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Category Archives: Technology
Remaining relevant through leveraging technology and member needs – CUinsight.com (press release)
As you are probably well aware, Apples iPhoneturned 10 years oldrecently. Of the many articles written to commemorate this occasion, a couple in particular caught our eye. IniPhone Review Redux:10 Years Later, SoSlow, So Small(Source: The Wall Street Journal), the author describes her experience trying to use an original iPhone for a week in todays world. She says, I made it 12 hours. As groundbreaking as the iPhone was back in 2007, thats a little hard to imagine. However, given the authors experience with comparatively slow speeds, poor graphics and sound, a 2-megapixel camera, and no Siri, we start to realize just how far technology has come in the last decade. Of course, with these technological developments have come changes in how consumers interact with each other and the organizations with which they do business. Take stock of how things have changed around your credit union in the last 10 years from a technology perspective. Have you added new technology? Upgraded? Does your credit union have technology today it did not have in 2007? Is your member interaction different today than it was a decade ago? The answer to all of these questions is probably a resoundingYes!
Now, fast-forward, as does the articleIn 10 Years, Your iPhone Wont Be a Phone Anymore(Source: The Wall Street Journal). In this article, the author imagines a future where the consumer is more wired-in than ever before. Smarter, wearable technology, artificial intelligence, augmented realityits almost overwhelming. Our gadgets may literally direct our daily lives, according to this article. Whether or not the future turns out the way this article describes, we can surely bet it will make the technology we have today seem ancient, just as the current iPhone makes the original model look outdated. How will your credit unions technology change?
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Remaining relevant through leveraging technology and member needs - CUinsight.com (press release)
Another Golden Age for Corporate Technology – Bloomberg
Allow me to take you back to the 1970s. Picture the terrible hair and the wonderful rock music. Back then, the best technology was made for governments and companies.
We might be on the cusp of another golden age for corporate technology.
I was thinking about this when Google discussed this week itsrebooted strategyfor the much lampooned Google Glass, which shows information like repair instructions or weather forecastsin a wearer's field of vision. "Glassholes" are out, and sober uses of Glass on the factory floor and medical offices are in. Glass might still flop in its new target market, but Google isn't alone in identifying companies as the most fruitful buyers for its futuristic eyewear.
My colleague Ian King has written abouthospitals experimenting with virtual reality headsetsto manage pain or the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, and this week Selina Wang reported about a startup called Meta that useshologramsto try to change office work. Microsoft has emphasized commercial uses for its $5,000 HoloLens goggles. Thinkarchitects collaborating on building blueprints. Forrester Research has estimated companies will buy far more midpriced VR headsets in coming years than consumers will. Meanwhile, after two price cuts this year, Facebook is now charging $400 for its Oculus Rift video reality kit aimed (for now) mostly at video game fans.
Cost of the Commercial Version of HoloLens
$5,000
It's not news that businesses are a gold mine for techcompanies and for way more than VRgadgets. Big corporations and governments are responsible for the bulk of $2 trillion in annual spending on technology products and services. And even many of the most successful consumer technology companies -- Amazon, Microsoft and Apple for example -- generate huge sums selling to corporations or their workers.
Tech Patrons
Big companies and governments are responsible for the bulk of the $2 trillion spent on technology each year
Source: Gartner Inc.
But tech companies focused purely on businesses are one of the biggest technology trends of the last decade. Amazon transformedits fortunes and the direction of the industry with cloud-computing offerings from Amazon Web Services. There's also a proliferation of young companies targeting businesses including Slack, Docker and Box. Corporate technology is actually really good now -- sometimes.
Even consumer companies are trying to make businesses foot at least some of their bills.Instacartis figuring out ways tomake money from large food brandssuch as Red Bull, and not only from consumers reluctant to pay delivery fees.AirbnbandUberwant more bookings from people traveling on thecorporatedime.
Some of this strategy is about squeezing revenue from as many sources as possible. But it also highlights the limits of tech products and services just for individuals. We the people are penny-pinching jerks.Businesses watch their bottom lines, too, but they are often willing to pay for software and gadgetsthat give them an edge.
That's why Intel, Oracle, International Business Machines and the early internet were built on sales to governments, spies, big corporations and others that wanted cutting-edge stuff and had the budgets to support its development. It feelsa little like that again now. I think I'll stream somePink Floyd.
A version of this column originally appeared in Bloomberg's Fully Charged technology newsletter. You cansign up here.
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.
To contact the author of this story: Shira Ovide in New York at sovide@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Daniel Niemi at dniemi1@bloomberg.net
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MLB’s Rob Manfred tepid on strike zone technology at commissioners’ panel – Chicago Tribune
That high-tech graphic on the side of the screen during baseball telecasts showing pitch locations? The one that makes it look as though umpires can't tell balls from strikes?
It's not all that accurate, according to Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred.
That's what Manfred implied at least, appearing Tuesday at New York's Paley Center for Media, asserting the underlying technology isn't reliable enough to replace the folks in blue behind home plate.
"In all candor, that technology has a larger margin of error than we see with human umpires," Manfred said. "Someday I think it will be up to the task of calling balls and strikes, but I actually believe at that point that you have to ask yourself a question as to whether you want to take that human element out of the game and replace it with a machine."
Manfred was on a panel addressing the future of sports that managed the rare feat of getting him together with fellow commissioners Roger Goodell of the NFL, Adam Silver of the NBA and Gary Bettman of the NHL to talk about a wide range of issues from player safety and youth sports participation rates to social media, esports and gambling.
The technology and umpires bit was in response to a question from an audience member cable TV scion and Knicks owner James Dolan who was impressed watching technology determine if 130 mph tennis serves at Wimbledon were in or out within a fraction of an inch.
Beyond noting the obvious a tennis court, unlike baseball's strike zone, has fixed, clearly marked boundaries Manfred reminded Dolan that what he saw on TV from Wimbledon was a computer-generated animated graphic illustrating the computer-generated ruling and not actual evidence.
"You should always think about a technology where what they show you as part of the replay is a simulation as opposed to the actual stop frame," Manfred said. "Think about that when you're watching tennis and see what conclusion you come to."
Hit like: Since mid-May, MLB has streamed one Friday night game each week on its Facebook page, live and without blackout restrictions. This week it's the White Sox at the Royals. The Facebook arrangement is emblematic of new thinking among all the sports leagues.
Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Amazon want content. Leagues want increased engagement, particularly with younger people who are more receptive to video on phones and other devices than traditional TV.
"Rather than thinking over the last six years or so that basic cable has gone from 100 million homes to 85 million homes, I think of our universe having gone from 100 million to 200 million ... which is essentially the install base for (U.S.) smartphones," Goodell said.
"The challenge is how do we take advantage of those new platforms and present those games in a much different way, taking advantage of those huge social media communities and the engagement that comes with that type of viewership."
As for traditional TV viewers, Goodell said one engagement play this NFL season will be fewer ad breaks so "we don't give them a reason to turn the channel or look at another device."
You bet: Esports is building engagement. So is another kind of gaming, fantasy sports.
"We see it in ratings," Goodell said. "We see it with our television partners. Even if your team is out of it, you're going to watch. It does potentially have a little bit of a negative view. Do they still have the same loyalty to a team they once had? But they used to (be turning) the television set off. Now they're not."
There's less consensus when it comes to out-and-out gambling. The NBA's Silver reiterated his belief that prohibitions on sports wagering will be relaxed in this country in the coming years, and that it's a good thing for his league.
"It's a multi-hundred billion-dollar illegal industry in the United States," Silver said. "Ultimately, as the owners of the intellectual property, we're going to embrace it."
Other leagues aren't yet quite so gung-ho, but they are not blind to what's going on.
Silver said NBA fans "want to bet throughout the game ... on quarter scores, on particular players, and free throws" and "it results in enormous additional engagement."
Manfred said this "growth area" translates in baseball to "discrete activities" that are "hard for anybody to affect or control," such as whether the next pitch will be a ball or strike.
Bettman said he worried about arenas taking on the atmosphere of racetracks. But Silver said research suggests "fans are fairly sophisticated" when it comes to rooting both "for their team and virtually all the action."
Mike drop: The final edition of ESPN's "Mike & Mike" is officially set for Nov. 17. Its replacement on radio and TV, "Golic & Wingo," will make its debut with Trey Wingo joining Mike Golic 10 days later on the Monday after Thanksgiving.
Ahead of going solo with his own ESPN morning TV show, Mike Greenberg has gotten some prime-time broadcast exposure as a cohost of ABC's "Battle of the Network Stars" revival, which sorely misses a Howard Cosell to energize it.
The original "Battle" discovered this, too. The penultimate edition of the occasional 1976-88 series of specials had Dick Van Dyke in Cosell's ringmaster role. Van Dyke fared better with Rob Petrie's living-room ottoman.
Look who's talking: When the Bears and Falcons open the regular season Sept. 10 at Soldier Field, Jay Cutler will be suiting up. In a suit. For Fox.
"It's a natural," Charles Davis, Cutler's fellow analyst on the network's No. 2 NFL announcing team, told Toronto's CJCL AM-590 "The Fan."
Fox already said Cutler's debut will be the Bears' Aug. 27 exhibition against the Titans in Nashville, his new hometown.
Last-second shots: Time has run out on ESPN's Buzzer Beater channel. TVPredictions.com reports the service offering "look-in" coverage and analysis during college basketball season on some cable and satellite services is a victim of budget cuts. ... Joe Maddon talks to Harry Smith about growing up in Hazleton, Pa., on NBC's "Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly." ... Anyone going to hire O.J. Simpson?
The story: The commissioners said promoting narratives are another way to boost audience interest.
"Our sport in 13,14,15 markets over the course of the season will be the No. 1 rated programming during the summer," Manfred said. "The trick for us is making sure all those fans in Detroit that made the Tigers No. 1 stay with us in the postseason, and we really do believe ... the Cubs gave us 40 million people in Game 7. It is that storyline that's the key."
philrosenthal@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @phil_rosenthal
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MLB's Rob Manfred tepid on strike zone technology at commissioners' panel - Chicago Tribune
How will we keep controversial gene drive technology in check? – Science Magazine
Gene drive technology might limit the ability of Anopheles gambiae mosquito to transmit malaria to humans.
CDC/James Gathany
By Kelly ServickJul. 19, 2017 , 4:00 PM
We dont yet know whether the gene-spreading approach known as gene drive, intended to wipe out invasive pests or reduce the spread of insect-borne disease, will work in the wild. But groups of genetic experts are already talking about how to make it stop working if needed.
And at a symposium today in Washington, D.C., organized by the International Life Sciences Instituteand the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, researchers and policy experts discussed how to measure and limit a gene drive strategys environmental risks. And the U.S. militarys research arm announced it will fund efforts by several high-profile genetics labs to develop ways to reverse or limit the spread of an introduced gene if it should have unintended consequences on animals or an ecosystem.
Were in the business of preventing technological surprise, but also being prepared for the surprises that come from the use of these technologies, said Renee Wegrzyn, a program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Virginia, which today announced seven research teams that will share a $65 million pot of funding under the agencys Safe Genes program over the next 4 years.
Gene drive works by tinkering with the rules of inheritance, increasing the likelihood a gene will be passed to the next generation. The phenomenon occurs in nature by a variety of mechanisms, but all increase a genes ability to permeate a population quickly and thoroughly, even if it doesnt carry any survival advantage. Inspired by natural gene drives, researchers have spent decades trying to perfect a system that might endow a population of mosquitoes with a malaria resistance gene, for example, or spread a lethal gene that cuts down a local population of invasive insects or rodents.
Progress surged with the discovery of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing. By inserting the gene for a new trait alongside genes for a DNA-cutting enzyme and an RNA guide, scientists can prompt a cell to slice out copies of the original, wild-type gene from its chromosomes and use the inserted gene as a template for repair. Its sperm and egg cells will thus bear two copies of the new gene, which radically increases the odds that its offspring will inherit it.
But the notion of wiping out an entire species or unleashing a gene that could spread like wildfire through a population has also bred controversy. Evidence that CRISPR gene drives could be extremely efficient in lab-reared insects led prominent researchers to urge caution.
Todays meeting included some practical discussion of how gene drive might be contained. Molecular biologist Bruce Hay of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena presented his labs research into high-threshold gene drives, designed to spread effectively only if individuals with the new gene make up a large fraction of the total population. Wayward migrants thus wouldnt manage to spread the gene widely outside the intended area. And if an introduced gene had unexpected consequences, researchers might reverse a gene drive by introducing more wild, unmodified individuals to outnumber the new ones. I think we really can do safe, local, and reversible gene drive, Hay told the audience. This is not just a fantasy.
But CRISPR brings a whole new set of unknowns. It might have unpredictable, off-target effects on the genome, and scientists dont know how to shut it down. Among the seven teams selected for the Safe Genes program are some CRISPR pioneers. Harvard University geneticist George Church will lead efforts to develop more precise gene-editing systems that distinguish between similar sequences. Molecular biologist Jennifer Doudna of the University of California (UC), Berkeley, will, according to DARPAs news release, look for anti-CRISPR proteins that could prevent unwanted editing.
Several more projects explicitly focus on gene drive applications: A group at UC Riverside led by molecular biologist Omar Akbari will try to document the genetic diversity of the Aedes aegypti mosquito and test ways to limit or reverse gene drives in contained test environments. Biologist John Godwins team at North Carolina State University in Raleighwill test ways to cut down rodent populations by targeting gene variants present only in invasive communities.
Experts still predict that testing of gene drive in the field is still years away. This is such early days in the field, Wegrzyn told the audience today. Why dont we build those [control] tools in now, rather than trying to retrofit them into these systems?
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How will we keep controversial gene drive technology in check? - Science Magazine
Has Technology Really Killed The Personal Touch In Law Practice And Is That Really A Bad Thing? – Above the Law
In her recent post, In Defense of Personal Relationships in the Practice of Law, my fellow columnist, Jill Switzer writes how technology has killed the art of interaction between lawyers. Switzer observes that lawyers rarely have opportunities to meet in person sincehearing conferences that were once handled face to face before a judge now take place by phone; the meet and confer requirements of various civil procedure rules are satisfied through an exchange of emails and nasty-grams, CLE courses are viewed alone via webinar rather than in a room filled with colleagues and depositions are conducted remotely by phone or Skype.Yet while Switzer mourns the changes wrought by technology because theyve displaced the personal relationships that meant almost everything to us dinosaurs, I celebrate technology changes precisely because theyve enabled me to create meaningful personal relationships, and indeed, to build a career that might have otherwise been foreclosed to me as a woman and a parent.
As Ive written many times, when I started my law firm back in 1993, the most advanced technology available to me was word-processing and email which wasnt much use since few others were using email for business at that time. Researching legislative history back then entailed a trip to the bowels of the House Office Building, Annex 2 which could consume several hours. Filing a brief required at least a full day of lead time to allow sufficient time for production of an original and fourteen bound, 50-page copies and that too, necessitated a drop off at the copy store. As for networking, two of the bar committees that I was involved with at the time (back when I still could tolerate bar activities) each met monthly during lunch, (which is also when brown bag CLE programs were held) all of which took over two hours out of my day when taking into account travel from my office to the event then back.
As for personal connections I didnt make any. As a young lawyer starting out in my practice, most colleagues wouldnt even return my phone calls. I managed a couple of meetings by trekking over to colleagues offices under the guise of young lawyer seeking advice, but honestly, I cant recall a single occasion when another lawyer reciprocated or invited me out. The so-called personal connections among lawyers only work when one a lawyer stands to gain something be it a referral or new connection and as a young lawyer, I had nothing to give so I was persona non-grata in networking circles. I wonder, how many times Ms. Switzer or her colleagues have actually introduced themselves to a newbie lawyer at a networking function, asked about their practice and then called to invite them out to lunch. My guess is somewhere between one and zero.
In any event, I could have tolerated the networking and committee lunches and long trips to courthouses and Congress and worked longer hours to make up lost time. But once I had kids, all of that changed. Because I wanted to spend time with my daughters, I moved my practice back to my home but I was able to continue working because most of my clients were remote. Back then, I workedin the short stretches of time when my daughters napped or were in pre-school or with a part-time nanny, then after they were in school and at night between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. when my husband was able to take over. Back then, every minute counted and suddenly a lunchtime meeting with the bar committee wasnt just a lost lunch time, but a lost work session since it would consume the entire period that my girls were in pre-school. A two-hour deposition two hours away amounted to a six hour day where my husband might have to step in to do pickup. I barely had enough time to get my existing client work done then to go out evenings and network. I very nearly lost my practice .
But then, shortly after my younger daughter was born in 1999, technology happened. Of course, it had been around for years before, but it wasnt until the late 90s that it really began to penetrate the legal profession.Now, instead of spending an afternoon to carry a brief over to the D.C. Circuit, I could zap it out a few seconds before midnight. Legislative history and other legal research were available at my fingertips so my research wasnt confined to the hours when the law libraries were open. And with scheduling conferences now taking place by phone, I could expand my practice to federal courts several hours away without having to worry that Id have to drive 4 hours for a 10-minute conference.
Meanwhile, rather than take away personal interaction, technology facilitated connections with other lawyers all over the country. In 2000, I joined the ABAs Solosez list serve which gave me 800 welcoming people from all over the country to talk to about my practice and personal matters as well. In fact, it was through Solosez that I met one of my best friends, a woman a few years younger than me who was also balancing a home-based practice with raising kids. A few years after that, came blogging which is how I found clients and bolstered my reputation in my industry and also met and befriended three other ATL columnists, Bob Ambrogi, Kevin OKeefe and Nicole Black. Finally, social media like Facebook and Twitter and Instagram emerged, which provided an opportunity to learn more about my lawyer-colleagues personal lives their hobbies, their recipes, vacations, their triumphs and sorrows.Ive since met many of my online friends as well either when they or I am traveling to another city or at conferences. Those relationships also go far beyond the professional.After my husband died two years ago, only a small handful of my colleagues here in D.C. lawyers whom Ive met and worked with on multiple occasions reached out to me. By contrast, dozens of lawyers whom I knew only through social media sent cards, condolences and donations to my husbands designated charities.
Technology has enabled hundreds of female lawyers who 20 years ago might have left the law to stay home with children to instead remain in the legal profession or reinvent themselves within it. And its given lawyers access to a far more varied and diverse group of colleagues than any of us could find even in a metropolitan area such as Washington D.C. where I am based.For me, its not even a close call that technology has improved the legal profession in large part because it has provided more opportunity for personal interaction, not less.
Meanwhile, those close, collegial relationships of yore that Switzer longs for, if they did exist as she recalls were only open to a small select circle of insiders but not to young lawyers with few clients or contacts or to mom-lawyers working the 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. shift. Lets never return to that world again.
Carolyn Elefanthas been blogging about solo and small firm practice atMyShingle.comsince 2002 and operated her firm, theLaw Offices of Carolyn Elefant PLLC, even longer than that. Shes also authored a bunch of books on topics likestarting a law practice,social media, and21st century lawyer representation agreements(affiliate links). If youre really that interested in learning more about Carolyn, just Google her. The Internet never lies, right? You can contact Carolyn by email atelefant@myshingle.comor follow her on Twitter at@carolynelefant.
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Tech sector finally gets back to where it was in the bubble 17 years ago – CNBC
One measure of technology stocks is now higher than during the dotcom boom.
The S&P information technology sector grouping closed above $992 on Wednesday, smashing through the $988.49 dotcom bubble high from March 27, 2000, according to FactSet.
The constituents of that group have changed considerably since then: Facebook for instance, wasn't even around in 2000. And the technology sector SPDR ETF, a slightly different grouping that includes some telecom companies with the ticker "XLK," was only around $57 on Wednesday, well below dotcom-boom highs of $65.44.
Still, it marks a milestone in the growing dominance of technology companies in the stock market, as companies like Apple, Alphabet and Microsoft have grown more valuable than most other public companies around the world.
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also hit fresh all-time highs on Wednesday. Shares of Amazon.com, Microsoft, Facebook and Adobe traded at highs not seen since their IPOs, and Priceline shares were also at an all-time intraday high.
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Tech sector finally gets back to where it was in the bubble 17 years ago - CNBC
These are the nostalgic technology struggles that only 90s kids will understand – The Sun
The Sun | These are the nostalgic technology struggles that only 90s kids will understand The Sun THESE DAYS if a page takes more than a 1.6 seconds to load, we're ready to hand the computer back to the shop and claim a new one. But remember when you could leave the screen to make a cup of tea and still be waiting for your webpage on your return? |
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These are the nostalgic technology struggles that only 90s kids will understand - The Sun
Self-Driving Vehicle Bill Marks an Important Step for Emerging Technology, But May Stall State Efforts to Answer … – Union of Concerned Scientists
WASHINGTON (July 19, 2017)A new bill being considered in the U.S. House would introduce a new federal policy approach to autonomous vehicles. While its important for the federal government to address the impacts of self-driving technology, this bill fails to recognize the many impacts autonomous vehicles may cause beyond improving transportation safety, including their potential impacts on pollution, oil consumption, congestion, and equitable access to clean, affordable transportation. This approach could take this emerging technology in the wrong direction, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
Below is a statement by Joshua Goldman, senior policy analyst for the Clean Vehicles program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Its an exciting time for transportation technology, and the federal government has a key role to play in the deployment of new autonomous vehicles. However, the effects of self-driving vehicles are still unknown, and there are important questions we need to answer about the impacts of these technological advances. We need to work carefully to make sure we understand what these vehicles will mean for pollution, congestion, public transportation, and employment. This bill could make that harder.
The new House bill, while it offers some positive changes, would overly restrict states from addressing the unknown impacts caused by autonomous vehicles in the future. This technology could be transformative, and create a range of impacts on different communities. States ultimately need flexibility to set rules that address these impacts.
Both state and federal leaders should look to the UCS principles for making the most of the self-driving future as they consider the potential impacts of this technology. We can build a transportation system thats safer, cleaner, and more equitable, with opportunities to improve access for more peoplebut we need to make smart decisions now in order to get there.
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Who’s Winning the Fight for the Best In-Car Technology? – NBCNews.com
BMW's new Connected Plus service uses real-time traffic reports to give you a heads-up when it's time to leave and even sends out an alert to the folks you're meeting to let them know when they can expect you. BMW
BMW is by no means the only maker racing to introduce such high-tech features into your car, truck or crossover. Ford, for example, now lets you access Amazons Alexa with a tap of a button on the steering wheel. Among other things, you can use that digital voice assistant to have your favorite beverage waiting at Starbucks for your morning commute.
Related:
We think our cars need to play well with the digital lifestyle owners choose, Tom Brenner, head of BMWs digital services, told NBC News during a tour of the companys technology center in downtown Chicago.
The facility more closely represents what youd expect to find in Silicon Valley than a typical automotive development center. Filled with young, latte-drinking cyber-geeks, it works at a pace that sees new products, services and updates of existing software roll out, on average, every two weeks. Consider that the average BMW vehicle has a life cycle of about six to seven years, with only a modest update halfway through.
BMWs intense focus on digital technology might seem an oxymoron considering the brands long-running advertising tagline, The Ultimate Driving Machine. But Brenner and other company officials say there should be no surprise. Why, they ask, would you expect that the typical Americans increasingly digital lifestyle be interrupted once they slip behind the steering wheel?
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BMW began its foray into technology with the launch of the 2001 7-Series. Its flagship sedan introduced the concept of an iDrive, a sort of mobile mouse that controlled an array of onboard functions, including navigation, audio and climate control. The list of features built into todays cars has rapidly escalated, especially with the debut of driver assistance technologies like Blind Spot Detection, as well as the addition of hands-free Bluetooth phone and audio pairing.
"The new asset in the automotive business is data."
BMW Connected Plus will go several steps further. It tracks appointments in an owners calendar and, if there is driving involved, it calculates not only driving time but how long it might take to walk to your car and then help you find where to park. Youll get an alert 10 minutes before you should leave to give you time to get ready.
You can then ask your Alexa device to turn the car on and, on the sort of sweltering summer day that Chicagoans faced this week, turn on the air conditioning.
There are plenty of other services coming, including the ability to access e-mail on your Microsoft Exchange server, even dictating a voice reply.
(Some functions, BMW and Microsoft stress, will be disabled when the car is in motion to avoid compounding the already serious issue of driver distraction.)
Such functions are likely to become even more desirable in the years to come, explained Brenner. According to various studies by organizations like the Boston Consulting Group, one-third or more of the miles Americans travel by 2030 are likely to be in driverless automobiles. That will provide plenty of time to watch content, Brenner said, work, or catch up on some sleep.
Related:
It takes only a little imagination to think about all the possible services and features that will migrate into the automobile in the coming years, Gerri Martin-Flickinger, the chief technology officer for Starbucks, said during a joint news conference with Ford last March.
Meanwhile, auto manufacturers are racing to pair your car with all the digital devices in your life. Chevrolet on Friday announced owners can operate the MyChevrolet app through their Apple watches to lock or unlock a vehicle, find directions to where it was parked or sound the horn.
One of the challenges will be to add new functionality to vehicles already on the road. Tesla has addressed that by incorporating over-the-air, or OTA, updates that can be used to install new services, replace old software or even diagnose vehicle problems. Honda launched OTA capabilities with its new Odyssey minivan, and BMW is working on similar technology for Connected Plus.
Its difficult to find an automaker that isnt working on in-car technologies, and theyre partnering with the obvious list of major Silicon Valley and other tech companies: Google, Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, as well as major restaurant chains, digital service providers, and an endless list of smaller tech firms and start-ups.
Some manufacturers are offering their services at no charge at least for an initial period that can run from one to three years. But all are looking for the right business equation. General Motors has developed a steady revenue stream from its OnStar service, with an la carte menu of safety, convenience and service features.
Theres another pay-off. BMW believes it can boost its loyalty rates measured in returning customers by several percent, which is worth millions of dollars, explained Dieter May, the head of digital products and services. Thats on top of potential revenue streams from various paid services.
Yet as with other access points to the connected world, there is a potential downside.
Data is becoming a currency, with actual value, and it must be protected," Danny Le, principal and automotive leader, at KPMG, told NBC News. "Security needs to be invested in.
In-car technology is the single biggest source of complaints about todays vehicles.
Indeed, the threat of hacking has become an all-consuming conversation within the automotive digital community, as it has throughout the tech world.
There are other risks. BMW took a lot of heat early on for the cumbersome operation of the original iDrive. Only with recent iterations have consumers given strongly positive reviews. Ford was similarly thrashed for problems with its early Sync in-car system. According to David Sargent, head of automotive practice at J.D. Power and Associates, in-car technology is the single biggest source of complaints about todays vehicles.
The new asset in the automotive business is data, said Le.
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Who's Winning the Fight for the Best In-Car Technology? - NBCNews.com
New technology for producing porous aluminum – Phys.Org
July 18, 2017 The new technology of producing unsinkable material from the aluminum alloy was patented at the Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU). Credit: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University
A new technology of producing an unsinkable aluminum alloy was developed at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU). Porosity is produced by the addition of foaming gas into liquid aluminum during re-melting. The porous materials can increase stiffness and sound and heat insulating proprieties, according to the SPbPU's Media-center.
"A high porosity level can be used to decrease the density of structural elements, e.g. sheets. The density can be decreased even lower than the density of water. Resulting structural elements would be unsinkable. And its usage in shipbuilding will ensure unsinkability even with a leak in the hull," says Oleg Panchenko, deputy head of the Laboratory of Light Materials and Structures SPbPU, one of the inventors.
In many cases, the carrying capacity of thin materials (1 mm or less) is sufficient for a lot of structures. But material with such thickness sometimes has geometric limitations (the thickness is too small for manipulation) or it can't be joined without deformation. Due to the material's porosity, it is possible to increase the thickness, maintaining the weight while stiffening the structure.
A similar technology has been patented in Japan, but it produces only entirely porous material. Researchers of SPbPU found a way to produce homogeneous and heterogeneous distribution of pores in the material. Because it is made of solid material, it can be either porous if necessary or with nonporous thickening or solid structure. Using this technology, double-layer sandwiches may be produced in which only one side is porous, increased density can be conferred to selected areas for mechanical or welded joints.
Explore further: Selective laser melting additive technology method for material microstructure formation
Provided by: Peter the Great Saint-Petersburg Polytechnic University
Scientists of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) and Delft University of Technology developed a technology for obtaining new metal structures using a selective laser melting method, an additive ...
Nature does amazing things with limited design materials. Grass, for example, can support its own weight, resist strong wind loads, and recover after being compressed. The plant's hardiness comes from a combination of its ...
Researchers from the the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) and collaborators from industry have developed new technology for varicose vein obliteration treatment by the means of focused, high-intensity ultrasound.
Scientists of Institute of Physics, Nanotechnology and Telecommunications of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) and collaborators have established an international consortium to increase the accuracy ...
Known for their extraordinary surface area, a sugar packet equivalent of metal-organic framework provides a city block (2.5 acres) of area to absorb gas or catalyze reactions. The challenge comes in consistently manufacturing ...
Flakes of graphene welded together into solid materials may be suitable for bone implants, according to a study led by Rice University scientists.
(Phys.org)A pair of researchers with the University of California and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has found a way to automate reaction discoveries, thereby speeding up the process. In their paper published in ...
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Enzyme activity is determined by the structure of a particular region of a protein called the active site. The generation of completely new active sites capable of enzyme catalysis is, arguably, one of the most fundamental ...
Photosynthesis, which allows energy from the sun to be converted into life-sustaining sugars, can also be hazardous to green plants. If they absorb too much sunlight, the extra energy destroys their tissue.
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Coding And Connectivity: New Plan To More Fully Integrate Technology In Vt. Classrooms – Vermont Public Radio
Vermont still has a lot of work to do to fully integrate technology into public school classrooms, according to the latest draft of the state's digital learning plan, put out by the Agency of Education.
Audio for this piece will be posted.
The last statewide digital learning plan for Vermont's schools came out in 2012; a lifetime ago when it comes to technology.
Peter Drescher is the technology coordinator for the Vermont Agency of Education. Drescher says this issue isn't having enough computers the schools have plenty at this point but that teachers aren't fully embracing the technology.
"I think the digital-use divide is still a big issue," Drescher says. "You can walk down a hallway and find only two teachers out of 10 who are using technology in their classrooms. It's a serious equity issue at schools, and we can't have that anymore."
The last digital learning plan covered six years. Drescher says the state wants to move toward a three-year period to better assess how rapidly technology needs change. This proposal would cover 2018-2021.
Vermont schools are trying to move toward more individualized learning, which uses video instruction, online courses and students working on their own and in smaller groups.
More and more work is being done through the cloud, and Drescher says schools need to make sure they have the connectivity to support the emerging platforms.
"You can walk down a hallway and find only two teachers out of 10 who are using technology in their classrooms. It's a serious equity issue at schools, and we can't have that anymore." Peter Drescher, Vermont Agency of Education
He also says more Vermont teachers need to be trained in computer programming, from grade school right on up to high school.
"We have a lot of interest in that Hour of Code activity that happens in December and schools really want to push that and do more programming within other content areas," Drescher says. "But we don't really have anyway to train teachers in to how to understand that and do that. So, that's the deficit we have right now, is having some kind of program that allows them to get that training."
According to the plan the state wants educators to more seamlessly use technology throughout the day, and it says administrators should recognize best practices and work to have them more widely used throughout Vermont schools.
The Agency of Education also wants all schools, but particularly middle and high schools, to use technology anytime personalized training is being offered to students.
The state is collecting comments on the draft plan through the end of September and hopes to issue a final plan before November 1. As part of the new state plan, each supervisory union will be asked to put together its own local three-year plan, which will be due to the Agency of Education June 30, 2018.
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Technology Can Be A Tool, A Teacher, A Trickster : 13.7: Cosmos … – NPR
Those of my generation have seen enormous advances in speech recognition systems.
In the early days, the user had to train herself to the system, exaggerating phonemes, speaking in slow staccato bursts. These days, it's the system that trains itself to the user. The results aren't perfect, but they're pretty darn good.
The development of speech recognition illustrates one facet of the relationship between people and technology. Sometimes, we have to change ourselves to meet the technology where it is. But the goal is often the other way around: to improve the technology to fit us as we are.
That's why it's interesting to reflect on some exceptions to the rule cases where technology isn't just a tool, but also a teacher. Good teachers meet their students where they are, and they adapt their methods accordingly. But the ultimate goal isn't to accommodate the student as he is, it's to change the student by changing the way he thinks and acts. When technology is a teacher, it isn't enough for the technology to adapt; we need to change ourselves, too. This turns out to have some interesting implications.
Consider some examples. Tutoring systems, language learning apps, and educational games are all designed to change our mental abilities. Weight loss apps, posture sensors, and exercise monitors are designed to change the way we behave. The ultimate aim is for YOU to learn Mandarin or achieve some target weight, not to have a device that translates your English into Mandarin for you, or creates the illusion of lower mass.
It's when we consider what it takes to change mental abilities or behaviors that things start to get interesting. Take the case of learning a language. The best teacher isn't necessarily the nicest teacher, or the easiest teacher, or the most flexible teacher. The best teacher (qua teacher) is the one who does the best job getting you to learn the language. In fact, we know from research in psychology and education that the best way to learn is unlikely to be the easiest, or the one that gives you the most immediate sense of mastery. There's value in desirable difficulties features of a task that increase effort, but support better long-term performance. There are also plenty of examples of learning interventions that increase immediate learning, or just the sense of having learned, but that are ultimately less effective than more effortful alternatives.
This means that shaping technology to the aim we care about in these cases some form of learning could depart pretty radically from the more familiar aim of shaping technology to the way we are now: making it comfortable, easy, convenient, and so on. Just as it might be a mistake to evaluate teachers based (only) on student evaluations, it might be a mistake to evaluate these technologies (only) on familiar metrics, such as user ratings and our own impressions from immediate use. We really want them vetted by our future selves; it's their reviews we should be reading.
These issues also apply to technology designed to change behavior, but often there's an additional twist. We typically resort to technology for behavior change when our own good intentions prove insufficient. For all my sincere efforts not to slouch at the keyboard or have a second cookie, I'm guilty of both on a regular basis.
Technological tools for behavior change are a way to nudge ourselves into better behavior. We intervene on our environment to shape ourselves, because we can't simply will ourselves into the target behavior directly. As a result, these technological tools aren't just teachers in the business of sharing information and rational persuasion; they're tricksters in the business of manipulating us albeit at our bidding.
Of course, the relationship between people and technology is more complex (as Alva No has written about here at 13.7). It isn't just that people adapt to technology, and that technology adapts to people. The relationship is dynamic and bidirectional; we are, to use Alva's phrase, "the tool-using species." But our tools aren't merely implements; they are also teachers and tricksters, balancing the values of our current and future selves.
Tania Lombrozo is a psychology professor at the University of California, Berkeley. She writes about psychology, cognitive science and philosophy, with occasional forays into parenting and veganism. You can keep up with more of what she is thinking on Twitter: @TaniaLombrozo
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Technology Can Be A Tool, A Teacher, A Trickster : 13.7: Cosmos ... - NPR
How Technology Can Solve Workplace Challenges – National Review
Technology has long been helping peopleparticularly womenin their quest to balance work and family responsibilities. The ability to work from home, tele- and video-conference into work meetings, has created new work paradigms; the internet has created new ways for part-time workers and entrepreneurs to make money from their homes.
Heres another way that technology can help improve work life for women: By giving women access to information about how companies treat their female employees. USA Today explains how one online service is doing just that:
Even with the rise of sites like Glassdoor and Monster, many women are still left wondering exactly how prospective employers handle gender-specific issues in the workplace likefamily leave and pay equity.
To find out, female job seekers are turning to Fairygodboss, a job review site exclusivelyfor women. The site provides crowdsourced intel on how female-friendly company policy is at thousands of businesses.
The 2-year-old start-up just released their2017 rankings of the best companies where women are happiest.
The rankings were based on the responses from almost 15,000 women about overall job satisfaction, gender equityand likelihood of recommendingtheir company to another woman.
The data is pulled from the anonymous job reviews that Fairygodboss usesto create company profiles.
This is great information for employees to have: women who want a company that is dedicated to supporting their advancement, and that will offer flexibility if and when they have children, have a new tool for identifying what companies might be the right fit for them. And its also important for employers to learn directly from employees and prospects what workers want most from their employers. Sites like this will give employers an incentive to try to do right by their workers so that they can earn a reputation as a place where quality employees want to work.
Unsurprisingly, most of the companies that top the list as the best places to work are large and primarily employ higher-skilled workers. But this kind of information could help women and workers at all income scales. Employers that rely more or hourly or lower-skilled workers also have an incentive to attract and retain the best, most reliable workforce possible. They will have to compete against other employers for such workers and will benefit from having a reputation of treating employees well.
Finding solutions to help people balance work and family responsibilities isnt easy, especially because not all workersnot even all womenwant the same type of support from their employers. But more information, and true flexibility, is a key to helping people find employment situations that suit them and to encourage businesses to meet the needs of workers.
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How Technology Can Solve Workplace Challenges - National Review
Technology plays increasing role in health care – News-Press Now
The days of thick medical files and handwritten doctors notes may be numbered as the medical industry continues the shift to digital technology, putting more information and access into the patients hands.
Its the whole ability for patients to be able to do things on the phone. We refer to it as the electronic clipboard, says Brennan Lehman, chief information officer at Mosaic Life Care. Its the ability to do all those things that you do when you come into that office, thats typically on a piece of paper on a clipboard, you can now do it all on your phone remotely.
Mosaic recently was recognized as one of 2017s Most Wired Hospitals for its use of smart phones, telehealth and other digital methods of connecting patients and caregivers.
According to the list, conducted in cooperation with the American Hospital Association and Clearwater Compliance LLC, more than 75 percent of the hospitals offer secure mobile messaging with clinicians, almost 70 percent allow prescription renewal requests on mobile devices and 40 percent offer virtual physician visits.
The one constant is technology is going to change, Lehman says. Any time we put new technology in, its not only just the technology, but its actually the process thats important. Its doctors, caregivers, nurses that all come together to outline the best process and then we support it with technology. Thats really the secret sauce.
Patient portals, online centers for patient and caregiver communication and record keeping, are on the rise. In 2014, about 40 percent of family-practice physicians used portals for messaging, and another 35 percent used the technology for patient education. Approximately a third of caregivers used them to prescribe medication or schedule appointments.
Weve actually built patient portal framework where we can actually sync secure messaging for patients. The patients can actually do virtual visits with their doctors online. They can schedule online. We are trying to create that virtual office, Lehman says. Everyone is going to their phones now. They dont want to actually have to pick up the phone and call someone. ... Patients can engage the way they chose to.
The Most Wired Hospitals list recognizes approximately 400 hospitals nationwide for their digital technology efforts to provide innovative tools for patients and caregivers. Childrens Mercy Hospital, Truman Medical Center and the University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City area also were recognized. It is the fourth time Mosaic was named to the list, Lehman says.
The patient portal technology also put Mosaic on the list of finalists for the 2017 Innovator Awards, in conjunction with the Most Wired recognition. University of Missouri Health Care in Columbia received one of the three national Innovator Awards for its smartphone app that allows users to track mood, activity and sleep and create an electronic health record.
(Technology) is an enabler, Lehman says. At the end of the day, technology is just a tool. Its the tool that provides the right information at the right time for the clinicians to make the best decisions for our patients.
In the future, the hope is to continue to integrate technology into health care to benefit care givers and patients and provide more opportunities for education, information transmission and improvement, Lehman says. Increasingly, more and more will be in the palm of your hand, he says.
Its continuing to drive more and more to the patients, he says. Not only from the phone, but how do we put more and more technology out into patients homes so they can receive care where they want to be?
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Technology plays increasing role in health care - News-Press Now
Technology offers ‘hidden gems’ to paddlers on Maryland water trail – Baltimore Sun
Chuck McMillin reckons he uses the Magothy River more than almost anybody else.
The avid kayaker has been exploring the 67 miles of shoreline for more than a decade. But even he learned about new spots after the Magothy River Association recently launched an online water trail guide.
The map denotes 30 points of interest along the trail, as well as hidden gems that might ordinarily be obstructed from view. Seventeen accompanying videos on the associations website give visitors facts and tips on how to access these spots.
McMillin, who organizes kayak trips, said one of those videos taught him how to get to a tucked-away cove through a small opening in the grass. He had been in the area before, but never approached at the angle necessary to notice the opening.
I think the map is making more people aware of the Magothy and these hidden spots, said McMillin, 60. That will make people appreciate the river more, and if they appreciate it more, they will respect it more and want to protect it more.
Water trails have surged in popularity in the last few years, said Lisa Gutierrez, director of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources office of public access, water trails and recreation planning. The state is home to more than 600 miles of designated water trails, according to the department website.
A few have incorporated videos and technology into their guides, Gutierrez said. The corresponding videos at the Magothy provide a birds-eye view using drone footage; they were funded by the Chesapeake Bay Trust.
On the water trails website, an old-fashioned map outlines the path kayakers can take, with a mileage chart that shows how far each highlight is from another. Each point of interest is described beneath, and the user can keep scrolling down to find a companion video.
The videos are usually two to three minutes long, so that explorers can easily pull them up and learn something new while theyre out on the water.
When youre in a kayak, it looks a lot different than if youre in a big boat, frequent kayaker Lisa Arrasmith said. When you have these videos that show you what to look for, its a nice preview so you can spot the landmarks.
The videos tell people kayaking or canoeing on the river what spots to check out, and provides them information about surrounding historical sites, local wildlife and potential obstacles. Some also link to an ongoing initiative by the Magothy River Association, the Living History Project.
The project aims to tell the stories of longtime residents of the watershed, through interviews and photos. One woman, who has lived near Cattail Creek since 1947, discussed how the area has changed over the years as houses were built on what was once open land. The group is hoping to add more videos throughout the summer.
By recording what people remember about the river, its an indication of how far we need to go to restore the river to what it was like in the day, said Paul Spadaro, the associations president.
The health of the Magothy River has been declining in recent years. In 2016, the association gave it a D grade based on water clarity, dissolved oxygen and acreage of submerged aquatic vegetation. The health index dropped five points from the year before.
Our main goal is to do everything we can to protect the Magothy River, said Andrea Germain, who sits on the river associations board. Our thought is that, with the water trail, if we can make it available to more people, theyll become stewards. After seeing the beauty, theyll do whatever they can to protect it.
Last month, the association held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to announce the availability of the water trail guide in a newly built kiosk at Spriggs Farm Park. The park is one of two places, along with Beachwood Park, where the public can launch their kayaks into the Magothy.
This was a big win for us to be able to work with the county and create these two new launch sites for public access to the water, Germain said. It should be open to the public, whether you live on the water or not.
Improving public water access is a priority for Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh, said his spokesman, Owen McEvoy. The kiosks, guides and videos provide a road map for people who might not be familiar with the water, he said.
Going into the summers hottest stretch, the Magothy water trail guide is another feather in our cap when it comes to engaging people to get out on the water in Anne Arundel County, McEvoy said.
Christine Burns created an interactive, online map of the Kings Creek Water Trail in 2015 while serving with the states Chesapeake Conservation Corps. The map, which is also printable, takes visitors through various spots along the trail, introducing them to local wildlife and historical facts.
Burns said technology is a good way to make the water trails more accessible, and deepen the connection between the visitors and the river.
If everyone already has their phone out to take selfies and pictures, Burns said, they might as well learn something.
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Technology offers 'hidden gems' to paddlers on Maryland water trail - Baltimore Sun
Elon Musk likes most technology, but he wants one sector regulated – AOL
Jake Jones
Jul 16th 2017 8:34PM
Electric cars, an underground "hyperloop" and a manned mission to Mars are all A-OK for inventor and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. But there's one technology he's still holding out on: artificial intelligence.
That's why he encouraged U.S. governors to get out in front of the industry and do some proactive regulating.
Musk met with state governors at the National Governors Association to talk about different kinds of emerging technology. In addition to A.I., Musk talked about solar energy, space travel and self-driving cars.
"AI is a fundamental risk to the existence of human civilization in a way that car accidents, airplane crashes, faulty drugs or bad food were not," Musk said.
SEE MORE: Elon Musk Thinks He Has A Way To Make Colonizing Mars Cheaper
But his feelings towards A.I. aren't anything new.
"I mean, with artificial intelligence we are summoning the demon," Musk said at a 2014 event at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Musk warned that the hyper-competitiveness of the tech industry could push developers to work on A.I. before their competitors. And if that happens without any kind of oversight, Musk says it could pose "the greatest risk we face as a civilization."
Back in 2015, Musk helped fund OpenAI, a nonprofit tasked with researching "digital intelligence in the way that is most likely to benefit humanity."
And Musk isn't the only prominent techno-wiz to warn us about A.I. Stephen Hawking has said he believes artificial intelligence could "spell the end of the human race."
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Hyperloop tubes are displayed during the first test of the propulsion system at the Hyperloop One Test and Safety site on May 11, 2016 in North Las Vegas, Nevada. The company plans to create a fully operational hyperloop system by 2020.
(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images,)
Elon Musk speaks at the Hyperloop pod competition on January 29, 2017. To accelerate the development of a functional Hyperloop prototype, a high speed transportation system that Musk proposed in 2013, SpaceX staged a student pod competition.
(Kate Allen/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
An employee carries out final checks on a vacuum system before delivery to the Hyperloop transportation system technology applications company at the Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum GmbH factory in Cologne, Germany, on Thursday, June 30, 2016. In 2013, billionaire Elon Musk first unveiled his vision of a transportation system in which capsules hurtling on a cushion of air would whisk people at 700 miles per hour, traveling from San Francisco to Los Angeles in half an hour.
(Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The rLoop team shows their INFIRA pod during the SpaceX Hyperloop competition in Hawthorne, California on January 29, 2017. Students from 30 colleges and universities from the US and around the world are taking part in testing their pods on a 1.25 kilometer-long Hyperloop track at the SpaceX headquarters.
(GENE BLEVINS/AFP/Getty Images)
Sand rises from the track as a test sled is slowed during the first test of the propulsion system at the Hyperloop One Test and Safety site on May 11, 2016 in North Las Vegas, Nevada. Hyperloop One stages the first public demonstration of a key component of the startup's futuristic rail transit concept that could one day ferry passengers at near supersonic speeds.
(JOHN GURZINSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
People photograph the interior of a Hyperloop tube after the first test of a propulsion system at the Hyperloop One Test and Safety site on May 11, 2016 in North Las Vegas, Nevada. The company plans to create a fully operational hyperloop system by 2020.
(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images,)
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk(C) speaks during the SpaceX Hyperloop pod competition in Hawthorne, California on January 29, 2017. Students from 30 colleges and universities from the US and around the world are taking part in testing their pods on a 1.25 kilometer-long Hyperloop track at the SpaceX headquarters.
(GENE BLEVINS/AFP/Getty Images)
The EDGE pod, the smallest hyperloop pod designed by Keio University in Japan, is displayed during the SpaceX Hyperloop competition in Hawthorne, California on January 29, 2017. Students from 30 colleges and universities from the US and around the world are taking part in testing their pods on a 1.25 kilometer-long Hyperloop track at the SpaceX headquarters.
(GENE BLEVINS/AFP/Getty Images)
Robert 'Rob' Lloyd, chief executive officer of Hyperloop Transport Technologies Inc., gestures as he speaks during Automobility LA ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016. The Connected Car Expo and LA Auto Show press days have merged to form AutoMobility LA. The show is open to the public November 18-27.
(Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A winch supports screws before being inserted into a Dryvac compressing screw vacuum pump at the Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum GmbH factory in Cologne, Germany, on Thursday, June 30, 2016. In 2013, billionaire Elon Musk first unveiled his vision of a transportation system in which capsules hurtling on a cushion of air would whisk people at 700 miles (1,130 kilometers) per hour, traveling from San Francisco to Los Angeles in half an hour.
(Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
An employee holds a bearing ring during the assembly of a Dryvac compressing screw vacuum pump at the Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum GmbH factory in Cologne, Germany, on Thursday, June 30, 2016. In 2013, billionaire Elon Musk first unveiled his vision of a transportation system in which capsules hurtling on a cushion of air would whisk people at 700 miles per hour, traveling from San Francisco to Los Angeles in half an hour.
(Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A Hyperloop tube is displayed during the first test of the propulsion system at the Hyperloop One Test and Safety site on May 11, 2016 in North Las Vegas, Nevada. The company plans to create a fully operational hyperloop system by 2020.
(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images,)
A recovery vehicle and a test sled sit on rails after the first test of the propulsion system at the Hyperloop One Test and Safety site on May 11, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hyperloop One stages the first public demonstration of a key component of the startup's futuristic rail transit concept that could one day ferry passengers at near supersonic speeds.
(JOHN GURZINSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
People look at a demonstration test sled after the first test of the propulsion system at the Hyperloop One Test and Safety site on May 11, 2016 in North Las Vegas, Nevada. The company plans to create a fully operational hyperloop system by 2020.
(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images,)
A test sled is propelled along a set of tracks during the first test of the propulsion system at the Hyperloop One Test and Safety site on May 11, 2016 in North Las Vegas, Nevada. The company plans to create a fully operational hyperloop system by 2020.
(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images,)
The pod displayed in the booth for MIT Hyperloop, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, during the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition in Hawthorne, Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 29, 2017.
(REUTERS/Monica Almeida)
The pod cover for team Openloop, a six school alliance including Northeastern, Memorial University, Princeton, Cornell, Harvey Mudd College and the University of Michigan at the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition in Hawthorne, Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 29, 2017.
(REUTERS/Monica Almeida)
Team members from WARR Hyderloop, Technical University of Munich place their pod on the track during the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition in Hawthorne, Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 29, 2017.
(REUTERS/Monica Almeida)
A student from the Delft University of Technology inspects the team's pod before it enters the Hyperloop test track. To accelerate the development of a functional Hyperloop prototype, a high speed transportation system that Musk proposed in 2013, SpaceX staged a student pod competition.
(Kate Allen/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
Robert 'Rob' Lloyd, chief executive officer of Hyperloop Transport Technologies Inc., gestures as he speaks during Automobility LA ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016. The Connected Car Expo and LA Auto Show press days have merged to form AutoMobility LA. The show is open to the public November 18-27.
(Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Elon Musk likes most technology, but he wants one sector regulated - AOL
Is technology ruining the relationship between parent and child? New study shows yes – ABC FOX Montana News
BOZEMAN -
Technology is a part of everyday life. A new study shows that kids show more behavior issues the more their parents are distracted by digital technology.
This study, posted by Virginia Mason Memorial took moms and dads from 170 families and asked them certain questions; here is what the data showed.
Parents indicated that their smartphones, tablets interfered with their conversations or other activities with their kids at least once a day.
About half of the parents, devices interrupted activities with their kids even more. Sometimes up to three or more times a day.
When technology interrupted parent-child time, it predicted more problems, like whining and temper tantrums.
Tim Sullivan, says as a parent you need to be able to separate yourself from technology.
Sullivan said, "You tend to get lost a little bit in technology and lose out on the bigger more important things in life, so you got to learn how to shut it off and ignore it sometimes. We like to do a lot of things outdoors; we float the Madison a lot. We go to a climbing Gym, try to do things actively outside and enjoy the beautiful weather."
A couple things you could do to separate yourself are to set times that are specifically meant for your children, for example, as soon as you get home from work, make it play time.
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EFF to Minnesota Supreme Court: Sheriff Must Release Emails Documenting Biometric Technology Use – EFF
A Minnesota sheriffs office must release emails showing how it uses biometric technology so that the community can understand how invasive it is, EFF argued in a brief filed in the Minnesota Supreme Court on Friday.
The case, Webster v. Hennepin County, concerns a particularly egregious failure to respond to a public records request that an individual filed as part of a 2015 EFF and MuckRock campaign to track biometric technology use by law enforcement across the country.
EFF has filed two briefs in support of web engineer and public records researcher Tony Websters request, with the latest brief [.pdf] arguing that agencies must provide information contained in emails to help the public understand how a local sheriff uses biometric technology. The ACLU of Minnesota joined EFF on the brief.
As we write in the brief:
This case is not about whether or how the government may collect biometric data and develop and domestically deploy information-retrieval technology as a potential sword against the general public. That is just one debate we must have, but critical to it and all public debates is that it be informed by public [records]
The case began when Webster filed a request based on EFFs letter template with Hennepin County, a jurisdiction that includes Minneapolis, host city of the 2018 Super Bowl. He sought emails, contracts, and other records related to the use of technology that can scan and recognize fingerprints, faces, irises, and other forms of biometrics.
After the county basically ignored the request, Webster sued. An administrative law judge ruled in 2015 that the county had violated the states public records law both because it failed to provide documents to Webster and because it did not have systems in place to quickly search and disclose electronic records.
An intermediate appellate court ruled in 2016 that the county had to turn over the records Webster sought, but it reversed the lower courts ruling that the county did not have adequate procedures in place to respond to public records requests.
Both Webster and the county appealed the ruling to the Minnesota Supreme Court. In its appeal, the county argues that public records requesters create undue burden on agencies when they specify that they search for particular key words or search terms.
EFFs brief in support of Webster points out the flaws in the countys search term argument. Having requesters identify specific search terms for documents they seek helps agencies conduct better searches for records while narrowing the scope of the request. This ultimately reduces the burden on agencies and leads to records being released more quickly.
EFF would like to thank attorneys Timothy Griffin and Thomas Burman of Stinson Leonard Street LLP for drafting the brief and serving as local counsel.
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New Technology Has Transformed Celebrity, Says Kate Hudson At AT&T Conference – Deadline
New technology not only reshapes entertainment content and distribution, but the role of performers as well, and sometimes in ways as distressing as they are promising, said actress Kate Hudson and others at todays AT&T Shape conference.
Theres a lot of talent out there, said Hudson, part of a paneltitled How Direct-to-Consumer Technology Is Transforming Celebrity at the conference on the Warner Bros. lot, but its more about what is the next big thing instead of making the best version of that content.
She said the studios focus on big branded franchises while the tech companies create platforms that make actors a commodity.
The actress-entrepreneur added that major studios have stopped making the mid-range $20 million to $60 million movies she is known for, like How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days and Bride Wars, in favor of hugely expensive franchise movies which are the star.
I dont work that much anymore, admits Hudson, because the movies I want to be doing are much harder for me to get. The movies I could be in, I dont want to be doing. I might do a big comedy but artistically I want to be doing different things.
Hudsons panel was moderated by John Stankey, CEO of the AT&T Entertainment Group, who is rumored to be in line to run a new division that would include Warner Bros., Turner, HBO and other content platforms.
Not discussed today wasAT&Ts effort to acquire Warner Bros. for $85.4 billion.
Instead, todays event wasan effort to encourage web designers to make content for AT&T platforms.
Sharing the panel with Hudson were her CAA agent Michael Kives and Van Toffler, CEO of the startup Gunpowder & Sky and formerly of MTV.
A big shift has taken place, says Kives. Traditionally, in the past, it was the studios and networks bearing the risk of a project and guaranteeing the money. Its really shifted to where media companies are asking talent to share the risk with them. That can be very lucrative to talent and it can be bad if it fails.
Toffler said at first, Silicon Valley tech companies came to big media looking for content and our media company told them to go away. And then they amassed huge audiences and we begged them to put it on.
Today multiple content platforms and social media deliver the content and drive the narrative about what, and who, is hot.
Hudson does social media as a way to relate to her audience, promote her movies, TV appearances, books, clothing line and more.
I never wanted anyone in charge of what goes out for me on my social media channels, says Hudson. I wanted to be in control of that. To me, as my brand grows, its really important to be authentic, even if its a lot more work for me.
The danger of social media, says Kives, is that one joke on Twitter or Instagram can be taken wrong and suddenly youre dealing with a crisis where ten years ago you might have been able to get away with it.
Technology makes it so hard to catch up, adds Hudson. The movie industry still lives in an antiquated system and I still struggle, as an artist, to catch up to technology.
Link:
New Technology Has Transformed Celebrity, Says Kate Hudson At AT&T Conference - Deadline