Just in case you were spending your July in a faraway place or just taking a vacation from the news, here are the highlights of last month as selected by AMT Lab's editors. 

How to Plan for New Technology

In this article Forbes.com talks through how to plan for change. If there is one thing that this past decade has taught businesses and charities alike, is that a stable economy is a short term situation. Our economy fluctuates, people change preferences in the blink of an eye, and new tech is coming out faster and faster. It's daunting until your make a plan and use these ups and downs to fuel your strategic plan. 

Looking at how Instagram is representative of artists in America

One artist looks at how the representation problem many arts organizations face, is less of a problem online. This is also backed up when you look at who streams music. The demographics are more diverse than those that attend the arts live. The discussion moves from this observation to an introspective look at how the artist really found herself through the medium of Instagram.

Google Lens moves beyond our brains are capable of

Google has been working with AI for some time now, but with it's latest capabilities it steps beyond what most humans can do. In it's early stages it centers largely around identifying plants in varying states of health. Wired walks through what this tech is able to do now. For more on Google's developments in the arts check out our recent #TBT.

The summer is time for feel-good stories too. Here is a podcast from the Guardian about an El Sistema-inspired Opera program, bringing opportunity to kids in South Africa, and breaking down the colonialism that surrounds traditional music programs. And a fun fact about how lava lamps save us from hackers. Stay cool!