful
website in HTML5 or Flash, just
by choosing from templates
and customising them, says
Omer Shai, VP of marketing at
Wix. Founded in 2006, Wix has
published over 29 million sites
through its platform. Although
Wix is free to use, users pay extra
to have the Wix logo removed
from their site, or to integrate
a payment-checkout option
for an e-commerce website.
With a pervasive advertising
campaign in the UK, this company
is widely tipped by investors
to go public soon. wix.com
Avishai Abrahami, CEO
and cofounder of Wix
T E L A V I V
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WIREDs map of Europe is as flexible as Eurovisions so Israels thriving tech
capital, building on local talent and global reach, has to be in our list of cities
wor ds b y M A D H U M I T A V E N K A T A R A M A N A N p h o t o g r a p h y : F R E D M A C G R E G O R
heres a Yiddish word that best describes
the mindset of Tel Aviv entrepreneurs:
chutzpah audacious confidence. The
community is thriving, full of energy with
a go get it culture, says entrepreneur and
conferencechairmanYossi Vardi, whos mentored80com-
panies in the last 16 years. The secret to their success, he
says, is the partnerships with multinationals, including
Google, Intel and IBM, which have flocked to Tel Avivs
Silicon Wadi. Saul Klein, partner at London-based Index
Ventures andtechenvoyfromtheUKtoIsrael, has another
explanation. Theenergy, focusanddynamismcomesfrom
everyone being in the army, he says. The challenges you
face, theinnovatingyoudo, itsalot likebeinginastartup.
T
1 1 7
4 . WA Z E
25 Haharoshet St
Among Israeli
taxi drivers, the
word Waze is
synonymous with
GPS. Since its
founding in March
2008, map app Waze
has signed up 45
million users, most of
whom are in Europe,
Latin America and
the US. It is crowd-
powered, collecting
data from users.
Having received a
total of $67 million
in funding, it was
recently acquired by
Google for $1 billion.
waze.com
6 . L O O L
V E N T U R E S
8 Dov Friedman
Lool Ventures is an
incubator started by
serial entrepreneurs
Avichay Nissenbaum
and Yaniv Golan,
to nurture mobile-
internet startups.
It invests in early-
stage ideas, but also
comes up with ideas,
and launches fast.
Projects have included
sheet-music iPad app
Tonara, which turns
pages automatically,
and MyPermissions,
which alerts you to
apps that access your
social network. lool.vc
5 . E T O R O
32 HaBarzel
The six-year-old
startup is a social-
investment network
whose 2.8 million
users can invest in
stocks, currencies
and commodities
online, and share
these trades in real
time with others.
They can followthe
top traders in the
network, learn from
their investments
and even copy their
trades. Founded by
Yoni Assia, eToro acts
as a broker, making a
commission on every
trade. etoro.com
A N Y . D O
6 Agripas Street
Any.do is a to-do list app that launched on Android
in 2011 and on iOS a year later, when it became the
most downloaded to-do app on both platforms, with
ve million users. With its uncluttered design and
daily reminders to reviewyour list and set alarms,
it helps you to actually complete your tasks rather
than just list them. People try to-do lists but
most of themhave a hard time maintaining
them, says founder and CEOOmer Perchik. any.do
O U T B R A I N
6 Arieh Regev Street
When Israeli adman Yaron Galai was running contextual
advertising company Quigo, which he sold to AOL, he realised he
rarely clicked on his own ads. In general, most ads are terrible.
They squeeze out revenue with no relevance to the reader at all,
he says. So I thought, howdo we build a business that is sort
of in the ad space, but feels curated, part of the package? His
solution was Outbrain, a startup that supports online journalism
by promoting editorial content. We recommend links to readers
on a site, either to other stories within that site or on another
site, says Galai, who is cofounder and CEO.
Founded in 2007, Outbrain now powers recommendations on
100,000 sites including the Daily Telegraph and Sky News in the
UK and American sources such as the Wall Street Journal. The
business model is similar to an advertising-revenue approach.
If you are on CNN and you see recommendations for CNN
stories, we dont charge, Galai, 42, says. When links point
to other sites, Outbrain makes money. The site we direct to
will pay us on a cost-per-click basis, and we share the revenue
with CNN, if thats where they were linked from. The brain of
the system is 30 algorithms, which constantly compete with
each other. Each link we serve you is the result of a winning
algorithm, Galai says. The startup, based in Tel Aviv and New
York, has raised $65 million from four VCs, including Index
Ventures. Our goal is simple. We dont care if youre consuming
text, video or audio, Galai says.
We want to be the recommendation
engine for all content
produced online. outbrain.com
W H E R E T O F I N D
1 . W I X
40 Hanamal Street
2 . A N Y . D O
6 Agripas Street
3 . O U T B R A I N
6 Arieh Regev Street
4 . WA Z E
25 Haharoshet St
5 . E T O R O
32 HaBarzel
6 . L O O L V E N T U R E S
8 Dov Friedman
7 . T A Y K E Y
32 Maskit Street
8 . M Y H E R I T A G E
3 Ariel Sharon
9 . F I V E R R
Haumanim Street
1 0 . D E N S B I T S
7 Palyam Street
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Left: Omer Perchik,
Any.dos CEO. Right:
tech central in Tel Aviv
1 1 0
6
9
8
7
4
3
5
2
9 . F I V E R R
Haumanim Street
Need a logo designed?
You might ask for a
recommendation or
do a search online,
but how do you
get the right price?
Three-year-old Tel
Aviv startup Fiverr
makes it easy: it runs
an online marketplace
for gigs services
such as graphic
design, copywriting,
translations,
animations all
offered for $5.
It takes away
the friction of
negotiation, says
CEO Micha Kaufman,
42. verr.com
8 . M Y H E R I T A G E
3 Ariel Sharon
Founded in 2003,
MyHeritage is a
family-genealogy
startup. It has a
billion proles and
uses advanced
algorithms to nd
lost family members
by comparing
records (including
photos and stories
in newspapers,
census records
and government
databases back to
the 1700s) to 27
million family trees
in 40 languages from
around the world.
myheritage.com
1 0 . D E N S B I T S
7 Palyam Street
DensBits is not in
the sexy consumer-
internet business,
but its product has
the potential to
transform how data
is stored, according to
Bessemer Ventures
Partners Adam
Fisher. The startup
has designed the
patented Memory
Modem, a technology
to reduce the cost of
ash-memory chips
by up to 50 per cent,
while maintaining
their reliability and
performance on a par
with magnetic hard
disks. densbits.com
One of the newer hubs, Istanbul has had many
successes such as Trendyol and will have
many more now that its learnt to love failure
stanbuls startup sector, known as the
Digital Bosphorus, enjoyedasignicanthigh
in 2011, with some clear winners emerging
from e-commerce giants Trendyol and
LidyanatogaminggroupPeakGames. How-
ever, asIstanbul comesof age, therehavebeengrowthpains
within its thriving startup community and 2012 marked
the rst failures. The German company Rocket Internet,
which has a portfolio of over 100 companies, shut several
e-commerce sites 15 months after entering the Turkish
market, and several high-prole local startups, including
Pabbuc.comandGurunzi.com, alsoclosedtheiroperations.
In the eyes of Ali Karabey, MD of 212 Ltd, one of Turkeys
leading early-stage venture-capital funds, these closures
arent detrimental to Istanbuls business hopes, but are a
vital part of establishing a more mature startup environ-
ment. The biggest battle currently faced by the Turkish
entrepreneur isthat theyrestill scaredof failing,explains
Karabey, 37. Even very successful people dont seem to
talk about howhardtheir journey was, or howmany times
they failed. Entrepreneurs are only just starting to get to
grips with the fact that failure is OK, so long as you learn
somethingandapply it toyour next venture.
Alongwiththis shiftingattitude towards failure, Istan-
buls successes have encouraged younger generations to
seekentrepreneurial success, resultinginstrongsoftware
and gaming sectors emerging in a city best known for
e-commerce. Venture capital has also begun to emerge.
For the best and the brightest talent in Turkey, entre-
preneurshipandstartups are nowaviable career option,
says CemSertoglu, 41, partner of EarlybirdVenture Capi-
tal. This wasnt thecasetwoor threeyears ago. Hereare
ten startups that pay tribute to Istanbuls coming of age.
7 . T A Y K E Y
32 Maskit Street
The algorithms of
advertising startup
Taykey eavesdrop on
the real-time online
conversations of
a clients audience
and then place ads
accordingly. If a studio
is releasing the
G.I. Joe lm, for
example, and wants
to target teens,
Taykey can spot that
teens are talking
about Justin Bieber.
G.I. Joe ads are then
placed on Bieber fan
sites. Clients include
Unilever and Sony.
taykey.com
p h o t o g r a p h y : N I C K W I L S O N
I S T A N B U L
T H E A V E R A G E
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4 . M A R K A F O N I
Erturul Gazi
Caddesi 4
Markafoni is market
leader in Turkeys
fashion sector, and
the second-largest
member site for
fashion in the world.
CEOSina Afra claims
his rmwas the rst
Turkish web company
to go global. It hasnt
been smooth: the
company has closed in
Korea. Markafoni had
18 million visits each
month in 2012 and
sold 700,000 items
every four weeks.
markafoni.com
5 . Y O U L I K E . C O M
Eski skdar
Caddesi 10/7
Having founded
Turkish news site
Uzmantv and social
hangout Itiraf,
YouLikes creator
Ersan zer, 44, is well
versed in Turkeys
online habits.
Launched in February,
YouLike is a dating
site that factors
users mutual likes,
and also dislikes.
With 20,000 members
in Turkey, the UK and
the US, its expanding
after a funding round.
youlike.com
C L O U D A R E N A
Bagdat Caddesi 458/6,
Suadiye
CloudArenas
HotelRunner software allows
ofine hotels to gain an
online presence with a mobile
site, website and Facebook
page. Additional services
can then be purchased, such
as online reports. Aseed
investment of $500,000 in
April 2012 from212 Capital
Partners and a $210,000
grant in July 2012 from
TUBITAK allowed it to launch
a public beta of HotelRunner
in November 2012. It now
operates in more than 80
cities around the world,
with over 1,200 registered
properties. cloudarena.com
makes a radio station radio rather than a playlist
generator. In addition, listeners can create their
own station experience with a crowdsourced music
service powered by Silicon Valley startup Jelli.
Users vote for tracks, which in turn inuences
the groups FM playlists.
The service also allows listeners to browse
band biographies and purchase gig tickets via a
partnership with Ticketmaster. Karnaval.com
operates a business model Abhary claims is unique
for Turkey, in which advertisers can buy ads that
target specic demographics, geographies or devices,
a signicant upgrade fromanalogue radio spots.
Over six million unique users visited the
site in March. In January, ratings group
Triton Digital ranked Karnaval.com as the
largest online music service in Turkey
and the 14th largest in the world. karnaval.com
K R O MB E R A
Levent Mahallesi, Gvercin Sokak 29
Krombera, founded in March 2011 by
Alper Ozdemir, 28, and Hakan Bas,
29, (whose e-commerce site Lidyana
appeared in last years list), is a digital
agency that offers marketing services
from website and app creation to
augmented-reality projects. Krombera
was awarded Preferred Marketing
Developer status by Facebook within
its rst ten months of existence and
has gone on to create more than 200
Facebook applications for clients. Its
Toolbera platform, launched in 2012, allows companies to rent
apps for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
and Kinect that can be tailored to
specific marketing needs. Revenue
rose from $1.5 million in 2011 to
$3 million in 2012. krombera.com
Left: the Markafoni
ofce in the Kkky.
district. Right:
Hakan Bas of Krombera
K A R N A V A L
Bykdere Caddesi, CEM Business Centre 23/4
In 2011 SpectrumMedya, the largest radio
broadcaster in Turkey with ve FMstations, was
facing a dangerous decline in advertising share.
Much like other countries but perhaps more
precipitously in Turkey the radio market was in
decline, explains SpectrumMedia CEOAli AAbhary,
41. Spending had fallen fromsix per cent of ad
dollars just seven years ago to only three per cent.
As listeners tuned out, Spectrum wholly owned
by the Actera Group, one of the largest private-
equity rms in Turkey sought to become the rst
Turkish radio group to develop a signicant online
presence with an in-house startup, Karnaval.com.
Launched in early 2012, Karnaval.comis a multi-
platformdigital radio service, offering two listening
experiences: 13 digital stations target major music
genres, hosted by their own DJs, providing news,
sport and local content that, according to Abhary,
$1 00
T H E A M O U N T
I N V E S T E D
I N 3 6 T U R K I S H
S T A R T U P S
I N T H E F I R S T
S I X M O N T H S
O F 2 0 1 3
M I L L I O N
8 . C L O V E R G A M E S T U D I O
Dan Park B4,
Maltepe
Established by three
computer-engineering
graduates, Clover
Game Studios
rst mobile title,
Reveal The Maze,
was a huge success,
receiving over a
million downloads
in its rst month
and claiming the
prestigious number-
one spot on Apples
App Store in over 50
countries. The trio
are currently working
on their second
game, Candy Chain.
clovergamestudio.com
9 . S O L V O Y O
ARI 2 Teknokent ITU
Ayazaga Kampusu
Established in 2005,
Solvoyo took ve
years to develop
its supply-chain-
planning software,
planLM, which
incorporates
cloud computing
into supply-chain
decision making.
Its agship SaaS
offering, Solvoyo
Elevation Platform,
was snapped up
by international
companies such
as HP, Applied
Materials and Vestel.
solvoyo.com
1 0 . V I V E N S E
Beyazgl Caddesi 32,
Arnavutky
Kemal Erol, 33, a
former management
consultant, founded
Vivense, an online
furniture store, in
March. The platform
allows customers
to browse over
5,000 discounted
items and provides
design expertise
froma network of
interior designers.
With no showrooms,
it organises
delivery fromthe
manufacturer directly
to the customer.
vivense.com
7. Y E ME K S E P E T I
Bestekar evki Bey
Sokak 16-18
Yemek Sepeti is
Turkeys biggest
online food-ordering
service, linking
7,500 of the nations
restaurants to 1.9
million registered
users, who make over
60,000 orders a day.
Founded in 2001, the
company has recently
pushed beyond home
delivery and into
vertical projects such
as Papyon.com, which
collates information
the company holds
on restaurants.
yemeksepeti.com
6. I DE MAMA. COM
Maslak Mahallesi,
Bilim Sokak,
Sun Plaza
With 20 years
experience in
advertising between
them, Rahsan Tan, 38,
and Leslie Kandiyoti
Mori, 34, were well
placed to provide
Turkeys two million
SMEs with a design-
crowdsourcing
platform. Idemama.
com launched in
September 2011.
We see potential
in the growth of
SMEs in Turkey,
says co-CEO Mori.
idemama.com
1 2 1
msterdam is a true port city international, tolerant and
adaptable. These qualities, plus liberal tax laws, make it attrac-
tive for foreign companies. Aussie software giant Atlassian, for
instance, choseAmsterdamas its Europeanoperations hubin2008
because of the citys convenience and strong tech community.
This year it will run AtlasCamp, a developer conference, in the city.
It starts with our history being a small country with a wacky language forces
many Dutch entrepreneurs to be uent in English and look beyond our borders to
create a business of meaningful size, explains Don Ritzen, 29, cofounder and MD
of Rockstart Accelerator. But its the people themselves that built the buzz witha
lot of fantastic bottom-upinitiatives. Startups here still face many regulatory and
visa barriers. Inshort, the scene today has beencreatedby the entrepreneurs.
There are clear trends 3Dprinting is a standout technology, fromShapeways
to Ultimaker and ntech is a growth area. One problem as with all port cities
is people movingon. Enterprise applicationplatformMendix was foundedhere in
2005but movedheadquarterstoBostonin2008whenit
raised$13millioninseriesAfunding. Pressureismount-
ing for government initiatives to retain startups.
P E E C H O
Rokin 75-5, 1012 KL
The cloud is connecting Amsterdam
startups in the way the ocean did in
the 15th century, according to Martijn
Groot, 40, who met his cofounder, CTO
Sander Nagtegaal, 38, at Albumprinter
a photo-book company acquired by
Vistaprint for 65 million in 2011. Peecho
connects websites to a network of print
facilities currently only 2D, but with
3D in the pipeline. This means most of
its 2,000 clients across Europe and the
US are digital publishers, museums and
corporates that need bespoke printing
across the world with short, high-quality
print runs on demand. A fee of 50 per
month secures the basic Simple Print
Service, with an embeddable button
for sites that operates with one
click. Revenue comes from the prot
margin on each job. peecho.com
7. G R E E N C L O U D S
Aert van Nesstraat
45, 3012 CA
Greenclouds offers
a way to maximise
spare capacity
on cloud servers.
According to CEO
Peter Zonneveld,
43, the challenge for
data centres is their
consumption of large
amounts of power.
Many run at less
than 30 per cent
capacity. Greenclouds
buys and sells
surplus power
and profits from
the arbitrage.
greencloudsonline.com
5 . S Q U L A
Panamalaan5N,
1019 AS
Squla offers quizzes,
games and instruction
movies to support
the Dutch curriculum.
Apps are free, and
carry advertising.
Some 33,000 children
use Squlas virtual
testing tools and
national testing
agency Cito has
signed a content deal.
An initial angel round
of $540,000 was
followed in May 2013
by RTL Ventures
previously best known
for backing dating
site Pepper. squla.nl
A M S T E R D A M
The Dutch port easily attracts hi-tech rms but loses the more transient
startups. Fintech and 3D-printing successes keep Amsterdamin our chart
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Left: Martijn Groot
of Peecho, which received
funding fromPeak Capital
p h o t o g r a p h y : F R E D M A C G R E G O R
A
1 0 . B O T T L E N O S E
Singel 540, Singel
For brands, keeping
track of social-
network trends
is complex like
maintaining multiple
conversations.
Bottlenose thinks its
xed this. The social-
media search and
analytics company
pulls together real-
time updates from all
connected accounts
with a dashboard
showing key topics.
Its freemium public
beta is free but
later roll-outs will
include professional
subscription offers.
bottlenose.com
9 . W E R C K E R
Lauriergracht 116z,
1026 RR
Wercker helps
developers test and
deploy code. It uses
a social-networking
element so updates
can ow and teams
can see whos
doing what with
a high degree of
transparency. It aims
to slot between the
likes of GitHub and
Bitbucket where
source code is stored
for developers to
collaborate and also
Heroku and Amazon
Web Services
where its deployed.
wercker.com
8 . 3 D H U B S
Vijzelstraat 79, 1017
HG Amsterdam
3D Hubs is a platform
connecting 3D-printer
owners or hubs
with local people
who need something
printed: the Airbnb of
3D printing. There are
just 15 such hubs in
Amsterdam and 400
production locations
spread over 100 cities
receiving an average
of ten orders per day/
per city. With 100,000
3D printers sold
globally, founders
Bram De Zwart, 30,
and Brian Garret, 27,
hope for rapid growth.
3dhubs.com
6 . F A S H I O L I S T A
Bloemgracht 20,
1015 TJ
Fashiolista is a
platform for sharing
fashion nds. Using
links to Facebook and
Twitter, members
can follow friends,
magazines, bloggers
and designers. With
over 1.5 million
registered members
in 160 countries,
Fashiolista visitors
make 25 million
page views a month.
Revenues for 2012
are projected to
be 3 million.
fashiolista.com
4 . A D Y E N
Simon
Carmiggeltstraat
6-50, 1011 DJ
When Indiegogo
the US-based
crowdfunding
site started
taking payments
in international
currencies at the end
of 2012, it picked the
Amsterdam startup
Adyen to handle its
online payments. This
topped a successful
year for the company:
in 2012 Adyen
processed more
than $10 billion in
payment transactions
worldwide. adyen.com
1 2 3
he financial climate in Catalonia has
somewhat put the brakes on its talent-rich
startup sector. The root of the reason is a
shortage of angels, says Herms Piqu of
startupcommunity Barcelona.IO. Although
there are some angels active in the city, entrepreneurs are
looking to the state, banks, corporations and the small
number of local VCs to provide funding but such sources
are reluctant toinvest inanythingother thana sure thing.
The citys work/play lifestyle continues to draw
in global talent a balance attested to by the many
startup events held in Barcelona. Barcelona attracts a
lot of international talent thanks to the lifestyle, says
Christopher Pommerening, of Active Venture Partners.
True disruption and high growth in Barcelona are not as
common as we would like them to
be, says Piqu. Here are ten start-
upsthat haveachievedthosegoals.
S O C I A L P O I N T
Carrer de la Llacuna 166, 08018
Cofounders Andrs Bou and Horacio Martos
were only 23 when they set out to build
a games business. Graduates of Facultat
dinformtica de Barcelona, the young
entrepreneurs turned heads when they
launched their debut free-to-play game
on Facebook in 2011: Dragon City, in which
players breed their own ghting force of
dragons, was an immediate hit and became
the second-highest-rated game on the site
in 2012. During the rst month of the
games iOS release in March, the app was
downloaded two million times. Dragon City
and titles including Social Empires and Pool
Right: District 22@,
in the formerly industrial
Poblenou area
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A shortage of angel s has turned startups
attenti on towards the state and banks
to sustai n the Catal oni an ci tys momentum
B A R C E L O N A
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Master have helped the social-game developer attract the
fourth most active users on Facebook, with 42 million
users per month. In less than a year, Social Points daily
active-user tally grew from a million to 6.5 million. The
freemium model, where users can make in-game purchases,
generated revenues of $20 million in 2012. socialpoint.es
S I L K
Spuistraat 239-3, 1012 VP
One of the few Dutch startups to raise money from
a prominent Silicon Valley VC, Silk has grown signicantly
since it was last featured in WIRED. A funding round in
August 2012 raised $1.6 million, mainly from New Enterprise
Associates which previously backed Salesforce, Groupon
and TiVo. A full relaunch followed in April 2013 Silk now
allows users to build pages around their passions, as
do most other blogging platforms, but it adds data-search
functions for users and visitors alike. silkapp.com
S K Y N R G
Stadhouderskade 140, 1074 BA
SkyNRG is the only biofuels
supplier to the airline industry
that can guarantee RSB-certied
sustainable biofuels to aircraft
at any airport in the world. In
2009 former KLM VP of business
innovation Dirk Kronemeijer, 39,
(below) joined with sustainability
consultants Spring Associates
and fuel-distribution giant Argos
North Sea Group to form the
company, and began feasibility studies for its cooking-oil-
based fuel on the Amsterdam-Paris route. The company is
in discussions with several airlines and, in April 2013, Virgin
Australia and Brisbane airport began a study into building
a bio-port in collaboration with SkyNRG. skynrg.com
9 . A K A M O N
08902 LHospitalet
del Llobregat
Akamon provides
social gaming with
a local hook; every
time it enters a
new market in Latin
America or southern
Europe, it develops
three to ve locally
themed games. The
company won Best
Gaming Startup at
GamesBeat 2012 and
Best Rising Star at
the EGR Operator
Awards in November
2012. The group
had a turnover of
$8.5 million in 2012.
akamon.com
7 . C H A N G E
Y O U R F L I G H T
Carrer de la Llacuna
162, 08018
ChangeYourFlight
helps passengers
who want to cancel
non-refundable
plane tickets. The
platform aggregates
passenger requests
for partial refunds on
ights free of charge.
When a request is
accepted, the user
receives a refund and
a voucher for another
ight, while the
airline gets to resell
the available seat,
aiding both parties.
changeyouright.com
R E S T A L O
Carrer de Guitard 43,
08014
Founded in 2009, Restalo
is the leading provider
of real-time online
restaurant reservations
in Spain and Italy. Founder and CEO
Juan Otero saw an opportunity to
replace pen-and-paper reservations
with a cloud service: With the
increase in mobile devices, social
media and micropayment methods,
technology is inltrating the food
and restaurant industry like never
before, he says. Restalo processes
3,000 bookings a day, generating
monthly revenues of 2.2 million
for its restaurants. Partnerships
with Google, TripAdvisor and Yell
have increased numbers. restalo.es
K A N T O X
Carrer
de Llacuna
162-164, 08018
Founded in June 2011
by Philippe Gelis and
Antonio Rami, Kantox
is an alternative
marketplace on
which companies can
buy and sell foreign
currency to each
other, with reduced
charges. Its the
opposite of the forex
market, says Gelis.
Kantox has traded
more than $50 million
since November 2011.
kantox.com
4 . W H I S B I
Carrer Calbria 169,
08015
Whisbi helps brands
close online sales
with a service that
allows sales teams
to talk to customers
via a two-way
telephone or one-way
video conversation
without the customer
needing any software.
Whisbis business
model charges brands
a small fee for every
lead entering their
system, or for use of
their own video-agent
team. whisbi.com
5 . Y U I L O P
Carrer de Paris 207,
08008
Yuilop is a mobile
app that offers free
calls and texts to
other mobiles
without the other
user needing to have
the app. Users dont
have to pay to make
calls or texts, but
generate a virtual
currency, Energy,
by receiving calls and
sending alerts. CEO
and founder Jochen
Doppelhammer is
hoping to expand on
Yuilops ve million
users with entry
into the US this year.
yuilop.com
1 0 . P A S S N F L Y
Llull 321-329,
edificio CINC, 08019
Launched in February,
Passny provides a
digital solution for
checking in to ights.
It automatically
checks in passengers
to their preferred
seat, and sends the
boarding card straight
to their phone.
Passny is partnered
with 200 airlines and
expanding: travel-
services provider
Amadeus believes 15
per cent of all check-
ins will be processed
automatically by
2015. passny.com
8 . C L O U D W O R K
Avinguda Diagonal
622 7.2, 08021
Launched in October
2012, CloudWork
is a web-based
service from Nubera,
the creators of
independent app
marketplace GetApp.
It enables small and
mid-size companies
to increase their
productivity by
connecting their
business apps,
pooling data and
processes from
previously isolated
sources such as
Dropbox and Twitter.
cloudwork.com
6 . K N O K
Carrer del Comte
dUrgell 240, 08036
Knok has set its
sights on changing
the face of the
holiday industry;
this home exchange
allows members to
stay free of charge
in others homes. An
annual membership
charge of 95 includes
unlimited swaps and
covers all insurance
costs. Knoks 20,000
registered users
have a choice of 159
countries to visit.
Knok raised 500,000
in a private funding
round in March.
knok.com
1 2 5
1 2 7
S
T
I
L
L
L
I
F
E
(
P
R
E
V
I
O
U
S
S
P
R
E
A
D
)
:
C
H
A
R
L
I
E
S
U
R
B
E
Y
fter the surgery, Boyle tried to think of any early
symptoms they might have overlooked, but came up
blank. Kate, 34, hadbeenhealthy enoughtotravel around
the United States, fundraising for her charity, just days
earlier. I think it comes downto whether or not we could
have identied it at an earlier stage, because if wed spot-
ted it at stage one, her survival rate would have been 90
to 95 per cent, Boyle says. In other words, early diagno-
sis insuchcases arethediferencebetweenlifeanddeath.
Boyle is a straight-talking Belfast native, with a dim-
pled smile and light brown hair. At the time Kate was
diagnosed, he was running Cambridge-based Owlstone
Nanotech, a chemical-sensors startupthat he cofounded
in 2004. The companys primary focus was to develop
technology capable of detecting noxious gases simply by their
you know, hundreds of millions of
on research for detection of explo-
says Boyle, 34. Owlstone sensors
erous chemicals by their odour
or explosives at airports for mil-
security purposes, attracting clients
But Boyles weeks in the sterile
ookes oncology wards made him
diagnostics is probably a better use
helping oil companies clean up expensive
So Boyle began looking at how
adapted for use in medicine.
His extensive reading turned up an unusual pocket of
research: the study of how body odours from breath, skin or
urine can contain clues about health. It turns out there is this
whole new eld called metabolomics how chemical patterns
on your breath or off your urine could indicate illness, Boyle
says. Published research over the last ten years has shown that
diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary dis-
ease (COPD), tuberculosis, lung cancer, gastric cancer and colon
cancer all have a distinctive smellprint a pattern of volatile
molecules that cant be sensedbya humannose, but canbe picked
up by a mass spectrometer, a large laboratory instrument that
separates and identies chemicals froman air sample. The prob-
lemcurrently faced by engineers is howto shrink a cumbersome,
500,000 machine into a simple table-top device for a GPs ofce.
smell. This was post-9/11 yo
dollars were being spent on
sives and chemical weapons,
can filter out various danger
just as dogs snif out drugs or
itary and domestic security
in the oil and gas business.
corridors of Addenbrooke
restless. I realised medical diagnostics
of my technology than helping
contaminations, he says.
his military sensors could be
Mass spectrometers arent the only ways to snifout disease. In
2009, Claire Guest, a clinical psychologist in Milton Keynes, also
found out she had cancer. But unlike Boyles girlfriend, it wasnt
her doctor who alerted her; it was her fox-red Labrador, Daisy.
She kept jumping up and pawing my chest; she was strangely
anxious aroundme, says Guest, 49. Whenshe felt that the pawing
hadmadeher chest unusuallysore, shehadabreast-cancer biopsy
conducted, which came back negative. When Daisys strange
behaviour continued, Guest had a core needle biopsy. The pro-
cedure confirmed her fears she had breast cancer. It was a
very deep tumour, and could have been quite advanced by the
time I noticed it, says Guest, who has since had treatment and is
nowcancer-free. Guest is a passionate advocate of using dogs as
It would be suitable for use outside of specialist settings, and
signicantlyreducescreeningcosts, becausethechipitself is low-
cost and treatments would be given earlier.
Therearealreadyahandful of electronicbreath-testsonthemar-
ket whichhave beengivenregulatory approval by the USFoodand
Drug Administration (FDA). Besides alcohol breathalysers, there
aretestsforcarbon-monoxidepoisoning, heart-transplantrejection
and asthma. Tests for breast, prostate, colon and lung cancer, as
well as tuberculosis (TB), heart failure and diabetes, are being
developed. Suchtestswouldberelativelycheap, painlessandquick.
Inmedical eldssuchasoncologyandTB, whereexpensive, inva-
sive tests suchas biopsies, sputumcultures andbloodtests are the
norm, asimplesmell-test couldbetransformativeincountrieswith
limitedresources. Atuberculosisbreathtest wouldbeparticularly
interestingfor developingcountrieswherethediseaseisextremely
prevalent, because breath is always available and easy to collect,
says AntonAmann, director of theBreathResearchInstituteof the
Austrian Academy of Sciences, and editor-in-chief of the Journal
of BreathResearch, whichhefoundedin2007. It couldcompletely
change howwe screenfor life-threatening diseases.
disease sensors; she runs a charity called Medical Detection Dogs
that works with researchers, NHS trusts and universities to train
specialist dogs to detect the odours of human disease.
But dogs arent machines their workis not easilyreproducible
andthey cannot convey nuances. Soat the Technion Israel Insti-
tute of Technology, in Haifa, a teamhas been working to develop
an electronic nose. My inspiration for this work was fromdogs,
which can naturally smell chemical traces in the range of parts-
per-trillion, says HossamHaick, a chemical engineer at the Tech-
nion. Utilisinganimals for real clinical applications is not realistic,
hesays, mostlybecausewedont understandhowthedatais being
processed. I thought an electronic systemthat works on similar
principles, but where we know what data was fed in and how
the results are calculated, could serve just as well, says Haick.
Your every exhalation is a window into your bodys inner
workings; each breath contains infinitesimal concentrations
in the range of parts-per-trillion of over 3,000 volatile organic
compounds. Did you just breathe out? You just revealed clues
about whether you are male or female, young or old, pregnant
or sick, what drugs you regularly take (even illegal ones such as
cocaine and marijuana), and whether you may have radiation
poisoning. T can be identified by the complex mixtures of
alkanes, alcohols aldehydes, oxides and acids which form a
redolent patt based on whats going on inside you.
Israeli microbiologist Mel Rosenberg made a living out of
analysing these eath odours, before he recently retired to write
childrens books about dental
hygiene. I started smelling breath
professionally in the 80s and have
probably sniffed over 10,000 peo-
ple for signs of disease, over my
career, Rosenberg says. It took
me 30 years, but I can distinguish
between bacterial odours fromthe
nose and the back of the tongue,
those fromkidneys, lungs or gums.
In fact, research fromETHZurichs
Department of Chemistry, published
in the PLOS ONE journal this April,
has shown that breath-prints are a
lot like ngerprints: althoughthey uctuate ina single personover
thecourseof aday, eachpattern, measuredbyamassspectrometer,
has a core signature that is unique enoughtoidentifya person.
As Boyle began reading about the role of smell in detecting
disease, he realised that his nano-sensors could recognise these
signatures, just like a mass spectrometer. The challenge is howto
shrink it and bring it to clinics, he says. We realised that our sen-
sors would be easier to use within the medical community, and far
cheaper than whats currently available. In fact, because the pat-
tern-recognitionelement wouldbeprogrammedintothesoftware,
we could just change what we were looking for on the computer,
andadapt the sensor for a number of diferent diseases, he says.
This ability to hack electronics easily is second nature to Boyle.
He has been experimenting with DIY electronics since he was 13,
Far left: Claire Guest,
whose
cancer detected
by her pet aisy
(left), before a core
needle
about wheth
or sick, what
cocaine and cocaine and
poisoning. T
alkanes, alc
redolent patt
Israeli mi
analys y ing the
Far left
whose
ca c ncer
by her p
(lef ft), b
ne nn edle
1 2 9
and marijuana),
This can
alcohols,
pattern based
microbiologist
these breath
left: Claire
breast
cer was det
pet, Daisy
before a
needle biopsy
when he spent the summer of 1992
as part of a programme called Project
troubles in Ireland and they got a scruffy
and a Protestant kid fromBelfast
with an American family, Boyle says
Apart from going to barbecues and
Boyle spent his free time at a nearby
experimented with metal detect
controllers. WhenI got home, I start
electronics. MydadwasconvincedI
so many weirdchemicals, Boyle says
be ridiculous. Hes just a geek. T
data loggers and sensors that he would
I made little things like, if you left y
toolong, analarmwouldgooffor 30
Although this fascination waned
uate at Trinity College, Cambridge
absorbedbybusiness, economics and
love for xingengineeringsystems
nal terms rent, Boyle took a summ
for his engineering professor in the
nology Group, and decided to stay
two Owlstone cofounders, American
and Spanish engineer Dave Ruiz-Alonso
sit together at the same boring-ass
out for drinks after lab and get to
Andrew told us about his idea for th
says. Boyle had experience in manufacturing
Ruiz-Alonso knewhowto model signal-pr
the three decided to start a business
andthought, Ah, we canstick that down
out andtriedtoraisesomemoney. Wegot twomilliondollars from
a private NewYork investor within six weeks, Boyle says.
The result: the field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry
(FAIMS) chip, Owlstones core product. Although not a mass
spectrometer, the 7mm-wide chip acts on a similar principle, as a
chemical lter. What our device does is take a mix of gases from
any air sample, and ionise the chemicals, giving each particle a
charge, Boyle explains. When a high-voltage electric current is
applied to the chip, the diferent ions will move at diferent rates
that are characteristic to each one, and can be separated from
one other. So it picks out the chemical composition of a gas and
displays it as a graph, Boyle says. If the sensor has been measur-
ing your breath, that graph is your breathprint. And people with
a certain disease should have breath-graph displays which are
entirely diferent fromthe graphs of their healthy counterparts.
In2007, Phillips set out tocorrelate chemical patterns indiseased
breath with the source of the illness. We looked at the breath of
patients with pulmonary TB and found that a combination of six to
eight biomarkers couldaccuratelypredict thedisease, hesays. We
thentestedsmells fromtheTBbacteriaitself, andfoundthat several
compoundswerethesameorsimilartowhatwesawinbreath.Phillips
knewhedidntneedamassspectrometer: Wewantedacheapinstru-
ment to identify these known chemicals and spit out a diagnosis.
AlthoughMenssanaistestingtheOwlstonechip, it hasalsopatented
its own systemcalled BreathLink a cloud application linked to the
Breathscanner, a machine that, with the app, can deliver a TBdiag-
nosisinsixminutes. TheBreathscannersensorisnotaspectrometer,
but it makesbreathpatternsbasedonthesonicfrequencyof specic
chemicals. Amulti-centre trial in London, Mumbai and the Philip-
pines tested the Breathscanner/BreathLink in 2010. Somebody sat
atthemachineinMumbai, India, breathingoutandacoupleof min-
utes later, wecoulduploaddataandseetheresults inNewJersey.
h esult of the study published in the journal Tuberculosis in
was about 85 per cent accu-
patients. The important thing,
howsureyoucouldbethat
better than 99 per cent. So
esult is] negative, wecansay
condence you dont have
Phillips says. If its negative, you
if its positive, your doctor
her test toconrm, which,
seof TB, isachest X-rayor a
culture. This is not just for
alsofor lungandbreast can-
Phillips says. A biopsy is the
andard, but withabreathtest
minimisethecost andpain.
1 3 1
1992 in Charlotte, North Carolina,
oject Children. It was during the
scruffy little Catholic kid me
and put us in a house together
says, grinning at the memory.
and hanging out at McDonalds,
nearby electronics retailer, where he
ectors, fuses, LEDs and micro-
artedbuyinglotsof chemicalsand
wasagluesnifer becauseI had
ys. My brother was like, Dont
The teenage Boyle would build
would hook up around the house.
your cars indicator light on for
30seconds, he says.
waned as an engineering undergrad-
e, where Boyle was much more
andthepub, here-discoveredhis
whenhe graduated. Topayhis
mmer job as a research associate
e Microsystems and Nanotech-
ay on. Thats where he met his
American PhD student Andrew Koehl
Alonso. The three of us would
boring-ass Thursday lunchtime talks, go
know each other. Thats when
the design of this chip, Boyle
manufacturing silicon chips and
signal-processing algorithms, so
business. We wrote a business plan,
downonour CVs, andwe went
he Owlstone sensor has impressed Michael Phillips, CEO of
Newark, NewJersey-basedMenssana Research. One of the longest-
established companies in the field of breath research, it has been
runningclinical trialsof breathsamplesfor around20years. Phillips
isnowusingOwlstonesensorsinexperiments. Weareactivelywork-
ingwithBilly[Boyle]tousehischipsinlung- andbreast-cancerdiag-
noses,Phillips says. Its gettingthe technologyfromlabtoclinic,
The results of the study, published in the
2012, showed that the Breathscanner was
rate when diagnosing TB-positive patient
though, wasitsnegativepredictivevaluehow
a negative result was correct. Ours was bett
if [theresult
with full conden
it, Phillips
go home; if
does anothe
inthecase
sputumcultur
TB, but also
cer, Phillips
goldstandar
youcanminim
Far left: Tjip van der
Werf of the University
of Groningen blows
intoaneNose Aeonose
diagnostic unit.
Left: an isolation
roomfor TBpatients
TheOwlstonechipisalsobeingusedat theUniversityof Warwick
hospital, in a pilot study conducted by engineer James Covington.
Withall thetechnologyanddrugs available, peoplehaveforgotten
about smell, he says. Doctors in China still snif their patients.
Covington was interested in bowel disorders: irritable bowel syn-
drome, ulcerative colitis and colon cancer, which are hard to tell
apart intheir earlystages. Thediagnostictest for theseisacolonos-
copyametal tubeupthebum-typeprocedure, asBoyledescribes
it, to scrape out a sample of tissue fromyour bowels. The process is
primitive: clinical reports say about one in 5,000 patients die from
it; threetimes that number havetheir colons perforatedasurgical
emergency. Therearenowidelyacceptedalternatives tothis test.
Covingtonranasmall trial usingOwlstones andother sensors in
late2012, testingtheurineodoursof 100people; somewerehealthy
and others had ulcerative colitis or colon cancer, like Boyles girl-
friend, Kate. We got the initial results back just before Christmas,
right in the middle of her chemotherapy, Boyle says. The sensor
had IDd every colon-cancer patient in the group. Covington says
they were evenable to diferentiate the cancer patients fromthose
with ulcerative colitis. He is nowrunning a larger trial, adding irri-
tablebowel-diseasepatients, toseeif thesmell test candiferentiate
the three groups, and howadvanced each disease has to be before
it is detected. If this works in double-blind trials, it will be huge,
Covington says. The odour reader will rst appear in secondary
hospitals, but you want to get it into GP and walk-in clinics. For
specic disease groups, youcouldevenhave home monitoring.
Larger trials are being run in HossamHaicks lab at the Techn-
ion. His sensor, the NA-Nose, and Boyles FAIMS sensor are built on
a similar principle: Youknowyoure smellingcofee, but your nose
doesnt knowwhat chemicalsareinit,Boyleexplains. Itsyourbrain
that interprets this signal. Similarly, the sensors do not distinguish
atemolecules, but transferthecollectivepat-
computer. The sensors rst need to be taught to
particularsmell. Thesesignalsarethenprocessed
ern-recognitionalgorithm, andstored, until the
encounters anunknownsamplethat matches this.
has succeeded in identifying lung, breast,
ostate, head-and-neck, andstomachtumours.
was particularlyefectiveat stomachcancers
onagroupof 130patients, andtheresults, pub-
ch, arenowbeingveriedintrialsrunningviaa
consortiumof eight universities andcompanies,
The ultimate goal is to use the NA-Nose to
at thelevel of asinglecell, Haicksays.
Although diagnosing cancers earlier could save lives,
screening for TB could help stanch the unchecked spread
of adiseasethat afectsabout 8.7millionpeopleeveryyear,
according to the World Health Organisation. I was disap-
pointed by the rst generation of breath tools in the 80s,
but these newsensors, they are a sort of magic box, says
pulmonary physician Tjip van der Werf at the University
of Groningen in the Netherlands. Van der Werf is a bald-
ing 59-year-old Dutchman who paces up and down as he
talkspassionatelyabout TB. Currently, what dowehavein
the TB toolbox? Very little, to be honest, he says. We are
working with technologies invented over 100 years ago.
If you compare to malaria or HIV, there have been many
more advances, both in diagnosis and treatment. Van der
Owlstone FAIMS
charge, making them
move at different
speeds in an electric
eld. This way the
chip can separate the
various components
and identify them.
Cost per test:
A few pence
Breathscanner
affected mechanical
wave into an electrical
signal. Changes in
amplitude, phase,
frequency or time
delay can be used to
detect and measure
the presence of
specic chemicals.
Cost per test: It will
be cheaper than a TB
sputum-test.
eNose Aeonose
infection, can react
with the metal oxide
when it changes its
electrical conductivity.
This change can be
measured, and
ascribed to a certain
chemical. A breath
pattern is built up by
measuring a range of
changes in electrical
conductivity.
Cost per test:
Less than 8
01 03 02
betweenseparat
tern to a comput
identifyaparticular
usingapattern-r
sensor encount
Haicks lab has
colorectal, prost
TheNA-Nosewas
whentestedon
lishedinMarch,
Europeanconsortium
led by Haick. T
detect cancers
Type: Field
asymmetric ion
mobility spectrometry
How it works: The
chip is an ion mobility
spectrometer. When it
encounters a mixture
of gases, such as a
patients breath, it
gives each particle a
Type: Gas
chromatography/
surface acoustic-wave
detector
How it works: The
sensor relies on the
modulation of surface
acoustic waves to
sense the gases. The
device transduces the
Type: Metal-
oxide sensor
How it works:
Developed in the
Netherlands, the
eNose Aeonose is a
metal-oxide sensor.
A volatile chemical in
the breath, such as
that caused by an
The idea of diagnosing diseases through smell is not a
newone: Nobel Prize-winning chemist Linus Pauling per-
formed an early chemical analysis of breath in the 70s,
using gas chromatography to separate out the volatile
compounds and identify illnesses. Since then, research-
ers have used gas chromatography, mass spectrometry
and electronic noses, but the technique has not yet made
it into mainstreamclinical practice. The bottleneck until
now, according to researchers, has been the technology
itself. Thesensorswerent veryaccuratetherewasalarge
overlap between people with and without the disease in
thereadouts,saysvander Werf. Theprocesshasalsobeen
sloweddownbyclinical trials, whichhavetoberunforeach
disease group. Clinical testing and licensing is a long and
expensive process; small companies will need the help of
large, wealthy medical-diagnostics and marketing com-
panies, says Phillips, of Menssana, who is trying to obtain
FDAapproval for theTBBreathscanner.
Billy Boyle, however, is optimistic. I think we are
uniquely positioned to launch this commercially, he says.
What youwant istwothings: rawanalytical capabilityand
usability is this portable andcheap? Our systemis both.
InMarchthis year, Boyles girlfriendKatehadtoytothe
US to have seven tumours removed fromher liver, before
cominghomeforthreemoremonthsof chemotherapy. Prior
to travelling for her surgery, she and Boyle were married.
The chemo is working and her chances are about 50-50
now, says Boyle. Its alot better thanveper cent.
Madhumita Venkataramanan is wireds assistant editor.
She co-compiledthe Extreme HowTofeature in09.13
TheeNoseAeonoseisasky-blue, iPad-sizedmachinewithafunnel,
which you grip on either side and directly breathe into for ve full
minutes. Just as Boyles sensors were originally used for military
and defence purposes, the Aeonose uses technology froma device
built for the Dutch police, used to sniff out cannabis. In 2010, the
device was tested in Bangladesh on 150 TB patients. The results
fromBangladeshmade me puzzledandthrilled, says vander Werf,
recalling the moment when he saw the numbers. An automated
self-learningnetwork systemwas recognisingpatterns andyoucan
see the two clouds of TB and no-TB widely apart. Froma clinical
perspective, we never see sucha diference. If the breathtest could
serve as a screening tool before expensive chest X-rays and sputum
cultures, unnecessaryexpensecouldbeprevented, butprecioustime
wouldalsobesavedsuspectedpatientscouldbeisolatedtoprevent
the
st
eatment
the
and
is
spot

The Groning e
rooms for it a
television, e
TBbacteria s
fromendemic or
homeless loc .
Divya [name om
Kanpur, India, married
last year. Rec ant
TB, she is living inisolation; speaking withDivya Div requires a special
mask that seals of your mouth and nose and continuously lters
the air she is raggedly breathing out. This is the second time she
has been diagnosed with the disease the rst time was in India,
when she took a nine-month course of medicines and was told
she was cured: no one checked whether she had a drug-resistant
formof the disease. I tested out the [Aeonose] and it was so easy,
much simpler than the X-rays and the sputum, she says. A quick
breath-screenbeforeshecametotheNetherlandscouldhaveshown
that she was still positive and she could have stayed in India while
being treated with a last-resort drug, which she is taking now.
And then maybe I wouldnt be here on my own, she says, softly.
Werf spent his early years as an infectious-disease doctor,
traininginGhana, whereTBbecameaparticular obsession
for him. I ended up doing a PhDin it while I was in Ghana,
alongsidemymedical training. I shippedabunchof sputum
samples back to the lab in Groningen and started building
up a database of local infections. Now, as the head of the
infectious-diseaseunit at theUniversityof Groningenshos-
pital, vanderWerf wantstotackleTBagainthistimeusing
the most modern technology available. In Groningens hi-tech TB
sanatorium, where infectious patients are compulsorily admitted
bythegovernment, aDutch-basedcompanycalledeNoseistraining
its smell sensor using the wards in-house patients, and comparing
theirresultstothoseobtainedfromstandarddiagnostictechniques.
Far left: Billy
cofounder of
Cambridge-based
Owlstone. Belo
Owlstone Tourist
a detector which
the FAIMS
the infection spreading. After the
currenttrial, vanderWerfwantstotest
if the Aeonose canmonitor treatment
and if human breath can reflect the
diferencebetweendrug-resistant and
susceptible TB. Drug-resistant TBis
becoming incurable. If youcouldspot
itearly, thatwouldbeworld-changing.
oningen sanatoriumis a large, airy facility, with private
its inhabitants, each equipped with a desk, a bed and a
plus air lters and negative pressure gauges to ensure
eriacant escape. Most of thepatientsareeither immigrants
endemic countries such as India, Bangladesh or Senegal, or
locals, some of whomhave drug and alcohol problems.
[name changed] is a 32-year-old software engineer from
India, who moved to the Netherlands when she married
Recently diagnosedwithhighly infectious drug-resistant
living inisolation; speaking withDivya requires a special
Billy Boyle,
of
e-based
Below: the
Tourist
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By Kevin Gray
Photography: Cameron R Neilson
Typography: Thomas.Matthews
1 3 4
After Kickstarter
comes Brickstarter,
SpaceHive and
other crowd-funding
urban-infrastructure
sites. Community cash
is building parks and
even skyscrapers
so where does that
leave government?
of Architects argued that members whose
fundraisingislimitedbypropertydevelopers
couldseize crowdfundingtobuildnot what
a big developer wants, but what they and
the community think it needs.
Creating cities based on the Kickstarter
model is a cultural and business shift, says
RodrigoDavies, aresearchassistant at MITs
Center for CivicMedia, whereheis pursuing
his masters on civic crowdfunding. But
theres a big diference between funding a
foldingbike andfundinga skyscraper.
n the spring of 2012, the citizens of
Glyncoch in south Wales had a problem.
For years, their rustingcommunitycentre
a corrugatedhulk built in1977whenthe
local minestill producedcoal hadbeena
shameful eyesore, agrimreminder of how
far their tinyvillageintheRhonddaValley
had fallen. If they could build a newone
with modern IT facilities and classrooms
for job training it might help prise their
lives from poverty and boost their civic
pride. But the cost, at 793,000, was
prohibitive. Over several years the citizens
managed to raise as much as 750,000 in
charity grant pledges, but those pledges
were set to expire in March 2012, if they
couldnt raise the remainder ontheir own.
Rather than turn to the council, local
people turned to the internet. In March
2012, they pleaded their case on a UK
startup, SpaceHive.com. Launched that
month, SpaceHive seizes Kickstarters
crowdfunding model and applies it to civic
building projects. Within weeks, Glyn-
cochs citizens had raised 43,000. The
money and the old ways of doing things are
dryingup, says Chris Gourlay, the 32-year-
old founder of SpaceHive. A former archi-
tecture critic at the Sunday Times, he
launchedthesiteafter beinginspiredbythe
DIYethosof social mediaandcrowdfunding
models and because he was frustrated by
the opaque procedures of municipal plan-
ning boards. The nancial crisis fuelled his
belief that infrastructure problems must be
solved not by governments, but by citizen
designers and street activists. Its a more
democratic way to engage in and change
the built world around you, he says. Its
created opportunities for citizens to solve
their ownproblemswithmarket efciency.
As budgets shrink, the restricted ability
of cities and towns to build parks, pools
and art centres is leading citizens to step in
with newways to create public spaces and
buildings using crowd-based models. In
Rotterdam, locals pooled money to build a
pedestrian bridge across a city roadway. In
Bogot, a group of local citizens will soon
own part of a new66-storey BDBacata sky-
scraper in the centre of town. And in New
York City, two architects are creating and
crowd-funding the rst ever underground
park, in an old tramstation. The trend has
spreadsofar that areport publishedinFeb-
ruary this year by the American Institute
Previous spread:
A test section for
a subterranean
garden, lit by parabolic
dishes and built in a
former tram station,
under New Yorks
Lower East Side.
A rendering of the
San Jose terminus
on a proposed
high-speed rail
line in California.
An artists
superimposition
of the $15m +pool
on to NYs East
River, which it would
purify and then
use for bathing.
Its not just about size. Firstly, Kickstarter project-supporters can pledge money
for a simple consumer product from anywhere on the planet: a bike, for example, is
shippable. But a skyscraper or bridge is static, meaning that the pool of potential
investors is limited by geography. Cities such as London and Paris have millions of
citizens and tourists who may have an interest in funding something they might
visit or use. Contrast this with towns and villages that have a smaller base of people,
which means they are able to attract less revenue. Secondly, large capital projects
cost more than bikes and need to be broken into phases. That can test the patience
of donors accustomed to seeing projects reach goals in weeks, rather than the years
it can take for a civic project to go fromplan to realisation.
A case in point. Three young designer friends in New York City decided that they
wantedtobuildapublicswimmingpool inanunlikely, but highlyvisible, place: themid-
dle of the pollution-chokedEast River. The idea was to builda oating pool anduse the
riverwatertoll it viaasophisticatedltrationsystem. InJune2011, thefriendsposteda
proposal onKickstarterthersttimethesitehadeverbeenusedforamunicipal project.
The designers sought $25,000 (17,000). Within a week, their +pool had gained so
much buzz thanks in part to a cool animated video that they had pulled in $41,647.
excitedabout thosepieces, evenif itssome-
thingboringlike a feasibilitystudy?
Projectssuchasthisnot onlyraiseaware-
ness and money, they create communities.
The +pool has 30,000 followers on social
media, alongwith2,000funders. Thisiswhy
civic crowdfunding has an enormous busi-
ness upside: backers accustomed to social
media think in terms of personalising what
they experience. More citizens expect, or
at the very least desire, to be involved in
the decisions around them, says Bryan
Boyer, a32-year-oldHarvard-trainedarchi-
tect. Last year, he founded an experimental
site called Brickstarter, with the help of the
FinnishinnovationfundSitra, ahybridthink
tank and economic-innovation incubator.
Its proto site researched the civic
crowdfundingeldanditsbusiness
implications. One of the problems
incities, Boyersays, isthat it takes
a lot of time to put together a legit-
imate proposal, shop around for
nance and get authorities behind
it. If weget that moneyupfront, we
canmake it plausible.
The California High-Speed Rail
project, a $9.9 billionpublic-works
plan to connect several major cit-
ies, fromSacramento to San Diego,
has diverse opponents, fromanti-
tax groups worried about cost to
environmentalists. Boyer says he
canseeasitelikeBrickstarterofer-
ing to bring these people into one
community. Most people dont
have time for meetings, he says.
The democratisation of design for public structures and spaces encourages
leaps of imagination and innovation that would be unlikely to occur in a develop-
ersboardroomorthecubiclesof alocal planningauthority. For65years, acentury-
old tramstation sat abandoned beneath a crowded street on NewYorks Lower
East Side. The citys transportation agency had never thought to reclaimit. But
James Ramsey, a 28-year-old architect, discovered it and thought it would make
a great public space. Sohe deviseda systemfor turningthe stationintoa pioneer-
ingundergroundpark: collect sunlight onthe surface withparabolic dishes, chan-
nel it through bre-optic cables and disperse it belowground, creating enough
photo-synthesis to support acres of trees, shrubs and grass. His renderings of the
site depict a Jules Verne-like ceiling. Beneath it, families and a sprinkling of hip-
sters (whotendtosupport theseschemes) loungeintheweirdsubterraneanlight.
Yet the 1,203 people who pledged money
to +pool werent funding a pool. They were
funding a lab test to see if the ltration sys-
temwould work. The scale and amount of
money you need to fund a capital project is
multitudes bigger than what you need to
fundaniPodwatch, says Dong-PingWong,
who, withfriends ArchieCoates andJefrey
Franklin, is designingthe $15million+pool.
The trick is how do you start breaking
downthe scale of the project andfunding it
inpieces?Andthenhowdoyoukeeppeople
The scale and amount
of money you
need to fund a capital
project is much
bigger than funding
an iPod watch
1 3 7
Ramseyandhisfellowmastermind, formerGooglemarketingstrategistDanBarasch, dubbed
it theLowLineandraised$150,000onKickstarter last year, thesiteshighest amount ever for a
civicproject. But Barasch, whodeals withthedrudgeryof fundraisingandwinningover politi-
cians and planning boards, quickly sawthe limitations of crowdfunding his $100 million pro-
ject. Its great for getting people motivated, he says. It creates an inspired community of
people that didnt exist prior to this. But it doesnt work for every phase of development.
Barasch, who says he wont use Kickstarter for his next round of fundraising, says groups
such as his need to expand their denition of crowdfunding to include traditional models
meaning asking corporations, foundations and philanthropists to foot the bill.
Yourbroadestbaseof supportersprobablydoesnthave20or30buckstospare, andthatsOK,
Barasch says. But they are seriously engaged and that attracts big money. In other words,
crowd psychology can be as important in executing such projects as the money itself.
When you see thousands of people involved, says SpaceHives Gourlay, that makes it very
attractive for politicians andfor industrytoget involved. These are their customers.
Consider the Luchtsingel pedestrian bridge in Rotterdam. For generations, a major road
sliced through central Rotterdam, cutting of the citys bustling Hofplein district fromeasy
pedestrian access. The result was a dangerous crossing. Several young architects proposed
renewal. And because of its crowdfunding success, the bridge won a 4 million munici-
pal grant to continue. Its a newreality, says one of its architects, 35-year-old Kristian
Koreman. We have retreating governments and an ongoing economic crisis. But people
arenolonger simplygoingtowait for thingstohappen. Thereisasoft revolutiongoingon.
But its a revolution that needs the chequebooks of corporations and foundations. Jase
Wilson, CEOof Neighbor.ly, a US-basedcivic-crowdfunding platform, watchedthe Rotter-
damproject for clues. We think of the crowd as individuals, but its also corporations and
institutions, Wilsonsays. Whos buyinghundreds of thesewoodplanks at atime?Its not
individuals. Its organisations that have an interest in getting their name on something.
That taught ustolookbeyondtheKickstarterdenitionof acrowd, whichisperson-centric.
WilsonappliedthislessontoNeighbor.lysrst project, atramlineintheplatformshome
town of Kansas City, Missouri. Using the Rotterdammodel, the site hopes to sell naming
Some of the planks
each sold for
25 that make
up Rotterdams
footbridge, begun
in 2012. Backers
dedicate a plank
or sponsors
leave a message.
The above-ground
entrance to New
Yorks subterranean
park (rendering).
An artists rendering
of the 66-storey
skyscraper in
Bogot, which was
crowdfunded from
the capitals citizens
and its authorities.
crowdfundingapedestrianbridgeandplaza
wherelocalscouldhangout andreclaimthe
region from cars and trucks. Their fund-
ing method inuenced their design: 17,000
U-shaped planks to sell and stamp with the
donors name or message. Called I Make
Rotterdam, the projects slogan is The
more you donate, the longer the bridge.
Donors canbuy a single plank for 25 (20)
or a larger section for 1,250. The project,
begunin2012, capturedthepublicimagina-
tion and became part of Rotterdams urban
1 3 8
oradvertisingrightstoindividual seats, stops, theoutsideof thecarsandtooferpre-bought
ridership rights. The group hopes to build a sense of ownership and enthusiasm, and that
locals andcorporations will ndvalue andcivic pride inhaving their names onit. Wilsons
approachalsoaimstodrawgovernment backintothemixbyraisingmoneytodrawUSfed-
eral matchingfunds. Were lookingat Neighbor.ly as a down-payment engine, he says.
But should private citizens have to pay for public infrastructure? Isnt this the business
of central government and local authorities? People say, Shouldnt our tax money be
paying for this? says MITs Davies, who
worked for SpaceHive as a government
liaison before joining MIT. Thats one of
the biggest questions we try to address:
If citizens start doing this job, wont
governments just pull back? And were
saying No, this money will not replace it,
but sit alongside it.
SpaceHive works likes this. Anyone can
start a project a citizen, special-interest
group, business owner, even a governing
authority. In addition to providing a
fundraisingportal, thesiteoferspublicity
strategists, legal contracts to ensure the
work gets done, and verification of the
project with councils and landowners.
Gourlayandhiscofounderstarget projects
that havealreadyreceivedpartial funding
from federal or local agencies, but have
been unable to raise the target amount.
They then try to match them with local
donors and charitable grant funding. We
thought whenwestartedthat thecouncils
would be threatened, that thered be this
senseof anarchyfromthestreetsthanksto
theseupstarts,saysAndrewTeacher, pol-
icy director for the site, whichhas formed
dozens of council partnerships. They
realisetheopportunities herefor them, of
harnessing this power andmoney.
One of the ironies of the financial
crisis, says Gourlay, is that no matter how
hard a business owner on the high street
might try to improve their shop or caf,
the street itself remained run down and
untended due to a lack of infrastructure
financing. And trying to source funding
fromthelocal council isalessoninbureau-
cratic frustration. The system makes it
difficult for ordinary people to invest in
pavements and parks, or increase footfall
outside their business, says Gourlay.
SpaceHive overcomes this by directly
partnering business owners and citizens
with local councils, charity groups and
corporatedonors. Forinstance, toincrease
foot traffic in Mansfield in the east Mid-
lands, SpaceHive raised 36,850 to help
the town become the first in Britain to
fund its own Wi-Fi hotspot. Donations
camefromthecouncil as well as Experian.
In Somerset it paired activists with the
local council and Experian again, to turn
a public toilet into a 10,462 micro art
gallery and food kiosk. Its been an
empoweringtool forsourcingcreativeand
fantastic ideas, Teacher says.
ince SpaceHive launchedlast year, ahalf-
dozensimilar sites have sprung up, mostly
in the US, including Neighbor.ly, IOBY.
com, and Citizinvestor. As odd as it seems,
cities themselves, such as Philadelphia,
are launching their own crowdfunding
initiatives. Boyer of Brickstarter and his
colleagues have floated a unique idea:
using your own tax money to fund a pro-
ject of your choice. Imagine your own tax
given back to you as currency, or credits,
on a site like Brickstarter, allowing you to
decide what gets funded, Boyer says.
Perhapsthemost remarkablethingabout
Brickstarter, which was funded in part by
moneyfromtheFinnishgovernment, isthat
Boyer wantssomeoneintheUSor UKeither
to take it over or use its research to build a
moneymaking, community-generating site
out of it. Fromthe beginning, I didnt care
if webuilt it or someoneelsedoes it, Boyer
says. It was meant as awaytoshowpeople
this canbe done andhowto do it.
KevinGrayis acontributingeditor at Mens
Journal magazine in New York. He writes
about business, crime, politics and culture
When you see thousands
of people involved,
that makes it very
attractive for politicians
to get involved
One thing that inspired the SpaceHive
teamis the knowledge that a generation of
youngpeoplewhowouldneverconsiderset-
tingfoot inaplanningmeetingeagerlytake
to social media to discuss ways to improve
the built world around them. There is a
growing awareness that young people do
care about where they live and have great
ideas on howto improve it, Teacher says.
Lets sayaparkhas sat derelict for 15years
and theres no political will to x it, mean-
ing theres no resources that will ever be
devoted to it, says MITs Rodrigo Davies.
This is a new form of democratic repre-
sentation. The voters are speaking to you
online. You have to pay attention: these are
your constituentsandthisisareferendum.
1
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CraigVenter has beenamolecular-biologypioneer
for two decades. After developing expressed
sequence tags in the 90s, he led the private
effort to map the human genome, publishing
the results in 2001. In 2010 the J Craig Venter
Institute manufactured the entire genome of a
bacterium, creating the rst synthetic organism.
Now Venter, author of Life at the Speed of
Light: From the Double Helix to the Dawn of
Digital Life, explains the coming era of discovery.
wired: In Life at the Speed of Light, you
argue that humankind is entering a new
phaseof evolution. Howso?
J Craig Venter: As the industrial age is
drawing to a close, I think that were wit-
nessing the dawn of the era of biologi-
cal design. DNA, as digitised information,
is accumulating in computer databases.
Thanks togeneticengineering, andnowthe
eldof syntheticbiology, wecanmanipulate
DNAtoanunprecedentedextent, just as we
canedit softwareinacomputer. Wecanalso
transmit it asanelectromagneticwaveat or
near the speed of light and, via a biologi-
cal teleporter, use it to recreate proteins,
viruses and living cells at another location,
changingforever howwe viewlife.
So you viewDNA as the software of life?
All the information needed to make a liv-
ing, self-replicatingcell is lockedupwithin
the spirals of DNAs double helix. As we
read and interpret that software of life, we
should be able to completely understand
how cells work, then change and improve
them by writing new cellular software.
The software defines the manufacture of
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proteins that canbeviewedas its hardware, therobots
and chemical machines that run a cell. The software
is vital because the cells hardware wears out. Cells
will die in minutes to days if they lack their genetic-
informationsystem. Theywill not evolve, theywill not
replicate, and they will not live.
Of all the experiments you have done over the past
two decades involving the reading and manipulation
of thesoftwareof life, whicharethemost important?
I do think the synthetic cell is my most important con-
tribution. But if I were to select a single study, paper or
experimental result that hasreallyinuencedmyunder-
standing of life more than any other, I would choose
one that myteampublishedin2007, ina paper withthe
titleGenomeTransplantationinBacteria: ChangingOne
SpeciestoAnother. Theresearchthat ledtothispaperin
the journal Science not only shapedmy viewof the fun-
damentals of lifebut alsolaidthegroundworktocreate
therst syntheticcell. Genometransplantationnot only
provided a way to carry out a striking transformation,
convertingonespeciesintoanother, but wouldalsohelp
prove that DNAis the software of life.
What hashappenedsinceyourannouncement in2010
that youcreatedasynthetic cell, JCVI-syn1.0?
At the time, I said that the synthetic cell would give us
a better understanding of the fundamentals of biology
and howlife works, help develop techniques and tools
for vaccine and pharmaceutical development, enable
development of biofuels and biochemicals, and help to
create clean water, sources of food, textiles, bioreme-
diation. Three years onthat visionis beingborne out.
Your book contains a dramatic account of the slog
and setbacks that led to the creation of this first
synthetic organism. What was your lowest point?
When we started out creating JCVI-syn1.0 in the lab,
wehadselectedM. genitaliumbecauseof its extremely
small genome. That decision we would come to really
regret: in the laboratory, M. genitaliumgrows slowly.
So whereas E. coli divides into daughter cells every
20 minutes, M. genitalium requires 12 hours to make
a copy of itself. With logarithmic growth, its the
diference between having an experimental result in
24 hours versus several weeks. It felt like we were
working really hard to get nowhere at all. I changed
the target to the M. mycoides genome. Its twice as
large as that of genitalium, but it grows muchfaster. In
the end, that move made all the diference.
Some of your peers were blown away by the
synthetic cell; others called it a technical tour de
force. But there were also those who were under-
whelmedbecauseit was not lifefromscratch.
They havent thought much about what they are actu-
ally trying to say when they talk about life from
scratch. Howabout baking a cake fromscratch? You
couldbuyoneandtheniceit at home. Or buyacakemix,
towhichyouaddonlyeggs, water andoil. Or combining
the individual ingredients, such as bak-
ingpowder, sugar, salt, eggs, milk, short-
ening andsoon. But I doubt that anyone
wouldmeanformulatinghis ownbaking
powderbycombiningsodium, hydrogen,
carbon and oxygen to produce sodiumbicarbonate, or producing
homemade corn starch. If we apply the same strictures to creat-
ing life fromscratch, it could mean producing all the necessary
molecules, proteins, lipids, organelles, DNAandsoforthfrombasic
chemicals or perhaps evenfromthe fundamental elements carbon,
hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphate, ironandsoon.
Theres aparallel efort tocreatevirtual life, whichyougointoin
the book. Howsophisticated are these models of cells in silico?
In the past year we have really seen howvirtual cells can help us
understand the real things. This work dates back to 1996 when
Masaru Tomita and his students at the Laboratory for Bioinfor-
maticsat Keiostartedinvestigatingthemolecular biologyof Myco-
plasma genitalium which we had sequenced in 1995 and by the
endof that year hadestablishedtheE-Cell Project. Themost recent
work on Mycoplasma genitalium has been done in America, by
the systems biologist Markus W Covert, at Stanford University.
His teamused our genome data to create a virtual version of the
bacteriumthat came remarkablyclose toits real-life counterpart.
Youvediscussedtheethicsof syntheticorganismsforalongtime
whereis theethical argument today?
TheJanus-likenatureof innovationits responsibleuseandsoon
was evident at the very birthof humaningenuity, whenhumankind
rst discoveredhowtomake re ondemand. (DoI use it burndown
a rivals settlement, or to keep warm?) Every fewmonths, another
meetingis heldtodiscuss howpowerful technologycuts bothways.
It is crucial that we invest in underpinning technologies, science,
educationandpolicy inorder to ensure the safe andefcient devel-
opment of synthetic biology. Opportunities for public debate and
discussiononthis topic must be sponsored, andthe laypublic must
engage. But it is important not tolosesight of theamazingopportu-
nitiesthat thisresearchpresents. Syntheticbiologycanhelpaddress
key challenges facing the planet and its population. Research in
synthetic biologymayleadtonewthings suchas programmedcells
that self-assembleat thesites of diseasetorepair damage.
What worries youmore: bioterror or bioerror?
I amprobably more concerned about an accidental slip. Synthetic
biology increasingly relies on the skills of scientists who have little
experience in biology, such as mathematicians and electrical
engineers. Thedemocratisationof knowledgeandtheriseof open-
sourcebiology; theavailabilityof kitchen-sinkversionsof keylabo-
ratorytools, suchastheDNA-copyingmethodPCR, makeiteasierfor
anyoneincludingthoseoutsidetheusual networksof government,
commercial anduniversitylaboratoriesandthecultureof responsi-
bletrainingandbiosecuritytoplaywiththesoftwareof life.
Below, left: Venter,
in June 2012, visiting
the building site of
the J Craig Venter
Institute in California
My greatest fear is not the abuse of
technology, but that we will not use it at
all, and turn our backs to an opportunity
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Following the precautionary principle,
shouldweabandonsynthetic biology?
My greatest fear is not the abuse of tech-
nology, but that we will not use it at all, and
turn our backs to an amazing opportunity
at a time when we are over-populating our
planet andchangingenvironments forever.
Yourebullishabout wherethisisheaded.
I am and a lot of that comes from seeing
the next generation of synthetic biologists.
We can get a viewof what the future holds
froma series of contests that culminate ina
yearly event in Cambridge, Massachusetts
the International Genetically Engineered
Machine (iGEM) competition. High-school
and college students shufe a standard set
of DNAsubroutines into something new. It
gives me hope for the future.
Youve been working to convert DNAinto
a digital signal that can be transmitted to
aunit whichthenrebuilds anorganism.
At Synthetic Genomics, Inc [which Ven-
ter founded with his long-term collabo-
rator, the Nobel laureate Ham Smith], we
can feed digital DNA code into a program
that works out how to re-synthesise the
sequence in the lab. This automates the
process of designing overlapping pieces of
DNA base-pairs, called oligonucleotides,
addingwatermarks, andthenfeedingthem
intothesynthesiser. Thesynthesiser makes
the oligonucleotides, which are pooled and
assembled using what we call our Gibson-
assembly robot (named after my talented
colleague Dan Gibson). Nasa has funded
us to carry out experiments at its test site
in the Mojave Desert. We will be using the
JCVI mobile lab, which is equipped with
soil-sampling, DNA-isolation and DNA-
sequencing equipment, to test the steps
for autonomously isolating microbes from
soil, sequencing their DNAand then trans-
mitting the information to the cloud with
what wecall adigitised-life-sendingunit.
The receiving unit, where the transmit-
ted DNA information can be downloaded
and reproduced anew, has a number of
names at present, including digital bio-
logical converter, biological teleporter
and the preference of former US wired
editor-in-chief and CEO of 3D Robotics,
Chris Anderson life replicator.
What kind of things can you do nowwith
this kindof technology?
The most obvious is to distribute vaccine
in the event of an influenza pandemic. In
2009, when the World Health Organisation
declaredH1N1 inuenza(swineu) tobethe
J CRAIG VENTERS FIRSTS
In 1998, Venter founded
Celera Genomics
to sequence the
human genome using
techniques called
shotgun sequencing and
expressed sequence
tags. Using the most
powerful civilian
supercomputer at the
time, Venter managed,
in three years, to achieve
his goal. However,
Celera initially decided
not to publish certain
sections of the genome
copyrighting them
instead. But, faced with
public and scientic
outcry, it backtracked.
Venter is founder,
chairman and CEO
of the J Craig Venter
Institute, which is
working on artificial
life-forms with functions
such as producing
biofuels. In May 2010,
his team synthesised
the genome of the
bacterium Mycoplasma
capricolum. Venters
own showmanship has
at times overshadowed
the project: a fellow
synthetic biologist told
the New York Times that
the only regulation their
field needed was of
[Venters] mouth. MV
MAPPING THE
HUMAN GENOME
CREATING THE FIRST
SYNTHETIC ORGANISM
One of the worlds leading geneticists, Venter has
innovated and infuriated in equal measure.
Here are two of his most significant achievements
1
4
4
rst pandemic in more than 40 years, there was the fastest global
vaccine-development efort inhistory. Withinsixmonths, hundreds
of millions of vaccine doses had been produced. But it was not fast
enough. The traditional method of manufacture relies on growing
the viruses infertilisedheneggs. Inall it takes around35 days. As a
result, around250,000peoplediedfromH1N1, most of themyoung.
Had this virus been more pathogenic, the lag time in vaccine avail-
abilitymight haveresultedinstrife, disorder andsocial breakdown.
Howcantheprocess bespeededup?
Synthetic Genomics, Inc, andthe J Craig Venter Institute are work-
ing with Novartis to accelerate the production of influenza seed
strains, backedbytheUSBiomedical AdvancedResearchandDevel-
opment Authority. Weareusingamethodcalledreversevaccinol-
ogy, whichwasrst appliedtothedevelopment of ameningococcal
vaccine by Rino Rappuoli, who is now at Novartis. The entire
genome of an inuenza virus can be screened using bioinformatic
approaches. Next, particular genes are selected for attributes
that would make good vaccine targets, such as outer-membrane
proteins. Those proteins then undergo testing for immune
responses. We and Novartis have produced vaccines in fewer than
vedays. Sincethecompletionof aproof-of-concept demonstration
in 2011, the process has been successfully repeated for multiple
additional inuenza strains andsubtypes.
Andyoualsohavesuperbugs inyour sights.
Thefearhasbeenexpressedagainandagainthat wemaybefacinga
returntoapre-antibioticera. Oneapproachistorevisit phagether-
apy, inwhich bacteriophages that are specic to a certainbacterial
strainareusedtokill microbes. Everyfewdays, half thebacteriaon
Earthare killedby phages. Canwe enlist their help?
Unliketraditional antibiotics, whichcancausecollateral damage
by killing friendly bacteria inour bodies, phages are like molecu-
lar smart bombs, targeting only one or a fewstrains. That is not
to say they are easy to use. As with antibiotics, cells can mutate to
develop resistance to phages. Humans also clear phages rapidly
from the bloodstream. With our new DNA synthesis and assem-
blytools, we coulddesignandsynthesise 300newphages per day.
Whats next for teleportation?
At this point in time we are limited to making protein molecules,
viruses, phages and single microbial cells, but the eld will move
to more complex living systems. I amcondent that we will be able
to convert digitised information into living cells that will become
complex multicellular organisms or functioningtissues.
Whyis this technologygoingtochangehowweexploreMars?
We could send sequence information to a digital-biological con-
verter on Mars in as little as 4.3 minutes, thats at the closest
approach of the red planet, to provide colonists with personalised
drugs. Or, if NasasMarsCuriosityrover wereequippedwithaDNA-
sequencing device, it could transmit the digital code of a Martian
microbe back to Earth, where we could
recreate the organism in the labora-
tory. WecanrebuildtheMartians inaP4
spacesuit lab that is, a maximum-con-
tainment lab instead of risking them
crash-landing in the Amazon. I amassuming that Mar-
tian life is, like life on Earth, based on DNA. I think that
because we knowthat EarthandMars have continually
exchangedmaterial. There are many people (oftenreli-
gious) whobelievethat lifeonEarthisspecial orunique,
andwe are alone inthe cosmos. Imnot amongthem.
Whyare yousocondent about lifeonMars?
Well, it has been estimated that Earth and Mars have
exchanged in the order of 100kg of material a year,
making it likely that Earth microbes have travelled
to and populated Martian oceans long ago and that
Martianmicrobes have survivedtothrive onEarth.
One of our teams at Synthetic Genomics, in collabo-
ration with BP, spent three years studying life in coal-
bed methane wells in Colorado. We found remarkable
evidence, inwater samplesfromonemile[2.2km] deep,
ofthesamedensityofmicrobesasarefoundintheoceans
(one million cells per millilitre). Simple calculations
indicatethat thereisasmuchbiologyandbiomassinthe
subsurface of our Earth as in the entire visible world on
theplanets surface. Thesamecouldbetruefor Mars.
Andbeyond, presumably?
If it works, then we will have a newmeans of exploring
the universe and the Earth-sized exoplanets and super
Earths. To get a sequencer to them soon is out of the
question with present-day rocket technology the
planets orbiting the red dwarf Gliese 581 are only
about 22 light-years away but it would take only 22
years toget thebeameddataback. Andthat if advanced
DNA-basedlifedoes exist inthat system, perhaps it has
alreadybeenbroadcastingsequence information.
Whereelseis digitisedDNAinformationtakingus?
Creatinglife at the speedof light is part of a newindus-
trial revolution. Manufacturing will shift fromcentral-
isedfactories toadistributed, domesticmanufacturing
future, thanks tothe rise of 3Dprinter technology.
Finally, whereis this great endeavour takingyou?
Since my own genome was sequenced, my software
has been broadcast into space in the form of electro-
magnetic waves, carrying my genetic information
far beyond Earth. Whether there is any creature out
there capable of making sense of the instructions in
my genome, well, thats another question.
Life at the Speed of Light: From the Double Helix to
the Dawn of Digital Life by J Craig Venter is published
by Little, Brown. Roger Highfield, former editor of
NewScientist and current director of external afairs
at the Science Museum Group, was external editor of
the book. This interview was conducted in a series of
conversations andemails over the past year
Above, left: J Craig
Venter stands among
cloned plants at
Synthetic Genomics,
in La Jolla, California
Many people believe life on Earth
is somehowspecial, andwere alone
in the cosmos. Im not one of them
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WIRED puts on a show of
testing fireworks but
which were damp squibs? P
H
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R
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Y
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1 4 7
LAB RESULTS
THIS MONTH: 11. 13
FISHING RODS
FIREWORKS
EDITED BY
JEREMY WHITE

THE WIRED ROD- CAST

J
ALS
All
with
J
A
A
w
(
T E S T
Nanotechnology has come to the gentle art of fly-fishing.
WIRED took the bait and put four hi-tech, premium poles to the test
HOW WE
TESTED
We travelled to
Eyebrook Reservoir
in the East Midlands
with Marcus Janssen,
deputy editor of
Fieldsports magazine
and eld editor of
The Complete Fly
Fisherman, to test
four high-end trout
rods. Each was 2.75
metres long and rated
for a ve-weight
line, the perfect
combination for river-
trout shing. Janssen
(below) rated each on
looks, craftsmanship,
weight, short- to
mid-range and long-
range performance,
price and ease of use
(but not the number
of sh caught).
ORVIS HELIOS 2,
TIP-FLEX
Claimed to be the
lightest y-rod in the
world, the Helios 2 is
a delight to hold and
cast. With a crisp,
medium-fast action
and near-perfect
tracking (minimum
vibration), these
are powerful rods.
Theyre made to a
very high standard,
but arent suitable
for beginners: timing
needs to be precise,
as duff or mistimed
casts are punished.
SAGE
ONE
Sage rods have long
been the choice of
pro anglers, but
the One, although
good, is far from the
best its produced.
It does feel light in
the hand and has a
nice, smooth casting
stroke, but it lacks
nesse and is slower
than youd expect
from a Sage. The
nish of this rod isnt
terribly impressive,
particularly the plain
black-coloured blank.
WIRED Punchy
and powerful; very
good at long range
TIRED Pricey
675 orvis.co.uk
WIRED Smooth
action and
plenty of power
TIRED Lacks nesse
559 sageysh.com
SPEC
Line rating
5
Length
2.75m
Sections
4
Colour
Midnight blue
Weight
70g
Material
Graphite bre and
thermoplastic resins
Reel seat
Up-locking, anodised-
aluminium skeleton
with California
buckeye-burl insert
Handle
Reverse half-wells
Rod case/tube
Midnight blue and
silver carbon
SPEC
Line rating
5
Length)
2.75cm
Sections
4
Colour
Black Ice
Weight
80g
Material
Konnetic high-
modulus graphite
composite
Reel seat
Brown anodised-
aluminium skeleton
with walnut insert
Handle
Snub-nose half-wells
Rod case/tube
Black powder-coated
aluminium
JANSSEN
ALSO USED:
All of the rods were tested using an identical y-line and
leader set-up: a Rio Gold WF 5wt oating line (left)
with a Scientic Anglers 2.74m 3X tapered copolymer leader
(the nylon bit at the end, to which you attach the y).

W
O
R
D
W
O
R
D
W
O
R
D
W
O
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D
S
:
M
S
:
M
S
:
M
S
:
M
A
R
C
U
A
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C
U
A
R
C
U
A
R
C
U
S
J
A
S
J
A
JJ
SS
N
S
S
E
N
S
S
E
N
S
S
N
.
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N
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N
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O
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O
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O
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OO
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O
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H
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:
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Y
:
H
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:
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Y
:
H
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:
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:
H
S
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U
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S
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U
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U
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NNN
L
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E
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L
E
E
L
E
E
L
E
E
E
F I S H I N G R O D S / 1 1 / T E S T

G LOOMIS
NRX LP
This is a dream to
cast and exudes
renement,
particularly at shorter
distances. Despite
being the heaviest on
test, the NRX felt the
lightest in-hand of all
the rods. Designed
specically for light
presentation, this
is the top choice
for dry-y shing,
particularly on
smaller streams
where delicate casts
are necessary.
WIRED Accurate
and precise
TIRED Unforgiving;
not for beginners
669 gloomis.com
SPEC
Line rating
5
Length
2.75m
Sections
4
Colour
Evergreen
Weight
85g
Material
G Loomis graphite
and nano-resin
technology
Reel seat
Anodised-aluminium
skeleton with
green graphite insert
Handle
Reverse half-wells
Rod case/tube
Dark-green gloss
aluminium
HARDY
ZENITH.5
Constructed with
Hardys new
SINTRIX composite
(carbon bre held
together with a resin
impregnated with
silica nanospheres),
the Zenith has an
impressive weight-to-
strength ratio.
Its incredibly smooth
action is precise,
forgiving and
seriously fast,
making it suitable
for all purposes
and abilities.
WIRED Versatile
and forgiving
TIRED A British brand
now made in Korea
549 hardyshing.com
SPEC
Line rating
5
Length
2.75m
Sections
4
Colour
Dark brown
Weight
82g
Material
3Ms SINTRIX
resin technology
Reel seat
Up-locking, two-
part skeletal
anodised
aluminium
Handle
Half-wells
Rod case/tube
Black powder-coated
aluminium
HOW TO CAST
YOUR LINE:
12
11
10
9
8
1
2
3
Pull the rod back to a one-oclock
position. When the line
leaves the water, abruptly stop
Move the rod forward
and stop abruptly when you
feel the line unloading
When the line is in ight,
turn your thumb down
slightly and let the line y
W
O
R
D
S
:
A
D
R
I
A
N
J
U
S
T
I
N
S
.
P
H
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O
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R
A
P
H
Y
:
C
H
A
R
L
I
E
S
U
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B
E
Y
T E S T
Which of these garden fireworks will
make a bigger bang at your display?
GREEN BALL
HEAD
This rocket has a
broad trail on ignition,
resulting in a loud
whoosh before a
booming explosion.
Aerodynamically
dubious, the Green
Balls unpredictable
ight path demands
strict observation of
the 25m-minimum
safety distance.
WIRED High and loud
TIRED Requires
large safety distance
15
SPEC
Type Rocket
Length 99cm
Head diameter 70mm
Duration 7s
Volume from 25m:
86dB
Trajectory Vertical
SUPER CONIC
FOUNTAIN
A kilo of powder
causes the Conic
Fountain to simmer
away before spitting
white crackers from
a frothy plume. The
sparks travel up
to ve metres a
change in the wind
coated us in debris
from its smokescreen
ten metres away.
THUNDEROUS
FINALE TWO
This takes around a
minute to blast out
80 shots, four at a
time from 25mm-
bore tubes. Each
shot explodes into
multi-coloured palms
that overlap with
the next round of
volleys, ending with
a screaming double
eight-shot nale.
WIRED Long lasting;
impressive height
TIRED Lots of smoke
11
SPEC
Type Fountain
Shots Continuous
Diameter 110mm
Duration 100s
Volume from
25m 78dB
Trajectory Fan
WIRED Fills the sky
TIRED Repetitive
65
SPEC
Type Barrage
Shots 80
Head diameter 25mm
Duration 60s
Volume from 25m
84dB
Trajectory Vertical
SPACE
BLASTER
The rst launch from
this ve-pack has an
expectation-lowering
three-second ascent
but the rest prove
more exciting. Red
and Green Wave form
bright orbs; Golden
Willow (left) and Sea
Blue are tree-like; and
Blue Peony does a
decent ower-shape.
WIRED Cute patterns
TIRED Short-lived;
inconsistent
9
SPEC
Type Rocket
Length 630mm
Head diameter 30mm
Duration 4s
Volume from 25m
76dB
Trajectory Vertical
LIGHT I T UP
HOW WE TESTED
We were supplied
with a selection
of display and
garden pyrotechnics
by specialists
Epic Fireworks
(epicreworks.com).
From a eld in
Cambridgeshire, we
set up and started
our reworks display.
Each item was lmed
and photographed
using tripod-mounted
cameras and a sound-
pressure level meter.
They were rated for
visual impact ooh
and the noise they
produced ahh.
W
O
R
D
S
:
A
D
R
I
A
N
J
U
S
T
I
N
S
.
P
H
O
T
O
G
R
A
P
H
Y
:
C
H
A
R
L
I
E
S
U
R
B
E
Y
T E S T
Which of these garden fireworks will
make a bigger bang at your display?
GREEN BAL BALL
HEAD
Thi T s rockket et has a a
broad trail on ignition,
resulting in a loud
whoosh before a
booming explosion.
Aerodynamically
dubious, the Green
Balls unpredictable
ight path demands
strict observation of
the 25m-minimum
safety distance.
WIRED High and loud
TIRED Requires
large safety distance
15
SPEC
Type Rocket
Length 99cm
Head diameter 70mm
Duration 7s
Volume from 25m:
86dB
Trajectory Vertical
SUPER CONIC
FOUNTAIN
A kilo of powder
causes the Conic
Fountain to simmer
away before spitting
white crackers from
a frothy plume. The
sparks travel up
to ve metres a
change in the wind
coated us in debris
from its smokescreen
ten metres away.
THUNDEROUS
FINALE TWO
This takes around a
minute to blast out
80 shots, four at a
time from 25mm-
bore tubes. Each
shot explodes into
multi-coloured palms
that overlap with
the next round of
volleys, ending with
a screaming double
eight-shot nale.
WIRED Long lasting;
impressive height
TIRED Lots of smoke
11
SPEC
Type Fountain
Shots Continuous
Diameter 110mm
Duration 100s
Volume from
25m 78dB
Trajectory Fan
WIRED Fills the sky
TIRED Repetitive
65
SPEC
Type Barrage
Shots 80
Head diameter 25mm
Duration 60s
Volume from 25m
84dB
Trajectory Vertical
SPACE
BLASTER
The rst launch from
this ve-pack has an
expectation-lowering
three-second ascent
but the rest prove
more exciting. Red
and Green Wave form
bright orbs; Golden
Willow (left) and Sea tt
Blue are tree-like; and
Blue Peony does a
decent ower-shape.
WIRED Cute patterns
TIRED Short-lived;
inconsistent
9
SPEC
Type Rocket
Length 630mm
Head diameter 30mm
Duration 4s
Volume from 25m
76dB
Trajectory Vertical
HOW WE TESTED
We were supplied
with a selection
of display and
garden pyrotechnics
by specialists
Epic Fireworks
(epicreworks.com).
From a eld in
Cambridgeshire, we
set up and started
our reworks display.
Each item was lmed
and photographed
using tripod-mounted
cameras and a sound-
pressure level meter.
They were rated for
visual impact ooh
and the noise they
produced ahh.
F I R E W O R K S / 1 1 / T E S T
SAFETY FIRST
PREPARING
FOR LIFTOFF
VENUS
SKY TRAP
This single-ignition
barrage ejects six red
stars that fan out
and explode at their
apexes, turning into
slowly falling silver
strobes. Further
pretty bouquets erupt
into owers and
then morph into
beautiful clouds of
golden crackles.
WIRED Impressive,
long-lasting display
TIRED Gets tedious
50
SPEC
Type Barrage
Shots 42
Diameter 29mm
Duration 40s
Volume from 25m
92dB
Trajectory Fan
ANGELS VS
DEMONS
It takes just 20
seconds for this
barrage to spit out
70 silver spinning
arrowheads. Each
shot corkscrews
20m upwards and
splits into a cascade
of golden glitter,
weaving nicely into
the rising shots.
And its noisy, too.
WIRED Satisfying
TIRED Expensive for
such a short show
80
SPEC
Type Barrage
Shots 70
Head diameter 30mm
Duration 20s
Volume from 25m
88dB
Trajectory Fan
SKY
STORM
Supplied as a triple
pack, each metre-long
rocket reaches 60m
in just two seconds.
The traditional launch
whoosh leads to an
explosion that sounds
like two cannons,
which is followed
by two different-
coloured, but equally
impressive, shapes.
WIRED Double effect
TIRED Big stick could
damage on descent
30
SPEC
Type Rocket
Length 100cm
Head diameter 65mm
Duration 6s
Volume from 25m
80dB
Trajectory Vertical
3. Create a 25-metre
safety zone that extends
in every direction
from where the reworks
will be ignited.
2
5
M
2
5
M
4. The area behind the
reworks zone is
called the fall-out zone.
Angle rockets so that
they land in this area.
FALL-OUT ZONE
5. The wind should blow
towards the fall-out zone,
away from spectators.
Rockets can track into the
wind and tilt after launch.
WIND WIND
2. Put ground-based
fountains at the front,
candles and barrages
in the middle and the big
rockets at the back.
1. Set your reworks on
the ground, ensuring
theres a safe distance
between them for
the rer. Cover and label.
ROCKET ROCKET
BARRAGES
CANDLES

F I R E R F I R F I RR E F I R E F I R E F I R E F I F I R E F I R F I R I F I R E F I R F I R E F I R F I R E F I R F I R E F I R E F I RRR E F I R E FF I R EE R E R E F I R E R F I R FF I R EE F I R E I F I R E F I R E FF I R E F I R E FFF I R E F I R E F I R E F I RRR I R F I R E R F I R E RR E R F I R E F I R F I R E F I R EE F I R EE R E F I R E F I R E F I R E R E FF I R F I R E F I R E F I R E F I R E F I R E F I R E F I R I R I R E F I R F I R E F I R E RR E R E F I R F I R F I R EEEEEE R FF I R E F I R F I R E F I R E F I F I RR E F I R EEEE R E F I R EE F I R E F I R EE F I R E FF I R I R F I R I R I RRRRR E RR E F I R EEEE R EEEEE F I R E FF I R E F I R E I R E I R E I F I F I RRRR F I R E R F I R F I R F I R EEEEEE F I R E R E FF R E RRR E F I R E RR EEEEE F I R EE F I R EE FF I R I R I R E R E R E R EEEEEEEEE R E FF RRR EE R EEE FF I R F I RR E R E F I R EEEE F RRR I R EEEE R EEEE F I R E F RRR EEE RRRR EE F I RR E F I E F I R EE F I RR E II R E RRR E WWW O R K WWWWWWWWWWWW S / 1 1 / T E S T
SAF SA ETYY FIRST RST
PRE P PAR PA ING N
FOR FOR LIIFTO FTOFF F
VENUS
SKY TRAP
This single-ignition
barrage ejects six red
stars that fan out
and explode at their
apexes, turning into
slowly falling silver
strobes. Further
pretty bouquets erupt
into owers and
then morph into
beautiful clouds of
golden crackles.
WIRED Impressive,
long-lasting display
TIRED Gets tedious
50
SPEC
Type Barrage
Shots 42
Diameter 29mm
Duration 40s
Volume from 25m
92dB
Trajectory Fan
ANGELS VS
DEMONS
It takes just 20
seconds for this
barrage to spit out
70 silver spinning
arrowheads. Each
shot corkscrews
20m upwards and
splits into a cascade
of golden glitter,
weaving nicely into
the rising shots.
And its noisy, too.
WIRED Satisfying
TIRED Expensive for
such a short show
80
SPEC
Type Barrage
Shots 70
Head diameter 30mm
Duration 20s
Volume from 25m
88dB
Trajectory Fan
SKY
STO STORMM
Sup Suppli p edd as a t a riple e
pack, each metre-long
rocket reaches 60m
in just two seconds.
The traditional launch
whoosh leads to an
explosion that sounds
like two cannons,
which is followed
by two different-
coloured, but equally
impressive, shapes.
WIRED Double effect
TIRED Big stick could
damage on descent
30
SPEC
Type Rocket
Length 100cm
Head diameter 65mm
Duration 6s
Volume from 25m
80dB
Trajectory Vertical
3. Create a 25-metre
safety zone that extends
in every direction
from where the reworks
will be ignited.
2
5
M
2
5
M
4. The area behind the
reworks zone is
called the fall-out zone.
Angle rockets so that
they land in this area.
FALL-OUT ZONE
5. The wind should blow
towards the fall-out zone,
away from spectators.
Rockets can track into the
wind and tilt after launch.
WIND WIND
2. Put ground-based
fountains at the front,
candles and barrages
in the middle and the big
rockets at the back.
1. Set your reworks on
the ground, ensuring
theres a safe distance
between them for
the rer. Cover and label.
ROCKET ROCKET
BARRAGES
CANDLES

1 5 1
VOGUE ON CRISTOBAL BALENCIAGA by Susan Irvine (ISBN 978 1 84949 311 6) VOGUE ON COCO CHANEL by Bronwyn Cosgrave (ISBN 978 1 84949 111 2) VOGUE ON CHRISTIAN DIOR by Charlotte Sinclair
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Nilufer Dura
Esther Dyson
Michael
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Joakim Ekberg
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Martina Elm
Kemal Erol
Olivier Ezratti
Adam Fisher
Julien
Fourgeaud
Brian Garret
Antoine
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Pascal Gauthier
Cedric Giorgi
Yaniv Golan
Jason Goodman
Richard
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Levent Gltan
Eeva Haaramo
Andr Haardt
Anil Hansjee
Oskar
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Jennifer Hicks
Ben Holmes
Per Holmlund
Uwe
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Tom Hulme
Cedric Ingrand
Gilad Japhet
Anton
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Leslie Kandiyoti
Ali Karabey
Bryce Keane
Robin Klein
Saul Klein
Michel
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Naomi Krieger-
Carmy
Tariq Krim
Dirk
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Mikko Kuusi
Celine
Lazorthes
Loic Le Meur
Yann Lechelle
Nimrod Lehavi
Luciana
Lixandru
Misha Lyalin
Blair MacLaren
Ijad Madisch
Richard Marsh
Nicklas
Mattsson
Gabriel
Matuschka
Richard
Menneveux
Luke Miller
Yuri Milner
Mori Murat
Sander
Nagtegaal
Joost Nauta
Alicia Navarro
Yehudit
Newman
Jake Noakes
Avichay
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Ciarn OLeary
Juan Otero
Raphael Ouzan
Alper Ozdemir
Par-Jorgen
Parson
Alex Pavlov
Hermes Pique
Christopher
Pommering
Sonia Rameau
Dmitry Repin
Jrg Rheinboldt
Oriol Ribera
Danny Rimer
Neil Rimer
Don Ritzen
Pablo Rodriguez
Yaron Samid
Sven Schmidt
Aydo
Schosswald
Willem-Jan
Schutte
Rodrigo
Seplveda
Schulz
Cem Sertoglu
Edward
Shenderovich
Marta Sjgren
Reshma
Sohoni
Ecem
Songelen
Dominiek ter
Heide
Pieter van der
Does
Micha
Hernandez
van Leuffen
Yossi Vardi
Roxanne
Varza
Heini
Vesander
Julin Vinu
Renaud
Visage
Niko Waesche
Thorbjrn
Warin
David
Waroquier
Ella Weston
James Wise
Ksenia
Yolkina
Alice Zagury
Peter
Zonneveld
Sources for the statistics in the Startup Cities feature [p101]:
[London] tinyurl.com/obws82f
[Moscow] tinyurl.com/m9ngm4o
[Berlin] tinyurl.com/lqwg2ov
[Stockhom] tinyurl.com/nh9nlrx
[Paris] tinyurl.com/m9ngm4o
[Helsinki] tinyurl.com/oe6mvjs
[Istanbul: rst stat] tinyurl.com/nttnwnp
[Istanbul: second stat] tinyurl.com/nnjnr8t
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OUR COVER STORY INCLUDING:
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T H E WI R E D C I R C U I T B O A R D
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020 7499 9080 EXT 37 05
Trustees
It is an exciting stage
in the development of
Design Council, which
two years ago merged
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as an independent, enterprising charity. Design
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Design Council seeks three new trustees to act
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Current estimation of the number of planets
in our galaxy that could support life
DATA CLUTTERING OUR INBOXES THIS MONTH.
WE SOURCE EVERYTHING. SEE RIGHT
Total student loan debt in
the US in 2013
The same
in 2003
Number of neuron connections in the brain
2.1 BILLION
AVERAGE NUMBER
OF SEARCH QUERIES
PERFORMED ON TWITTER
OVER 24 HOURS IN 2013
1,000 NANOMETRES
LENGTH OF PANDORAVIRUS,
THE LARGEST VIRUS EVER
DISCOVERED, TWICE
AS BIG AS THE PREVIOUS
RECORD HOLDER
Length of Leedsichthys, the
largest sh ever, which lived
about 165 million years ago
Length of cables in the London
Array which, in July, became the
worlds largest off-shore wind farm
The Curiosity Mars rovers
longest one-day drive, in
metres, which was on July 21
1 billion
Average
number of
likes on
Instagram
in 24 hours
40 milligrammes
Weight of an electrode
backpack for dragonflies,
made by scientists in July
700,000 years
Estimated age of DNA that
scientists recently decoded,
making it the worlds
oldest sequenced genome
Percentage change in global internet page-views when google.com
was down for ve minutes on August 16, according to GoSquared
23:20
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Please turn the page to view Supplement
A F RE E, 4 8 - PAGE S UP P L E ME NT WI T H WI R E D . N O V E MB E R 2 0 1 3
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TOP- END TEST DRI VE PAGE 06 | TI ME FOR AN I MAGE UPGRADE? PAGE 1 2
| TRUE HI - FI SOUND AT HOME PAGE 1 4 | BOOM FOR YOUR ROOM PAGE 1 6 |
THE NEXT LEVEL PAGE 1 9 | OBJ ECTS OF DESI RE PAGE 24 | DI SC WARS
PAGE 38 | PICTURE PERFECT PAGE 40 | 4K RESOLUTION REVOLUTION PAGE 43 |
SLIMLINE SOUNDS PAGE 46 | APP ESSENTIALS PAGE 48
The Extremis
comprises four chunky
separates: a Toucan
headphone amp;
a QuteHD USB DAC;
a Prime pre-amp; and a
Scamp power amp, all
housed in an aircraft-
grade aluminium billet
rack with a handle.
Attach it to a music
source and a speaker
pairing for a sonic
treat. 6,000
chordelectronics.co.uk
3 SOUND& VISION 2013 0 0
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Contributors
Cover photography
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David Rowan
Jeremy White
Greg Williams
Duncan Baizley
Mike Dent
Simon Ward
Andrew Diprose
Ben Fraser
Dalia Nassimi
Kieran Gardner, Miles Johnson
Rupert Turnbull
Rachel Reidy
Claire Dobson
Max Mirams
Madeleine Wilson
Ruby Munson-Hirst
Sarah Jenson
Xenia Antoni
Joanne Packham
Alicia Shepherd
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Louise Lawson
Martin MacMillan
Louise Walbach
Henry Farrar-Hockley, Adrian
Justins, Richard Melville,
John Archer, Steve May
Stephen Lenthall
Swiss Typefaces
SOUND& VISION 2013 4 0 0
elcome to wireds annual celebration of Sound & Vision.
If you like high-end hi- or dreamof turning your living roominto
a state-of-the-art cinema, youll enjoy this special supplement.
We kick off by testing supercar sound systems. Writer Henry
Farrar-Hockleydrewthe short strawfor this youcanfeel his pain
onpage six. Elsewhere, RichardMelville tests the newalternatives
toDSLRcameras. Couldthesebebetterthantheirbiggerbrothers?
John Archer selects what will soon be the finest TV sets on the
market including a gargantuan option that is almost worth its
price-tag. Speaking of televisions, it is apparent that the industry
is moving on from the giddy thrill of 3D redux, and settling on
denitionas beingthefavouredbattlegroundbut is nowtheright
time to invest? Steve May puts us in the picture on page 43.
Withkit likethis, yourmedianeedswill bewell andtrulycovered.
Enjoy your readbut dont break the bank. Jeremy White
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1o hnd ouL more vlslL. www.samsung.com/uk
Studio quality wireless audio. Anywhere.
*Expert Reviews, 26.03.2013. **NFC required for one touch pairing. Manual pairing possible without NFC. Bluetooth required for wireless playback. apt-X compatibility required for lossless playback.
Simply the best combination of audio quality and features
weve seen in a portable speaker
*
Perfect for the Samsung GALAXY range of
phones, including Samsung GALAXY S3 and S4.
HOW WE TESTED
We drove three high-end convertibles fitted with comparable audiophile system
upgrades to assess their acoustic credentials on the open road. Sound quality was
judged with the roof down using a hard-wired iPhone 5 loaded with a playlist of 15
specific tracks each with a bitrate of AAC 256kbps although CD, HDD and radio
players werealsoput throughtheir paces whereavailable. Further marks wereawarded
for ease of setup, user experience and each cars overall handling and comfort.
Bentley GTC V8
Convertible
Naimfor Bentley
PremiumAudio System
The GTC V8s infotainment
system is controlled through an
eight-inch touchscreen above
the gear stick and has an array
of inputs. CD/DVD and SD slots
top and tail the display, and
16.75GB of hard drive, an
optional TV-tuner and six-CD
changer provide the content; ten
speakers, powered by a 1,100W
class-D amplier, take care of
the sound business. Setup was a
tad problematic: the supplied
iPhone connector was faulty, the
SD reader can only read MP3
and WMA les (which rules out
dragging music directly from
your iTunes library), and the
radio lacks DAB a strange
omission for a car of this quality.
Once calibrated, it all sounds
superb but the fact it requires
time and patience to achieve
this is what grates slightly
with this system. Sitting in
a lay-by with your head buried
in the manual is the last
thing you should be doing in
a car as majestic as this.
WIRED Loudness; design
WIRED Too many settings;
unintuitive interface

Total price as tested 171,397

Cost of Naim upgrade 5,365
bentleymotors.com
SOUND & VISION 2013
Mercedes SLS
AMG Roadster
Bang &Olufsen BeoSound AMG
High-End Surround Sound System
Getting your head around the
AMGs entertainment system is
simple. A click-wheel guides
you through the menu on the
dash-mounted display, and most
of the inputs (multi-CD/DVD
changer, digital/analogue cables)
are conned to the glove box.
The DAB radio is excellent, as is
the way you can use the scroll
wheel to tune it like an
old-fashioned wireless. The
optional 1,000W B&O setup
comprises a ten-channel
amplier and 11 speakers. With
the roof up it occasionally
struggles to cope with all that
wattage, resulting in a bit of
cabin rattle. Fold the canopy
away, however, and the
rear-mounted subwoofers have
room to breathe. A pair of
illuminated tweeters poking out
from under the windscreen,
meanwhile, deliver beautifully
sharp detail to complement
the seven mid-range
speakers wrapped around
the inside of the cabin.
WIRED Exceptional clarity
TIRED Dated interface;
some bass issues

Total price as tested 201,485

Cost of B&O upgrade 5,055
mercedes-benz.co.uk
TEST 1
CAR
AUDI O
7 0 0
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TEST 1
CAR
AUDI O
Jaguar
F-Type S
Meridian Surround
Sound System
This is by far the easiest car on
test to congure. A shortcut on
the dash-mounted touchscreen
takes you straight to Bluetooth
syncing mode, and the home
page is split into three options:
multimedia, phone and GPS
navigation. Equally useful is
the location of the media inputs:
the single CD/DVD slot, aux and
How to
TEST YOUR CAR
STEREOS HIGHS,
LOWS AND
MID-RANGE
USB sockets are all squeezed
into the central armrest.
Volume, track and phone
controls are a little stiff and
unforgiving, and theres a
brief but noticeable delay in
implementing the desired
command, but this is a small
blip in an otherwise user-
friendly system. The agship
Meridian Surround Sound
System we tested uses a
12-speaker conguration
with an output of 825W it
has four audio presets, but you
only really need the default
Meridian one. Sound quality
through every source is superbly
balanced, clear and loud. Take
the roof down and you realise
how hard this system has to
work to compensate for the
cars low-cut lines, but audio
performance remains great.
WIRED Easy to use;
excellent sound-quality
TIRED Unresponsive steering-
wheel media controls

Total price as tested 79,230

Cost of Meridian upgrade 1,700
jaguar.co.uk
WIRED hand-picks
three killer tracks
guaranteed to
stretch your in-car
audios capabilities.
Low end
Nitin Sawhney,
Anthem
Without Nation
An unfeasibly deep,
layered bassline
that will challenge
even the most
accomplished of
sub-woofers.
SOUND& VISION 2013 8 0 0
Mid-range
Massive Attack,
Paradise Circus
Staccato hand-claps
and a hypnotic
vocal from Hope
Sandoval punch
through some
portentous electric
piano and bass.
High end
Trentemller,
Take Me
Into Your Skin
The zzing synths
and tambourine on
this epic piece of
electronica will
put your tweeters
through their paces.
P7 Mob||e H|-F| headphones |ose yourse|f |n
mus|o w|th P7. Eng|neered to ra|se the bar for mob||e
sound qua||ty w|th a H|-F| |oudspeaker approaoh
to headphone dr|ve un|ts. L|sten and you'|| see.
bowers-w||k|ns.co.uk
Oonoert for one
Time for an
4K or Ultra HD packs four times as many pixels on to SCREENS AS
REGULAR hd tVS. we pit BOTH TYPES display-to-display to SEE if its worth switching
HOW WE TESTED
We used test signals on the Digital Video Essentials: HD
Basics Blu-ray to optimise the picture quality of each TV
before testing. Input-lag tests were performed by photo-
graphing a time-signal split between each TV and our
reference low-lag monitor. With commercial 4K foot-
age currently scarce, each TV was supplied with a server
containing content lmed using 4K cameras. When testing
HD content, we used identical Blu-ray scenes for direct
comparison these include chapter 12 of Harry Potter
and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (a stiff contrast test) and
The Dark Knights opening scene, which was shot on 75mm
lmand can therefore upscale to 4K with relative ease.
LG 84LM960V
This 84-inch 4K model looks the
part, but the use of edge lighting
causes uneven patches when
viewing. Also, it cant show 4K
digital photos in their native
state and takes too long to
render gaming images.
WIRED Fantastically huge
TIRED Backlight aws; high lag

17,000 lg.com
Panasonic TX-P60ZT65
Panasonics agship 2K plasma
model produces deep black tones
and has a beautifully subtle
colour range, sharp motion
reproduction and excellent HD.
The last word in 2K technology.
WIRED Great picture; smart TV
TIRED Limited video services;
its not actually 4K

3,500 panasonic.co.uk
Samsung UE55F8500
This model supports 55 inches
of screen in a remarkably thin
frame. Its Smart TV system can
learn your viewing habits and
recommend content, and, for
a 2K, picture quality is great.
WIRED Smart TV interface;
picture quality; thin design
TIRED Its not 4K

2,800 samsung.com
Sony KDL-65X9005A
You can appreciate 4Ks detail
and depth here. Powerful
picture-processing converts HD
sources to 4K superbly; this is
a stunning attempt to bring 4K
to the (relative) mass market.
WIRED Sensational pictures;
outstanding audio
TIRED Minor dark-scene aws

6,000 sony.co.uk
Even 4K TVs produce
better pictures if you
calibrate them. These
tips should help you
get the best picture.
1 Turn off all noise
reduction when
watching HD/4K.
2 Reduce contrast
to around three-
quarters of its
maximum to limit
picture noise.
How to
CALIBRATE
YOUR TV
SOUND& VISION 2013 2 1 0
3 Use dynamic
contrast features
only on a low power
level to boost
picture stability.
4 Turn motion
processing to low
power levels, or off
completely, to stop
images looking
over-processed.
5 Use game presets
and deactivate
video processing
for a fast response
when gaming.
LCD with direct (rear)
LED lighting
85in
33ms (good)
LCD with edge LED
lighting,
3D Type: Passive
85in
100ms (poor)
Netix, LOVEFiLM,
Blinkbox, BBC iPlayer
4 x HDMI, 3 x USB,
D-Sub PC input,
built-in Wi-Fi
Netix, LOVEFiLM,
Blinkbox, BBC iPlayer,
4oD, Demand 5,
ITV Player
4 x HDMI, 3 x USB,
D-Sub PC input,
built-in Wi-Fi
LCD with edge
LED lighting
65in
32ms (good)
Plasma
60in
33ms (good)
LCD with edge
LED lighting
55in
Netix, LOVEFiLM,
BBC Sport, BBC iPlayer,
Demand 5, Sony Video
Unlimited, Sony World of
Entertainment TV
4 x HDMI, 3 x USB,
D-Sub PC input,
built-in Wi-Fi
Netix, BBC Sport,
BBC iPlayer, BBC News,
Euronews
3 x HDMI; 3 x USB,
D-Sub PC input,
built-in Wi-Fi
Netix, LOVEFiLM,
Blinkbox, BBC iPlayer,
4oD, Demand 5,
ITV Player
4 x HDMI, 3 x USB,
D-Sub PC input,
built-in Wi-Fi
37ms (good)
Screen
technology
Screen size
Key online
catchup /
subscription
services
Connections
Gaming
input-lag
14-speaker multichannel
audio system
2 x 10W speakers,
2 x 15W bass-woofers
Magnetic uid delivering
65W of total power
2 x 5W speakers,
1 x 10W woofer
2 x 10W main speakers,
2 x 10W sub-woofers
Audio
LG 84LM960V SAMSUNG UE85S9 SONY KDL-65X9005A PANASONIC TX-P60ZT65 SAMSUNG UE55F8500
Samsung
UE85S9
Samsungs 85-inch
set is a showcase
for what 4K/Ultra
HD can be capable
of. Its LEDs are
positioned behind
the screen, helping
to deliver superb
contrast and colour.
The screen oats
within a striking
easel-style frame
that houses its
sound system.
Thankfully,
Samsung has
future-proofed this
beast against any
potential new 4K
formats, so you
wont need to trade
up in a year. Time
to remortgage
WIRED Amazing
design and output
TIRED The price tag

35,000
samsung.com
TEST 2
SMART
TVS
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How can I make my
room sound better?
Before you consider any dras-
tic structural alterations for the
sake of improving your audio
rooms sound, you can make
small adjustments to the space
yourself for a more detailed
sonic experience.
You dont want the room to
be too damped, says Dominic
Baker, audio systems manager
at London-based hi-fi maker
Cambridge Audio. Asimple test
is to talk to a friend across the
room. If you have to raise your
voice, then the room is absorb-
ing energy and is too damped,
so remove any rugs or soft fur-
nishings. If your voice has a lot
of echo, thenit is under-damped
and adding a rug may help.
Youll notice the extremes
of echo and loud chatter in a
minimalist restaurant or bar
with hard surfaces and few soft
furnishings. Recording stu-
dios have polyurethane foam to
reduce similar echo; the home
equivalent is based around
using rugs and curtains to stop
sound reections.
Theres no perfect ceiling
height for audio, dispelling the
common myth that high ceil-
ings are better (a small floor-
footprint with a high ceiling
is far from ideal, for example).
Roy George, technical director
at Naim Audio, says that ceil-
ing height is just one part of
the room-dimension equation.
Other factors arethefurnishings
and power of your system, and
the type and size of speakers.
SOUND& VISION 2013
THE
MEDI A
ROOM
TIP 1
Call in the
experts
You know good sound
when you hear it, but
getting perfection is
a real skill. Qualied
installers can help
you set up your hi-
system and carry out
any work to your
home, whether thats
structural tuning or
putting cables inside
your walls. The best
port of call to locate
a qualied and
professional installer
is cedia.co.uk,
which trains and
recommends the
very best the UK
has to offer.
Where should I place my speakers?
Danish speaker-company DALI recommends that speakers are
placed 25cm to 30cm from a back wall, roughly in a triangular
formation, so that the distance between the two speakers is the
same as the listener fromthe speakers. Ideally, a speaker should
beplacedwiththetweeter level withtheear wheninthelistening
position. This will give youthe best response interms of timing,
says Matt Miller, marketing manager at DALI.
The idea of wall-mounting speakers appeals to many
particularly in rooms where floor-space is at a premium but
theres a sonic pay-of, explains Roy George, technical director at
Naim Audio: This energises the wall, from the acoustic energy
coming from the speaker and the forces generated within the
speaker, and it can have a negative inuence on the sound.
5 1 0
TIP 2
Buy good-quality
cables and speaker stands
You should aim to
spend roughly ten
per cent of your
system value here,
and this extends
to bigger power
supplies on larger
systems. Fat cables
may look ugly but
theyre necessary
for decent sound.
You can hide the
snake-sized
interconnects that
unite music sources
to your amplier.
High-end speaker
stands are designed
to match particular
types and shapes
of speakers, and
you can also often
conceal cables
inside their frames.
What about
surround sound?
Your surround-systemamplier will
have controls tohelpyoumanipulate
sound setup in the room, but the key
to creating a cinema-style efect for
speechandmusicistoget thebalance
betweenyourfront andrearspeakers
correct. Assumingyoure facingyour
TV and behind your seating area is a
wall, you should consider placing a
bookcase or similar behind you, then
aimthe rear speakers directly at the
case todifuse the sound. I
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FOR THE
listening room
Naim Uniti 2 system
(2,795); DALI
Epicon 2 speakers
(3,750); Dali
stands (550)
The Uniti 2 system is
a single box with
wireless-music
streaming, a CD player
and an amplier, all
controllable via an iOS
app. Epicon 2 speakers
weigh 22kg combined,
and work best with
their custom stands.
FOR THE
living room
Linn Akurate music
streamer (4,500);
Linn Akubarik
speakers (15,600)
The Linn Akubarik
speakers are active, so
you dont need an
amplier to hear your
music, just a source
such as the Linn
Akurate box. This will
neatly handle your
digital-music les
while keeping a low
prole, design-wise.
FOR THE
home office
Cambridge Audio
Azur 851A amplier
(1,200); Azur 851C CD
player (1,200); KEF
LS50 speakers (800)
This traditional
amplier-and-CD
combination joins the
diminutive but punchy
KEF LS50 speakers,
which offer power
beyond their size,
but are ideal for an
ofce in which oor
space is limited.
FOR THE
desktop
Onkyo CSN755 (449)
including speakers
The Onkyo system has
the option to stream
Spotify and play digital
music from your
computer wirelessly.
Theres a CD drive
and internet radio
as well. Wi-Fi and
Bluetooth add-ons
are also available,
ensuring the system
remains as future-
proofed as possible.
THE
MEDI A
ROOM
TIP 3
Consider soft
furnishings
Curtains, carpets and upholstery generally absorb high
frequencies useful, but their overuse can unbalance
a room, making audio sound mufed. Adjust the room by
trial and error and use your ears to judge results.
i ts essenti al to understand how a system performs i n di fferent-
si zed spaces. here are four opti ons for a vari ety of si tuati ons
SOUND& VISION 2013 6 1 0
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Ari as uni que speaker di aphragms
consi st of a l ayer of Fl ax encased
i n an ul t ra-t hi n f i bergl ass ski n.
Thi s hybri d mat eri al i s as ri gi d
as Kevl ar and t wi ce as l i ght as
t radi t i onal poly gl ass, maki ng i t an
excel l ent choi ce for sound qual i t y.
Ari a dri vers feat ure a new Zamak
( zi nc/al umi num/magnesi um/copper)
basket and t weet ers are suspended
usi ng Poron, a memory foam mat eri al
devel oped for t he reference Ut opi a range
whi ch reduces di st ort i on t hree-fol d i n
cri t i cal areas of t he audi o spect rum.
Choose t he compact bookshel f
906 or t he f l oorstandi ng 926.
Bot h are a vai l abl e i n W al nut
or Bl ack Hi gh Gl oss f i ni shes
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Exclusive Offer
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Aria 900
Innovation
Extraordinaire.
Focal research has led to
the creation of a new
breed of loudspeaker.
n 1983, a transition in gaming took place.
At one end of the spectrum, Atari, then the
fastest growingcompany inUShistory, leda
Lemmings-like procession of console devel-
opers into the abyss, as market saturation
plungedthevideogameindustryintodecline. At the
other, Nintendo introduced the Famicom (aka the
Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES), a device
whichwouldgoontopopularisethenowubiquitous
D-pad controller while making a household name
of a portly Italian plumber. The NES became the
benchmarkfor everyconsole that wouldfollow, and
remainedinproductionfor twodecades.
That landscape is now unrecognisable; 8-bit
Ricoh CPUs have made way for 8-core AMD ones,
The next level
As S ony and Mi cros of t pre pare f or e i ght h- ge n l aunche s , t he
gami ng world i s prepari ng to power up, wri tes henry farrar- hockley
I
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SOUND& VISION 2013 9 1 0
the game-cartridge superseded by Blu-ray and
DLC (downloadable content); gesture-based inter-
faces and media streaming are as much the normas
bleeding-edge graphics and surround sound. At the
heart of thismultibillion-dollar empireareSonyand
Microsoft, long-standing rivals whose new plat-
forms, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, will vie for
control of thehomeconsolemarket NintendosWii
Uhavingfailedtoreplicatethesuccess of its innova-
tive forebear. Snapping at their heels, meanwhile,
are an emergent crowd-funded microconsole
movement and a new tier of powerful handhelds.
Evenbefore the two principle players have released
their next-gen systems, Sony has won the battle for
hearts and minds. Despite sharing a number of
NEXT-
GEN
GAMI NG
specicationswiththenewXboxsimilar
AMD Jaguar x-86 architecture, Radeon-
based graphics, 4K support, gameplay
videosharinganda500GBHDDthePS4
has the edge in terms of performance,
price and ease of self-publishing for
independent developers. Considering
Microsofts inauspicious unveil at this
years E3 conference (the result, a flip-
op over prospective Xbox One owners
user rights), the Redmond company has
signicant groundtorecover.
espite some early own-goals, the Xbox
One should not be underestimated.
Focusing on convergence over gaming
and publishers over consumers may
have been an error, but that doesnt
mean it lacks the capacity to perform, or
to rethink the way we game. For one, the
higher price-tagensuresthat theconsole
comes bundled with an improved Kinect
sensor requiring less lounge-space to
function, and its capable of tracking
individual fingers and measuring your
heart rate. All it now requires is the
imagination of developers to implement
this in an engaging way. In the mean-
time, the Xbox One titles announced so
far include robotic FPS Titanfall, time-
shift drama QuantumBreak, open-world
zombie-fest DeadRising3andof course
anall-newHalorunningat 60fps.
Second-screenfunctionalitywill likely
become a prevalent feature of next-gen
gaming, too. Microsofts SmartGlass
companion app for Windows and Android devices promises
expanded multimedia controls and contextual film and TV
trivia alongside more appealing in-game interactivity, such as
tablet-controlled drone strikes in Tom Clancys The Divi-
sion, an immersive slice of apocalypse fromUbisoft Massive.
Sony, meanwhile, has gone one better by overhauling its long-
underperformingRemotePlayfunctiontobreathenewlifeinto
its handheld division. Consequently, PS4 games can be played
anywhere with a Wi-Fi signal via the PS Vita, solving that old
gripe of fully-featuredconsoles being restrictedto the home.
Elsewhere, casual gamings ongoing appeal has led to a rash
of crowd-fundedmicroconsoles: compact, inexpensivesystems
opting for convenience over processing power. UK-
based developer PlayJamraised more than $647,000
(413,000) onKickstarter togreen-light the 80Game-
Stick, a USB dongle-sized games machine running
Android Jelly Bean. Its billed as the worlds most
portable TV games console. Then theres Bluestacks
Gamepop a similar concept operating a Netix-style
subscription service Mad Catzs Project M.O.J.O. box,
andtheYvesBehar-designedOuya, another Kickstarter
startupthat attracted$8.95millioninfunding(making
it the second most highly-pledged Kickstarter project
ever, after the Pebble smartwatch). All promise aford-
able plug-and-play gaming on the big screen, with the
potential to tap into a vast catalogue of Android titles.
But without thegraphicsorexclusivedevelopersupport
behind them, they could struggle to make an impact.
Two new handheld systems will also offer high-
spec, portable gaming. The Razer Edge Pro comprises
a 10.1-inch Windows 8 tablet, a dual-core Intel Core
i7 CPU and Nvidia graphics. It comes at a signicant
cost, however. Priced from$1,300, it provides a mere
1.1 hours battery ingaming mode, andweighs inat 1kg
withits optional joystickcontroller attached. At $350,
Nvidias Project Shielddeviceessentiallyaquad-core, Tegra-
powered joypad bolted to a ve-inch touchscreen is a more
afordable option, and can access Google Play titles as well as
streamPCgames froma home computer.
Even more tantalising is the future for gamers looking to
losethemselves inavirtual world. Crowd-fundedadd-ons such
as the Oculus Rift virtual-reality headset (which almost gave
wired vertigo when we tested an early version) are expected
in 2014, followed by the Virtuix Omni treadmill, which allows
userstophysicallyruntheir waythroughrst-personshooters.
Its too soon to predict the success of these next-gen
platforms, but the breadth and scope of todays hardware
augurs well for gamers andgamingalike.
201 4 s vi rtui x omni treadmi ll wi ll
enable i ts users to physi cally
run through fi rst- person shooters
SOUND& VISION 2013 0 2 0
NEXT-
GEN
GAMI NG
This isnt the first time
Ive locked myself out.
And it wont be the last.
Sometimes I forget my
wallet. My gymbag.
My lunch. But music
thats different.
Bose.co.uk
Better sound. Froma wireless speaker that fits in the palmof your
hand. The radically different design of this ultra-compact speaker
delivers clear, full sound you simply have to hear to believe. So pick
up a SoundLink

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2013 Bose Corporation. The Bluetooth

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EDITION
Hi gh- end audi o gear that
looks as good as i t sounds
The capacitive and
resistive loading can
be easily adjusted
from the control deck
Eclipse TD508Mk3
The egg-shaped design
of these speakers
helps eliminate
internal standing- and
diffraction-waves,
generated at the front-
bafe edges, improving
sound quality. The cone
needs to be extremely
light, so breglass has
been used for the 8cm
drive-unit. Its expansive
audio aims to resemble
that of a live concert.
960 eclipse-td.net
EAT E-glo preamp
Resembling a reel-
to-reel tape recorder,
EATs valve-based
E-Glo phono preamp
has three double-triode
tubes per side, guarded
by the circular cases
atop the chassis (hence
the vintage tape-player
look). This high-quality
phono stage features
Mundorf capacitors
as well as a separate
power supply. 5,390
absolutesounds.com Phot ogr aphy: stephen lenthal
W
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FETI SH
5 2 0
The legs in the stand
eliminate vibrations and
ensure a tight low-
frequency performance
8 L COML T HL MUS | C
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aboot oatoa| soooo. ||| |oaop|ooos a'o ||g| oo||t
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The rack-style handles
arent really needed,
but are a nod to TEACs
pro-audio heritage
Teac Reference 501 stack
This stack forms a
high-end mini hi- with
considerable clout.
The 501 consists of
a 90W-per-channel
integrated amplier
with DAC; dual mono,
DSD-compatible digital-
to-analogue converter
with USB streaming;
the new super-high-end
format DSD-compatible
CD player; and a
dual mono, class-A
headphone amplier.
699 each audio.teac.com
FETI SH
7 2 0
Finlux 55-inch Smart TV
Very smart, and internet savvy.
The Finlux 55S8090-T Smart TV will bring a world of
HD entertainment, catch-up TV and on-demand ser-
vices into the comfort of your own living room. Enjoy
Freeview HD, 100Hz picture motion quality as well as
record live TV through USB PVR.This TV also comes
with a USB Wi-Fi dongle thatll allow you to connect
the set to your home network wirelessly.
Whats more, it comes with everything you need in
the box and free next-day delivery, thats what we
call a happy Finnish.
Internet Ready
Smart (inc. Wi Dongle)
Freeview HD
USB PVR Recording
Smartphone App
100Hz Full-HD LED

769.99
MODEL NO: 55S8090-T
Only available online. Visit
with free next-day delivery
direct.com
FINLAND 1964
happy Finnish
FETI SH
Youll need plenty of
space this speaker
weighs 48kg and is
61cm x 48cm x 91cm
Davone Grande
floor speakers
Six sheets of 16-layer
beech wood and a
walnut nish are
used to make each
of these tightly
sealed cabinets. The
individually designed
16.5cm mid-tone drivers
use undamped Egyptian
papyrus membranes
and powerful low-
distortion neodymium
motors. 15,000
davoneaudio.com
9 2 0
FETI SH
0 3 0
A 3mm aluminium
sheet is laser-cut,
folded and then welded
to form the chassis
Absolare Passion
power amp
Standard components
wont do for Absolare
all those used here were
customised for optimum
performance. Two 845
triodes protrude from
each 40kg leather and
aluminium chassis
(they come in pairs).
These run in parallel,
with no feedback,
to deliver 52W of
class-A power. $37,000
per pair absolare.com
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79
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FETI SH
3 3 0
Dont own a Bluetooth-
enabled device?
The speaker also has
a 3.5mm aux-in jack
Tangent Classic BT speaker
The Walnut nish
and oval shape of
the Classic offers a
60s-style Scandinavian
twist on the wireless
speaker. Your device sits
in an elegant wooden
stand while using
Tangents B4Stream
Bluetooth interface to
communicate with the
two 50W bass-reex
stereo speakers. Theres
also a USB port for
charging your iPhone.
449 tangent-audio.com
FETI SH
4 3 0
McIntosh MT5 turntable
A stainless-steel
chassis, a glass
front illuminated by
LED via bre-optic
light-diffusers, and a
glowing, magnetically
suspended platter make
this turntable hard to
ignore. For such a high-
spec piece of kit, its
surprisingly plug and
play, as many of its
components come pre-
tuned to give a standout
performance. 7,495
jordanacoustics.co.uk
Magnetic anti-skate and
horizontal tone-arm
bearings reduce friction
when tracking vinyl
THE FUTURE WI L L BE HERE
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GROW YOUR MI ND
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BJRK
SI NGER- SONGWRI TER
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COSMOLOGI ST AND
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LI AM CASEY
FOUNDER, PCH
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JOSHUA DAVI S
US WI RED
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# WI RE D2 01 3
DAVI D EDWARDS
FOUNDER OF LE
LABORATOI RE, PARI S
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EBEN UPTON
FOUNDER AND TRUSTEE, THE
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ASSOCI ATE PROFESSOR,
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DI RECTOR OF RESEARCH,
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ADAM SADOWSKY
ENTREPRENEUR AND MAKER
OF RUBE GOLDBERG MACHI NES
DEEPAK RAVI NDRAN
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BRAD TEMPLETON
CHAI R OF NETWORKS &
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UNI VERSI TY
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CARL BASS
PRESI DENT AND
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WALTER DE BROUWER
FOUNDER, SCANADU
JANE N DHULCHAOI NTI GH
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NEUROSCI ENTI ST
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CEO, VI DERE
MARCO TEMPEST
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I SABEL BEHNCKE I ZQUI ERDO
SOCI AL AND EVOLUTI ONARY
NEUROSCI ENCE RESEARCH GROUP
(SENRG) , OXFORD UNI VERSI TY
SESSI ON
PARTNER
PARTNER ANCHOR
PARTNER
Sony BDP-S3100
With its striking
asymmetrical
bodywork, this
diminutive 2D-only
Blu-ray player belies
its low-budget price.
The feature set also
impresses, with a
varied selection of
internet TV, plus
Sonys own movie
and music pay-
services. As a media
streamer, the
BDP-S3100 is heroic,
supporting all main
le types from both
USB and NAS. Disc
loading-times are
sprightly: our Hobbit
Blu-ray went from
tray to screen in just
36 seconds. Image
quality is excellent,
but the player can be
a little noisy.
WIRED Media
streaming; solid IPTV
selection; Wi-Fi
TIRED Noisy
disc-mechanism

109 sony.co.uk
To get the most out
of any modern
Blu-ray player it
needs to be
networked. Step-up
models now come
with Wi-Fi built in
for easy linking to
your router. If your
player requires a
wired connection,
and you dont have
Ethernet readily
available, opt for
a HomePlug AV
power-line system,
which extends your
network connection
via the ring main.
A highly rated
solution is the
Devolo dLAN 500AV
wireless+ starter
kit (130 devolo.
co.uk). Its receiver
unit features three
Ethernet ports for
connecting other
devices, and it even
acts as a wireless
access point to
extend your signal.
HDMI, digital optical audio
output, Ethernet, USB
Video Unlimited,
Music Unlimited, BBC
iPlayer, Demand 5, Sky
News, LoveFilm, Netix,
YouTube and more
Web browser,
smartphone control,
le playback
29 x 20 x 4cm
1.1kg
No
Connections
Internet
TV services
Dimensions
(W x H x D)
Weight
Special
features
3D
compatible
SONY BDP-S3100
HDMI, digital optical
audio output,
Ethernet, USB
BBC iPlayer,
Netix, YouTube,
Picasa
Smartphone control,
le playback, Miracast
43 x 18 x 4cm
1.4kg
Yes
TOSHIBA BDX5400
HDMI, digital optical audio
output, Ethernet,
2 x USB, SD card slot
BBC iPlayer,
Netix, iPlayer,
YouTube,
DailyMotion and more
Smartphone control,
le playback, personal
wallpaper, Miracast
43 x 18 x 4cm
1.4kg
Yes
PANASONIC DMP-BDT230
HDMI, optical & coaxial
digital audio
output, Ethernet, USB
BBC iPlayer, Demand 5,
ITV Player, 4oD, Sky News,
LoveFilm, Netix, YouTube
and more
4K upscaler, Web browser,
smartphone control, le
playback, screen mirroring/
Miracast
4.3 x 20 x 4.5cm
1.7kg
Yes
SAMSUNG BD-F7500
2 x HDMI, digital optical
audio output, 7.1
analogue audio output,
Ethernet, USB
Netix,
YouTube,
Picasa
Super Audio CD compatible,
smartphone control, le
playback
4.3 x 2.5 x 5.8cm
2.1kg
Yes
PIONEER VSX-922
GET YOUR BLU-RAY
PLAYER ONLINE
Sonys TV SideView app
(iOS and Android) lets
you use your smartphone
or tablet as the remote
HOW WE TESTED
We delved into these players to assess basic usability and codec uency fromUSB media and across a LAN.
Markswereawardedfordepthandbreathof thestreaminginternetvideoservicesonofer. Wealsotimeddisc-
loadingspeeds withaJava-heavyblockbuster, The Hobbit: AnUnexpectedJourney, andjudgedperformance
onhowwell theydeliveredthediscssoundandvision. Finally, weassessedbuildqualityandoperatingnoise.
This mid-range,
3D-ready player
offers a reasonable
selection of
streaming TV, but
le support across
a network is less
comprehensive
than from one of
the two front-
mounted USBs.
Disc loading is fast
our reference
movie took just 33
seconds to reach its
menu. Audio-visual
performance proved
to be top-notch.
WIRED Superb user-
interface; Miracast
TIRED Limited le-
support via network

130 panasonic.co.uk
Disc
wars
Blu- ray i s sti ll the ci nephi les
choi ce but can the latest
players keep up wi th demand for
streami ng technology?
Pioneer BDP-150-K
Pioneers player
looks backwards
rather than
forwards: its
compatible with
Super Audio CDs,
but offers little in
the way of online
content. Theres no
built-in Wi-Fi, and
le support when
streaming across a
network is limited.
Disc-loading is very
slow, taking 47
seconds to load up
our Hobbit platter.
Still, once its ready
to go, its audio-
visual performance
is ne, and the
player-volume is
library-quiet.
WIRED Hardcore
AV aesthetic
TIRED No Wi-Fi

120 pioneer.co.uk
This full-width,
3D-ready, home-
cinema wannabe has
been designed for use
with AV receivers
and boasts two HDMI
outputs (one just for
audio), a seven-
channel analogue
output and a nifty
dual-core processor.
Theres a wealth of
streaming content
on tap, including
catch-up from iPlayer,
ITV Player and 4oD.
Disc-loading speeds
are decent (The
Hobbit took just 37
seconds) and picture
quality is excellent.
The deck is also very
quiet when running.
WIRED Ideal for use
with AV receivers
TIRED Rather large

250 samsung.co.uk
Toshiba BDX5400
A 3D-capable budget player, this has Wi-Fi and supports
Miracast mirroring from compatible mobile devices.
The overall picture quality is decent, but disc-loading is
sluggish at 41 seconds. Internet-TV choice is a little
thin, with only iPlayer, Netix, YouTube and Picasa on
offer, but you can play most le-types from a USB.
WIRED Wi-Fi TIRED Clunky interface
89 toshiba.co.uk
SOUND&VISION 2013 9 3 0
TEST 3
BLU- RAY
P
H
O
T
O
G
R
A
P
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Y
:
W
I
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S
O
N
H
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N
N
E
S
S
Y
;
D
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D
W
E
L
L
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I
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S
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A
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:
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D
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V
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A
Y
Di tch the bulky camera and take somethi ng sli mmer
for a spin these high-end compacts are DSLR-beaters
HOW WE TESTED
Wetookthecamerastothehighest mountainsinthe
UK BenNevis, Scafell PikeandSnowden. Thechal-
lenging conditions required lightweight, compact
cameras that could perform under pressure. We
timed powered-of to picture-ready, and compared
like-for-like images whenshootingscenes.
Weight
2 seconds
11.9 x 6.7 x 4.2cm
24.3
353g
SONY NEX-7
2.2 seconds
11.1 x 6.4 x 4cm
16.2
299g
NIKON COOLPIX A
1.8 seconds
12.9 x 7.5 x 3.8cm
16.3
350g
FUJIFILM X-E1
3.7 seconds
10.8 x 6.6 x 3.2cm
18
298g
CANON EOS M
4.3 seconds
10.1 x 6 x 2.8cm
14.2
244g
NIKON 1 J3
TEST 4
CAMERAS
Canon EOS M
Although ideal for the beginner,
more experienced photographers
will be annoyed by the lack of
options and slow focus. At this
price level, we think its worth
spending that little bit more for
a fully-featured camera.
WIRED Rugged build
TIRED Slow focus
399 (inc
18-55mm lens) canon.co.uk
Nikon Coolpix A
This quick-off-the-mark camera
delivers portrait and landscape
shots like no other shooter at this
dinky size. The results will beat a
typical entry-level DSLR so its
a good option if space is at a
premium, but the need for the
very best, pro-level snaps isnt.
WIRED Compact; great images
TIRED Fussy focus in close ups
999 nikon.com
Nikon 1 J3
Despite its relatively small 14MP sensor, the J3
delivers some truly great images. Titchy enough for
a city-break satchel, the Nikon is a compact design
masterclass, with easy options for the beginner,
but enough control to keep the pros happy, too.
WIRED Micro build with impressive images
TIRED Manual lens-controls can be clunky
539 (inc 10-30mm lens) nikon.com
SOUND& VISION 2013 0 4 0
Switch your camera to manual and ensure
youre set at the highest resolution, or using
the RAW le format, which will offer more
options when editing on a computer. For
more depth, select a small aperture, such as
f/16, dial down the ISO to 100-200, switch to
manual focus and use the single-shot mode.
How to SNAP LANDSCAPE SHOTS
Sensor (MP)
Dimensions
(W x H x D)
Shooting
from off
ny NEX-7
This Sony looks like
a DSLR that has
shrunk in the wash
and it behaves
like one, albeit with
helpful, info-packed
menus for beginners.
A 24MP sensor and
huge array of
lenses means this
camera bypasses
entry-level DSLRs
and rivals mid-level
shooters. An optical
viewnder takes
over from the
tilting display-
screen when you
put your face near
the camera, so
quick shots can be
easily achieved.
WIRED Easy to use;
speedy start-up time
TIRED The display
screen only tilts up
and down

729 (body only)

sony.co.uk
Fujifilm X-E1
Unashamedly retro,
this is the choice of
pro photographers and
Hunter S Thompson-
impersonators alike.
It is smaller than a
DSLR, but only just,
wedging in the latest
sensor tech used on
Fujis bigger cameras.
The great array of
handy buttons,
switches and
multiple dials for
manual control are
reassuringly rm
and balanced. For
fast action, it can
manage six shots
per second, making
it ideal for shooting
sports. The extra
bulk in your bag is
worth the sacrice
for gorgeous
looks like these.
WIRED Plenty of
manual options
TIRED Bulky
against rivals

899 (inc 18-55mm

lens) fujilm.eu/uk
The X-E1 can take shots
simulating the look of
Fujis lms, such as the
colour-saturated Velvia
P
H
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O
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R
A
P
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Y
:
W
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H
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;
D
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:
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D
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W
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:
R
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C
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A
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L I S T E N AT
WI R E D. CO. UK / P ODCAS T
AL S O AT I T UNE S ,
V I A WI R E D NE WS AP P
OR S UB S CR I B E V I A R S S
T HE DE F I NI T I V E UK
P ODCAS T F OR
T E CHNOL OGY,
I DE AS
AND B US I NE S S
P O D C A S T
P
H
O
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A
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:
W
I
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S
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I s the ti me ri ght to upgrade your TV from 1080p Full HD
to 4K Ultra Hi gh Defi ni ti on? Steve May i nvesti gates
elevision is under-
goi ng a dramati c
change. The f i rst
generati on of 4K
Ultra High Denition
(UHD) TVs offer four times the
detail of Full HD, making yester-
days flatscreens look, frankly,
ratherdrabbycomparison. But is
4K really the start of something
big or just another fad designed
toll the gapleft by 3D?
Formerl y cal l ed Quad
HD because the image is
the equivalent of four full HD
screensstitchedtogether 3,840
x 2,160 (eight million)-pixel 4K
televisions produce images
comparabletothoseseeninlead-
ing edge digital cinemas. This
detail bonanza is not just a boon
for movie lovers but also pho-
tographers. However, although
the new sets offer unrivalled
clarity, questions remain over
content, price and practicality.
To appreciate the benets of 4K
youll need an extremely large
screen (sizes start at 55 inches,
but 65 inches upwards is more
sensible). Perhaps counter-intu-
itively, the idea isnt to go larger
and sit further away, but to
actual l y si t nearer. 4K i s
about trying to rebalance the
SOUND& VISION 2013 3 4 0
4K TV
I
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relationship between the eye of the viewer and the picture on
the screen, explains Chris Cookson, president of Sony Pictures
Technology. In commercial cinemas, weve changed the physi-
cal relationshipbetweenthe size of the screenandpeople inthe
seats. Backintheday, amoviewassomethingthat yousawat the
endof alongtunnel; yousat typicallythreetovescreen-heights
away, as thats where the picture looked the most comfortable.
Today, cinemas are larger and wider; the middle is nowonly 1.5
screen-heights back. And thanks to digital projection technol-
ogy, theamountof informationyoucanperceiveismuchgreater.
The movie industry appears to be moving fully behind the
technology. In Hollywood, the migration to 4K movie pro-
duction is well underway recent fare included After Earth,
Oblivion, Argo, Lincoln and Django Unchained all shot in the
format. Studios have also
been actively restoring
past classics to 4K. Signif-
icantly, Sony Pictures says
it is no longer shooting any
TV pilots in HD; all new
productions are 4K, to pre-
serve their value in tomor-
rows syndication market.
The catch for buyers of
these first-generation TVs
is that this content just isnt
available for home viewing
a huge hurdle in trying to
motivate purchases. Also,
UHDs denser image means muchlarger le sizes, whichrequire
moreefcient compressiontechnologiestokeepdataratesman-
ageable. Consequently, acompleterethinkwhenitcomestovideo
distribution is required. Trials using a newcodec called HEVC
(high efficiency video coding) H.265 have managed to deliver
data rates in the 20mbps to 34mbps range current HDbroad-
castsareabout12mbps. Thediferenceisntthatmuch, certainly
not the four-times greater youd expect it to be, notes
Robert Willox, director of business development at Sony.
ut although HEVC has been successfully tested
with over-the-air broadcasts in Korea and
internet streaming in Japan, mass-produced hard-
ware is some way off. Skys chief engineer
Chris Johns has been keeping a close eye on
the emerging 4K market, but says theres no confirmed
timetable for when HEVC decoding will filter into set-top
boxes and televisions. But he does say that silicon vendors
now have a considerable number of orders for decoding
chipsets. This is all still at an early stage. We need to
learn what works and what doesnt, he cautions. Inter-
estingly, Johns adds that delivering 4K movies is easy,
but thinks sport could be the formats killer app.
However, 4K advocate Toshiba seems convinced that
advancedupscalingtechnologycanbridgethegapuntil native
content ows. Senior product manager Glenn Zanoni says the
brands much-lauded CEVO picture-processing engine has
been reworked specically for 4K. Its all about maximising
whats out there, andthats where our technology is focused.
Sony agrees that, in the short term,
upscaling 1080p is paramount, which is
why its released a range of Blu-ray titles
under the banner Mastered in 4K, so
they are optimised for a UHD display.
Jeremy Glassman, manager for emerg-
ingplatformdevelopment andmarketing
at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment,
says that althoughthe newdiscs are fully
compatible with existing Blu-ray play-
ers, theycontainresidual high-frequency
information that the brands 4K TV can
exploit, and have been mastered with
a wider colour space that the sets can
deliver. Heexplainsthat theSony
X-Reality PROupscaler contains
adatabaseof content algorithms
that helps the TVs picture pro-
cessor intelligently guesstimate
pixels. Couple this to its ability
to interpolate detail fromhid-
den high-frequency data and
you end up with an image which
(subjectively at least) looks
remarkablyclosetonative4K.
4K screens currently have a
significant price premium on
regular full HD sets, but thats
not going to last as volumes
increase. LG spokesman Epic Kim, who
works at LG Displays panel-making
facilityinPaju, SouthKorea, says making
4K LCD panels is not difcult. The Paju
facility has turned full HD LCD panel-
making into a high-volume, automated
art, and the production process for 4K
glass is not dissimilar, he states. The
number of pixels bakedontoa substrate
is simplyquadrupled. Fifty-ve-inch4K
screens are more difcult to make than
the larger models, he condes.
Butdespitethelackofcontentandhard-
ware only just ltering into the market,
4Kisalreadybeingsuperseded. Japanese
state broadcaster NHK is hard at work
on an 8K Super Hi Vision system, which,
at 33 megapixels (or 7,680 x 4,320), is
16x as sharp as full HD. Keiichi Kubota,
NHKs executive director general of
engineering, says that progress has been
sorapidthat thebroadcaster hasdecided
to leapfrog 4K transmissions entirely.
Skys Chris Johns has doubts that 8Kwill
ever become a domestic standard, how-
ever. We believe the largest screen size
UK homes will ever adopt is 84-inches,
he says. And thats only the starting
point where 8Kbegins toofer benets.
I n hollywood,
the mi grati on
to 4k movi e
producti on i s
well underway
recent fare
i ncluded argo
and obli vi on
SOUND& VISION 2013 4 4 0
4K TV

Air Powered
Performance
Sound-tuned by the illustrious Air Studios,
the SC-LX87 brings studio quality sound and
the pinnacle of performance with effortless
Class D amplifcation.
Enjoy app control with iControlAV2013, 4K Ultra HD pass-through
and upscaling, high resolution audio via USB-DAC, USB and network
connection. Multi-zone capabilities also extend entertainment
throughout the home.
tri m enough to squeeze under the largest
TVs, soundbars can deli ver bi g audi o
HOW WE TESTED
Each model was tested with its
own wireless sub-woofer, aside
from the Sonos, where the sub-
woofer is an optional extra.
We compared sound quality
by feeding Dolby Digital sound
to each setup, from a Samsung
F7000 screen, with the TV also
acting as a multichannel hub
from a Sky+ HD box. HD Blu-ray
sound tracks and CDaudio came
via a Sony Blu-ray deck. Where
appropriate, streamedaudiowas
providedviaWi-Fi andBluetooth,
andassessedfor ease of use.
yamaha ysp-3300
Fancifully termed a
slim digital
sound-generator
rather than merely
a soundbar, the
YSP-3300 features
16 mini-drivers that
re individual
sound beams. Its
surround-sound is
genuinely powerful,
but dialogue
doesnt resonate as
much as it should.
WIRED Sleek; HD
audio decoding
TIRED No AirPlay
or Bluetooth

800
uk.yamaha.com
The aluminium body
of the YSP-3300 helps to
dampen vibrations,
making sounds more 3D
Its all about inputs:
the HDMI input on a
soundbar should be
used to receive
picture and audio
from a Blu-ray deck.
The audio is decoded
and amplied while
the picture is routed
to the TV. For other
sources, such as a
How to
GET THE BEST
AUDIO USING
A SOUNDBAR
games console, the
soundbars HDMI
output can act as an
input for multi-
channel audio data,
sent via the TVs
audio return channel
HDMI socket, so
long as all devices
are set to output
Dolby Digital.
Samsung HW-F751
It can be positioned
at or upright, but
the HW-F751s real
bragging rights
come from the
valve-amp tubes,
which can be seen
glowing in the
centre of the bar.
Samsung Smart
TV-owners will like
the proprietary
wireless link, but
theres Bluetooth
for everyone else.
Its audio is warmer
than the all-digital
equivalents, though
the 3D mode is
distinctly echoey.
WIRED Premium
design; valve amps
TIRED Lacks
HD-audio decoding

420 samsung.co.uk
Philips fidelio htl9100
Like the Samsung
and Sonos bars, the
HTL9100 optimises
audio output via a
sensor that detects
orientation. Powered
by rechargeable
batteries, the left
and right speakers
can be split off and
connected wirelessly
for 5.1 sound. Its
bursting with digital
and analogue inputs,
and Bluetooth
handles streaming
audio. Performance
is consistently good,
though the bass
does need tweaking.
WIRED Orientation
sensor; 5.1 audio
TIRED Distracting
LEDs; no display

700 philips.co.uk
panasonic sc-htb770
With a width of
1.2m the SC-
HTB770 offers a
wide soundstage.
It has a separate
media box, wired
connections for
each speaker
section, and a
wireless sub-
woofer. Its six
digital-signal
processing modes
are comprehensive,
but we thought its
performance was
lacking in gusto.
WIRED Broad
soundstage
TIREDNo LCDdisplay

400 panasonic.co.uk
Sonos PLAYbar
An extension of
Sonoss modular,
Wi-Fi-connected
audio system, the
Playbar can be
coupled with other
speakers to build a
5.1 setup. By itself,
it is still highly
capable, streaming
audio from a PC or
smartphone. It has
no HDMI, though,
connecting to a TV
via a single digital
optical output.
WIRED Operated
via a slick app
TIRED No HDMI or
DTS decoding

599 sonos.com
SOUND&VISION 2013 7 4 0
TEST 5
SOUNDBARS
Number
of drivers
Wireless
audio
streaming
HDMI
sockets
Audio-only
inputs
Surround-
sound
decoding
6
103 x 7 x 15cm
Bluetooth A2DP
2 x inputs,
1 x output with ARC
Optical; coaxial,
stereo phonos,
3.5mm line-in
Dolby Pro Logic II, Dolby
Digital, DTS
PHILIPS FIDELIO HTL9100
6
93 x 4.6 x 12cm
Bluetooth A2DP
1 x input,
1 x output with ARC
Optical,
USB,
3.5mm line-in
Dolby Pro Logic II, Dolby
Digital, DTS
SAMSUNG HW-F751
9
90 x 8.5 x 14cm
Wi-Fi
None
Optical
Dolby Pro Logic II, Dolby
Digital
SONOS PLAYBAR
18
100 x 8.6 x 16cm
None: 30-pin Apple,
USB
4 x inputs,
1 x output with ARC
2 x optical, coaxial,
stereo phonos,
3.5mm line-in
Dolby Digital Plus, DTS
HD MA, Dolby TrueHD
YAMAHA YSP-3300
8
123 x 6.8 x 40cm
Bluetooth A2DP
3 x inputs,
1 x output with ARC
Optical
Dolby Pro Logic II, Dolby
Digital, DTS
PANASONIC SC-HTB770
P
H
O
T
O
G
R
A
P
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Y
:
W
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S
O
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H
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N
N
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S
S
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;
D
A
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L
I
D
W
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L
L
.
I
L
L
U
S
T
R
A
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:
R
O
B
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O
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D
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N
.
W
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R
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S
:
A
D
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S
Dimensions
(W x H x D)
LAPSE I T
Create time-lapse videos of up to
1080p resolution with frames taken
as frequently as every second.
Android, 1.99; iOS, 1.49 lapseit.com
DI SPLAYPAD
This app turns your iPad or iPhone
into a fully functional second
monitor for your Mac via Wi-Fi.
iOS/Mac, 1.99 displaypadapp.com
GPLAYER
If youve used VLC on a Mac,
consider this its handy iOS twin.
It plays almost any video format.
iOS, 1.99 tinyurl.com/kpyjla8
TVCATCHUP
Watch UK Freeview TV on your
smartphone or tablet, even over 3G.
Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Windows
Phone, free tvcatchup.com
i PHOTO
Remove red-eye, cut, tag, crop and
enhance using Apples smashing
photo editor for iOS. Essential. iOS,
2.99 apple.com/uk/apps/iphoto
CAMERA+
A delightfully advanced version of
the iPhones built-in camera app,
with editing and enhancement tools
included. iOS, 1.49 campl.us
MI XBI T
From the original creators of
YouTube, MixBit is all about
capturing short videos and mixing
clips. iOS, Android, free mixbit.com
GI F CAMERA
Turn your Android device into an
animated-GIF machine. Point, shoot
and share your seconds-long movie.
Android, free listen5.com
Everythi ng you need to bri ng an enhanced audi o-vi sual
experi ence to the smaller screens i n your li fe
W
O
R
D
S
:
N
A
T
E
L
A
N
X
O
N
S
o
u
n
d
v
i
s
i
o
n
TWI STEDWAVE
A well-featured app that allows
for audio recording from internal
or external microphones.
iOS/Mac, 6.99 twistedwave.com
ANI MOOG
The Moog synthesisers distinctive
sound comes to BlackBerry 10
and iOS. 6.99 (iPhone), 20.99
(iPad), 7.50 (BB10) moogmusic.com
GUI TAR TUNER!
An accurate way to tune guitars
using an iPad or iPhones built-in
microphone, with on-screen cues.
iOS, 1.99 tinyurl.com/m4d5efv
SOUNDCLOUD
Capture sounds around you, keep
them to yourself, or share them
with the world. Android, iOS, free
soundcloud.com/mobile
DOWNCAST
A great way to discover, download
and organise on-demand audio
and podcasts, syncing via iCloud.
iOS, 1.99 downcastapp.com
DJAY 2 FOR PAD
An advanced all-in-one iPad-based
alternative to real turntables for
modern DJs, bursting with pro-level
features. iOS, 2.99 algoriddim.com
TUNETRACE
Fancy turning your photos and
drawings into music? Now you can
with this easy-to-use app. iOS, free
qappsonline.com/apps/tunetrace
THX TUNE- UP
Connect your iOS device to a TV
(via HDMI) and use your smartphone
or tablet to congure it THX-style.
iOS, 1.49 tinyurl.com/lhdgnyd
SOUND& VISION 2013 8 4 0
APPS