Category Archives: Technology

(WLUK) -- Twice in one year, Appleton police officers found themselves in life-or-death situations. But the events were not captured on their body cameras.

New technology could help make sure that doesn't happen in the future.

"They want these cameras on when they need them but they have a more important job to do," said Steve Tuttle, a spokesman for Axon.

In May 2016, police say Officer Stephanie Wiener was shot by a suspect who grabbed her gun during a confrontation. Wiener turned her body camera on after she was shot.

"That's, in my world, certainly understandable because she was attacked suddenly," Assistant Appleton Police Chief Todd Olm told FOX 11 Investigates in February 2017.

In May of this year, Lt. Jay Steinke was walking the beat on College Avenue when someone reported shots fired inside Jack's Apple Pub. Police say Steinke fired shots at the suspect. But one bullet struck and killed a bystander, Jimmie Sanders.

At a news conference two weeks after the incident, Police Chief Todd Thomas said he understands why Steinke didn't turn on his body camera.

"When you're standing outside a bar and somebody runs outside the door and says, 'there's a guy inside shooting.' Your first reaction is going to go to your firearm, your sidearm. And that's what he did. He ran to the door. It's not to try to find your body camera and try to turn it on. That could be a second or two lost," Thomas said on June 2.

Click here to read the Appleton Police Department's body camera policy.

At that same news conference, Outagamie Co. District Attorney Carrie Schneider said the body camera may not have even shown much.

"You're going to see this white shirt of this women directly in front of him is what you're really going to see or a blur of that and the other people in that doorway," Schneider said.

"Maybe, but we'll never know," said Emilio De Torre from the ACLU of Wisconsin. He says he understands why some cameras are not activated. But he says when cameras are rolling, they are very helpful.

"It is a protection certainly for the officers and it is an element of accountability to the civilians that are involved in these encounters," De Torre said.

New technology is helping to ensure that officers' body cameras are activated during emergencies.

The officer is not there to be director of a film, his first and foremost job is to protect community members, himself, others, Tuttle, the spokesman for Axon, said.

Tuttle says the company has developed a product called the Axon Signal which uses blue-tooth technology to automatically turn an officer's body camera on in certain situations. It also sends a signal for 30 seconds to activate the cameras on other officers nearby.

We're doing everything to bridge that gap to help these officers turn these cameras on because they want them on but they've got other more important things to do. So, let's leverage that technology and let it do it for them, Tuttle said.

Tuttle says the Signal can work in three ways: in a squad car, it can be set to turn on a body camera when the officer turns on the squad car lights or opens the door; the signal can be connected to a Taser, or to an officer's holster.

As soon as the weapon is drawn, that tells the Bluetooth to turn on and to tell all those Axon cameras within the 30 feet area for 30 seconds to turn on, Tuttle said.

While the holster technology isn't on the market just yet, the Taser and squad car pieces are being used.

The Wausau Police Department outfitted every one of its marked squad cars with the Axon Signal last year.

Capt. Todd Baeten says if an officer activates the flashing lights, the body cameras turns on.

If there's one less thing that those officers have to worry about in this case, activating a body camera before they make a life and death decision. Boy, if we can kind of eliminate that and allow them to really focus on their mission to protect the community, we think that's a positive, Baeten said.

FOX 11 Investigates found that the Appleton Police Department is planning to test the technology.

We're going to see how it works, said Lt. Gary Lewis.

He says the department has ordered two Axon Signals for squad cars. But he says the move is not a direct response to the two high-profile incidents that weren't caught on camera.

I would say those incidents just happened to fall in to line with the technology starting to get there. They definitely highlight why it would be important for us to try to institute this type of technology, Lewis said.

Body camera advocates welcome the technology.

This could be extremely significant. It certainly sounds like a step in the right direction, De Torre from the ACLU said.

I would love to see the police have a mechanism where it's not in their discretion to turn it on or off, said Tory Lowe of Milwaukee. Lowe is an advocate for the family of Jimmie Sanders, the bystander shot in Appleton.

If they can find a way to get these body cameras working automatically to where we can actually get the full story from beginning to end, that will be a blessing to our community, Lowe said.

Axon says the blue-tooth attachment for a Taser runs $89. The unit for a squad car costs $270. Axon does not have a price listed yet for the holster attachment. That is expected to hit the market later this year.

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FOX 11 Investigates: Technology helps officers activate body cameras - Fox11online.com

Volunteers from the West Coast to the East trekked to Salish Kootenai College this week to teach Native Americans about technology and computer science.

The college held a free, four-day technology camp for Native American students in high school or who had recently graduated to give them insight into what types of careers are open to them in the tech sector.

The camp was put on as part of the Flathead Tech4Good Community Outreach and Professional Development initiative, launched by SKC Professor Jonathon Richter, department chair and lead instructor for the colleges Media Design, Film, & Television programs.

For four days, the students learned from people like Elizabeth LaPensee, who has won awards for her work as a writer, artist and designer of games, comics and animation. LaPensee has Anishinaabe and Metis ancestry and part of her work has included creating games that pass on her cultural history.

One of these games is Honour Water, a singing game that teaches her tribes water songs and language, LaPensee said. Early in her career, LaPensee questioned how someone could code the teachings of her ancestors, but the enthusiastic response she has had to her work has convinced her to continue on.

There arent enough Native Americans in the technology sector right now, said Cory Cornelius, a research scientist for Intel Labs and enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Cornelius lives in Portland, Oregon, but flew out for the camp this week to help mentor students interested in pursuing a future in technology.

Cornelius sees places where more Native American knowledge is needed, for example with the development of the Siri app.

That voice could be translated into other Native languages, but there needs to be a Native person there to speak up, Cornelius said.

Cornelius mentorship made an impact on students like 14-year-old Mossy Kauley, who will be a freshman next year at Ronan High School. Kauley loves math and science and wants to be an engineer one day.

She was most interested in Cornelius explanation of how sand is made into silicon for computer processors. Kauley took a robotics class through her middle school and might retake the class again, if there arent other computer science class options available to her.

Regardless of what is offered in school, the camp provided the students with a sheet of places they could access open-source education resources to foster their technology education.

The sheet was created by Tara Penny, a project manager for the non-profit group NPower, an organization that helps young adults from under-served communities launch digital careers. Penny helped to organize the camp and flew out from Brooklyn, New York, to volunteer for the week.

Technology serves everybody, but we dont have enough people of color or women driving the values of technological development, Penny said.

These are jobs people can do from anywhere, said Mary Byron, a retired partner in the Technology Division at Goldman Sachs. Byron was a benefactor of the camp and has spent her retirement helping to advocate for more diversity in the technology sector.

Companies are looking for people with diverse backgrounds to contribute, Byron said. Corporations dont want all their people in one place, they want them across all of the countries.''

This is why Richter hopes more students who may not have an interest in a traditional career will continue to be exposed to paths like this.

Every single kid that came to this camp was talented, Richter said. It felt like we did something good for the 15, 16, 17 or so kids who showed up. It was back-to-back days of programming and instruction. Even during lunch there were lectures, and the entire time they were engaged.

This includes students like 19-year-old Daniel Vollin, a recent graduate of Arlee High School. Vollin wants to continue to learn at SKC for a while but hopes to one day attend the University of Washington and work toward a career in audio design for video games.

Before attending the camp, the idea of working with technology was intimidating to him, he said. But the interactive format of technology education has made learning more enjoyable.

Their eyes are opened to the fact that this isnt incredibly hard, this isnt for nerds, Richter said.

See the article here:

Coding culture: Native American skills needed in technology sector - The Missoulian

Tim Harford on the lessons of technology for economic history FT Alphaville (registration) Forecasting the future of technology has always been an entertaining but fruitless game. Nothing looks more dated than yesterday's edition of Tomorrow's World. But history can teach us something useful: not to fixate on the idea of the next big thing ... and more »

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Tim Harford on the lessons of technology for economic history - FT Alphaville (registration)

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OKLAHOMA - Matt Holman loves playing with his daughter, Charlie, his pride and joy, except he can't actually see her.

He's legally blind from a hereditary disorder called Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy.

"So, pretty much, my optic nerve just stops working. I have no central vision. I just have peripheral," Holman said.

But, it didn't take effect until he was an adult.

Holman was a wrestling star at Choctaw High School. Then, he got a wrestling scholarship to Oklahoma State University. He started having blurred vision and thought it may have been a concussion.

"When I went to the trainer he, 'you know, something's wrong,' so, we went to the doctor and I was already legally blind," Holman said.

At 20 years old, it sidelined his wrestling career and life as he knew it.

Now, at 38, he may be able to see again thanks to eSight Eyewear, new technology his cousin discovered.

"It was instant. They focused in, and immediately I was starting to see clearer," Holman said.

The glasses use a high definition camera that captures the user's view. It's a new technology released just this year by a Canadian based company.

"I like to call us a lifestyle technology company because it's a pair of glasses that could be used by anyone or works for the majority of those that are visually impaired," said Jeff Fenton, director of marketing for eSight Eyewear.

Holman was able to see his daughter for the first time.

"I remember it was the brightest blue I'd ever seen in my life, her eyes. The way she looked at me, every parent needs that. I could tell she loved me the way she looked at me," Holman said.

Insurance doesn't cover eSight Eyewear. It's expensive at $10,000, so Matt turned to the public and raised the money through an eSight crowdfunding page.

He said he can't wait to live a more normal life.

"First thing, I would love to see my family again. I want to see my friends again, and I want to see the people that it's going to be the first time ever, he said.

Click here for more information.

35.007752 -97.092877

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Oklahoma blind man sees again with innovative technology - kfor.com

Kevin Hoyt uses a smart doorbell to see whos standing on his front porch without having to go to the door. His wife, Melissa, will ask Amazon Alexa to turn off a light as shes rushing out of the house. Ten-year-old Bailey uses Alexa to play songs so she can practice dancing or will ask the devices how to spell a word, or to play tic-tac-toe with her. Sometimes, Melissa and 14-year-old Cameron will use Alexa to face off with sports trivia questions.

The Hoyts Saratoga Springs home isnt an abnormality in 2017 as families turn to smart technology to add a new layer of convenience to their lives. But for Kevin Hoyt, who became a paraplegic in 2015 after a fall, the tech means so much more.

It has been amazing, Kevin said. I can think of three or four things that have made a huge difference in my quality of life like my wheelchair, my ankle braces and the smart home tech. I absolutely put it on par with any medical equipment.

Smart technology allows users to connect and control the technology in their home by using their phone or even just their voice. For Kevin, it means being able to turn off a light or turn on a fan without having to get to a switch.

Mostly, it gives me more peace of mind that I can leave Kevin here on his own, Melissa said.

And after he started to use smart tech to increase his independence, Kevin knew he couldnt keep it to himself. So he founded Transition Tech Solutions, a business that performs smart home consulting and installation in Utah with a speciality in helping those with mobility issues.

Kevin was in his attic on New Years Day in 2015 when he fell, crashing through Sheetrock in his ceiling and falling into his living room.

I do remember crashing through the Sheetrock, right up in this corner, Kevin said, pointing to a spot on his ceiling, between the smoke detector and the peak. So I remember the sound of crashing through the Sheetrock and then smashing into the ground below. I totally remember all of that, and laying on my back with insulation in my throat.

Melissa called 9-1-1, urged Kevin not to move and tried to keep the kids calm while Kevin laid there in excruciating pain as an ambulance arrived.

To this day, they still dont know what caused him to fall.

He had damaged his spinal cord. He was in the hospital for five weeks after the fall as surgery followed and he learned he was now a paraplegic. Kevin went home in a wheelchair, not knowing what his future held.

The next few months were all about physical therapy and learning if he couldnt do something now, or just not yet.

So far, most things have been not yet, Kevin said.

Now, Kevin walks around his house using ankle braces and still has some sensation and motor abilities in his legs.

But those little motions, and physical therapy, are exhausting.

Theres a huge amount of work for very little return, which is OK, he said.

Everything takes work. Kevins morning routine now takes two and a half hours to complete, and walking is still difficult as he has to concentrate to send signals to his muscles.

Trying to walk down the hallway and have a conversation, I cant do both, he said.

He cant feel most of his legs, so Kevin uses his vision to keep his balance. It works pretty well, until that first winter after his injury hit, when the sun would go down early and suddenly getting to bed became a lot more dangerous.

I couldnt turn out the light and then get to bed, because Ill go down as soon as the light goes out, Kevin said.

So if Melissa wasnt home, hed either have one of the kids turn the lights off, or hed go to bed with the light on and Melissa would shut it off when she came home.

Kevin, a self-proclaimed Amazon junkie, was considering either hiring an electrician to wire a light switch by his bed or the possibility of carrying around a lantern when he saw smart light bulbs online. From there, the smart tech in their house boomed.

After the lights, the front door was a whole other problem. Without ankle braces, it takes Kevin a long time to reach his front door using a walker.

It used to be that I wouldnt even attempt to get to the door because they would be long gone by the time I got there, Kevin said. Now, I get the notification. I can answer, I can see who is at the door and I can talk to them on my phone.

He can even use his phone to immediately unlock the door and let someone in, or tell a mail carrier hell be at the door soon to sign for a package.

It is seriously amazing to be in my bed and not get wound up or feel anxious when somebody comes to the door, Kevin said.

Hes not the only one who uses the smart doorbell. The Hoyts said its popular with the neighborhood kids.

Everyone knows around here that we have a talking doorbell, Melissa said.

Its not just those with disabilities who are benefiting from the technology, but their caretakers as well.

Vivint Smart Home, a Provo-based company that provides smart home technology and services, started working with a test group of families of children with autism about three years ago. Parents of children with autism took a survey rating their stress levels before and after smart technology was installed in their home. After the technology was installed, the parents rated their stress levels at half of what they were at before, according to Holly Mero-Bench, director of Vivint Gives Back.

Vivint Gives Back specifically targeted families of children with autism spectrum disorder or other intellectual disabilities. The technology is discounted for families of individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Children with autism tend to wander, which can be terrifying for a parent when they discover their child is missing from their home. Vivint alarms, cameras and sensors can capture where a child went and alert parents when a child leaves a home.

Those individuals dont have a lot of boundaries and they are not afraid of things, Mero-Bench said. So we find that those children, they get out of the house, they slip out without their parents knowing, so the parents have to keep an eye on them literally 24/7.

Indoor cameras also give parents the ability to keep an eye on their children without having to be in the same room as them. Mero-Bench has heard parents say they can finally take more than just a quick shower because they can watch their children via their smart devices to assure theyre safe.

She said theyve also heard of families who have used camera footage to show video of seizures to doctors.

Sensors on interior doors can also alert caretakers when a door to a pantry or bathroom has been opened.

Parents can record their voice to play when a door is opened to urge a child not to go outside, or to say its not time to eat yet when the pantry is opened.

It kind of slows the kids down just a little bit, Mero-Bench said.

And for caretakers of people with intellectual disabilities, that brief head start can make all the difference in catching a family member before its too late.

Kevin was in the middle of an online MBA program at Colorado State University when he fell. Afterward, he doubted if hed return to school. He took a few semesters off before eventually starting classes again.

His programs last class required a capstone project where the students apply what theyve learned to a real business situation. The students pitched ideas, and then voted on their favorites. With one of the most popular projects, Kevin spent the next few months working with a team of students to build a business plan for a smart tech company catering to those with mobility challenges.

At graduation, Kevin stunned the crowd as he wheeled up in his chair, put a finger up to signal he needed a moment and then stood up amid a standing ovation to accept his diploma and continue walking across the stage.

The video of his walk reached more than 5 million people, becoming CSUs most popular Facebook post in its history.

A semiconductor manufacturing engineer by day, Kevin never intended to become an entrepreneur. But after discovering how the technology has changed his life, and seeing the hope other people hes met with disabilities have had when hes talked about it, he launched Transition Tech Solutions earlier this month on top of his full-time job.

I am astounded in the difference in quality of life it has made for me, and I am really independent and mobile for someone with a spinal cord injury, Kevin said.

The products the business installs dont require monthly fees. The business can install products like smart light bulbs and switches, smart speakers, video doorbells, garage door openers, ceiling fans, outlets and motion sensors.

And he doesnt think the tech stops at just giving independence to people with disabilities. Kevin said he can see the smart technology also aid retiring baby boomers and the elderly who are becoming less mobile.

For Melissa, it hasnt just been about adding additional convenience in the Hoyt home, but also about helping Kevin, who she was originally terrified to leave home alone, be more independent.

I know that he sometimes feels bad at so much that I do, Melissa said. I know that sometimes he feels like hes a burden when hes not. But this way, it makes him have less of that feeling.

Link:

Smart technology is changing lives in the disabled community - Daily Herald

Live sports events reliably draw in huge audience numbers, which broadcasters and cablers cherish in the splintered world of content programming. Varietys Sports and Entertainment Summit on July 13 looks at the different approaches to gaining viewers and growing audiences, the ways technology can enhance a fan experience and branding, for both teams and athletes.

This story first appeared in the July 11, 2017 issue of Variety. Subscribe today.See more.

One way to engage fanatics as well as casual viewers is through feature films and TV series. Filmmaker Billy Corben, who made his name with Cocaine Cowboys and University of Miami doc The U, thinks that sports movies are the easiest to make. Inherent in sports are all the essential ingredients of drama obstacles, all the pathos, conflict, all of the excitement and drama, its already baked in the subject, he says. Once you find a good sports story, its like cheating. Youre off to a good start.

Start with: Who gives a sh**? Is this going to connect? With sports, you are already starting with a fan base. Some of the best compliments I get about The U are, Oh, I hate the University of Miami, but I loved your movie, he says.

With the bio-doc Mr. Chibbs, former NBA superstar Kenny Anderson, who will be at the summit, is making the kind of connection that goes beyond basketball fans. Anderson was the best on the court, but his life after the game spiraled out of control drinking, drugs and a 2013 DUI arrest. The doc follows him as hes building his new life and inspiring others to stay straight and sober and play ball.

Technology is another big focus of the professional sports leagues. Technology is critical to sports because of the nature of the live window, says David Nugent, partner, chief commercial officer, Omnigon, who is moderating the Creating Immersive Fan Experiences panel. In a digital environment, we can tell stories with data, beyond just watching a match. You enhance the storytelling ability.

And also deliver the content to fans wherever they are. Dates and times dont move, he says. You have to consume that content wherever you are. And for most people, that means content on the phone. Theres a desire to consume that content even though people are not at home. Technology is critical to that. We have opportunities in digital to dive deeply into events and grow the audience.

Amy Trask, CBS Sports analyst and former CEO of the Oakland Raiders, says athletes need to think about fan engagement after their playing careers are over. She moderates the panel Its Not Just About Winning Athletes Engaging Fans Beyond the Game. Each athlete has to decide for himself or herself a goal to put in place. Athletes need to build post-playing careers while they are playing.

She adds that athletic careers especially in the NFL are, on average, pretty short. And while its smart for athletes to engage fans while they are still playing, they should also build engagement that will last into post-playing careers. I invoke the Hippocratic Oath that doctors take when I tell players, First thing, do no harm. At a minimum, you should not harm your post-athletic career. You cannot assume that you have privacy anywhere other than in your own home, with your closest family. What is captured now, certainly will impact what opportunities you have in the future.

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Audience Growth, New Technology Among Hot Topics at Variety's Sports and Entertainment Summit - Variety

Technology is a funny thing. You get the latest iPhone, drive home with it, and by the time its activated theyre already announcing the next one. In the office however, things seem to move a little bit slower. While its occasionally okay to be a step behind other industries, outdated technology can definitely affect your business. Here are a few reasons it may be time to update the tech in your office.

Its moving waaaaay toooooo slooooooow: Its awful when things lag. When it takes forever for your computer to respond to a command, it can be terribly frustrating. Whether its a software or hardware issue, if its becoming stressful for your team to use their equipment, it may be time to upgrade. Periodically ask your staff how things are running and start researching new products if necessary.

Its no longer safe: Old tech can still be productive as long as its running smoothly, but that doesnt make it hacker-proof. Older systems are more vulnerable to being hacked (because hackers have had more time to figure out how to access them), so you may want to prescribe to the out with the old, in with the new way of thinking.

Increase member satisfaction: Even if your staff is getting by with outdated technology, are you really able to give your members everything they need? By making advancements in financial technology available to your members, it will allow you to provide them with the products and services they desire and allow you to improve your bottom line.

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3 reasons to upgrade your technology - CUinsight.com (press release)

This article series provides a monthly dashboard of industries in each sector of the GICS classification. It compares valuation and quality factors relative to their historical averages in each industry.

Executive summary

I wrote last week in my S&P 500 monthly dashboard that Technology (including Telecom) is fairly priced regarding historical averages of valuation ratios and above the baseline in profitability (measured by ROE). In a closer look at industry level and extending the stock universe to mid caps, Hardware, Semiconductors, Communication Equipment and Wireless Telecom Services have mixed valuation factors and are undervalued for at least one of them. They are also above their historical averages in profitability. Other industries are less attractive. Software and Diversified Telecom Services are the most overpriced. This is not justified by an exceptional profitability: both are close to their historical baselines.

Since last month:

P/E has improved in Wireless Telecom Services and deteriorated in Internet, Communication Equipment, Computers/Peripherals.

P/S has improved in Computers/Peripherals, Wireless Telecom Services and deteriorated in Internet, Software, Semiconductors.

P/FCF has deteriorated in Internet, Software, Diversified Telecom Services and is stable elsewhere.

ROE has improved in Computers/Peripherals and deteriorated in Diversified Telecom Services.

The Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) is almost tied with the SPDR S&P 500 Trust ETF (SPY) in monthly return.

In this period, the 5 best-performing S&P 500 Tech or Telecom stocks are Alliance Data Systems Corp. (NYSE:ADS), Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD), CA Inc. (NASDAQ:CA), Oracle Corp. (NYSE:ORCL) and Red Hat Inc. (NYSE:RHT).

Some cheap stocks in their industries

The stocks listed below are in the S&P 1500 index, cheaper than their respective industry factors for Price/Earnings, Price/Sales and Price/Free Cash Flow. The 10 companies with the highest Return on Equity are kept in the final selection. This strategy rebalanced monthly has an annualized return about 12.76% in a 17-year simulation. The sector ETF XLK has an annualized return of only 2.83% on the same period. I update every month 8 lists like this one, covering all sectors (some sectors are grouped). The 8 lists together have returned about 25% in 2016. If you want to stay informed of updates, click "Follow" at the top of this page. My Marketplace Subscribers have early access to the stock lists before they are published in free-access articles. Past performance is not a guarantee of future result. This is not investment advice. Do your own research before buying.

Seagate Technology Plc (NASDAQ:STX)

COMPUTER

Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFB)

ELECTREQUIP

Cirrus Logic Inc. (NASDAQ:CRUS)

SEMIANDEQUIP

Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC)

SEMIANDEQUIP

Nanometrics Inc. (NASDAQ:NANO)

SEMIANDEQUIP

Citrix Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS)

SOFTW

Cardtronics plc (NASDAQ:CATM)

TECHSVCE

CSRA Inc. (NYSE:CSRA)

TECHSVCE

NeuStar Inc. (NYSE:NSR)

TECHSVCE

Science Applications International Corp. (NYSE:SAIC)

TECHSVCE

Detail of Valuation and Quality indicators in Technology and Telecom on 7/12/2017

I take 4 aggregate industry factors provided by portfolio123: Price/Earnings (P/E), Price-to-Sales (P/S), Price-to-Free cash flow (P/FCF) and Return on Equity (ROE). My choice has been justified here and here. Their calculation aims at limiting the influence of outliers and large caps. They are reference values for stock picking, not for capital-weighted indices.

For each factor, I calculate the difference with its own historical average: to the average for valuation ratios, from the average for ROE, so that the higher is always the better. The difference is measured in percentage for valuation ratios, not for ROE (already in percentage).

The next table reports the 4 industry factors. There are 3 columns for each factor: the current value, the average ("Avg") between January 1999 and October 2015 taken as an arbitrary reference of fair valuation, and the difference explained above ("D-xxx").

P/E

Avg

D- P/E

P/S

Avg

D- P/S

P/FCF

Avg

D- P/FCF

ROE

Avg

D-ROE

Internet

51.68

38.33

-34.83%

4.04

2.93

-37.88%

35.3

29.72

-18.78%

-20.02

-26.83

6.81

IT Services

29.5

23.34

-26.39%

1.65

1.16

-42.24%

20.98

18.68

-12.31%

6.58

2.42

4.16

Software

52.05

33.79

-54.04%

4.27

2.81

-51.96%

35.41

23.95

-47.85%

-6.21

-8.17

1.96

Communications Equipment

32.94

28.48

-15.66%

1.75

1.61

-8.70%

23

24.1

4.56%

-0.76

-9.61

8.85

Continued here:

Valuation Dashboard: Technology And Telecom - Update ... - Seeking Alpha

If a few concerned parents have their way, Colorado will be among the first states to ban the sale of smartphones for use by children under the age of 13. After witnessing what he called a dramatic, very violent outburst from one of his sons when taking away his smartphone, a Colorado father (and medical professional) helped create a new lobbying group, called Parents Against Underage Smartphones (PAUS). The group provides links to a wide range of research into the negative effects of smartphone use on children.

The effort appears to be well-meaning and supportive of healthy childhood development. But from my perspective as a media psychologist, informed by research into the uses and effects of communication technology, I see that the groups concerns fit a common historical pattern of undue alarm over new technology. Human innovation advances rapidly, but most peoples understanding of new items and capabilities cant keep up. The result is a sense of moral panic over what we fear will be negative effects on us all, and even on society at large.

As we know from research on sex education, teaching fear and avoidance of something cant always protect people from negative consequences: Sexual abstinence instruction doesnt prevent teen pregnancies, but rather increases their frequency. Moral panics about technology similarly encourage people to withdraw from, rather than engage with and understand, the tools of today and tomorrow. The concerns of parents and groups such as PAUS are valid, but they shouldnt be dealt with by banning technology. Rather, children and adults should work together to understand new innovations and learn to use them in productive ways.

One of the earliest examples of a moral panic related to information technology can be found in Socrates concerns about writing. In the lecture later, ironically, recorded in writing as Phaedrus, the ancient Greek philosopher said written words divorced information from its original spoken source, and said writing things down would irreversibly weaken peoples memories. These may seem quaint worries today, but they were notable critiques in a time where systematic reasoning and oral debate were bellwethers of intelligence.

In the 1790s, the printing of adventure novels raised concerns that children were compulsively reading at the expense of their chores. In the 1920s, people feared that crossword puzzles would contribute to illiteracy. In the 1970s, the video game Death Race was labeled by critics as a murder simulator, sparking an ongoing debate about whether video games encourage violence.

Social attitudes regarding technology are not usually formed by direct experience. Rather, they most often come from media reports, parents and teachers, or Hollywood films. As a result, many of our perceptions of technological threats are based on often-sensationalized anecdotes rather than actual interaction and understanding.

Smartphones may be particularly difficult to evaluate, because one device has so many capabilitiesfor both good and ill.

Skepticism toward technology is important, so we can avoid misusing technology in harmful wayssuch as using X-ray machines to figure out what size shoes a person needs to buy. Indeed, philosopher Philippe Verdoux argues that technological advances increase the chances of any one invention destroying us all. But as worrying as Verdouxs warning might be, he doesnt suggest avoiding innovation. Rather, he says the most productive response is to develop a deep understanding of what a given inventions uses are, including its potential for good and bad consequences.

Moral panics, by contrast, tend to suggest people not use new technologies at all. Abstaining does avoid the costs, but also deprives people of the technologys benefits. For example, kids and teenagers with smartphones can use them to support their educational efforts. And they can help kids social lives, keeping them in touch with friends. Safety also comes into play: Concerned about school shootings, many school districts are reversing bans on smartphone access during school hours, allowing and even encouraging students to use them for emergency communication.

Engaging with new technologies cautiouslyand, for children, under adult supervisionis a better approach than banning the unknown. The American Academy of Pediatricians suggests limiting childrens access to computer, smartphone, and TV screens. But rather than banning screen time entirely, the group recommends parents and kids work together to figure how how best to use smartphones and other devices.

By discouraging learning, moral panics fuel misunderstanding and unfamiliarity. Millennials dont actually understand technology as well as people often assume, which could help explain why they feel less safe online than older adults do. The connection comes from established research about how fear affects social beliefs: Focusing too much on threats without also discussing skills leads to panic rather than progress.

When it comes to smartphones, it would be oddand wrongto ban kids from using the digital devices that help define their entire generation. And it wouldnt help prepare them for jobs and lives in the information-saturated 21st century.

This post originally appeared at The Conversation. Follow @ConversationUS on Twitter. Learn how to write for Quartz Ideas. We welcome your comments at ideas@qz.com.

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Banning smartphones for kids is just another technology-fearing moral panic - Quartz

A gunfire detection program that will be tested soon in Jacksonville, and could eventually expand throughout the city, generates extensive data about guns and their use.

But that data will not be made public. The city will release general and sanitized summaries of the information collected, though raw data wont be accessible for study by independent experts and advocates.

Thats because the vendor, ShotSpotter, owns the rights and hopes to collect enough data to sell to potential customers.

With its pilot program tentatively set to launch this month at a price of $750,000, Jacksonville will join about 100 cities across the country using ShotSpotter, a surveillance network that relies on high-tech microphones to detect gunfire and alert police.

ShotSpotters mission is to reduce gun violence by police treating every shooting the same as those that maim and kill. Its technology promises police the potential of getting to more shooting scenes, finding more evidence and saving more lives.

CEO Ralph Clark said its because of those possible benefits and the technologys usefulness in conjunction with advances in ballistics that the company views each pilot as the beginning of a potentially decade-long arrangement.

At the same time, Clark said, the data ShotSpotter vacuums up could prove valuable down the road to researchers and policymakers. He said there could be a market for the data when the technology reaches anywhere from 150 to 200 cities.

We think theres an opportunity to potentially monetize the data once we build to scale, he said.

Subscribers get a license to use the data for in-house research that can then be shared with the public. But they are contractually forbidden by ShotSpotter from making the unfiltered data widely available.

What theyre buying is the internal use of the data, Clark said. Theyre not buying the data to make it broadly available to anyone who wants it.

The technology comes as the city stays on pace for its sixth consecutive year of triple-digit killings, the vast majority involving firearms. Guns account for 78 percent of 69 killings reported so far this year, according to Times-Union records.

Little information has been released about the pilot.

The Sheriffs Office wont say where the technology is going. But it will cover a five-square-mile area, likely in one of the hot spots identified in West and Northwest Jacksonville. A squad of six officers and a sergeant will monitor the program.

Clark said the biggest challenge is getting permission from individuals to install sensors. Theyre commonly placed on public property. In some cases theyre installed on three- and four-story rooftops. In other cases, church steeples.

Once the company has permission, it sends a team to install the sensors, Clark said. The next step is a live-fire test to calibrate the sensors. Sometimes, he said, theres enough ambient gunfire to dial them in without a test.

ShotSpotters already up and running at Edward Waters College, which is in one of the citys most violent ZIP Codes. Nearly a dozen sensors monitor the campus college staff credit them with zeroing in on the September 2016 shootout that killed a 37-year-old man.

George Dandelake, special assistant to college president Nat Glover and a former police officer, said the devices are fine-tuned with live-fire tests before they become operational. He said the devices can tell the difference between legitimate gunfire and other noise, such as fireworks or a backfiring vehicle.

The system uses a series of toaster-sized sensors, with typically 20 sensors per square mile including several backups. When three sensors recognize gunfire, the vendor verifies the sound and notifies police.

They require electricity but they take about the energy of a night light, so theyre not particularly thirsty, Clark said.

One of ShotSpotters selling points is an accelerated police response to shootings. The company estimates nearly 80 percent of gunfire incidents go unreported, and its technology is marketed as a way to help police bridge that gap.

You cant be legitimate to the community if you dont show up to 80 percent of the shootings, Clark said.

He said the technologys full potential is unlocked when paired with the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), a bullet-tracing database that stores information about the signatures of spent rounds and shell casings recovered from shootings and those fired from seized guns.

Thats one of the ways Sheriff Mike Williams plans to use ShotSpotter.

Like any kind of technology, its not a cure all but as we integrate this technology into our work, along with the IBIS machine that is part of the NIBIN ballistics testing and data repository, we are looking for an enhanced ability to make better cases for prosecution and identify neighborhoods that might benefit from officers working more closely with citizens to identify suspects and concerns, Williams said.

The technology could help officers save lives, collect additional evidence and strengthen community ties, said Jennifer Doleac, assistant economics and public policy professor at the University of Virginia and founder of Justice Tech Lab.

According to Doleac, whose research explores the impact technology has on public safety, theres no way of knowing if ShotSpotter accomplishes any of that because theres no publicly available evidence to show that it does.

Its completely plausible that the technologys having this effect. We just dont have any evidence either way, she said. And I think the main reason we dont have any evidence is police havent pressed ShotSpotter to provide evidence.

Doleac said the same goes for any law enforcement strategy. She said some policies or tactics could be effective or counterproductive, but its not possible to say one way or the other using only 911 data and reported crime data.

Counting on police to produce their own research is a long shot, she said, because most departments lack the training and resources to mine vast amounts of data and translate their findings into clear trends.

If you cant share that data with local residents and journalists and researchers, then youre not benefiting from the data, she said. You want outside agencies to be able to look at the data and see what youre getting for your money.

Jacksonvilles two-year pilot is paid for by $425,000 from the city and an additional $325,000 allocated in the state budget. Because tax dollars are paying for the service, Doleac contends that the data should be considered public.

City spokeswoman Tia Ford said ShotSpotter has proprietary rights to the software and data, but noted that its contract with the city includes a provision that any information not specifically exempt from state public records law is public.

As for Clark, he said his company encourages police to share their findings with the community. But he compared the data to a subscription service, and said those complaining about the lack of access want the data but dont want to pay for it.

Its up to cities like Jacksonville to demand transparency, Doleac said. But, she noted, they have a vested interest in keeping the data secret because residents might be alarmed if they knew how many shootings went unreported.

If everyone believes it works, then they might as well just go along and act like it works, she said.

Garrett Pelican: (904) 359-4385

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Technology coming to Jacksonville hears the gunshots, holds the ... - Florida Times-Union