This week in storage, featuring a mucky International Space Station NAS system – Blocks and Files

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This week the International Space Stations NAS gives vent, Nebulon pumps out a survey, Pliops talks about its storage processor, we see how Pivot3s video HCI is getting better system management, and take a look at Veeams quarterly boast.

The International Space Station summary report for July 27 includes this gem; Payloads Network Attached Storage (NAS) Cleaning: The crew cleaned inlet/outlet vents of the NAS to prevent the NAS from automatically powering off due to inadequate processor or Hard Drive cooling that can be caused by blocked vents. Memo to self: we should all clean our vents.

Nebulon has commissioned an independent survey that exposes the biggest challenges that enterprises face in transforming their on-premises application storage environments.

Siamak Nazari, co-founder and CEO of Nebulon, issued a canned quote: The impact of the pandemic is forcing CIOs worldwide to reconsider their operations. Reducing costs through server-based storage alternatives without the restrictions of hyperconverged infrastructure, and reducing operating cost pressure through cloud-based management of the application storage infrastructure are crucial initiatives for IT organisations looking to survive this new normal.

The survey was completed by IT decision makers at 500 companies in the IT, financial services, manufacturing, retail, distribution and transport industries across the UK, US, Germany and France. This seems like a supplier polling potential customers and finding out, and telling them, they need its product.

Nebulon makes an on-premises, server SAN, bolstered with storage processing offload cards, which is managed through a cloud service.

More than 10 tier-one cloud and enterprise companies, including the database supplier Percona, have tested and evaluated the GPU-like, PCIe card storage processor device from Pliops.

The startup says the devices boost performance by more than 10x, reduces five 9s latency by up to 1000x, and increase flash price performance by more than 90 per cent. These results were indicated for almost all workloads using flash. Pliops is planning general availability of its Storage Processor later this year.

Steve Fingerhut, president and chief business officer, issued a canned quote: The Pliops approach accelerates compute-intensive functions and eliminates bottlenecks solving the dilemma of choosing cost at the expense of performance and vice versa.

Veeam doesnt talk revenue figures, preferring instead to talk percentage growth in regular press releases. The latest this week announced annual recurring revenue (ARR) increase of 20 per cent year-over-year for Q220 the biggest second quarter in the companys 14-year history. Veaam reported its biggest quarter for total bookings of its fastest growing product, Veeam Backup for Microsoft Office 365, with an 89 per cent YoY increase and a 75 per cent YoY gain in overall subscription bookings.

AWS has announced new EC2 Instances based on Graviton2 processors with local NVMe-based SSDs. The d variant of the three instance types M6gd, C6gd, and R6g have up to 2 x 1.9 TB NVMe SSDs. They offer 50 per cent more storage GB/vCPU compared to M5d, C5d, and R5d instances and are designed for apps needing high-speed, low latency local storage, such as scratch space, temporary files, and caches. Details can be found on the AWS News Blog and Whats New at AWS posts.

A Minio blog says: the ARM architecture, with the introduction of the Graviton2 processor by AWS, has closed the performance gap to Intel and even surpassed it for multi-core performance. There are AWS Graviton performance testing details in the blog.

TechRadar is teasing a feature about a potential 1PB SSD from Nimbus Data, possibly using compression to ramp its 400TB raw capacity up to 1PB usable with availability in 2023.

HCI supplier Pivot3 has added intelligent system health and best practices analysis features to its Acuity software.

SANBlaze announced its SBExpress v 8.1 software release to provides NVMe SSD manufacturers the ability to test native NVMe PCIe devices as well as NVMe-oF (NVMe over Fabrics) devices. V8.1 builds on the Industry Standard SBCert (Certified by SANBlaze) NVMe qualification platform adding advanced automated testing features. The SW works in conjunction with the SANBlaze SBExpress-RM4 PCIe NVMe Gen4 test system hardware to test PCIe Gen4 NVMe devices.

Supermicro and Scality are selling Scality RING object storage on Supermicro server and storage hardware with a reference architecture design. It comes in performance-optimised and capacity-optimised versions. The two say they deliver a petabyte-scale storage framework offering cost-effective scaling, performance, and resiliency paired with Supermicros predefined hardware configurations that offer users an appliance-like deployment and service levels to meet enterprise requirements. You can download basic datasheet-type details.

Supermicro has unveiled a new generation of its top-loading storage systems (60-bay and 90-bay), which are optimised for enterprise environments. They support scale-up and scale-out architectures and are available in single-node and dual-node configurations, with the drives evenly split between each node.

The NAND market is weakening, according to TrendFocus. The market research firm says demand from the retail end has been recovering in June and July, but demand for PC and server SSDs has softened. as a result of decelerating demand for cloud and remote access services. A.

TrendForce forecasts the quarterly decline in NAND flash ASPs will likely reach 10 per cent under the impact of the pandemic, due to excess inventory. This is despite the traditional peak season for electronics sales and the release of Apples new iPhones in 3Q20. TrendForce forecasts the oversupply in the NAND Flash market will intensify in 4Q20, further exacerbating the decline in NAND Flash ASP. YMTCs capacity expansion this year is expected to continue in 2021.

Verbatim has announced the StorenGo ALU Slim a compact, lightweight portable hard drive in a metal enclosure with USB 3.2 Gen 1 connection for data transfer speeds of up to 5Gbit/s. It has 1TB and 2TB capacities, weighs 150g, is 0.9cm thick, and includes a Micro-B to USB-A cable and a USB-A to USB-C adapter. The drive is FAT32 formatted. For content with files sizes larger than 4GB, software is supplied on the drive to reformat to HFS+ for Macs and NTFS for PCs. Suggested retail price is 62.99 for 1TB and 82.99 for 2TB.

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This week in storage, featuring a mucky International Space Station NAS system - Blocks and Files

SpaceX launching 57 more Starlink satellites early Friday: How to watch it live – Space.com

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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is expected to send 57 more of the company's Starlink satellites into space early Friday morning (Aug. 7).

The launch is scheduled to take place at 1:12 a.m. EDT (0512 GMT) from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. SpaceX will also attempt to land the Falcon 9's first stage on a ship at sea shortly after liftoff. You can watch all the action live here at Space.com, courtesy of SpaceX, or directly via the company. The broadcast should go live 15 minutes or so before launch.

Friday's launch will be SpaceX's eighth Starlink liftoff this year, and the 10th such mission overall (11 if you count the launch of two Starlink prototypes in February 2018). Starlink is a broadband constellation that SpaceX is undertaking to bring satellite internet access to the masses around the globe, particularly in underserviced regions.

Related: SpaceX's Starlink satellite megaconstellation launches in photos

SpaceX has already lofted more than 500 Starlink satellites to date, but the constellation could feature at least 12,000 craft by the time it's finished. Starlink has come under criticism from astronomers and dark-sky advocates due to the satellites' brightness, especially shortly after launch. SpaceX is taking measures to reduce the glare.

The reusable Falcon 9 rocket used in Friday's launch will be undertaking its fifth spaceflight. Before, this Falcon 9's first stage flew theDemo-1 mission in 2019 (which sent an uncrewed Crew Dragon capsule to the International Space Station),a trio of Earth-observing satellitesfor Canada, and two otherStarlink missionsearlier in 2020.

Besides the Starlink satellites, the mission will send two BlackSky satellites into orbit under a rideshare agreement with Spaceflight Inc.

The launch has been repeatedly delayed since late June due to weather and technical issues.

Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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SpaceX launching 57 more Starlink satellites early Friday: How to watch it live - Space.com

Scientists invent a new way to track space junk during the day – BGR

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You might not see it when you gaze up at the night sky, but theres a whole lot of junk orbiting Earth right now. Pieces of defunct satellites, discarded rocket stages, and other manmade debris circles our planet like a giant bubble of trash. Tracking the positions of these objects is necessary for the safety of working satellites as well as crewed missions and even the dangers they pose to the International Space Station.

As MIT Technology Review reports, a new technique to track this debris is offering the ability to spot space junk in broad daylight, rather than within tiny time windows as was previously the case.

Firing lasers into space is one way that scientists track space debris. When the laser hits an object it bounces back, and scientists can detect that response and keep records of the junk as they find it. Unfortunately, this technique doesnt offer much in the way of accuracy, and its difficult to pinpoint the location of objects based on the laser response alone.

To enhance the effectiveness of the laser method, scientists peer into the sky with lenses designed to detect the reflections of sunlight off of the objects. This, however, can only be done during dawn or dusk, as full daylight obscures the imaging instruments and prevents easy detection and tracking.

In a new paper published in Nature Communications, researchers explain how they devised a new method with which to track space junk in broad daylight. They built a special imaging system with filters that allow them to see stars in the blue sky. Thats an achievement on its own, but what this also allows for is the comparison of reflections from space debris with the background stars, since the debris is significantly brighter in the sky.

Space debris objects are visualized against the blue sky background and biases corrected in real-time, the researchers say of their new system. The results are a starting point for all space debris laser ranging stations to drastically increase their output in the near future. A network of a few stations worldwide will be able to improve orbital predictions significantly as necessary for removal missions, conjunction warnings, avoidance maneuvers or attitude determination.

The tracking of space debris is going to become more and more important as we continue to explore our Solar System with probes and even manned missions. Navigating between all the junk weve already thrown into space will become ever more challenging, but systems like this one might make things a tiny bit easier.

Mike Wehner has reported on technology and video games for the past decade, covering breaking news and trends in VR, wearables, smartphones, and future tech. Most recently, Mike served as Tech Editor at The Daily Dot, and has been featured in USA Today, Time.com, and countless other web and print outlets. His love ofreporting is second only to his gaming addiction.

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The Smell Of Space – Hackaday

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In space, so the Alien tagline goes, nobody can hear you scream. One of the most memorable pieces of movie promotion ever, it refers to the effect of the vacuum of space on the things human senses require an atmosphere to experience. Its a lesson that Joss Whedon used to great effect with theSerenitys silent engine light-ups in Firefly, while Star Wars ignored it completely to give us improbable weapon noises in space battles.

Sound may not pass through the vacuum of space, but thats not to say there are not things other than light for the senses. The Apollo astronauts reported that moon dust released a smell they described as akin to burnt gunpowder once it was exposed to the atmosphere inside their lander, and by now you may have heard that there is a Kickstarter that aims to recreate the smell as a fragrance. Will it replace the cloying wall of Axe or Lynx Africa body spray that pervades high-school boys changing rooms, or is it a mere novelty?

The gunpowder smell experienced by the Apollo crews is likely to have been caused by oxygen-sensitive compounds in the moon dust being oxidised by their first exposure to an atmosphere after having accumulated through billions of years of our satellites buffeting by solar winds. By the time the samples reached Earth-based scientists this process was long over, so no smell remains for analysis. Even the vacuum containers in which the astronauts were to catch a sample for return to earth without being compromised by a vacuum failed to stop it, its thought that their seals were compromised by the unexpectedly pervasive nature of the dust. Thus the Eau de Luna perfume will be a creation based only on the astronauts recollections rather than an analysis of the smell they experienced.

Moon dust may so far be our species only encounter with another heavenly body, but that isnt to say that space is not without other smells. The NASA astronaut Jerry Linenger described a distinct, burnt-dry smellin the airlocks of the Soviet/Russian Mir space station after returning from space, which is probably analogous to the Moon smell. But numerous accounts from the residents of Mir and other stations talk of smells from a completely different source; the astronauts themselves.

In a space station it is impossible to open a window for a bit of extra ventilation, so as the early stations gave way to continuously-crewed modular outposts that stayed aloft for many years their atmospheres reflected the accumulated biome of all that had been brought to them by their crews. Mir was said to be infested with mould and fungus towards the end of its life, and in 2019 there was concern that the same fate was befalling the ISS. Its said that the fluid displacement effect of weightlessness adversely affects the human sense of smell, which is perhaps fortunate for those who have to live with it.

So the space fragrance probably remains the closest that most of us will ever come to leaving the atmosphere, thus it could smell of anything at all and none of us would ever smell the real thing and be able to ask for a refund if it didnt match. Does it matter though, for the hacker who doesnt quite have everything? No doubt well catch that open-airlock scent at one or other of next years events.

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High Demand for Robotics Skills in Post-Corona Recovery – Reports IFR – Business Wire

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FRANKFURT, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--By 2022, an operational stock of almost 4 million industrial robots are expected to work in factories worldwide. These robots will play a vital role in automating production to speed up the post-Corona economy. At the same time, robots are driving demand for skilled workers. Educational systems must effectively adjust to this demand, says the International Federation of Robotics.

Governments and companies around the globe now need to focus on providing the right skills necessary to work with robots and intelligent automation systems, says Milton Guerry, President of the International Federation of Robotics. This is important to take maximum advantage of the opportunities that these technologies offer. The post-Corona recovery will further accelerate the deployment of robotics. Policies and strategies are important to help workforces make the transition to a more automated economy.

EIU index

According to the automation readiness index published by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), only four countries have already established mature education policies to deal with the challenges of an automated economy. South Korea is the category leader, followed by Estonia, Singapore and Germany. Countries like Japan, the US and France are developed and China was ranked as emerging. The EIU summed up the order of the day for governments: more study, multi-stakeholder dialogue and international knowledge sharing.

Education

Robot suppliers support the education of the workforce with practice-oriented training. Re-training the existing workforce is only a short-term measure. We must already start way earlier curricula for schools and undergraduate education need to match the demand of the industry for the workforce of the future. Demand for technical and digital skills is increasing, but equally important are cognitive skills like problem-solving and critical thinking, says Dr. Susanne Bieller, IFRs General Secretary. Economies must embrace automation and build the skills required to profit - otherwise they will be at a competitive disadvantage.

IFR Executive Round Table automatica Munich, December 2020

The topic Next Generation Workforce - Upskilling for Robotics" will be discussed by the IFR Executive Round Table on December 9 at the worlds leading trade fair for smart automation and robotics automatica in Munich.

Please find the full text version here: https://ifr.org/ifr-press-releases/

About IFR

The International Federation of Robotics: http://www.ifr.org

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High Demand for Robotics Skills in Post-Corona Recovery - Reports IFR - Business Wire

WiBotic Receives Industry-First FCC Approval for High Power Wireless Charging of Robots – Unite.AI

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Matt Carlson is the Vice President of Business Development at WiBotic Inc, a company that provides reliable wireless power solutions to charge aerial, mobile and aquatic robot systems.

Why are wireless charging solutions so important to the future of robotics?

Robots need the ability to autonomously charge for most applications. It simply isnt cost effective to hire a staff of workers to manage battery charging or battery swapping. However, most autonomous charging today is done using docking stations that require physical mating of electrical contacts.

This requires very precise navigation into the charging dock which is difficult to program and is not always reliable. Failing to properly align the contacts can mean a missed charging cycle and robot downtime. Contact based stations will also wear out over time, or the contacts may become dirty or corroded again resulting in inconsistent charging. Finally, robot OEMs use a wide range of electrical contact types, making it nearly impossible to have a single charging station that can charge any robot.

Wireless systems have none of these issues.WiBoticsystems offer several centimeters of alignment tolerance, so its not necessary to have an extremely precise navigation stack. Because the antennas can be fully sealed to the elements and dont make physical contact with one another, wireless systems are also highly reliable and can handle an unlimited number of charge cycles. Finally, as robot use grows, most companies will employ more than one type of robot. Rather than having a wall or room dedicated to many different charging docks, a single wireless charging station can recharge any robot that is retrofitted with a simple receiver antenna, saving money and space.

Wibotics initial focus was on powering medical devices, what was the reason to pivot towards robots, drones, and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs)?

WiBotics two founders, Ben Waters and Josh Smith, did indeed focus on wireless power for medical devices during much of their research at the University of Washington. Their technology increased the range and reliability of wireless power, which were both critical for the medical market. However, when Ben received his PhD and foundedWiBotic, the company immediately focused on robotics as its primary market. This was based on demand from the robotics industry.

Robot and drone OEMs and end-users recognized the benefits ofWiBotictechnology in terms of power level and range when compared with other wireless systems. They were also beginning to struggle with the deployment of contact-based chargers for large fleets of robots and were looking for more reliable solutions.

For the drone market, contact based charging is a non-starter in most cases since drones operate outdoors (mostly) where water becomes an issue with any physical electrical contacts. And, of course, underwater applications also benefit from the fully sealed nature of wireless power.

What are the power transfer technologies being used?

WiBoticuses elements of both electrical induction and magnetic resonance for power transfer. These two methods are relatively well proven at a wide range of power levels. What setsWiBoticapart is our ability to manage the connection (technically the impedance) between antennas in real time. We call this Adaptive Impedance Matching.

One of the biggest challenges with wireless power, especially for robotics, is that the electrical environment is constantly changing. If the robot docks in a slightly different position, if its internal electronics turn on and off during charging, and as the battery itself charges up, the impedance between the transmit and receive sides of the system changes. This can dramatically affect efficiency and range. Our AIM technology constantly monitors changes in impedance so we can maintain efficiency and power levels, even as all of those other elements in the system are changing.

Could you discuss the efficiency of the units, such as how much power is lost during power transmission?

ForWiBotics 250-300 Watt systems we have an end-to-end efficiency level of between 70% and 80%. This represents the full system efficiency from the input to our transmitter all the way to the output to the battery. The actual antenna-to-antenna portion of that equation is about 95% efficient, but there are losses in the transmitter circuitry and also in the battery charging circuitry. That last part is important to note since even a very well designed plug in battery charger is typically only around 90-95% efficient.

Using a wireless system like ours therefore results in about 10% less efficiency than the status quo of contact based charging.

What are the distance constraints with how close the robotic unit needs to be near the power source?

This depends on the size of the antennas used. Our standard transmitter antenna is 20cm in diameter and the receiver antenna is 10cm in diameter. With those antenna sizes, we allow for 5cm of face-to-face air gap between antennas and up to 5cm of side-to-side offset from a concentric position (so 10 total cm of side to side range).

Unlike other wireless power systems, and due to our AIM technology, we deliver full power to the battery at any point within that range. Ranges can be increased by increasing the diameter of the antennas. Because our antennas are relatively simple PCBAs (which are also very thin and lightweight) were able to modify and produce custom versions of them relatively inexpensively for customers who prefer a different size.

Are multiple robots able to use the same charging station?

Absolutely! Only one robot can charge at a wireless charging station at a time, but entire fleets of diverse robots can all share the same charging station (or set of charging stations). This is possible because, unlike most contact based chargers, the transmitter station is not sending out a specific voltage and current level. Instead it is sending wireless power at a designated frequency. Our Onboard Charger, installed on the robot, then converts that wireless energy into the specific voltage and current needed by that vehicle.

We support batteries from 0-60V and current levels from 0-30A with our current product line.

Could you discuss some of the power optimization software that is currently offered?

Our wireless power hardware ships with a web-based GUI that allows customers to configure the system for a wide range of parameters. For instance, users can choose to charge to the typical 100% charge level for a particular battery. But if they do this every time, they may not get as many charge cycles out of the battery. So if 100% charge isnt needed, the maximum voltage level can be adjusted downward to extend battery lifespan.

Similarly, if the battery is always charged with the maximum current (amps) its lifespan will be reduced. Using our GUI and APIs, users can actually proactively schedule charging so they charge as fast as possible when the robot needs to get back into service, or more slowly when they know they have more time (overnight for example). These configurability and battery optimization features are available with our standard GUI and by using our APIs.

We also offer a new software product that allows users to map and then aggregate charging information from across and entire fleet ofWiBotictransmitters and receivers. This allows robots to know when and where charging stations are available to help them maximize uptime. It also allows detailed reporting on the charging performance of batteries over time, helping identify battery issues and optimizing power delivery across the entire fleet. These features become particularly useful if the end-user is able to implement opportunity charging schemes, where robots are charging many times per day for shorter periods of time, rather than leaving service for several hours at a time for charging.

Offering wireless power to Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) seems like it would be extremely challenging, could you discuss this?

Yes, there are definitely many challenges with underwater applications. From a power transfer perspective a couple centimeters of saltwater will attenuate power transfer by about 50%, so it will take longer to charge the same sized batteries underwater than it would in air.

The antenna range is also more restricted for that same reason, which means the UAV must have very good navigation to successfully find and dock at the charging station. This is usually aided by some sort of physical alignment device that directs the UAV into the charging station and helps to align the antennas.

The benefit of wireless power underwater however, is that the antennas can be fully potted or sealed.WiBoticsystems are currently operating at the MBARI MARS research station off the coast of Monterey, CA at a depth of nearly 3000ft. In that case, the transmitter and receiver electronics are housed in 1atm pressure bottles, but electronics can also be designed for oil filled enclosures to withstand even greater depth.

WiBoticcontinues to work with the DoD, various universities, non-profits and commercial partners to expand the use of our systems underwater, but it is definitely a challenging environment!

WiBotic has recently announced equipment authorization from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for its high power transmitters and receivers. These products are the first systems operating at up to 300 Watts to receive FCC approval for use in mobile robots, drones, and other industrial devices. Why is this important and what does this mean for the future of robotics and drones?

As the robotics industry continues to grow, OEMs and robot end-users are facing an increasing level of regulation and stricter safety requirements. Its important for our customers to know that WiBotic products, as a component within their larger robotic solutions, will meet those regulatory requirements. In short, it allows robot and drone manufacturers to focus on additional features and functionality for end-users rather that dealing with certification questions. This will let them deploy larger fleets faster than would otherwise be possible.

Is there anything else that you would like to share aboutWibotic?

Because most people think of the physical antennas and circuit boards when they think of wireless power, the immense amount of work we have put into our software and firmware is often overlooked. In many ways, it is the advanced firmware weve developed that allows our hardware to perform at such useful ranges and power levels.

Were also continuing to add to our fleet power optimization software capabilities to allow for even greater analysis and benchmarking of the use of power and durability of batteries across a wide range of robotic applications.

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit at WiBotic Inc, or read about how WiBotic Received an Industry-First FCC Approval for High Power Wireless Charging of Robots & drones.

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What Robots Need to Succeed: Machine-Learning to Teach Effectively – Robotics Business Review

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With machine learning, algorithms are automatically generated from large datasets, speeding the development and reducing the difficulty of creating complex systems, including robotics systems. While data at scale is what makes accurate machine learning go, the data used to train ML models must also be very accurate and of high quality.

By Hyun Kim | July 31, 2020

The Mid-twentieth century sociologist David Reisman was perhaps the first to wonder with unease what people would do with all of their free time once the encroaching machine automation of the 1960s liberated humans from their menial chores and decision-making. His prosperous, if anxious, vision of the future only half came to pass however, as the complexities of life expanded to continually fill the days of both man and machine. Work alleviated by industrious machines, such as robotics systems, in the ensuing decades only freed humans to create increasingly elaborate new tasks to be labored over. Rather than give us more free time, the machines gave us more time to work.

Machine LearningToday, the primary man-made assistants helping humans with their work are decreasingly likely to take the form of an assembly line of robot limbs or the robotic butlers first dreamed up during the era of the Space Race. Three quarters of a century later, it is robotic minds, and not necessarily bodies, that are in demand within nearly every sector of business. But humans can only teach artificial intelligence so much or at least at so great a scale. Enter Machine Learning, the field of study in which algorithms and physical machines are taught using enormous caches of data. Machine learning has many different disciplines, with Deep Learning being a major subset of that.

Today Deep Learning is finally experiencing its star turn, driven by the explosive potential of Deep Neural Network algorithms and hardware advancements.

Deep Learning ArrivesDeep Learning utilizes neural network layers to learn patterns from datasets. The field was first conceived 20-30 years ago, but did not achieve popularity due to the limitations of computational power at the time. Today Deep Learning is finally experiencing its star turn, driven by the explosive potential of Deep Neural Network algorithms and hardware advancements. Deep Learning require enormous amounts of computational power, but can ultimately be very powerful if one has enough computational capacity and the required datasets.

So who teaches the machines? Who decides what AI needs to know? First, engineers and scientists decide how AI learns. Domain experts then advise on how robots need to function and operate within the scope of the task that is being addressed, be that assisting warehouse logistics experts, security consultants, etc.

Planning and LearningWhen it comes to AI receiving these inputs, it is important to make the distinction between Planning and Learning. Planning involves scenarios in which all the variables are already known, and the robot just has to work out at what pace it has to move each joint to complete a task such as grabbing an object. Learning on the other hand, involves a more unstructured dynamic environment in which the robot has to anticipate countless different inputs and react accordingly.

Learning can take place via Demonstrations (Physically training their movements through guided practice), Simulations (3D artificial environments), or even by being fed videos or data of a person or another robot performing the task it is hoping to master for itself. The latter of these is a form of Training Data, a set of labeled or annotated datasets that an AI algorithm can use to recognize and learn from. Training Data is increasingly necessary for todays complex Machine Learning behaviors. For ML algorithms to pick up patterns in data, ML teams need to feed it with a large amount of data.

Accuracy and AbundanceAccuracy and abundance of data are critical. A diet of inaccurate or corrupted data will result in the algorithm not being able to learn correctly, or drawing the wrong conclusions. If your dataset is focused on Chihuahuas, and you input a picture of a blueberry muffin, then you would still get a Chihuahua. This is known as lack of proper data distribution.

Insufficient training data will result in a stilted learning curve that might not ever reach the full potential of how it was designed to perform. Enough data to encompass the majority of imagined scenarios and edge cases alike is critical for true learning to take place.

Hard at WorkMachine Learning is currently being deployed across a wide array of industries and types of applications, including those involving robotics systems. For example, unmanned vehicles are currently assisting the construction industry, deployed across live worksites. Construction companies use data training platforms such as Superb AI to create and manage datasets that can teach ML models to avoid humans and animals, and to engage in assembling and building.

In the medical sector, research labs at renowned international universities deploy training data to help computer vision models to recognize tumors within MRIs and CT Scans. These can eventually be used to not only accurately diagnose and prevent diseases, but also train medical robots for surgery and other life-saving procedures. Even the best doctor in the world has a bad nights sleep sometimes, which can dull focus the next day. But a properly trained robotic tumor-hunting assistant can at perform peak efficiency every day.

Living Up to the PotentialSo whats at stake here? Theres a tremendous opportunity for training data, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence to help robots to live up to the potential that Reisman imagined all those decades ago. Technology companies employing complex Machine Learning initiatives have a responsibility to educate and create trust within the general public, so that these advancements can be permitted to truly help humanity level up. If the world can deploy well-trained, built and purposed AI, coupled with advanced robotics, then we may very well live to see some of that leisure time that Reisman was so nervous about. I think most people today would agree that we certainly could use it.

Hyun Kim, Co-founder and CEO, Superb AI

Hyunsoo (Hyun) Kim is the co-founder and CEO of Superb AI, and is on a mission to democratize data and artificial intelligence. With a background in Deep Learning and Robotics during his PhD studies at Duke University and career as a Machine Learning Engineer, Kim saw the need for a more efficient way for companies to handle machine learning training data. Superb AI enables companies to create and manage the enormous amounts of data they need to train machine learning algorithms, and lower the hurdle for industries to adopt the technology. Kim has also been selected as the featured honoree for the Enterprise Technology category of Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2020, and Superb AI managed last year to join Y Combinator, a prominent Silicon Valley startup accelerator.

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Microbot Medical Appoints the Co-Founder of Corindus Vascular Robotics to its Board of DirectorsVascular Interventions Executive Will Contribute…

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HINGHAM, Mass., Aug. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Microbot Medical Inc. (Nasdaq: MBOT) has further strengthened the Companys capabilities and expertise as Mr. Tal Wenderow, an experienced medical device and robotics executive with a proven track record in small and mid-size companies, has been appointed to the Company's Board of Directors. Mr. Wenderow co-founded Corindus Vascular Robotics, a robotic-assisted vascular interventions company, and contributed to the companys success, leading to its $1.1 billion acquisition by Siemens Healthineers AG in October 2019.

Consistent and aligned with our strategic objectives, one of which is enhancing our core leadership capabilities, Tals leadership and proven track record will contribute greatly to the future success of Microbot, commented Harel Gadot, CEO, President and Chairman. His contributions to Corindus growth, from inception through the recently completed acquisition by Siemens Healthineers AG, are well chronicled. I welcome him to the Board and look forward to his many contributions as we progress our multi-generation product portfolio, and especially the LIBERTY Robotic system given his extensive knowledge in the vascular interventional market.

With over 19 years of industry experience, Mr. Wenderow holds multiple patents and is a recognized thought leader in the vascular interventions market. He is currently the President and CEO of Vocalis Health, a global technology leader in vocal biomarkers developing voice-enabled AI solutions to create proprietary vocal biomarkers for personalized healthcare screening and continuous remote monitoring of health by using a simple voice sample. At Corindus, Mr. Wenderow served several executive leadership roles, including Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President of International & Business Development, and demonstrated strong business execution to achieve the companys strategic objectives. Mr. Wenderow holds a B.Sc. summa cum laude in Mechanical Engineering from Technion in Israel and has completed the Executive Program for Life Sciences at the Merage Foundation, Merage Business School, University of California, Irvine, CA.

I am extremely excited to join the Microbot Board of Directors and support the next revolution of the healthcare robotic space, commented Mr. Wenderow. Microbot is developing a portfolio of innovative medical robotic devices that have the potential to address sizeable market opportunities. The depth of the entire team is very impressive including Professor Moshe Shoham, who is a known leader and innovator in the robotic market. I look forward to collaborating and working with each of them to achieve Microbots objectives.

About Microbot Medical

Microbot Medical Inc. (NASDAQ: MBOT) is a pre-clinical medical device company that specializes in transformational micro-robotic technologies, focused primarily on both natural and artificial lumens within the human body. Microbots current proprietary technological platforms provide the foundation for the development of a Multi Generation Pipeline Portfolio (MGPP).

Microbot Medical was founded in 2010 by Harel Gadot, Prof. Moshe Shoham, and Yossi Bornstein with the goals of improving clinical outcomes for patients and increasing accessibility through the use of micro-robotic technologies. Further information about Microbot Medical is available at http://www.microbotmedical.com.

Safe Harbor

Statements pertaining to the registered direct offering, timing, the amount and anticipated use of proceeds and statements pertaining to future financial and/or operating results, future growth in research, technology, clinical development, and potential opportunities for Microbot Medical Inc. and its subsidiaries, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the Federal securities laws. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as will, believes, plans, anticipates, expects and estimates) should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, market conditions and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products, including LIBERTY, the outcome of its studies to evaluate the SCS and other existing and future technologies, uncertainty in the results of pre-clinical and clinical trials or regulatory pathways and regulatory approvals, uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, need and ability to obtain future capital, and maintenance of intellectual property rights. Additional information on risks facing Microbot Medical can be found under the heading Risk Factors in Microbot Medicals periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and in the prospectus supplement related to the registered direct offering to be filed with the SEC, which are or will be available on the SECs web site at http://www.sec.gov. Microbot Medical disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Investor Contact:

Michael PolyviouEVC Groupmpolyviou@evcgroup.com732-933-2754

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Microbot Medical Appoints the Co-Founder of Corindus Vascular Robotics to its Board of DirectorsVascular Interventions Executive Will Contribute...

Quantum physicists say time travelers don’t have to worry about the butterfly effect – The Next Web

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What if I told you all your favorite time-travel films and books were actually created by big tech in order to wrest control of the time-travel industry from the proletariat?

Think about it. Back to the Future, The Terminator, The Time Machine, all of these stories share a central theme where traveling through time is a dangerous proposition that could destroy the very fabric of our reality.

Its called the butterfly effect. The big idea is that youd step out of your time travel machine and accidentally step on a bug. Because this bug doesnt exist maybe a frog goes hungry and dies. And maybe that frog was supposed to hop on a sabre-tooth tigers face at exactly the right moment so the cave person from which our greatest leader will descend can escape death.

But you just had to time travel didnt you? Now, because that bug is dead, the cave man didnt live and our planet is a nuclear wasteland when you return to the present.

[Read:This quantum physics breakthrough could be the origin story for time travel]

Speaking of nuclear wastelands, a team of scientists from the Los Alamos National Laboratory recently conducted a time travel simulation on IBMs quantum computer. And what they determined is that all those Hollywood fear mongers are full of it.

Per a press release from the lab, one of the studys coauthors, theoretical physicist Nikolai Sinitsyn, said:

On a quantum computer, there is no problem simulating opposite-in-time evolution, or simulating running a process backwards into the past. So we can actually see what happens with a complex quantum world if we travel back in time, add small damage, and return. We found that our world survives, which means theres no butterfly effect in quantum mechanics.

We cant actually travel back in time, but what we can do is simulate how systems react to perturbances with benefit of hindsight. And the reason we can do this is because quantum computers can travel back in time.

What makes quantum computers so special is that theyre capable of producing all outcomes simultaneously. With a classical computer, for example, we use binary bits to process data by switching resistors on and off. Quantum computers use qubits though. And qubits can be on, off, both, or neither all at the same time. So, if we want to solve a really complex problem we can run it through a quantum computer and get all the answers at once rather than running it through a classical computer multiple times with different parameters to achieve diverse predictions when an outcome is uncertain.

Thats a long-winded way of saying quantum computers can reverse-engineer the past to determine exactly how things in a given system would have unfolded had something else happened.

This doesnt mean we can finally solve the JFK assassination, that version of the past is a closed system that we currently dont have access to. But we can create an open system and give the quantum computer access to it via simulation so that it can determine all the different ways things can play out over time.

Quick take: Whats most interesting here is that the simulation itself works as a bit of a quantum mechanics detector.

We know that classical systems suffer from the butterfly effect. Dont believe me? Go back about 10 code commits and start randomly changing things and then generate new code from the flawed version and see how that works out for your next software build.

Sinitsyn and his coauthor Bin Yan tested their quantum mechanics hypothesis out with help from IBMs cloud-based Q system. Per the Los Alamos press release:

To test the butterfly effect in quantum systems, Yan and Sinitsyn used theory and simulations with the IBM-Q quantum processor to show how a circuit could evolve a complex system by applying quantum gates, with forwards and backwards cause and effect.

According to the researchers, the butterfly effect doesnt affect the quantum world so its existence can effectively determine whether a system is classical or quantum in nature.

We can certainly assume that any form of time travel involving human temporal displacement will rely on quantum mechanics unless of course we turn out to be binary constructs trapped within a simulation ourselves.

And that means, unless were in the Matrix, Marty McFly and John Connor were just propaganda meant to scare us regular folk off from using time machines at our leisure. Even Ashton Kutcher lied to us. Butterfly effect schmutterfly effect.

You can read the full study here.

H/t: ScienceAlert

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Quantum physicists say time travelers don't have to worry about the butterfly effect - The Next Web

Trinity College Dublin: UK collaboration awarded 1.6 million to unveil the secrets of quantum thermodynamics – Science Business

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Thermodynamics is one of the pillars of natural sciences: it studies the way energy is exchanged between bodies at different temperature, predicts the likeliness of certain chemical reactions, and explains why even the most energy-efficient engine will always produce waste.

However, what happens when the processes of interest involve systems as simple as electrons, atoms or simple molecules?

For such nanoscale building blocks of matter, the laws of physics that we experience in the everyday world are no longer valid, and quantum mechanics come into play. Therefore, to provide an accurate description of energy-exchange processes occurring at microscopic scales, thermodynamics has to be blended with the quantum framework.

Such new avenues of investigation promise to deliver minuscule devices able to make use of the counter-intuitive laws of quantum mechanics to outperform their classical counterparts. Miniaturised to only handfuls of atoms, these machines hold the promise of offering highly efficient ways of generating power, managing heat flows and recovering wasted energy in wide-ranging technologies, from microprocessors to chemical reactions.

The UK-Irish consortium QuamNESS, which comprises researchers at the University of Bristol, Queens University Belfast, and Trinity, will address this challenging perspective. By developing novel mathematical tools and powerful simulation methods the fundamental principles governing the performance of the smallest possible engines will be revealed.

Supported by a large EPSRC-SFI grant, in excess of 1.6 million, the QuamNESS team will work towards a fully fledged understanding of how to engineer new technologies that benefit from super-efficient (quantum-enhanced) thermal management.

Technology is being miniaturised at an unprecedented rate and we can no longer ignore the counterintuitive effects of quantum mechanics, said Dr John Goold, Assistant Professor in Trinitys School of Physics and founder of the QuSys group.

This leads to both deep and pragmatic scientific questions that this research will aim to address and I am extremely excited about the opportunity to work with both Professor Paternostro (QUB) and Dr Stephen Clark (UOB) since they are two of my most longstanding collaborators. More importantly this research award represents an important and natural reinforcement of both Irish-UK and North-South research collaborations in the post Brexit environment.

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Trinity College Dublin: UK collaboration awarded 1.6 million to unveil the secrets of quantum thermodynamics - Science Business

Letters To Editor: August 5, 2020 – The Rhino Times of Greensboro – The Rhino TImes

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The Postal Service Is Not A Business

Dear Editor,

FYI, the book 1984, along with Atlas Shrugged and Animal Farm should be on the reading list for ALL Americans. Atlas Shrugged is a huge book, full of wordy paragraphs a slog at times. You can listen to this book much more easily.

The best movie version of 1984, starring Richard Burton and John Hurt, is now playing on one of the streaming pay TV networks. Even if you have read the book, this is a must-see. The opening scenes of massed people gathered to ridicule opposing views and stonewall other opinions by shouting en masse, big, big, big, big, big, big (Brother) draws chilling congruence to leftist Brown Shirt street tactics. This book is not an attack on the Democrat Party, but an expos on Big Brother socialism.

On another subject, I recently received a priority mail flat rate box (2-day delivery) shipped from West Palm Beach, FL. Received after 12 days in transit. Five of those days residing at the USPS sorting facility near the Greensboro airport. Conversely, I received a first class letter from Boone, NC, the day after it was mailed less than 24 hours.

When the pandemic began, people began to shop on line v/s visiting the stores. This put a severe strain on all the shipping services. FedEx has reacted by simply going bad. FedEx lost one of my packages; you cannot get them on the phone, they literally dont want to talk to you. The local reps dont have a clue. FedEx also took six days to deliver an overnight letter, then rubbed salt in the wound by charging me $36 to not do so. They wont do that to me again.

Rather than stomp and holler, I went to a couple of post offices to find out what is going on. So straight from the firing line, this is what is going on with the USPS. When the on-line biz picked up, USPS could not train new employees (who might be temps) quickly enough, so the employees worked overtime to get the mails delivered a little slower, but OK.

The problem begins with the new postmaster general, Mr. Louis DeJoy, appointed to the post in June 2020. Mr. Dejoy is a trustee at Elon University and was in private business for companies such as New Breed Logistics and XPO Logistics for 35 years. The statement from the USPS website says that Mr. DeJoy has committed to creating a long-term, viable operating model for the Postal Service that will ensure the organization can fulfill its public service mission while remaining self-sustaining.

This statement proves the problem as related to me by several of his employees in Greensboro. The terms public service mission and self-sustaining are incongruent. To his credit, Mr. DeJoy is trying to run the USPS as a profitable business. The USPS is a service, not a business.

Anyone alive knows that our government does not make money. It does not live within its means. For 55 cents, you can send a first class letter to anywhere in the U.S. and possessions (Guam, W. Somoa). Letters have to be sorted numerous times, and gathered and delivered by hand. 55 cents is a bargain, for the simple reason that it costs a lot more than that to process the letter.

What Mr. DeJoy has done is to eliminate and curtail overtime pay for the employees in order to reduce costs. So whether the mail is processed or not, at the end of the day, work stops. Would you work for your employer for free? Should you? The USPS is a service, not a business.

Miller Forester

Black Lives Matter Both Concept And Organization

Dear Editor,

Black lives matter. All lives add value to this world. All lives matter equally. The problem at hand is partially due to using the term Black Lives Matter to both describe a concept and name an organization. Disagreeing with the organization does not equal disagreeing with the concept. Most group opponents openly support the concept. However, individuals disagreeing with the group have faced false accusations of racism.

To encourage a difficult conversation, here are several criticisms of the loosely organized Black Lives Matter group.

1) Stop and frisk policies caused devastating mistrust of police in the African American community. However, the BLM group over demanded. It crossed the line from a defensive to an offensive group. It has morphed into an antiestablishment, anti-police, anti-constitutional rights, and antigovernment organization. Two wrongs remain two wrongs.

2) The group leveraged confusion between concept and group to force support and punish disagreement.

3) It is dangerous to attack individuals for saying all lives matter. The term implies equality not racism. Black lives are included within all lives matter. Supporting all lives supports black lives. If you truly support equality, you must believe that we are equally capable of good as well as bad acts. If you believe we are all capable of graduating from college given environmental factors, you must also believe that we are capable of committing crimes given environmental factors. If you believe everyone are capable of good but only that other group is capable of bad, we risk defensiveness crossing over to offensiveness. We all risk being both abused by and abusers of racism. By becoming angered over all lives matter comments, increasing extremism risks crossing into racist ideology. We must all worry about extremism crossing the line into racism/discrimination. No one is immune. The individuals demanding only Black Lives Matter comments demand support for the organization not the concept.

4) The groups extremism increases tensions increasing threat to all sides. Fear and animosity has been heightened. Today, when police stop citizens, both sides become defensive. Both sides misinterpret the others defensiveness as offensiveness. This will only escalate tensions resulting in greater number of painful outcomes. In order to truly fix this situation, all sides must be listened to and understanding of the other attempted. After all, we are all, ALL, capable of mistakes. Demanding understanding without offering the same only amplifies distrust.

Alan Burke

Be Careful Of Propaganda From Both Sides

Dear Editor,

propaganda

Propaganda has been going on sense man developed speaking, reading, and writing. It has always been a very valuable tool used for good and bad. Advertising is probably the single largest use ever.

If you are paying close attention to what is being written and said you will spot the subtle use of words and phrases that other people begin using in any conversation on the subject. The best, most obvious example is where members of the media who are graduates of the Joseph Goebbels School of Journalism have managed to insert the word troops in place of the word agents when talking about federal law enforcement across the country. This allows the segue into the other lie about having federal troops on the streets of American cities

Goebbels is often credited with being the originator of the following;

If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.

In this example, the State is replaced by the collective leftist, Marxist/communist, socialist, anarchist groups being given cover and support by the (National Socialist) Democrat party.

They are able to get away with this because not enough people do actual comparative research. Too many people simply accept what they read and hear without challenging it, without looking at other sources and what they have to say. These are the people that help to spread the propaganda. And I will point out that that applies to both sides. There are those organizations on the extreme right and some that are truly racist that are as bad.

There is nothing wrong with being a little bit cynical. It keeps you safe and healthy. And it helps to make for a better, stronger America.

Dont buy into the B.S. Do your research before you vote.

Alan Marshall

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Letters To Editor: August 5, 2020 - The Rhino Times of Greensboro - The Rhino TImes

Southwestern Vermont Health Care wins two regional marketing awards – Vermont Biz

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Vermont Business Magazine The Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) Marketing and Communications Department has received two prestigious regional healthcare communications awards from the New England Society for Healthcare Communications for work produced during 2019.

SVHC earned a Silver Lamplighter Award for its SVMC Orthopedics Restoring Active Lifestyles Campaign and the distinction of Excellence for the Memorable Moments for Colon Cancer Screening Awareness Campaign.

Each of the entries consisted of many parts, including outreach events, advertisements, mailers, social media posts, and e-mail communications.

The 2020 competition totaled 285 entries in each of more than 20 healthcare marketing and public relations categories from hospitals in all six New England States, including large academic medical centers and those in metropolitan areas. They are judged by a panel of healthcare marketing experts.

About:

Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is a comprehensive, preeminent, health care system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVHC includes Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, and the SVHC Foundation. SVMC includes 25 primary and specialty care practices. For more information, visit svhealthcare.org.

Source: BENNINGTON, VTAugust 6, 2020The Southwestern Vermont Health Care 8.6.2020

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Southwestern Vermont Health Care wins two regional marketing awards - Vermont Biz

NASCAR haulers salute to health care workers – WLNS

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Posted: Aug 6, 2020 / 05:36 PM EDT / Updated: Aug 6, 2020 / 05:36 PM EDT

A fleet of fast cars, and big trucks drove down Michigan avenue in Jackson today. It was all done by Nascar, and the Michigan International Speedway to honor the health care workers fighting on the front lines at Henry Ford Allegiance Health.

The President of Michigan International Speedway says, they wanted to say thank you in their own unique way.

Just appreciation really. I mean at the end of the day this thing effects everybody differently, and is effecting all of us in one way or another, so just to have an opportunity to create something thats a little different, that didnt happen yesterday, and wont happen tomorrow, and say thank you, said President of Michigan International Speedway, Rick Brenner.

The hospital says, the past few months have been a challenge as they shifted gears like never before, but to see that the community has their back is extra special.

Having this parade means a ton, and we are deeply grateful. The staff really does appreciate being recognized. They work tirelessly taking care of patients, and any support they get is greatly appreciated, said Chief Medical Officer at Henry Ford Allegiance Health, Mark Smith.

Its that support that the hospital workers say keeps them going as they ramp up again to fight Covid-19.

They know that is means something. They are helping patients, and using this support getting a free lunch that means a ton to those workers, said Smith.

Michigan Speedway says, they hope that next year these health care workers can celebrate their hard work in person at next years races.

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NASCAR haulers salute to health care workers - WLNS

Stanford Health Care introduces new, less invasive treatment for benign thyroid nodules – Stanford Medical Center Report

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This new treatment is a very good option for people, like Sarah, who have these hormone-secreting nodules called toxic nodules, Noel said. It can also prevent cosmetic problems or possible future discomfort.

OBrien said she suffered with symptoms of irritability, hot flashes and anxiety for about a year after the car crash before she finally realized the nodules in her neck were causing these symptoms.

Im usually a bubbly, happy person, she said. But the irritability started to interfere with my marriage and my patience with my two kids. And I was hot, hot, hot. To the point where I wanted to scream. So I started going to see doctors.

They told me they needed to take my thyroid out, she said. But I was scared to take out something that should be there.

For years she prayed for healing, then, last year, she joined a support group on Facebook for people with benign thyroid nodules where she learned about a new procedure called radio-frequency ablation.

The procedure, which was led by surgeonLisa Orloff, MD, professor of otolaryngology, with Noel assisting, took less than an hour. There was no overnight stay in the hospital, and she went home to recover that same day.

I was awake for the whole procedure, she said. There was some pressure, but not really any pain.

OBrien had two toxic nodules treated out of a total of five benign tumors on her thyroid. The first was fully ablated, and the second reduced in size. Immediately, the size of the goiter on her neck was significantly smaller, she said. Further gradual shrinkage can be expected for up to 12 months from the time of the surgery.

I could see that notch in my neck, she said, referring to her Adams apple. I had kind of missed it.

The other changes came a bit more slowly over the early weeks as she began to heal, she said. First, the hot flashes began to lessen in both intensity and frequency. She found herself wearing blankets at night for the first time in years, even putting on a sweater when she went out for a walk. Also, the overproduction of hormones has begun to level out.

There are no more hot flashes, she said. Im still struggling with up and down mood swings, but Im going on walks every night with my kids, pulling them in a wagon that my aunt bought them. Im a new mom.

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Stanford Health Care introduces new, less invasive treatment for benign thyroid nodules - Stanford Medical Center Report

Wayne employee receives national healthcare honor – The Daily Advocate

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GREENVILLE Local girl makes good, is certainly an accurate description of Kim Freemans professional journey. Now, she has another distinction to add to her already impressive list of accomplishments.

For the past nine years, Kim has served as Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Wayne HealthCare. In addition to ensuring that the patient experience remains a top priority at Wayne, shes also responsible for providing operational and strategic direction to the hospitals clinical departments.

Recently, Kim, a lifelong resident of Arcanum, earned the distinction of becoming a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), which is the nations leading professional society of healthcare leaders. The designation represents achievement and professional development of the highest standard, and only a few thousand healthcare executives have earned the FACHE certification.

Kim is a tremendous asset to Wayne HealthCare and our community, said Wayne Deschambeau, President and CEO of Wayne HealthCare. Kim joined Wayne HealthCare in 2001 as an RN and progressed rapidly to roles of increasing responsibility. In 2008, she was promoted to Director of Nursing before being named to the positions she holds today.

Achieving FACHE credentialing isnt easy and can be a long, slow process. Youve got to work very hard, fulfill multiple requirements and then pass a rigorous and comprehensive examination before earning a FACHE certification. But, Kim stayed the course, and her dedication demonstrates her commitment to providing high-quality care to our patients and the communities we serve, added Deschambeau.

Kim is quick to point out that she wouldnt be where she is today if it werent for the numerous individuals who mentored her, believed in her, and helped prepare her for her current responsibilities. Chief among those who she credits with helping her is Sharon Wright. Wright is now retired, but she was Kims advisor when Kim signed up to volunteer as a candy striper at Wayne HealthCare 25 years ago.

You could say thats when my career in healthcare began, said Kim. Sharon lit a fire in me and encouraged me and the other candy stripers to continue our education and come back to the hospital as healthcare professionals and serve our community. That struck a chord with me and all these years later, thats exactly what Im doing. So, thank you, Sharon, for believing in me and getting me started on my professional journey.

Despite her extremely busy schedule, Kim sets aside time to mentor others, including some of her colleagues at Wayne HealthCare. She hopes that she and others like her will serve as inspiration to other girls and boys who, like she once did, dream of one day becoming doctors, nurses or other healthcare professionals.

What advice would I give young people? Believe in yourself, work hard, find a mentor, and remember determination and perseverance will help you withstand whatever storms come your way, added Kim. Apart from that, I want to challenge them that when they graduate and are considering where to live and work to remember Darke County and Wayne HealthCare because there are a lot of tremendous opportunities right here in our community!

Kim lives in Arcanum with her husband, Brad, and their three children.

Located in Greenville, Ohio, Wayne HealthCare is a nationally-ranked and recognized not-for-profit acute care hospital that provides inpatient and outpatient services to individuals from birth to geriatrics. In 2020, the hospital received a five-star quality rating, the highest ranking any hospital can receive, from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and it received an A grade for patient safety by the Leapfrog Group. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.waynehealthcare.org

Recently, Kim Freeman earned the distinction of becoming a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), which is the nations top professional society of healthcare leaders.

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Wayne employee receives national healthcare honor - The Daily Advocate

Why Now Is The Time to Reimagine Healthcare Through Technology – HIT Consultant

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Jeff Fallon, CEO, eVideon

It wasnt that long ago that people went to the bank on a Friday to cash their paper paychecks. Maybe theyd put some in checking and take some out in cash. Theyd go to the grocery store over the weekend and maybe write one of those checks. Everyone always had to have a pen with them.

It wasnt that long ago that people would call the ticket agent and discuss flight options for vacation. Theyd send a paper ticket in the mail. When it was time to go, people would carry that ticket with them through the airport and onto the plane. (Of course, people could also keep their shoes on and could bring as much shampoo as their heart desired).

It wasnt that long ago that if someone needed surgery, theyd have to call to schedule it. The hospital would call again the day before to tell them what time to come. People would travel there, fill out a bunch of paperwork, and be wheeled around to several different areas and talk to several different people. Eventually, theyd wake up post-surgery in a hallway with a bunch of other people and hopefully a family member. Theyd wheel the person to their room where theyd have a small TV for entertainment, a dry erase board with some names on it and maybe the room number, and a stack of papers on the bedside table cafeteria menus, instructions, important phone numbers and the like.

Oh wait that time is now.

Better, more convenient systems are a no brainer for industries like banking and travel, but the hospital experience is still rife with paper handouts, basic cable packages, and manual dry erase boards with markers that dont work half the time. Patients shouldnt settle for that, and in this era when COVID-19 has led healthcare to embrace lots of other conveniences (like telehealth for remote doctors appointments), they wont settle for it anymore.

Imagine a new kind of hospital room. While nobody should take a patients TV away, theres so much more that can be done with patient TV. Most people have smart TVs in their homes that serve as a complete hub for their entertainment. Add a smartphone to the mix, and people can do nearly anything from their couch. A hospital bed should be no different.

Since EMRs became mandatory years ago, hospitals have relied on them as the source of truth for patient records and information. But EMRs paired with additional technology can do so much more. Now, hospitals can pull information from the EMR to personalize the patient experience. Imagine a hospital room TV greeting you by name with soothing music and welcoming imagery. Imagine the pillow speaker handset transforming into a smart TV remote where you can peruse movies on demand, live TV, or Netflix. Take it a step further imagine that TV can talk to your EMR, so you can watch educational content just for you based on your condition, so you can learn about your care, treatment, and how to recover when you go home.

Imagine adding more systems. Integrate dietary systems (in concert with the EMR) to let patients order their meals without sifting through paper and dialing phone numbers as they do at home when theyre using DoorDash. Imagine letting patients dim the lights, request a blanket, or turn the thermostat up if theyre cold, without climbing out of bed and risking a fall. Imagine letting patients use their phones to input important information for the care team to know, or to video chat with a visitor, even during a pandemic when in-person visits arent allowed even if the person on the other end doesnt have a Zoom account or an iPhone for FaceTime.

Imagine never seeing a dry erase board in a patient room again. Instead, a digital display automatically updates with all the patients latest information, based on whats in the EMR.

Imagine up-to-the-minute precautions displayed instantly and digitally outside each patients room so care teams know what PPE they need before they go in.

Technology exists to do all these things. The early adopters are already seeing increased patient satisfaction scores that seem to consistently climb. Beyond that, especially now when nurse retention and preventing care team burnout are paramount, these technologies alleviate the burden on them. Streamlining, digitizing, and virtualizing all aspects of care and a patients time in the hospital benefits staff, too. When nurses dont have to search all over to find markers that work or run back and forth to the printer to get pages of hand-outs for patients, they can spend more quality face time with patients and operate at top of license.

When patient education is delivered in the right way, at the right time to the bedside, youre not just saving printer paper youre giving patients the tools to succeed at home and avoid costly readmissions. Its time to reimagine healthcare, and theres no better time than now when the window to adopt new technology is wide open.

About Jeff Fallon

Jeff Fallon brings over 30 years of experience in healthcare technology, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and diagnostics to eVideon as their Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining eVideon, he helped distinguished organizations such as Johnson & Johnson and patient experience technology companies forge innovative strategic relationships and strategies.

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Why Now Is The Time to Reimagine Healthcare Through Technology - HIT Consultant

Album Premiere and Interview: Vassafor ‘To the Death’ – decibelmagazine.com

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The obsidian roots of New Zealand extreme metal duo Vassafor reach back to the mid-90s. But founding auteur VK has always intended the project to exist outside of time. Vassafor has never chased time-stamped trends or softened their edges to be more palatable. When Vassafor returned from hibernation in 2005, it began a flurry of merciless releases that treated black metal like a living canvas. VKs vision for the band is uncompromising and as distinct as the stench of dead vermin that wafts from their stage shows. Now three years after their Malediction LP theyre releasing To the Death. Decibel Magazine invites you to listen to the albums exclusive stream before its released on August 7th.

It only takes a few seconds for the opening title track to swirl into full fury. Vassafor then retreat from the cacophony to cast moonlight on drummer BPs war toms. With its abrupt and impish songwriting decisions, To the Death continuously toys with expectations. Some passages seem impenetrable; a blur of blasts and distorted notes cannibalizing each other. But seven minutes into the record Vassafor unchain their first scorched headbanging riff. And thats not an anomaly; they use guitar hooks as gateways to lure the listener deeper into the record. The album is inventive yet intoxicating in a way that satisfies the basest hungers of extreme music. Contagious melodies, aggression, worm-infested groovesTo the Death has them all. But its still a fiercely unpredictable record that could probably open mind-portals to demonic lucid dreams.

The intricate ripping of Egregore Rising is punctuated with sky-stabbing solos that strike like red lightning. Eyrie begins with dizzying black-thrash before conjuring haunted melodies from a distant burial mound. To the bands bewilderment, Vassafors music is sometimes described as death/doom. With its cataclysmic atmospheres and brooding pacing, The Burning thyr occasionally suits that genre tag. But even that song kicks into a hunting sprint like its closing in on prey. At 66 minutes of length, To the Death is a punishing test of endurance. Its dense and thickly layered. But its not chaotic, because theres nothing random about Vassafors acts of violence. Even a labyrinthine closer like Singularity follows the songs rotten corridors to a destination that seems predestined. To the Death is a work of wild-blooded passion that feels even more vast than its run-time suggests.

Succumb to Vassafors emanations from the abyss and stream To the Death below. Scroll further and read an interview with Vassafor about the albums creative gestation and humanitys lack of pandemic enlightenment. But first, press play NOW.

Were there any songwriting or sound adjustments you wanted to make for To the Death after releasing Malediction in 2017?

VK: Yes and no. While we were satisfied with Malediction (and still are!), [drummer] Ben and I really wanted to have an album that was unequivocally Black Metal. We seem to get labelled Death/Doom a lot, which seems random from our perspective. Although Black Metal is in my mind defined by lyrical content rather than guitar tone or vocal style, we figured it couldnt hurt to really deliver our idea of what BM is in 2020. So that was something we actually talked about after Malediction was out and the dust settled. I try to limit conscious decision making in the writing process until having the song in its most primitive form take shape and demoed. Then comes the time to revise and try out different parts if it does seem to flow well enough, or if riffs dont feel quite right. Often this is the period where songs get trimmed down. Ridiculous as it might seem, often these proto-stages of the songs can be much much longer than the final version

Considering their complexity and density, did any of the songs on To the Death have a gestation period that began before Malediction?

VK: Actually, all but one song came after Malediction was out. The title track To The Death was being worked during the mix and mastering period of Malediction, but the others all flowed out afterwards, and in fact very easily. However there is still that gestation as we demo our songs (sometimes several times) to try and hone more detail and work out how to get more from each song and keep it singular other than falling into the same sounds and shapes as the rest of the songs it is next too. Each song has to work on its own terms, as well as alongside the rest of the album tracks. We have a very easy way of putting music together by now though. Not surprising since Ben has been dealing with my method of writing since he joined over 12 years ago now. To The Death is much more collaborative between the 2 of us than earlier records were

Your lyrics and stage shows have long shown a veneration for death, and this albums title continues that motif. Do you think the pandemic is a learning opportunity for humanity to confront mortality in a meaningful, introspective way?

VK: Being at this stage of 2020 the one thing you can be sure of is that the majority of the worlds population seem to have learned absolutely nothing due to this virus, same as the great unwashed are willfully ignorant in normal times. The only constant is change, and if someone hasnt the eyes to see or ears to hear then they are perfectly in sync with the rest of the herd. As they deserve. As much as the masses cant bare to think of their own mortality, Death is the only absolute we all share. I guess we are like the opposite of a vampyric BM band haha. No one is coming back, not in the physical state anyway

What do you have planned for Vassafor for the rest of 2020 and beyond?

VK: 2020 had some great plans that had to fall to the wayside, but releasing the album was our top priority. That it is released peak period (so far anyway!) of pandemic yet will still be available on release day from Iron Bonehead in Europe and NWN in US and from our site Obsidian Reliquary for NZ/Australia still, despite the chaos, is a testament to our collective will power to make it happen. People can wallow in the state of things, or take charge and make things happen, to whatever degree possible. Manifestation of our will IS the core of what we have always preached. And so we are able to perform several release gigs here in New Zealand with our allies Ulcerate the day after our release on August 8th in Auckland and the following week on August 15th in Wellington. Considering the circumstances that is pretty good. But plans are afoot to terrorize further shores when or even if circumstances change and our border reopens. But in the meantime, the music still flows out and more songs are already taking shape. To quote the Vulcano song, The Evil ALWAYS returns. Hail Satan!

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Album Premiere and Interview: Vassafor 'To the Death' - decibelmagazine.com

Cannabis Countdown: Top 10 Marijuana And Psychedelics Industry News Stories Of The Week – Yahoo Finance

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Welcome to theCannabis Countdown. In This Weeks Edition, We Recap and Countdown the Top 10 Marijuana and Psychedelics Industry News Stories for the Week of July 27th August 2nd, 2020.

Without further ado,lets get started.

*Yahoo Finance readers, pleaseclick here to view full article.

10. Discovering New Physical Connections in the Brain About How Psychedelics Work

Ego-Death Has Many Definitions and Means Different Things to Different People Once They Have a Psilocybin-Induced Experience

One of the outcomes that is still not fully understood in usingPsilocybinin psychotherapy is the Ego-Death or Ego-Dissolution experience of those who take it during a controlled therapy session. It is this experience that has profoundly changed lives.

READ FULL EGO DEATH ARTICLE

9. 2020 Cannabis Sales Surpass 2019 Despite Pandemic, Report Finds

The State of the Cannabis Industry 2020 Reviews Data Points Around B2B Ordering, Consumer Preferences, Purchasing Habits and Human Resources Management

After the largest spike, shown in 4/20, sales stabilized as states deemed dispensaries essential. This stabilization, however, settled at much higher rates than the previous year, from late April through May and the first part of June.

READ FULL 2020 CANNABIS SALES ARTICLE

8. The Resurgence of Medicalization and Why Thats a Good Thing for Psychedelics

Should Drugs Be Considered as Treatments for All Types of Newly Outlined Nonmedical Human Health and Wellness Issues, Including Mental Health?

What needs to happen is more of a dialogue globally on why thesePsychedelicscan be medicines and why they can be beneficial to society, based on science and data, JR Rahn, founder and CEO ofMindMed (OTCQB: MMEDF).

READ FULL MEDICALIZATION PSYCHEDELICS ARTICLE

7. U.S. Cannabis Industrys Economic Impact Could Hit 0 Billion by 2024

Marijuana Businesses Could Pump up to $130 Billion Annually into the U.S. Economy by 2024, a Staggering Figure That Highlights the True Reach of the Nations Cannabis Industry

Estimates published in the newly releasedMarijuana Business Factbookshow the total economic impact of legal cannabis sales increasing from $38 billion-$46 billion in 2019 to $106 billion-$130 billion by 2024 a 181% increase.

READ FULL U.S. CANNABIS INDUSTRY ARTICLE

6. Magic Mushrooms Have Been Consumed for Centuries. Heres Why

Most Study Participants Said They Would Want to Take Psilocybin Again

Psilocybin, the active substance inMagic Mushrooms, has been consumed for centuries, although it does not seem to exhibit the same addictive traits as other psychoactive substances. According to a new study, users seek psilocybin for its ability to produce unique changes in the human conscious experience, giving rise to meaning, insight, the experience of beauty and mystical-type effects.

READ FULL MAGIC MUSHROOMS ARTICLE

5. House Votes to Protect State Marijuana Laws From Federal Interference

The House of Representatives on Thursday Voted in Favor of an Amendment to Protect All State, Territory and Tribal Marijuana Programs From Federal Interference

The measure, which would prevent the Department of Justice from using its funds toimpede the implementation of cannabis legalization laws, passed in a 254-163 vote on the floor. Earlier in the day, it had been approved in an initial voice vote.

READ MARIJUANA VOTE ARTICLE

4. Psilocybin & OCD: Can Psychedelics Treat Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

A New Review From Neuroethicist Eddie Jacobs is Suggesting Psilocybin May Have Great Potential as a Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Jacobs, from Kings College London and the University of Oxford, says it is surprising how little focus has been on the therapeutic potential ofPsilocybinin treating OCD, and he points to a number of new clinical trials that are finally exploring this promising treatment.

READ FULL PSYCHEDELICS OCD ARTICLE

3. The Pandemic is Eating Away at the Illicit Marijuana Market

Legal Sales Have Boomed Since March, Though its Hard to Say How Many Customers Previously Bought From Illegal Dealers

The legal marijuana industry has spent years battling illegal sellers who have eaten away at its market share and undercut its prices. But the coronavirus has proven to be a boon for legal pot shops, as customers fear the risks associated with inhaling questionable products and are nervous about letting sellers into their homes.

Story continues

READ FULL CANNABIS MARKET ARTICLE

2. Election 2020: Oregon Psilocybin and Drug Decriminalization Initiatives Guide

The Latest News on IP 34 and IP 44, Oregons Drug Reform Initiatives

Oregonvoters could break new ground in drug reform this November, as they will consider a measure to legalize the medical use ofPsilocybinand a measure to decriminalize all drug possession.

READ FULL OREGON REFORM ARTICLE

1. Senator Files New Bill to Federally Legalize Marijuana and Regulate it Like Tobacco

A Democratic Senator Filed a New Bill to Federally Legalize Marijuana on Thursday, Creating Yet Another Potential Avenue Through Which Congress Could Enact the Policy Change

This piece of legislation, sponsored by Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and direct several federal agencies to develop regulations for the plant.

READ FULL MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION ARTICLE

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Cannabis Countdown: Top 10 Marijuana And Psychedelics Industry News Stories Of The Week - Yahoo Finance

MindMed engages renowned psychedelic-assisted therapy expert Dr Peter Gasser as an advisor to its LSD experiential therapy program Project Lucy -…

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Gasser has pioneered the legal, medical use of psychedelics through clinical research and compassionate access in Switzerland and has served as the President of the Swiss Medical Society for Psycholytic Therapy since 1997

Mind Medicine (MindMed) Inc. (), the leading psychedelic pharmaceutical company, has engaged renowned psychedelic-assisted therapy expert Dr Peter Gasser as an advisor to its LSD experiential therapy program Project Lucy.

Gasser has pioneered the legal, medical use of psychedelics through clinical research and compassionate access in Switzerland. He has served as the President of the Swiss Medical Society for Psycholytic Therapy since 1997.

Through compassionate access in Switzerland, Dr Gasser holds several individual treatment permissions to treat patients with MDMA and LSD.

Gasser and University Hospital Basel's Dr Matthias Liechti are conducting a Phase 2 trial of LSD assisted therapy for anxiety disorders. MindMed previously acquired the exclusive license to this ongoing Phase 2 trial through its collaboration agreement with the University Hospital Basel.

MindMed's Project Lucy intends to start a Phase 2b human efficacy trial that will focus on experiential doses of LSD to treat anxiety disorders administered by a therapist.

In a statement, MindMed co-founder and co-CEO JR Rahn commented: "Dr Gasser is one of the leading global experts on psychedelic assisted therapy and it's an honor for us to work together as we build Project Lucy into a world class commercial drug development program.

"Dr Gasser's vast experience and history treating patients as a therapist through compassionate access in Switzerland also interests the company and will have tremendous benefits to our patients."

Gasser helped pioneer compassionate access for end of life psychedelic assisted therapy in Switzerland. This week, the Canadian health minister approved compassionate access of psilocybin assisted therapy for terminally ill patients.

Rahn added: "Health Canada's recognition that psychedelic substances have medicinal value and potential benefit for patients is extremely encouraging for all of us in the psychedelic inspired medical space.

It takes a village of dedicated government officials, scientists, therapists and entrepreneurs to make impactful change for patients, and we hope additional clinical trials will compel regulators to further allow psychedelic inspired medicines to help the millions of patients suffering from mental health and addiction."

MindMed is a neuro-pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and deploys psychedelic-inspired medicines to improve health, promote wellness and alleviate suffering.

The company has initiated or is initiating studies to evaluate potential treatments to help patients with ADHD, anxiety, cluster headaches and substance abuse.

Contact the author at [emailprotected]

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MindMed engages renowned psychedelic-assisted therapy expert Dr Peter Gasser as an advisor to its LSD experiential therapy program Project Lucy -...

Online Andar Bahar – The Basics – Techstory

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Stepping into the world of online gambling can be a daunting proposition. With popular card-based games such as poker, blackjack and rummy, the prospect of putting your money up against veterans of the game can be unnerving. For the Indian gamer, looking for a close-to-home alternative to the popular games, there is an easily accessible alternative.

This is where Andhar Bahar comes in. With the charm and simplicity of a card game you played as a child, Andar Bahar is a great introduction to the world of online gambling. A game more or less decided on luck and 50/50 chance, youre less likely to find yourself intimidated by those more well versed in the game, leading to an enjoyable, heart racing gambling experience.

The Basics

The Andar Bahar game is one that finds its roots in India and has gradually grown in popularity. Though renowned for its simplicity, like all card games, there are basic rules essential to playing the right way.

The game is played with a single deck of cards, which is initially cut by the dealer, revealing an open card to the player. The player must then decide whether a card of the same value as the open card will appear on the left (Andar) or right (Bahar) side of the table. The dealer subsequently begins dealing the remaining deck on the left and right side of the table until a card of the same value as the open card appears. If the player has guessed right, and the card falls on the side he has chosen, he wins, whereas he loses in cases the card falls on the opposite side.

It is worth noting that if the first card drawn in black, the dealer starts dealing on the left side, and when the first card is red, the dealer starts on the right. When it comes to payouts, the rules of the game dictate that if the winning card appears on the same side at which the first card was dealt, the payout is 90%, whereas if it appears on the opposite side, the payout is 100%.

Getting Started Online

Now that you know how to play the game, the next step is to find out what format of Online Andar Bahar suits your taste. One of the selling points of this game is that its truly portable, playable on your smartphone, pc, laptop or tablet, while on the go. Much like many other card-based alternatives, Andar Bahar is playable through a live format. This involves a live dealer being streamed in real time. Bringing a more real-life casino experience to the table, Live Andar Bahar usually also allows you to converse and interact with the dealer, as well as other players. Popular iterations of the live Andar Bahar game can be with bets ranging between Rs.50 to 1 lakh.

For those more comfortable with the ensured randomness of software generated cards, the video alternative to the Andar Bahar game is just as easily available. Dictated by cheat-proof software, this format offers an extra level of security, especially to those new to the world of online casinos.

As mentioned before, Andar Bahar is a hassle-free alternative to more traditional card games. Whether youre starting out, or just looking for a break from blackjack and rummy, the simplicity of the game is undeniably attractive.

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Online Andar Bahar - The Basics - Techstory