Nations around the world are stumbling zombie-like into a digital welfare dystopia in which artificial intelligence and other technologies are used to target, surveil and punish the poorest people, the United Nations monitor on poverty has warned.

Philip Alston, UN rapporteur on extreme poverty, has produced a devastating account of how new digital technologies are revolutionizing the interaction between governments and the most vulnerable in society. In what he calls the rise of the digital welfare state, billions of dollars of public money is now being invested in automated systems that are radically changing the nature of social protection.

Alstons report on the human rights implications of the shift will be presented to the UN general assembly on Friday. It says that AI has the potential to improve dramatically the lives of disadvantaged communities, but warns that such hope is being lost amid the constant drive for cost cutting and efficiency.

Big tech companies are being allowed to go unregulated in human rights free-zones, welfare budgets are being decimated and new penalties are being imposed for non-compliance on people who may be digitally illiterate or lack access to the internet. In the UK, he notes, 12 million people, or one in five of the population, do not have essential digital skills needed for modern day-to-day life.

Alston writes that crucial decisions to go digital have been taken by government ministers without consultation, or even by departmental officials without any significant policy discussions taking place. As a result of the absence of accountability, digital technologies are employed in the welfare state to surveil, target, harass and punish beneficiaries, especially the poorest and most vulnerable among them.

A New York-based lawyer, Alston has become a piercing critic of inequality and disdain for basic human rights. In June 2018 he caused major ructions with the Trump administration by reporting that it was cruelly forcing millions of people into deprivation with its tax cuts for the rich. He went on to anger the British government with his damning report on austerity in the UK.

Now he is likely to displease several governments who will find his report uncomfortable reading. He says that the normal state of affairs whereby governments are accountable to their citizens has been turned upside down by the introduction of automated decision-making and the removal of human discretion from welfare systems.

In such a world, citizens become ever more visible to their governments, but not the other way around.

Alstons report also tears a strip out of Big Tech companies who he says are acting as forces unto themselves. The advent of the digital revolution has allowed the private sector to appropriate huge swaths of welfare state almost without public comment.

He points to examples from around the globe of companies involved in welfare systems: Net 1s subsidiary Cash Paymaster Services together with MasterCard were initially involved in South Africas social grant distribution system which raised privacy concerns because of its biometric data collection. In Australia, Indue and Visa helped introduce cashless debit card trials, and IBM was central to the multimillion-dollar Sams system in Canada, the US, Germany and New Zealand.

The report states that in many schemes, the role and responsibility of these corporations are opaque, rendering public accountability impossible. A handful of powerful executives are replacing governments and legislators in determining the directions in which societies will move and the values and assumptions which will drive those developments, Alston writes.

Looking to the future, the UN monitor calls for Silicon Valley to be made accountable through regulation. The self-regulation that has been permitted in the big tech sector, uniquely so among major sectors of the economy, must end and technology companies must legally be required to respect applicable human rights standards.

That includes addressing the increasing use of data matching that is used to punish and criminalize low-income people. It also involves bringing under control the evermore refined surveillance options that enable around-the-clock monitoring of beneficiaries.

The UN report was drawn from Alstons country visits to the UK, US and elsewhere as well as 60 submissions from 34 countries. He concludes on a rallying note, saying it is not too late to drop the obsession with fraud and the undeserving poor.

Instead of inflicting misery on millions, digital technology could be used as a force for good. It could ensure a higher standard of living for the vulnerable and disadvantaged, devise new ways of caring for those left behind. That would be the real digital welfare state revolution.

See the original post here:

Digital welfare state: big tech allowed to target and surveil the poor, UN is warned - The Guardian

Gerry Crispin and other HR Tech Influencers share their takes on how HR can stay on top of the coming shifts in technology.

Influence in HR technology comes from many places, takes many forms and continues to evolve over time. When the HRE/HR Tech Conference team met over to work on this Influencers list, we knew it would be important to consider all aspects of influence. Some have more of a direct and immediate effect on products, while others have a more subtle yet longer-term impact. Its safe to say all, however, are having an important and noticeable impact on where HR technology has been, where it is today and, perhaps most importantly, where it is heading. And that, above all else, informed the decision-making that went into compiling this list, which presents those being recognized in alphabetical order.

Click here to see the full list of the Top 100 HR Tech Influencers.

Gerry CrispinPrincipal and Co-founderCareerXroads

The vision of what is possible is shifting back to the HR and TA leaders. For decades it was mostly the technologist as entrepreneur who built HR solutions that they envisioned would satisfy a 21st century HR function. Today, increasingly, its the TA/HR/TM leaders, who now with years and years of experience and frustration managing those unfulfilled promises who are beginning to drivea new set of solutions.

Replicating flawed processes. Executing on solutions that simply make bad practicescheaper, and more efficient instead of rethinking what is possible with technology that makes a real difference for [all] the stakeholders.

Fully embrace automation that either tackles directly or allows for new approaches to candidate, employee or customer satisfaction. It is, for example, nearly impossible to provide a cost-effective means to offer feedback to candidates. Compliance, consistency and competency are major obstacles that automation and machine learning could solve in ways that would be easily measured in reduced cost of hiring downstream. A failure to aggressively pursue these possibilities will quickly change the landscape of successful employers in the next few years

Trish McFarlaneCEO and Principal AnalystH3 HR Advisors Inc.

Im going against the grain and saying the Core HR functions. For years, areas such as payroll, benefits, compliance and employee relations have been neglected compared to the focus and development spend on other areas of the people experience. Today, vendors are doing some very exciting, innovative development in the core areas. By not only further automating and adding better analytic capabilities in the core areas, but providing enhanced mobility, scalability and security, I predict this will be the season when organizations can be less hesitant on investing in new HCM technology.

I think the first big mistake organizations make is having vendor paralysis. They look at far too many vendors for far too long. The scope should be kept as specific as possible, then deep-dive with 3 top vendors. The second mistake is not being realistic about the amount of time needed to go through implementation. My recommendation is to determine how many hours you think your team will need to devote to the implementation process, then double it.

The most effective strategy is two-fold. First, communicate early and often. Be sure to start talking about the needs LONG before you buy a solution. Ensure that employees and leaders have an opportunity to weigh in on whether the perceived problems are the real problems. The second recommendation is to identify some of your biggest detractors, then pull them into the selection and implementation process. This should be people from every level of the organization. By getting known detractors on board, they become the trusted voice to convince the rest of the employees to use the new solution.

Katrina KibbenCEO and Co-founderThree Ears Media

Those mandatory, read now subject lines arent it! I recommend incorporating a technology onboarding with skill-based training. Youll not only upskill your team on the technical how-to but the techniques that will make the tool most effective.

Empathy. Every member of your organizations has been a job seeker before. Put them in the scenario and highlight whats broken. Most importantly, explain why that hurts the human on the other side of this exchange.

HR technology is creating more efficiencies that improve the overall communication for people on both sides of the equation. Were finally admitting that recruiting communications need to happen across channelsfrom email to mobile and social. Bonus: were even starting to track it.

Dan ShaperoVice President of Global SolutionsLinkedIn

Technology continues to transform the global talent marketplace, with the rise of automation (more than 50%of the activities in the U.S. economy are susceptible to automation) and the shrinking shelf life of skills. Were simply not operating under the same rules that were in place just five or 10 years ago. The majority of candidates (and jobs) can now be found online and via smartphones. Employees and job seekers are more informed about opportunities than ever before, making them more agile than ever. And, gone are the days where the skills an employee acquired while getting a college degree are enough to sustain them throughout a career. Led by this growing skills shortage, demographic shifts and the new rules of work, the competition for talent and getting hired has reached a new level.

In a market so noisy, data is a super power. Just think: Every function within an organization, from supply chain to finance, that has upped their game has used data to do so.As I meet one-on-one with companies big and small around the globe, what Ive learned is that every good leader knows that companies win or lose based on their people, or really, on the quality of their teams. But you cant build great teams if you dont know anything about the people on them. The challenge is, theres poor visibility into the talent companies have, the talent they need to find, and the talent they can develop. Only 8 percent of organizations report they have usable data about talent, and we know from our customers that the data they do have access to is often stale and disconnected. Backed by the right technology, HR leadersand their business partnerwill be armed with the data and insights they need to build teams that can navigate the changing world of work.

In a world driven by division and uncertainty, where employees have countless options and make career altering decisions in real-time, companies must act just as quickly to engage, develop and retain their employees. Employee engagement is quickly becoming one of the most important indicators in gauging organization health and employee happiness. Technologies, such as Glints people success platform, is built on a new approach that is changing the way organizations engage and develop their people. Through understanding employee sentiment and empowering managers with the right actionable insight companies can build stronger cultures where people are happier and can do their best work.

Ben BrooksFounder and CEOPilot Inc.

TALENT MANAGEMENT! HR tech has addressed the more commodity-like plumbing aspects of HR. Emerging technology is quickly moving to help address the more vexing elements of HR including: shaping culture, tapping into unrealized talent potential, empowerment of employees, greater self-directed work and other trends in the future of work. What were once elite professional service offerings for the top-of-the-house become democratized products that get scaled down the hierarchy. The business case for future HR tech will be less about reducing HR operational cost, and instead will be focused on increasing the ROI from the comp and benefits line, now the No. 1 expense in most service businesses.

We are too cautious in HR! I often see HR moving far too slowly and taking a backseat to other corporate functions. Traditionally HR is one of the laggards to adopt emerging technologies in the C-Suitejust compare us to marketing! We need to be more adaptable and quicker to deploy emerging technologies. I also notice that often times HR departments prematurely seek enterprise-wide solutions with cumbersome RFP processes before testing solutions with smaller groups to validate and enhance larger roll-outsor discover multiple solutions are needed. By being more adaptable and decisive, HR can truly be the change agents weve long aspired to be, breaking down barriers to innovation.

Do not make this about HR or the HR budget. This must be about the organizations strategy and driving performance as measured by the KPIs everyone focuses on. The technology you buy should be positioned to make the organization as a whole successful, not just the HR function. Saving 2% of the HR budget is peanuts compared to increasing the output of total people spend by 2%. Focus the technology investment towards solving persistent organizational problems and driving desired performance. And prove it with numbers! As Mike Bloomberg says: In God we trust; everyone else bring data.

Follow this link:

Here's how to respond to dramatic shifts in HR technology - Human Resource Executive

ESPN will use a variety of technologies as part of the AL Wild Card broadcast, including the use of ... [+] their "4D Replay"

With the 2019 regular season in the books, today starts the MLB postseason with the airing of the American League Wild Card Game. For ESPN, who will air the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland As (8 p.m. ET), it gives them a chance to crack open their technology toolbox for both the average fan, and those that want to dig deeper into the numbers. For the first time, ever, ESPN will air not just a traditional broadcast on their flagship station, but a Statcast AI broadcast on ESPN2. The game will be called on ESPN by Matt Vasgersian, analysts Alex Rodriguez and Jessica Mendoza and reporter Buster Olney. On ESPN2, the game will see Jason Benetti do play-by-play with analyst Eduardo Perez and MLB Statcast analyst Mike Petriello. The Statcast broadcast was first experimented with as part of last years Wild Card game, and was also used as part of this years Home Run Derby, which ESPN said garnered good ratings for an add-on broadcast. ESPN will have a Statcast broadcast as an additional hour of Baseball Tonight on ESPN2; a first for the network. Benetti, Perez and Petriello will provide extended Statcast-based coverage preceding the game.

As to what technology fans will see across both broadcasts, it runs the gamut. To start, ESPN upgraded mid-season this year to all 1080p cameras which allows the game to be broadcast in 4K. Introduced last year, ESPN will use their K-Zone 3D to give a better perspective on balls through the strike zone at any angle. Using MLBs Statcast data, it lays over a computer-generated virtual ballpark. Additionally, the broadcast will see the use of ESPNs Hit Tracker that was first introduced during last seasons Wild Card game and used throughout this years regular season broadcasts. Like K-Zone 3D, it uses Statcast data to visualize the tracking of the ball as it leaves the bat, and most notably used for home runs to see launch angle and exit velocity of the ball off the bat. As to how critical Statcast data is to provide additional visualization and context, senior executives at ESPN said it was a game-changer.

Statcast Data Visualized for spray charts

Statcast is very important, said Mark Gross, ESPN senior VP of production. Its where the game is at with exit velocity, launch angle, and defensive shifts. And with baseball being such a stat driven game, the use of Statcast and other analytics provides us with additional resources for fans, as well as players, staff, and personnel as an additional lens to look through at the game.

There will also be what ESPN dubs as the Front Row Cam, a robotic camera that is situated in a narrow box and mounted in the field behind home plate and features robotic pan, tilt and zoom controls.

Statcast data used to show K Zone 3D

But if theres one technical aspect that has garnered the most buzz for ESPN and their baseball broadcasts, its the use of what they call 4D Replay. Introduced as part of the 2018 Home Run Derby broadcast, the system utilizes more than 100 4K cameras placed throughout the stadium surrounding home plate and the pitchers mound, capturing a 180-degree view of a batter at the plate and the pitcher on the mound. What it allows for the production team to do is rotate views around batter and pitcher in a stopped frame to see body position from a sweeping view.

As to how it ties all together, ESPN will leverage the tried-and-true story telling that comes with baseball broadcasts. The key is that visualized data adds one more piece of telling the game story which helps retain viewers in the hyper-competitive media landscape.

Whether its Statcast data visualized, 4D Replay, or storytelling, the additional technology is just one piece in the overall resources at our disposal to provide our viewers, Gross added. You take all of these aspects in our toolbox. At the end of the day, its our job to use them all to tell a story.

ADDITIONAL ESPN WILD CARD GAME INFO

For those that cant watch the game, ESPN has exclusive rights to the AL Wild Card Game on ESPN Radio. Dan Shulman will provide play-by-play with Chris Singleton providing commentary for the American League Wild Card Game on ESPN Radio. ESPN Radio will also provide coverage of the National League Wild Card Game Oct. 1 with Jon Sciambi and analyst Jim Bowden on the call at 8 p.m.

See the article here:

ESPN Pulls Out The Technology Stops For MLB AL Wild Card, Includes Statcast AI On ESPN2 - Forbes

The increase in the power of technology, greater and more equal access to information and other factors have fostered unprecedented growth in the financial technology (fintech) industry. One report (viaGlobenewswire) estimated that the market would be worth $305.7 billion by 2023. Much of the innovation I've seen in the fintech space is coming from non-bank entities, such as venture-backed startups. In fact, research from CB Insights (via CNBC) found that VC-backed fintech companies raised $39.6 billion in 2018, which is a 120% increase from the previous year.

These companies are focused on leveraging technology and the power of the internet to create better solutions for their clients, such as those that offer lower asset management fees and greater transparency. Throughout my time working in the venture capital world, I was able to watch many high-growth technology companies. Many of the high growth potential companies I came across used the power of technology to disrupt industries in a similar fashion to the way I see fintech companies doing today. Here are three of the key trends I've noticed.

Leveraging Computers And Online Platforms

Through computers and online platforms, fintech companies such as Betterment are able to offer their clients traditional banking services as well as personalized products and services without even meeting them in person. And Wealthsimple recently launched an application called "Wealthsimple Trade," which allows anyone in Canada to buy and sell stocks with $0 commissions. Compared to commissions many traders charge, this advancement is significant.

Fintech companies may be able to build better client solutions by allocating more of their internal resources to hiring software engineers. These software engineers can then build scalable services and investment products. Unlike traditional banks with physical locations on every corner, fintech companies communicate with their clientele strictly (or primarily) through technology, which could save them money -- which, in turn, can save their users money. That's a win, win situation.

Developing Analytical Tools

Rapid progressions in technology have fostered the creation of analytical tools that can collect and integrate data to support decision making, risk management and process optimization. Today, fintech companies with agile and scalable quantitative investment strategies could challenge the ability for traditional money managers to deliver value and justify their rates. Even some larger Canadian banks are catching onto this trend and are adding technological tools and fintech solutions to their offerings. One of these banks is BMO, with their robo-advisor BMO SmartFolio.

Removing Financial Barriers

Fintech companies are evolving at a fast pace and removing barriers the financial world. For example, Wealthsimple helped innovate on the financial landscape in Canada by eliminating account minimums. Additionally, fintech companies like Nest Wealth, WealthBar and ModernAdvisor -- online wealth management and financial advisory companies -- offer benefits like financial advice and access to an advisor or manager with their fees. At traditional banks, access to a financial planner or advisor can be quite costly and eat away at the wealth that you're trying to build. Creating solutions through technology has allowed these fintech companies to contend with long-standing banks and investment firms.

To be clear, I believe active investment managers play a key role in the financial markets. However, they may be handicapped by higher fees and costs when compared to the services offered by fintech companies. While an investment manager can only offer their solutions to a limited number of clients in a given period, the tools and programs that underpin financial technology investment firms can generally be offered to more individuals without any effect on their functioning. Technology has increased the speed and quality of information flow and removed geographical constraints, allowing fintech firms and other tech companies to appeal to individuals with lower fees and easier communication.

I am very interested to see what the next few years have in store for the fintech space. I believe we will see continued growth and investment into non-bank entities and startups who are using the power of technology to create better solutions than those offered in the market today. Although the future of fintech is very promising, there are certainly still challenges -- for example, a 2017 report from the Ontario Securities Commission found that 53% percent of Canadian millennials have no investments. As more fintech startups emerge and banks such as BMO and RBC (with a mobile app and online calculators) release their own technology solutions, I am optimistic that these hurdles will be overcome. Overall, individuals should be excited to see the continued rise of fintech companies as they can reap the benefits of better financial solutions.

Read more from the original source:

Three Trends Supporting The Rise Of Financial Technology Companies - Forbes

As Atlassian continues to help customers transition to the cloud, it has made its own internal commitment to ensure the products it delivers to market have trust "baked" into them.

"Our philosophy is that there's no point your data should be accessed other than by your users in the context of your application, and that you should have an understanding of what's happening," Atlassian CISO Adrian Ludwig said on Tuesday during Atlassian Open 2019 in Sydney.

"It shouldn't be accessed by tech support [or] by engineers. There's a whole list of potential things that you might be thinking about [and] they're the kind of things we think about. How do we bake operational environment into a trust model?"

While the company has made certain efforts over the years, such as by launching its public bug bounty program and an incident response hub for software and information technology teams calledJira Ops, Ludwig admitted there's still a lot of work to do.

"We have an internal commitment -- that we're making more and more explicit -- to have our entire security program, our control framework, what metrics we use, and how we're tracking them, to make much of that as we possibly can public. Over time we've been expanding it. But we think we can make it completely public and there's no reason why we can't do that," he said.

"The worse that can be said is, 'Hey you're making a mistake here', and we just improve it, which is really what we're hoping for.

"We're investing a lot in enhancing our controls and we're constantly hiring, which is the form of enhancement that we're making. We're also trying to understand more and more of the types of use cases that exist out there."

He added how the company has also been working on gaining greater third-party security validations, with works currently underway to achieve Federal Risk and Authorisation Management Program (FedRAMP) compliance for a subset of Atlassian services.

"It's not enough to just build a good system if nobody trusts it. If customers don't realise those features exist, the customers aren't confident they have implemented it correctly and done the work to validate it correctly," he said.

One of Atlassian's motivations to build trust, according to Ludwig, follows on from seeing more customers understanding that cloud is now more secure than on-premise.

"Cloud is one of the most underappreciated forms of simplification because it takes away a lot of complexity," he said.

"You don't have to worry about what box is on. You don't have to worry about making sure what operating system it is. You don't have to worry about patching. There's all of this complexity associated with managing your own application that ultimately cloud makes goes away.

"It ends up being a huge improvement in security and in improving that complexity by moving to the cloud."

These commitments come off the back of Atlassian falling victim to some recent attacks.

In May, Trend Micro uncovered a security vulnerability that was present in Confluence Server and Confluence Data Center. The bug enabled Confluence systems to be exploited in a campaign that focused on mining Monero.

Meanwhile, last year a bug found in Atlassian's software, including Jira and Confluence, which resulted in the exposure of private server keys of major companies, such as a TV network, a UK cell giant, and one US government agency.

Continue reading here:

Atlassian touts that it is 'baking' trust into its technology - ZDNet

We dont like the dry air. We dont like the food (and we especially dont like it when it runs out, and we dont get to choose). We dont like the grubby toilets. We dont like queueing to get on (or off). We dont like the planes roar as were trying to sleep. We dont like having to fight for the overhead cabins. We dont like the intermittent wifi. We dont like the bumps of unexpected turbulence. We dont like the chairs. We definitely dont like how much all this ignominy and discomfort costs.

All told, we mostly just dont like flying. And we especially dont like it in cattle class, elbow-to-elbow, fighting for every inch of armrest or glint of sunlight.

But there are technological fixes for almost all of these micro-irritations. And though not all of them make economic sense for us schlubs at the back, a significant number are likely to be rolled out cabin-wide in the years to come. Some will be so slight that we scarcely notice them; others, like functional wi-fi, will be as transformative as the in-flight entertainment systems we now dismiss as commonplace.

See original here:

The technology behind the airplane cabins of the future - Quartz

President Donald Trump meets with China's President Xi Jinping at the start of their bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019.

Kevin Lemarque | Reuters

China is closing in on the U.S. in some areas of technology and could soon even overtake America in certain respects, experts told CNBC.

The world's second-largest economy is already showing some good progress in its push on homegrown industries such as artificial intelligence and chips.

"China is closing the technological gap with the United States, and though it may not match U.S. capabilities across the board, it will soon be one of the leading powers in technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, energy storage, fifth-generation cellular networks (5G), quantum information systems, and possibly biotechnology," U.S.-based think tank the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) said in a recent report.

It comes as Beijing gears up to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1. With much fanfare expected, the event will see the Asian giant flaunt its military prowess in a parade in Beijing and President Xi Jinping talk up the nation's progress

A big part of the nation's development has been technological.

China's digital economy accounts for over 34% of the country's gross domestic product. It's also home to some of the largest technology companies in the world, including e-commerce giant Alibaba and tech conglomerate Tencent.

That's thanks to an internet boom over the years. The number of internet users in China at the end of 2008 totaled 298 million or just over 22% of the population at that time, according to official statistics from the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). That number rose to 854 million at the end of June this year or over 60% of the population.

We have a technology grip from the U.S. that is actually being torn apart by China at this point.

Eoin Murray

head of investment at Hermes Investment Management

Just over 99% of Chinese web-users access the internet on their mobile devices, according to official government statistics. In the U.S. just over 92% of internet users access it on mobile, separate statistics from eMarketer show.

That mobile focus in China has helped companies roll out products quickly and on a large scale.

And China's rise is threatening America's historically strong position in technology.

"We have a technology grip from the U.S. that is actually being torn apart by China at this point," Eoin Murray, head of investment at Hermes Investment Management told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" last week.

But the rise of China's tech industry has been tarnished by allegations of intellectual property theft and claims that the country's technology companies have been copycats.

Whether it is Chinese-designed phones that look similar to Apple's iPhone, or Chinese search or e-commerce companies being compared to Silicon Valley's Google or Amazon, China has for a long time carried the image of a tech follower.

But that image is changing.

"For years, Silicon Valley looked down on China tech and believed it was only copying. But today, there is awareness that China is innovating and getting ahead in certain tech arenas," Rebecca Fannin, author of "Tech Titans of China," told CNBC.

Over the past few years, Beijing has publicly stated its ambitions to develop critical future technology, such as artificial intelligence and the next-generation of super-fast mobile networks known as 5G.

Even before the U.S.-China trade war started, Beijing said in 2017 that it wanted to become a world leader in AI by 2030. Some of China's biggest companies including Alibaba, Huawei, Tencent and Baidu, are all investing heavily in AI. Just last week, Alibaba followed Huawei's footsteps and released its own AI chip.

The US-China trade war is hurting both sides. China's ambition is unstoppable to become a global leader in tech, trade war or not.

Rebecca Fannin

author of "Tech Titans of China"

Beijing has also said semiconductors will be a key area of the Made in China 2025 plan, a government initiative that aims to boost the production of higher-value products. China wants to make more of the chips it uses.

Meanwhile, Huawei, the world's largest telecommunications equipment-maker, has secured more commercial 5G contracts than its rivals Nokia and Ericsson. 5G promises super-fast data speeds and the ability to support new technologies like autonomous vehicles.

Technology has been a key part of the ongoing U.S-China trade war with one company in particular, Huawei, being caught in the crosshairs.

The Chinese technology giant has been put on a U.S. blacklist known as the Entity List which restricts its access to American technology. But this has only sharpened its focus on trying to make more of the components and software it needs. The company has been releasing its own processors for smartphones and recently unveiled its own operating system, in a bid to become less reliant on the U.S.

Washington's response to the rise of China's tech industry has been about containment rather than trying to stay ahead, according to one expert.

"So far it has been primarily focused on slowing China down and preventing critical technologies from flowing to Beijing," Adam Segal, one of the authors of CFR's report, told CNBC. "While there is a growing recognition in Congress and in the White House that the U.S. needs to do more to accelerate innovation at home, the response so far has fallen short."

Segal suggested the U.S. should restore federal funding for research and development to its historical average. This would mean increasing funding from 0.7% to 1.1% of gross domestic product (GDP) annually, or from $146 billion to about $230 billion at the 2018 exchange rate, according to Segal.

Fannin echoed some of Segal's comments and said the U.S. needs a "national agenda" in key technology areas. She added that the current trade war won't stop China's rise.

"The US-China trade war is hurting both sides. China's ambition is unstoppable to become a global leader in tech, trade war or not," Fannin told CNBC.

See the original post:

China's tech ambition is 'unstoppable' with or without the trade war, analyst says - CNBC

What Are the Main Challenges for Tech Pros Managing Todays Tech Environments?

The modern technology landscape is moving at an incredibly fast pace, and IT professionals are struggling to keep up. New buzzwords, tools, and techniques are constantly entering the marketand its crucial for IT pros to keep on top of them. Furthermore, its essential to acquire skills to go alongside them. As the time gap between technology updates gets shorter and shorter, companies are suffering labour and talent shortages exacerbated the lack of resources to provide education and training for their staff.

We explored this issue with our IT Pro Day 2019 survey: Building Confidence for Tech Pros of Tomorrow. The aim was to more deeply understand what tech pros need to build confidence in managing both todays hybrid, distributed tech environments and the futureproof for the complex environments of tomorrow.

How Should Organisations Manage the Impact of the Skills Gap?

The research confirmed IT pros are beginning to feel the impact of the skills gap. In fact, sixty per cent of survey respondents havent actively pursued a new skill or completed a certification in the last six months; nearly 50 per cent of tech pros who began the process of achieving a certification didnt see it through. This was predominantly due to a lack of time to commit.

Finding a way to invest and create time will be paramount to closing this skills gap. The research found increased support and budget from IT and business leaders are the top two requirements for IT pros to become confident at managing current and future IT environments. More than half (54 per cent) of respondents noted full-day, in-person workshops are the best use of time when it comes to learning new IT skills. They also strongly feel management can and should help address the skills gap. Additional support from IT or business leadership is listed as one of the top requirements to become more confident in managing both current and future environments.

How Can the IT Pros of Today Get Ahead?

When companies identify key skills gaps in their workforce, application performance solutions come up time and time again. 53 per cent of IT pros cited user experience and application monitoring as an additional skill required to develop and confidently manage their environment, pointing to the continued prioritisation of end-user experience by management.

The industry should be looking towards whats available to support them through their journey in acquiring new skills. SolarWinds, for example, is dedicated to equipping IT pros with the training and resources to best support their career growth. We have a number of learning environments including the MSP Institute, SolarWinds Academy, and our annual, virtual, online learning event THWACKcamp. We aim to nurture talentand ultimately make peoples jobs easier!

What Skills Typically Sit Outside the Traditional Job Description of IT Pros?

As technology develops, tech pros are being asked the awkward question to pursue areas of work that typically fall outside their job description. However, they dont have the necessary skills. This simply isnt efficient. Respondents to the IT Pro Day survey cited application support, troubleshooting, and monitoring as responsibilities theyre tasked with falling outside their core job description.

How Are Soft Skills Becoming More Integral to Career Growth?

Many companies dont realise, despite innovations in automation, AI, and virtualisation, tech pros are becoming more ambitious in their career growth but lack the soft skills necessary to do this. While some are already pursuing further education to benefit their skills and career growth, nearly half of IT Pro Day survey respondents (46 per cent) cited interpersonal communications skills as most critical to advance their career. Furthermore, more than half named project management (56 per cent) and public speaking (53 per cent) as being crucial to getting ahead.

IT skills are being neglected across the board creating talent shortages and labour challenges. To address this, companies will need to start thinking about incorporating workshops and training days to ensure employees are equipped with the most relevant skills. An effective way to address this is to invest in automated solutions to relieve the burden of work. The automation of the daily, sometimes more mundane tasks frees IT pros up, giving them more time to focus on training.

It will be crucial for business leaders and IT pros to work together on this issue. IT pros play a critical role in the performance and ultimate success of businesses operations. Its vital they be appreciated for this.

Communication and commitment will be keyif business leaders listen to the issues tech pros are experiencing and act on the problem by ensuring the right resource and investment for tech teams, theyll be able to stay one step ahead. The technology industry will simply not slow down, so to keep on top of this skills gapand make sure it gets smaller, not largerorganisations need to act fast.

Sascha Giese, Head Geek, SolarWinds

See original here:

Addressing the skills gap challenge in todays technology landscape - ITProPortal

Foxconn Industrial Internet operates more than 44,000 CNC machines across its global operations. At one point, the companys standard procedure was to replace the cutting blade in its machines every day.

We didnt know when the blade was going to go bad and we couldnt risk that a CNC machine would go out during the middle of production, said Richard Vincent, chief business officer of Fii. A blade is $18. If the machine goes down it would cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars in lack of output.

But changing out thousands of blades every day isnt exactly an efficient use of time and resources, so Fii set about studying around 10,000 of its machines using deep learning and artificial intelligence.

The study showed blades could actually last around 14 days on average. Foxconn also discovered a sensor put on the machine would detect a certain frequency when a blade was within a day or two of failing.

Now we replace the blades every 14 days and we have an alert that if that frequency comes up we know that at the next shift change that particular machine has to be changed, Vincent said. We saved a lot of money because now we dont have to have 40 people changing the blades every single night.

Vincent said Foxconns approach to AI focuses on mixing the domain knowledge of operators and engineers with the capabilities and techniques of data science. Most attempts to apply AI in an industrial setting fail, he said, because data scientists lack an understanding of the specific applications they are trying to improve.

Part of Foxconns business model in Wisconsin will now rely on the manufacturers ability to help other companies leverage technology for the same kind of outcomes as Fiis CNC project.

Well teach local companies how to do AI in their environment the right way, Vincent said. Were going to charge for it, but I mean thats how were going to make money, but we make money and they learn how to do things and their manufacturing process is better and they can grow and hire more people.

Vincent said the model for Foxconn in Wisconsin is reliant on the company bringing new technologies to the region, using those technologies to establish new business lines that in turn grow revenue and then create jobs.

It works in this order, he said. It doesnt work in the other order. It doesnt work where you bring in a thousand people and you figure out what theyre going to do. Thats a recipe for disaster.

Foxconns original plans for its Wisconsin campus called for a massive 22-million-square-foot manufacturing campus that would produce the largest LCD screens in the world from a Gen 10.5 factory. That vision was enough for the state to offer $3 billion in incentives, plus hundreds of millions more in local investments, in exchange for a $10 billion investment and the creation of 13,000 jobs.

Those plans changed for a number of reasons. New York-based Corning Inc. wanted more incentives to build a needed glass factory, the development of other Gen 10.5 plants created a global oversupply and slowing growth and trade tensions added uncertainty to the picture.

Foxconn now says it is building a nearly 1-million-square-foot Gen 6 fab in Mount Pleasant because it provides additional flexibility.

Were going to create the Gen 6 fab to build as many things as we can, Vincent said. Large screens, if it makes sense. Small screens, if it makes sense. We have to have the ability to have options to grow that business.

The Gen 6 fab is just one part of the new vision Foxconn is painting for the Wisconn Valley Science and Technology Park, the 3,000-acre swath of land in Mount Pleasant where the company has begun setting up operations.

Vincent equated the park to a mall, saying Foxconn would be providing the anchor tenants and working to bring in other businesses to fill out the rest of the space.

The Gen 6 fab is the responsibility of SIO International, one of the Foxconn companies included in the original contract with the state.

The other recently announced anchor development is a smart manufacturing center and high-performance computing data center to be operated by Foxconn Industrial Internet, Vincents company. Fii was not among the companies on Foxconns incentive contract, meaning the deal with the state would need to be amended for Fiis jobs and investment to qualify for tax credits.

The manufacturing center will be a 260,000-square-foot factory that will primarily build components for server racks, although Vincent said the company will have plenty of options in how to use the facility.

When we first had the concept for it, the idea was you could take a sheet of metal in one side and out the other side would pop a high performance computing server, Vincent said. Now that weve been on the ground for a little while weve recognized that that is one potential application, but we see lots of other applications.

Vincent said Fii will need to run the factory differently from its facilities in China, which primarily produce a high volume of products with little variation.

That model doesnt work in North America in the electronics space. It just doesnt make sense from a cost standpoint, he said. Were designing the factory to be a high-mix, low- to medium-volume factory in North America but utilizing all of the high-performance, high-capacity capability we have in China.

Fii has already announced plans to build self-serve coffee kiosks for Texas-based Briggo in its Wisconsin facilities and another deal to make smart home security products for San Jose-based Qolsys.

The first plans released for the high-performance computing data center called for a spherical structure that evoked images of Epcot or the Mitchell Park Domes in Milwaukee. Foxconn, however, asked Mount Pleasant to put those plans on hold while it considers design options.

Vincent said the data center is an important part of Fiis strategy of offering technology solutions to customers and partners using AI.

In order to do a lot of AI you need very fast computers, he said. To enable both what were trying to do and what were trying to do for the community, we need the ability to have high-performance computing.

Beyond offering AI capabilities that help manufacturers improve their operations, Vincent said there are plenty of other potential applications. He pointed to health care in which AI can dramatically improve the accuracy of mammograms by focusing the attention of radiologists in potential problem areas.

Foxconns Wisconsin project is now under new leadership after Louis Woo, a special assistant to Foxconn founder Terry Gou, stepped down earlier this year. Jay Lee, a board member and vice chairman for Foxconn parent company Hon Hai Precision, has been designated to oversee the project. Lee is a University of Cincinnati professor and was previously vice chairman of Fii before stepping down for a similar role at Hon Hai.

Vincent said Lees presence has helped unify the various Foxconn businesses operating in Wisconsin behind a single mission.

Now what we have is a more cohesive group of people where everyone has said, Yes, you are the guy, Vincent said, noting it was difficult for Woo to influence the project in some cases because he was not actually part of any of the Foxconn companies operating in Wisconsin.

Were standing up a lot of things all at once in a very fierce environment and at a very fast pace, Vincent said. Hopefully in the next three or four months youll start to see some things happening that will show, OK, theyre not just talking.

Read the original here:

Foxconns Wisconsin plans now focus on technology instead of TVs - BizTimes - Milwaukee Business News

BROWNSVILLE, Texas NASA announced Sept. 27 the award of more than $40 million in contracts to 14 companies, including Blue Origin and SpaceX, to develop technologies that can support NASAs long-term exploration plans.

The awards, with a total value of $43.2 million, are the fourth in a series of Tipping Point contracts from NASAs Space Technology Mission Directorate that support work for up to three years on technologies ranging from propellant production to avionics. Winning companies will also contribute their own funds to the projects, with a minimum percentage based on the size of the company.

These promising technologies are at a tipping point in their development, meaning NASAs investment is likely the extra push a company needs to significantly mature a capability, Jim Reuter, NASA associate administrator for space technology, said in an agency statement announcing the contracts. These are important technologies necessary for sustained exploration of the moon and Mars.

The largest award went to Blue Origin, which received $10 million to carry out a ground demonstration of technology to liquefy and store hydrogen and oxygen. Such technology, NASA said, could eventually be used on a propellant production plant on the moon, converting water ice found there into liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen for use by lunar landers, like Blue Origins proposed Blue Moon lander.

SpaceX received a $3 million contract to work with NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center on coupler prototypes for in-space refueling. SpaceX has previously discussed using in-space refueling of its Starship vehicle, with tankers launched from Earth, to enable missions to the moon and Mars.

Three companies received contracts to demonstrate satellite propulsion technologies for cubesats. Accion Systems, which is developing ion electrospray thrusters, won $3.9 million to develop thrusters with the same performance as cold-gas thrusters used on NASAs MarCO cubesats that flew past Mars last year, but with less mass and power. CU Aerospace will use a $1.7 million award to fly a cubesat with two different propulsion systems. ExoTerra Resource received $2 million for demonstrating a high-impulse solar-electric propulsion system on a cubesat.

Two companies that are part of NASAs Commercial Lunar Payload Services program also received awards. Astrobotic won $2 million to work with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Kennedy Space Center to continue work on small rovers. Intuitive Machines received $1.3 million for a spacecraft vision processing computer and software system.

The Tipping Point contracts are the second set of agreements NASA has made with industry on exploration technologies in the last two months. In July, NASA announced Space Act Agreements with 13 companies to support development of technologies on a no-cost basis. The recipients included Blue Origin, which signed three separate agreements on navigation and guidance systems, fuel cells and high-temperature materials for engine nozzles. SpaceX received two agreements, one on studying the plume interaction with regolith when landing large rockets on the moon and other for work on in-space propellant transfer.

Read the original here:

Blue Origin and SpaceX among winners of NASA exploration technology contracts - SpaceNews

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Global Counter-UAS (Anti-Drone) Market: Focus on Technology (Electronic System, Kinetic System, Laser System), Application (Detection and Interdiction), End Users - Analysis and Forecast, 2019-2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Key Questions Answered in this Report:

The Counter-UAS Industry Analysis projects the market to grow at a significant CAGR of 16.83% on the basis of value during the forecast period from 2019 to 2024.

North America dominated the global counter-UAS market with a share of 56.55 % in 2019. North America, including the major countries, such as the U.S. is the most prominent region for the counter-UAS market. In North America, the U.S. acquired a major market share in 2019 due to the major deployment of counter measures in defense in the country.

The global counter-UAS market has gained widespread importance owing to the growing need to deploy counter UAS systems and overcome the fear of threat by drones. However, legal issues surrounding the technology and challenge of selectivity and sensitivity of drones are some of the factors that are restraining the market growth.

Scope of the Global Counter-UAS Market

The Counter-UAS market research provides detailed market information for segmentation such as technology, application, platform, and end-users. The purpose of this market analysis is to examine the counter-UAS market outlook in terms of factors driving the market, trends, technological developments, and competitive benchmarking, among others.

The report further takes into consideration the market dynamics and the competitive landscape along with the detailed financial and product contribution of the key players operating in the market.

Market Segmentation

The Counter-UAS market is further segmented into technology, application, platform, end-users, and region. The electronic system dominated the global counter-UAS market in 2018 and is anticipated to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period (2019-2024).

While highlighting the key driving and restraining forces for this market, the report also provides a detailed study of the industry. The report also analyzes different applications that include detection and interdiction. In the platform segment, the market is segmented into ground-based, hand -held, and UAV-based. In the end-user segment, the market is segmented into defense, commercial and homeland security.

Key Topics Covered:

Executive Summary

1 Market Dynamics

1.1 Market Drivers

1.1.1 Rising Consumerism and Proliferation of Drone Technology

1.1.2 Growing Need to Protect Intellectual Property Rights

1.2 Market Restraints

1.2.1 Legal Issues Surrounding Counter Drone Technology

1.2.2 Challenge of Selectivity and Sensitivity of Drones

1.2.3 Interdiction Hazards

1.3 Market Opportunities

1.3.1 Attractive Business Opportunities for the Companies Offering Drone Detection Solutions

1.3.2 Innovation in the Product Offerings

1.4 Market Dynamics: Impact Analysis

2 Competitive Landscape

2.1 Overview

2.1.1 Product Launches and Developments

2.1.2 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Joint Ventures

2.1.3 Mergers and Acquisitions

2.1.4 Funding

2.2 Competitive Benchmarking

3 Industry Analysis

3.1 Global Drone Market Outlook

3.2 Emerging Start-Ups and Developments

3.3 Counter-UAV Programs and Spending

3.4 Global Counter-UAS Market: Regulatory Environment

3.5 Industry Attractiveness: Porter's Five Forces Model

3.6 Supply Chain Analysis

4 Global Counter-UAS Market

4.1 Assumptions and Limitations

4.2 Market Overview

5 Global Counter-UAS Market (by Technology)

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Electronic System

5.3 Kinetic System

5.4 Laser System

6 Global Counter-UAS Market (by Application)

6.1 Market Overview

6.2 Detection

6.2.1 Radio Frequency

6.2.2 Radar

6.2.3 Electro-Optical

6.2.4 Acoustic

6.2.5 Others

6.3 Interdiction

6.3.1 Jamming (RF/GNSS)

6.3.2 Spoofing

6.3.3 Laser

6.3.4 Net Launchers

7 Global Counter-UAS Market (by End User)

7.1 Market Overview

7.2 Defense

7.2.1 Defense C-UAS Market (by Technology)

7.2.2 Defense C-UAS Market (by Application)

7.3 Commercial

7.4 Homeland Security

8 Global Counter-UAS Market (by Platform)

8.1 Market Overview

8.2 Ground-based

8.3 Hand-held

8.4 UAV-based

9 Global Counter-UAS Market (by Region)

10 Company Profiles

Other Key Players

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/zbsdyp

Go here to see the original:

Global Counter-UAS (Anti-Drone) Market 2019-2024: Focus on Technology (Electronic System, Kinetic System, Laser System) & Application (Detection...

ALPINE, Texas (Border Report) When Border Patrol agents stopped a bus and made a quick citizenship check on the passengers late this summer at a Sierra Blanca, Texas, highway checkpoint, one man caught their eye.

The mans passport didnt seem to match the individual in front of the agents. They questioned him further and pulled him off the bus. In a matter of minutes, they determined he was in the country illegally and later they would find out he was a French citizen wanted by Interpol on a murder warrant.

TheAug. 6 arrest of 30-year-old Marouana Bahis one example of how border agents are able to detect foreign criminals who somehow manage to enter the United States. The highway checkpoints set up within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border funnel and screen all vehicle traffic before motorists or their passengers are able to get any deeper into the United States.

In between the checkpoints and the authorized ports of entry, an army of federal field agents roam back roads and desert trails on SUVs equipped with four-wheel drive, motorized all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and even horses. Closed-circuit cameras, electronic ground sensors and even aerostatic balloons back them up with technology. Helicopters make daily rounds above mountains, brush and ravines.

This arrest highlights our law enforcement collaboration, including partnerships well beyond our borders. This wanted international fugitive attempted to remain in the U.S. illegally and was stopped by the diligent work of our Border Patrol agents, Big Bend Sector Chief Patrol Agent Matthew J. Hudak said in a statement.

According to Border Patrol officials, sometimes fugitives from the law hide in plain sight, by joining large groups of migrants that come in through areas with little or no border fence and then walk, sometimes for days, around the checkpoints.

In the Tucson, Arizona sector, for instance, Border Patrol agents in August detained a group of migrants that included Carlos Blancas Rojas, 37, of Mexico.Migrants with a criminal record usually dont carry identification or may give a false name. However, once they arrive at a Border Patrol station, the detained migrants are subject to a biometric background check that includes fingerprints, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Such a background check revealed that Blancas had already been deported twice from the United States, the last time in 2008 after serving a sentence for rape of a child. Blancas was charged with felony illegal re-entry, for which he faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

According to the2018 Fiscal Year Enforcement and Removal Operations report from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement(ICE), 256,066 foreigners with deportation orders were removed from the United States. That was a 13 percent increase over the previous year. The majority of those removed, 57 percent, were convicted criminals and 5,914 were classified as being known or suspected gang members or terrorists, a nine percent increase over the previous year.

Data for 2017, the last year for which the agency offers a detailed statistical breakdown, shows that the San Antonio/South Texas area led the nation in removals of foreigners with criminal records with 55,313, followed by El Paso with 21,240, San Diego at 20,945 and Phoenix with 20,786. Dallas and Houston also figured high on the list, with 14,028 and 13,598 removals, respectively.

The report makes no distinction over whether those removed were caught after committing crimes in the interior of the United States or were apprehended crossing the border and their previous records surfaced during processing.

According to law enforcement officials both in Mexico and in the United States, criminals apprehended while crossing into this country generally fit three categories. Some are criminals who flee their countries after committing a major crime or being targeted by other criminals for some transgression; others came over to transport drugs or people for profit, and some are deportees who felt the need to return to the United States by any means possible.

Many were already living here or have families and they want to return to the life they were used to, said Roberto Dominguez, patrol agent in charge of the Alpine Border Patrol station, which is also part of the Big Bend Sector that includes the Sierra Blanca checkpoint where Bah was caught.

Visit the BorderReport.com homepage for the latest exclusive storiesand breaking newsabout issues along the United States-Mexico border.

Read the original:

Border agents use skill and technology to stop fugitives, migrants with criminal records - WHNT News 19

ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Possibilities for Change (P4C), a leading provider of solutions designed to identify and reduce youth risk behaviors, today announced the national launch of the Adolescent Counseling Technology for Nicotine & Tobacco (ACT-NT). ACT-NT is an interactive, evidence-based health assessment & counseling system designed for the unique needs of youth using nicotine products including vaping, cigarettes, and smokeless tobacco.

Developed in part with funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), ACT-NT was created to provide an engaging platform for youth, while also delivering tailored cessation coaching. Using science-based communications techniques proven to be most effective in adolescent behavior change, the ACT-NT technology identifies what triggers nicotine use (e.g., peer influence, stress, addiction) among youth participants and what may motivate them to quit. ACT-NT has been proven effective in reducing nicotine use among young tweens and teens. Youth using ACT-NT had a 34% decrease in the use of nicotine products after 1 month and 44% reduction after 3 months. And 50% of youth reporting vaping took steps to reduce or quit using.

The newest addition to P4Cs suite of youth risk reduction solutions and services, Nicotine & Tobacco is the second program on the ACT technology platform following the initial release of Sexual Health (ACT-SH). The secure, web-based ACT programs are designed to be delivered in both clinical and non-clinical settings, (e.g., in schools, physician offices, or youth-serving community-based organizations); and include three critical components:

Among youth using ACT-NT, 84% opted in to receive the programs health education and tailored coaching, 64% created an action plan to reduce or eliminate their use of nicotine or tobacco and 42% opted to receive text message follow-up.

Quitting nicotine is no easier for youth than it is for adults, explained Dr. Jennifer Salerno, founder of Possibilities for Change. In fact, given what we are learning about adolescent brain development it may be much, much harder for them. We cannot simply tell youth not to vape and punitive policies or grounding them doesnt support them in reducing or quitting use. ACT-NT provides an effective, and (most importantly for youth engagement) technology-based tool in our fight to reduce the nations vaping epidemic.

Learn more about the ACT-NT to reduce youth vaping here.

About Possibilities for Change, LLC

Possibilities for Change (P4C) was founded with the mission of improving adolescent health and saving lives through the early identification and reduction of risks and risky behaviors. P4C delivers practical, evidence-based technology solutions and training workshops to help providers, professionals and parents identify and reduce risks among youth and young adults. For more information, visit PossibilitiesforChange.com

The rest is here:

Adolescent Counseling Technology From Possibilities for Change Reduces Youth Nicotine and Tobacco Use - Business Wire

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Stonehenge School has integrated Boxlight Mimios award-winning classroom technology across its new campus in Amesbury, Wiltshire to enhance students learning experience and future-proof its education provision ahead of continued expansion.

Working in partnership with Oakford Technology, the school has installed MimioDisplay interactive panels in classrooms and offices, as well as the powerful MimioStudio education software which allows teachers to create interactive and imaginative lessons while performing real-time assessment.

As part of a campus redevelopment project to cater for a growing student community, Stonehenge School needed a transformational solution that would reinvigorate the learning experience, improving engagement and reflecting the reality of technology at home and in the workplace.

Following a careful selection process, Boxlight Mimio stood out as the schools preferred technology partner due to its commitment to improving student outcomes, quality customer support, as well as MimioStudios ability to adapt to the schools existing digital resources.

Weve been working with Boxlight Mimio for a number of years and weve trialled their technologies. Weve installed them in other schools, and we have a good working relationship which was crucial to us with the new building at Stonehenge School, says Oakford Technologys Oliver Gee.

The project has resulted in better student participation and improved academic results across the school.

Integrating Boxlight Mimio was an easy decision, says Nigel Roper, Headteacher. It saves time, saves effort and most importantly improves outcomes for students. This technology is preparing them for life in the workplace, and its been a very positive step forward for us.

Our teachers have spent a long time building a bank of resources and being able to transfer them straight over to MimioStudio without any need for adaptation was really important, says Tracy Roberts, Assistant Headteacher responsible for IT infrastructure. The installation was seamless, and the support has meant that our staff felt reassured every step of the way.

We were extremely proud to work with Oakford Technology to bring a next generation learning tool into Stonehenge School, says Hollie Jenkins-Green, Channel Engagement Manager at Boxlight Mimio. With further campus developments on the horizon, were looking forward to continuing our work with Stonehenge School as they keep building upon their mission to revolutionise learning in Amesbury.

Stonehenge School Case Studyhttps://global.boxlight.com/stonehenge

About Boxlight Mimio

Boxlight Group Limited, a subsidiary of Boxlight Corporation, (NASDAQ: BOXL)(Boxlight Mimio) is a leading provider of technology and STEM solutions for the global education market. The company improves student engagement and learning outcomes by providing educators the products they need for the 21st Century classroom. The company develops, sells and services its integrated, interactive solution suite of software, classroom technologies, professional development, and support services. Boxlight also provides educators with thousands of free lesson plans and activities via MimioConnect. For more information about the Boxlight Mimio story and its product offerings, visit http://global.boxlight.com.

About Oakford Technology

Founded as a limited company in 2006, Oakford Technology provides products and services to the UK Education sector, including IT support, telecoms, audio visual equipment and security solutions. Based in the heart of Wiltshire, Oakford has become a leading IT support provider for schools in the surrounding counties and a popular choice for remote IT support from other areas of the UK, driven almost entirely by customer recommendations.

In addition to IT support Oakford is a trusted provider of IT equipment and solutions tailored, tested and proven for the Education sector such as wireless networks for mass use, secure remote access and robust infrastructure solutions.

Oakford Technology has built up a knowledgeable and flexible team with the aim of doing each and every job to an exceptional standard as quickly and efficiently as possible, partnering with and accredited by industry leaders to deliver standards-based solutions with maximum flexibility and reliability.

About Stonehenge School

The Stonehenge School is a small, mixed comprehensive school located in Amesbury, Wiltshire, England for children aged 11 to 16. It has 840 pupils on its roll. The school is increasingly popular and to cater for a growing roll they have recently moved into their 6.5 million new build. Applications for entry into Year 7 have been over-subscribed in each of the last two years.

Original post:

Stonehenge School Complements State-of-the-art Learning Environment With Boxlight Mimio Technology - Business Wire

There is much excitement surrounding the field of brain-computer interfaces (BCI). Take, for example, recent headline-grabbing announcements from Neuralink, founded by Elon Musk, which has the long-term goal of helping to secure humanitys future as a civilization relative to AI. Then, there is Facebooks development of wearable technology that hopes to achieve hands-free communication without saying a word.

Neuralink

Could this actually happen?

While there are no guarantees that telepathy will ever exist, equally, there is no guarantee that it will not. Meanwhile, companies and organizations are making tremendous advancements and we can expect more effective and widespread use of BCIs as they become more sophisticated. Hands-free control of computers and entering data using the brain alone represents a turning point for a number of industriesand is seen as probable, not improbable.

Lets go back to basics for a minute...

What are brain-computer interfaces?

BCIs, also known as neural interfaces, connect the brain or nervous system to equipment such as digital devices or IT systems. Interfaces placed inside the brain, or body, are known as internal, invasive or implanted technologies, as opposed to external, non-invasive or wearable devices.

As immersive technology continues to advance, we will see the interfaces we use to link the physical and digital worlds virtually disappear. Currently, we associate these experiences with cumbersome headsets or interactive touchscreens. In the future, our environments, clothes, or even contact lenses will be the gateway to a new reality. Its also possible that our very brainwaves could provide the commands needed to let AI-driven immersive systems know what we want.

However, BCIs are not just the futurethey are the here and now. In fact, the basic building blocks of neural interfaces have been around for years (we already have brain-controlled artificial limbs) and with the amount of investment that neural technology is receiving, innovation is accelerating.

Getty

Interfaces and medicine

Neural interfaces are already widely used in medicine. The cochlear implant is the most extensively used form of internal interface todayworn by 400,000 people worldwideit allows users to experience hearing, despite damage to parts of their cochlea or inner ear. Other sensory implants, such as retinal and vestibular implants, are at a much earlier stage of development.

On the external side of things, one of the most mature external interfaces has been around since the 1960sFunctional Electrical Stimulation (FES)which helps people to recover motor function. Outside of medicine, external interfaces are increasingly being used to play games, control equipment and enhance memory, concentration, and physical performance. There are no cases of internal devices used for non-medical purposes, other than research.

Getty

Electroencephalography (EEG) sensors

In areas other than medicine, a number of forward-thinking companies are already looking at BCIsthe gaming world is making significant advancements. For example, Valve is exploring the use of brain-computer interfaces to create adaptive gameplay able to respond to the emotions or ability of the player. This could be achieved through placing Electroencephalography (EEG) sensors in VR headsets.

EEG sensors are used to record brain signals and are one of the most widely used external interfaces. Historically, they have been used in medicine and research, but other industries are now showing interest. For example, automotive companies have already used EEG to analyze signals of drowsy drivingeye blink level and yawningas the electric fields produced by brain activity are a highly effective physiological indicator for assessing vigilance states.

UC San Diego

Brain-computer interfaces for the transportation and AEC industries

Trimble and Neurable have partnered to explore the use of brain-computer interfaces for the transportation and AEC industries. The two companies share a vision of using neurotechnology to support digital transformation by providing a bi-directional feedback loop, driving increased safety and productivity.

Trimble and Neurable will leverage biosignals, such as brain activity combined with eye-tracking technology, to improve training efficiency, driver safety, and high-risk front-line worker safety, as well as provide insights to augment the benefits of a simulation and design evaluation.

Neurable

Speaking with Aviad Almagor, senior director of Mixed Reality and BCI at Trimble, I learned that the company explores the use of biofeedback to identify and capture client experience during the design evaluation workflow. The multimodal biofeedback approach fuses virtual reality (VR), electroencephalogram (EEG) and eye-tracking to provide insight into human response and enrich designers understanding of the potential impact of their work. The suggested solution enables quantification of the experience as part of an evidence-based design workflow.

Trimble

For Trimble, the benefits of using BCI are clear, Using BCI as part of an evidence-based design process can help designers better understand the impact of their work, define target experiences, and design for affordances to support the occupants productivity and wellbeing.

Looking to the future, Almagor said, The disruption we should be preparing for is fusion-based; integration of ubiquitous computing, XR, BCI, and AI. This disruption will completely merge digital with the physical, transform the nature of our experiences and the way we perceive and interact with the world.

Even though BCIs are rapidly progressing, the brain is a massive thing to tackle and many implants require open-brain surgery. Then there are the ethical questionsaccess to peoples thoughts could be an abuse of human rights and there is already evidence of the possibility of hacking neural interfaces.

In its neural interfaces report, iHuman, the Royal Society covers the current and future applications and explores the potential benefits and risks of the technologies. The Royal Society proposes the public are given a clear voice in shaping how this technology is used and regulated over the coming years.

Anindependent public dialogueexercise commissioned by the Royal Society and conducted by Hopkins Van Mil found strong support for neural interfaces in situations where they enable patients to recover something that has been lost due to injury or a medical condition; but less support for the technology when it is used to enhance functions such as memory, concentration or physical skills among healthy people.

Trimble

Despite the potential issues, the development of interfaces that allow us to combine the intricacies of human thought with the processing might of AI is an amazing advancement for humankind. We just must make sure the technology is used in the right way, controls are in place, and a regulatory framework manages the impact.

Link:

Brain-Computer Technology Is Accelerating. Will We Soon Be Typing With Our Minds? - Forbes

MUMBAI: Following its acquisition by Salesforce for $15.3 billion, Tableau is looking to scale aggresively scale in its existing markets including India in various sectors like banking, government, retail, technology, among others, according to Dan Miller Dan Miller as Executive Vice President of Worldwide Field Sales.

The company is betting on finding areas where Salesforce and Tableaus offerings dont overlap. We took a look at where they are versus where we are (in India) and it's pretty similar around the world. There is some overlap, but there's a lot of areas where we don't overlap...We are speaking to people in different vertical markets - banking, government, retail, high tech.

The company has followed a scaling strategy in the last three years which led to the Indian expansion with new strategies, he said. The focus has been on scaling - in the enterprise business, scaling our partner ecosystem, scaling internationally, a new license model, scaling our user types...In India, specifically, we don't publicly report what our revenue is, what the number of customers and partners we have. But I can tell you that it's growing. If you take just the number of employees we have, compared to Salesforce, it's about a five X - five fold difference.

He said that the automotive industry would however would find it a bit more difficult to adapt better to harnessing data, There's only one industry...it's just it's going to be a challenge...is automotive, I think they have a long term transformation in front of them.

On the acquisiton by Salesforce he said , We're really excited about their culture in strikingly similar to tableau. We're excited about their focus on customers and customer community.

Link:

Tableau looking to expand in India in banking, government, retail, technology sectors - Economic Times

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Asia Pacific Vaccines Market to 2027 - Regional Analysis and Forecasts by Technology; Route of Administration; Patient Type, and Country" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Asia Pacific vaccines market is expected to reach US$ 12,631.4 Mn in 2027 from US$ 7,254.5 Mn in 2018. The market is estimated to grow with a CAGR of 6.4% from 2019-2027.

Every year thousands of children in Asia Pacific region die, and many more are hospitalized due to diseases which are preventable by vaccines. The treatment cost of these diseases is very high. According to the Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, one in every five children in Asia Pacific region don't have access to basic vaccines.

Thus in Asia Pacific region, many awareness programs have been undertaken by the government in order to raise awareness among the population. The Immunization Partners in Asia Pacific (IPAP) arranged the 6th Asian Vaccine Conference (ASVAC 2017), in April 2017 at Singapore. The countries in the Asia Pacific region are joining forces to eradicate infectious diseases like measles, diphtheria, rubella, pertussis, and others through vaccinations. There are several vaccination programs, campaigns, conferences, being held in the Asia Pacific region in order to raise awareness among the population. For instance, India, along with other WHO South East Asia Region member countries, has initiated a campaign to eradicate measles and control rubella/congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) by 2020.

The campaigns by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare aims to immunize 41 crore children in India. The first phase of the campaign was successfully completed in February 2017 in five states, namely, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry. Over 3.3 crore children were vaccinated, reaching out to 97% of the targeted age group. The campaign was conducted in schools, community centers, and other health facilities.

In 2018, the conjugate vaccines segment held the largest market share of 27.2% of the vaccines market, by type. This segment is also expected to dominate the market in 2027 owing to the advantages offered by the vaccines for diseases such as pneumonia and others. Furthermore, the conjugate vaccines segment is anticipated to witness the significant growth rate during the forecast period, 2019 to 2027.

Asia Pacific vaccines market by the disease indication was led by the other segments, which has included diseases such as poliomyelitis (polio), measles, mumps, rubella, pneumococcal infections, and others. The others segment has the largest market share in 2018, which accounted for 59.6% and is expected to dominate the market in 2027. Similarly, the vaccines market by the route of administration was led by the injectable segment. Whereas, the market of the vaccines in the Asia Pacific by the patient type was led by the pediatric segment.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Introduction

1.1 Scope Of The Study

1.2 Report Guidance

2. Asia Pacific Vaccines Market - Key Takeaways

3. Asia Pacific Vaccines Market - Market Landscape

3.1 Overview

3.2 Market Segmentation

3.3 Pest Analysis

3.3.1 Asia Pacific- Pest Analysis

4. Asia Pacific Vaccines Market - Key Market Dynamics

4.1 Key Market Drivers

4.1.1 Rising Number Of Awareness Programs, Campaigns And Conferences For Vaccination In Asia Pacific

4.1.2 Growing Vaccine Production In Asia Pacific.

4.2 Key Market Restraints

4.2.1 Mistrust Of Immunization In The Asia Pacific Region.

4.3 Key Market Opportunities

4.3.1 Increasing Incidences Of Infectious And Contagious Diseases

4.4 Future Trends

4.4.1 Vaccine Research In Asia

4.5 Impact Analysis

5. Vaccines Market - Asia Pacific Analysis

5.1 Asia Pacific Vaccines Market Revenue Forecasts And Analysis

5.2 Market Positioning

5.3 Performance Of Key Players

5.3.1 GlaxoSmithKline Plc

6. Asia Pacific Vaccines Market Analysis - By Technology

6.1 Overview

6.2 Asia Pacific Vaccines Market, By Type, 2018 & 2027 (%)

6.3 Asia Pacific Vaccines Market Revenue And Forecasts To 2027, By Technology (US$ Mn)

6.4 Asia Pacific Recombinant Vaccines Market

6.5 Asia Pacific Conjugate Vaccines Market

6.6 Asia Pacific Live Attenuated Vaccines Market

6.7 Asia Pacific Inactivated Vaccines Market

6.8 Asia Pacific Toxoid Vaccines Market

7. Asia Pacific Vaccines Market Analysis - By Disease Indication

7.1 Overview

7.2 Asia Pacific Vaccines Market, By Disease Indication, 2018 & 2027 (%)

7.3 Asia Pacific Vaccines Market Revenue And Forecasts To 2027, By Disease Indication (US$ Mn)

7.4 Asia Pacific DTP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, And Pertussis) Market

7.5 Asia Pacific Influenza Market

7.6 Asia Pacific Hepatitis Market

7.7 Asia Pacific Other Diseases Market

8. Asia Pacific Vaccines Market Analysis - By Route Of Administration

8.1 Overview

8.2 Asia Pacific Vaccines Market, By Route Of Administration, 2018 & 2027 (%)

8.3 Asia Pacific Vaccines Market Revenue And Forecasts To 2027, By Route Of Administration (US$ Mn)

8.4 Asia Pacific Oral Market

8.5 Asia Pacific Injectable Market

8.6 Asia Pacific Other Routes Of Administration Market

9. Asia Pacific Vaccines Market Analysis - By Patient Type

9.1 Overview

9.2 Asia Pacific Vaccines Market, By Patient Type, 2018 & 2027 (%)

9.3 Asia Pacific Vaccines Market Revenue And Forecasts To 2027, By Patient Type (US$ Mn)

9.4 Asia Pacific Pediatric Market

9.5 Asia Pacific Adults Market

10. Asia Pacific Vaccines Market Revenue And Forecasts To 2027

11. Vaccines Market-Key Company Profiles

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/vrayua

Read more:

Asia Pacific Vaccines Market to 2027 - Regional Analysis and Forecasts by Technology, Route of Administration; Patient Type, and Country -...

The Electro Optic Systems Hldg Ltd (ASX: EOS) share price has closed 3.23% higher today after earlier hitting an all time high of $8.29. So far in 2019, Electro Optic shares are 226% higher.

On Monday, the Australian defence and space technology company announced the creation of a new business segment, EOS Communication Systems, following a series of technology breakthroughs that allow satellite communications to be conveyed via laser beams.

EOS have reported investing $250 million over the past 9 years to complete several technology breakthroughs. The most recent breakthrough enables lasers to transmit into space with 0.1% of the power previously required.

According to the company, this most recent breakthrough, among several others, enables lasers to be applied in satellite communications for the first time. Laser-based optical communications can achieve 20 times the maximum bandwidth of current microwave technology, and Electro Optic Systems estimates the total addressable market for this technology to be in the order of $120 billion over the next 20 years. The new business segment will be operational from Q4 2019.

Following on from Mondays announcement, Electro Optics today announced it has acquired 100% of EM Solutions Pty Limited (EMS), a leading microwave satellite communications company. Electro Optics acquired EMS via a script and cash offer, valuing EMS at approximately $26 million. Ben Greene, Group CEO, reports the acquisition will be immediately earnings accretive. Dr Greene said:

This acquisition immediately establishes EOS as a credible provider for a portion of the $120 billion of space communication infrastructure and equipment to be replaced over the next 20 years. EOS intends to expand this portion to embrace most of the identified market by 2023. EOS will leverage its agile business processes and its advanced technology, now including EMS innovation, to provide strong market differentiation and competitive advantages in this $120 billion market.

Electro Optics also reported it is looking at other areas to exploit the EOS suite of technologies in the space sector.

The Electro Optic Systems announcements this week are potentially transformative. With a $600 million order backlog that will drive revenue growth at 45% p.a. over the medium term, Electro Optics Systems new business segment has the potential to drive revenues significantly higher still in the long term.

If you're looking for dividend-paying companies instead, don't miss the report below.

NEW! Top 3 Dividend Bets for 2019

With interest rates likely to stay at rock bottom for months (or YEARS) to come, income-minded investors have nowhere to turn... except dividend shares. Thats why The Motley Fools top analysts have just prepared a brand-new report, laying out their top 3 dividend bets for 2019.

Hint: These are 3 shares youve probably never come across before.

Theyre not the banks. Not Woolies or Wesfarmers or any of the usual suspects.

We think these 3 shares offer solid growth prospects over the next 12 months. Each of these three companies boasts fully franked yields and could be a great fit for your diversified portfolio. Youll discover all three names and codes in "The Motley Fools Top 3 Dividend Shares for 2019."

Even better, your copy is free when you click the link below. Fair warning: This report is brand new and may not be available forever. Click the link below to be among the first investors to get access to this timely, important new research!

The names of these top 3 dividend bets are all included. But you will have to hurry. Depending on demand and how quickly the share prices of these companies move we may be forced to remove this report.

Click here to claim your free copy right now!

More reading

Motley Fool contributor seanrapley owns shares in Electro Optic Systems Holdings Limited. The Motley Fool Australia's parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Electro Optic Systems Holdings Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The Motley Fool's purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool's free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson. 2019

More here:

This ASX space technology companys share price has soared 226% this year - Yahoo Finance

T-Hub and United Technologies Corp. (UTC) on Monday announced the launch of the UTC Innovation Challenge. The challenge invites startups working on computer vision technology and predictive analytics to develop new products and services specifically for the aerospace industry.

Shortlisted startups to participating in the challenge will receive support from technical subject matter experts and business mentors across T-Hub and UTC. Both the organisations will also guide the selected startup applicants through the proof-of-concept (PoC) phase. In addition, the startups will get direct access to T-Hubs ecosystem of mentors, industry experts, investors and service providers.

The call for applications is open now and closes by the first week of November. Computer vision technology submissions are expected to focus on computer-aided visual mapping of engine parts to help the inspection process. Predictive analytics solutions will focus on forecasting for aircraft parts by company location. Shortlisted startups will be given opportunity to pitch their solutions to a group of judges on Pitch Day in New York and Hyderabad is scheduled in November.

To apply, startups must meet the following eligibility criteria:

Ravi Narayan, CEO of T-Hub, said in a statement, The aerospace sector has traditionally depended on labor-intensive inspection. Through this challenge, we are looking at accelerating the best solutions that reduce inspection time and quality. The launch of UTC Innovation Challenge will provide scaling opportunity for startups looking to expand across geographies.

View original post here:

T-Hub, United Technologies invite startups to apply for UTC Innovation Challenge - Economic Times

Tesla is looking to introduce a new charging cable connector for its electric vehicles to speed up charging, a new patent revealed.

One of the biggest drawbacks for Tesla EVsis it still takes far too long to charge one. On an original 85 kWh Model S, charging to 100% can take up to 75 long minutes. It takes 20 minutes to charge to 50%.

Even the next generation Tesla V3 Superchargerlaunched a few months ago will reduce typical charging times to only 15 minutes. Tesla believes V3 Supercharging will ultimately cut the amount of time customers spend charging by an average of 50%.

It wont take anywhere near 15 minutes to fill-up the 36 gallon tank on a Ford F-150 pickup. And most motorists just top-up but don't fill-up.

The standard charging cables and connectors on Tesla Superchargers can't handle super high voltage because they can't dissipate heat fast enough and will overheat. That's because a Tesla Supercharger delivers 480 volts of DC power.

Each Supercharger stall has a connector (or the component that actually plugs into the car) that delivers electric power ranging from 72 kW to 250 kW via a direct current connection to the 400 volt car battery pack. This limitation causes long wait times.

Tesla's solution to deliver faster charging times involves installing liquid-cooled charger connections. That's because the cooler the connector, the higher current load it can handle.

A liquid-cooled charger connector allows for much faster charging of Tesla EVs. Any Tesla owner can appreciate this convenience.

To be accurate, Tesla has rolled out a liquid-cooled charging cable at its new V3 Supercharger station. A liquid-cooled connector will further speed-up the entire charging process.

Tesla has filed a patent application with the U.S. Trademark and Patents Office for "An inlet conduit and an outlet conduit within the manifold assembly" that together "create a fluid flow path."

Tesla has indicated the new liquid-cooled charger connectors will roll-out to Supercharger stations in the near future. In the meantime, Tesla owners can content themselves with the new V10 software update started to became live last week.

They can also take comfort in the knowledge the new V3 Superchargers Tesla has begun installing offer peak charging rates of up to 250 kW per car compared to the current 120 kW per car.

The V3 means that in about five minutes, a Model 3 Long Range will absorb enough power to get to 75 miles. Also, the newest Supercharger stations don't need to split power between two Tesla EVs. Full power is available all the time for a single car's battery.

A bank of Tesla Superchargers Photo: Tesla, Inc.

Read more:

Tesla To Launch Faster Charging Technology, New Patent Reveals - International Business Times