In the world of technology, there are things which are getting better, faster, bigger with every new release. Our computers are faster. They have more memory, more storage, more pixels. And then there are things which swing like a pendulum.

When the swing takes long enough, people forget about what came before. They claim that this time, things are completely new or different.

Facebook Inc., with revenue of almost $86 billion and profit of $30 billion, depends on one thing and one thing only. It is one simple thing. A pixel.

It is the one pixel which is embedded in every site you visit and in every mobile app you download to your mobile phone.

You have to remove “Don't be evil” from your corporate tagline. Next, replace it with an unspoken rule: “Do the right thing (for myself).”

Then start providing a free service. Well, almost free. in exchange for your user’s souls, you give them the ability to search for whatever they desire, every day.

Do customers actually care about privacy enough for companies to pay attention? In recent years, the verdict seems to be a resounding “no.” That could be changing, though.

Big tech is in governments’ crosshairs. There’s no let up in criticism of Silicon Valley’s giants over privacy scandals, social media censorship and alleged abuse coming from monopoly powers. Meanwhile, small business owners lament their fate as Amazon rakes in more and more of their business -- how can they compete? Government must step in!

For many years, “digital transformation” was all the rage, but it meant something different: mainly, hiring consultants or spending lots of money on technology. It was supposed to mean something more fundamental: how to future-proof companies to withstand new challenges and take advantage of new opportunities. But in 2020, companies were forced to make meaningful changes, not tweaks and time-wasting meetings, based on aligning technology with smart business strategy. Years’ worth of change happened in mere months.

As a regular reader of Recurrent Patterns, you’ll know my philosophy: technology should be our servant, not our master. It always should help people in their lives.

A timely example comes from one area of technology that’s close to my heart: Smart Cities.

Recurrent Pattern is the drive to make things better, use science and data to advance our understanding of the things around us, communicate better with each other and do things which have not been done before.

Launching Recurrent Patterns in 2020, I’ve been excited to share ideas that connect the dots between technology, business and the news that moves us.

I hope that you, my dear reader, found ideas useful and can use it as your inspiration for 2021. Here’s a look back at some of my favourites.

Dr Ben Evans is an Associate Professor in Aerospace Engineering and sits on the design team for the Bloodhound Land Speed Record project with responsibilities for aerodynamic modelling.