Forbes | How Digital Printing Technology Is Taking Us Closer To Fully Customizable Clothing Forbes Tie together digital printing, a bit of artificial intelligence and some robotics on the end, and it's a vision that's not too far off, which is precisely what the technology company is hoping to help make possible on all accounts. Its senior team ... |
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How Digital Printing Technology Is Taking Us Closer To Fully Customizable Clothing - Forbes
SHRM | 'Brogrammer' Attitude May Hinder Technology Diversity SHRM Forty-five percent of female technology workers say they have witnessed exclusionary behavior in the workplace, according to a new study of more than 1,000 tech workers by Austin, Texas-based tech job board Indeed. Experts cite the "brogrammer" culture ... |
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'Brogrammer' Attitude May Hinder Technology Diversity - SHRM
UMass Lowell Research Scientist Susanna Finn tests the LITES device, which is set for launch Saturday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. COURTESY Joson Images for UMass Lowell
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LOWELL -- A SpaceX rocket carrying technology built by UMass Lowell scientists is set for lift-off at 10:01 a.m. Saturday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The instrument, known as the Limb-Imaging Ionospheric and Thermospheric Extreme Ultraviolet Spectograph (or, simply LITES), is designed to take images of different wavelengths of ultraviolet light. It also makes visible the molecules and atoms in the Earth's upper atmosphere, what's referred to as the "ionosphere" by scientists.
"I'm very excited to have worked hands-on on an instrument and then get to see it hopefully and successfully launch into space," UMass Lowell Research Scientist Susanna Finn, who helped build LITES, said in a phone interview from Logan Airport on her way to Florida. "Going into the space station is a very cool and kind of a surreal thing. I'm certainly hoping for smooth sailing. It's certainly been a long time coming."
Finn said she's been working on this project for three years. If launched successfully, the research scientist added, the device will be mounted on the International Space Station at the limb of Earth, or edge, where she and her team can see the Earth's atmosphere.
"Because it's a spectograph, we can separate the light in visual wavelengths -- the light that's coming from specific atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere," Finn explained. "This part of the atmosphere has a lot of irregularities and a lot of bubbles and these things can affect communication and GPS signals and navigations.
According to a release, by studying these images, Finn and other scientists hope to learn how these irregularities affect radio signals as a way to improve how satellites and GPS navigational tools function.
UMass Lowell Physics Professor Supriya Chakrabarti, who directs the university's Lowell Center for Space, Science and Technology, is leading the project. He said the device was shipped to the Kennedy Space Center over a year ago because originally the team was supposed to launch in January 2016.
"This is sort of a very anxious moment," the professor said Friday while en route to Logan Airport. "Launching is a great celebration, but this is not the final thing. We would like to see that it gets to the right place to collect data."
Follow Amaris Castillo on Twitter and Touot @AmarisCastillo.
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Nvidias business is increasingly the business of artificial intelligence, and its latest partnership fits with that new role. The graphics processing maker is supplying the Tokyo Institute of Technology for the GPUs that will power its new AI supercomputer, which will be the fastest of its kind in Japan once completed.
Nvidia Tesla P100 GPUs, which use Pascal processing architecture, will be used in the creation of the cluster, which will be known as TSUBAME3.0, and which will replace TSUBAME2.5 with twice the performance capabilities. Dont feel too badly for TSUBAME2.5, however its still going to be in active use, adding its power to TSUBAME3.0s projected 47 petaflops for a combined total of 64.3 petaflops in total youd need a heck of a lot of iPhones to match that (like very, very insanely many).
The goal is for TSUBAME3.0 to be up and processing by this summer, where its prowess will be put to use in service for education and high-tech research at the Tokyo academic institution. Itll also be available for private sector contracting, and the school says it cant wait to start teaching the new virtual brain.
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Tokyo Institute of Technology taps Nvidia for Japan's fastest AI ... - TechCrunch
FRANKFURT German and U.S. defence groups Rheinmetall (RHMG.DE) and Raytheon (RTN.N) have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate globally on defence technology, they said in a joint statement on Friday.
The partnership should bring together Raytheon's market-leading position in air-defence systems and guided missiles with Rheinmetall's expertise in combat and defence systems, army weapons and munitions, they said.
Raytheon is looking to expand in Europe, with missile bids in Poland and Germany, and wants to take part in an anticipated buildup of spending by NATO.
U.S. President Donald Trump has warned NATO allies they must honour military spending pledges to ensure the United States does not "moderate" support for the alliance.
(Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal in Munich; Editing by Maria Sheahan)
TOKYO S&P Global Inc said in a report on Friday it could cut its rating of Toshiba Corp credit by several notches should the Japanese firm receive financial support that includes debt restructuring, sending Toshiba stock down 9 percent.
SAN FRANCISCO Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg laid out a vision on Thursday of his company serving as a bulwark against rising isolationism, writing in a letter to users that the company's platform could be the "social infrastructure" for the globe.
MUMBAI Apple Inc will in the coming months start assembling its lower-priced iPhone SE models at a contract manufacturer's plant in the southern Indian technology hub of Bengaluru, an industry source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Friday.
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Rheinmetall, Raytheon to cooperate in defence technology - Reuters
Photo: Reed Saxon, Associated Press
Signs in Spanish and English, and the Virgin of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico, are seen at the Jalisco Market on Cesar E. Chavez Avenue in East Los Angeles.(AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Signs in Spanish and English, and the Virgin of Guadalupe, the...
Great gains in the tech sector are a direct result of the ability to employ a bright, vibrant, diverse and skilled workforce. But today, our colleagues at U.S. technology companies in San Francisco and elsewhere are adjusting to federal policy changes that could affect nearly 85,000 foreign workers. These restrictions on U.S. entry hinder access to the best and brightest talent and threaten technological achievement in the United States and across the Americas.
The Mexican state of Jalisco understands your concerns and stands ready to work with you.
Those on the front lines of tech innovation must protect all that has enabled leaps and advancement in the industry. Jalisco, one of Mexicos technology hubs, welcomes talent from around the world, and is eager to work directly with U.S. tech companies to ensure that the pathway to innovation gains remains open an achievement of which the Americas can be proud.
We offer our U.S. counterparts an opportunity to collaborate and forge partnerships with tech companies in Jalisco. Through the North American Free Trade Agreement, Mexico has a well-defined framework of legal and intellectual property protections. We extend this offer to you and your partners with no discrimination of origin, religion or legal status.
Jalisco was once known only as the birthplace of hot sauce and Tequila. Today, the state is undergoing an economic revolution. It has become a digital creative center with a thriving technology industry worth $21 billion.
With a population of nearly 8 million people, Jalisco boasts a range of cultures, religions, ethnicities and languages. The state offers an enviable quality of life in a community that is enriched thanks to the diversity of our people. Guadalajara, Jaliscos capital, is a business and tourism travel destination with direct flights just hours from major U.S. tech hubs including San Francisco, San Jose, and Austin, Texas.
We also are proud of our homegrown talent. Each year, 10,000 engineering graduates, from Jaliscos 25 universities and 62 technical institutes, enter the states high-tech workforce.
Jalisco is also a breeding ground for 400 tech startups, with expertise in virtual reality, augmented reality, 3-D printing, data analysis, robotics, drone labs, cognitive computing, cloud computing, cybersecurity and open-source developers. Jalisco exports consumer and industrial products and services to 25 countries around the globe.
The worlds technology giants know that to stay competitive, they must not only attract and retain the best talent, but also foster productive, innovative partnerships. We believe that a healthy economic and sustainable technological future requires expanded thinking and open doors. It also requires a diverse workforce with the skills to bring cutting-edge ideas to life.
Jalisco looks forward to supporting U.S. tech companies and forging prosperous and exciting business ventures together. Los esperamos!
Aristteles Sandoval Daz is a Mexican politician. He has been governor of the state of Jalisco since 2013.
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Look to Jalisco for technology partners - San Francisco Chronicle
TechCrunch | Trucks will talk to each other using Peloton Technology TechCrunch Many studies have been done on the potential effects of semi trucks being able to travel in platoons. It could be more fuel-efficient, it could be safer, it could be easier on the drivers. And now, it could be coming to a highway near you. Peloton ... Peloton, Omnitracs partner on truck 'platooning' technology |
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Trucks will talk to each other using Peloton Technology - TechCrunch
Contractors and employees at recruitment firm Coal Intelligent Technology may be left out of pocket after the company ceased trading yesterday.
A letter from the administrator to contractors seen by the The Register, said the company went into administration on 10 February.
It said: "The Administrator is unable to say for sure that you will be paid for the work done for the company prior to the appointment."
One contractor got in touch to say they could lose two months of invoices as a result. "This is the first time it has happened to me in 16 years of contracting."
The Register understands Coal had around 60 contractors on its books before going into administration. A number of full-time employees are also thought to be significantly affected by the administration.
A further letter sent on 15 February, said that despite efforts to do so, the administrator "has not been able to complete a sale of the companys business and assets as a going concern and the Company has now ceased to trade."
In its last Companies House filing for the full year 2015, Coal reported a turnover of 15.6m and a pre-tax profit of 256,000.
The Register spoke to Coal Intelligent Technology, which confirmed the administrators had been appointed.
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Coal Intelligent Technology recruitment firm ceases trading - The Register
The PGA Tour is teeing up virtual reality experiences to drive fans and tech savvy, potential fans, greenside at PGA Tournaments.
The Tour wants to keep pace with sports leagues such as the NBA, which offers weekly VR broadcasts. But PGA officials say VR experiences need to be special, not just an immersive version of the same old broadcast.
The trick is creating an experience that people want to have the headset on for more than five minutes, Scott Gutterman, PGA Tour VP, digital operations, told Fox News. Wed like for people to interact with the stream, if there are stats they want, to choose themselves, slide the leaderboard in and out (of their view).
The PGA Tour and Intel Sports Groups Voke virtual reality unit tested the technology on the famous 10th hole at storied Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles ahead of the Genesis Open that teed off Thursday.
The Intel unit has produced VR for the NFL and last years NCAA Final 4 basketball games. It makes custom experiences for clients across VR platforms.
SIX FLAGS, SAMSUNG ANNOUNCE 'MIXED REALITY' ROLLER COASTER
We think golf is one of the hidden treasures to produce and create experiences in virtual reality, said David Aufhauser, managing director, strategy and product, Intel Sports Group. You can create experiences fans just cant get, even if theyre there. You can bring in stats and data and other visual components that can complement the video part of it.
While a few pro golf tournaments have been produced in VR, the game has presented technological hurdles that make it more difficult to produce in virtual reality than sports such as basketball. Golf balls are smaller and tracking their flight can be trickier than the larger brown basketballs or footballs, plus there is a lot more space to be covered on a golf course than a fixed playing area. Resolution can be an issue when subjects are farther away from cameras, especially on the more popular but less powerful mobile-powered headsets.
Going Green
Gutterman pointed to Vokes three large pods of cameras triangulating the putting surface, capturing a 180 degree panorama, and says their size and lack of mobility will keep VR a largely tee or green experience in the early going, although the technology will eventually have its own produced broadcast.
The elevated camera pods feature six pairs of cameras that stream video, which is stitched together by producers. And the lenses can be changed depending on the sport or to capture different shots.
HOW DRONES LIT UP THE SKY IN LADY GAGA'S SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW
Gutterman notes: We really like Vokes stereoscopic cameras; they provide a different level of enhancement we want to capture.
Vokes founder Sankar Jayaram told Fox News: The way we designed our system, we can actually zoom in. One challenge is in VR the cameras are far from the action. We can use different lenses and take you closer to the actionits one of the unique features we have, so you can get depth.
View to a Thrill
A demo provided for Fox News delivered depth of field and a crisp view arguably better than some spectators had standing a few yards away from the action. The VR stream showed undulations on the putting surface and brought into view the severe slope the pros fear when their balls roll off this greens backside. Even in HD broadcasts the greens tend to flatten out.
The Voke experience lets the user switch views for different camera angles. It was powered on a Samsung Gear headset and Galaxy G7 phone and was just as sharp as commercial broadcast VR streams.
SUPER BOWL LI WILL TAP TECH TO GIVE VIEWERS A PLAYERS POV
Newly installed PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan liked what he saw. After walking off the 10th green in the Pro-Am round alongside Jordan Spieth, Monahan looked into the headset at his own demo and said simply, Wow! Thats amazing.
Despite that apparent endorsement from the boss, Gutterman says its unclear whether the PLAYERS Championship will be live streamed in VR in May. He said the VR test was positive and encouraging and no further testing would be required.
Intel Sports Groups Aufhauser says theres growing demand, Fans want to experience new ways to connect with sports and players that they love in wholly immersive experience. We see a lot of growth.
Adam Scott, who won the PGAs L.A. event in 2005, admits he has limited VR experience, but recognizes its potential. I think thats huge for the fans. Another way to interact with us, or the game in any way, is a good thing. Certainly weve got to move with the times. I havent really used it for my benefit, but maybe in the future.
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PGA Tour taps Intel technology to drive golf into virtual reality - Fox News
Enlarge / Making tea with the sun in Tibet.
While our recent look at residential solarmay lead you to believe harnessing that power is a newer initiative, humans have been exploiting solar energy for thousands of years to heat their homes, cook, and produce hot water. Some of the earliest written references to technology consciously designed to capturethe Suns rays come from ancient Greece. Socrates himself said, in houses that look toward the south, the sun penetrates the portico in winter, while in summer the path of the sun is right over our heads and above the roof, so that there is shade. He is describing how Greek architecture exploited the different paths of the Sun through the sky at different times of the year.
Technologies for harnessing the thermal energy in sunlight have only continued to grow over time. Colonists in New England borrowed the ancient Greek homebuilding techniques to keep warm in the harsh winters. Simple passive solar water heaters, little more than a black-painted barrel, were sold commercially in the United States in the late 19th century. And more elaborate solar heating systems were developed to pipe water through absorbing and/or focusing panels. The hot water is stored in an insulated tank until needed. In climates subject to freezing, a two-fluid system is used, where the Sun heats a water/antifreeze mixture that passes through coils embedded in the storage tank, which does double-duty as a heat exchanger.
These days, a variety of sophisticated commercial systems are available for water and space heating in the home. Solar thermal systems are deployed throughout the world, with the largest installed base per capita found in Austria, Cyprus, and Israel.
But modern solar truly starts in 1954 with the discovery of a practical way to make electricity from light: Bell Labs uncovered the fact that silicon could make a photovoltaic material. This finding createdthe foundation for today's solar cells (essentially the devices converting light energy into electricity) and ushered in a new era of solar power. Aided by intense research ever since, it's an era that continues today as solar appears poisedto become the dominant source of power in the future.
The most common type of solar cell is a semiconductor device made from silicona cousin of the solid-state diode. The familiar solar panels are made from a number of solar cells wired together to create the desired output voltage and current. Those cells are surrounded by a protective package and topped with a glass window.
Solar cells generate electrical power using the photovoltaic effect, a fact that didn't come from Bell Labs. Instead, this wasfirst discovered in 1839 by French physicist Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel (son of physicist Antoine Cesar Becquerel and father of physics Nobelist Henri Becquerel, the discoverer of radioactivity). A little more than a century later, Bell Labs had its solar cell breakthrough,providing the foundation of the most common solar cells.
In the language of solid state physics, a solar cell is formed from a p-n junction in a silicon crystal. The junction is made by doping different areas of the crystal with small amounts of different impurities; the interface between these regions is the junction. The n side is a conductor with electrons as the carriers of current, and the p side has holes, or areas with missing electrons that act as current carriers within the crystal. In the region near the interface, the diffusion of charges creates a local built-in voltage across the interface. When a photon enters the crystal, if it has enough energy, it may dislodge an electron from an atom, creating a new electron-hole pair.
By Bhpaak / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The energy required to transform a bound electron into a free one is called the band gap. Its the key to understanding why photovoltaic (PV) cells have an intrinsic limit on efficiency. The band gap is a fixed property of the crystal material and its dopants. Those dopants are adjusted so that solar cells have a band gap close to the energy of a photon in the visible region of the spectrum. This is a practical choice, because visible light isnt absorbed by the atmosphere (phrased differently, we humans have evolved to see in the most common wavelengths).
Photons come in fixed amounts of energy, which means their energy is quantized. That also means a photon with energy less than the band gap (say, one in the infrared part of the spectrum) wont create a charge carrier. It will simply heat the panel. Two infrared photons together will do no better, even if their combined energy would be enough to bridge the gap. A photon with excess energy (an ultraviolet photon, for example) will knock an electron loose, but the excess energy will also be wasted.
Since efficiency is defined as the ratio of light energy striking the panel divided by electrical energy extractedand since much of this light energy will necessarily be wastedthe efficiency can not be 100 percent.
The band gap of a silicon PV solar cell is 1.1 electron volts (eV). As can be seen from the diagram of the electromagnetic spectrum reproduced here, the visible spectrum lies just above this, so visible light of any color will produce electrical power. But this also means that for each photon absorbed, excess energy is wasted and converted into heat.
The upshot is that even if the PV panel is flawlessly manufactured and conditions are ideal, the theoretical maximum efficiency is about 33 percent. Commercially available solar panels typically achieve about 20 percent efficiency.
Most of the solar panels commercially deployed are made from the silicon cells described above. But research into other materials and strategies is underway in laboratories around the world.
Some of the most promising recent research for silicon alternatives has involved materials called perovskites. The mineral perovskite (CaTiO3) was named in 1839 in honor of Count Lev Aleksevich Perovski (1792-1856), a Russian mineralogist. It can be found on every continent and in the clouds of at least one exoplanet. The word perovskite is also used for synthetic compounds that have the same orthorhombic crystal structure as the naturally occurring mineral (or a closely related one) and share a structurally similar chemical formula.
Crystal structure of natural perovskite.
Solid state | CC BY-SA 3.0
Depending on which elements are used, perovskites can display a wide variety of useful properties, such as superconductivity, giant magnetoresistance, and photovoltaic activity. Their use in PV cells has generated a great deal of optimism, as they have shown an unprecedented increase in efficiency from 3.8 percent to 20.1 percent in the past seven years of laboratory research. This rapid rate of progress inspires confidence that further gains are likely, especially as the factors limiting efficiency are becoming clearer.
Listing image by NASA
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The future of solar power technology is bright - Ars Technica
Forbes | Mr. President: The Office Of Science & Technology Policy Is Important Forbes Progress, innovation and technology stop for no one. But here we are, three weeks into the Presidency of Donald Trump, and he has yet to appoint any leadership for the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP). Yes, the President needs ... |
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Mr. President: The Office Of Science & Technology Policy Is Important - Forbes
Researchers at Michigan State University have developed a printable OLED circuit within a stretchable material, potentially paving the way for smart fabrics or truly foldable displays.
Chuan Wang, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at MSU, is credited with the development of the OLED fabric, which flexes and stretches. If it can be commercialized, designers could take the techniology in several directions, including phones or tablets whose displays could be stretched, as well as the development of smart fabrics for banners, clothes, or other uses.
Right now, Wang and his team have createdthe elastic material, the circuit, and the organic light-emitting diode, or OLED. The next step is to combine those elements into a working pixel, the foundation for a flexible display. That process will probably take one to two years.
In the meantime, Wang said that he and his team are currently working on actual stretchable OLEDs and displays. We will have another paper out soon on that topic, he said in an email.
Why this matters: Its not really clear whether consumers have embraced curved TVs. But flexible displays are one of those technologies with a large number of potential uses: smartphones, tablets, wearables with a greater degree of flexibility. Of course, this is still in the research stage, and important questions about whether the tech can be manufactured at scale and cost-effectively still need to be answered. Nevertheless, its a cool concept.
MSU engineer Chuan Wang and colleagues have created a stretchable light-emitting material that is produced entirely on an inkjet printer.
In addition to simply being stretchable, Wangs material can be printed with an ordinary inkjet printer, helping to keep manufacturing costs down. Its a composite of several materials fabricated from nanomaterials and organic compounds, MSU said.Thecompounds are dissolved in solution to produce different electronic inks which can be placed inside of an inkjet printer and printed to form the stretchable circuits.
It's an important development for a display industry that has long chased the idea of curved, bendable, and even foldable displays. Curved televisions and PC monitors are now being sold, but they are nevertheless static shapes; same goes for the curved display on Samsungs Galaxy Edge smartphones. Displays that can actually be bent or deformed while playing back video may be the next step, similar to those demonstrated byJapans Semiconductor Energy Laboratory in 2014.
The drawback of the Japan SELs demonstration, however, was that the display technology could only be moderately reshaped, much like ripples moving through water. Instead, smartphone makers appear to be more interested in next-generation foldable or creaseable displays, which can be radically transformed to save space.
So far, those attemps have had mixed success. In 2010Sony demonstrated a prototypethat could be rolled around a pencil, though it apparently never panned out. Samsungs display business also published a 2011 paper on folding displays. In addition,Samsung as well as Microsoft have published similar patents that call for smartphones built upon displays that could be folded back upon themselves.
MSUs technology appears to be a bit different. According to Wang, Samsungs foldable OLED was still built upon inelastic materials, whereas his teams work isnt. MSU and Wang said that his smart fabric, which is stretchable, could be folded and placed in apocket without breaking. But the display itself could also be stretched if needed, taking the notion of flexible displays in an entirely new direction.
Our reported stretchable ICs are made entirely using elastic materials, therefore they are certainly foldable, Wang said in an email. The strain it can withstand (up to 100 percent) way exceeds the requirement for folding.
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Stretchy OLED technology could pave way for new smart fabrics, wearables, even tablets - PCWorld
Forbes | A Nation Teetering On The Psychological Edge -- And How Technology Can Help Forbes Stress. Depression. Even politics. Chances are that you know someone who is impacted by one of these conditions. In fact, that person might just be you. A recent study by the American Physiological Association reveals that two-thirds of Americans are ... |
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A Nation Teetering On The Psychological Edge -- And How Technology Can Help - Forbes
MUMBAI Tata Motors Ltd and Microsoft India on Thursday announced a strategic collaboration on the technology front to make driving a more personalized experiences for the customers, the companies said in a joint statement.
The first vehicle showcasing the vision of the enhanced driving experiences will be unveiled at the Geneva International Motor show on March 7, they said.
"Using IoT (internet of things), AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning technologies, we will provide vehicle owners in India and across the world a safe, productive and fun driving experience," Anant Maheshwari, President at Microsoft India, said.
Tata Motors CEO Guenter Butschek said at a press conference that he saw the tie-up creating new revenue opportunities for the company as car buyers increasingly look for value-added services.
(Reporting by Euan Rocha; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
NEW YORK AT&T Inc said on Thursday it would make its unlimited data plan available to all wireless customers who pay a monthly bill, days after rival Verizon Communications Inc announced an unlimited option.
DETROIT United Auto Workers President Dennis Williams said on Thursday the union is contacting workers at Silicon Valley electric car maker Tesla Inc , and plans to boost efforts to convince U.S. consumers not to buy vehicles built in other countries, including those sold by the Detroit automakers.
SEOUL Samsung Group chief Jay Y. Lee was arrested early on Friday over his alleged role in a corruption scandal that led parliament to impeach President Park Geun-hye, in a blow to the world's biggest maker of smartphones.
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India's Tata Motors, Microsoft ink technology collaboration deal - Reuters
The EFL chief executive, Shaun Harvey, sees goalline technology as an important addition to next seasons Championship. Photograph: Rebecca Naden/Reuters
The Football League has agreed in principle to use goalline technology in the Championship next season. The proposal was made at a meeting of Championship clubs on Thursday and will be voted on at the leagues annual general meeting in June.
The decision is likely to pave the way for Hawk-Eye technology to be introduced to clarify whether the ball has crossed the line. This has proved to be a success in the Premier League since its approval in 2013. The system is already used in the latter stages of the EFL Cup and play-offs.
The EFL chief executive, Shaun Harvey, said: I welcome the decision of our clubs to introduce goalline technology into the EFL. [Professional Game Match Officials Limited] officials do an incredible job and this decision is about providing our match officials with as much support as possible to ensure they are best placed to make the right calls in even the most difficult of situations. The technology is widely adopted elsewhere in football, including in two of our competitions, and I therefore welcome it as an important addition to the Sky Bet Championship from next season.
Championship managers have frequently called for officials in the division to be given the same help afforded to their Premier League counterparts. The Bristol City manager, Lee Johnson, said after their 3-2 defeat by Wolverhampton Wanderers in December: We really do need cameras and a Hawk-Eye setup so we can be sure when these things happen. It has happened to us too many times this season and its reached the stage where I go into every game expecting it.
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Football League agrees to use goalline technology in Championship - The Guardian
We've undergone transformations in the network-operator business model before, so you might expect those seismic shifts of the past to guide the current transformation effort. That's turning out to be difficult, however, because past telecom transformations, like universal dialing and consumer internet, were clear technology shifts. While there is no shortage of telecom network technology candidates to lead today's charge to the future, operators are wondering if technology change is enough -- and if it is, what technology they should choose.
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Operators know future networks will have to offer better return on investment for infrastructure and better profit per bit. They also know this goal can be met by a combination of reducing costs and increasing revenues. For example, the technology transformation to stored-program switching that enabled telecom operators to control telephone exchanges with programs stored in switching systems was a major step in terms of lowering cost, because it eliminated the need for both operators and patch panels. Much later, the transition to consumer internet and mobile broadband were transformations in terms of revenue. So, will the next transformation address operators' cost or revenue, and what technologies will get them there?
If there is any technology truth that operators can agree on, it's that automating service processes needs to be a big part of transformation -- or by making the service lifecycle run under software control, with minimal manual intervention. This type of automation would reduce costs and radically shorten the delay in getting new services from planning to generating revenue.
Given the virtual unanimity of interest in service lifecycle automation, you'd think that we'd be leaping forward. We are moving forward, but on opposite fronts.
The dominant view in the current operator market is the existing infrastructure is inherently dependent on human-driven processes. Due to this, a service lifecycle management transformation would mean a network technology transformation from current network technology to something more suitable for automation -- primarily software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV).
If there is any technology truth that operators can agree on, it's that automating service processes needs to be a big part of transformation.
The promise of SDN and NFV is that centralized, planned and orderly deployments can be achieved by replacing traditional devices with white box OpenFlow switches in SDN's case and with virtual network functions in the case of NFV.
SDN's northbound APIs would allow software to directly configure forwarding paths that create services, respond to service changes and recover from faults. NFV's management and orchestration would drive deployment of virtual functions as software elements hosted on a pool of cloud servers, or even on edge routers and customer premises equipment. If these changes were made and automation's potential was fully realized in both cases, operations costs could unquestionably be reduced by as much as 70% and time to revenue reduced by perhaps as much as 98%.
The problem with this happy outcome is we don't have proven cases of SDN or NFV results to speak of, so current services must still be built from legacy elements. Furthermore, even a decade from now, it's unlikely that networks will be 100% SDN and NFV.
As long as SDN and NFV services have legacy components, the automated tools designed to deploy them would also have to deploy legacy network services. An NFV firewall will still likely need a carrier Ethernet connection, for example. If you can automate carrier Ethernet legacy equipment with SDN or NFV service automation to create an end-to-end service, why do you need to transition the infrastructure at all?
We see two examples of this thinking today: first, an operational support system/business support system (OSS/BSS) transformation; and second, software-defined WAN, which is similar to the Metro Ethernet Forum's Third Network. The former applies software orchestration techniques to current devices, thus reducing Opex and improving service agility. The latter builds services by overlaying them on any mixture of Level 1 (optical or SDN tunnels), Level 2 (Ethernet) and Level 3 (IP) infrastructure. The infrastructure is then decoupled from the service, and infrastructure changes don't have to affect services at all.
As a result, we have three competing technology models for transformation. The differences are stark in their effect, so it's no wonder operators are struggling with their choices. The choices are as follows:
What will -- or should -- they choose? One thing that appears clear is SDN and NFV cannot be deployed quickly or far enough to create a major effect in the next three years. The depreciation rate for operator infrastructure constrains sudden forklift network transformation technology changes, not to mention operator fears of massive problems with new technology never tied at scale. This doesn't mean SDN and NFV won't happen, but that other technology options must lead them there.
Where operators have a strong set of APIs or policy management tools to control their legacy networks and facilitate the whole service lifecycle, a service modeling and automation strategy that operates either within or underneath the OSS/BSS could realize fast and substantial rewards. This approach could generate 10 times the cost reduction as renewing infrastructure using SDN or NFV in 2017, and over 18% more cost benefit even by 2020.
Only by adding in other technology changes can costs be further reduced, however, and revenue gains from this approach are difficult to prove.
The SD-WAN approach simplifies software automation and increases agility through the use of an easily controlled overlay model, one popularized by Nicira Inc. -- later bought by VMware and relabeled NSX -- and also supported by Nokia Networks with Nuage Networks and other vendors. This overlay model requires little capital investment compared with forklift infrastructure upgrades, and it is easier to automate. This strategy, in combination with service modeling and automation, could boost cost reduction in 2017. And by 2020, the combination could reduce current Opex by 50%.
SDN and NFV can then play, and play decisively. By introducing SDN as a virtual wire below the SD-WAN and adding features with NFV, SDN and NFV could combine with other approaches to generate a 70% reduction in Opex. This combination could unite network feature hosting and carrier cloud computing services to increase operator revenues by about $100 billion per year globally by 2020. They may not lead the transformation wave, but SDN and NFV can bring it home.
SDN and NFV drive telecom changes
NFV propels changes with network management
How SD-WAN and NFV can lower costs
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Telecom operators navigate three technology transformation options - TechTarget
1. Biotech
Since the early 2000s, the cost of sequencing a human genome determining the precise order of nucleotides within DNA molecules that defines who we are has dropped sharply. A genome that cost $100m to sequence in 2001 can today be sequenced for roughly $1,000.
This plummeting cost, along with the shortened timescales for sequencing DNA, has led to a revolution in biotechnology: gene hacking, or the ability to turn genes on and off, and to manipulate biology to our advantage.
The most radical branch of this new technology is gene editing a process by which our DNA code can be cut and pasted using molecular scissors for a variety of applications, including curing diseases such as cancers and HIV. Until recently, swapping the code was an arduous process. A new DNA cut-and-paste tool known as Crispr has made the process unexpectedly simple.
Crispr has been used to create disease-resistant strains of wheat and rice, alter yeast to make biofuels and reverse blindness in animals. Ultimately, it could be used to edit defects out of human embryos.
Artificial intelligence is not science fiction: it is already embedded in products we use every day. Apples Siri assistant, Amazons book recommendations, Facebooks news feed and Spotifys music discovery playlist are all examples of services driven by machine learning algorithms.
This decades-old science is enjoying a renaissance today because of the deluge of data created by smartphones and sensors, and the supercomputing power that is available to crunch that data. According to technology research firm Tractica, the AI market will grow from $643.7m in 2016 to $36.8bn by 2025.
Techniques such as deep learning and neural networks supposedly mimic the human brain: they spot broad patterns in enormous data sets in order to label images, recognise voices and make decisions.
The next step is artificial general intelligence: an algorithm that will not have to be taught a specific skill such as a game of chess or a new language, but will acquire it through trial and error, just as a child does. Companies such as London-based DeepMind, owned by Google, and others are working to make this a reality.
World leaders last year ratified the Paris Agreement on climate change.
This aims to keep the global average temperature from rising more than 2C above pre-industrial levels and to attempt to keep the increase under 1.5C. Keeping this promise will require more renewable energy research over the next decade.
In energy, researchers are trying to build a nuclear fusion reactor that would tap the same process that causes the sun to give off light and heat to create a source of clean energy. An intergovernmental partnership is building a $19bn fusion reactor, ITER, in France. Other innovations include artificial photosynthesis to make hydrocarbons in laboratories to power cars, and high-altitude wind power that involves kites and hot-air balloons acting as aerial wind turbines.
Iceland is investing in geothermal technology, drilling for heat energy underground. Thirty years ago it started by using geothermal resources to heat towns and cities. Now, the entire countrys electricity and heating systems are powered almost fully by renewable energy, including geothermal and hydropower.
WiFi a household staple that modern children take for granted turned 25 last September. As more objects connect to the internet of things an estimated 50bn of them by 2020, according to estimates from technology company Cisco the future of WiFi lies in reducing the power it drains from internet-enabled devices.
One innovation, invented by students at the University of Washington in Seattle, is known as passive WiFi which its inventors say consumes 10,000 times less power. It is currently slower than regular home broadband, but would work well for applications such as smart thermostats or lightbulbs. The WiFi community is also looking to develop higher-frequency bands that would be used over a limited range, such as in a house or car.
Ultimately, WiFi itself could be replaced by a new superfast alternative called Li-Fi, which uses light to beam information through the air, instead of radio waves. Lightbulbs would act as routers for this technology. A pilot study earlier this year found that a Li-Fi prototype could send data 100 times faster than WiFi, allowing dozens of movies to be downloaded in minutes.
Almost two-thirds of the human population is connected to the internet via smartphones, but these devices are not the only portal to the web. In 2016 there were 6.4bn connected things excluding PCs, phones and tablets in use worldwide, up 30 per cent from the previous year, according to technology analyst Gartner. The internet of things, as it is known, is this universe of objects everything from cars to printers, lightbulbs to thermostats that are no longer dumb, static things: they can learn your habits and be controlled remotely using an app.
The stereotypical smart appliance is the self-stocking refrigerator that replenishes your milk automatically. This innovation will replace a lot more than the sniff test. Cars are now computers, running more lines of code than the Apollo 11 spaceship on its way to the moon. As these computers become more intelligent, cars will drive themselves, potentially reducing traffic-related fatalities. Smart sensors can also transform industry, for instance by monitoring goods during transport, helping utility companies to measure energy usage and logistics companies to track vehicles over long distances.
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Five technologies that will change how we live - Financial Times
NEW DELHI: Software jobs are still pretty lucrative: Only that robotics, artificial intelligence and Big Data now rake in the money, while mature application services sink fast in the pronounced migration of value toward emerging technologies.
Initially built around cost benefits and an improving telecom infrastructure that would allow Indians to follow the US workday, technology is now battling a sweeping wave of de-globalization and automation: Emerging technologies where talent is scarce will likely be the winners when valuemigration is complete, according to hiring and compensation data.
At least five search firms and HR heads at technology companies told ET that the demand for professionals with expertise in robotics, machine learning, artificial learning and data science has increased by up to 50% over the last year. Hirings at the top end of the technology spectrum will replace jobs that are repetitive in structure and content, creating a recruitment market premised largely on emerging technologies.
While low-skilled jobs will drop by 30%, automation is expected to increase the middle-skilled jobs by 8% and high-skilled recruitments will rise by 56%, said Debashis Patnaik, senior director, human resources, Dell EMC. Mid-level professionals with at least 12 years of experience are drawing salaries between Rs 40 lakh and Rs 90 lakh in emerging technologies. The pay packets go up to a few crores for domain specialists at senior levels.
According to Hunt Partners, a CXO-level search firm, the salaries at the top end are between Rs 2.8 crore and Rs 5.1 crore, inclusive of stock options, bonuses or perquisites. Compensation for high-technology talent is at least 40% higher than for normal IT skills as the pool is limited. This is likely to go up as companies are competing for the best talent, said Ratna Gupta, Director, Hunt Partners. We expect at least 50% increase in the hiring specific to these skills - big data, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, Internet of Things, mobility and automation, she said.
Over the past year, the definition of high-end tech talent has changed from just data analysts to experts in robotics, machine learning, tech automation, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, SMAC, and drone technology. Primarily, this talent pool is available in Bengaluru, New Delhi and, to some extent, Hyderabad. The majority of professionals hired are returning Indians from Silicon Valley and other mature global markets, said Nikhil Jaiswal, director of Michael Page India.
Besides high pay-packets, companies in India are offering a complete employment package with other benefits in the form of stock options or flexible arrangements to work remotely, according to Jaiswal, whose firm is now working on six mandates for robotics in banking and consulting sectors. At Korn Ferry, the searches in the digital space are up by at least 30% in the last one year.
With the shift in business models of most companies (tech and non tech), the demand in talent has changed from services to products and digital, said Navnit Singh, chairman at Korn Ferry International. SAP India, which hires close to a thousand consultants every year, is also focused on emerging technology.
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Emerging technology is keyword: Demand for experts in robotics & big data up 50% - Economic Times
Forbes | Can Technology Really Solve China's Healthcare Crisis? - Forbes Forbes Technology isn't the solution to every problem; in fact, in many situations it can actually make things worse. Nowhere is this tension between technology's ... |
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Can Technology Really Solve China's Healthcare Crisis? - Forbes - Forbes
Forbes | Warren Buffett's Increasing Passion For Apple And Technology Forbes After the close of trading last night, Apple investors received news via 13F filings from the likes of Berkshire Hathaway and Elliott Management, among others, that showed that Apple holdings among the biggest institutions had increased significantly ... |
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Warren Buffett's Increasing Passion For Apple And Technology - Forbes