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    Knowledge Rules

    The top 5 things I learned while getting high at the Up Experience

    Joel Luks
    Oct 30, 2013 | 12:35 pm

    I got high at the Up Experience. Not from sniffing smelly markers or from imbibing purple drank, but from a barrage of nonstop are-you-serious intel that blows your mind and reframes how you view the world.

    The yearly, daylong conference, held at the Stafford Centre, hosts some dozen speakers of global repute who share their latest research in fields ranging from education, medicine, technology, philanthropy and current events. These influentials are the innovators of today — among them are authors, doctors, inventors, researchers, business leaders and entrepreneurs — who collectively have the pulse on current trends that predict the future.

    It's an impossible task to capture every detail, thought and statistic that was shared in each 20-minute presentation. Instead, below find my top five things that will surely remain ingrained in my gray matter — for better or for worse.

    Cyber Blackmail

    Why do criminals rob banks? Simply put, because of economies of scale, as in more loot in one hit.

    It's the rationale for infamous train robberies of yesteryear, and it's the impetus behind the growth of global Internet no-nos. Criminologist and author Marc Goodman estimates that 600,000 people are cyber hacked every day.

    If you control the code, you control the world. More connections equals more vulnerability.

    Take the Chinese government, for example, which employs more than 3,000 tech geeks to infiltrate firewalls. Blackmail and extortion is big business. In Japan, users of child pornography platforms were threatened with revealing their identities if they didn't fork over large sums of cash. Nevertheless, Goodman warns against attributing virtual misdeeds to international espionage activities.

    Let's not forget why Julian Paul Assange and Edward Snowden gained notoriety in the first place.

    Lesson learned? If you control the code, you control the world. More connections equals more vulnerability. The solution, Goodman proposes, is crowdsourced security, because public safety is too important to leave it only to the professionals.

    The doctor will see you know, her name is Siri

    The modern version of a practicing physician is a dying vocation, posits Dr. Eric Topol. Whereas the general practice of medicine has concentrated on creating protocols that affect the masses, a revolution that has increased the use bio sensors attached to personal mobile devises has the potential to focus on the individual.

    Cars have more than 400 sensors, cellphones have more than 10. Imagine what can happen if personal objects like necklaces, gloves and socks had sensors that could measure vital signs? Diagnose an ear infection via apps? Even predict a heart attack days in advance?

    The future is now. Mobile phone imaging capabilities are in use. Topol predicts that science data analysts will rule the medical industry of tomorrow.

    Your body cannot lie

    There's no fooling former CIA agent, body language expert and author Janine Driver, who can read body language to uncover the hidden stories behind casual, matter of fact statements. Driver, however, advises not to assume that gestures such as shoulder shrugs and half smiles or smirks indicate that a lie has just been told. Instead, automatic responses disclose that there's information withheld. Don't settle for the first response. Ask follow-up questions.

    Driver's tip to look secure and powerful: Adopt the Steve Jobs pose, make a fist and rest it below your chin.

    Charity Paradox

    "We have a visceral reaction to the idea that anyone would make very much money helping other people," Dan Pallotta says. "Interesting that we don't have a visceral reaction to the notion that people would make a lot of money not helping other people."

    Pallotta speaks of what nonprofit organizations label as "overhead," the ratio of administrative costs in comparison to dollars that directly benefit a cause. Two percent of country's gross domestic product is donated to charity, a number that hasn't increased since it began being measured in 1970.

    How can the nonprofit sector grow if it isn't "allowed" to compensate their leaders competitively, if advertising dollars are limited and if risk-taking is frowned upon? If you prohibit failure, you kill innovation — something that's true in any endeavor.

    Leave children alone and they will learn

    Sugata Mitra, professor of educational technology at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, studied how children interact with unknown objects when left unattended. When a computer was installed in a public space in a rural village in India, his research shows that in nine months children's computer literacy grew to the same level as a typical secretary in more developed societies.

    Mitra says that groups of children can learn most things on their own, something that's readily evident in wunderkindJack Andraka, who at age 15 devised a test for the early detection of pancreatic, ovarian and lung cancer.

    Andraka, now 16, inspired by the loss of a close family friend, began his journey with Google searches and Wikipedia articles, but found difficulty in accessing information guarded by pay walls that inhibit the free flow of information, particularly scientific journals. If institutions such as Harvard University can't afford the cost of publishing journals, the price is steep for curious minds who have the ability to change the world.

    And what have you done lately, may I ask?

    Sugata Mitra

      
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    HQ in HTown

    Houston ranks among top 5 U.S. cities for corporate HQ relocations

    John Egan, InnovationMap
    Jun 20, 2025 | 9:00 am
    Houston skyline downtown bayou
    Photo by @joeltexas via Visit Houston/Instagram
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    The Houston area already holds the title as the country’s third biggest metro hub for Fortune 500 headquarters, behind New York City and Chicago. Now, Houston can tout another HQ accolade: It’s in a fourth-place tie with Phoenix for the most corporate headquarters relocations from 2018 to 2024.

    During that period, the Houston and Phoenix areas each attracted 31 corporate headquarters, according to new research from commercial real estate services company CBRE. CBRE’s list encompasses public announcements from companies across various sizes and industries about relocating their corporate headquarters within the U.S.

    Of the markets included in CBRE’s study, Dallas ranked first for corporate relocations (100) from 2018 to 2024. It’s followed by Austin (81), Nashville (35), Houston and Phoenix (31 each), and Denver (23).

    According to CBRE, reasons cited by companies for moving their headquarters include:

    • Access to lower taxes
    • Availability of tax incentives
    • Proximity to key markets
    • Ability to support hybrid work

    “Corporations now view headquarters locations as strategic assets, allowing for adaptability and faster reaction to market changes,” said CBRE.

    Among the high-profile companies that moved their headquarters to the Houston area from 2018 to 2024 are:

    • Chevron
    • ExxonMobil
    • Hewlett-Packard Enterprise
    • Murphy Oil

    Many companies that have shifted their headquarters to the Houston area, such as Chevron, are in the energy sector.

    “Chevron’s decision to relocate its headquarters underscores the compelling advantages that position Houston as the prime destination for leading energy companies today and for the future,” Steve Kean, president and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership, said in 2024. “With deep roots in our region, Chevron is a key player in establishing Houston as a global energy leader. This move will further enhance those efforts.”

    According to CBRE, California (particularly the San Francisco Bay and Los Angeles areas) lost the most corporate HQs in 2024, with 17 companies announcing relocations — 12 of them to Texas. Also last year, Texas gained nearly half of all state-to-state relocations.

    In March, Site Selection magazine awarded Texas its 2024 Governor’s Cup, resulting in 13 consecutive wins for the state with the most corporate relocations and expansions.

    CBRE explained that the trend of corporate HQ relocations reflects the desire of companies to seek new environments to support their goals and workforce needs.

    “Ultimately, companies are seeking to establish themselves in locations with potential for long-term success and profitability,” CBRE said.

    ---

    This story originally appeared on our sister site, InnovationMap.

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