Wired’s NextFest – serious diamonds in the flashy rough

Caroline McCarthy has gone to Wired’s Caroline McCarthy has gone to Wired’s (for CNet’s News.com) and, apparently, saw only flashy cool products, that ultimately will not be useful.

I was at the same show and my feeling were completely opposite.

I saw robotic seals that are used in Japan for therapeutic purposes. I saw an interactive robot that was encouraging kids to persevere with speech therapy. I even saw the LifeStraw, a device that allows to save lives by purifying water at a cost of 5$ per year?

Yes, there was a lot of flashy stuff to attract people, but mixed-in, there was a lot of real innovative content. One just needed to know how to look.

The beauty is in the eyes of beholder. So, as it seems in Caroline’s case, is the spot blindness.

P.s. My wife has a - still another - view on the NextFest.