Daily Archives: August 14, 2021

In an issue of his newsletter, The Convivial Society, L.M. Sacasas posed 41 questions that we should ask ourselves about technologies to help us draw out the moral or ethical implications of our tools. Here are a few of the questions:

3. How will the use of this technology affect my experience of time?12. What was required of other creatures so that I might be able to use this technology?16. How does this technology empower me? At whose expense?22. What desires does the use of this technology generate?35. Does my use of this technology encourage me to view others as a means to an end?

Sacasas recently joined Ezra Klein on his podcast to talk through some of the answers to these questions for certain technologies.

EZRA KLEIN: Im gonna group the next set together. So what was required of other human beings, of other creatures, of the earth, so that I might be able to use this technology? When you ask that, when you think of that, what comes to mind?

MICHAEL SACASAS: So I recently wrote a piece, and its premise was that sometimes we think of the internet, of digital life, as being immaterial, existing somewhere out in the ether, in the cloud, with these metaphors that kind of suggest that it doesnt really have a material footprint. But the reality of course I think as most of us are becoming very aware is that it very much has a material reality that may begin in a mine where rare earth metals are being extracted in inhumane working conditions at great cost to the local environment.

But thats very far removed from my comfortable experience of the tablet on my couch in the living room. And so with regards to the earth, the digital realm depends upon material resources that need to be collected. It depends on the energy grid. It leaves a footprint on the environment.

And so we tend not to think about that by the time that it gets to us and looks so shiny and clean and new, and connects us to this world that isnt physically necessarily located anywhere in our experience. And so I think it is important for us to think about the labor, the extraction cost on the environment, that go into providing us with the kind of world that we find so amusing and interesting and comfortable.

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41 Questions We Should Ask Ourselves About the Technology We Use - kottke.org - kottke.org

By: Luke Kerr-Dineen August 13, 2021

The author recently tested his swing at GOLFTEC using OptiMotion technology.

Welcome to Play Smart, a game-improvement column that drops every Monday, Wednesday and Friday fromGame Improvement Editor Luke Kerr-Dineento help you play smarter, better golf.

Were coming into the meat of the season now, so I decided it was time for my own swing to get a sneaky tune up.

One of our new GOLF Top 100 Teachers, Nick Clearwater, was telling me about GOLFTECs new 3D technology called OptiMotion, which has rolled out into more than 157 different GOLFTEC locations across the country, including one just down the road from my home in Connecticut. Ive written about it before but hadnt experienced it first-hand yet. With a few rounds arranged for this weekend, now was the time.

3D technology in golf has been around a while, and all of the worlds best coaches and players are well-versed in it. The problem is that for regular golfers like the rest of us, its hard work trying to get access to one yourself. The systems are wildly expensive not the kind youd install in your home, unless youre a golf coach like Chris Como and can be difficult to find. Thats led to a wave of innovation in the space as companies look to bring down those barriers to entry. Sportsbox AI is working to bring the technology for mobile phones, but nobody has reached the scale of GOLFTECs Optimotion technology.

Like all great inventions, OptiMotion was spurred-on partly as a matter of necessity: In a world of Pandemic-era social distancing, creating a quick and contactless way of helping golfers improve became a big priority for the company.

And thats what it is. The program runs through cameras that are stationed down the line and face on. Once you walk into the hitting bay, like you see me doing below, OptiMotion detects a number of key joints. Simultaneously, it will project a skeleton onto your body that will mirror and, crucially, measure your movements.

As you swing, the system takes those measurements and compares them to a baseline of highly-skilled players in those same positions. Right now, the system tracks the body, not the club, but the company says theyre rolling out updates every day.

If the number is green or blue, it means youre at or more than the elite players position. If youre yellow, it means youre slightly below. Red means your way below. Those are the ones that usually get addressed.

You may have spotted in the pictures above that my shoulders were slightly open at address a common problem of mine but the real point of concern came on my transition from backswing to downswing.

After I shift my weight to my backswing, I have a tendency to hang out there a little too long. Its a slight form of swaying, basically: My weight goes back, and then never comes forward enough, so Ill hit chunky iron shots and flip at it with my hands.

Most pros, when in the position you see me in below, have shifted their hips back towards the target (its called re-centering). But you can see on the left before image my hip sway is still away from the target slightly. Thats why that number is in yellow. After a few swings, I nailed down my transition, and got my hip sway about an inch more toward the target, which is why the same number is in green in my after image.

And because I got my hips and therefore, my weight a little more forward earlier in my downswing, it helped me get more onto the right side on downswing. The difference would be hard to spot ordinarily, but with the hip-sway number more isolated, you can see how my body is more ahead of the ball in the right frame, which helps me compress the golf ball better.

And with that, my tune up was complete. It was a fun, fascinating, and surprisingly intuitive way to get the swing shaped-up in short order. Im playing golf a couple times this weekend, so hopefully thisll prove a literal game-changer for me, and if youre looking to nerd-out on your own swing, check out the link below.

All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy a linked product, GOLF.COM may earn a fee. Pricing may vary.

Fill out this form to book a swing evaluation or club fitting and begin your journey to better golf

Luke Kerr-Dineen is the Game Improvement Editor at GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com. In his role he oversees all the brands service journalism spanning instruction, equipment, health and fitness, across all of GOLFs multimedia platforms.

An alumni of the International Junior Golf Academy and the University of South CarolinaBeaufort golf team, where he helped them to No. 1 in the national NAIA rankings, Luke moved to New York in 2012 to pursue his Masters degree in Journalism from Columbia University and in 2017 was named News Media Alliances Rising Star. His work has also appeared in USA Today, Golf Digest, Newsweek and The Daily Beast.

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How this innovative new technology improved my ball-striking - Golf.com

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Submitted by Intel Corporation

When the Texas power crisis hit in February, my family and I were among the millions of people stuck in a deadly blackout in freezing temperatures because of a massive electricity generation failure. Certain areas of the grid, like hospitals, remained illuminated to support critical infrastructure, but this also meant that nearby empty skyscrapers kept power that otherwise could have been redirected to residents in their homes and others who needed it.

These problems arent limited to Texas. As I write this, devastating wildfires along the West Coast are threatening the power supply of millions more and forcing the energy system to adapt fast. Were seeing more frequent severe weather events due to the impacts of climate change.

When crises strike, one of the most important elements for recovery is reliable power. However, our outdated energy grid lacks the ability to direct energy where it is needed most during these crises. Instead, current solutions to mitigate the outdated grid include turning off energy lines and implementing rolling blackouts to avoid further devastation. But those solutions are unsustainable, archaic and of little comfort if youre reduced to boiling water over an open fire.

The current energy grid structure is vulnerable and difficult for providers to navigate. It was built to support a one-way flow of mostly carbon-based power from centralized sources. It doesnt have the ability to quickly pivot in times of need or to support the 100% renewable energy critical to meet global climate goals like President Bidens proposal to create acarbon pollution-free power sector by 2035.

We must move to renewable energy sources and build a smarter grid. For this, Intel has created a technology solution to drastically simplify the grid, making it more dependable, adaptable and efficient.

Increased Usage of Renewable Energy Sources

To mitigate climate-change impacts, we need a grid that can better support renewable energy. Not only will these sources create a clean energy future, but they are distributed at the edge of the grid and across multiple areas. The result is a more resilient grid that is no longer dependent on power sources in a central location that can create potentially devastating bottlenecks in times of emergency.

We also need a smarter grid. It must support omni-directional flow both from and to the source of generation, which renewable energy sources require, and balance for intermittent energy (like solar and wind) in real time. This gives the energy provider the flexibility to distribute energy where and when it is needed most, while giving customers the information needed to make environmentally conscious and cost-effective energy choices.

The transformation to a smart grid may seem daunting, but our solution drastically simplifies it. Ambitious climate action has already turned the electric delivery model upside down and the industry is currently going through a rapid and massive evolution.

Intel Technology as the Key Enabler for Smart Grid Solutions

My team at Intel has been working on a first-of-its-kind compute solution that can be easily deployed into the existing infrastructure to create a smarter grid and readily adapt to changing energy consumption needs. Our solution implements artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies into the existing system, thereby flattening the grid and allowing the market to determine the highest and best energy source, regardless of its physical location on the grid. A flat grid enables 100% adoption of clean, renewable and intermittent energy to be integrated into real-time energy markets.

Currently, utility operations have layers of applications that have been added over time and do not always work cohesively. Our software-defined technology consolidates these applications into a single platform while also supporting new energy workloads, like enabling clean sources distributed at the edge of the grid. This platform includes AI-enabled decision-making to sense and learn optimal load balancing across a distributed set of intermittent, clean energy resources. A containerized approach ensures the applications remain isolated and secure. This platform reduces capital costs by avoiding waste and distributing energy in the most efficient way possible. It also reduces operating costs by offering insight into each substation and supporting predictive maintenance.

Collaborating to Optimize the Energy Grid

Intel has been working with governments, businesses and utilities around the globe to implement these smart grid solutions. In Europe, were working with eight major electric utilities to develop a flexible, manageable smart grid called theEdge for Smart Secondary Substation (E4S) Alliance. In the United States, were working with Southern California Edison to transform electrical substation relays into virtualized applications decreasing deployment and maintenance costs while providing cybersecurity services for a more flexible, safe and modern grid. And in Malaysia, we are collaborating with Tenaga Nasional Berhad on the digitalization of its electric grid, with a focus on virtualized computing infrastructure and applications for the substation and grid system.

Increasing renewable energy consumption and enabling clean energy options is a key part of the sustainability pillar in IntelsRISE strategy, but reinventing the grid is a challenge that is too big to tackle alone. By leveraging our comprehensive technology and unique ability to convene an ecosystem of utilities, governments and technology, we can transform energy grids across the globe and bring reliable, renewable power to all.

At Intel, corporate responsibility means doing what is right. Respecting people and the world around us. Its how we do business.

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CSRWire - The Technology Solution to the Power Grid's Battle With Climate Change - CSRwire.com

Travelers can keep boarding passes in their bags. TSA's new CAT machines can identify travelers and if they're flying with just a driver's license.

TAMPA, Fla. There have been many changes to air travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, like wearing masks and increased social distancing on planes. However, there are also new changes coming to the technology used at Transportation Security Administration's checkpoints.

"We have the credential authentication technology, called the CAT machine, which is a step up from our boarding pass scanner," TSA Federal Security Director for the Greater Tampa Bay area, Kirk Skinner said. "When CAT looks at the identification, it brings up the picture and it validates for the officer who they're talking to."

In other words, you won't need to scan your boarding pass at the initial checkpoint.

"Now you can use your identification to real-time verify that you are who you say you are, and it also verifies that you have a flight today," Skinner explained.

You will still have to show your boarding pass at the gate or the terminal entrance, but not to the TSA agent at the checkpoint. If you have children without IDs to scan, they are still covered.

"Minors with their parents aren't required to have an ID, but they're with their family, so we use the boarding pass scanner to make sure their boarding pass is valid," Skinner said.

Around 30,000 travelers pass through the Tampa International Airport every day.

"Of course, we're still recovering from 2020 COVID, and our numbers actually fell by about 50% from 2019. Right now we're about 95% of where we were in 2019," Skinner described. "We expect the holidays could be big numbers for us, but with the resurgence of COVID, the delta variant, it's difficult for us to project."

The average wait time at TPA's security checkpoints is 10 minutes. TSA says they have not had a wait at TPA longer than 30 minutes in the past three years. The new technology removes human error almost entirely, cutting down on wait times and eliminating some steps.

"When you take the human being out of the process, there is less of a chance that a mistake is made, you're going to miss somebody with a different name, or the picture isn't going to match. The name looks the same but the picture is different," Skinner explained. "Catching a fraudulent identification is actually pretty difficult. Our folks are trained in that but it's always a challenge."

Thorough security at airports, especially TPA, is a must. In 2019, TSA intercepted 87 firearms at TPA. That year, the airport was No. 10 in the nation for the most firearms found at security checkpoints. Numbers show the airport could be on track to make the list again this year.

"To date this year, we've had 78. We've still got six weeks to go, so we may have as many firearms this year as we've had in the past, which is typical for us," Skinner said.

Having a firearm at the airport will mean getting law enforcement involved. Depending on the state of the firearm, if it's loaded, could mean going to jail.

"Law enforcement takes over the weapon and they take over the process of discussing it with the passenger," Skinner explained. "If they have a concealed carry, they are given the opportunity to put it in their vehicle or give it to a companion that isn't traveling. If they don't have a concealed carry, they usually leave here accompanied by law enforcement and end up with an arrest."

Even if you don't get arrested after bringing a firearm to the checkpoint, TSA says they investigate every case with a civil action for regulatory compliance.Fines can be upward of $13,000.

TSA says these incidents are usually accidents. People often forget to take them out of their bags before traveling. However, it shows the need for continuously updated security, starting at the initial checkpoint.

The CAT machines are being phased in, so you may still have to scan your boarding pass. You can expect to see them at all checkpoints at TPA by December.

"We're doing this for you, for your protection, and that process requires a partnership between my officers and the passengers, so bring your patience and leave your temper at home," Skinner said.

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Flying soon? You may see new technology at the TSA checkpoint - WTSP.com

In the commercial vehicle industry, professionals are always looking to enhance key areas of their business, from the total cost of ownership of their assets to the wellbeing of their employees. The desire for continuous improvement has been driving innovation in the industry for decades. In todays world of Big Data, sights are now set on autonomous solutions and connected technology is paving the way.

THEN: The growing need for connected technologies

No matter the size of a fleet, major cost drivers and concerns have historically been the same.

Safety is and always will be a top priority. Though warning signs are often present when there is risk of malfunction, issues can go unnoticed during pre- and post-trip inspections. Some of these problems can often lead to tire-tread separation, flat tires, brake seizures, or uneven load distribution, for example. In more severe cases, thermal events and wheel-offs can happen. These events not only affect the safety of operators and other cars on the road, but cause downtime and impact asset utilization and the fleets total cost of ownership. These are major areas of concern that have been the driving force for innovation in the industry.

Solutions in the past have been incomplete and disjointed, requiring several data sources and manual processes to interpret the data. As technology evolves, the demand is growing for more streamlined, smarter solutions to help improve safety, maximize uptime, and optimize fleets operations.

NOW: Unlocking the potential of data

Through decades of industry and component-specific knowledge, data science, and machine learning, the newly formed ConMet Digital provides a comprehensive view of the tractor-trailer and its data.

Strategically placed wireless sensors connected to a flexible Vehicle Area Network (VAN) monitor the condition of hubs, tires, brakes, axles, and air lines, while an array of proprietary algorithms interprets the data and serves up actionable intelligence in real time. This empowers drivers, owners, and fleet managers to take action that will help:

This digitalization is the architecture for whats next in the commercial vehicle industry.

FUTURE: Ushering in a new era of trucking

So what does the future of connected technology look like? Autonomous applications depend on precise, accurate data so the best decisions can be made in real time. This is critical for all functions of a tractor-trailer vehicle to autonomously accelerate, brake, and steer, and to alert the operator of a potential issue. This architecture is already being developed by ConMet Digital through their flexible Vehicle Area Network.

The versatility of ConMet Digitals wireless sensors can provide insight into areas that would otherwise be invisible. The wheel end, for example has historically relied on visual inspections and timed maintenance. It is also an area that has some of the most severe implications for safety, uptime, and cost if a failure were to occur. Thanks to ConMet Digitals many years of industry experience, they are able to autonomously pinpoint very early warning signs in the wheel end ecosystem that are unseen by the human eye. The real-time visibility into the wheel end, and other areas across the tractor-trailer, is a vital component to the success of tomorrows autonomous commercial vehicles.

Through the analysis of historical and present data using cutting-edge machine learning and statistical modeling techniques, ConMet Digital is evolving from health monitoring, to diagnostics, and then to predictive analytics. ConMets digital products and services are setting the stage to enable a reliable transition from 100% human driving to full self-driving commercial vehicles.

To learn more about ConMet Digitals connected solutions,visit conmet.com/digital.

About ConMet Digital

ConMet Digital was established in 2019 to advance ConMets innovation on IoT (Internet of Things) for heavy-duty vehicles. The growing team has decades of experience across telematics, data science, wireless communications, and cloud computing. Together with the unmatched commercial vehicle expertise and support of ConMet, ConMet Digital provides holistic, actionable insights into the tractor-trailer ecosystem to help fleets improve operations.

About ConMet

ConMet, a division of Amsted Industries, is a leading global supplier of wheel hubs, aluminum castings, and structural plastics to original equipment manufacturers and aftermarket channels in the commercial vehicle industry. Founded in 1964, ConMet innovation has been critical in designing, engineering, and manufacturing revolutionary technologies for trucks and trailers. Today, ConMet products are standard equipment on most heavy-duty vehicles in North America and have a growing footprint worldwide.

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Connected Technology and Autonomous Trucking: Then, Now, and in the Future - Transport Topics Online

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MIAT College of Technology and Mnemonic Agency recently received a Gold Telly 2021 Award in the Local TV General-Schools/Colleges/Universities category for their collaborative development of MIATs Climb Above the Cubicle marketing video. The video promoted MIATs Wind Power Technician Program.

MIAT operates campuses in Houston and in Canton, Mich. near Detroit. MIAT is using the video for marketing and public relations, recruiting, job fairs, and community relations purposes. A link to the video is available at https://vimeo.com/454412550.

Sehban Zaidi, creative director with Mnemonic Agency, worked closely with MIAT College of Technology Houston campus president John Willis, his faculty, staff, students, and alumni to produce the Climb Above the Cubicle video last year. Aaron Long, a senior marketing consultant and founder of the Longstation marketing and graphic design firm, managed the project from start to finish. Since summer 2020, the video has aired extensively via Comcast, AT&T U-verse and Direct TV on numerous television channels such as ESPN, ID, MTV, TBS, TNT, and many others. It also has been viewed and shared extensively via MIATs social media platforms, digital marketing campaigns, the MIAT.edu Web site, and MIAT YouTube Channel.

Willis credits Climb Above the Cubicle for enabling MIAT to effectively showcase both campuses, MIATs programs and positive outcomes for students, their family, employers, and the communities in which they live and work after graduating. The key message of this award-winning video is that students can count on MIAT as a proven provider of career education that will have a profound, positive impact for themselves and members of their family for many generations.

MIAT offers certificate and associate degree programs in wind technology as well as aviation maintenance, energy technology, HVACR (heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration), robotics, welding, and non-destructive testing.

MIAT faculty and staff encourage our students to take their life and their future into their own hands by envisioning a career beyond cubicle walls, Willis explained. I am extremely thankful to Sehban and Aaron for working with me and other MIAT team members to produce this award-winning video. Our goal for this project was to create something different that resonated with students and emphasized at its core the vision of our college.

Zaidi shared this perspective about the project: MIAT has been a pioneer in terms of embracing new creative horizons, and Mnemonic Agency is so proud to help bring the vision to life. The Climb Above the Cubicle campaign brought unchartered storytelling to the wind technicians marketing space, and MIAT and Mnemonic partnered to craft effective creative that captured the imagination of the next generation of Americas workforce. Awards mean more when you win them for a project that serves the community and drives our industries forward. MIATs Wind Technician program is such a wonderful opportunity for the Houston workforce as well as a supporting pillar of the local economy. To craft award-winning creative that serves such a worthy initiative is truly moving.

For more information about MIAT, please visit http://www.miat.edu.

For more information about mnemonic, visit http://www.mnemonicagency.com.

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MIAT College of Technology's Climb Above the Cubicle Marketing Video Earns a 2021 Gold Telly Award with Creative Support from Mnemonic Agency, Proves...

Automation can be ambiguous: there is value in the weak ties that we build when we buy a cup of coffee in person instead of through an app. Not all processes must be automated in order to work best.

But processes in the workplace are different. And the ones we dont realize are processes end up taking longer, exposing more risk, and, at the end of the day, making our lives a little bit worse.

Every signed document, for example, is part of a larger story: approvals are almost always involved, and before approvals discussion, and before collaboration someones request. Often, these processes dont feel like larger stories because we just see ourselves touch one part of them, usually through our email inbox.

The same is true for spreadsheets: what may seem like a single location where information is stored is more often a place where the information drifts up ad hoc requests, shared ownership, and non-required fields make spreadsheets a huge source of error. The way to improve on a spreadsheet is to remember that, like a contract, it is the end of the process, not the process itself.

One of the most important steps a company takes when it embraces digital transformation and enterprise automation is to begin seeing processes for what they are, and to begin seeing tasks and outputs as part of larger processes.

Legacy products and homegrown solutions, which understand that a process is a process, require heavy IT involvement and support, limiting how many processes can be streamlined in a given period. They also tend to involve higher maintenance and updating costs.

Digital transformation as a watchword asks us to think beyond outdated solutions and pieces that arent already conceived of as processes. It demands that we zoom out and look at the bigger picture: how the various pieces that touch us and our work touch each other. Enterprise workflow automation is the number one way we automate the processes that have eluded us.

Its time to see tasks as part of a larger story, and its time for transformational technology to empower departments and companies to begin writing the stories themselves.

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Enterprise Automation for People, Process, and Technology: The Process Part - JD Supra