Secure Futures<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
What's coming next?<\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/header>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBe first to find out what\u2019s happening in tech, leadership and cybersecurity.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tStay ahead<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\nThe 1870s brought the race to commercialize electricity and the war of the currents<\/a>. Nikola Tesla demonstrated his invention, alternating current (AC,) by dazzling audiences with an illuminated lightbulb held in his hands \u2013 a neat trick using his body as a conductor. Thomas Edison, who developed direct current (DC,) played dirty. He dubbed AC a menace to public safety and made sure the electric chair used AC, so people would associate it with danger. Later, the rival technologies merged as AC\/DC, bringing electricity safely into workplaces and homes.<\/p>\n19th<\/sup>-century engineers like Bell, Kelvin and von Siemens turned electricity from a curiosity to an everyday essential. The incandescent lightbulb let factories operate around the clock, and the electric motor accelerated the industrial revolution.<\/p>\nWelcome to the mass communication age<\/h2>\n
![\"history](\"https:\/\/media.kasperskydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/92\/2020\/09\/03040951\/097_history_of_electricity-inline-1-1024x640.jpg\")
The electric telegraph launched the mass communication age \u2013 initially delivered via telegraph poles before underwater cables were laid transatlantic. Communication no longer relied on newspapers or snail mail.<\/p>\n
Radio\u2019s invention began mass broadcasting. In 1900, priest Roberto\u00a0Landell de Moura<\/a>\u00a0transmitted his voice five miles across S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil.<\/p>\nIn November 1920, the first commercial radio station broadcast the results of the US presidential election from KDKA<\/a> in Pittsburgh. A hundred years later, the same story will go out on digital platforms, including HD radio and web streaming.<\/p>\nMusic to manifest the future<\/h2>\n
![\"history](\"https:\/\/media.kasperskydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/92\/2020\/09\/03041141\/097_history_of_electricity-inline-2-1024x640.jpg\")
Radio technology also allowed the commercialization of electronic music. Around 1920, Moscow scientist Leon Theremin was researching how to measure the density of gas using audio proximity sensors. Also a cello player, Theremin realized his work could bring about a new way to make music.<\/p>\n
The theremin<\/a> seemed to symbolize the enigmatic futurism of electricity. Blessed by Soviet leader Lenin, it wooed (literally, the theremin has an ethereal, warbling sound<\/a>) concert audiences throughout the world as a manifestation of Lenin\u2019s \u2018Soviet power through electrification.\u2019<\/p>\nSome of those in the amazed audiences thought it was magic. Despite its shortcomings \u2013 a strange appearance and difficulty playing traditional western melodies without keys or strings \u2013 many players worldwide still try to tame this enchanting instrument, I among them.<\/a><\/p>\nThe theremin\u2019s technologies later brought the synthesizer and drum machine. Without it, we may never have heard electronic music \u2013 from Kraftwerk to Hip Hop.<\/p>\n
In 1927, Leon Theremin used similar technologies to invent the first wireless television, but much of his pioneering inventions were shrouded in secrecy behind the iron curtain.<\/p>\n
From 1947 until today, and into the future<\/h2>\n
The next evolution in electricity came faster. Mainstream computing started small, with the invention of the transistor in 1947. Integrated circuits now have several billion tiny transistors squeezed onto a small board<\/a>. By 1959, Bell Labs found they could produce more compact transistors with silicon, starting the silicon or digital age<\/a>.<\/p>\nElectricity\u2019s slow move into our homes and workplaces makes me wonder, what if we\u2019d harnessed it sooner? Could society have advanced faster? Maybe not. Nikola Tesla and Leon Theremin found some fame but little fortune in their lifetimes. They were in the right place at the wrong time.<\/p>\n
And so was Hero of Alexandria. In 10CE, he made the first steam engine and automated devices such as a coin-operated vending machine<\/a>, inventing both steam power and<\/em> cybernetics. But empire leaders didn\u2019t see the potential, perhaps because Ancient Greece was already powered by a cheap and plentiful source of free labor<\/a>.<\/p>\nElectrical growing pains<\/h2>\n
Growing electricity consumption signals a growing economy. Between 1900 and 1930, US demand grew 12 percent each year<\/a>. There\u2019s now similar growth in China and India.<\/p>\nThe electricity industry is in existential crisis: How can it help us prosper while negating the effects of climate change? In April 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic slowed industry, the UK went two months without burning coal<\/a> for the first time in 230 years. Global industry is targeting zero emissions from coal<\/a>. Investment in renewable energies \u2013 like wind, solar and tidal \u2013 must accelerate to ween us off polluting coal, oil and risky nuclear power. There\u2019s some way to go: Renewables are just 28 percent of global electricity generation<\/a>.<\/p>\nFortunately, there are many tech start-ups committed to ingenious solutions to meet the challenges of finding new sources of power. New Zealand\u2019s Vortex Power Systems<\/a> generates low-carbon electricity from waste heat from thermal processes. <\/strong>A controllable vortex, similar to a waterspout, is created from differences between temperate and water vapour. This circulates to produce wind, like a controlled tornado, which connects to a wind turbine to produce electricity.<\/p>\nDigital technologies use a lot of energy<\/h2>\n
Digital transformation has shifted interactions from the real world to the cloud, but the internet isn\u2019t \u2018green\u2019 \u2013 Swedish Royal Institute of Technology KTH estimates the internet made up 10 percent of global electricity use in 2019<\/a>. Data centers alone use as much electricity as some mid-size developing nations<\/a>.<\/p>\nIllegitimate internet use is a new threat. Cryptojacking<\/a> is illicit hacking of computers for power-intensive cryptomining and the subject of extensive Kaspersky research in 2018<\/a>.<\/p>\nWhen there\u2019s cryptomining and other malicious digital activities on unprotected devices, they consume energy, which means carbon emissions.<\/p>\nSergey Lurye, Technology Positioning Lead, Kaspersky<\/p><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n
Businesses can take practical steps to reduce their carbon footprint<\/a>, like optimizing website pages and choosing cloud providers with better environmental credentials. Smarter workplace design can also reduce electricity use.<\/a><\/p>\nProtecting critical infrastructure<\/h2>\n
Electricity helps industry thrive and communities grow. It means better economic, health and education performance.\u00a0Like gas, water, and, many now say, the internet, it must operate around the clock. But it\u2019s not a right for all: 13 percent of the world\u2019s population don\u2019t have access to electricity<\/a>. It\u2019s no surprise who\u2019s missing out: The worst-off communities in Sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\nWhen electricity fails, business and society quickly falter. It\u2019s not just developing countries hit. In 1974, the UK responded to an oil crisis with a \u2018three-day week.\u2019<\/a> Commercial electricity was strictly limited, with early curfews on TV broadcasts and pub openings. A political flashpoint triggered as coal miners went on strike. People speculated that to keep the lights on, the army may have to be called in to transport coal.<\/p>\n
Be first to find out what\u2019s happening in tech, leadership and cybersecurity.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
The 1870s brought the race to commercialize electricity and the war of the currents<\/a>. Nikola Tesla demonstrated his invention, alternating current (AC,) by dazzling audiences with an illuminated lightbulb held in his hands \u2013 a neat trick using his body as a conductor. Thomas Edison, who developed direct current (DC,) played dirty. He dubbed AC a menace to public safety and made sure the electric chair used AC, so people would associate it with danger. Later, the rival technologies merged as AC\/DC, bringing electricity safely into workplaces and homes.<\/p>\n 19th<\/sup>-century engineers like Bell, Kelvin and von Siemens turned electricity from a curiosity to an everyday essential. The incandescent lightbulb let factories operate around the clock, and the electric motor accelerated the industrial revolution.<\/p>\n Radio\u2019s invention began mass broadcasting. In 1900, priest Roberto\u00a0Landell de Moura<\/a>\u00a0transmitted his voice five miles across S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil.<\/p>\n In November 1920, the first commercial radio station broadcast the results of the US presidential election from KDKA<\/a> in Pittsburgh. A hundred years later, the same story will go out on digital platforms, including HD radio and web streaming.<\/p>\n The theremin<\/a> seemed to symbolize the enigmatic futurism of electricity. Blessed by Soviet leader Lenin, it wooed (literally, the theremin has an ethereal, warbling sound<\/a>) concert audiences throughout the world as a manifestation of Lenin\u2019s \u2018Soviet power through electrification.\u2019<\/p>\n Some of those in the amazed audiences thought it was magic. Despite its shortcomings \u2013 a strange appearance and difficulty playing traditional western melodies without keys or strings \u2013 many players worldwide still try to tame this enchanting instrument, I among them.<\/a><\/p>\n The theremin\u2019s technologies later brought the synthesizer and drum machine. Without it, we may never have heard electronic music \u2013 from Kraftwerk to Hip Hop.<\/p>\n In 1927, Leon Theremin used similar technologies to invent the first wireless television, but much of his pioneering inventions were shrouded in secrecy behind the iron curtain.<\/p>\n The next evolution in electricity came faster. Mainstream computing started small, with the invention of the transistor in 1947. Integrated circuits now have several billion tiny transistors squeezed onto a small board<\/a>. By 1959, Bell Labs found they could produce more compact transistors with silicon, starting the silicon or digital age<\/a>.<\/p>\n Electricity\u2019s slow move into our homes and workplaces makes me wonder, what if we\u2019d harnessed it sooner? Could society have advanced faster? Maybe not. Nikola Tesla and Leon Theremin found some fame but little fortune in their lifetimes. They were in the right place at the wrong time.<\/p>\n And so was Hero of Alexandria. In 10CE, he made the first steam engine and automated devices such as a coin-operated vending machine<\/a>, inventing both steam power and<\/em> cybernetics. But empire leaders didn\u2019t see the potential, perhaps because Ancient Greece was already powered by a cheap and plentiful source of free labor<\/a>.<\/p>\n Growing electricity consumption signals a growing economy. Between 1900 and 1930, US demand grew 12 percent each year<\/a>. There\u2019s now similar growth in China and India.<\/p>\n The electricity industry is in existential crisis: How can it help us prosper while negating the effects of climate change? In April 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic slowed industry, the UK went two months without burning coal<\/a> for the first time in 230 years. Global industry is targeting zero emissions from coal<\/a>. Investment in renewable energies \u2013 like wind, solar and tidal \u2013 must accelerate to ween us off polluting coal, oil and risky nuclear power. There\u2019s some way to go: Renewables are just 28 percent of global electricity generation<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fortunately, there are many tech start-ups committed to ingenious solutions to meet the challenges of finding new sources of power. New Zealand\u2019s Vortex Power Systems<\/a> generates low-carbon electricity from waste heat from thermal processes. <\/strong>A controllable vortex, similar to a waterspout, is created from differences between temperate and water vapour. This circulates to produce wind, like a controlled tornado, which connects to a wind turbine to produce electricity.<\/p>\n Digital transformation has shifted interactions from the real world to the cloud, but the internet isn\u2019t \u2018green\u2019 \u2013 Swedish Royal Institute of Technology KTH estimates the internet made up 10 percent of global electricity use in 2019<\/a>. Data centers alone use as much electricity as some mid-size developing nations<\/a>.<\/p>\n Illegitimate internet use is a new threat. Cryptojacking<\/a> is illicit hacking of computers for power-intensive cryptomining and the subject of extensive Kaspersky research in 2018<\/a>.<\/p>\n When there\u2019s cryptomining and other malicious digital activities on unprotected devices, they consume energy, which means carbon emissions.<\/p>\n Sergey Lurye, Technology Positioning Lead, Kaspersky<\/p><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n Businesses can take practical steps to reduce their carbon footprint<\/a>, like optimizing website pages and choosing cloud providers with better environmental credentials. Smarter workplace design can also reduce electricity use.<\/a><\/p>\n Electricity helps industry thrive and communities grow. It means better economic, health and education performance.\u00a0Like gas, water, and, many now say, the internet, it must operate around the clock. But it\u2019s not a right for all: 13 percent of the world\u2019s population don\u2019t have access to electricity<\/a>. It\u2019s no surprise who\u2019s missing out: The worst-off communities in Sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n When electricity fails, business and society quickly falter. It\u2019s not just developing countries hit. In 1974, the UK responded to an oil crisis with a \u2018three-day week.\u2019<\/a> Commercial electricity was strictly limited, with early curfews on TV broadcasts and pub openings. A political flashpoint triggered as coal miners went on strike. People speculated that to keep the lights on, the army may have to be called in to transport coal.<\/p>\nWelcome to the mass communication age<\/h2>\n
The electric telegraph launched the mass communication age \u2013 initially delivered via telegraph poles before underwater cables were laid transatlantic. Communication no longer relied on newspapers or snail mail.<\/p>\nMusic to manifest the future<\/h2>\n
Radio technology also allowed the commercialization of electronic music. Around 1920, Moscow scientist Leon Theremin was researching how to measure the density of gas using audio proximity sensors. Also a cello player, Theremin realized his work could bring about a new way to make music.<\/p>\nFrom 1947 until today, and into the future<\/h2>\n
Electrical growing pains<\/h2>\n
Digital technologies use a lot of energy<\/h2>\n
Protecting critical infrastructure<\/h2>\n