In the span of five years, spending at Lincoln Public Schools will increase 27 percent if the proposed $420.8 million budget is approved while enrollment will increase by half that.

The 13.5 percent enrollment increase, an additional 5,000 students walking the halls of LPS schools over five years, is an ongoing challenge for district officials. In the 2015-16 school year, only nine of the state's school districts enrolled more than 5,000 students.

But the disparity in LPS between increased spending and enrollment growth and the fact that the district proposes leaving the tax rate unchanged in the face of the biggest increase in property valuations in a decade gave some pause.

LPS board member Matt Schulte called it out of whack, which motivated a guy named Brad to stand outside the district offices on at least a couple of mornings last week holding a sign that said LPS is greedy.

Leaving the district's general fund tax rate at the state-imposed lid of $1.05 per $100 of valuation means LPS will being in an additional $18.2 million in property tax revenue. While the districts overall tax rate would remain essentially unchanged, many homeowners will see their property tax bills rise.

It means the owner of an average $163,457 home, if faced with a 9 percent increase in property valuation, will pay an additional $185 to LPS next year, hiking the annual tax bill going to K-12 schools to $2,235.

While the increase in state aid to LPS this year is small $271,000 more the district has enjoyed a 52 percent increase in state aid since 2012-13.

While much of the growth in state support is because of growing enrollment and increasing percentages of students living in poverty, the state-aid formula isnt fully funded nor does it take into account all the classroom needs of students living in poverty and English language learners, said Liz Standish, associate superintendent for business affairs.

LPS officials say the $90.5 million spending increase over five years assuming the proposed budget is approved includes the supplies, personnel and utility costs for new schools, major initiatives in technology and the more-complex needs of students.

Looking only at spending and enrollment increases ignores updates and changes the community expressed support for, as well as the cost of educating more students with serious behavioral problems, mental health issues, those living in poverty and those who don't speak English, Standish said.

You would have to assume the district did nothing different from year to year,said Standish, who joined LPS in 2013-14. And in the last five years, the district has taken on some pretty major community initiatives.

Those include the Career Academy, a one-to-one computer initiative for students, moving to a digital curriculum and investments in early childhood education, she said.

Since 2012-13, LPS has or will open five new buildings the Career Academy, Wysong Elementary, Moore Middle School and two buildings with programs for students with serious behavioral problems.

While bond issue revenue pays for the buildings, the district budgeted an additional $4.1 million in one-time start-up costs of those buildings and $4.7 million in operational costs. The latter, including increased utility costs for additions to existing schools, becomes an ongoing cost.

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The bulk of the budget is always salaries, and this year included paying more than 5,700 employees. In 2016-17, the district budgeted $351.5 million for salaries. Next years budget adds $10.4 million to pay for the negotiated 3.19 percent compensation package increase for teachers. That doesnt include adding staff.

Schulte declined to say how much he wants to lower the tax rate, or what he would cut from the proposed budget. He plans to discuss specific details at a Tuesday work session, he said.

But he said lowering the tax rate in the face of a 9 percent increase in overall property values would be a show of good faith, especially because the district will need to ask voters to approve a bond issue in the coming years to pay for more schools. It would not have to be much to appease taxpayers, Schulte said.

This is a good opportunity to show to Lincoln we are ... good stewards to set up a bond issue in the coming years, he said.

Lincoln Independent Business Association President Coby Mach said LPS decision not to offer some property tax relief could influence a proposal by a state senator to float a constitutional amendment limiting how much local governments can collect from taxpayers.

He said hes unsure if LIBA will offer more specific recommendations about how to reduce the proposed LPS budget.

LPS has demonstrated to us over the course of the last four or five years that they will not accept recommendations or input, and at this point Im not sure well take the time to go though every line by line budget item, he said.

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Budget increases outpace growth in enrollment; LPS cites technology, new schools, greater needs of students - Lincoln Journal Star

DvSnf7 dsRNA is an unusual insecticide. You dont spray it on crops. Instead, you encode instructions for manufacturing it in the DNA of the crop itself. If a pesky western corn rootworm comes munching, the plants self-made DvSnf7 dsRNA disrupts a critical rootworm gene and kills the pest.

This last step is called RNA interference, or RNAi, and the Environmental Protection Agency last week approved the first insecticide relying on it. Just a few years ago, RNAi was the hot, new biotechnology generating both hype and controversy. But its first approval as an insecticide has been surprisingly low-key. The EPAs decision attracted little attention from the press or even from environmental groups that reliably come out against new genetically modified crops.

The first product DvSnf7 dsRNA will show up in is SmartStax Pro, a line of genetically modified corn seeds made in collaboration between two agricultural giants, Monsanto and Dow. The RNAi part comes from Monsanto, which has its eye on a number of RNAi applications. Monsanto expects corn seed with RNAi to be on the market by the end of this decade.

For some corn farmers, this cant come soon enough. The western corn rootworm is known as the billion dollar pest because of the damage it wreaks on cornfields. And it keeps becoming resistant to the toxins farmers throw against it. First it was spray-on pesticides; then it was corn genetically modified to make the Bt toxin, a technology also commercialized by Monsanto. When I go out and I talk to farmers, says Joseph Spencer, an entomologist at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, you talk about Bt resistance and invariably the moment will come where they say, Well have the RNAi soon and thatll take care it. To cover all the bases, SmartStax Pro will contain both Bt and DvSnf7 dsRNA.

RNAi is useful because it can be highly specific: Its supposed to, in theory, turn off one specific gene in one specific species while leaving others unharmed. Plants and animals naturally use this process to silence their own genes. And scientists have previously harnessed RNAi to create genetically modified crops, like apples and potatoes that dont brown because their browning gene is silenced. With Monsanto and Dows genetically modified corn, however, the DvSnf7 dsRNA is actually silencing a gene in another living organism, the western corn rootworm. Rather than modifying itself, it modifies its environment.

The Center for Food Safety, along with other groups, vocally opposed the apples and potatoes modified through RNAi. Bill Freese, CFSs science policy analyst, admits they were caught a bit off guard by the EPAs decision with RNAi in corn. The EPA only allowed for 15 days of public comment, and the agency did not post its proposed decision in the Federal Register. Its not the first time the EPA has approved pesticides quietly like this, but Freese argues the unprecedented use of RNAi as insecticide should have merited more public scrutiny.

The EPA was the last of three agenciesalong with the FDA and USDAthat signed off on the safety of DvSnf7 dsRNA. Critics often point to a 2011 paper to question the safety of tinkering with RNAi. In that study, Chinese scientists found naturally occurring RNA molecules from rice circulating in the bloodstream of people eating it. That paper has gotten a lot of criticism, and scientists have had trouble replicating its findings.

The real problem, says Freese, goes beyond RNAi itself. Theres faddish interest in the latest technology, says Freeze. It often neglects the basic issues of the unhealthy practices used in planting corn. Rotating crops, for example, rather than planting corn multiple years in a row in the same field can cut down on the western corn rootworm problem.

Spencer, the entomologist in Illinois, also stresses the importance of rotating crops and planting refuges of non-genetically modified corn. Hes seen what happened to Bt, when overplanting of Bt corn led to resistance.With RNAi, farmers get a new tool and a fresh start. We need to treat these things carefully because we really cant just afford to throw them away, he says. (Spencer has received funding from Monsanto for his research into western corn rootworms.)

CRISPR Could Usher In a New Era of Delicious GMO Foods

Western corn rootworm is just the beginning of Monsantos ambitions for RNAi. Robb Fraley, the companys chief technology office, ticked off the other RNAi products in the pipeline: a soybean that makes oil containing omega-3 and an insecticide that kills mites harming honeybees. I would put RNA in the suite of really advanced, next-generation technologies that are adding to the excitement from a research perspective, he says.

In recent years, CRISPR has displaced RNAi as the newest darling of genetic engineering. (Monsanto has licensed CRISPR, too.) Getting technology from the lab into the field takes time. SmartStax Pro, when it is on the market in a few years, will finally be RNAi pest-control technologys entry into the real world, and it could just be the beginning.

Excerpt from:

The EPA Quietly Approved Monsanto's New Genetic-Engineering Technology - The Atlantic

When Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) CEO Reed Hastings appeared at Recode's Code Conference in May, he talked about the high success rate of the company's shows and the need to be more aggressive and more experimental. "I'm always pushing the content team," he said. "We have to take more risk; you have to try more crazy things."

Longtime investors in the video-streaming pioneer know that the company runs experiments involving its subscribers fairly regularly. Several meaningful changes to the service have been the result of such experiments. Netflix's post-play feature, which begins playing the next episode in a series once you've finished the current one, was the result of just such an experiment. Allowing subscribers to download content for offline viewing was another. Its most recent experiment could revolutionize the streaming concept it created.

In its latest move, Netflix will roll out its groundbreaking branching technology, in a bid to make programs interactive. Only the newest smart TV's, iOS devices, Roku boxes, and game consoles will work with the technology for now. Using a remote, touchscreen, or controller, viewers will have the option during the story to determine the next move the characters make in the program. Each choice leads to more potential choices down the line, producing myriad ways for the same story to unfold.

Netflix announced this week the first in a series of interactive branching narrative programs, beginning with children's content. The animated programPuss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale launched on June 20, and Buddy Thunderstruck: The Maybe Pile will make its debut on July 14. Stretch Armstrong: The Breakout will arrive next year.

Here's how Netflix sets the scene:

You sink into the sofa and fire up Netflix. You settle in to watch everyone's favorite swashbuckling feline, Puss in Boots. You chuckle as Puss in Boots finds himself in the story of Goldilocks with the Three Bears staring at him.

And then... you're asked to make a choice:

Should these bears be friends or foes?

Children will then decide how the story unfolds. In a blog, Carla Engelbrecht Fisher, the director of product innovation at Netflix, pointed out that children brought up with touchscreens are already engaging with them. "They're touching every screen," she says. "They think everything is interactive." This move, then, merely puts interactive television on equal footing with mobile apps and video games.

Filmmakers are excited by the concept of branching programs. Image source: Netflix.

Netflix enlisted the show's creators and conducted extensive research with kids and parents to ensure the best possible outcome, while using the overriding mantra "Wouldn't it be cool if... ?" Netflix approached DreamWorks Animation executive producer and writer Doug Langdale with the idea. "I didn't really know it was a possibility before," he stated. "As soon as it came up as something we could do, I desperately wanted to do it."

The programs took two years to develop, and the end result is 13 decision points in Puss in Book, resulting in a story that spans 18 to 39 minutes, depending on the choices made. The streaming giant is eager to learn how members engage with the experience, and to understand if they watch an episode multiple times, since each set of choices leads to a different adventure. If the initial trial with children's programs is successful, the trial will probably expand beyond animated kids' fare.

Netflix is known for taking chances on programs that wouldn't have otherwise seen the light of day, and that strategy is paying off. Netflix recently exceeded 100 million members, and it continues to look for ways to differentiate its content from competitors such asAmazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN). In its most recent quarter, Netflix surpassed $2.5 billion in quarterly streaming revenue for the first time. The company will want to continue to develop innovative content if it wants to retain the streaming crown. Hastings wants the content team to push the boundaries, and this endeavor seems to fit the bill.

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Netflix Launches Groundbreaking Interactive Branching Technology - Madison.com

More broadly, he has developed an intelligence network in the villages around the park, and pays for information leading to a conviction. He has forged alliances with the many private conservancies that border Kruger, effectively pushing its borders outwards. He has helped persuade South Africas government to impose substantially tougher penalties for poaching, and to open a permanent court in Krugers Skukuza headquarters whose judges understand whats at stake.

In neighbouring Mozambique, poaching was not even treated as a crime until 2014, but under international pressure its government has introduced stiff penalties, which are being enforced with varying degrees of rigour.

Joostes subordinates speak of him with admiration. He took us from having no direction and approach to the onslaught we were trying to deal with and guided our whole anti-poaching effort into a solid spear, Charles Thompson, the helicopter pilot, declared as we swept over Krugers seemingly infinite bush. Everyone was basically a nature lover and had never been in the military and he taught us how to fight in a guerrilla war.

His efforts have certainly slowed the carnage. Kruger lost a record 827 rhinos in 2014, 826 in 2015, and 662 last year, and the downward trend continues. The number of poachers arrested inside Kruger has risen from 123 in 2013 to 281 last year.

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Can modern technology save rhinos from poachers? - Telegraph.co.uk

Board members for the county-owned hospital have been exploring the possibility and are expected to make a decision next week, according to Blad.

If approved, Blad said officials believe the hospital would become the first critical access hospital in Minnesota to invest in the new technology.

Critical access is a designation given to certain rural hospitals by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

There is a "high price of admission" in terms of the investment needed to acquire the technology, according to Blad. He said the hospital has been discussing the possibility with a supplier and has been "able to get costs down significantly to where it is in the realm of reality.''

The hospital's general surgeon, Dr. Jared Slater, M.D., has experience with robotic-assisted technology while serving at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Rochester. His skills as a surgeon, and the hospital's modern surgical suites developed with the construction of the new hospital, are also very important in the hospital's ability to consider this technology, the CEO told the commissioners.

Blad said the new technology would benefit patients. The improved care made possible by the technology can result in shorter recovery times, he said.

The technology being eyed by the hospital is identical to that which Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar recently adopted, he said. Rice began robotic-assisted surgery in 2015.

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RC Hospital considers robotic surgery technology - West Central Tribune

The Hindu

Body-powered flexible technology The Hindu North Carolina State University researchers in the U.S. have invented a flexible body-heat powered energy harvester which can be used to make wearable technology that is powered by body heat alone. Earlier, there did exist energy harvesters that could ... and more »

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Body-powered flexible technology - The Hindu

June 23, 2017

Wearable devices have been heralded as one of the next great technological frontiers. They can provide all users, including older ones, with constantly updated medical information by tracking cardiac health, identifying potential illnesses, and serving as emergency alert systems, among other benefits. That is, if you can get older users to adopt wearable technology. In their article in the July 2017 issue of Ergonomics in Design, "Designing Wearable Technology for an Aging Population," human factors/ergonomics researchers lay out a framework for improving the usability of wearable technology for older adults.

According to Joanna Lewis, a doctoral student of applied experimental and human factors psychology at the University of Central Florida, "The proportion of the population over the age of 65 is growing and will continue to do so. Technological developments are exponentially growing and inundating our lives, and we don't want a demographic that is scaling up in size not to have access to devices that are becoming prolific in everyday society."

Although wearable devices can serve as important tools for older adults, Lewis and coauthor Mark Neider found that poor design decisions that fail to address the aging population's needs can undermine the technology's value. Older adults also tend to experience feelings of mistrust and frustration when using new devices, with the result that they often abandon otherwise worthwhile technology.

Taking into account the role of age-linked declines in cognitive, physical, and sensory abilities, the authors identified several critical areas for improvement. These include reducing the steps required for users to complete a given action, minimizing the need for multitasking, eliminating time constraints for completing a task, and increasing the size of buttons, icons, and text. Lewis and Neider also caution designers to avoid clunky or outdated exteriors that may result in age-related stereotypes or cause users to feel stigmatized by their peers.

"A device's usability should consider all ages," Lewis adds. "Potential issues with wearable devices for older adults can be avoided by acknowledging limitations, and development teams can create effective and safe platforms that appeal to a variety of end users."

Explore further: Why aren't product designers considering activity trackers for older adults?

More information: Joanna E. Lewis et al. Designing Wearable Technology for an Aging Population, Ergonomics in Design (2017). DOI: 10.1177/1064804616645488

Commercially available activity-monitoring apps, Web sites, and wearable devices allow for easy self-management of health and wellness. This technology may be particularly helpful for older adults, who can improve their cognitive ...

Diabetes is prevalent among adults aged 65 and older and can lead to a number of other serious health issues. Maintaining control of blood glucose levels is one of the most important actions diabetics can take to control ...

The creation and use of wearable technology, such as Apple watches, Google Glass, and Fitbits, have drastically increased in recent years as technological advances have allowed manufacturers to create devices that were once ...

Heads-up display technologythink Google Glassoffers lots of information to users in seconds, literally in front of their eyes. Access to information is critical in today's fast-paced world, but new research at the University ...

The rapid evolution of computers makes it challenging for computer savvy users to keep up, but what about older Americans? How useful are computers to the aging population? As the rate of technology change accelerates, there ...

Older adults are powerful allies in addressing climate change, according to "Gray and Green Together: Climate Change in an Aging World," the latest edition of Public Policy & Aging Report (PP&AR) from The Gerontological Society ...

Microphones, from those in smartphones to hearing aids, are built specifically to hear the human voicehumans can't hear at levels higher than 20 kHz, and microphones max out at around 24 kHz, meaning that microphones only ...

Researchers at the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a novel design approach for exoskeletons and prosthetic limbs that incorporates direct feedback from the human body. The findings were ...

In a proof-of-concept study, North Carolina State University engineers have designed a flexible thermoelectric energy harvester that has the potential to rival the effectiveness of existing power wearable electronic devices ...

The Central Intelligence Agency admitted this week that it had been compromised for months in 2013 by a network of high-tech snack thieves.

A telecom company in the Netherlands has teamed up with the country's traffic safety authority to develop a bicycle lock that also blocks its mobile network, in a move aimed at protecting young riders who regularly pedal ...

Want an insanely fast ride with zero emissions? Startup NIO has the car: An electric two-seater with muscular European lines and a top speed of 195 miles per hour (313 kilometers per hour).

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Don't leave baby boomers behind when designing wearable technology - Phys.Org

The Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) has signed an agreement with Northern Virginia Community College to become the first NVTC Academic Partner.

The partnership is designed to better align training and workforce-development needs within the Northern Virginia region, allowing businesses to remain economically competitive, and better prepare students to enter the 21st-century workforce.

The regions universities and community colleges have been active participants and leaders in the NVTC community, said NVTC president and CEO Bobbie Kilberg. With this new partnership, Northern Virginia Community College is affirming its willingness to support the workforce needs of the regions technology community.

Northern Virginia Community College president Scott Ralls said his institution is committed to creating a workforce pipeline that meets both the capacity and the competency requirements that are driving our regional economy.

Partnering more closely with NVTC and its members will allow us to develop programs, curriculum and content that align with the needs of the regions technology employers, Ralls said.

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Technology Council, NVCC ink agreement for workforce-development - Inside NoVA

by: Nefertiti Jaquez, WSBTV.com Updated: Jun 23, 2017 - 6:24 AM

SOUTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Investigators are working to solve the 20-year-old murder of a woman killed in her home.

Lorrie Smith, 28, was found dead of a gunshot wound at her home on Stonewall Tell Road on May 25, 1997.

Her father said he found her body when he went to wake her up for church.

I opened the door and there she was in her blood on the floor. I thought that was the end of me right there, James Smith said.

WSBTVs Nefertiti Jaquez walked through the room with investigators Thursday night.

Jaquez also got an exclusive look at the case files and evidence photos taken the day Lorrie Smith was found shot to death.

>> Read more trending news

The Fulton County police departments forensic specialist says its clear the victim fought for her life.

We know based on the crime scene itself and the struggle. We know the offender was injured. We know there was evidence that was left that gave us a DNA profile, Helen Weathers said.

Using new technology, investigators developed an image of the suspect in the case.

They have photos of what they believe he looked like at the time of the murder as well as what they believe he looks like now.

Police said despite the DNA and photos, they still arent sure who they are seeking.

He was in prison and released before CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) was mandated for convicted felons. He never committed another crime or he could be dead, Lt. Roger Peace said.

Lorrie Smiths father just wants closure.

Theres not a day that goes by that I dont think about her, James Smith said.

The family has put up an $11,000 reward.

If you know something that could help solve this crime, callCrimeStoppers at 404-577-8477. You can remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward.

2017 Cox Media Group.

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Investigators hope new technology will help solve 20-year-old murder - KIRO Seattle

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said: We all have a part to play in stopping violent extremism. Photograph: Matt Rourke/AP

Facebook is to step up its attempts to tackle extremist material on the internet by educating charities and other non-government organisations about how to counter hate speech.

The technology company will launch the Online Civil Courage Initiative in the UK on Friday, which includes training organisations about how to monitor and respond to extremist content and the creation of a dedicated support desk at Facebook where concerns can be flagged up.

The launch of the initiative comes after growing criticism of Facebook, Google, Twitter and other technology companies about the proliferation of extremist material online.

Earlier this month, Theresa May called on technology companies to do more to curb the poisonous propaganda that fuels terror attacks such as the recent atrocities in Manchester and London. May made the comments after talks with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, where they agreed to explore creating a new legal liability for technology companies if they failed to remove extremist content.

Facebook is working on the initiative alongside the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a counter-extremism campaign group. Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook, will reveal the details of the plan in London alongside Brendan Cox, the husband of the murdered MP Jo Cox.

Sandberg said the attacks in London and Manchester were absolutely heartbreaking and that we all have a part to play in stopping violent extremism from spreading.

She added: There is no place for hate or violence on Facebook. We use technology like AI to find and remove terrorist propaganda, and we have teams of counter-terrorism experts and reviewers around the world working to keep extremist content off our platform. Partnerships with others including tech companies, civil society, researchers and governments are also a crucial piece of the puzzle.

Some of our most important partnerships are focused on counter-speech, which means encouraging people to speak out against violence and extremism. The UK Online Civil Courage Initiative will support NGOs and community groups who work across the UK to challenge the extremist narratives that cause such harm. We know we have more to do but through our platform, our partners and our community we will continue to learn to keep violence and extremism off Facebook.

As well as providing training and a dedicated support desk, Facebook will offer organisations the opportunity to promote campaigns against extremism through its own platforms and provide financial support for academic research into online and offline patterns of extremism and how to respond to it.

Facebook has already launched the initiative in Germany and France. The company declined to say how much funding it was committing to the initiative.

The Jo Cox Foundation is a founding member of the initiative in the UK, as are other anti-hate groups from the Jewish and Muslim communities.

Brendan Cox said: This is a valuable and much needed initiative from Facebook in helping to tackle extremism. Anything that helps push the extremists even further to the margins is greatly welcome. Social media platforms have a particular responsibility to address hate speech that has too often been allowed to flourish online.

It is critical that efforts are taken by all online service providers and social networks to bring our communities closer together and to further crack down on those that spread violence and hatred online.

Last month the Guardian reported that Facebook moderators had identified more than 1,300 posts on the site as credible terrorist threats in a single month. One source familiar with Facebooks counter-terrorism policies warned it faced a mission impossible to control the amount of content proliferated by extremists.

A Home Office spokesman said the nature of the terrorist threat faced by the country was constantly evolving.

He added that theywelcomed Facebooks initiativeto help tackle terrorist and extremist material.

Technology companies still need to go further and faster in moving towards preventing this type of toxic output being disseminated in the first place, the Home Office said.

We look forward to seeing how the industry-led forum, which will combat terrorist use of the internet, will build on this collective response to the threat.

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Facebook launches drive in UK to tackle online extremist material - The Guardian

East Room

11:04 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, everybody. Very nice to have you here. It's a great honor. So many of you I recognize, and others I do from reading business magazines and other magazines. You've done very well. You're very representative of your group.

And, Jeff, congratulations on a great career.

MR. IMMELT: Thank you very much.

THE PRESIDENT: A great career. I was sad to hear it in one way, and in another way I said, boy, what a good job.

MR. IMMELT: Thank you very much.

THE PRESIDENT: So I know whatever you're going to be doing -- that's a long time over there. I've known you a long time in that company. I've done deals with that company, and you were there, right? A lot of good friends like Dale Frey and John Myers. We had a good time at GE.

Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here and for giving us a chance to see some of the really exciting new technology that you've pioneered that will help improve so many millions of lives.

I want to thank my Office of Science and Technology -- and this has been a great office; they have done such incredible work -- for organizing today's event and for bringing these wonderful business leaders -- and they are at the top -- together to talk about the importance of emerging technologies.

I want to thank Secretary Ross for joining us today. Wilbur, thank you very much. And we just got back from Iowa last night. A big speech in Iowa. That was an amazing group of people. Those people were excited. I guess most people saw it, but they were excited. Wilbur has done a fantastic job, and I want to thank you very much for it, Wilbur. Everybody understands it. Wilbur, as Jeff -- as you know -- Wilbur is known as just "Wilbur" on Wall Street. They dont even call him Wilbur Ross. They just say, oh, Wilbur is involved -- right? He's done a great job. Thank you.

And, Mr. Vice President, thank you very much for being here. We've had some busy schedules, and we have a thing called healthcare that you may hear is percolating in the outside, as we've discussed. And I think it's going to come out. Obamacare is a disaster; it's dead. Totally dead. And we're putting in a plan today that's going to be negotiated. We'd love to have some Democrat support, but they're obstructionists. They'll never support. We won't get one, no matter how good it is. But we will hopefully get something done, and it will be something with heart and very meaningful.

And, Steve, it's great to have you here, by the way. Really good. You've done a great job. I always say you got a hell of a lot of money for that sale. I dont think you've been given enough -- I mean, I dont think you were ever given enough credit for the deal you did for your shareholders. What a deal that was.

Too many years of excessive government regulation. We have had regulation that's been so bad, so out of line that it's really hurt our country. And as you see, on a daily basis we're getting rid of regulation. In fact, Dodd-Frank is now being cut and cut very substantially. We'll have tremendous safeguards, but we're going to have banks that are going to be able to loan money to people so they can open businesses and do what they used to be able to do in this country.

My administration has been laser-focused on removing the government barriers to job growth and prosperity. We formed a deregulation taskforce inside every agency to find and eliminate wasteful, intrusive, and job-killing regulations, of which we've had many.

We want our innovators to dream big, like the folks around me and surrounding me in this room. And we want them to create new companies and to create lots of jobs. Your industry has been incredible. Your representation of your companies -- is the reason you're here -- has been something that has created so many millions of new American jobs, and probably jobs in many other countries, also. But we're interested right now in America first.

We're on the verge of new technological revolutions that could improve, virtually, every aspect of our lives, create vast new wealth for American workers and families, and open up bold, new frontiers in science, medicine, and communication.

Today's conversation will move America one step closer to that bright future that we're all talking about and all longing for in your world. I would love to hear about the discussions you've had this morning with our team, the White House, and get your thoughts on ways government can help unleash the next generation of technological breakthroughs that will transform our lives and transform our country, and make us number one in this field. This is a very, very competitive field. You see what's going on in China and so many other countries. And we want to remain number one. We want to go to number one in certain areas where we're not number one. And we're going to give you the competitive advantage that you need.

So thank you all very much for being here. On behalf of myself and my great Vice President, it's been a meeting that we actually both looked very much forward to attending.

END 11:10 A.M. EDT

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Remarks by President Trump at American Leadership in Emerging Technology Event - The White House (blog)

A Vancouver company developing stem cells for researchers across the globe was honoured Thursday as company of the year at the B.C. Tech Associations annual Technology Impact Awards (TIA).

The B.C. Tech Association spent the evening recognizing technology firms across the province in fields ranging from life sciences to cleantech.

Originally launched as a small University of B.C. spinoff in 1993, the company of the year winner, Stemcell Technologies Inc., now employs close to 1,000 people worldwide and saw its revenue grow 20% in 2016.

Meanwhile, the TIAs also recognized Semios Technologies Inc. as the most promising startup in B.C. The early stage company specializes in predictive analytics to manage pests that can damage agriculture.

Full list of winners:

Most Promising Pre-Commercial Technology - ARTMS Products Inc.

Excellence in Product Innovation - Corvus Energy

Adoption of Technology - Copperleaf Technologies Inc.

Most Promising Startup - Semios Technologies Inc.

Emerging Company of the Year - Trulioo

Company of the Year - STEMCELL Technologies Inc.

Team of the Year - Clio

Community Engagement - Allocadia Software Inc.

Person of the Year - Shafin Tejani, founder, Victory Square Labs

Bill Thompson Lifetime Achievement Award - Dr. Alan Winter

Peoples Choice Award - Traction on Demand

torton@biv.com

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Technology Impact Awards: Stemcell Technologies named company of the year - Business in Vancouver

Facebook has created new tools for trying to keep terrorist content off the site. Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images hide caption

Facebook has created new tools for trying to keep terrorist content off the site.

Social media companies are under pressure to block terrorist activity on their sites, and Facebook recently detailed new measures, including using artificial intelligence, to tackle the problem.

The measures are designed to identify terrorist content like recruitment and propaganda as early as possible in an effort to keep people safe, says Monika Bickert, the company's director of global policy management.

"We want to make sure that's not on the site because we think that that could lead to real-world harm," she tells NPR's Steve Inskeep.

Bickert says Facebook is using technology to identify people who have been removed for violating its community standards for sharing terrorism propaganda, but then go on to open fake accounts. And she says the company is using image-matching software to tell if someone is trying to upload a known propaganda video and blocking it before it gets on the site.

"So let's say that somebody uploads an ISIS formal propaganda video: Somebody reports that or somebody tells us about that, we look at that video, then we can use this software to create ... a digital fingerprint of that video, so that if somebody else tries to upload that video in the future we would recognize it even before the video hits the site," she says.

If it's content that would violate Facebook's policies no matter what, like a beheading video, then it would get removed. But for a lot of content, context matters, and Facebook is hiring more people worldwide to review posts after the software has flagged them.

"If it's terrorism propaganda, we're going to remove it. If somebody is sharing it for news value or to condemn violence, we may leave it up," Bickert says.

The measures come in the wake of criticism of how Facebook handles content. Last year, for example, Facebook took down a post of the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of a naked girl in Vietnam running after a napalm attack. The move upset users, and the post was eventually restored. Facebook has also been criticized for keeping a graphic video of a murder on the site for two hours.

Morning Edition editor Jessica Smith and producer Maddalena Richards contributed to this report.

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How Facebook Uses Technology To Block Terrorist-Related Content ... - NPR

Smoke rises following a reported air strike on a rebel-held area in the southern Syrian city of Daraa, on June 22, 2017

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) stands under pouring rain during a wreath-laying ceremony marking the 76th anniversary of the Nazi German invasion, by the Kremlin walls in Moscow, on June 22, 2017

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Iraqis flee from the Old City of Mosul on June 22, 2017, during the ongoing offensive by Iraqi forces to retake the last district still held by the Islamic State (IS) group

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Girls stand in monsoon rains beside an open laundry in New Delhi, India

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People take part in the 15th annual Times Square yoga event celebrating the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, during classes in the middle of Times Square in New York. The event marked the international day of yoga.

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Faroe Islanders turn the sea red after slaughtering hundreds of whales as part of annual tradition

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A firefighting plane tackles a blaze in Cadafaz, near Goes, Portugal

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A person participates in a journalists' protest asking for justice in recent attacks on journalists in Mexico City, Mexico, 15 June 2017

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Poland's Piotr Lobodzinski starts in front of the Messeturm, Fairground Tower, in Frankfurt Germany. More than 1,000 runners climbed the 1202 stairs, and 222 meters of height in the Frankfurt Messeturm skyscraper run

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A runner lies on the ground after arriving at the finish line in Frankfurt Germany. More than 1,000 runners climbed the 1202 stairs, and 222 meters of height in the Frankfurt Messeturm skyscraper run

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A troupe of Ukrainian dancers perform at Boryspil airport in Kiev, on the first day of visa-free travel for Ukrainian nationals to the European Union

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A troupe of Ukrainian dancers perform on the tarmac at Boryspil airport in Kiev, on the first day of visa-free travel for Ukrainian nationals to the European Union

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French President Emmanuel Macron with his wife Brigitte Trogneux cast their ballot at their polling station in the first round of the French legislatives elections in Le Touquet, northern France

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A Thai worker paints on a large statue of the Goddess of Mercy, known as Guan Yin at a Chinese temple in Ratchaburi province, Thailand. Guan Yin is one of the most popular and well known Chinese Goddess in Asia and in the world. Guan Yin is the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion in Mahayana Buddhism and also worshiped by Taoist

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A Thai worker paints on a large statue of the Goddess of Mercy, known as Guan Yin at a Chinese temple in Ratchaburi province, Thailand. Guan Yin is one of the most popular and well known Chinese Goddess in Asia and in the world. Guan Yin is the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion in Mahayana Buddhism and also worshiped by Taoists

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem. An Israeli court has ordered a journalist to pay more than $25,000 in damages to Netanyahu and his wife Sara for libeling them. The magistrate court in Tel Aviv ruled Sunday that Igal Sarna libeled the couple for writing a Facebook post that claimed the prime minister's wife kicked the Israeli leader out of their car during a fight

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Parkour enthusiasts train on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Originally developed in France, the training discipline is gaining popularity in Brazil

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Volunteers spread mozzarella cheese toppings on the Guinness World Record attempt for the Longest Pizza in Fontana, California, USA. The pizza was planned to be 7000 feet (2.13 km) to break the previous record of 6082 feet (1.8 km) set in Naples, Italy in 2016

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Jamaica's Olympic champion Usain Bolt gestures after winning his final 100 metres sprint at the 2nd Racers Grand Prix at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica

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Usain Bolt of Jamaica salutes the crowd after winning 100m 'Salute to a Legend' race during the Racers Grand Prix at the national stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Bolt partied with his devoted fans in an emotional farewell at the National Stadium on June 10 as he ran his final race on Jamaican soil. Bolt is retiring in August following the London World Championships

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Usain Bolt of Jamaica salutes the crowd after winning 100m 'Salute to a Legend' race during the Racers Grand Prix at the national stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Bolt partied with his devoted fans in an emotional farewell at the National Stadium on June 10 as he ran his final race on Jamaican soil. Bolt is retiring in August following the London World Championships

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Police officers investigate at the Amsterdam Centraal station in Amsterdam, Netherlands. A car ploughed into pedestrians and injured at least five people outside the station. The background of the incident was not immediately known, though police state they have 'no indication whatsoever' the incident was an attack

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Police officers investigate at the Amsterdam Centraal station in Amsterdam, Netherlands. A car ploughed into pedestrians and injured at least five people outside the station. The background of the incident was not immediately known, though police state they have 'no indication whatsoever' the incident was an attack

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Protesters stand off before police during a demonstration against corruption, repression and unemployment in Al Hoseima, Morocco. The neglected Rif region has been rocked by social unrest since the death in October of a fishmonger. Mouhcine Fikri, 31, was crushed in a rubbish truck as he protested against the seizure of swordfish caught out of season and his death has sparked fury and triggered nationwide protests

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A man looks on at a migrant and refugee makeshift camp set up under the highway near Porte de la Chapelle, northern Paris

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Damaged cars are seen stacked in the middle of a road in western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood during ongoing battles to try to take the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters

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Smoke billows following a reported air strike on a rebel-held area in the southern Syrian city of Daraa

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Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel gestures next to Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto during a welcome ceremony at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico

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Soldiers and residents carry the body of a Muslim boy who was hit by a stray bullet while praying inside a mosque, as government troops continue their assault against insurgents from the Maute group, who has taken over large parts of the Marawi City, Philippines

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Opposition demonstrators protest for the death on the eve of young activist Neomar Lander during clashes with riot police, in Caracas

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Neomar Lander, a 17-year-old boy was killed during a march in the Chacao district in eastern Caracas on Wednesday, taking the overall death toll since the beginning of April to 66, according to prosecutors

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Former FBI director James Comey is sworn in during a hearing before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC

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Former FBI Director James Comey testifies during a US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC

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Usain Bolt of Jamaica trains at the University of West Indies in Kingston. Bolt says he is looking forward to having a party as he launches his final season on June 10 with what will be his last race on Jamaican soil. The 30-year-old world's fasted man plans to retire from track and field after the 2017 London World Championships in August

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Acquanetta Warren, Mayor of Fontana, California, reacts after US President Donald Trump introduced himself before the Infrastructure Summit with Governors and Mayors at the White House in Washington, US

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Frenchman Alain Castany, sentenced to 20 years on charges of drug trafficking in the 'Air Cocaine' affair, leaves the prison in Santo Domingo, on his way to France, where he is being transferred for medical reason

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A woman reacts at the place where 17-year-old demonstrator Neomar Lander died during riots at a rally against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas, Venezuela, June 8, 2017. The sign reads: 'Neomar, entertainer for ever'

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Frenchman Alain Castany, sentenced to 20 years on charges of drug trafficking in the 'Air Cocaine' affair, leaves the prison in Santo Domingo, on his way to France, where he is being transferred for medical reasons

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Queen Maxima of The Netherlands visits Tobroco Machines in Oisterwijk, Netherlands. The company is a manufacturer of machines for use in agriculture, road construction and field maintenance. Tobroco is winner of the 2016 Koning Willem 1 Award for entrepreneurship

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A family member of an inmate tries to stop a truck used to transfer prisoners, outside a prison where a riot took place on Tuesday, in Ciudad Victoria, Mexico

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An unconscious person is taken away on a motorcycle by fellow demonstrators after they clashed with riot police during a protest in Caracas, Venezuela

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Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt's elementary teacher Sheron Seivwright poses with her students during a break at the Waldensia elementary school in Sherwood Content. Usain Bolt, the greatest sprinter in history with eight Olympic golds, 11 world titles and three world records, will retire from international competition after the IAAF world championships in August

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This 1916 photo provided by the Archdiocese of Denver shows Julia Greeley with Marjorie Ann Urquhart in McDonough Park in Denver. Greeley, a former slave, is being considered for possible sainthood. In a step toward possible sainthood, the remains of Greeley were moved to a Catholic cathedral in Denver

Archdiocese of Denver via AP

US President Donald Trump, flanked by the families of business people he says were harmed by Obamacare, high-fives a young boy as he arrives to deliver remarks on the US healthcare system at Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport in Cincinnati, Ohio

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Alibaba's Jack Ma warns evolving technology could cause World War III - The Independent

Looking for a better solution, the researchers sought lessons from nature. Mimicking themotheye, the new film contains tiny dimples, each 100 nanometres across - about 1,000th the width of a human hair - which cut down reflection.

A self-assembly technique developed by the scientists was used to produce the nanospheres with the required high level of precision.

Co-author Guanjan Tan, another member of the Florida team, said: "Although it is known thatmoth-eye structures can reduce surface reflection, it is relatively difficult to fabricate an anti-reflection film with this nanostructure that is large enough to use on a mobile phone or tablet.

"Because the structures are so small, a high-resolution and high-precision fabrication technique is necessary."

Tests showed that viewed in sunlight, glass covered with the film exhibited a more than four-fold improvement in "contrast ratio" - the different between the brightest white and darkest black.

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Moth eye technology could help you read your smartphone in the sun - Telegraph.co.uk

By 2030, according to US Census projections, 74 million residents will be 65 or older, an increase of more than 50 percent from current totals. Sadly, there are those who consider this rising tide of aging Americans as a pool of potential targets for fraudulent schemes and scams.

Elder financial abuse takes many forms. It could be a caregiver convincing a lonely older person to change their will, or a financial adviser taking advantage when a client starts developing dementia, urging them to sign over assets. Increasingly, the Internet and social media are playing a role as well, said Terence McGinnis, the states commissioner of banks.

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Technology and creativity are also resulting in an increase in ways that elders can be taken advantage of, he said.

The state has rolled out a campaign to educate employees of banks and other financial institutions about detecting the warning signs that a customer may be a potential victim of financial abuse. The rest of us, however, also should keep our eyes open for clues that family or friends might be targeted by crooks.

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Unexpected financial activity especially sudden and large withdrawals is a red flag, particularly if your loved one is unable to clearly explain the transactions. Watch out for any sign that a third party has shown an interest in an older persons financial affairs perhaps your grandmother mentions a nephews desire to see her retirement accounts, or a neighbor mentions a suspicious conversation with a visiting nurse.

Perhaps most important, if an older person suggests they are considering signing over assets, giving power of attorney to someone, or adding a co-signor to an account, it is worth asking a few questions to feel out whether the plan is legitimate.

Unfortunately, elder financial abuse can be hard to detect and harder to combat. Even if you are concerned about your aunts judgment, she still has a legal right to do as she sees fit with her assets. It can be tricky to prove that an older person did not act of her own, clear-headed volition but was instead taken advantage of by someone. Efforts to clarify the situation could lead a family member to wonder if you are after their money.

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Still, if you suspect something untoward is going on, speak up. You can report suspected financial exploitation to the states elder abuse hotline at 800-922-2275.

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Technology is making elder financial abuse easier to commit - The Boston Globe

Scheduling a meeting with a colleague? Siri can do that. Booking a business trip from New York to San Francisco? Googles mobile app delivers. Seeking traffic updates for your morning commute? Alexa and Cortana are acoustically at your service.

Digital assistants and bots undeniably enhance our work lives in myriad ways. Theyre terrific; your wish is their command. And they literally acquire more skills every day. But are better bots and smarter software servants truly the best way to drive peoples personal productivity?

My research suggests the answer is no. Instead of simply surrounding knowledge workers with ever-better digital assistants and bots, organizations and their workers will get greater returns investing in selves improvement. That is, providing digital tools, techniques and technologies that empower employees to craft high-performance versions of themselves selves that are smarter, bolder, more creative, more persuasive and/or more empathic than ones typical or average self.

Call it selvesware. Similar to recommendation engines for books to read or movies to watch, selvesware delivers actionable, data-driven insights and advice on what to say, when to speak up and with whom to work, and suggests options to create, communicate and collaborate. It invites workers to digitally amplify their best attributes, while monitoring and minimizing their workplace weakness. In this future, the AI revolution is less about artificial intelligence and more about augmenting introspection.

Consider the Type A, get-it-done-now! executive whose 360-degree performance reviews confirm a counterproductively brusque and alienating communication style. To mitigate this flaw, his selvesware recommends a more sensitive persona. His missives and messages are previewed with software like IBM Watsons Tone Analyzer, which suggests tonal and textual revisions that soften his prose and inject a dose of compassion.He sees how his empathic self can better connect with his colleagues. The result: a more empathetic manager who no longer demotivates his team.

Similarly, the technically competent but aesthetically limited user-interface designer needs a digital self that safely challenges his creative boundaries. He runs his designs through a visual recommendation engine that suggests bolder, more energetic styles based on his sketches and use cases.The outcome: more creative prototypes and more engaged clients.

What about the global project manager hoping to foster greater cooperation and camaraderie within her team? Her bespoke selvesware engine performs social-network analytics, prioritizes project milestones and sends post-meeting communiqus in ways that utterly transform her normal or typical managerial style. The result: a more productive and cohesive team that hits all its deadlines.

Widespread adoption of wearable devices and sensors also promises to boost workplace awareness and productivity. Just as they do today for physical fitness, technologies tracking our steps and heart rates already capture actionable conclusions about our individual energy levels and moods. Jawbone, Fitbit and other mobile apps can easily play important roles assessing mental acuity and attention. The global workday is near when wristband monitors and personal dashboards will physiologically sense when people are not in the mood to take advice or concentrate on details.

Paranoid readers may rightly fear a dystopian office where authoritarian algorithms dictate how their humans behave. And yet this meat puppet future seems as improbable as it is undesirable. The more likely outcome is better options and better choices for workers who want to improve their performance. True, this requires a combination of self-awareness and discipline. But selves improvement is inevitable in an era when machine intelligence and capabilities increasingly competes with human talent. Why shouldnt technology augment as well as automate?

The technical ingredients needed to create custom multiple selves already exist. To my mind, they feel like pieces in a puzzle that no one has bothered to put together. Companies like Google, Facebook, Amazon and Netflix, with their digital sophistication, algorithmic bona fides and commitment to quality human capital, seem supremely well-positioned to lead a selvesware revolution. The opportunity to make more people more valuable worldwide is a market opportunity that could and should prove bigger than bots.

Technology that allows us to augment, automate and network our most successful selves is not the stuff of science fiction; it is a guarantor of a more productive and more human future. Lets have the creativity and courage to evolve from Know Thyself to Know Thyselves.

Siri, Alexa, Cortana: Its your move.

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How technology-enabled 'selves-improvement' will drive the future of personal productivity - TechCrunch

This week, the White House Office of American Innovation launched the American Technology Council and held a summit with tech industry leaders to discuss modernizing government services. President Donald J. Trump and many of his senior advisors hosted 18 chief executive officers from major tech companies, 3 university presidents, and a number of other notable technology executives.

Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor to the President, kicked off the event with remarks highlighting the private sector's role in solving some of the country's biggest challenges. By leveraging the latest technology, we have a tremendous opportunity to meaningfully improve the quality of citizen services delivered to the public. In additional remarks, the Office of American Innovations Chris Liddell emphasized the unique role technology plays in building a more efficient, effective and accountable government.

Attendees spent the afternoon in substantive breakout working sessions, focused on the overarching theme of modernizing the government. Topics ranged from building out cloud infrastructure, retiring out-of-date legacy systems, increasing the use of shared services, reforming the procurement process, and many more technical policy areas. One particular highlight was a discussion on ways to leverage big data to improve services, reduce fraud, and foster private-sector market activity.

In a second round of working sessions, attendees focused on ways to form better connections between private and public sectors in order to improve the objectives above. During a talent roundtable discussion, tech leaders and Administration officials discussed strategies to recruit, retrain, and retain the Federal workforce. In a meeting regarding partnerships, CEOs from top tech companies and leaders from top universities discussed ways to network between universities, the private sector, and the government in order to bring more innovative and modern systems to the American people.

After the breakout sessions concluded, President Donald J. Trump led a roundtable discussion on his priority to lead a sweeping transformation of the Federal governments technology. The President outlined the work the Administration is undertaking, including the modernization of Air Traffic Control and the standardization of electronic medical records between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense. President Trump noted the gap in technological advancement between Americas public and private sectors, and reaffirmed his Administrations commitment to bridging that gap.

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The American Technology Council Summit to Modernize Government Services - The White House (blog)

(TNS) -- SANTA FE The state Department of Information Technology says it has finished a major upgrade to New Mexicos electronic payroll system.

The project is aimed at improving security and making it easier to complete a variety of human resources-related tasks, which will save money, the state said.

One phase of work was completed this spring, and more improvements are scheduled to be completed by the fall.

State officials will have more robust information with which to make decisions, taxpayers will have greater data transparency, and state workers will have a modern system that better meets their needs and those of the people they serve, said Darryl Ackley, the Cabinet secretary for information technology.

The total project is expected to cost $19.7 million. Work started about 18 months ago.

IN THE RUNNING: Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver will seek re-election next year to what would be her first four-year term in the office that oversees New Mexico elections.

Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat, won election last year to serve out the rest of the term of Dianna Duran a Republican who resigned in 2015 and pleaded guilty to misusing her campaign donations.

I look forward to serving a full term for the people of New Mexico, Toulouse Oliver said in written statement, so that we can continue to combat dark money in politics, raise the bar for transparency and accountability in government and cement our sacred voting rights for every eligible citizen.

Toulouse Oliver is a former Bernalillo County clerk. She now lives in Santa Fe.

PENSIONS: The legislative committee that oversees investments and pensions heard new presentations Tuesday on the financial condition of New Mexicos underfunded pension programs.

Sen. George Muoz, D-Gallup, urged the executives in charge of the public employee and teacher pension programs to study the possibility of reducing the cost-of-living increases that retirees get. The goal, he said, would be to come up with projections showing how much any proposed reduction in benefits would actually help the pension fund overall.

2017 the Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, N.M.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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New Mexico Department of Information Technology Finishes One Phase of Payroll System Upgrades - Government Technology

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Deutsche Bank targets the flashpoint for finance and technology Financial News (subscription) Gibbons is Deutsche Bank's head of global transaction banking, a unit that helps clients with activities such as cash management and trade finance - work that has rarely set bankers' pulses racing. But transaction banking is making strides into new ...

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Deutsche Bank targets the flashpoint for finance and technology - Financial News (subscription)