The coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed how teams, leagues and other sports organizations operate.

Why it matters: Some of those changes are temporary, but others will likely be permanent and in some cases, COVID-19 merely sped up a technological evolution that was already well underway.

Two prime examples:

1. Robot refs: In an attempt to reduce the number of people on site, the U.S. Open (Aug. 31Sept. 13) will replace line judges with an automated system called Hawk-Eye Live, NYT reports.

2. Facial recognition: Multiple teams and leagues are testing facial-recognition technology and biometric screening to make admitting fans into stadiums as safe and touchless as possible.

The big picture: The transition from physical to digital tickets has been underway for a decade. This is the next stage in that evolution, and the pandemic sped up the process. Someday soon, you'll probably be buying hot dogs with your face.

Originally posted here:

Coronavirus expedites the sports tech evolution - Axios

Casinos are no different to any other business and have continued to evolve over time, adapting to new business and economic conditions, customer preferences and unexpected challenges. If anything, the current global pandemic will accelerate some of the changes that had already started occurring pre-Covid-19, as well as bring about other changes that were not on the cards, pardon the pun.

The evolution of casinos over time

The literal meaning of the word casino is small house, which describes the earliest casinos quite perfectly. The oldest casino in the world, the Casino di Venezia, sits on the Grand Canal in Venice. Opened in 1638, it was originally a theatre called the Theatre Saint Moses, which had a wing for gambling during the intermissions of performances. Since this time casinos around the world have continued to reinvent themselves and have gone through many transformations and are no longer the small house they once were.

The Las Vegas Strip emerged in 1941 with the opening of the El Rancho Vegas resort and many other hotel-casinos that followed, offering simple gambling halls with little or no amenities. The 1950s and 60s were periods of immense industry and population growth. By the 1980s Las Vegas went through a family focused era with Steve Wynn building the Mirage, the worlds first mega-resort and casino. The Excalibur followed in the early 1990s resembling a fairy-tale chateau brilliantly out of all proportion to its surroundings.

However, during this family focused era in Vegas, casino operators realised that families who travel with their children actually dont spend as much as when they travel without their children. From 1990 to 2000 Las Vegas evolved again bringing extravagant luxury and became electrified with the development of the MGM Grand, Bellagio and Mandalay Bay complexes, all offering far more extensive entertainment options than had ever been seen before.

By contrast, in Macau Sociedade de Turismo e Diverses de Macau, SA (STDM) was the only company licensed to operate casinos, having a monopoly for around four decades. From 2002, casino licences were awarded to several foreign multinational firms and joint ventures, with recognisable names from the US, Hong Kong and Australia. Locations such as Macau and Las Vegas evolved, giving rise to the Integrated Resort model and becoming destination locations, where there have been substantial investments in non-gaming and often non-revenue-producing amenities. This is the future of successful casino models but at the same time they have been severely challenged as a result of Covid-19 lock downs, which in many instances have completely decimated their revenue.

The rise of the Integrated Resort model

Excellent examples of Integrated Resorts, which are venues with a wide variety of offerings, can undoubtedly be found in Las Vegas, Macau and Singapore, amongst others. In Macau, Wynn offers extensive high end shopping with designer labels and in Singapore, Marina Bay Sands, the second most expensive integrated resort to have been built, the SkyPark on the 57th floor boasts a 500-foot infinity pool.

In relation to casinos that were established in the 20th century, especially in Las Vegas, the majority of revenues were generated from the casino and any associated convention centre. However, as the resorts and consumer preferences have evolved over time and become more integrated with other offerings, there is now a more balanced contribution of revenue between non-gaming and gaming, with some resorts having a larger contribution of non-gaming revenue than casino revenue.

What changes can we expect to see as casinos begin to reopen around the world?

With the Covid-19 pandemic, casino operators have been forced to rethink their operating models and strategies that they will need to implement in order to re-build consumer confidence and help patrons feel safe to enter through their doors.

Casinos have started to slowly open up in different jurisdictions including Las Vegas and Macau but remain closed in other jurisdictions such as Victoria in Australia, with this jurisdiction still grappling with a second Covid-19 wave. In Nevada, gaming authorities recently released a set of social distancing rules before Las Vegas Strip properties reopened, setting out new operating requirements.

What types of changes can we expect to see in Australia and elsewhere? Firstly, casino operators will be developing their own comprehensive health and safety plans and utilising the subject matter expertise of health professionals. Patrons will be encouraged to wear masks and subject to temperature checks before entry. Inside, all staff are likely to be wearing masks as well. At the tables, the classic casino scene of a crowd cheering on players on a winning streak will be a thing of the past for at least the immediate future. The number of player seats will be reduced and space between players will be increased. Dealers and players are likely to be separated by Perspex screens. Partitions will also separate blackjack, poker and other tables. Dice will be doused in sanitiser after every throw. Tables will have placards saying: "This table has been sanitised."

At the slot machines, you can expect that every second machine will be disabled therefore operators may seek (or lobby for) legislative approvals or amendments for "bring your own device" for casino gaming, geo-fenced within the casino boundary. Hand-washing stations will be wedged next to slot machines on the casino floor and masks and gloves will be available to patrons for free. Properties will be regularly disinfecting gaming machines, chairs and other equipment and there will be plenty of social distancing related signage. Hotels and casinos will restrict the total number of players and occupants at any one time, likely to be around 30-35% of total capacity. And say goodbye to buffet dining for the foreseeable future.

In Australia, in line with recent amendments by The New South Wales government to the Public Health Order, new capacity restrictions for The Star Sydney are now in effect. Due to these restrictions, gaming areas are now restricted to members and guests of The Star Club only. All patrons are required to provide contact details upon entry and access is at managements discretion based on capacity.

For the time being, this virus will change things for a while and the industry will need to adjust to the new normal. Unfortunately, the result of this is a continued under-utilisation of capital and personnel, with adverse impacts to return on investment and economic contributions in the form of government taxes and the like.

The future is diversified and more digital offerings

Shifts in the way that people choose to gamble are not new and the casino sector has proven its ability to be resilient and reinvent itself, adapting to economic conditions and changing consumer preferences. The result of Covid-19 in many countries has been a dramatic surge in online gaming and gambling as a result of the physical shut down of casinos and wagering venues. It is yet unclear how many customers will have permanently changed their gambling habits and converted to digital platforms. The focus in the immediate term will be casinos making customers feel confident that they can come back onto the casino floor and be safe and protected from Covid-19.

Operators will need to continue to adapt their operating models accordingly to the generational shifts and future proof their strategies, which will be needed in the event of another major pandemic. Operators should focus on repositioning by:

Government and regulators will be placed under increased pressure as licensees adjust their models, potentially seeking regulatory concessions and approvals. Operators will need to continue to work closely with legal and other strategic advisers to help navigate the complex web of casino regulation.

See the original post:

The next stage of casino evolution: how the house will bounce back. - Lexology

Some whales are wonky. You might not know it to look at them, but their skulls are actually incredibly asymmetrical. This mysterious feature helps with echolocation, the way that whales work out where things are by making sounds and sensing how they are reflected back.

But this wonkiness isnt present in all whales. My colleagues and I recently conducted research to find out why and when wonky whales started to evolve in a different way to their symmetrical cousins. We now know wonky whale skulls first appeared around 30 million years ago, and that they continued to become even more asymmetrical as the creatures evolved into the modern species we know today.

In order to understand how wonky whales got this way, we needed to look at how they lived and adapted in the past. Fortunately for us, the whale fossil record is so remarkably represented that scientists have even called the whale a posterchild of evolution. Complete skulls and skeletons stretch right back to the earliest whales of 50 million years ago, and more fossils are dotted throughout whale history, right up to the living animals we know today.

With this record, were able to see that whales nostrils have moved from the tip of their snout to the top of their head, an evolutionary tactic to make for easy breathing at the surface of the water. And the skulls of whales with teeth (which technically includes dolphins, as well as species such as sperm whales) have become more lopsided, with the bones on one side in different positions to the same bones on the other side.

This is because of a mass of fatty tissue called a melon that toothed whales use for echolocation. The melon and the soft tissue needed for echolocation are positioned leftwards above the skull on toothed whales, giving them a bulbous forehead and also causing the bones in the skull underneath to grow skewed to the left. As toothed whales evolved, their skulls got wonkier.

But why dont all whales have this wonkiness? The first whales were called archaeocetes (which literally means ancient whales). They evolved from walking on land to being fully aquatic in a relatively short 8 million years or so.

We know that archaeocete fossils have wonky rostrums (or snouts). This might be a distortion of the fossils or a feature that helped archaeocetes work out which direction sounds were coming from underwater.

Then, around 39 million years ago, whales diverged into two groups: those with teeth in their mouths, known as the odontocetes, and those with baleen (rows of bristles that allow whales to filter food from the water), known as the "mysticetes.

At some point, the toothed whales evolved wonky skulls and echolocation. However, the mysticetes, which include the big baleen whales (such as blue whales), diverged down a completely different evolutionary path. They evolved baleen and filter feeding and skulls that are more symmetrical than both the archaeocetes and the toothed whales.

We wanted to understand why, and exactly when, this happened. So to track asymmetry in the evolution of the whale skull, we produced 3D scans of 162 skulls, 78 of which were fossils. By mapping this wonky shape change in the skull across the whale family tree, we could track precisely when in evolutionary history it first appeared and in which families it evolved.

Based on analyses of these skulls, naso-facial asymmetry (wonkiness) appears to have first evolved around 30 million years ago. This was after the transition from archaeocetes to modern whales, and after the split between the odontocetes and the mysticetes. Around the same time this wonkiness was appearing, these early toothed whales were evolving high-frequency hearing and complex echolocation.

We also confirmed that early ancestors of living whales had little cranial asymmetry in the naso-facial area and likely were not able to echolocate. As such, its likely that baleen whales have never been able to echolocate.

Most surprisingly, this asymmetry has reached its highest levels in some specific animals such a sperm whales and narwhals and other species that live in deep or extreme environments.

This suggests that animals living in these complex environments, including belugas that live in icy, cluttered waters and river dolphins that live in shallow, murky rivers, have evolved a different echolocation ability such as a more diverse or discrete sound repertoire to help them navigate and hunt, and with it the bones around the nasal and face have become more asymmetrical.

This evolutionary path of toothed whales becoming ever more asymmetrical suggests that their skulls and the overlying soft tissues may continue to get wonkier as their echolocation techniques become more specialised.

These findings remind us not only of the complex evolutionary pathways that cetaceans have undergone to become the superbly adapted iconic ocean inhabitants that we know today, but also that despite living alongside some of the largest animals that have ever existed, there is still a lot for us to learn about them.

More:

Mysterious evolution of wonky whale skulls revealed by new study - The Conversation UK

Dating apps have evolved to enable users to find social connections generally as well as romance, and in doing so are giving brands more opportunities to create moments which are worth talking about.

Writing for WARC, Chase Buckle, trends manager at GlobalWebIndex, parses the figures from the research agencys custom coronavirus research, which shows increased smartphone usage across 20 countries since March.

He reports that 46% of single millennials and 43% of single Gen Z say theyve used an online dating app or service via any device in the past month. Increased mobile usage, more time spent at home with fewer distractions, and the need to remain connected are likely key drivers of dating app uptake, he notes.

The virus has also changed how people interact: the app is no longer simply an initial introductory space that is quickly left as singles meet up in person. Lockdown and social distancing has meant theres a greater focus on slower dating. (For more details, read Love in lockdown: Online dating during COVID-19.)

Users are taking the time to get to know the other person, spending longer messaging or video calling, and theyre doing activities together virtually. This has all led to a greater demand for more sophisticated features and support from dating apps that go beyond mere matchmaking, Buckle notes.

Tinder, for example, recently announced that it will begin to test video chat in its mobile dating apps in select markets. It had previously tested video chat before the COVID-19 outbreak and didnt see any significant adoption, but that will change this behaviour is one that will stick, says Buckle.

In our latest wave of coronavirus research, 41% of Gen Z say they plan to continue video calling more frequently after the outbreak. Expect to see this behaviour become the norm.

Brands looking to leverage dating apps in their marketing campaigns need to recognise this change of pace and rethink what makes them unique environments to advertise in.

People are using these apps to enjoy themselves, and theyre more likely to engage with brands that celebrate this idea of fun, he says.

Sourced from WARC

See the original post here:

The evolution of the dating app and what it means for brands | WARC - Warc

Nancy Wilsons very first guitar was rented. The slashing six-string player, who rose to great fame along with her sister, Ann, in the rock n roll band, Heart, had to struggle mightily with her first guitar. But it didnt much matter. Nancy, who, upon laying eyes on The Beatles on television during their famed spot on the Ed Sullivan show, needed more than anything else to play a guitar. Whether it was old, beat up, out of shape, damn near impossible to play that was ancillary. What mattered was the guitar. And today, in many ways, thats still what matters for Nancy, who continues to write and record and, when not hampered by a pandemic, tour with her Hall of Fame band.

Ann got the good guitar, Nancy says, with a chuckle. I got a really bad guitar. Our parents rented one just to make sure we were serious and going to stick with it. I think it was $30 and we were making payments for a few weeks. It was sort of unplayable the neck was like a pipe. You could never barre a chord, especially an F. I got strong because I wanted to know how to play.

When The Beatles hit the screen, Nancy says it felt like the Lunar Landing. It was seismic, trajectory- and life-changing. Lucky for the sisters, their parents were already involved in music. Their parents only had to rent one guitar because there was already one in the house that belonged to them. They also played piano, ukulele. Nancys first memory is from when she was a baby in her crib, hearing her mother sing. The house was always musical; people were always singing or dancing. The new love affair with Beatles-inspired rock music fit right in.

But it took some time before the idea of the sisters joining forces became a reality. At a young age, Ann had a strong voice. Her parents would call her down from her room when they were entertaining to do vocal impressions of famous singers at the time (Ann had that special gift, Nancy says). When the duo together, not only did they fill in the gaps where the other perhaps lacked, but when it came down to band dynamics and working together, that the two were sisters made it that much more streamlined, Nancy says.

You can never fool someone that youre that close to, she says. You cant pretend anything without them knowing.

Nancy notes that she takes after her mother and Ann takes after their father, another brunette (Theres something mysterious about the brunettes in our family, Nancy says). For her, growing up in the city of Seattle in the 60s and 70s felt like what she imagined Liverpool might be like a few decades earlier. Seattle is a port city, so new music was always coming in and out of the area. Nancy found herself falling in a Flower Power groove, putting beads both in her hair and on her roach clips. She would sell candles during the afternoons and catch shows at night. Artists like Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and The Doors come to mind.

As Heart began to heat up, though, the Wilson sisters spent less and less time in the Northwest. They began life seemingly always being on tour. Traveling is a grind, grueling. But playing live, writing and recording made it all worth it for Nancy (she even calls herself a studio dog because she likes the booth so much). It was about the group, musicians of high skill levels playing with other musicians of high skill levels. At the time, too, what Heart was doing was significant even beyond the incredible songs they released, which include Crazy On You, Barracuda and Magic Man. Heart, fronted by two attractive women who were also the front people of the group, was groundbreaking.

Our whole blueprint was somewhere within the pantheon of The Beatles and Led Zeppelin, Nancy says. There was enough room to express some humor, sadness, jubilation loudness. We wanted to be able to do all those things. It was pretty gutsy, I think. We didnt want to be considered girls or boys. We just wanted to do what the guys were doing.

It worked. So much so that the members of Led Zeppelin came and visited Heart at their shows. Nancy remembers one evening when Robert Plant came by and sat on the side of the stage. And another when Jimmy Page (who was often sauced) came by to admire the music. Heart was legendary and, despite some personal and professional pitfalls along the way (to be expected in a family band that spans decades), the group continues its legend to this day. Nancy, though, is accomplished as a musician even outside the rock band. Shes also an acclaimed film scorer, working with her former husband, film director Cameron Crowe, which, in turn, helped her songwriting confidence.

A lot of times in songwriting, you can have that critic in your head saying youre not good enough, Nancy says. But I learned from reading this book by Paul Simon. He says to start from a small place and open up to a bigger story, start small and then fan it out. That really helped.

Whether scoring a movie, playing Crazy On You with her supremely talented sister or performing in a new project (with a forthcoming Nancy Wilson solo album enlisting former and current Heart players and other friends and players, release date TBA),Nancy loves music in all its forms. Music is bigger than any individual, she says. Its a force so powerful and large that its almost impossible to grasp. Music hangs in the atmosphere and finds us. It sticks in cells, imprints on DNA.

When youre thinking of a familiar song, Nancy says, Like Stairway to Heaven. You know exactly how it goes. You dont have to put it on. You dont have to play the song. But you can experience it anyway.

See more here:

Nancy Wilson Recalls the Evolution of Heart - American Songwriter

Sponsored by Pulsara

By Rachel Zoch, EMS1 BrandFocus Staff

Technology is a fact of life and an integral part of modern medicine. EMS1 sat down to discuss the evolving role of technology in EMS with Kris Kaull, co-founder of EMS1.com and currently chief marketing officer for Pulsara. We asked him how EMS agencies can best leverage current and future tech tools to enhance patient care, and whats next for EMS overall.

What do you think is the minimum technology standard for EMS agencies right now?

Thats a good question. Times are changing in that were less hardware dependent and more connectivity dependent, so I believe the bare necessity is access to mobile-first technology. That device or computer, I should say that you carry in your pocket is an untapped, invaluable resource, from communications to reference lookup to even documentation, coordination, communication and collaboration.

The minimum tech standard should be smartphone technology, and then connectivity, whether thats dedicated WiFi from the ambulance or through cell service. Connectivity is really the name of the game, and what device we use today may or may not be the device we use tomorrow, so its important to steer clear of focusing too much on hardware. Instead, we should be focusing on the value that being connected brings to the clinician and the teams they work with.

In the back of the ambulance, I envision a future environment where everything is connected. To do that, you need dedicated bandwidth. For public safety, FirstNet provides the first high-speed, wireless broadband dedicated to first responders. In the future, were going to see much greater cell coverage with technologies such as Quality of Service, Priority, and Preemption, aka QPP, even in rural areas.

What about the medical devices themselves?

As new medical devices come onto the market whether its AEDs and heart monitors, the stretcher or any device youd expect to see in the back of an ambulance they will all be smart. Ideally, these devices connect with each other so that the story of the care being provided to the patient is centrally located for documentation and then communicated with the entire care team in real time.

Of course, thats easier said than done. Getting every company on the same standard and allowing different hardware devices to all work together and share information will be a challenge. Not a technical challenge a people challenge. The difficulty will be aligning corporate agendas to a unified vision.

So its not so much that agencies should be adopting a specific technology, but rather a goal of communication and interconnectivity?

Exactly. Thats actually a mindset that needs to change we buy technology, and because we spend a lot of money in capital dollars on hardware, we think it should last 20 years. That kind of thinking simply isnt true anymore.

When purchasing a technology solution for the back of the ambulance, we need to be thinking about how it can adapt and change for what we need in the future. Those solutions need to be flexible and scalable for the unknown. We dont know what we dont know. Thats the tough part.

In EMS, we have a tendency to create one-off solutions for disasters or the next big thing. Instead of building a specific solution or technology or a plan around COVID-19 or the opioid epidemic, we need to leverage existing or new technologies that can be used for all illnesses and injuries, for small or large events and for short and extended incidents. Thats a big paradigm shift from what weve historically done.

We need to be asking, Can I use this technology across the board, and is it scalable to adapt and change for my clinical needs? Its why I use the example of the mobile phone: How I use this mobile phone today may or may not be how Ill use this technology tomorrow, and the needs of my ambulance service may change tomorrow. A mobile phone is simply a platform for other solutions.

What are the biggest challenges EMS faces when it comes to technology in the next five years?

EMS is at a crossroads. Instead of being the prehospital provider, which is a common term now, we are becoming out-of-hospital clinicians. I often hear people asking, How do we better communicate between the back of the ambulance and the emergency department? That question is fundamentally flawed because it automatically labels EMS with the limited scope of transport only. The better question is, How do we better communicate as a healthcare team?

With mobile integrated health and the expanded scope of community paramedicine, well be that out-of-hospital caregiver, not prehospital. The COVID-19 pandemic had already rapidly modified our scope to meet the unprecedented needs. We are not just one step in a linear progression from the time of injury to arrival at the hospital. Instead, we are another access channel for healthcare and ongoing wellness in our communities, and theres a lot of discussion around technology and how we communicate.

EMTs and paramedics need to be able to communicate dynamically with different people, for different needs, for different patients, each and every call. And the technologies to allow them to do that in a safe and secure, HIPAA-compliant way will need to be dynamic and able to cross different organizations, not just from point A to point B, not just from the back of the ambulance to the emergency department.

How is Pulsara addressing these challenges, including HIPAA compliance?

The technology is really about connecting the people. Who are the people that need to be connected, and how do we do that on the fly? And, because every call is different, how do we connect the right people at the right time with a simple tap? Thats what Pulsara does. It allows EMS services or hospital facilities, nursing homes, standalone emergency departments, urgent cares, and referring hospitals all to be on the same network with each other and to be able to communicate in real time.

Pulsara is fully HIPAA-compliant. Its encrypted at both ends, meaning at the senders end on their smart device, as well as the receivers end and at rest. For example, EMS personnel show up on scene of a car crash, they take photos of the scene and the injuries. Those images are sent with the patient alert to the hospital requesting the trauma team. The hospital then alerts all the caregivers within the hospital that are part of that trauma team on their smart devices. At the end of the day, none of the sensitive data is actually on the phone. None of those photos are in the camera roll. It was all done within a HIPAA-compliant, secure encrypted app.

So youre adding a purpose-built tool for first responders to that familiar smartphone, rather than them needing a new device or mode of communication.

Yes. Healthcare providers from physicians to nurses to lab techs to allied health to paramedics use what they normally use in their real life. Take that same car crash example. If its easier to FaceTime or make a phone call or text the hospital with those images, thats what they do, including physician to physician; even if its against policy and not secure.

The key to great design isnt to change the behavior of what they do naturally. I would argue that if live video, messaging, sending photos and recording audio are a well-thought-out, good way to communicate day-to-day, then its probably a good way to communicate about the patient within that setting. The only difference is that we need to put safeguards around it so that we can be protected and we know where that data is, whos seen it and that we are protecting the community and the providers from needless liability.

When an entire region is using the same communication platform, it enables the opportunity for transparent communications without a lot of back and forth. Ineffective communication, especially during transitions of care, is the No. 1 cause for medical errors in healthcare.

Whats the difference between sharing data and communicating?

I do think theres a difference between communication and data. Let's go back to the future concept that all medical devices in the back of the ambulance are smart devices. And, for the sake of this example, lets agree that they are all seamlessly interoperable with each other. Ideally, theres an opportunity for all that data to automatically flow into one clear, chronological picture within the documented patient care report. Its good for streamlining the paramedic workload, its good for quality assurance, its good for consistency of patient care, its good for billing its good for a number of things. That is data.

And then theres also communication. You are sharing data, but its about sharing the right information at the right time with the right people for the right patient. So, what are the key pieces of data that I need now in real time in order to mobilize the right resources and then make the right decisions for my patient? Thats what communication is.

Data and communications are partners in patient care, but we often blur the lines and say that interoperability, smart machines, wearables, health information exchanges, data repositories, or post care documentation are the same as communicating, but they arent. When treating and transporting the trauma patient from the car crash, the paramedic may have access to a thousand pieces of data.But at that moment, the emergency department doesnt need to know all 1,000 data points. They simply need to know key pieces of information so that they have the right people and resources available upon EMS arrival at the hospital.

Whats next for EMS?

The EMS industry must be proactive to the ongoing and changing needs of our communities. In preparation, we should be incorporating technologies, processes and leadership skills that allow us to scale and change accordingly.

If you want a glimpse into the future of EMS, just take a look at what you do in your regular life. So, if my mother, whos in her late 60s, can video chat with my nephew whos 3, and they dont need an instruction book, thats probably a good way to transfer information. We should consider communicating in a similar fashion in the back of the ambulance.

Note: The above conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity. This article originally appeared in 2020 EMS Trend Report: Heed industry warning signs, commit to change.

Get more info from Pulsara.

Read Next: 3 ways your smartphone can improve communication between EMS and hospital EDs

Go here to see the original:

Q&A: How can EMS agencies leverage technology for growth and evolution? - EMS1.com

The computer mouse has been around, contributing to the growth and evolution of technology since the 1970s. Different variations and fuctionalities are made possible through this invention and it wouldn't have been possible without Bill English.

(Photo : Unsplash)

(Photo : YouTube)William English, co-inventor of the first computer mouse

William "Bill" English, aged 91, who worked behind-the-scenes on the invention of the computer mouse alongside Douglas Englebart, recently passed away last July 26, 2020 due to respiratory failure.

Modern wired computer mouse wouldn't be the same without English and Englebart's design and co-invention, as Bill English took Englebart's concept and worked alongside him in the Stanford Research Institute in California. The pair built and brought to life what is known to be the first computer mouse in 1968.

English also worked with Englebart in the conceptualization of 1968's "Mother of All Demos".A concept that many consider to be the framework for the modern marvels of technology such as the video call, online text editing, graphical user interface, and hypertext links.

Of course, the most notable invention that the duo did is the concept and prototype of the modern computer, the one which utilizes the use of a computer mouse for navigation and selection throughout the interface. Stemming from its early days to the modern times, how has the computer mice evolved? Check out the list below.

(Photo : YouTube)

This wood encased mouse was first conceptualized by Douglas Englebart on 1964 and later on picked up by BIll English and the two worked together to an actual prototype. This is the first patented computer mousewith one key and very limited functionality.

(Photo : YouTube)

Eight years after the first mouse was made by the duo, Bill English developed the ball mouse in 1972. This version of the computer mouse is what paved way for the idea of a modern, multi-directional mouse. An encased ball can be found in the body of the mouse that controls the movement in the interface. This mouse tends to pick-up dirt and lose its accuracy.

(Photo : Unsplash)

Steve Kirsch invented an optical mouse in 1981, converting from the traditional ball mechanism to an optic LED light, having the mouse follow the light as its movement or direction. This requires a mousepad to operate. Microsoft developed their own optic mouse in 1999 which does not require the need for a mouse pad.

(Photo : Unsplash)

Apple contributed a lot to upgrading the computer mouse throughout the years. From their 1998 upgrade of the mouse from the traditional connection to USB for their iMacs. Apple's other variations hid the traditional clickers, usually found in the face of the mouse, to the sides of the mouse in the year 2000.

ALSO READ: Logitech Unveils G900 Chaos Spectrum Wireless Gaming Mouse

(Photo : Unsplash)

The final and the common 21st century mouse invention is the introduction of the Cordless or Wireless mouse in 2001, known as the MouseMan. This paved the way for technological improvements later in the following years as 2008 introduced the wireless USB mousethat are marketed for the laptop or notebook, which was famous during the era.

Computer mouse technology have evolved a whole lot, varying from the single key, single direction era, to the mechanical ball design which were used for a long time, even having met the generations of the development of the computer PC and different operating systems, down to the optical LED light mouse. Now, the public is given with the comfort of having cheap and reliable wireless computer mouse that can be used for different functionalities, depending on the needs and usage.

ALSO READ: What Your Gaming PC Set Lacks: Best Mouse Pads on Amazon 2020

Watch the "Mother of All Demos" below:

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Isaiah Alonzo

2018 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Continued here:

Remembering Bill English: The Computer Mouse's Evolution Through the Years - Tech Times

@stanfordmissedconnections is an Instagram page originally began innocently, for Stanford students to confess their missed connections on campus, with the first post dating back August 18, 2019. This post, written by the anonymous manager behind the page (pseudonym SMC) encouraged followers to send us your secret crushes and well share it (anonymously of course) to the whole world.

Prior to the creation of the Stanford page, there had been many similar pages appearing for different schools, such as the University of Virginia (@uvamissedconnections), Tulane University (@tulanemissedconnections) and Washington University in St. Louis (@washumissedconnections). In an email to The Daily, SMC spoke about the beginning of the page.

I didnt have a real vision for it all, but it was entertaining; it was casual and I enjoyed giving the page a personality. SMC was careful to ensure the page remained lighthearted and a place to be able to share anonymous crushes, but having a moderator meant it wouldnt turn into some racist mess.

Students were hesitant to submit at first, with the beginning posts at only nine likes, but the page quickly blew up and has gained more than 3,000 followers in less than a year. One student wrote, To the CO president with the cool tattoo, youre cute [kiss emoji] lets go on a date. Others, rather than confessing their crush, made jokes about the posts.

To the cute [boy or girl] with [insert generic white features], you can [verb] in my [noun] anytime.

During the school year, Alix Cui 23 saw Missed Connections as a fun medium to joke around with friends. Previously, he had submitted a missed connection for my close friend as a joke, Cui said. It was a common trend during the school year where a lot of students submitted missed connections hyping up their friends to make it seem as if an anonymous person was searching for them.

However, after the majority of undergraduate students left campus abruptly back in March, there were no longer any missed connections to report, aside from various items forgotten in dorm rooms.

When the 2020 Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Misconduct results were released, it sparked campus-wide outrage over Stanfords management of sexual harassment. On June 21, the first of many reports was posted, calling out the Stanford communitys perpetual silence on the amount of abuse and assault that goes on here.

What followed was a series of over 50 anonymous allegations of sexual assault and claims of Stanfords indifference towards the victims. Here, Stanford Missed Connections was used as a safe platform to expose the issues that Stanford, along with other students, had previously been hesitant to address.

One poster wrote about her experience where, after being sexually assaulted, she opened up to this girl who defended my abuser and described him as a nice and funny guy. Many comments expressed shock and disgust over the actions of people in the Stanford community, and encouraged students to speak up about their own experiences.

Recently, there have been a lot of Missed Connections posts regarding status quo issues that affect the Stanford Community, Cui observed. Its sort of grown into an educative hub for some like me.

SMC is proud to be part of this shift in discussion, and hopes the platform, with so many viewers, becomes a place where sexual assault survivors can share their stories knowing that people in the Stanford community who would otherwise ignore such topics will be forced to hear them.

However, Alexa Ramachandran 22 has mixed feelings. She dislikes how quickly [the] topic of conversation seems to change.

The sexual assault discussions lasted a week and then its onto the next topic, like itll last another week too, she said. This bouncing around makes the topics feel like they have less permanence, implying a frivolousness.

But despite Ramachandrans qualms about the platforms treatment of these serious topics, she thinks its wonderful when people change the platform to suit their own needs and the creator is on board as well.

When Stanford announced that 11 sports would be cut indefinitely, students voiced their opinions over the Instagram page. But some posters called out the athletes for disregarding the problems that international students were facing with ICEs new policies.

Im so sick of different communities fighting over whos in a worst [sic] situation. This is not a competition, an anonymous poster said. Cant we just acknowledge that we are all struggling and start supporting and respecting each others pain?

SMC told The Daily in an email about the change of the Instagram page from a place to confess about crushes to a debate platform.

When protests started after the murder of George Floyd, it would have been problematic had I not made space for a discussion about what role Stanford and college students play in upholding white supremacy. SMC believes Stanford Missed Connections is the perfect place for students to begin speaking up about their own opinions, as its where people from all over the Stanford community are present and folks arent preaching to the choir.

Lorena Diosdado 21 is glad that a public and widely-viewed page is being used to spread awareness and information.

Missed Connections has people from different communities engaging with each other, she said. Usually, the necessary conversations around socioeconomic class in higher ed are only happening between FLI students, and the people who need to be there, the more affluent kids, just dont show up.

The page is so public that now messaging from marginalized communities is spreading into the feeds of people who should be listening and learning, she added.

However, Diosdado wishes there was greater filtering in who is allowed to comment and having actual Stanford affiliations, so as to not derail conversations.

The movement in discussion on @stanfordmissedconnections has also impacted the page and its viewer demographics.

In the past couple of months Ive had a ton of people submit for the first time, either to share their particular opinions, or show appreciation for the page, SMC noted. Ive also gotten a lot more messages from spam accounts, completely unrelated to the page, as well as a couple of sugar daddies. Thats the price of fame I suppose

In the future, SMC sees many more substantial debates taking place, especially in the current environment where social injustices are being brought into the spotlight.

People have also been wondering about the identity behind the page, but sadly, SMC said it wouldnt be good at this point for me to reveal my identity, considering the amount of sensitive and personal things students have confided in me.

However, SMC does plan on passing on the account at some time in the future (or at least bringing on others to help run it).

Contact Anna Yang at annayang780 at gmail.com.

View post:

Evolution of the Stanford Missed Connections Instagram page - The Stanford Daily

The report Global IT Spending in Energy Market intends to provide cutting-edge market intelligence and help decision makers take sound investment evaluation. Also identifies and analyses the emerging trends along with major drivers, challenges, opportunities and entry strategies for various companies in the Global IT Spending in Energy Industry.Global IT Spending in Energy Market Research report provides information regarding market size, share, trends, growth, cost structure, capacity, revenue and forecast 2024. This report also includes the overall and comprehensive study of the IT Spending in Energy market with all its aspects influencing the growth of the market. This report is exhaustive quantitative analyses of the IT Spending in Energy industry and provides data for making strategies to increase the market growth and effectiveness.

The Global IT Spending in Energy market research provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Global IT Spending in Energy Market analysis is provided for the international markets including development trends, competitive landscape analysis, and key regions development status. Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures are also analyzed. This report also states import/export consumption, supply and demand Figures, cost, price, revenue and gross margins.

Request Free Sample Pages Of This Premium Research Report: https://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=2736489

The authors of the report have segmented the global IT Spending in Energy market as per product, application, and region. Segments of the global IT Spending in Energy market are analyzed on the basis of market share, production, consumption, revenue, CAGR, market size, and more factors. The analysts have profiled leading players of the global IT Spending in Energy market, keeping in view their recent developments, market share, sales, revenue, areas covered, product portfolios, and other aspects.The IT Spending in Energy market report helps the readers grasp the changing trend in the industry supply chain, manufacturing techniques and expenses, and current scenario of the end uses in the global IT Spending in Energy market.

All the players running in the global IT Spending in Energy market are elaborated thoroughly in the IT Spending in Energy market report on the basis of proprietary technologies, distribution channels, industrial penetration, manufacturing processes, and revenue. In addition, the report examines R&D developments, legal policies, and strategies defining the competitiveness of the IT Spending in Energy market players.

This report covers leading companies associated in IT Spending in Energy market:

Scope of IT Spending in Energy Market:The global IT Spending in Energy market is valued at million US$ in 2017 and will reach million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of during 2018-2025.

This Market Report includesdrivers and restraints of the global IT Spending in Energy market and their impact on each region during the forecast period. The report also comprises the study of current issues with consumers and opportunities. It also includes value chain analysis.

On the basis Of the end users/applications,this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, IT Spending in Energy market share and growth rate of IT Spending in Energy foreach application, including-

On the basis of product,this report displays the sales volume, revenue (Million USD), product price, IT Spending in Energy market share and growth rate ofeach type, primarily split into-

Do You Have Any Query Or Specific Requirement? Ask to Our Industry Expert @ https://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=2736489

IT Spending in Energy Market: Regional analysis includes:

IT Spending in Energy Market Report Structure at a Glance:

For More Information Kindly Contact: ResearchMozMr. Rohit Bhisey,90 State Street,Albany NY,United States 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: [emailprotected]Follow us on LinkedIn @ http://bit.ly/1TBmnVGMedia Release: https://www.researchmoz.us/pressreleaseFollow me on : http://marketresearchlatestreports.blogspot.com/

Follow this link:

IT Spending in Energy Market Predicted To Witness Sustainable Evolution in Years to Come - Market Research Posts

The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy voted to approve the CPA Evolution model, which it has been developing with the American Institute of CPAs, in an effort to require more technology skills from CPAs to pass the Uniform CPA Examination and qualify for state CPA licenses.

The vote Monday by NASBAs board of directors came after the AICPAs governing council approved the CPA Evolution initiative in May (see story).

The changes will affect how young accountants train to become CPAs, although many colleges, universities and state boards have effectively been making such changes in recent years as much of the accounting profession has long been leveraging technology to do auditing, financial reporting and taxes.

Its going to affect two areas of licensure, explained Daniel J. Dustin, NASBA vice president of state board relations. One is with education. We currently have an exposure draft out for comment. It was released on May 26 and the comment period ends on August 31. Its really to update the Uniform Accountancy Act model rules for the CPA Evolution initiative. What we tried to do was change what we were doing with the model rules to really modify them to be more in alignment with where a lot of state boards are today. In many ways, it doesnt impact a lot of boards with respect to the rules. The other area of change is the structure of the Uniform CPA Examination. What were hoping is that beginning in January of 2024 the examination will consist of three core sections, followed by a candidate passing one of three disciplines. So, its still a four-section exam.

NASBA anticipates the exam will be no more than 16 hours, the same as it is today.

The Uniform Accountancy Act provides a model that state boards of accountancy can use to update their statutes and rules in their own jurisdictions. In May, NASBA released the Uniform Accountancy Act (UAA) Model Rules exposure draft to propose the various changes in the education requirements for licensure under the CPA Evolution initiative. The goal is to encourage uniformity among the 55 different jurisdictions in the U.S. Once it receives support from the various boards of accountancy for the exposure draft, NASBA will start encouraging the state boards to implement the model statutory and rule changes in education, starting as early as this fall. Ultimately the changes will start to show up in the exam in Jan. 2024.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has led to delays in sittings for the Uniform CPA Exam this year and wider flexibility in how the test is administered, but Dustin doesnt anticipate that will affect the timing of the CPA Evolution initiative.

A lot of the preliminary work in the next year or two is going to be involved with task forces, both on the education and the examination side, and certainly technology like Zoom and Webex allows us to hold a lot of virtual meetings, he said. So, we dont anticipate that COVID-19 will inhibit us from evolving over the next few years. We witnessed the fact that Prometric test centers had to close down for about eight weeks because of the pandemic, but certainly by 2024 and the rollout of this initiative, we should be well beyond that and it shouldnt have an impact.

Probably the most noticeable update will be in the technology proficiency expected from CPAs in the three core sections of the exam and in each of the disciplines tested. One of the changes in education is to include more technology, both in the accounting and in the business areas, said Dustin. One of the focuses as we evolve the CPA Exam as well as the exam content is to include more technology-related content. Last year, the AICPAs examination team issued an exposure draft to modify the content to include some technology, but the CPA Evolution initiative will actually mean that we will begin another process with the AICPA examination team to do a practice analysis to determine just how prevalent technology is for individuals with one to two years of experience who work in CPA firms, and then enhance the exam by testing in those areas some more. That will be both in the core and in the discipline.

He sees the changes as being more relevant to how CPAs actually do their work today. I think its really going to mean the evolution of how the exam is structured, that certainly entry-level CPAs today have to have higher-order skills in order to do the job that theyre required to do when they come into a firm, said Dustin. Its no longer ticking and tying accounts. Its using higher-order skills and analyzing accounts, to work with clients to help them make key business decisions.

NASBA plans to offer more resources for accounting educators to help their students learn about whats needed to pass the exam in 2024. The Uniform CPA Exam is a national exam that all jurisdictions use, so its anticipated right now that the rollout will be in January of 2024, said Dustin. Were working on a lot of other aspects, including resources for educators in the near term.

The changes received widespread support from state boards around the country. It was really great to see both at the NASBA meeting last October as well as several webinars weve held in the winter and spring the amount of positive feedback that we received form state board members and state board executive directors with respect to the current model of the initiative, so weve been really encouraged by the feedback, said Dustin. Collectively the AICPA and NASBA have received more than 3,000 comments from various stakeholders, and overall its been a very positive process to date. I just think that a lot of our board members have been very positive with respect to where we are to date, and its encouraging to think that its going to continue that way as we move forward.

For more information about the CPA Evolution initiative, visit evolutionofcpa.org.

Go here to see the original:

NASBA votes to advance CPA Evolution initiative with AICPA - Accounting Today