Category Archives: Technology

In BriefFashion and technology are beginning to become more entwined,with multiple big label collaborations. But what does this mean forthe future of fashion and fashion's future with us? Tentative Steps Toward Melding Fashion and Technology

The arts and technology are beginning a courtship that may fundamentally affect the way we perceive both of them: in visual art, we have Google Deep Dream, creating hallucinatory vistas on par with the wackier end of Hieronymus Bosch or Alan Aldridge; in music,we have A.I composers; virtual realityoffers an unprecedented and fully-immersive opportunity for filmmakers and writers alike. Fashion, however, is another kettle of fish because it is an art that is lived, occurring at all hours of the day.Additionally, the high fashion industry is a made-to-order one, often based on a limited quantity of materials and intensive crafting a difficult set of values to integrate with the nature of the technology industry: machines mass-producing goods and materials.

There have been hesitant exchanges at the higher end of fashion some examples include a Google and Levis collaboration called Project Jacquard that turns fabrics into gesture-controlled surfaces andLargerfield using 3D printing in some of his designs. At the far end of the spectrum is Studio Bitoni;Francis Bitoni, the companys CEO, said: Our products should create the next version of the human, not service humanity after it has evolved. They are responsible for high heels fit to be worn to a dinner party by a Matrix sentinel and bodices that would look natural on an alien queen (although theyre currently worn by Dita Von Teese).

Wearable technology has progressed far beyond the L.E.D t-shirts you used to wear to parties when you were 15, and has now become fully integrated into those with active lifestyles with the advent of step counters and heart rate recorders. According to an educated guess by Canalys, a research firm, the Apple Watch sold 11.9 million units last year, permeating the market more than any previous smart watch and setting a precedent for widespread adoption of wearable technology. However, the next development will shift the onus of the development from wearable to worn, stressing integration rather than accessorization. Almost every wearable currently available relies on a cell phone, including that Apple Watch.

Kate Sicchio, an assistant professor of integrated digital media at New York University, predicts the relationship could lead to the elimination of the smartphone itself: If we look at the history of ubiquitous computingin the 90s, all these MIT researchers had backpacks full of laptops, and now we just have this little [rectangle] we keep in our pocket, and soon thats going to disappear and it just will be a small microcontroller in our garments.

While this may seem outlandish, we must think that we already consider technology as part of our bodies in many ways: a study published in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication states that cellphone users are capable of perceiving their iPhone as an object of their extended self, which can be negatively impacted (i.e., lessening of self) during separation. If this is the case, then, it is only natural that we will want to bring our technologies closer and closer to our bodies.Fashion could be the stepping stone that bridges handheld technology and bionics on the way tosynthesis between humans and machines.

So what are some of the technologies that companies are dabbling in?Adidas is working on 3D printed shoes,Nike is focusing on shoes that lace themselves (which actually began as a replica of the Mag shoe worn by Marty McFly in Back to the Future Part II), and Google/Levis Project Jacquard created a denim jacket that can connect to a smartphone. By touching the jacket sleeve in certain ways, you can control your phone. If, as Diane Kruger famously stated, what you wear is an expression of who you are, our growing obsession with iPhones, Instagram, and technology as a whole will be reflected in the directionthe clothing and wearable industries take in the coming decades.

Excerpt from:

Fashion and Technology Are Merging. And It's Astounding. - Futurism

Mashable

JetBlue is the latest to use facial recognition technology in airports Mashable Traveling through the world's airports has never been simple. Just this week, the Trump Administration announced a new procedure in which visa applicants must provide years worth of social media history, among other hassles. But a new technology may ... and more »

View original post here:

JetBlue is the latest to use facial recognition technology in airports - Mashable

Executive Summary

Historically, the resources sector followed a dig-and-deliver model, where success was mainly about the size and quality of assets. For example, the oil industry depended on having the most plentiful reserves. Demand for resources grew in line with the economy and it paid to have the best and most expandable asset. But thats no longer the case. How producers manage the resources they have is far more important than how much they have.Consider how the dynamics of demand are changing. The adoption of robotics, Internet of Things technology, and data analytics along with macroeconomic trends and changing consumer behavior are fundamentally transforming the way resources are consumed. Technology is enabling people to use energy more efficiently in their homes, offices, and factories. At the same time, technological innovation in transportation, the largest single user of oil, is helping to lower consumption of energy as engines become more fuel-efficient and the use of autonomous and electric vehicles grows.As a result, demand for resources is flattening out. At the McKinsey Global Institute, we modeled these trends and found that peak demand for major commodities like oil, thermal coal, and iron ore is in sight and may occur as soon as 2020 for coal and 2025 for oil.

Automated haul trucks and drilling machines are being tested in mines across the world. Sensors at the tip of drill bits are measuring ore grade in real time, and data analytics is being used to discover new deposits of precious metals. In oil and gas, underwater robots fix gas pipelines off the coast and drones inspect offshore oil rigs. Crawling well-drilling machines drill multiple wells quickly and accurately one after another. These are just some of the many ways technology is transforming the demand and supply of resources.

Historically, the resources sector followed a dig-and-deliver model, where success was mainly about the size and quality of assets. For example, the oil industry depended on having the most plentiful reserves. Demand for resources grew in line with the economy, and it paid to have the best and most expandable asset. But thats no longer the case. How producers manage the resources they have is far more important than how much they have.

Today tech is the new oil, and its changing the game for producers of major commodities such as oil, coal, iron ore, natural gas, and copper. In this new commodity landscape, incumbents and attackers will race to develop viable business models, and not everyone will win.

How Joy Global's smart, connected heavy machinery optimizes mine performance and safety.

Consider how the dynamics of demand are changing. The adoption of robotics, internet-of-things technology, and data analytics along with macroeconomic trends and changing consumer behavior are fundamentally transforming the way resources are consumed. Technology is enabling people to use energy more efficiently in their homes, offices, and factories. At the same time, technological innovation in transportation, the largest single user of oil, is helping to lower energy consumption as engines become more fuel efficient and the use of autonomous and electric vehicles grows.

As a result, demand for resources is flattening out. (Copper, often used in consumer electronics, is the exception.) At the McKinsey Global Institute, we modeled these trends and found that peak demand for major commodities like oil, thermal coal, and iron ore is in sight and may occur as soon as 2020 for coal and 2025 for oil. At the same time, renewable energies including solar and wind will continue to become cheaper and will play a much larger role in the global economys energy mix. We estimated that renewables could jump from 4% of global power generation today to as much as 36% by 2035 in our accelerated technology scenario.

According to our latest report,Beyond the Super Cycle: How Technology Is Reshaping Resources,less intensive use of energy and increased efficiency could potentially raise energy productivity in the global economy by 40%70% by 2035 and unlock trillions of dollars in savings for global consumers of resources, depending on the rate of technological adoption.

Of course, a low-growth environment creates plenty of challenges for energy producers. But thats where technology comes in. Resource producers, increasingly able to deploy a range of technologies in their operations, can access mines and wells that were once inaccessible, raise the efficiency of extraction techniques, and shift to predictive maintenance. We calculate this technological transformation of the supply of resources could unlock as much as $400 billion in productivity cost savings for producers in 2035.

Productivity-enhancing technology is already being deployed in mining operations around the world. Recent expansions in the copper industry, for example, are tapping reserves with an average ore grade of less than 1% copper, a sign of how technology can get more out of less. In another example, Rio Tintos mines using automation technology in the Australian Pilbara are seeing 40% increases in utilization of haul trucks, and automated drills are seeing 10%15% improvements in utilization. In oil and gas, the most recent deep-water exploration is accessing reservoirs at depths of more than 3,000 meters, six times deeper than the deepest developments in the 1980s. And technology is being used to make the workplace safer. Statoil has developed an underwater robot system for pipeline repairs that is reducing repair times. Drones rather than people can conduct pipeline inspections and constant, real-time site surveys in oil field development.

A lot more is possible. For example, less than 1% of all data from an oil rig is used in decision making, according to our analysis. If more information was used and analyzed, thatcould help lower maintenance costs by moving from time-based to predictive-based maintenance routines, thus reducing the frequency of repairs and ensuring that the right repairs are done at the right time through improved diagnosis. Then there are mining-specific technologies that could enhance productivity. For low-grade ores including copper and uranium, advanced leaching techniques could increase recovery as ore grades decline. That means more copper, for instance, can be extracted even in the face of low-quality deposits. For many metals, advanced forms of crushing and grinding could result in significant improvements in recovery rates and help reduce costs such as electricity consumption.

For resource companies, particularly incumbents, navigating a future with more uncertainty and fewer sources of growth will require a focus on agility. Harnessing technology will be essential for unlocking productivity gains, but it will not be sufficient. Companies that also focus on the fundamentals increasing throughput and driving down capital costs, spending, and labor costs while simultaneously looking for opportunities in technology-driven areas will have an advantage.

Managing a companys workforce will be crucial. Demand for new job classes such as data scientists, statisticians, and machine-learning specialists is already on the rise among resource producers. Within 10years, oil and gas companies, for example, could employ more PhD-level data scientists than geologists, either in-house or through partnerships with increasingly sophisticated vendors. Meanwhile, existing roles will be redefined. For instance, the automation of repetitive technical decisions will free up engineers to focus on more-difficult analyses.

In the new technology-enabled world of resources, competition could come from anywhere, including technology leaders such as Google and Alibaba that have reached hyperscale in revenue, assets, customers, workers, and profits, and can move quickly into other industries. Alibaba, for example, recently started an online marketplace for crude oil tracking. To adapt to this new reality, incumbents may need to rethink what it means to be a resource producer. Size may matter less, and agility more, while future growth may come from nontraditional sources.

By harnessing new and existing technology, tomorrows resource leader could derive its advantage from doing more with less, moving faster, and thinking differently than in the past. While this transition wont be easy, the rewards of greater efficiency and productivity can be great.

More here:

How the Natural Resources Business Is Turning into a Technology Industry - Harvard Business Review

Amid the annual pandemonium that is the Victoria Innovation, Advanced Technology and Entrepreneurship Councils award show flying inflatable whales, palm trees, music, Polynesian dancers and a touch of time travel Dan Gunn asked a good question.

Why did VIATEC wait so long to name Scott Phillips as its technology champion?

Hes exactly what the Colin Lennox Award for Technology Champion is all about, said the VIATEC chief executive.

Phillips has worked over the last 18 years building Starfish Medical into a world leader in medical device manufacturing while helping to grow the Victoria tech sector by volunteering his time and sharing his expertise with start-up companies and his peers.

On Friday night, he accepted the champion award in front of813 rowdy, lei-wearing, Tiki-cocktail drinking tech workers.

Im grateful. I really am to be seen as a founder and that what I do in the tech community is valued, said Phillips in an interview. I have caught this community-building disease from somewhere, and have been quietly working in the background to connect people and to support organizations like VIATEC.

At the same time, Phillips company has grown significantly.

In March, Starfish announced it had acquired Toronto medical-device designer Kangaroo Group in order to attract more business from the medical-technology hubs of the eastern U.S. The acquisition took Starfish to 130 employees.

Phillips, who joked Starfish is an 18-year-old overnight success story, said the projects they work on take several years to come to market, and even then it takes years to develop a good reputation and trust level with clients.

We are starting to see that now, he said.

On Friday, it was about the then-and-now as VIATECs annual awards show married steam-punk time travel with South Pacific flare for something it called Tiki Time Travel. With a massive coconut as part of a set and a Tiki time-machine car, the event provided irreverence and noise while celebrating the tech sector.

This is a great way for us to hold up examples of some of our leading companies so people can recognize them, which I think is important because its motivating for other companies to see whats possible and motivating for teams that there is some level of recognition, said Gunn.

Its also come to represent the tech sector as its a somewhat edgy, largely irreverent event. We work hard on the entertainment and wow component.

This year that included Polynesian dancers, Atomic Vaudevilles cast performing the Time Warp from the Rocky Horror Picture Show, an immersive video experience and time travel taking the entire room through the decades.

aduffy@timescolonist.com

- - -

VIATEC award winners

Company of the Year

50+ employees: Checkfront

Company of the Year

(11-49 employees): SendtoNews

Company of the Year

(1-10 employees): Momentum Dashboard

Emerging Company of the Year

Telmediq

Startup of the Year

HYAS Infosec

Product of the Year

VRX Simulators

Innovative Excellence Software

TrichAnalytics

Innovative Excellence Hardware

Redlen Technologies

Team of the Year

Udutu

Employer of the Year

Go2mobi

Leader of the Year

Kim Krenzler, RevenueWire

Emerging Leader of the Year

Hunter Macdonald, Tutela Technologies

Newcomer of the Year

Scott Lake

Capital Investment Network's Angel of the Year

Rasool Rayani

VIATEC Member of the Year

RevenueWire

Community Champion

ParetoLogic

See more here:

Technology sector honours local champion - Times Colonist

Scott Pruitt Lobbies for Lower Emissions Through Technology, Not Regulations Pacific Standard Technology and trade are the best routes to reducing the world's carbon footprint while still prioritizing the United States' interests, Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt told reporters on Friday, the Hill reports. Attributing a ... and more »

See more here:

Scott Pruitt Lobbies for Lower Emissions Through Technology, Not Regulations - Pacific Standard

Financial Times

Gazprom Neft and Saudi Aramco discuss technology alliance Financial Times Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft is in advanced talks with Saudi Arabia's crude giant about possible sharing of drilling technology, in a sign that co-operation between Moscow and Riyadh on energy policy could soon be replicated at company level. and more »

Read more:

Gazprom Neft and Saudi Aramco discuss technology alliance - Financial Times

Voiceitt lets people with speech impairments use voice-controlled technology TechCrunch Voice-controlled technology like Amazon Echo, Siri or hands-free features in Google Maps are things we're starting to take for granted. But as Mary Meeker's 2017 Internet Trends Report noted, voice controls are changing computer-human interfaces, and ... and more »

Here is the original post:

Voiceitt lets people with speech impairments use voice-controlled technology - TechCrunch

Arista Networks Inc (ANET.N) won a ruling on Thursday in its legal battle with Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO.O) over networking device technology, setting the stage for Arista to undo a U.S. agency's order blocking importation of some of its products.

Arista had asked the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to review the validity of a patent it granted to Cisco relating to network device security. The Patent Office sided with Arista on Thursday, invalidating key claims in the patent.

A week earlier, the Patent Office invalidated claims in a different Cisco patent on a way to improve processing in network devices.

San Jose, California-based Cisco and Arista are fierce competitors in the multibillion-dollar market for ethernet switches that connect computers and servers.

Last month, the U.S. International Trade Commission concluded that Arista's switches had infringed the Cisco patents and said it would issue an order banning Arista from importing the infringing products into the United States.

Arista general counsel Marc Taxay said on Thursday that the company "will now seek complete suspension" of the ITC's import ban, which is slated to go into effect in July.

Cisco did not immediately return a request for comment.

Thursday's ruling is the latest development in a years-long legal battle between Cisco and Arista.

Cisco brought multiple lawsuits against Arista in 2014, alleging it has a "culture of copying" Cisco's intellectual property. Arista has denied the allegations and accused Cisco of a smear campaign.

The ITC ruled last year that Arista had infringed three other Cisco patents relating to managing and securing communications networks. Arista redesigned its switches, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in April that the company could resume importing its redesigned products.

Shares of Santa Clara, California-based Arista closed at $148.52 on Thursday, up 0.7 percent, after dropping below $145 a share earlier in the day. Cisco shares ended the day 0.9 percent higher at $31.82.

(Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Editing by Noeleen Walder)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. A U.S. spacecraft set to launch next year will make a series of unprecedented dives into the suns scorching atmosphere to see how the star works and what can be done to better predict space weather events on Earth, scientists said on Wednesday.

COVENTRY, England Britain is moving towards creating a new national development hub for electric car batteries with officials setting out plans for companies to work together to improve the technology, possibly paving the way for large-scale local production.

TOKYO Western Digital Corp may join a consortium of Japanese government money and KKR & Co LP to bid for Toshiba Corp's chip unit, backing away from an earlier demand for an immediate majority stake, two sources familiar with the matter said.

See the original post:

Arista wins round in Cisco patent fight over network technology - Reuters

Tech can help give your events an extra spark, but its not the spark that got your attendees to the host city in the first place.

Thats the key idea of a new report from Imago Venues, a U.K.-based continuing education facility operated by Loughborough University.

The companys report raises a simple question: Is the meetings industry of today doing enough to inspire the business leaders of tomorrow? (The answer? They could be doing more, of course.)

The reportbased on survey results from 430 students, delegates, and event organizers, along with information gathered from focus groups and interviewsemphasizes that attendees go to meetings with the goal of gaining knowledge from botheducators and peers.

The report suggests that younger attendees, in particular, struggled to find encouragement to take part in the meetings they attended, despite going there with the goal of forging creative thinking by the sessions they attend and the people they meet.

The underlying message from our results paints a telling picture, the report states. Millennials want to learn something valuable and develop relationships that will benefit them. A meeting has to be linked to what they want to achieve, not the organization.

Often, technology is used for building such engagement, but the report makes the case that tech-based engagement has its limits. A key point: While technology should be used (and is favored by 77 percent of students and 75 percent of delegates), it must be done carefully to avoid becoming a distraction. Ultimately, the differentiator of meetings, according to the report, is the face-to-face engagement potential, which (unlike the tech in many cases) cant be replicated online.

Our respondents dont consider technological delivery of information as the most important driver of face-to-face meetings; that sort of information can be readily accessed by individuals online, the report states. They care far more about creating relationships and emotional connections that enable career progression and personal development.

The report makes the case that attendees are looking for a return on their investment of time, with a goal of personal development. The objectives of meetings for organizers get a bit more muddled in comparison.

In comments on the report to Incentive Travel & Corporate Meetings, Imago Venues Emma Boynton, who leads the organizations sales and marketing, suggested that the tech cant get in the way of the ultimate goals of the event.

Whilst it is important to recognize that there is a demand for a personalized approach with technology, event organizers should remember meeting attendees want to learn something valuable and develop relationships that will benefit them, and technology isnt always the way to achieve this, she stated.

Share this article

More here:

Does Event Technology Get Too Much Attention? - Associations Now

Financial Times

Emissions technology demand lifts Johnson Matthey Financial Times Strong demand for high-value emissions control technology lifted full-year revenues and profits at Johnson Matthey, the FTSE 100 specialty chemicals group. Despite European consumers moving away from the diesel cars that make up the bulk of its vehicle ... and more »

View original post here:

Emissions technology demand lifts Johnson Matthey - Financial Times