Author Archives: Danzig

Pentagon AI center shifts focus to joint war-fighting operations – C4ISRNet

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The Pentagons artificial intelligence hub is shifting its focus to enabling joint war-fighting operations, developing artificial intelligence tools that will be integrated into the Department of Defenses Joint All-Domain Command and Control efforts.

As we have matured, we are now devoting special focus on our joint war-fighting operation and its mission initiative, which is focused on the priorities of the National Defense Strategy and its goal of preserving Americas military and technological advantages over our strategic competitors, Nand Mulchandani, acting director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, told reporters July 8. The AI capabilities JAIC is developing as part of the joint war-fighting operations mission initiative will use mature AI technology to create a decisive advantage for the American war fighter.

That marks a significant change from where JAIC stood more than a year ago, when the organization was still being stood up with a focus on using AI for efforts like predictive maintenance. That transformation appears to be driven by the DoDs focus on developing JADC2, a system of systems approach that will connect sensors to shooters in near-real time.

JADC2 is not a single product. It is a collection of platforms that get stitched together woven together into effectively a platform. And JAIC is spending a lot of time and resources focused on building the AI component on top of JADC2, said the acting director.

According to Mulchandani, the fiscal 2020 spending on the joint war-fighting operations initiative is greater than JAIC spending on all other mission initiatives combined. In May, the organization awarded Booz Allen Hamilton a five-year, $800 million task order to support the joint war-fighting operations initiative. As Mulchandani acknowledged to reporters, that task order exceeds JAICs budget for the next few years and it will not be spending all of that money.

One example of the organizations joint war-fighting work is the fire support cognitive system, an effort JAIC was pursuing in partnership with the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab and the U.S. Armys Program Executive Office Command, Control and Communications-Tactical. That system, Mulchandani said, will manage and triage all incoming communications in support of JADC2.

Mulchandani added that JAIC was about to begin testing its new flagship joint war-fighting project, which he did not identify by name.

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We do have a project going on under joint war fighting which we are going to be actually go into testing, he said. They are very tactical edge AI is the way Id describe it. That work is going to be tested. Its actually promising work were very excited about it.

As I talked about the pivot from predictive maintenance and others to joint war fighting, that is probably the flagship project that were sort of thinking about and talking about that will go out there, he added.

While left unnamed, the acting director assured reporters that the project would involve human operators and full human control.

We believe that the current crop of AI systems today [...] are going to be cognitive assistance, he said. Those types of information overload cleanup are the types of products that were actually going to be investing in.

Cognitive assistance, JADC2, command and controlthese are all pieces, he added.

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Pentagon AI center shifts focus to joint war-fighting operations - C4ISRNet

$9m raised to develop process-based AI solution – Foodprocessing

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Based in Israel, Seebo has announced the completion of a $9 million funding round, led by Ofek Ventures, with the participation of Vertex Ventures, and existing investors Viola Ventures and TPY Capital.

The company will use the funding to further expand its global reach and continue enhancing its process-based artificial intelligence (AI) solution. The solution enables manufacturers to predict and prevent production losses and master complex production processes, which is designed to save costs for users.

There is a growing demand for the companys AI solution, as manufacturers seek new ways to prevent losses and optimise their processes. Current users include Nestl, Barilla, Mondelz, Allnex and the Volkswagen Group.

Ofek Ventures partner Itay Rand said he was excited to be investing in the company. Manufacturers today understand that in order to compete successfully they must adopt effective process optimisation capabilities, and there is a clear recognition that industrial artificial intelligence and a data-driven approach is fundamental to achieving that goal, he said.

According to Lior Akavia, Seebo CEO and Co-Founder, in order to prevent losses and continuously master complex production processes, manufacturers need a technological solution that understands the unique complexity of the production lines, is scalable across various manufacturing lines and is easy for production teams to use.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has also changed the face of manufacturing, with companies having to adapt to shifting customer demand. Manufacturers have faced supply chain disruptions, implemented new regulations for employees and moved towards optimisation of remote processes.

The coronavirus pandemic has spurred a search for more efficient, effective ways to identify and prevent process inefficiencies overall which lies at the heart of what Seebo does. Data-driven decision-making is critical in our new reality, as manufacturers must adapt quickly and implement changes effectively. Those manufacturers who meet this challenge today will gain a competitive edge in tomorrows marketplace, Akavia said.

Image credit: stock.adobe.com/au/Aleksandr Matveev

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$9m raised to develop process-based AI solution - Foodprocessing

Microsoft makes major cuts to MSN editorial team amid AI shift and broader fiscal year-end layoffs – GeekWire

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Microsoft is further cutting back its MSN team amid a controversial shift to automation and AI for content decisions previously left to human editors.

After previously eliminating dozens of MSN contract positions, the company is now laying off an unspecified number of direct employees from MSN, including some senior leaders on the Microsoft News editorial team, according to people familiar with the situation.

Microsoft made cuts across the company as part of its annual fiscal year-end business review, one of these people said. Its fiscal year ends June 30, and its common for Microsoft to restructure some of its operations in conjunction with the annual milestone. Overall, the cutbacks this year appear much smaller than the thousands of employees laid off by the company in some years past.

The company isnt commenting publicly on the cuts at MSN or other groups.

Last week, in an article for Motherboard, former MSN Money editor Bryan Joiner detailed his experience being replaced by an algorithm. Joiner was a contractor for MSN who, like dozens of full-time journalists, lost his job in June. Microsoft replaced the team tasked with curating and editing MSN news content with AI software.

After news of the earlier layoffs surfaced, Microsofts software misidentified a member of the British pop group Little Mix. The mistake trended vigorously because it came so soon after MSN let its human editors go, Joiner wrote.

Based on how far theyve come down this road, the algorithm will sink or swim on its own, which is to say itll probably sink and take down the whole of MSN with it, he wrote. Maybe thats overstating things, but MSN is low enough in the Microsoft hierarchy that its existence has felt like it was on the chopping block for years.

Monica Nickelsburg contributed to this report.

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Microsoft makes major cuts to MSN editorial team amid AI shift and broader fiscal year-end layoffs - GeekWire

A new AI tool to fight the coronavirus – Axios

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A coalition of AI groups is forming to produce a comprehensive data source on the coronavirus pandemic for policymakers and health care leaders.

Why it matters: A torrent of data about COVID-19 is being produced, but unless it can be organized in an accessible format, it will do little good. The new initiative aims to use machine learning and human expertise to produce meaningful insights for an unprecedented situation.

Driving the news: Members of the newly formed Collective and Augmented Intelligence Against COVID-19 (CAIAC) announced today include the Future Society, a non-profit think tank from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, as well as the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence and representatives from UN agencies.

What they're saying: "With COVID-19 we realized there are tons of data available, but there was little global coordination on how to share it," says Cyrus Hodes, chair of the AI Initiative at the Future Society and a member of the CAIAC steering committee. "That's why we created this coalition to put together a sense-making platform for policymakers to use."

Context: COVID-19 has produced a flood of statistics, data and scientific publications more than 35,000 of the latter as of July 8. But raw information is of little use unless it can be organized and analyzed in a way that can support concrete policies.

The bottom line: Humans aren't exactly doing a great job beating COVID-19, so we need all the machine help we can get.

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A new AI tool to fight the coronavirus - Axios

Viz.ai Named to Forbes AI 50 List of Most Promising Artificial Intelligence Companies – Yahoo Finance

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SAN FRANCISCO, July 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Viz.ai, the leader in Applied Artificial Intelligence for Healthcare, has been named to the prestigious Forbes Top 50 AI list. The list honors the top 50 companies making the most impact using artificial intelligence to drive change and transform industries.

Forbes evaluated hundreds of innovative companies and recognized the top 50 for their use of artificial intelligence to drive outcomes for customers. As a company known for driving innovation in healthcare technology, Viz.ai was selected for its work dedicated to improving treatment times in stroke care and advancing how healthcare is delivered across a hospital network.

"It's not just about the AI," said Eric Eskioglu, MD, FAANS Neurosurgeon, Executive Vice President & Chief Medical Officer Novant Health. "Hospital systems using Viz for stroke care have seen meaningful reductions in treatment times, improvement in outcome scores and reduction in hospital length of stay. Viz is setting the standard for how healthcare can be delivered with operational precision, equity in treatments and outstanding clinical results. It's become how modern healthcare happens."

Viz.ai is now taking its proven patient and operational benefits and applying its technology to other aspects of healthcare, including the response to the pandemic. Viz COVID-19, available to any hospital at no cost, is improving communication, workflow and bed management for hospitals struggling with the COVID-19 crisis. Viz CONSULT is improving imaging, workflow and decision making across multiple new disease states such as Spine, Trauma and Pulmonary Embolism. Viz CLINIC is transforming the doctor visit experience for HCPs and patients and Viz ANALYTICS is enabling dynamic quality improvement through local and national benchmarking.

"We are honored to be recognized by Forbes as one of the leading AI Healthcare companies. It demonstrates the importance of putting patients first and applying the latest technology to improve patient outcomes," said Viz.ai CEO & Co-Founder, Dr. Chris Mansi. "We look forward to making an impact across healthcare ensuring the right patient is seen by the right doctor at the right time, every time."

About Viz.aiViz.ai, is the leader in applied artificial intelligence in healthcare. Viz.ai's mission is to fundamentally improve how healthcare is delivered in the world, through intelligent software that promises to reduce time to treatment and improve access to care. In 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted a De Novo clearance for Viz LVO, the first-ever computer-aided triage and notification software.Viz.ai is located in San Francisco and Tel Aviv and backed by leading Silicon Valley investors, including Kleiner Perkins, Google Ventures, Innovation Endeavors, CRV, Threshold, DHVC & Greenoaks Capital.

Related Links:www.viz.ai Viz.ai Synchronizing Stroke Care Brochure: https://bit.ly/2Z93sOzViz COVID-19 Product Guide: https://bit.ly/2O7UTgQ

Social Media:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/viz.aiTwitter: https://twitter.com/viz_ai

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Viz.ai Named to Forbes AI 50 List of Most Promising Artificial Intelligence Companies - Yahoo Finance

IMG partners with Wave.tv to distribute sports rights on social – Axios

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Global entertainment giant IMG Media is partnering up to give social media sports video company Wave.tv broad access to its sports licensing rights, executives tell Axios.

Why it matters: The deal speaks to a new generation of sports programming for younger people on social media who are avid sports fans but don't like sitting through long games on traditional TV.

Driving the news: Wave.tv, which is home to dozens of sports shows across platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube, will be able to access a broad range of IMG's licensed sports rights to use for its shows, including Euroleague Basketball and Worlds Strongest Man.

The big picture: Over the last few years, a new crop of digitally-native sports media companies have popped up to create sports shows for younger generations of sports fans that aren't interested in watching hours-long coverage of games on live TV.

Be smart: Among all of the players we've spoken to in social sports media, format is universally deemed critical.

What's next: Wave.tv is expanding to accommodate the flurry of new content rights deals, says Verne. It plans to hire 12-20 additional full-time employees to add to its existing 42 employees this quarter.

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IMG partners with Wave.tv to distribute sports rights on social - Axios

The Cost of the Evangelical Betrayal – The Atlantic

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My hunch is that at the beginning of this Faustian bargain, most evangelicals didnt imagine it would come to this, with them defending the indefensible, tarnishing their reputations, and doing incalculable damage to their causes.

Read: The last temptation

This is the worst year for America in more than a half century; a stunning 87 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with the way things are going and only 17 percent feel proud when thinking about the state of the nation, while 71 percent feel angry and 66 percent are fearful. Donald Trumps presidency is so polarizing and such a catastrophe that a plurality or outright majority of Americans now oppose much of whatever he supports. The mood of the public is the most progressive its been in nearly 70 years. During the Trump era, the nation has moved to the left on a whole series of issues, including those that matter most to evangelical Trump supporters.

The Trump presidency, which has produced few significant legislative or governing achievements, has inflicted gaping wounds on the Republican Party, conservative causes, and the evangelical movement.

IN HIS MARVELOUS book The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis, Alan Jacobs tells about the theater critic and essayist Kenneth Tynan, who, after reading Lewiss That Hideous Strength, said, How thrilling he makes goodness seemhow tangible and radiant! (At Oxford, Lewis was a tutor to Tynan, who was not himself a believer.)

Tynan perceived something essential about Lewis. One of his most impressive qualities was his ability to present the good lifeand his Christian faith, which shaped his understanding of the goodas tangible and radiant, a thrilling and captivating journey, a way to find joy and fulfillment.

That was hardly the whole story. Lewis faced a crisis in faith late in his life, when he was overwhelmed by grief after his wife, Joy Davidman, died of cancera crisis he recovered from, but that left its mark. Still, because of his faith, Lewiss life was more alluring, more captivating, more vivifying. It was said of Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien that they never lost their enchantment with the world.

The greatest cost of the Trump years to evangelical Christianity isnt in the political sphere, but rather in what Christians refer to as bearing witnessshowing how their lives have been transformed by their faith.

David A. Graham: Jeff Sessions explains why Christians support Trump

Much of the evangelical movement, in aligning itself with Donald Trump, has shown itself to be graceless and joyless, seized by fear, hypocritical, censorious, and filled with grievances. That is not true of all evangelicals, of course, and its not true of all evangelicals who are Trump supporters. But its true of enough of them, and certainly of the political leadership of the white evangelical movement, to have done deep injury to their public witness.

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The Cost of the Evangelical Betrayal - The Atlantic

Novelist cites Bronx priest’s influence on his writing, Catholic faith – The Catholic Spirit

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New York based Irish American writer Peter Quinn is pictured in a file photo. CNS photo/courtesy Don Pollard

A cynical, world-weary, and unmistakably Catholic detective in three novels, Dunne in many ways comes across as an alter ego for Quinn and his coming of age in pre-Vatican II New York.

A younger Dunne first appears in The Hour of the Cat, whose plot involves investigation of a Nazi-inspired eugenics campaign in New York City in the years just prior to the U.S. entry into World War II.

An older, more wizened Dunne shows up again in Dry Bones, a post-World War II story of espionage and U.S. government involvement with ex-Nazi operatives, and a mature Dunne exits the narrative stage in The Man Who Never Returned, an engaging fictional retelling 25 years after the fact of the disappearance of New York Supreme Court Judge Joseph Force Crater in 1930.

Incidents of Dunnes Catholic upbringing and his doubt-filled practice of the faith as a private investigator color much of the narrative in the three novels. For example, Quinn presents a reflective Dunne in churches, such as this moment in Dry Bones: Dunne silently repeated the Suscipiat, one of the prayers from the Mass hed mentioned as an altar boy at the Catholic Protectory, a single, tongue-twisting Latin sentence (Suscipiat Dominus sacrificium de manibus tuis ). Dunne went to Mass occasionally, to confession when he felt the need, ditto for praying. Hail Marys and Our Fathers mostly. Prayers he didnt remember learning, with words he didnt think about, just repeated. The one prayer that he carefully articulated, that made him feel as though he was actually praying, was the one whose words he didnt understand: Suscipiat.'

Fintan Dunne is a composite of people I grew up with in the Bronx, Quinn told Catholic News Service. Hes got a hard shell but, inside, theres a core of decency and humanity. Hes suspicious of the powerful and wealthy and cant be intimidated. Hes a Catholic whos casual in his practice; while not always on the straight and narrow, he has an acute sense of right and wrong.

Quinn is also author of Banished Children of Eve, an epic-length novel detailing Irish immigrant struggles in the days leading up to the advent of the U.S. Civil War. The story, which won the 1995 American Book Award, is an intriguing history lesson on the construction of New Yorks St. Patricks Cathedral and of the struggles of New Yorks first archbishop, Dagger John Hughes who, Quinn believes, made the New York Irish into a political as well as religious constituency.

This work, which Quinn says helped him to reconsider his attitude toward the Catholic faith in general, reads like a history of the emergence of the Catholic Church in America as a result of the massive immigration of famine Irish in the mid-19th century.

I lifted the title of Banished Children of Eve from the Salve Regina, a favorite prayer that Ive said since I was a child, Quinn said. For me, it expresses the human feeling of exile (mourning and weeping in this vale of tears) as well as the hunger for return (turn again thine eyes of mercy toward us). The characters from the book are Anglo American, African American and Irish. Theyve all been expelled from one garden or another and seek to find a place where they feel they belong.

Quinn, however, believes The Man Who Never Returned is probably his most Catholic in terms of its allusions to striving, suffering and redemption in a fallen world.

Each chapter features a quote from The Divine Comedy, a book Ive gone back to many times since I first read it in college, Quinn explained. The story opens with Fintan Dunne, the protagonist of all three mysteries, finding himself in the middle of lifes journey, I woke to find myself lost in a dark wood away from the straight path.'

In Dunnes case, the dark wood is a New York department store, where he finds himself feeling outdated and past his prime. As he becomes involved in tackling a baffling, unsolved case, he passes through his own version of hell, purgatory and paradise. His journey is the real story, not that of the vanished jurist, a case Quinn deliberately leaves unsolved.

Prior to becoming a full-time fiction writer in 2008, Quinn worked at as a speechwriter and corporate editorial director for Time Warner. He earned a bachelors degree from Manhattan College in 1969 and a masters in history from Fordham University in 1974.

Quinns response to the essential question in this writer series a Catholic writer or a writer who happens to be Catholic? is both unique and revealing.

I dont happen to be Catholic. I choose to be. And I dont happen to be a novelist. I choose to be. Both come with their tribulations and triumphs, and at times, theres the temptation to walk away. But I stay because, at the deepest level, these identities define my sense of self. That said, I dont consciously write, defend or advance church precepts or presumptions. Im a novelist, not a philosopher. I write about people who are confused and compromised in all sorts of ways.

By way of elaboration, Quinn offers the metaphor of God the creator as the primordial writer. He brings these characters (us) into life and endows them (us) with free will, Quinn said. At times, I want to warn my characters away from certain choices and decisions, but I cant force them to do what they dont want to do. Doesnt God face the same dilemma? If I try to make a character do something not true to who he/she is, the writing becomes forced and false. I believe in original sin and grace and redemption. I dont ask my character to embody my beliefs. I ask them to be believable and real.

Quinns home parish growing up was St. Raymonds in the Bronx, where he was influenced by a young curate, Father John Flynn. Quinn cites the influence of Father Flynn as a key not only to his writing, but also to his maintaining any contact with the Catholic Church.

The example and memory of Father Flynn are one of the reasons Im still a Catholic, Quinn said. His heroic service to the marginalized is a reminder of what it means to live out the essential message of the Gospel.

He has also attended at Sacred Heart Parish in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., and St. Joseph of the Holy Family in Harlem.

Quinn continues to pursue Catholic writing projects, both as a journalist and as a writer of fiction.

Ive been working on a new book for six years, give or take a year or so, he told CNS in November. The title is Eat the Moon, from Yeats poem Brown Penny. Its a race to see which will be finished first me or the novel.

Mastromatteo is a Toronto-based writer and editor.

Tags: Banished Children of Eve, Catholic writer, Dagger, Dry Bones, Irish American writer, Peter Quinn, Salve Regina, Suscipiat, The Divine Comedy, The Hour of the Cat, The Man Who Never Returned

Category: U.S. & World News

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Novelist cites Bronx priest's influence on his writing, Catholic faith - The Catholic Spirit

We Have A Long Road Ahead – Eugene Weekly

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Many thanks to the writers of the extremely informative Why They Had to Go: Statement on The Fall of The Pioneer Statues (EW, 6/25). I moved to the Eugene area in 2013 from out of state, and like most Americans had been taught the white-washed (pun intended) version of hard-working pioneers settling the Western territories.

I did not know the 1919 dedication ceremony for The Pioneer had extolled the conquest of the Anglo-Saxon race over savage Indians in the context of the eugenics movement. Only after moving here did I learn of Oregons laws designed to keep Black and Brown people out and not mixing with Whites.

The continuing resistance to taking the statues off their pedestals and plainly explaining their racist significance speaks volumes. As Black Lives Matter activists keep reminding us, we have a long way to go in dismantling this countrys institutionalized racism. Its time to buck up for the long haul.

Leigh Rieder

Creswell

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We Have A Long Road Ahead - Eugene Weekly

Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak on Nano and Microsatellite Market to Witness Lockheed Martin, Northrop Gruman, Raytheon, Dynetics – Jewish Life News

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Nano and Microsatellite Market 2020

This report studies the Nano and Microsatellite Market with many aspects of the industry like the market size, market status, market trends and forecast, the report also provides brief information of the competitors and the specific growth opportunities with key market drivers. Find the complete Nano and Microsatellite Market analysis segmented by companies, region, type and applications in the report.

The major players covered in Nano and Microsatellite Market Are Witness Lockheed Martin, Northrop Gruman, Raytheon, Dynetics, Surrey Satellite Technology, Axelspace, Sierra Nevada, Clyde Space, Planet Labs, Dauria Aerospace, and CASC

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Nano and Microsatellite Market continues to evolve and expand in terms of the number of companies, products, and applications that illustrates the growth perspectives. The report also covers the list of Product range and Applications with SWOT analysis, CAGR value, further adding the essential business analytics. Nano and Microsatellite Market research analysis identifies the latest trends and primary factors responsible for market growth enabling the Organizations to flourish with much exposure to the markets.

Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers

North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)

Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)

Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)

South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia etc.)

Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)

Research objectives:

To study and analyze the global Nano and Microsatellite market size by key regions/countries, product type and application, history data from 2013 to 2017, and forecast to 2026.

To understand the structure of Nano and Microsatellite market by identifying its various sub segments.

Focuses on the key global Nano and Microsatellite players, to define, describe and analyze the value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years.

To analyze the Nano and Microsatellite with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market.

To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks).

To project the size of Nano and Microsatellite submarkets, with respect to key regions (along with their respective key countries).

To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches and acquisitions in the market.

To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.

The Nano and Microsatellite Market research report completely covers the vital statistics of the capacity, production, value, cost/profit, supply/demand import/export, further divided by company and country, and by application/type for best possible updated data representation in the figures, tables, pie chart, and graphs. These data representations provide predictive data regarding the future estimations for convincing market growth. The detailed and comprehensive knowledge about our publishers makes us out of the box in case of market analysis.

Table of Contents: Nano and Microsatellite Market

Chapter 1: Overview of Nano and Microsatellite Market

Chapter 2: Global Market Status and Forecast by Regions

Chapter 3: Global Market Status and Forecast by Types

Chapter 4: Global Market Status and Forecast by Downstream Industry

Chapter 5: Market Driving Factor Analysis

Chapter 6: Market Competition Status by Major Manufacturers

Chapter 7: Major Manufacturers Introduction and Market Data

Chapter 8: Upstream and Downstream Market Analysis

Chapter 9: Cost and Gross Margin Analysis

Chapter 10: Marketing Status Analysis

Chapter 11: Market Report Conclusion

Chapter 12: Research Methodology and Reference

Key questions answered in this report

What will the market size be in 2026 and what will the growth rate be?

What are the key market trends?

What is driving this market?

What are the challenges to market growth?

Who are the key vendors in this market space?

What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?

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Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak on Nano and Microsatellite Market to Witness Lockheed Martin, Northrop Gruman, Raytheon, Dynetics - Jewish Life News

Scottish space firm Skyrora says new base in Fife is a ‘giant leap forward’ – Press and Journal

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Scottish company Skyrora, which plans to launch satellites into orbit from the Highlands and Islands, has set up a new engine test base.

The firms chief executive, Volodymyr Levykin, said the establishment of the facility in Fife was a giant leap forward for Scotlands growing reputation as a space hub.

Edinburgh-based Skyrora aims to win a share of the lucrative small satellite launch market and hopes its first payload will blast off from one of three proposed north spaceports by 2023.

Last month, the firm carried out a test flight of the first rocket to be launched from Shetland, which followed two launches from Kildermorie Estate, near Alness, in Easter Ross.

Skyrora has already tested engines for two of its rockets at its new facility.

Mr Levykin said: The opening of our engine test complex represents a giant leap forward for the UKs ambitions as a space nation and Scotlands status as a space hub.

Skyrora has developed and come so far as a team and a company, and I am really proud to see how many milestones we have achieved in a short period of time.

Skyrora engineering manager Jack-James Marlow added: Our engine test complex is a fantastic opportunity for Skyrora and the UK Space industry.

Scotland is heading towards an unprecedented growth in UK space and our complex is one step closer to achieving this. We are planning to test all our engines, which are fully 3D printed and operate onhigh-test peroxideat the site.

In June, Skyroras Skylark Nano rocket soared to around 20,000ft from a remote site of North Roe, at the northernmost tip of the Shetland mainland.

The firm described the test, which was used to gather weather data and train staff, as very important as the islands are a potential option for launches of its XL commercial rocket.

Also last month, 17.3 million plans by development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise to build a vertical launch spaceport on the AMhoine peninsula, in Sutherland were approved by Highland Council. Others are being planned on the Shetland island of Unst and on North Uist, in the Outer Hebrides.

Skyrora has estimated its new test facility will help it create more than 170 jobs, mainly in manufacturing and operations.

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Scottish space firm Skyrora says new base in Fife is a 'giant leap forward' - Press and Journal

‘Over to you’: Leanne Nutter, Head of Travel Retail, Blackjack Promotions | Travel – TRBusiness

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Following the recent reopening of Dufry stores at London Heathrow Airport Terminals 2 and 5,Leanne Nutter, Head of Travel Retail, Blackjack Promotions, says DF&TR must return to the basics of emotional intelligence in order to connect with shoppers in the post-Covid-19 world. Nutter, who was present at Terminal 5 on 1 July 2020, as the Blackjack team returned to work, emphasises the value of human-to-human interactions and suggests their remains plenty of ways to create valuable brand experiences.

As much as I would love to gaze into my magic crystal ball and predict that everything will be back to normal in a months time, we all know that can never happen.

In fact, if crystal balls were even a real thing, we might not have found ourselves in this position in the first place.

The truth is, we never could have predicted the massive global impact that the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic would have on so many aspects of everyday life from health to business, the global economy and even something as simple as buying a coffee on the way to work.

Covid-19 hasnt just turned our whole world upside down. It has grounded the airlines that connect our world. For those in the aviation and travel retail industries, theres no denying it has been a difficult three months as services ground to a halt, almost overnight.

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY

The good news is that we are starting to see light at the end of the runway. Soon, the sky will be lined with contrails once again and with that means more passengers coming through the airport. But one things for sure. The new normal is going to be very different.

Leanne Nutter, Head of Travel Retail, Blackjack Promotions: Were all learning to adapt to these new circumstances. It will still take time, but for travel retail, its time to return to basics, hold back the bells and whistles and utilise your most important assets.

While its important to look forward, I want to start by taking a moment to reflect on the last few months. The headlines splashed across our trusty industry trade magazines painted a pretty dire picture for the travel retail industry things are going to change forever, consumers are not going to want to talk to people in-store and no sampling will be allowed.

That made me quite sad because all the things that make travel retail so great the people, the sampling, the amazing in-store experiences seemed to be going out the window with the prospect of being unable to do any of that anymore.

At the time, all consumer behaviour analysis and insight into how things were going to change was reflective of how consumers were feeling at that moment, which at points was pretty scary.

But now, with everything moving on so quickly, Im delighted to see that peoples views are slowly changing and they are feeling a little more confident.

It looks like were finally coming out the other side of it and, as we saw from the recent re-opening of Dufrys store in Heathrow Terminal 2, customers are more willing to get back to how things were. By this, I mean the positive side of how things were.

We know change is inevitable, but I believe it will all be change for the better.

IMPORTANCE OF HUMAN INTERACTION

One things for sure. The craving for human interaction will never disappear. After being in lockdown for three months, I think we can all agree on that. Its the same in-store. People value human interaction and for brands and retailers of course, how they create that connection might look a little different for a while in the months ahead.

Now must be the time for travel retail to return to basics. People like to talk to people; even if its muffled from behind a face-mask, with hands covered in freshly applied sanitiser or gloves, or at a two-metre distance (one-metre plus distance where two is impossible). Yes, there are still restrictions and it might take time to navigate through this, but the value of human-to-human interactions can never be outshone by technology. As things begin moving again, preparing your brand ambassadors with online safety training for a safe return to work is crucial before they return to the shop floor in the airport.

While they might be unable to hand out samples or spray eager shoppers with a spritz of the latest fragrance, there are still numerous other ways to create valuable brand experiences for duty free shoppers. Merchandising has probably never been more important to ensure a product is in the right place and looking how it should.

Leanne Nutter, Head of Travel Retail, Blackjack Promotions (left) was present at London Heathrow 5 last week, as Blackjack staff returned to work in the reopened Dufry store.

Again, its about going back to the basics of emotional intelligence in order to connect with shoppers under these new circumstances. Brand ambassadors are well trained in knowing how to spot signs by reading people and their body language in order to approach them in the best way.

Its about reading the customer and knowing what they want before they even have to ask. While some customers might be open to having a socially distanced conversation about a brand or product, others might be less inclined and perhaps even a little nervous about this whole new situation. Knowing if they should stand back or engage is something great brand ambassadors do best.

Were all learning to adapt to these new circumstances. It will still take time, but for travel retail, its time to return to basics, hold back the bells and whistles and utilise your most important assets the people to help instil trust and confidence with shoppers, as we navigate this new post-Covid-19 world.

Source: World Duty Free LinkedIn.

The views and opinions expressed here belong to the columnist and do not necessarily reflect those of TRBusiness.

To read other columns in the series, click the relevant links below. Interested in getting involved?Please contact one of the editorial team at the following:[emailprotected];[emailprotected];[emailprotected]

Diego Baeza,Global Travel Retail & Duty Free Director,Via Concha y Toro

Richard Gray, Chief Executive Officer, Aer Rianta International Middle East

Olivier Dancette Founder, HiDutyFree

Dr Patrick Bohl, Chairman, CEETRA

Laurent Safar, CEO, Adaptive Channel

Tim Jobber, International Management Consultant, JES Travel Retail

John Pearce, Head of Retail & Commercial Terminal, Adelaide Airport Limited

Alain Maingreaud, President, TFWA Part Two

Andrew Brodie, CEO, Sunshine Coast Airport

Trevor Lee, Managing Director, TravConsult

James Prescott, Managing Director, Harding Retail

Tullia Ialongo, Business Development Partner, Wand Technology

One Red Kite Limited, Founder and Managing Director Kevin Brocklebank

Alain Maingreaud, President, TFWA Part One

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'Over to you': Leanne Nutter, Head of Travel Retail, Blackjack Promotions | Travel - TRBusiness

Al Ewing: Guardians of the Galaxy is the "launchpad" to "New Age of Space" at Marvel – GamesRadar+

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Guardians of the Galaxy is returning on July 15, picking up on the threads writer Al Ewing laid out in the first three issues of his still-burgeoning run on the title - including the death of Peter Quill and the formation of a second team of Guardians.

With all of that already on the Guardians' plate - and Empyre on the way - Newsarama spoke with Ewing about getting back into this cosmic adventure, working with artist Juann Cabal, and how the Guardians will play an important role in the move toward peace after Empyre.

Newsarama: Al, it's been a little while since we checked in with the Guardians, and there were some developments in the last issue of the series. How does it feel getting back into Guardians now? What do readers need to know to dive back in?

Al Ewing: Gamora's had a recent falling-out with Rocket, and as a result, there are now two separate and competing teams of Guardians, one led by Gamora, one led by Rocket. You'll be introduced to Gamora's team on page one, and then you'll be following Rocket's team through the rest of the issue, so it should all come back to you pretty quickly.

The one other detail it might be worth reminding people about is that there are currently two Moondragons - on Gamora's team, there's the Heather Douglas from the Marvel Universe, Earth 616, where her great love died and she's battled corrupting forces and her own inner darkness multiple times, and on Rocket's team, there's the Heather Douglas from a much more upright and upstanding universe, where she's married to the aforementioned great love - Phyla - and she's never had to go through the things Moondragon-616 has. So really, it's past time they met.

Nrama: You've made some big moves in just three issues of this series so far, pitting the team against the Olympians and apparently killing Peter Quill.

Ewing: That would be the source of the falling-out between Rocket and Gamora. It's not something we're just going to be forgetting about, either.

Nrama: Speaking of Guardians #3, you brought in a new branch of the team with the West Spiral Arm Guardians in that issue. Where did that idea come from? What can you tell us about who they are?

Ewing: The idea came primarily from wanting to shake the movie roster up a little - removing Quill from the picture and creating a schism in the remaining Guardians allowed me to look at some space faces who hadn't been part of things in a while, and bring in some new people.

But having done that, it didn't make sense for Gamora and company to just be sitting around - the soap opera of the Guardians demanded that we keep things moving with them as well as with the "main cast." Hence, the West Spiral Arm Guardians, a play on the West Coast Avengers - we'll see what happens as these now-separate teams intersect with each other.

Nrama: Guardians #3 presented a sort of Rashomon-esque look at the aftermath of Quill's death with three different artists. What makes the Guardians a team perfectly suited for that kind of storytelling? Do you plan to use more out-of-the-box writing styles as the series goes on?

Ewing: We've got plans for issue #9 that should be interesting for people - I spent a lot of time writing it, Juann Cabal took a lot of time designing and building it, and we each contributed an awful lot of esoteric ideas. What it actually is, I won't spoil just yet - but it involved creating an entirely new fantasy world for future adventures.

Nrama: Looking ahead, the solicitation for Guardians #4 mentions the formation of the "true" Guardians. What does that look like, compared to the team we've known for years?

Ewing: Since readers as well as retailers read the solicits, we often have a little fun with them - the joke here being that we're calling the West Spiral Arm Guardians the "true" Guardians, which is something Blackjack O'Hare does as well. To be fair to Blackjack, in terms of which team has the most "movie" Guardians, it's definitely the West-siders.

Nrama: Juann Cabal is drawing Guardians #4 and the arc it kicks off, which involves the Dragon of the Moon. What makes Juann the perfect artist for this cosmic story?

Ewing: Juann's the perfect artist for a lot of stories. Since the very start, I've compared him to New Wave Cinema - his desire to interrogate the rules of storytelling, to break them, to create new ones, to refine and explore those new techniques, all without losing the essential flow. Combine that level of artistic experimentation with a clean, clear, expressive style, that lets you know exactly what's happening in every panel, and you have something really special. Working with him brings out the best in me, and I think future issues - issue #9, for instance - will show that off.

And needless to say, Federico Blee on colors is matching him every step of the way.

Nrama: On that note, later issues deal with Nova trying to regain his status as a hero, according to the solicitations. What's Richard Rider going through right now, and how does that factor into what's coming for Guardians?

Ewing: Nova doesn't need to regain his status as a hero - he already is a hero, galaxy-wide. What he needs to regain is peace of mind - he blames himself for Peter's death, and he's struggling with the significant trauma he's been through in recent years, from the Annihilation War onwards. His big problem is that he's constantly pushing himself - he won't stop and rest unless he's forced to. Right now, he's being forced to - after the significant injuries he sustained during the mission against the Gods of Olympus, he's in a healing tank for at least one more mission, forced to watch and comment through Moondragon's telepathic link. But after he's healed, is he goingto throw himself right back into the meat grinder? Or will he give himself a chance to heal more than his body?

Nrama: You're co-writing Empyre, Marvel's line-wide cosmic crossover that starts in July. How will that play into Guardians of the Galaxy?

Ewing: Empyre is very big, and there are a lot of consequences coming out of it in terms of how the various Space Empires of the Marvel Universe relate to one another. Generally, when you talk about "big consequences" in these interviews, it means somebody's dying, or somebody's coming back to life - and maybe one of those things is true, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about getting my arms deep in the gears of Marvel Space and setting up how they mesh together from here on. In terms of Guardians of the Galaxy - if Empyre is a brutal, bloody war, Guardians is where we start to negotiate what peace looks like... and how fragile it can be.

Nrama: Bottom line, what do you want fans to know about Guardians now that it's coming back?

Ewing: We have one of the freshest and most exciting visual storytellers, the biggest scope and the coolest characters to explore it with. It's the new Marvel Age of Space, true believers - and we're your launchpad. Take the ride.

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Al Ewing: Guardians of the Galaxy is the "launchpad" to "New Age of Space" at Marvel - GamesRadar+

MGM Springfield reopens Monday; Heres how the casino plans to provide a safe experience amid the pandemic – MassLive.com

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What lies beyond the pandemic? MassForward is MassLives series examining the journey of Massachusetts businesses through and beyond the coronavirus pandemic.

________________

Walking through the main doors from the parking lot at MGM Springfield, things look about the same as they did before the coronavirus pandemic shuttered most Massachusetts businesses back in March. There is staff to greet customers. All the slot machines seem to still be in place.

Once inside, however, there are both handwashing and hand sanitizing stations. Some areas are closed to the public and there are signs throughout the floor that inform the guests to socially distance and practice good hygiene.

MGM Springfield will reopen in a limited capacity to the public on Monday at 10, a.m. under restrictions set out by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission and Gov. Charlie Baker.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission closed the states three casinos on March 14, initially for two weeks before extending the closures. MGM Springfield, Encore Boston Harbor and Plainridge Park all shut down.

When the casino opens its doors Monday, roughly 800 slot machines will be ready for play out of over 2,000 that were available pre-pandemic. Its a similar story for restaurant capacity, blackjack tables and the casino as a whole -- only a third is available under the states guidelines, which MGM Springfield management say they are happy to follow.

Poker, roulette and craps will not be available until a later date.

As it is in businesses across the state, masks or face coverings will be required of all guests, even when they are at a station with the appropriate social distancing or at the blackjack table where there is plexiglass protecting the dealer and other customers. Between sips of their drink, customers will be asked to keep the mask on. If the patron has a drink, they are asked to not walk the floor with it. Instead, they are to leave it in place and order another from serving staff that will be on the floor at the next station.

Chris Kelley, president of the Northeast Group, MGM Resorts told MassLive that the casino is focusing on public safety as the main goal and hopes that they will be able to further accommodate clientele when it is safe to do so.

This is a community that continues to overcome hardships by supporting and caring for one another, and it is a privilege to be a part of it, said Kelley. When we reopen our doors, we do so with the health and safety of our guests and employees as our number one priority. The property will look a little different, but the great experience at MGM Springfield will remain the same. We look forward to welcoming our guests back.

Slot machines have been closed off to promote social distancing as well as plexiglass being put up between machines for added safety. (Douglas Hook / MassLive)

Kelley spoke of the seven-point safety plan that has been developed by an epidemiologist and other health experts that have been advising the resort on how to mitigate the spread of the virus, protect customers, employees and rapidly respond to potential new cases.

We have a comprehensive multi-layered plan that is focused on infusing health and safety into the center of everything that we do, said Kelley to MassLive. Partnering with experts is a big piece of that, partnering with the state and local officials as well as regulators in each jurisdiction.

Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, along with members of his administration, joined with Kelley and other MGM officials for a tour of the casino on Tuesday.

MGM has taken extraordinary measures to comply with the governors guidance around COVID-19, said Helen Caulton-Harris, the citys commissioner of public health on Tuesday. I felt good about how MGM has put the effort in ensuring those guests who decide to go to MGM will be safe.

Abe Berry, vice president of Hospitality shows the mobile scanner that will be used to promote safety within the restaurants of the casino. (Douglas Hook / MassLive)

Dining options for now will be limited to the Tap Sports Bar, South End Market and Costas pizza counter where diners will use mobile devices to view and order their food.

Abe Berry, vice president of hospitality, demonstrated the new mobile scanning station that will be used to reserve a table, preview the menu and order food at Taps Sports Bar. The space inside, like elsewhere, is socially distanced with each table a minimum of 6 feet away from others.

Berry said that before the pandemic the Taps could facilitate up to 240 seats in the restaurant and 25 outside, now the capacity is just 90 inside. However, the outside seating area has now been expanded and can fit up to 95 people bringing the total capacity for Taps Sports Bar to 185.

The hotel at MGM Springfield remains closed even though under state phase 3 reopening guidelines they are able to reopen.

The big thing for us is the convention business which drives a lot of the hotel and leisure, but that hasnt come back as strong as wed like to see, said Berry. In addition to that, the limit on capacity that the governor has set for large groups [is not viable at this point].

As the state continues to lift restrictions on groups not only will the casino look at reopening the hotel but also the other restaurants that remain closed.

MGM seven-point safety plan has been posted at the main entrance and casino to remind customers and staff of the precautions they should take to stop the spread of the virus. (Douglas Hook / MassLive)

With the exception of the cleaning staff, MGM Springfield has taken staff on at a third of capacity. With only select restaurants open and many of the tables and slot machines closed off, the need to bring the casino back to full capacity is just not there yet.

Weve been in touch with our team members throughout this because theyve been going through a difficult time, MariKate Murren, vice president of Human Resources said to MassLive. Our intent, based on the Massachusetts gaming commission and the commonwealth of Massachusetts, is to bring them back as they allow us to have additional capacity here and to open additional outlets. That is the intent to bring back as many people as we can.

The cleaning staff of the casino is the only department that is at full capacity due to the importance of the upkeep during the pandemic of the casino.

Before the pandemic, MGM Springfield had more than 2,000 employees. Now the casino is staffed by roughly 650 staff members.

The resort has focused its reopening efforts around the seven-point safety plan. Those include:

Vice President and General Counsel Seth Stratton demonstrats one of the new hand washing station in the casino. (Douglas Hook / MassLive)

Changes that guests can expect:

Hand sanatizer stations have been installed around the casino. (Douglas Hook / MassLive)

MassForward is MassLive's series examining the journey of Massachusetts' small businesses through and beyond the coronavirus pandemic.

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MGM Springfield reopens Monday; Heres how the casino plans to provide a safe experience amid the pandemic - MassLive.com

Cordish Aims To Expand Live! Casino Presence in PA With Mini-Casino License Bid – Play Pennsylvania

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Cordish Companies, Baltimore-based parent company of the Live! Casino brand building gaming halls near Pittsburgh and adjacent to Philadelphia sports stadiums, plans to up the ante and try for a third Pennsylvania property.

A company spokesperson exclusively told PlayPennsylvania that they intend to make a bid on Sept. 2 for a mini-casino license which recently became available.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) announced on July 8 that they will auction off the license once held by Mount Airy Casino before the start of their Sept. 2 meeting. The opening bid is $7.5 million.

The license is available because back in November the PGCB denied the approval of the license which Mount Airy had paid $21.9 million for at the start of 2018. They get only a 75% refund.

Mount Airy cited financing issues.

But a news site, the BeaverCountian.com, reported the delay may have been attributable to a slow-going investigation of former Mount Airy owner Louis DeNaples. He allegedly attended several planning meetings related to the proposed site. DeNaples has alleged mob ties and is banned from working with the casino.

Plans for the bid come as the family-owned company preps for the fall opening of Live! Casino Pittsburgh in Westmoreland County, at a rehabbed vacant mall site.

While work there had ceased for about two months at the height of the virus pandemic, the spokesperson said a fall opening remains on track.

When it opens, it will be the very first mini-casino, or Category 4 Casino, in the state.

In 2017, PA lawmakers passed legislation allowing for an expansion of up to 10 new mini-licenses in parts of the state not served by larger gambling facilities.

But that partially fizzled when no more offers came to the auction table after only five licenses were claimed.

And meanwhile, four of the mini-casinos have proven a bit star-crossed.

Mount Airys site, proposed for Big Beaver, northwest of Pittsburgh, is dead and the license up for grabs.

Work on mini-casinos in York and Morgantown, with licenses held by Penn National Gaming, also halted during the pandemic but have not resumed. The company has not said when it will resume construction. But their CEO recently nixed bidding on the newly available license.

A Shippensburg site chosen by Parx Casino is unsuitable because of geological issues. Parx has never named a new site.

That leaves the western Live! Casino property as the only project moving along now.

The property includes 750 slots, approximately 30 live-action table games, and a retail sportsbook.

The Cordish spokesperson said in a written statement Monday:

Live! will be a first-class facility with the look, feel and amenities of a full-fledged casino, including the best in slots and table games, and exciting and unique food and entertainment amenities. It will showcase that a mini casino, done properly, can compare with any casino, and have an atmosphere and energy that will let it compete with the best the state has to offer.

To prepare for the opening, Live! is sponsoring the Westmoreland County Community College dealer school, scheduled to begin August 17.

Graduates will staff the new $150 million Live! Casino. There will be 500 permanent new jobs for locals. More than 100 of those positions are for table games dealers.

The school is meant to train qualified applicants with the necessary skills needed in the gaming industry and provide the opportunity to interview for a dealer position at Live! Casino.

Westmoreland is hosting a series of information sessions for those interested in learning more. Dates, locations, and sign-up information are available here.

There are no walk-ins. Information sessions are free, but the cost of the school and curriculum is $110 per student for Blackjack training and an additional $75 for other games.

Meanwhile, work is progressing on the Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia project, according to the spokesperson. PlayPA recently got a good look at the progress made.

The projected opening was just before the end of the year.

Together, the two projects represent a nearly $1 billion commitment to the Commonwealth and to bringing a new standard for casinos across the region. We are also excited for the opportunity to bid on the license that will be available in September, and the potential to invest further and create more jobs in the Commonwealth.

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Cordish Aims To Expand Live! Casino Presence in PA With Mini-Casino License Bid - Play Pennsylvania

The Magic of New Technology – Occupational Health and Safety

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The Magic of New Technology

Heres a roundup of some of the latest PPE technologies and why these claims are the new reality.

Weve all experienced new-technology skepticism. I remember when winter coats first promised an innovative type of material, not downy feathers, would keep me warm. I rubbed the thin fabric between my fingers and wonderedreally?

As safety technologies advance and companies provide better, more comfortable gear, many safety managers find themselves similarly skeptical as theyre asked to test a product that seems almost too good to be true. Heres a roundup of some of the latest PPE technologies and why these claims are the new reality.

Cooling PPE

Historically, there have been two types of cooling PPE. First, you have cooling towels, bandanas, and other wearables that feel cold and refreshing when you put them on. Unfortunately, that moment of cool relief doesnt tend to last more than about ten to twenty minutes. That leaves workers hot, uncomfortable, and at higher risk for heat illness until they can cool off at their next break. An additional disadvantage with these fabrics is that they can actually add to worker discomfort with slimy-feeling chemical coatings that prolong the cool, but disappoint in total comfort. The other option is body cooling vests that dont feel especially refreshing but do help to control a workers core temperature through the day, even though they cant necessarily feel it working.

The newest technology in cooling PPE promises the best of both worldsinstant, refreshing relief and cooling that lasts for hours, not minutes. This keeps workers safer and more comfortable through their shiftall without the use of harsh chemicals. Perhaps most important of all, they also promise that the refreshing cool can be reactivated over and over again quickly, using any temperature of water.

Why believe? This technology may be the one that feels closest to a magic trick as you can pour very hot water onto the material and feel it cool down as much as 30 degrees below average body temperature in under a minute. The secret lies in advances in fabric weaving technology. Engineers found that they could strategically interlock fabric strands to leverage the natural cooling power of evaporation and multiply that effect within the material. The result is PPE that cools almost instantly, stays cool for hours and can be reactivated with any water available on the jobsiteeven water thats hot from sitting in the sun.

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The Magic of New Technology - Occupational Health and Safety

Detroit-based LIFT signs 5-year technology agreement with U.S. Army – The Detroit News

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Lightweight Innovations For Tomorrow, a Detroit-based Department of Defense-supported manufacturing institute,has signed an agreement with the U.S. Army to lead new technology programs that willsupport ground vehicle equipment.

LIFT, which isoperated by the American Lightweight Materials Manufacturing Innovation Institute on Rosa Parks Boulevard, has a new five-year agreement with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center in Warren that calls for the institute to deliver technology until 2025.

Nigel Francis, LIFT CEO and executive director(Photo: LIFT)

LIFT said under the agreement, it willresearch how to use more-lightweight materials for better fuel efficiency and will look at ways to improve manufacturing processes.

The organization said the "researchand development will lead to prototypes, directly relevant to enhancing the mission-effectiveness of military personnel and the materials, components, systems and supporting platforms in use by the armed forces.

Our core mission as an institute is to develop technologies to enhance the effectiveness and better protect the warfighter, and this agreement gives us the opportunity to continue that mission for years, Nigel Francis, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director ofLIFT, said in a statement. This partnership also continues Michigans strong heritage of innovation and manufacturing in support of the Department of Defense.

LIFT said it has now secured more than $174 million in funding for technology and talent development in support of the U.S. industrial and defense manufacturing bases since its since its founding in 2014.

klaing@detroitnews.com

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Detroit-based LIFT signs 5-year technology agreement with U.S. Army - The Detroit News

UVC technology takes off as the new way to disinfect – CNET

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Vioguard

For the foreseeable future we'll be disinfecting with a vengeance. But the amount of time and materials it takes to do that are tedious and coerce us to take shortcuts. Now what?

Ultraviolet light is effective against many microbesand requires no cleaning liquid, wipes, towels or even much technique on the part of the user. You just turn it on and come back later. But it can be harmful to eyes and skin if it's potent enough to work, and also lacks strong safeguards, which is part of the reason UVC sterilization is mostly found in institutional settings.

Now playing: Watch this: Use UVC ultraviolet light to kill viruses

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Vioguard is trying to bend that curve toward home use. ItsCubby Plus is a home version of what started as a self-sterilizing keyboard for medical settings. It's essentially an electronic device drawer that closes for 60 seconds, bathing whatever's inside it in UVC light. When it reopens, every microbe on your devices should be inactivated, though there is a slight asterisk around SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The Vioguard Cubby Plus is a tray-style cabinet that bathes devices in UV light for a prescribed amount of time to kill bacteria and viruses.

"Right now all of the testing we're doing is done on surrogates that respond and react similarly to COVID-19," says Mark Beeston, VP of sales and marketing for Vioguard, saying that actual lab-grade test samples of the virus are hard to come by. "According to a study done by Emory [University], we know that those viruses are pretty weak." Beeston says the 60-second cycle in its product is up to four times times longer than the exposure needed to kill many viruses and is up to the task of killing the hard-to-tackle Clostridioides difficile virus.

UVC light inactivates virtually all viruses on surfaces it can illuminate, though the amount of time needed to do so with vary by the UVC emitting device.

The prevention-minded household might be intrigued by such a powerful disinfecting drawer, but put off by the Cubby Plus's $899 price, especially when the similar Phonesoap HomeSoap ultraviolet device can be had for under $200. Beeston says the difference is speed of operation and functional assurance: The Cubby Plus uses the same technology that earned the company's Defender self-sanitizing keyboard an FDA de novo clearance. The Cubby Plus 60-second cycle time is also much faster than the 10 minutes required by the HomeSoap sterilizer. Still, $899 may be more than most people paid for any device they might want to disinfect in a Cubby Plus.

Hear more about Vioguard's pricey but impressive technology in the video interview above with CNET's Brian Cooley.

Now What is a video interview series with industry leaders, celebrities and influencers that covers trends impacting businesses and consumers amid the "new normal." There will always be change in our world, and we'll be here to discuss how to navigate it all.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

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UVC technology takes off as the new way to disinfect - CNET

Technology will drive 2020 hurricane readiness and response – GCN.com

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT

The 2020 hurricane season officially began a few weeks ago, but it was preceded by two named storms and dire predictions from many experts for a particularly active year of storms. More daunting still, the 2020 season overlaps the first wave of the global COVID-19 pandemic, complicating hurricane preparedness and prompting the Federal Emergency Management Agency to urge preparedness and issue operational guidance for adapting response and recovery plans to the pandemic. A mix of tried and true and innovative, new technologies will play a key role in ensuring local, state, tribal and federal agencies are ready, responsive and able to recover.

Interoperable communications for cross-functional collaboration

Effective emergency response hinges first and foremost on reliable and interoperable voice communications. The use of secure Project 25 land mobile radio networks and devices has long been the standard for mission-critical voice communications, allowing collaboration across disparate agencies and law enforcement, firefighter, EMS and other first responders involved in the aftermath of a hurricane. The radio networks generally remain operational when cellular networks do not, allowing the coordination of evacuations, search, rescue and recovery operations and other vital activities in impacted areas.

The complexities of the pandemic make it more important than ever that response agencies inventory radios and communications devices to account for surge use, perform preventative maintenance checks and refuel generators that keep communications networks and 911 call centers operational during and after a hurricane. They should also preposition recovery assets, including equipment and personnel, to minimize the movement of resources in the midst of a storm and allow personnel to focus on disaster response.

Cloud-based technologies for mission continuity

To help prevent and mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the medical community has emphasized that individuals must social distance. This fact doesnt change during a hurricane, and thats where the cloud comes in. While there will always be a need to deploy some individuals to provide on-site emergency support, the cloud enables agencies to minimize the human footprint by allowing many non-essential employees to support recovery efforts from remote locations. This includes supervisors who can monitor situations remotely.

The pandemic has hastened agencies' migration to cloud-based computer-aided dispatch or backup CAD systems for mission continuity and anytime, anywhere connectivity. The move to the cloud delivers maximum reliability and resilience and is a key consideration in any disaster planning scenario in which staff may be dislocated for an extended period of time.

Command center software for streamlined intelligence

Software that supports public safety ecosystems helps streamline and mobilize the flow of intelligence during a disaster, when saving seconds can save lives. Key features of command center software can be deployed remotely via the cloud or on-premise. For example, the Department of Emergency Communications in Alexandria, Va., recently enabled 911 call takers to work from remote centers and even from home in response to the pandemic using a solution that is essentially a call center in a box. Several other agencies are taking the same approach as they prepare for a potential second wave of COVID-19 or other emergencies. The City of Alexandria is now getting calls from other agencies who want to make remote work a component of their disaster planning and resiliency.

Preparation that provides remote technology and training will serve these agencies well should storms increase in intensity and frequency, even in areas that have historically been less vulnerable.

Video and analytics for situational awareness

Severe storms with high winds have exposed flaws in wireless mobile broadband networks, but to the extent that they remain operational, they can carry high-speed data, location information, images and video to users in the field for enhanced situational awareness. Fixed video cameras mounted on buildings, street posts and businesses along with smart analytics can alert personnel to threats and provide critical information, such as the levels of rising water. These technologies can also deliver the data needed to properly evaluate a situation for more effective allocation of people and resources, assess damage and track and locate valuable debris. Drones can also be deployed to quickly assess impacts to flooded, dangerous or remote areas to bring greater intelligence to emergency response.

The region that surrounds Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Neb., for example, is prone to tornadoes and flooding. The base uses fixed security cameras and software to record and analyze aircraft landings and take-offs, but also for increased situational awareness during emergencies and natural disasters. In 2019, Offutt experienced mass flooding at the base due to record-setting snowfall, and water levels rose so fast and so high that many base monitoring systems were shut down. However, officials were able to track water levels remotely from cameras on the air traffic control tower and share real-time and recorded video with base security teams.

Emergency managers at all levels of government are grappling with hurricane readiness and response against the backdrop of COVID-19, preparing to keep their people and communities safe from overlapping threats. Now is the time to have people trained, processes and policies validated and technology tested and updated so they can save vital time, accurately inform response and mitigate health risks to responders in the moments that matter most.

About the Author

Mark McNulty is corporate vice president and general manager, U.S. federal government markets, with Motorola Solutions.

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Technology will drive 2020 hurricane readiness and response - GCN.com

Polarization in 5G technology supply (Analyst Angle) – RCR Wireless News

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The U.K. government has banished Huaweis 5G network kit. Supply must cease before 2021 and operators must rip out and replace all installed equipment by 2027. This is tightening of its previous policy instigated as recently as January 2020to exclude high-risk vendors from an operators 5G core network functions and allowing no more than 35 percent share elsewhere in the purportedly non-sensitive radio access network. Security concerns and political pressure have increased with new U.S. sanctions introduced around the end of June on the technologies used to design and manufacture chips employed in Huaweis equipment.

This is another major step in bifurcation of the technology supply ecosystems between the U.S. and China. These new U.S. sanctions will encourage further development of a rival end-to-end supply ecosystem orchestrated by China and over which the U.S. will no longer have any sway. This may also be a boon to authoritarian regimes elsewhere because Huawei will become unbridled in its ability to supply them. In 2018, ZTE was punished by the US with component supply sanctions and a fine for selling equipment to Iran and North Korea. China does not interfere with or deter foreign nations from snooping on or censoring content accessible to their citizens, nor does it weigh-in on issues such as abuse of human rights in those countries.

Globalizing technology supply ecosystems ruptured many years ago in Internet services platforms with the exclusion of Google and Facebook from China in response to operating conditions imposed by the Chinese government. Fissures in corresponding hardware and software supply chains for the fixed and mobile Infrastructure and even in devices are now increasing due to US-government sanctions affecting numerous countries. For now, global standardization in technologies remains at a high-water mark, despite some manipulation by China.

Googlesfirst forays intoChina were short-lived.Its search engine was introduced in 2006, but then abruptly withdrawn from the mainland in 2010 in face of a major hack and amid controversy over search results censorship. Facebook also used to operate in China, but was banned following the Urumqi riots in 2009. The Chinese government claimed that independence activists used the platform asa communication toolduring the riots, which resulted innearly 200 deaths.

While the above two Internet platforms, along with Amazon and other American companies have ruled the roost in their respective service markets in most or many nations worldwide, Chinese government policies, including censorship and with the construction of the Great Firewall have fostered development of home-grown platforms including Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent. These companies are willing to adhere to government strictures and resultantly dominate in the provision of such services in mainland China.

Apart from in America, where major operators have been careful their network equipment procurement does not to disqualify them from obtaining government contracts, mobile operators elsewhere worldwide have generally been able to buy fixed and mobile network equipment from whichever vendor they wish. For example, while the major U.S. operators do not use Huawei equipment, BT in the U.K. has been purchasing fixed network equipment from Huawei for 20 years. Huawei is also a major supplier in 4G and 5G for the U.K.s mobile operators.

Concerns about network security have increased with 5G expected to extensively connect things as well as people. There are various threats and ways in which security can be breached. Huawei is considered susceptible to demands from the Chinese government to use the network equipment it supplies abroad for spying.

The U.S. is also using tariffs and sanctions to wage a trade war with China.

While China is still a major technology manufacturing base for many vendors based elsewhere, much of this is relatively low-tech assembly work that can be easily relocated. For example, Ericsson manufactures its equipment in various countries.

Since 2015, China has been pursuing its strategy to increase the strength and depth of its domestic technology supply chain with its Made in China 2025 initiatives. These are shifting China from being a low-end manufacturer to a high-end producer with emphasis on technological innovation and major domestic investments including R&D and with extensive state support.The strategic plan dictated the proportion of Chinas technology markets and product components that need to be made in China. MIC 2025 aimed for Chinese technological self-sufficiency enabling its companies to compete most effectively abroad. MIC 2025 sought to raise the domestic content of core components and materials to 40 percent by 2020 and 70 percent by 2025.

According to former U.K. spy agency MI6 head John Sawers, the crucial change on the technical side that makes him conclude the U.K. should bar Huawei entirely is that the new U.S. sanctions will result in reliable non-Chinese suppliers to Huawei, such as Taiwan Semiconductor, to be replaced with riskier alternatives. In semiconductor fabrication, Chinas leader SMIC has seen its stock price surge due to increasing domestic demand, but it is also reportedly five years behind world leader TSMC technologically. TSMC is used extensively by Qualcomm, Apple and Huaweis HiSilicon among many others because of its leadership in producing the smallest and most exacting chip designs that also enable the highest performance and result in the lowest costs.

Contention between China and various other countries is significantly on the increase.

Sawers additionally believes China is pursuing wolf warrior diplomacy against its critics over Covid-19 disinformation. As also reported in the FT, to counter western accusations the disease originated in China, Beijings emissaries have intimidated their detractors, including a threat to boycott Australian produce if Canberra pursues an investigation into Covid-19. Conspiracy theories were tweeted by the Chinese that the U.S. created the pandemic to hurt China.

One country, two systems is no more. The U.K. is at loggerheads with Beijing over the imposition of a sweeping national-security law in Hong Kong that runs roughshod over the agreement the two made when the UK withdrew from governance of the territory in 1997. Human rights and freedoms are supposed to be upheld in Hong Kong until 2047. However, in addition to new measures limiting free speech and subjecting Hong Kong citizens to extradition for trial on the mainland, the Great Firewall is also already descending upon the territory.

The U.K. has responded by offering a path to citizenship for up to 3 million Hong Kong Citizens holding British National Overseas passports. This is being regarded as a gross interference in Chinas internal affairs, according to Chinas ambassador to Britain, Liu Xiaoming.

TSMC and modem chip company MediaTek being based in Taiwan presents a significant technological and economic incentive for capture by China with its political aspirations to unify Taiwan with the mainland, as it is with Hong Kong. The corollary of this is significant risk for the U.S. and its suppliers, despite initiatives for TSMC to build a foundry in the U.S.

The globalization of technology standards is no more evident than in mobile communications. The 1G analog standards were largely national France, Germany, the U.K. and Scandinavia had different standards. While these were harmonized in Europe with 2G GSM, the U.S. adopted several 2G standards including a couple that were based on TDMA and another that was based on CDMA technology. While two different CDMA-based standards competed for operator adoption in many nations, China also implemented another CDMA-based standard it favored called TD-SCDMA, for which there were never any takers elsewhere.

For the time being it seems that mobile standards, including 4G and 5G are truly global. While China initially favoured LTE-TDD over LTE-FDD which was being deployed in most nations, both modes of 4G are employed extensively all over the world.

In standards setting, Chinese companies were pressured by Chinese authorities to support Huaweis favored Polar Coding in the selection of channel coding for 5G. This appeared to be an attempt to bolster Huaweis apparent contribution to the standard, including its patented intellectual property. There was no performance advantage versus the alternative channel coding method considered.

All designers, manufacturers and operators are complying with the same 5G specifications, regardless of who contributes the technology to the standards and whether deployments are in the US, China or anywhere else.

This one piece of globalization seems set to persist for now, while other major parts of the supply ecosystem are polarizing along the lines of U.S. versus China.

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Polarization in 5G technology supply (Analyst Angle) - RCR Wireless News