Category Archives: Technology

A Swedish start-up tech company announced earlier this month that it invented a scannable microchip that is implanted in peoples arms and can display your COVID-19 vaccination status. This digital implant is designed to be embedded into people's arms so your vaccine passport pops up when scanned.

While new in humans, this kind of technology is very common for household pets, where most of them are embedded with a microchip that reveals the animals medical history when scanned.

For the many people that would be sceptical of the device, the company assured that the implants are not tracking devices, and are only in use when they are scanned.

However, Paul McClure, the co-founder of a different scannable medical card called MedTag, says other companies will be able to use the technology to track people.

Speaking toExpress.co.uk, Mr McClure explained: Basically, the technology works on Near Field Communication (NFC).

The chip is inert and is activated when an NFC reader is passed over it.

Most smartphones are now NFC readers and can read the chip.

So while the chip in itself does not allow you to be tracked, in reality, any venue which scans it can then use geolocation to record where you have been scanned/checked in.

Mr McClure explained that MedTag users can use this card to "get medical info, with the ability to send the geolocation to their emergency contacts.

"It doesn't enable tracking in any way."

READ MORE:Covid microchip developer says there's no stopping roll-out

But if you're in a country where having political associations and so on is problematic, you could be basically arrested for who you associate with.

When the developer said that this cannot be used to track your location- yes it absolutely can, but not on its own.

With the right technology scanning it, it can 100 percent track your location at that point in time.

But in an environment where you actually have to mandatorily show a covid pass in order to get inside a venue, at that point in time it absolutely can tell where you are.

In a way, both of these technologies track your location and data to a much lesser degree than your GPS enabled smartphone, which can track your real-time location, not just when you scan it somewhere.

Excerpt from:

Covid microchip: UK startup says technology WILL be able to track your every move - Daily Express

By Becky Maxedon

When five Lake Havasu City Midwest entrepreneurial transplants came together, the Field of Dreams axiom If you build it, they will come seemed like a natural mantra for their new endeavor.

The groups vision of a different kind of adult entertainment for Havasu has taken form and will be revealed to the public Tuesday at noon.

Glitch Barcadium is the brainchild of Justin Bechen, his twin brother Jason Bechen, Corey Wilcox, Kevin Wright and Devon Garrett.

Justin Bechen, originally from Dubuque, Iowa, said his parents bought a house in Lake Havasu City seven years ago and he and his brother, Jason, would come out when the Midwest winter freeze made the sunshine and backyard pool look pretty good. Three years ago, the twins relocated to Havasu and eventually hooked up with Wilcox, Wright and Garrett and the plans moved forward.

Wright said, When I moved to Havasu from the Midwest, I already had seen some popular arcade bars. I was kind of there during the big boom of pinballs return in the Midwest. So it dawned on me with a buddy back in the Missouri that an arcade bar should be something we should do but it never happened.

Jillian Danielson/RiverScene

Wright said when he moved to Havasu, he met Corey Wilcox and theyve been friends now for seven years.

This was an idea we had been tossing around so about two and a half years ago, we started taking it serious and started looking around at concepts, ideas, locations and then one day, we happened to be at another bar where the twins were working and had overheard that they kind of had the same idea.

One day we just decided were going to meet up and see how this goes. We go to lunch and the next thing you know were filing for an LLC and here we go. No guts no glory throw caution to the wind, he said.

And after only 90 days, the dream is about to become a reality.

The town was just asking for something new that wasnt music and a few hours in the evening. Nothing wrong with live music but the town needs a new type of entertainment, Justin Bechen said.

Jillian Danielson/RiverScene

If they wanted to go out on a date, have a drink and do something other than sit there and drink, they now have an outlet where they can do that. It doesnt matter If they come in when we open at noon or 10 oclock at night, they come in have a drink, play pinball have a little bit of fun and socialize in a different type of way that Havasu hasnt had, he said.

I dont drink, so for me when I go to a bar there isnt anything for me to do. So here we have something for people that dont drink. People have been asking if were going to have NA beer. Of course. Everyone can have fun. The designated driver can have fun too.

We were looking for something that was a little nostalgic. This touches all the bases for me. I grew up in the arcades. Im in my 40s, so this was around when I was growing up. You went to the malls back in the Midwest in the wintertime with your friends and you hung out at the token arcades, he said.

The group agrees the concept brings together people of all ages. Todays 21-year-olds grew up pushing buttons and gaming and older generations can enjoy the nostalgia of the pinball machines and games that span the decades.

Theres an energy from being around this stuff. I had a 70-year-old guy walk in with his buddy before we opened, and he wanted to play pinball. He offered me $20 just to come in to play.

Jillian Danielson/RiverScene

I told him to give us a couple more days. Were getting close! Weve tried to hit every base from the guys my age to the guy that just hit his 21st birthday. Weve got something for everyone, Justin Bechen said.

Glitch will open with six pinball machines vintage and new, 19 arcade cabinets, cocktail games and pedestal games, four-player games like Teenage Mutant Ninjas and The Simpsons. They will have old-school fighter games and sports games like NFL Blitz and NBA Hangtime along with Mortal Combat and more. Other games include offroad racing games, Daytona 2, NASCAR, and Big Buck Hunter. The plan is to continue adding games so they can be rotated in and out to keep the entertainment fresh. All games will be operated with tokens that have been custom made call Glitch Coins.

The group found games by scouring the Internet, contacting collectors and dealers.

The bathrooms are unique and part of the entertainment value of Glitch. They are Super Mario Brothers inspired. The guys bathroom is wrapped with a Super Mario Brothers theme and we have a Mario Brothers theme in the womens bathroom but its a little more princess.

One of the Glitch bathrooms wrapped by Tekwrap in a Super Mario Bros. theme at Glitch. Jillian Danielson/RiverScene

Everybody has such great, creative ideas. No bad days in Havasu no bad plays in Havasu.

This is literally our passion. I came from a bar family two generations. These guys come from a bar background. Were doing this for the community. If we make money on the way, thats great but we want to see people having a great time. Something new in Havasu. And were definitely feeling that energy from everyone and each other at the same time, Justin Bechen said.

There is no food service, but Glitch patrons will be able to order food from the Mustard Seed and have it delivered to their table.

The group agreed that Glitch will get people away from the online atmosphere and bring people together around a common idea.

Glitch Barcadium will open Tuesday and will host a grand opening at a later date, possibly in March.

Glitch Barcadium is located at 44 Mulberry Ave. Hours of operation are noon to midnight, Monday through Sunday.

Jason and Justin Bechen pose for a photo behind the bar at Glitch during their soft opening Saturday night. Jillian Danielson/RiverScene

Jillian Danielson/RiverScene

Arcade games are ready to be played at Glitch. Jillian Danielson/RiverScene

Jillian Danielson/RiverScene

Heather Pace plays the Simpsons arcade game at Glitch during the soft opening. Jillian Danielson/RiverScene

Jillian Danielson/RiverScene

Jillian Danielson/RiverScene

Jillian Danielson/RiverScene

The partners of Glitch Barcadium. Jillian Danielson/RiverScene

More here:

Nostalgia And Technology Merge In New Havasu Entertainment Venue - River Scene Magazine

In this wrap, We check out the Oppo's attempt at a foldable device, tell you why you should keep your eye on the BenQ Mobiuz EX3210R and much more.

January 08, 2022 / 11:32 AM IST

To take on the South Korean tech giant, Oppo launched its first foldable smartphone called the Oppo Find N. The device has a similar folding mechanism as the Z Fold 3 but is more compact and gets many things right. Oppo sent us an Oppo Find N review unit, which we used for a few days to understand how the company got so many things right in its first attempt and is also better in many aspects than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3.

E3 2022 will move to an online-only format again for this year, following health and safety concerns due to the ongoing Omicron surge. Electronic Software Association (ESA) made the announcement, for what will be the second year of E3 online. In a statement shared with GamesBeat, ESA said, "Due to the ongoing health risks surrounding COVID-19 and its potential impact on the safety of exhibitors and attendees, E3 will not be held in person in 2022. We remain incredibly excited about the future of E3 and look forward to announcing more details soon."

With the Mobiuz EX3210R, BenQ tends to strike a nice balance between work and play. There are a ton of features here for gaming, productivity, and content creation. Find out more in our review.

Combine Walmart, Disney, Netflix, Nike, Exxon Mobil, Coca-Cola, Comcast, Morgan Stanley, McDonalds, AT&T, Goldman Sachs, Boeing, IBM and Ford. Apple is still worth more. Apple, the computer company that started in a California garage in 1976, is now worth $3 trillion. It became the first publicly traded company to ever reach the figure on Monday, when its stock briefly eclipsed $182.86 a share before closing at $182.01.

Smartphones these days pack the latest and greatest of hardware in their respective price range. Most smartphones come with a top-of-the-line processor, a high refresh rate display and a big battery. There are very few areas left for companies to make their phones stand out from the crowd. Vivo, which is among the top three smartphone manufacturers in India, is betting big on the design department for the V23 Pro - the companys latest premium smartphone under Rs 40,000 in India. Check out the full review here.

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The Tech Weekender: Top news from the world of technology this week - Moneycontrol

When we talk about DJI, currently the first thing that comes to mind is drones. A few months ago we analyzed the Air 2S, a spectacular drone to freak out making video, but we must not forget that one of the companys strengths are the stabilizers and action cameras.

In this sense, there are several proposals, some that combine gimbal and action camera (like the Osmo Pocket) and others that are more traditional action cameras. Thats where the DJI Action 2 comes into play, which has been the GoPro Hero 10 Blacks great rival in recent months.

And, precisely, if a few days ago we told you our opinion of the latest generation of GoPro, now lets go with the analysis of the DJI Action 2, a camera whose secret is magnets.

DJI Action 2Dimensions and weight39 x 39 x 22.3 mm | 56 gramsAdapterMagnetic baseSensor12 megapixels | 1 / 1.7 CMOS Video capacity Up to 4K 4: 3 at 60 fps | Up to 4K 16: 9 at 120 fps 155 Lens | f / 2.8 1.76 Touch Screen | 500 nits | 350 pixels per inch density Battery580 mAh | 2.23 Wh | USB-C charging in one of the modulesConnectivity 2.4 5.1 5.8 GHz Wi-Fi | Bluetooth 5.0Sound1 microphonePrice399 euros with the power combo at Amazon

DJI Action 2 Review Sections:

I anticipate that I liked the stabilization and image quality a lot, but I already anticipate that the best thing about the DJI Action 2 is, without a doubt, its design.

It is a modular design that nothing new, as the Insta360 One R is already a modular camera which, by the way, has a 1 lens, but here the grace is in the compact size and the magnets.

The camera has dimensions of 39 x 39 mm, a depth of 22.3 mm and a weight of only 56 grams. It is made of aluminum, which favors heat dissipation, but can make it somewhat more delicate (at least as far as brands are concerned) in falls.

In it we only see the lens, the touch screen, the power button and start recording at the top, the antennas for wireless connectivity and, at the bottom, the magic.

There we have some hooks on the sides, some connection pins and some holes to pass a strap that we can tie to the wrist.

That lower area is the one that is magnetized and, as you can see, we have neither a charging port nor a slot for a microSD.

The body is sealed and can hold up to 10 meters in water without the waterproof case, an amount that increases up to 60 meters if we use the case.

All this is quite strange, but the explanation is that these elements occupy internal space that the battery, the processor and the sensor need and that, really, the camera is not complete without at least one of its modules.

The magnet at the bottom will allow us to place the camera on a lamppostFor example, as it is quite strong and, according to our tests, it will not fall even if there is some strong wind.

However, this magnet also works to connect the modules. When buying the DJI Action 2 we have to choose between the front screen module -which costs 500 euros- or the Power Combo -which is 399 euros-.

Basically one module is a screen and the other a battery. You are going to be able to put both at the same time, but honestly, I would buy the extra battery module before the front screen, since it will be much more useful to you.

Yes, the external screen has its own battery, but the total recording capacity will be higher with the battery-only module and, if you want the second screen, you can always buy it in the future to mount all three at the same time.

If we do not take into account the extra battery of one and the screen of the other, the two modules are exactly the same. Both have in the upper part the connection modules with the camera, as well as two hooks that improve the safety of the coupling.

On the right side they have the record button, on the left side the USB-C to load both the module and the camera and on the back the slot for the microSD. The one on the screen also has three microphones.

These modules can be placed as we want, so we can put the battery under the camera and, finally, the screen, or vice versa, but what we cannot do is wet them.

They are not sealed bodies and can only get wet if we have the waterproof case, as well as submerging them to 60 meters.

And the weight is 57 grams for the battery module and 64 grams for the screen. On the other hand, we have another macro photography and video module that is simply a magnetic magnifying glass that sticks to the lens.

But hey, lets get to the heart of a camera, the sensor and the image quality. DJI has done its homework here and we have a noticeably larger sensor than the GoPros thanks to the 1 / 1.17 CMOS sensor.

A nearly one-inch sensor with a field of view of 155 and an aperture f / 2.8 which, while not as bright as the Insta360 One R in very low light conditions, does a very good job.

It has 12 megapixels and we have a digital zoom of up to 4x for video (depending on the recording quality) and 4x for photos.

Although we have a very wide field of vision, we will be able to choose between having that fisheye effect or aspherical correction, something the camera does really well.

In good light conditions, the image and stabilization is excellent. It seems to me that the white balance is correct and the exposure is as good as it can be.

That is, when there is an area with a clear contrast due to a very pronounced Sun and shadow, when the exposure point is in the most exposed area it manages well so that the shadow is not totally black or underexposed and, if we are moving the camera, it compensates the exposure quickly and without doing strange things.

This digital stabilization, called RockSteady 2.0, seems to me of great quality And DJI has done a great job in this regard, also in the horizon control for more action shots on a bike, for example.

I also like photography, with a contrasting and very attractive image to upload to social networks. However, despite the size of the sensor, when the light begins to fall, the grain begins to appear and, when the conditions are very difficult, the stabilization disappears.

Nor is it a camera to use in those situations, but hey, you know.

About the recording, we will be able to capture videos with up to 130 Mb / s, we have desaturated mode to edit later or natural, professional mode to control parameters such as white balance and a series of quite varied resolutions depending on the aspect ratio.

At 4: 3 we will be able to capture 2.7K or 4K images at 24, 25, 30, 48, 50 and 60 fps. At 16: 9 we will be able to capture 4K and 2.7K images from 24 to 100 and 120 fps to make slow motion up to four times slower. At 16: 9 at 1,080p we will be able to capture up to 200 and 240 fps to make slow motion up to 8x.

We have already told you that memory cards up to 256 GB go in one of the modules, but the camera has about 22 GB usable internal that give us for about 23 minutes of recording at 4K60.

And the interface well, it is somewhat confusing. The screen is square and has dimensions of 1.7 . It seems small -it is-, but the truth is that you get used to it quickly.

It is tactile, it looks good outdoors and it has a very good sensitivity, but the interface seemed a bit confusing to me.

Not when adjusting parameters or changing modes, but by applying the zoom, which sometimes responds well to a certain gesture and sometimes not. But hey, its like everything, it has to be done.

However, lets talk about overheating. And it is that, I think that the image quality is fantastic and the stabilization also fulfills more than enough, but we will be able to record a short time followed either by the battery or because it turns off due to excess heat.

Outdoors we have had better or worse figures, depending on the weather, but to do the warm-up test we have resorted to a controlled environment: goofing around (so that stabilization comes into play) indoors.

At a temperature of 22 recording at 4K60 and with electronic stabilization activated, the camera tells you after 7 minutes that it stops recording due to excess heat. We can resume recording, but it soon turns off again.

Recording at 4K120, that message appears after three and a half minutes. We measured the body temperature and it was 43. It gets to bother the hand.

We cannot say what it will be like in summer in a module on a helmet if we go with the bike through the mountains, but it is certainly not data that leaves me alone.

Now, if heating is a problem, the battery is not giving us peace of mind. There are many capture variables both for recording quality and for stabilization, aspect ratio or battery saving settings.

However, outdoors at 100% brightness, with stabilization and recording at 4K60 in 16: 9 mode, after 7 minutes of recording we have 57% of the battery. Yes, at 1,080p it sure lasts longer, but the optimal resolution is 4K60 both for fluidity and possible slow cameras.

If instead of 4K60 we record at 4K120, when the battery shuts down due to overheating at 3 minutes 34 seconds, we have 65% battery left.

Its going to seem like a beast to you, but a minute of recording eats up 11% of the battery in this mode.

Not good data, not at all. DJI claims that at 1,080p30 they can record up to 70 minutes with electronic stabilization off, but I dont think this camera is worth it for that resolution.

The capacity of the camera itself is 530 mAh and the modules (both the screen and the charging module) have 1,300 mAh. If we go out with the cargo, for example, the problem of overheating is still there, but at least we have a buffer of time.

The camera goes from 0% to 64% battery with 15 minutes of charging with the module alone, without connecting a USB-C. It takes 28 minutes to reach 100%. I think its not bad, really, and after a full charge, the battery module has 48% remaining, so it almost lasts for two full charges.

The problem is that, on a long trip as we dont have a removable battery like on GoPro, we will have to have a PowerBank yes or yes to load the modules and the camera itself, making the process of going on an excursion somewhat more cumbersome than with other cameras.

And we come to the end of the analysis of this DJI Action 2 with a somewhat bittersweet taste. As a concept, it looks like a beastly action camera to me.

It is true that it is not the newest because the Insta360 One R was already modular, but the size of the DJI one is much more compact, I like the power of the magnets and the build quality.

Recording is also at a great level thanks to the size of the sensor, to the images that we can achieve and, above all, to a great stabilization.

However, there are two important buts in this model that need to be corrected for a new generation.

On the one hand the autonomy, excessively scarce and yes, I understand that the camera is very small, but we do not have interchangeable batteries and maybe it is necessary to make it larger or heavier for excursion sessions.

The DJI Action 2 is a miniscule action camera that can record with great stabilization up to 4K120. It has a powerful magnet to place different modules such as the battery and front screen

And on the other hand, something almost more important to fix, overheating. In summer this camera will not hold up outdoors, which is where it is mainly going to be used.

But hey, polishing that, I think it will be a great product for the third generation. Right now, even with exceptional image quality, maybe you have to look at other models that allow, at least, to change batteries.

Read the original:

DJI Action 2, analysis and opinion | Technology CVBJ - Central Valley Business Journal

Apple is experimenting with multiple foldable iPhone prototypes, according to leaker Dylandkt, but a foldable iPhone may not be coming in the near future because Apple still has concerns over foldable display technology and the market for foldable smartphones.

In a tweet thread, Dylandkt said that Apple is working on a possible future device, but that foldable display technology is not advanced enough and there are still too many "compromises" to deal with.

Before releasing a foldable iPhone, Apple wants to be sure that a foldable design isn't a "regression from the current form factor of the iPhone," which could indeed happen if there are issues with display longevity and quality because of the folding functionality. Dylandkt's comments suggest that Apple is continuing to take a wait and see approach to foldable smartphone technology, but some other rumors have indicated that Apple could release a foldable iPhone as soon as 2023.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in May 2021 that Apple is developing a foldable iPhone with an 8-inch flexible OLED QHD+ display that's set to be released in 2023. Display analyst Ross Young in December said that Apple would not release a foldable iPhone until 2023 "at the earliest," with 2024 being a more likely target date. Bloomberg in early 2021 said that Apple had started "early work" on an iPhone with a foldable display, indicating that there are a few years of development left.

Foldable iPhone rumors have been circulating since 2016, and we've previously heard reports about various prototypes that Apple is testing. Samsung has allegedly provided foldable display samples to Apple for testing purposes, but development has not yet expanded beyond a display.

At least one of Apple's foldable iPhone prototypes is said to feature two separate display panels connected with a hinge, a departure from single-display designs that Samsung has introduced. Another has been described as a foldable iPhone with a clamshell design similar to the Galaxy Z Flip.

Samsung has been releasing foldable smartphones for years now, and other Android manufacturers have also embraced foldable technology. Smartphones with foldable displays continuing to face issues with durability and build quality, and they also have high price tags that far exceed the cost of standard smartphones.

Read more:

Apple Testing Multiple Foldable iPhone Prototypes, But Has Concerns Over Display Technology and Market - MacRumors

The current exhibition at Albright-Knox Northland "Difference Machines: Technology and Identity in Contemporary Art" delivers a strong critique on the troubling trends related to our current digital reality. Comprised of the works of 17 international artists, the exhibition offers subtle and not-so-subtle messages on the many ways we interact with technology.

I try to encourage people to enjoy that depth. Dont be afraid of it," laughs co-curator Paul Vanouse.

"Realize its the kind of show where you might just come and see three or four works in the course of a day then come back and see others later.

Vanouse and co-curator Tina Rivers Ryan provided background during an afternoon tour of Albright-Knox Northland. With 10,000 square feet of industrial space at their disposal, they've created a show that gives each work ample space. The distance works well aesthetically and for a public setting as the world deals with the Omicron variant.

So this exhibition is trying to make sure that we are aware of whats happening (with technology) and to show through art how we can have a conversation about this and how we can gain some control back," Ryan said.

"At least, not to be vulnerable victims, but to have an agency in relationship to these things."

Some of the installations are interactive, including Rafael Lozano-Hemmer's "Level of Confidence." Using facial recognition technology, a visitor's features are compared to the photos from a group of students and teachers that went missing in Mexico, never to be found. The results are often surprising.

"When I think of this work Level of Confidence, its really asking us the question How confident are we really? And how these technologies are being created and being utilized," Ryan commented.

"Rafael, actually, has said that he thinks facial recognition systems should be illegal except for artists.

Each artist offers their own perspective on technology's impact. The installation "She Falls for Ages" uses technology to update identity.

"In this case, (the artist) Skawennati uses the virtual environment of Second Life as an animation platform," Vanouse explained.

"And what she does in Second Life is basically act out these science fiction narratives. And the science fiction narratives are Native American stories.

While the artists and their installations are at the center of the exhibition, the space, Albright-Knox Northland, is an attraction of its own. The high ceilings and remnants of its industrial past add to the visitor experience.

Paul Vanouse said "I was rubbing my hands together with excitement" when they began forming the exhibition. The challenge was to keep the installations from being swallowed by the massive, open space.

"This is an amazing space," Tina Rivers Ryan says. "There were a lot of opportunities. For example, the work by Hasan Elahi. Its 26 feet tall. It is not a work thats often shown because theres very few museum spaces that can accommodate a work that is 26 feet tall."

Could this exhibition have succeeded in another place, like the Albright-Knox Art Gallery before it started its renovation on Elmwood Avenue?

"Every exhibition no matter where or when it is, if its done right, in some sense, it couldnt have been done anywhere else," Ryan said.

"It really will be something that responds to the architectural envelope that responds to the history and the vision of the institution that responds to the community of the city in which its located.

Read the rest here:

Albright-Knox Northland exhibition questions technology's influence on the modern world - WBFO

It is fair to say that our relationship with technology is complicated.Just look at headline topics like renewable energy or Artificial Intelligence (AI), or consider pharmaceuticals, automotive, consumer electronics, social media and biotechnology. On the topic of any of these technologies, youll almost certainly hear a cacophony of voices that range from promising a new era of happiness to predicting the doom of humanity.How can we make sense of these confusing perspectives, and how can we maximise the benefits of emerging and potentially disruptive technologies while effectively minimising their risks?

As individuals, we have many different interests in technology. Some are interested in technology itself, but most are interested in the impact technology could have. These interests are often competing, and sometimes downright conflicting. Here is a simplified overview:

the customer is looking for an affordable solution to a given problem,whereas the designer seeks to improve a given product;

the innovator strives to demonstrate that her idea will work,while the investor is keen on the return on his investment;

the corporate manager is committed to increasing his companys revenue and market share,whereas the regulator focuses on questions of

the citizen wants to maximise her freedoms and have her rights protected,while the politician tries to balance all the aforementioned interests in devising policies for the benefit of all.

This massive entanglement of interests includes technological ideas, economic and business interests, societal needs, and political considerations. Most of us, most of the time, pursue several of those interests in parallel: certainly as customers and citizens, but also as individuals and members of communities that affect our thinking and the choices we make.

None of these considerations are predetermined, nor are the resulting choices and decisions. Therefore, the collective outcome cannot be predicted. We cannot pre-state the developmental path of any technology. However, it would be hare-brained to conclude that technology follows a path of its own or that we have no influence on technology at all. Quite to the contrary, we all influence technology development, only, this influence is rarely direct or immediately visible. The complexity researcher W. Brian Arthur summarised our multi-faceted relationship with technology as follows: Technology areas co-evolve together with society in a process of mutual adaptation.

In other words, our choices today affect the trajectory of a given technologys further development. That development will in turn present new opportunities and challenges that we will respond to, and this response will influence the further evolution of that technology in an open-ended process.

Take the steam engine for example. This machine marked the beginning of the Industrial Revolution when it was first introduced to pump water from coalmines. That successful application triggered further imagination, as developers and users alike came to look for other problems a steam engine could solve. Those considerations led to the mechanisation of agriculture and manufacturing, so that the steam engine would ultimately replace horse and oxen as humankinds primary power sources. The story did not end there. Railroads, factories, work contracts, and labour unions all emerged in response to that new technology. None of these long-term impacts were foreseeable, intended, or planned. Rather, they were the result of mutual influencing of technology and society.

The steam engine marked the Industrial Revolution when it was first introduced to pump water from coalmines. Local Histories

The history of the steam engine showcases how technology itself is neither good nor bad. But it is not neutral either. Technology is what we make it. Our choices matter. The question is How can we make technology what we want it to be?

Any attempt at shaping the trajectory of a given technology faces a genuine dilemma between todays knowledge about the future and the available means to affect or change that future. David Collingridge was the first to frame the major challenge of policy making on emerging technologies: When change is easy, the need for it cannot be foreseen ;when the need for change is apparent,change has become expensive, difficult and time consuming.

We are literally caught between a rock and a hard place. For a nascent technology, we cannot know all its future applications, nor can we anticipate all its future impacts. Still, at this time, we can exert some control over its development path. In the future, when that technology is mature, we see its full impact. We can thus define what we would like to change. Alas, because the technology is already in the market, broadly distributed and widely used at that time, our means of control are very limited.

We are struggling with a fundamental characteristic of technology development: the principle uncertainty inherent to an open-ended process without a knowable end-state. We cannot know in advance the future target for todays policy intervention. But what can we actually do? Would it not be a fair choice to accept the limits of our knowledge, to simply let things run their due course?

Think about social media. These services promised connectivity across the planet, facilitating new forms of meaningful information-sharing and enabling global communities of unprecedented scale and scope. Their free-of-charge operation is naturally attractive to users, but behind the scenes they rely on an advertising-backed business model. For that to work, users should ideally stay connected 24/7 in order to feed the evermore-sophisticated micro-targeting algorithms. Such addictive behaviour and the increasing manipulation facilitated by it are not in the users interest. Nor are echo chambers, hate speech, and the tampering with democratic elections in the interest of our societies.

While the promise of social media is compelling, we made two cardinal mistakes. First, we accepted proprietary platforms operated by business enterprises. Second, we forgot that the purpose of business is profit, not philanthropy.

The case of social media demonstrates that the users immediate choices can counteract their longer-term interests. Furthermore, a market left to its own devices can spin out of control. Both findings apply in particular to promising nascent technologies during their emerging early development. These fledglings still need to find the products they could successfully deliver and the markets they could serve. And all the various interest-holders still need to learn how they might be affected by those technologies.

As such as technology evolves, we can be sure that innovators, investors and users will be the first on the scene, pursuing their specific interests. Designers and corporate managers will soon join, once the technology demonstrates its effectiveness and first product ideas prove viable. Only after the maturing technologys impact has become tangible, will regulators, citizens, and politicians enter the discussion. I argue that in the case of emerging and potentially disruptive technologies these last interventions come too late.

Social media promised connectivity across the planet, facilitating new forms of meaningful information sharing and enabling global communities of unprecedented scale and scope. Picture Coosto

Throughout history, we harnessed technology to gain or maintain military advantage. Without much differentiation, we did what we could do: whatever was technologically doable appeared the right thing to do. Is that can-do attitude sufficient to guide us into the future? My answer is no, and I will argue in favour of a values-driven approach towards technology for defence and security purposes.

Historically, humanity did not have the means to hurt its immediate existence, neither intentionally nor unintentionally.

Early in the 20th century, we learned about the power of the atom. For the first time, we created a tool that could potentially destroy our very existence. Once that genie was out of the bottle, by mid-century, we worked hard to regain control by weaving nuclear arms control into the nascent international order.

Whether we like it or not: humanity lost the innocence of ignorance. We have access to potentially destructive means and we know it. Hence, we can neither deny nor reject the responsibility we have for our technologies impact, both intended and unintended.

Today, we face multiple emerging technologies that promise to disrupt our established ways, including AI, bio- and quantum technologies. They mature in parallel, at 21st century speed, in a hyper-connected world.

Take one specific area: the combination of AI, Big Data (as input to AI), and autonomy (as one of the main applications of AI). This technology area promises to disrupt the information sphere and change everything, from maintaining situational awareness to supporting decision-making, from predictive maintenance to cyber defence.

Yet amidst the euphoria about opportunities, we must afford a sober reality check and ask ourselves critical questions on how we want to develop, feed, and use such systems: would we consider the Chinese Social Credit System as a role model for collecting data? Should we accept black-box algorithms for data processing, when they present results, but cannot explain their plausibility? Should we apply AI in critical decision-making, where we seek to maintain human oversight?

Most of the key technologies operate in the information domain. Given their superior connectivity and speed, their development is particularly challenging to follow, let alone anticipate. Yet, developers focus on civilian applications with global consumer markets in mind, and the Big Tech companies pushing these developments have become the most influential non-state actors on the planet.

All of these factors increase the complexity of the problem space, while at the same time accelerating the speed to technological evolution. In short: our challenges keep growing, while our response time shrinks.

Take one specific area: the combination of AI, Big Data (as input to AI), and autonomy (as one of the main applications of AI). This technology area promises to disrupt the information sphere and change everything, from maintaining situational awareness to supporting decision-making, from predictive maintenance to cyber defence. Information Matters

Our Western values, including the rule of law, democracy, individual liberty, and human rights, provide a solid frame for tackling those challenges. However, we must recognise that their universality is contested, sometimes subtly, sometimes overtly. As the political economist Jeffrey Sachs observed, Geopolitical power and technological prowessare no longer the privileged preserve of the North Atlantic.

It would be short-sighted to assume that Western countries could globally enforce emerging technologies compliance with Western values. Instead, differences in values may well result in divergent technological competences that can, in turn, affect the global distribution of power.

Emerging and Disruptive Technologies (EDTs) came into NATOs political focus in 2019, when NATO leaders adopted an implementation roadmap for seven such technologies. Regardless of their tremendous promise, we must realise that these technologies are not yet mature, not yet fully out there. Therefore, considerable uncertainty remains to which extent these fledgling technologies and their foreseeable applications are appropriately contained within established legal, ethical, and moral norms. These questions are not limited to military applications, nor do they stop at national borders: rather, they cut across many government departments and business sectors, and they affect humanity in its entirety.

In this complex, fast moving, high-stake setting, we must view technology and values as intertwined. While our values should guide our use of technology, we must recognise that our technology choices will, whether intended or not, reflect the values we adhere to.

As inaction is not an option, we must take active measures to establish norms for the future use of technologies; norms that are deeply rooted in our values; technologies that are currently emerging and have recognised disruption potential (such as AI, biotechnology, and quantum technology). How could we realistically master this novel challenge? The following three proposals could pave the way.

We must effectively cope with the uncertainties of technology evolution. Hence, I suggest evolutionary policy-making, building on current knowledge, but flexible enough so that todays decisions can be adjusted or corrected in the future.

We must strive to limit potential harm without unduly constraining the benefits a technology can bring. Therefore, our policies should set limits for the application of technologies (such as genetically optimised super-soldiers) rather than banning entire technology areas (in this case, biotechnology).

We need to understand when policy changes are necessary and what those changes should be. Reflecting the diversity of interests, we need to institutionalise a broad stakeholder engagement that reaches out to all parties affected by a technology and influencing its evolution.

Within this broadly applicable framing, NATOs role is specific. As the international organisation committed to defence and security in the North Atlantic area, it convenes considerable political, military, economic, and technological power. Building in particular on its political and intellectual capital, the Alliance can credibly spearhead norm setting for technology applications in defence to comply with Western values.

With its recently published AI Strategy, NATO fulfils its traditional role in an innovative way. This Strategy embraces principles of responsible use, which express the value-driven norms that NATO and its member nations will adhere to in the application of AI. By making these principles public, they set an example for other nations to consider and potentially adopt NATOs principles. This is an effective approach towards proposing and gradually implementing an international norm, not unlike the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation.

At the same, NATO responds to the globally distributed innovation landscape. The NATO2030 initiative highlights the need to forge new coalitions with likeminded partners beyond the North-Atlantic region. This broad outreach should not only extend to governmental organisations, it should in general expand the types of partners to collaborate with (even within Allied nations), to include non-governmental organisations, the private sector, academia, and civil society.

Establishing norms to frame technology development within the limits of our established value system is a defining challenge of the 21st century. Our values alone should be the driving force for the policies we devise and the capabilities we field. As technologies keep emerging, so should our policies for setting appropriate norms bounded by the values we hold dear.

This is the ninth article of a mini-series on innovation, which focuses on technologies Allies are looking to adopt and the opportunities they will bring to the defence and security of the NATO Alliance. Previous articles:

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NATO Review - Why our values should drive our technology choices - NATO HQ

Researchers from more than 50 countries collaborate with the U.S. Department of Energys Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory to develop state-of-the-art technologies and solve the mysteries of matter, energy, space and time.

Here is a look at 10 ways they advanced science and technology in 2021. Fermilab and its partners:

The long-awaitedfirst results from the Muon g-2 experiment at Fermilab show fundamental particles called muons behaving in a way that is not predicted by scientists best theory, the Standard Model of particle physics.Thelandmark result, made with unprecedented precision, confirms a discrepancy that has been gnawing at researchers for decades. It indicates that muons could be interacting with yet undiscovered particles or forces.

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment is an international flagship experiment to unlock the mysteries of neutrinos. In May, construction crews started lowering equipment a mile underground and began the excavation of space for the South Dakota portion of the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility. Scientists and engineers in the UK began the production and testing of components for the first large neutrino detector module to be installed in the facility. The DUNE collaboration also published the design of the near detector. A prototype component of the near detector traveled from the University of Bern to Fermilab for testing with the labs neutrino beam.

The PIP-II project team and its national and international partners are getting ready for the construction of the new, highly anticipated particle accelerator at Fermilab. Earlier this year, testing wrapped up at the PIP-II Injector Test Facility. The successful outcome paves the way for the construction of the 700-foot-long PIP-II accelerator, which will power record-breaking neutrino beams and drive a broad physics research program at Fermilab. Construction of the PIP-II Cryogenic Plant Building began in August 2020, and the structure of the building now is largely complete. The building will house utilities as well as cryogenic equipment for the new machine. Efforts to use machine learning for the operation of PIP-II and other Fermilab accelerators are underway as well.

In 2021, Fermilab scientists were co-authors ofmore than 600 scientific articles, advancing our understanding of energy, matter, space and time and the technologies that drive these discoveries. Top achievements include results from MicroBooNE (a neutrino experiment that looks for evidence for sterile neutrinos) and NOvA (which aims to decipher the neutrino mass ordering); the search for stealthy supersymmetry with the CMS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider; dozens of papers on the Dark Energy Survey, including the most precise measurements of the universes composition and growth to date; the discovery of performance-limiting nanohydrides in superconducting qubits; and the worlds fastest magnetic ramping rates for particle accelerator magnets, made with energy-efficient, high-temperature superconducting material.

In Dec. 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy formally approved the full U.S. contribution to the high-luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider, orHL-LHC, at the European laboratory CERN. Led by Fermilab, collaborators will contribute 16 magnets to focus the LHCs near-light-speed particle beams to a tiny volume before colliding. They will also deliver eight superconducting cavities, radio-frequency devices designed to manipulate the powerful beams. (They will also provide four spare magnets and two spare cavities.) The new instruments will enable a 10-fold increase in the number of particle collisions at the future HL-LHC compared to the current LHC. Together with upgrades to the CMS detector, the accelerator upgrade will enable physicists tostudy particles such as theHiggs bosonin greater detail. And the increase in the number of collisions could also uncover rare physics phenomena or signs of new physics.

Advances in particle physics and quantum information science are tightly connected. Together with their partners in industry and collaborating institutions, Fermilab scientists and engineers used their expertise to advance quantum research. Examples include: taking the first steps toward building a quantum computer, designing quantum sensors for dark matter research, developing quantum algorithms, implementing artificial intelligence on a microchip, and building and testing the components of a quantum internet. They all are all part of the many facets of quantum science at Fermilab. This also includes the construction of the MAGIS-100 experiment, which will use free-falling atoms to probe dark matter, gravity and quantum science.

In addition to the construction projects mentioned above, Fermilab and its collaborators worked on the assembly of the ICARUS detector and the Short-Baseline Near Detector, both part of the Short-Baseline Neutrino Program to investigate neutrino oscillations and look for new physics. ICARUS scientists saw the first particles in their neutrino detector earlier this year, and SBND scientists are working on the assembly of their liquid-argon detector. Scientists are also working on the magnets and detectors for the Mu2e experiment, which will look for the direct conversion of a muon into an electron. If observed, it would signal the existence of new particles or new forces of nature.

In collaboration with partners at other DOE national labs, Fermilab researchersdesigned, built and delivered superconducting accelerator cryomodules for upgrading the worlds most powerful X-ray laser, the Linac Coherent Light Sourceat SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. With these LCLS-II upgrades, biologists, chemists and physicists will be able to probe the evolution of systems on a molecular level, forming flipbooks of molecular processes using one million X-ray pulses every second. Another upgrade to provide higher-energy particle beams, called LCLS-II-HE, is underway to enable even more precise atomic X-ray mapping. Tests of a verification cryomodule built at Fermilab achieved records far beyond current cryomodule specifications and should result in a 30% improvement compared to LCLS-II.

Fermilab is committed to attracting, developing and retaining diverse talent and cultivating an inclusive work environment that supports scientific, technological and operational excellence. The new Carolyn B. Parker Fellowship, named for the first African-American woman to earn a postgraduate degree in physics, presents an opportunity for Black and African-American postdoctoral scholars to work for up to five years in the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center at Fermilab. The new Sylvester James Gates, Jr. Fellowship offers a five-year appointment in the Theory Division at Fermilab. It prioritizes the inclusion of first-generation college graduates and the representation of historically and contemporarily minoritized individuals underrepresented in theoretical physics. The new Accelerator Science Program to Increase Representation in Engineering, or ASPIRE, fellowship provides students with immersive learning experiences on world leading particle accelerator projects at Fermilab. The fellowship is for undergraduate and graduate engineering students in underrepresented groups. To learn about other programs at Fermilab to increase diversity and inclusion in science, technology, engineering and math, visit our website.

Fermilab offered many online STEM education and outreach programs in 2021. Live programs included the virtual Family Open House, Ask a Scientist, STEM career fair,theSaturday Morning Physics programandtheArts and Lecture at Home series, including virtual art exhibits. They attracted viewers from different communities and backgrounds from around the world. Tens of thousands also have watched lectures, physics slams and other programs on theFermilab YouTube channel. Almost 600,000 people are now subscribed to this channel, which is known for the popular science explainer videosfeaturing Fermilab scientist Don Lincoln. This year, the channel also launched the new Even Bananas series with Kirsty Duffy and other scientists, who explain the mysteries of the neutrino.

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.

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Ten ways Fermilab advanced science and technology in 2021 - Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory

Texas A&M researchers are looking into the postures of students when they use their devices.

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The use of smartphones, tablets and laptops has become commonplace throughout the world and has been especially prevalent among college students. Recent studies have found that college students have higher levels of screen time, and they utilize multiple devices at higher rates compared to previous generations.

With the increased use of these devices, especially smartphones, students tend to use a less-traditional workplace such as a couch or chair with no desk, leading to an increase in musculoskeletal disorders in that age group. A team of Texas A&M researchers led byMark E. Benden conducted a study looking at the technology students use, the postures they adapt when they use their devices, and the amount of pain the students were currently experiencing.

Benden and his co-authors found that smartphones have become the most common link to educational materials though they have the least favorable control and display scenario from an ergonomic perspective. Additionally, the team concluded that regardless of device, ergonomic interventions focused on improving posture and facilitating stress management may reduce the likelihood of pain.

The results of the teams study were published recently in the open-access, peer reviewed journalBMC Public Health.

When we started this study a few years ago it was because we had determined that college students were the heavy users of smartphones, Benden said. Now those same levels we were concerned about in college students are seen in 40-year-olds and college students have increased to new levels.

Benden, professor and head of theDepartment of Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH)at theTexas A&M University School of Public Healthand director of theErgo Center, co-authored the study with EOH associate professorsAdam Pickens, S. Camille Peres,andMatthew Lee Smith,Ranjana Mehta, associate professor in the Wm Michael Barnes 64 Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering,Brett Harp, a recent EOH graduate, and Samuel Towne Jr., adjunct assistant professor at the School of Public Health.

The research team used a 35-minute online survey that asked participants about their technology use, posture when using the technology, current level of pain or discomfort, and their activity and stress levels.

Among the respondents, 64 percent indicated that their smartphone was the electronic device they used most frequently, followed by laptops, tablets and desktop computers. On average, the students used their smartphone 4.4 hours per day, and they indicated that when doing so, they were more likely to do so on the couch or at a chair with no desk.

It is amazing to consider how quickly smartphones have become the dominant tech device in our daily lives with little research into how that level of use would impact our health, Benden said.

The researchers found that posture components and stress more consistently contributed to the pain reported by the students, not the variables associated with the devices they were using.

Still, the researchers point out that in our ever-increasing technology-focused society, efforts are needed to ensure that pain is deferred or delayed until an individuals later years to preserve the productivity of the workforce.

Now that we are moving toward hybrid and/or remote workspaces for our jobs, college students are taking habits formed in dorm and apartment rooms during college into young adulthood as employees in home offices, Benden said. We need to get this right or it could have adverse impacts on an entire generation.

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Using Ergonomics To Reduce Pain From Technology Use - Texas A&M University Today

What GAO Found

The Departments of Commerce, Defense (DOD), and Energy (DOE) have established a network of innovation institutesknown as Manufacturing USA institutesto promote research, development, and commercialization of advanced manufacturing technologies. Manufacturing USA institutes reported making progress toward achieving their technology goals. Progress on institute projects is often tracked using technology readiness levels (TRL), a standardized scale for assessing maturity and risk. GAO's analysis of institute information found that projects moved through a range of TRLs (see figure). Many moved from TRL 4 to 6, taking a manufacturing technology from a point where it could be demonstrated in a lab to a point where a prototype system could be created in a simulated production environment.

Advancement of Technology Readiness Level (TRL) for Completed Manufacturing USA Institute Projects, as of March 2021

Note: Circle size illustrates the number of projects (but is not in direct proportion).

Results from a survey administered by GAO to institute members found that smaller manufacturers (those with fewer than 500 employees) were generally engaged and satisfied with their institutes' activities, such as collaborating on projects and providing input on institute priorities. Larger businesses and academic institutions reported similar levels of satisfaction. Officials noted that some factors, such as cost of membership, may limit smaller manufacturer engagement, and identified initiatives to help offset the cost.

Commerce, DOD, and DOE have implemented GAO's prior recommendations on interagency collaboration and developing sustainability criteria. However, Commerce has not fully implemented two of GAO's prior recommendations related to network-wide performance goals for the Manufacturing USA program. By not implementing these recommendations, Commerce is missing an opportunity to better observe and report on progress made toward achieving the purposes of the Manufacturing USA program.

In recent decades, the U.S. trade balance in advanced technology products declined, resulting in a $130 billion deficit as of 2018. The Manufacturing USA institutes seek to stimulate leadership in advanced manufacturing innovation. Members include companies, nonprofits, academic institutions, and state and local governments. Members receive benefits such as access to shared facilities, equipment, and intellectual property. As of August 2021, Commerce, DOD, and DOE have provided $1.7 billion to the institutes.

The Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act of 2014, as amended, includes a provision for GAO to assess the Manufacturing USA program. This third report examines institutes' progress toward technology goals, smaller manufacturers' engagement with the institutes, and implementation of prior recommendations, among other things.

GAO collected institute information via a questionnaire, surveyed a generalizable sample of institute members, and interviewed agency officials and institute representatives.

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Advanced Manufacturing: Innovation Institutes Report Technology Progress and Members Report Satisfaction with Their Involvement - Government...