Rahaf is a digital innovation and foresight strategist currently working on her second book, “ArchiTechs: How to Live, Work and Govern in a Hyperconnected world.” She is the co-founder of Red Thread Inc., a consulting agency that provides clients with out-of-the-box thinking to tackle strategic challenges.
Previously, Rahaf was associate director of the Technology Pioneer Program at the World Economic Forum in Geneva, Switzerland. Her first book, “Yes We Did: An Insider’s Look at How Social Media Built the Obama Brand,” was published in 2008. Rahaf was the research coordinator for the best-selling “Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything” and a contributor to “Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World.”
She currently serves on the board of directors for Taking It Global, a non-profit that enables the world’s largest online community of youth to create positive changes in their cities.
Arts + Culture
The Bleak Emotional and Social Premise of Pokemon Go
The original Pokémon television show stressed friendship and loyalty. So why does Pokémon Go feel more like digital dogfighting? Pumping Pokémon full of "stardust," caging them in pokeballs and only bringing them out again for combat: Pokémon GO offers a far bleaker narrative than previous iterations of the franchise. What does it mean when our technology starts to cast aside the standards of decency and morality we hold dear?
Apple Watch
I Heart This Overlooked Feature of the Apple Watch
One of the features that most intrigues me about the Apple Watch is the one that lets you share heartbeats. It’s the sound you hear when you’re being held by someone you love. It’s something that encapsulates our humanity. It’s one of the first ways an expectant mother connects with her child—the fetal heartbeat heard via ultrasound. This little feature has been overlooked in many of the product reviews. I am fascinated by a technological connection that fosters intimacy between two people physically regardless of where they are. Unlike FaceTime or Skype, which replicate a lesser version of someone’s visual presence, sharing a heartbeat pioneers a new realm of digital intimacy that links our bodies and our devices in a new dance of tactile connectivity.
Alloy entertainment
Kindle Worlds Is a Mixed Blessing for Both Authors and Readers
In my last post, I discussed the business implications of Amazon’s new fan fiction initiative, Kindle Worlds. But what does it mean for authors and readers of fan fiction? Kindle Worlds lets writers create stories about television shows created by Alloy Entertainment—including "The Vampire Diaries," "Gossip Girl," and "Pretty Little Liars"—using the same characters, setting, plot points, and story universe, thus producing original derivative fiction. As an author, I looked over the terms offered and a few less-than-attractive elements jumped out at me.
Alloy entertainment
With Fan Fiction, Amazon Continues Remaking The Book Business
As an author who is also a digital innovation strategist, and, perhaps most importantly, an avid fan fiction reader, I was intrigued when Amazon announced Kindle Worlds two weeks ago. If you missed the May 22 announcement, Amazon struck a licensing deal with Alloy Entertainment, a subdivision of Warner Brothers that co-produces some of the CW Network’s most popular television shows. Kindle Worlds will let writers create stories about certain shows with the same characters, setting, plot points, and story universe, producing original derivative works of fiction. Forbes’ Jeff Bercovici cleverly calls it, “an API for IP.”
