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NASA, SpaceX Working On Refuelling Rockets In Space For Moon, Mars Mission – International Business Times

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Danzig

The collaboration between Elon Musk-led SpaceX and NASA is getting bigger and broader. The latest is a $3 million contract by NASA to expand on the technology concepts of spacecraft fuel refilling in low earth orbits pitched by SpaceX.

This is mainly for new generation spacecraft and rockets being developed for Mars and Lunar missions.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine recently had a joint press conference with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk where the impending SpaceX launch of Crew Dragon was discussed.

Bigger size and heavy payloads and hundreds of astronauts in the future will require orbital refueling as an important feature.

Musk is on record that SpaceX is developing the new technologies to dock two Starships together in orbit and transfer fuel to the one that will be going beyond low-Earth orbit, per SpaceX news.

According to Elon Musk, new generation spacecraft heading for the moon and other longer voyages like Mars the mission will need such mode of refueling in the low orbit around Earth.

Under the $3M contract, SpaceX will work with NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to build cryogenic fluid couplers. They are special nozzles Starship will need to refuel in orbit.

According to NASA news, SpaceX will work with NASA to build those nozzles Starship will use to mate and refuel in orbit.

The prototype of Starship being developed by SpaceX in Texas involves launching a stainless steel crewed craft atop a Super Heavy booster. Refueling that rocket around Earth orbit will be a high priority.

NASA announced a Tipping Point funding on September 27th with a corpus of $43.2 million that will be distributed among 14 companies.

The fund is focused on advancing important technologies necessary for the sustained exploration of the Moon and Mars.

Mars colonization plans intensified after the flow of data from Mars rovers sent by NASA.

In addition to SpaceX, AmazonBlue Origin also received funding. Fuel feed is required for Super Heavy as well as it must perform booster landings and needs propellant for a boost back and landing burns.

Starship is aiming to use an in-space propellant transfer to enable the delivery of over 100 tons of useful mass to the surface of the Moon or Mars. Pictured is the exterior of SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California as seen on July 22, 2018. Photo: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

Main challenge

Orbital refueling has never been tested on a bigger scale, speed, or reliability. That calls for Starship needing numerous in-orbit refuelings.

The transfer of fuel will have to be in the scale of at least 150 metric tons (330,000 lb) of liquid oxygen and methane in microgravity conditions at the LEO.

SpaceX hadSpace Act Agreements with NASA to develop orbital propellant transfer technology. The September 27th award expands that relationship with direct funding from NASA.

Mind-reading technology is everyone’s next big security nightmare – ZDNet

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Danzig

Technology allowing our thoughts and feelings to be translated into a digital form and shared is already a reality. Brain computer interfaces (BCI) allow us to connect our minds to computers for some limited purposes, and big tech companies including Facebook and many startups want to make this technology commonplace.

Managing AI and ML in the Enterprise

The AI and ML deployments are well underway, but for CXOs the biggest issue will be managing these initiatives, and figuring out where the data science team fits in and what algorithms to buy versus build.

For those of you terrified by the prospect of technology recording and broadcasting your opinions of the boss, your secret fears, or anything else relax.

At least, for now.

BCIs are currently not sophisticated enough to collect such granular information. The data they can gather is more based around measuring the physical movements people want to make or their emotional state. But, as machine-learning algorithms become more sophisticated and BCI hardware becomes more capable, it may be possible to read thoughts with greater precision.

SEE: How to implement AI and machine learning (ZDNet special report) | Download the report as a PDF (TechRepublic)

There are currently two approaches to connecting up the human brain to external computing systems, invasive and non-invasive.

Non-invasive systems read neural signals through the scalp, typically using EEG, the same technologies used by neurologists to interpret the brain's electrical impulses in order to diagnose epilepsy. Non-invasive systems can also transmit information back into the brain with techniques like transcranial magnetic stimulation, again already in use by medics.

Invasive systems, meanwhile, involve direct contact between the brain and electrodes, and are being used experimentally to help people that have experienced paralysis to operate prostheses, like robotic limbs, or to aid people with hearing or sight problems to recover some element of the sense they've lost.

Clearly, there are more immediate hazards to invasive systems: surgery always brings risks, particularly where the delicate tissue of the brain is concerned. So given the risks involved, why choose an invasive system over a non-invasive system why put electronics into your grey matter itself? As ever, there's a trade-off to be had. Invasive systems cut out the clutter and make it easier to decode what's going on in the brain.

Non-invasive systems use the likes of EEG to read brain activity, which need millions of neurones acting in sync with each other to give a usable idea of what's going on in the brain by creating a large enough electrical field that can be detected outside the surface of the scalp. But it's a very crude measure.

"It's the equivalent of standing outside a football stadium and trying to work out what's going on in the game just by listening to the cheers. You can get a picture of some of the big events, but it's difficult to get fine-grained information," says Ian Daly, lecturer at the University of Essex's School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering.

Invasive systems, however, are in direct contact with the neurones so even though they may only gather a signal from a hundred neurones, that signal is clear enough to give an insight into the thought process travelling through it.

Take Ian Burkhart, a man with paraplegia who regained some function of arms using a neurosleeve and software by US-based BCI company Battelle, as well as a Utah Array implanted into his brain. Typically, the thought required to move an arm is the job of thousands of neurones; Burkhart can move the Battelle system with just a few tens of neurones after training himself to use the system. "Our brain has 98 billion neurones, the motor cortex has 1.2 billion responsible for hand or limb movements. We are recording from less than 100," says Gaurav Sharma, senior research scientist at Battelle.

SEE: Mind-reading systems: Seven ways brain computer interfaces are already changing the world

To date, most uses of invasive systems have been aimed at helping people with paralysis to move their limbs once again; the greater risks of invasive systems can be worth the payoff for them.

As such, for consumer-tech applications, the short to medium term future of BCIs is likely to be non-invasive.

While non-invasive systems may not match the accuracy of their invasive counterparts, there are new technological avenues opening up that could help researchers level-up non-invasive systems. For example, progress in machine learning is helping scientists better separate the signals from the noise, meaning the accuracy of non-invasive systems will only increase in future.

As well as software improvements, additional scanning types are beginning to be used by BCI systems: focused ultrasound and transcranial direct-current stimulation, for example, might offer a new way to read brain signals.

Others believe that existing non-invasive technologies can deliver the same brain-reading capabilities as invasive systems at least when it comes to motor control.

New York-based CTRL Labs for example uses EMG (electromyography), which reads the electrical activity in skeletal muscle and is used by neurologists to detect nerve performance in the limbs and elsewhere. CTRL Labs makes wrist bands that measure electrical impulses, known as action potentials, in neurones within muscles, and models them in software. When you move your hand, the CTRL Labs system translates that as a hand movement, including its direction, strength and type. It was acquired by Facebook earlier this month.

"We believe that if what you're interested in doing is control you can get all the signal you want and get it more easily through non-invasive means", Adam Berenzweig, head of R&D at CTRL Labs, told ZDNet earlier this month.

"The signal you want is available on surface EMG if you do it well enough, and more than that, the signal is easier to get because in the cortex, all the billions of neurones in the brain are interfering and are noise," says Berenzweig. So if all you're interested in is picking up movement signals from the brain, in most people, non-invasive systems might still do the trick.

SEE: Facebook's 'mind-reading' tech startup deal could completely change how we control computers

While invasive systems will continue to be used by those with the greatest amount to gain from BCIs, such as people with spinal injuries or neurological conditions like Parkinson's disease, broader uptake among consumers is likely to be concentrated on non-invasive systems.

Because reading signals from the brain through the scalp requires direct contact between the skin and the electrodes, it makes unwanted reading of anyone's thoughts at source unlikely and highly noticeable you'd expect most people would be aware of a stranger unexpectedly touching their head, especially with a set of electrodes. Mind reading at source would be too easy to detect.

That said, once the data is collected by BCI and passed on to other software, it's just as secure as any other set of information. In the wake of many, many data breaches it's clear there are no guarantees that sensitive information is better protected than other kinds of data.

Finding out that your information has been accessed by a data breach is never pleasant, but that someone could have been browsing your thoughts patterns or emotional states? It doesn't bear thinking about.

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Mind-reading technology is everyone's next big security nightmare - ZDNet

Chinese snooping technology spreads to nations vulnerable to abuse – Press Herald

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Danzig

BELGRADE, Serbia When hundreds of video cameras with the power to identify and track individuals started appearing in the streets of Belgrade as part of a major surveillance project, some protesters began having second thoughts about joining anti-government demonstrations in the Serbian capital.

Local authorities assert the system, created by Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, helps reduce crime in the city of 2 million. Critics contend it erodes personal freedoms, makes political opponents vulnerable to retribution and even exposes the countrys citizens to snooping by the Chinese government.

The cameras, equipped with facial recognition technology, are being rolled out across hundreds of cities around the world, particularly in poorer countries with weak track records on human rights where Beijing has increased its influence through big business deals. With the United States claiming that Chinese state authorities can get backdoor access to Huawei data, the aggressive rollout is raising concerns about the privacy of millions of people in countries with little power to stand up to China.

The system can be used to trail political opponents, monitor regime critics at any moment, which is completely against the law, said Serbias former commissioner for personal data protection, Rodoljub Sabic.

Groups opposed to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic say police are leaking video of protests to pro-government media, which publish the images, along with the identities of participants. Vucic himself has boasted the police have the capability to count each head at anti-government gatherings. During a recent rally, protesters climbed up a pole and covered a camera lens with duct tape scrawled with the word censored.

Serbian police deny any such abuse of the Huawei system, which will eventually encompass 1,000 cameras in 800 locations throughout Belgrade. Huawei said in a statement that it complies with all applicable laws and regulations in Serbia and anywhere else it does business.

While facial recognition technology is being adopted in many countries, spurring debate over the balance between privacy and safety, the Huawei system has gained extra attention due to accusations that Chinese laws requiring companies to assist in national intelligence work give authorities access to its data.

As a result, some countries are reconsidering using Huawei technology, particularly the superfast 5G networks that are being rolled out later this year.

Still, Huawei, which denies accusations of any Chinese government control, has had no trouble finding customers eager to install its so-called Safe Cities technology, particularly among countries that China has brought closer into its diplomatic and economic orbit.

Besides Serbia, that list includes Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Angola, Laos, Kazakhstan, Kenya and Uganda, as well as a few liberal democracies like Germany, France and Italy. The system is used in some 230 cities, exposing tens of millions of people to its screening.

In a promotional brochure, Huawei says its video surveillance technology can scan over long distances to detect abnormal behavior such as loitering, track the movement of cars and people, calculate crowd size and send alerts to a command center if it detects something suspicious. Local authorities can then act upon the information they receive.

In one case advertised on its website, the company says a suspect in a hit-and-run accident in Belgrade was later discovered in China with the help of face recognition data shared by the Serbian police with their Chinese counterparts.

In view of the cybersecurity accusations leveled by the U.S. and international rights groups against Huawei, the relationship between China and countries that use the companys technology is coming under renewed scrutiny.

Chinas influence in Serbia, a European Union candidate that Beijing views as a gateway to the continent, has significantly expanded in recent years through Beijings global Belt and Road investment programs. The populist Serbian regime has been keen to develop closer ties and the countrys fragile democracy allows Chinas economic interests to grow relatively unchecked, without raising too many questions about human rights, environmental standards or transparency.

Chinas state investment bank has granted billions of dollars in easy-term loans to build coal-powered plants, roads, railroads and bridges. Chinese police officers even help patrol the streets of Belgrade, a security presence officially billed as assisting the growing number of Chinese tourists who visit the city.

Its a similar story in Uganda, where China has invested heavily in infrastructure like highways and a hydropower dam on the Nile.

When longtime President Yoweri Museveni launched a $126 million project to install Huawei facial recognition systems a year ago, he said the cameras were eyes, ears and a nose to fight rampant street crime in the sprawling capital, Kampala. Opposition activists say the real goal is to deter street protesters against an increasingly unpopular government.

The cameras are politically motivated, said Joel Ssenyonyi, a spokesman for the musician and activist known as Bobi Wine who has emerged as a powerful challenger to Museveni. They are not doing this for security. The focus for them is hunting down political opponents.

In neighboring Kenya, the government has also renewed its focus on public safety after a spate of extremist attacks. It has been pushing to register people digitally, including by recording DNA, iris and facial data. To do so, it turned to China, which helped finance the installation of surveillance cameras in Kenya as far back as 2012.

The Kenyan government wants to pool into one database all the information from public and private CCTV cameras, including those with facial recognition technology, a move that activists warn would vastly expand its surveillance powers in a country that does not have comprehensive data protection laws.

A growing number of countries are following Chinas lead in deploying artificial intelligence to track citizens, according to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The group says at least 75 countries are actively using AI tools such as facial recognition for surveillance and Huawei has sold its systems in 50 of those countries, giving it a far wider reach than competitors such as Japan-based NEC and U.S.-based IBM.

Its very unclear what safeguards are being put in place, said Steven Feldstein, a Carnegie Endowment fellow who authored a report on the issue. Where are images being stored? How long are they being stored for? What kind of accountability procedures will there be? What type of operations will be linked to these surveillance cameras?

Huawei said in an emailed statement that it complies with all applicable laws and regulations in our countries of business. This is the most fundamental principle of our business operations. We are dedicated to bringing people better connectivity, eliminating digital gaps, and promoting the sustainable development of our societies and economies.

In Belgrades bustling downtown Republic Square, high-tech video cameras are pointed in all directions from an office building as pedestrians hurry about their everyday business.

With public authorities disclosing little about how the cameras work, a rights group has set up a tent to ask pedestrians whether they know they are being watched.

We dont want to be in some kind of Big Brother society, said rights activist Ivana Markulic. We are asking: Where are the cameras, where are they hidden, how much did we pay for them and whats going to happen with information collected after this surveillance?

Associated Press writers Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Serbia; Rodney Muhumuza in Kampala, Uganda; Tom Obula in Nairobi, Kenya; and Matt OBrien in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to this report.

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Chinese snooping technology spreads to nations vulnerable to abuse - Press Herald

Smorgasbord of military technology offered at AUSA event – Stars and Stripes

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Danzig

WASHINGTON The Association of the U.S. Army wrapped up its annual meeting in the nation's capital on Wednesday, and in the process satisfied the appetite of many hungry for the latest in military gadgets and technology.

From mobile howitzers and armored vehicles to drones and massive tilt-rotor aircraft, there was plenty to see.

More than 700 exhibitors took part in the three-day event that allowed vendors and defense contractors to showcase their newest and coolest military technologies.

More than 30,000 attendees representing more than 80 countries were expected to view the spectacle, which also offered more than 130 events including luncheons, discussions and entertainment venues.

A few of the displays in the main exhibition hall are seen in the photo gallery.

bongioanni.carlos@stripes.com

A static display of the proposed Bell 360 Invictus helicopter draws crowds at the 2019 AUSA convention in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019. The relatively small and sleek frame was designed to fit the Army's bid for a Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft.CARLOS BONGIOANNI/STARS AND STRIPES

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Smorgasbord of military technology offered at AUSA event - Stars and Stripes

The 7 Biggest Technology Trends That Will Transform Telecoms In 2020 – Forbes

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Danzig

As we prepare to enter the next decade, telecoms are being transformed by technology in a variety of ways. From artificial intelligence (AI) to the threat of cyberattack, here are the 7 biggest technology trends that will transform telecoms in 2020.

The 7 Biggest Technology Trends That Will Transform Telecoms In 2020

5G promises some dramatic changes. The European Unions 5G action plan includes uninterrupted 5G coverage by 2025 for railways and major roads. In addition to being able to support a hundredfold increase in connected devices per each unit area, 5G will offer ultra-low latency, improved data rates and enable network slicing. This opens the door for new services, network operation and customer experience for telecom operators.

5G will change telecom's role: telecoms will not only be technology distributors, but also service providers. This shift will require telecoms to engage with governments, enterprise customers and alter their sales approach to help customers leverage the power of 5G.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Telecommunications is one of the industries that use artificial intelligence in many aspects of business today. Through virtual assistants and chatbots, and the artificial intelligence that runs these tools behind the scenes, telecommunications companies improve customer service and satisfaction. Artificial intelligence is essential for the optimization and predictive maintenance of telecommunications companies networks. AI is also hard at work detecting fraudulent activity. Additionally, through predictive analytics, artificial intelligence makes it possible for telecoms to glean actionable business insights from the volumes of data they gather every day.

Internet of Things (IoT)

Because the telecom industry enables internet device connectivity it is one of the largest players in the Internet of Things market, everyday items that are connected to one another and the internet. Internet of Things technology helps telecoms monitor base stations and data centers remotely. This helps ensure minimal downtime for the network. Since telecom is so instrumental in providing IoT infrastructure, the industry is uniquely poised to develop and offer their own services for IoT. Since IoT technology results in more devices on the network there are more opportunities for security and privacy breaches to occur so telecoms need to plan and prepare defenses for that. While there are still a lot of unknowns regarding the transformation IoT will have for telecoms, theres little doubt that it will disrupt the industry.

Big Data

Its undeniable that telecommunications companies are collecting and generating volumes of data from mobile devices and apps, wearables and morewireless data is expected to continue to increase through the 2020sbut it will be the companies that use it to their competitive advantage that will survive. Telecommunications companies need to ensure that their networks can move extraordinary amounts of data through their network efficiently and continue to support new technologies. Telecoms also need to address the new security challenges that have arisen with new technology that use their networks. Ultimately, the data that telecoms collect can be analyzed to improve customer service, determine and evaluate new products, as well as monitor and optimize the network. When evaluated and acted upon, big data can help telecoms build a stronger business.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Robotic process automation can take over repetitive, rules-based, high-frequency processes and complete them very accurately. When telecoms deploy RPA for tasks, error rates and costs are reduced while customer service and operational efficiency are boosted. The telecommunications industry has one of the highest adoption rates for RPA technology since it seems to serve it so well. RPA offers high levels of scalability and agility for telecoms and can take over many tasks such as report generation, responding to customer questions, order processing, price tracking and more.

Cloud Computing

Cloud computings pay-per-use service model helps telecoms introduce new services, reduce their costs and adjust to market demands more effectively. The cloud offers economies of scale, scalability and cost effectiveness to telecoms. Not only can telecoms be a cloud service provider, but they can use the cloud themselves. When telecoms adopt cloud technology and switch important business functions to the cloud, they benefit from the clouds efficiency.

Cyber Security and Resilience

We take for granted the services that are enabled by telecoms including phone and video calls, email and messaging until we experience an outage and realize how dependent we are on those services. Due to telecoms storing vast amounts of sensitive data on complex networks that act as gateways to other businesses and because they build and operate critical infrastructure, telecoms are increasingly a target for cybercriminals. From direct cyberattacks such as distributed denial of service to indirect attacks such as malware, telecoms need to protect themselves and prepare for the future of 5G and the security hurdles that will represent. This includes having not only the right IT infrastructure in place but the talent and processes to support resiliency when attacked. Currently, there is room for improvement to the industrys response to a cyberattack. Even false claims of attack can damage a telecoms reputation, as well as create a considerable business impact in terms of time and money spent to respond.

The 7 Biggest Technology Trends That Will Transform Telecoms In 2020 - Forbes

Did Japan Ban 5G Technology Over Health Concerns? – Snopes.com

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Danzig

On June 9, 2019, a website named Putin Tomorrow posted a story claiming that the Japanese government would be banning 5G cellular technology for the health of [its] citizens. The term 5G 5th-generation wireless networks is a frequent boogeyman on health conspiracy websites that allege unsubstantiated negative health effects from the technology. The Putin Tomorrow article fits that mold, claiming that the Ministry of High Technologies posted an announcement on their official website that they would be banning the development of, and investment in, this cellular technology, while citing someone named Nobunari Kabato as that ministrys head:

We need to think about the health of the Japanese. Our country has already accelerated economically so that today we have nowhere to hurry. It is necessary to stabilize this state. 5G is fraught with great danger. So we think not only we, yesterday this information was confirmed by the US ambassador to Japan. If America, China or the EU countries are ready to risk their people for the sake of progress, then such a strategy is unacceptable for our welfare state, said Nobunari Kabato, Minister of High Technologies.

At least three reasons exist why the above assertion is baseless. First, Nobunari Kabato appears to be a made-up name: The only Google search result for it is the article we are presently debunking. Second, no Ministry of High Technology exists in the Japanese government. The closest entity to that would be the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, which is run by a man named Kichi Hagiuda. Finally, and contrary to the headline claim in the article, Japan is actively investing in 5G technology.

In fact, Japanese companies are actually investing in what the Nikeii Asian Review described as a 14 [billion dollar] spending blitz for nationwide 5G. In April, that outlet reported that Japans government approved plans by four mobile network operators to build superfast fifth-generation wireless networks, with investment set to total 1.6 trillion yen ($14.4 billion) over the next five years. As such, we rate this claim as False.

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Did Japan Ban 5G Technology Over Health Concerns? - Snopes.com

The Role Of Technology In The Evolution Of Communication – Forbes

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Danzig

For as long as humans have been on this planet, weve invented forms of communicationfrom smoke signals and messenger pigeons to the telephone and emailthat have constantly evolved how we interact with each other.

One of the biggest developments in communication came in 1831 when the electric telegraph was invented. While post existed as a form of communication before this date, it was electrical engineering in the 19th century which had a revolutionary impact.

Now, digital methods have superseded almost all other forms of communication, especially in business. I cant remember the last time I hand wrote a letter, rather than an email at work, even my signature is digital these days. Picking up the phone is a rare occurrence tooinstead, I FaceTime, Zoom, or join a Google Hangout.

When I look back at how communication has advanced over the years, it really is quite incredible

The Telephone

In 1849, the telephone was invented and within 50 years it was an essential item for homes and offices, but tethering impacted the flexibility and privacy of the device. Then, came the mobile phone. In 1973, Motorola created a mobile phone which kick-started a chain of developments that transformed communication forever.

Early smartphones were primarily aimed towards the enterprise market, bridging the gap between telephones and personal digital assistants (PDAs), but they were bulky and had short battery lives. By 1996, Nokia was releasing phones with QWERTY keyboards and by 2010, the majority of Android phones were touchscreen-only.

In 2007, Steve Jobs revealed the first iPhone to the world and Apple paved the way for the aesthetics of modern smartphones. Before the iPhone, flip phones, and phones with a split keyboard and screen were the norm. A year later, a central application store with an initial 500 downloadable apps was launched. Currently, there are over two million apps available in the Apple App Store.

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The Internet

Since the mid-1990s, the Internet has had a revolutionary impact on communication, including the rise of near-instant communication by electronic mail, instant messaging, voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone calls, two-way interactive video calls, discussion forums, blogs, and social networking.

The internet has made communication easier and faster, its allowed us to stay in contact with people regardless of time and location. Its accelerated the pace of business and widened the possibilities within the enterprise space. Its allowed people to find their voice and express themselves through social media, YouTube and memes. The internet has connected and divided us like nothing before.

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As a byproduct of the World Wide Web, email was introduced to the world in 1991 (although it had been operating years before) and it has vastly changed our liveswhether for better or worse depends on your viewpoint. The first users of the messaging platform were educational systems and the military who used email to exchange information. In 2018, there were more than 3.8 billion email usersthats more than half the planet. By 2022, its expected that we will be sending 333 billion personal and business emails each day.

While email is invaluable and we cant imagine a world without it, there are tools that are springing up that are giving email a run for its money. Take Slack (an acronym for Searchable Log of All Communication and Knowledge) for example, the company which launched in 2014 has often been described as an email killer. However, while Slack has become the most popular chat and productivity tool in the world used by 10 million people every day, email is still going strong. In recognition of this, Slacks upgrades have ensured that people who still rely heavily on email are not excluded from collaboratory work.

Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash

Wearable Technology

The first instance of wearable technology was a handsfree mobile headset launched in 1999, which became a piece of tech synonymous with city workers. It gave businesspeople the ability to answer calls on the go, most importantly, while driving.

Ten years ago, the idea that you could make a video call from an item other than a phone would have been a sci-fi dream. Now, with smartwatches, audio sunglasses, and other emerging wearable technology, these capabilities are a part of our daily lives.

Photo by Luke Chesser on Unsplash

Virtual Reality (VR)

The next generation of VR has only been around since 2016, but its already shaking up communications. The beauty of VRpresencemeans you can connect to someone in the same space at the same time, without the time sink and cost of travel, even if participants are on different continents.

VR also helps to facilitate better communication. In a typical discussion, a lot of information is non-verbal communication which can be transcribed in VR. Voice tone, hesitations, head and hand movements greatly improve the understanding of the participants' emotions and intents. Plus in VR, all distractions are removed and people can be fully focused on what is happening around them. In fact, MeetinVR claims that there is a 25% increase in attention span when meeting in virtual reality compared to video conferencing.

In addition, research suggests we retain more information and can better apply what we have learned after participating in virtual reality. 3D is a natural communication language overcoming linguistic barriers as well as technical jargon.

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5G, the 5th generation of mobile network, promises much faster data download and upload speeds, wider coverage, and more stable connections. These benefits will bring about significant improvements in communication. Instantaneous communication will be possible and those patchy frustrating video calls will be a thing of the past.

The average 4G transmission speed currently available for our smartphones is around the 21 Mbps mark. 5G will be 100 to 1000 times faster. The Consumer Technology Association notes that at this speed, you could download a two-hour movie in just 3.6 seconds, versus 6 minutes on 4G or 26 hours on 3G. The impact of 5G will go far beyond our smartphones as it will allow millions of devices to be connected simultaneously.

Looking ahead, there is already buzz about 6G. Although its still in basic research and around 15-20 years away, its interesting from an innovation point of view. 6G will form the framework of the connected utopia we aspire towards, and with it will come untold improvements in the speed and consistency of our communication.

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The Role Of Technology In The Evolution Of Communication - Forbes

The Revolutionary Impact Of Immersive Technology On Education – Forbes

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Danzig

Sir Martyn Lewis and I met back in April to discuss the impact of technology on humanity at The Club at The Ivy in London. It was a well-received debate, so we reconvened to tackle a new subject last month. As education is one of the key industries being disrupted by technology, and a subject both Martyn and I feel passionate about, it felt apt to put it on the agenda for the evenings discussion.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution will see an increase in workforce automation. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that over the next 10 to 20 years, 14 percent of jobs are at high risk of being fully automated, while another 32 percent at risk of significant change. It is imperative, therefore, that education systems adapt to ensure students are equipped with the right skills to survive in our changing world.

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While there are many different theories on what and how students should learn, I believe there is no escaping the fact that students will need to be prepared to continuously learn and upskill people will be learners for life, rather than a set period. I also believe technology is playing, and will continue to play, a key role in the way skills are acquired and developed for the 21st Century workforce. So, it is no surprise that the Education Technology (EdTech) industry is set to reach $252 billion by 2020, growing at a 17% annual rate.

Technology presents a wonderful opportunity to re-shape 21st-century education because its popular with students and teachers. One study in the US has shown that the introduction of technology makes 87% of students more likely to attend class and 72% of them more likely to participate. While a study by Smoothwall found that 96% of teachers believe technology has had a positive impact on the way children participate and learn in lessons.

Take augmented reality for example. The technology can be used to augment field trips by adding a layer of information and interactivity to the activity, help with foreign language studies by translating text, or bring subjects such as coral reefs and electromagnetism to life through apps like Google Expeditions. Considering all the applications and appeal of the technology, its no wonder that the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) reports augmented reality has the potential to revolutionize learning in primary and secondary schools more than any other technology has done in the recent past.

Orboot is a 10-inch globe and companion app (iOS or Android) that lets kids check out the world and complete activities in an augmented reality environment.

If we look at virtual reality, we can see great benefits in using the technologyfrom its ability to enhance recall through to its capacity for building empathy. These advantages position VR as a unique learning aid.

There are many companies that are focusing on driving positive change in education through technology. Martyn and I asked a couple of people doing great work in this space to join the discussion. First up was Seth Andrew.

Seth is a serial social entrepreneur, having founded Democracy Prep, Democracy Builders, REV, and Washington Leadership Academy. He then led policy and partnerships for the worlds largest network of schools for families earning less than $2 per day. Previously, Andrew served as the Senior Advisor for Education Technology in the Executive Office of President Barack Obama where he helped launch Computer Science for All, Vote.Gov, and #FutureReadySchools as well as helping to make the White House accessible in Virtual Reality for the first time in American history.

Seth Andrew, the founder of Democracy Prep in Harlem.

Seth is a leading advocate for the power of technology to transform the fundamentals of global schooling. In addition to helping buildthe dozens of schools in the US, and hundreds in Africa, he founded Washington Leadership Academy as a lab school to explore these new ideas and was awarded a $10m prize from the XQ: Super School Project to build out that new model. What goes into this ambitious vision? Seth wanted to see WLA build a virtual-reality high school chemistry lab and require every student to learn computer science in all four years of high school, plus build meaningful digital projects, including content in XR.

As this vision comes to fruition, Seth explained to the room: no child will be burned, no teacher will have to clean up a chemical spill, and access to a state-of-the-art science lab will cost just a fraction of the bricks and mortar version." In addition to these practical benefits, there are pedagogical benefits as well: We can drill down into the valence of each individual atom to see electrons spinning in a way you cant in a regular laboratory. The big goal is to inspire students to use the tools of technology to build the future world they will inhabit. Thats why computer science is a required course and students will graduate with the technical skills to code their own projects in Virtual Reality among other mediums.

Washington Leadership Academy

Tej Samani was also invited to join the conversation. Tej is the founder ofPerformance Learning, a British company that, for the last nine years, has helped thousands of learners boost their exam and classroom performance through its machine learning platform. Tej dropped out of school aged 16 to pursue a tennis career but hung his racket up at 21 to become the Founder of Performance Learning.

Tej speaking at the event at The Club at The Ivy.

Deployed from primary education (starting in Year 5) through to further and higher education, the digital platform and assessments accurately predict, monitor and evaluate learner performance with a core focus on mental health and attitudes and behavior towards learning.

Lessons are delivered through a combination of online, face-to-face, and cloud-based learning via trained Performance Learning coaches. From how they sleep to how they retain information, users get to understand more about themselves so they can improve how they learn and maximize potential.

Tej explained how the platform worked: The applications algorithm quietly and perpetually learns about the student and each time ensures it delivers the most appropriate learning pathway to ensure the student not only learns but wins. Learners interact with curriculum-specific learning journeys, ranging from Easy' to 'Genius mode, in a fully gamified experience.

He went on to explain that users have to beat the AI system in order to progress: The more the users play, the smarter the system becomes. It begins to predict core metacognitive and cognitive skill gaps within the user, encouraging the user to partake in training modules within the system to improve.

Topcliffe School Birmingham

Speaking about education and technology in general, Tej said: "Our education system has needed significant progression to just keep up, let alone stay ahead of the leaps in technology we are experiencing. While technology will always struggle to replace an effective teacher, it can help develop effective teaching as well as deliver tailored, personalized education to learners of all standards, irrespective of how complex their barriers to learning are. The advancement in education technology can bring in areas such as grade prediction, performance tracking, and personalizationthis will help to ensure that the most critical stage of a persons life is delivered with accuracy, engagement, and foresight

It is clear technology can be leveraged to create an engaging and personalized environment and open up opportunities for deeper learning technology should be used as an opportunity to acquire more knowledge, not an excuse to know less. Furthermore, students no longer have to be confined to the classroom or forced into a one-size-fits-all system. However, technology is not the answer to everythingwe still need classroom leaders and students with an appetite for learning.

The Revolutionary Impact Of Immersive Technology On Education - Forbes

Five Irish firms in running for technology company of the year – The Irish Times

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Danzig

Five Irish companies are competing for the title of technology company of the year in Technology Irelands software industry awards.

Among the companies competing for Technology Company of the Year are Keywords Studios, Cora Systems, FINEOS Corporation, Fenergo and Sidero.

A total of 29 entries have been shortlisted across the various categories, with the winners announced at an event in the Mansion House in Dublin on November 22nd.

Keywords and Fenergo are also competing for an award for outstanding achievement in international growth, alongside Nutritics, learnUpon and Financial Risk Solutions.

Emerging Company of the Year will be chosen from eCOMM Merchant Solutions, ID-Pal Tracematics and Nova Leah.

Among the other awards are the WomenInTech Company Initiative of the Year, Digital Technology Services Project of the Year, Technology Innovation of the Year, Outstanding Academic Achievement and Excellence in Talent Development.

This is the 27th year of the awards, which are sponsored by EY Ireland, Bank of Ireland, Workhuman and Enterprise Ireland. Director of Technology Ireland Una Fitzpatrick said the awards reflected the growing technology sector in Ireland, and were going from strength to strength each year.

Looking at this years awards entrants we can see the depth of quality and talent making this happen, she said.

More than 80 technology companies and organisations from across Ireland entered this years awards and it is the tireless efforts of all in these companies and beyond that have positioned Ireland into a global technology powerhouse.

The companies that made the shortlist will present to eight independent judging panels, which include tech chief executives and founders of successful Irish companies.

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Five Irish firms in running for technology company of the year - The Irish Times

Soldiers experiment with new technology geared to help first responders in crisis response – KY3

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Danzig

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- Saving the most lives as fast as possible during a crisis is the biggest priority for search and rescue teams.

"That's the name of the game," said 1st Lt. Davion Thomas, Battle Captain of the Search and Instruction Team. "Try to do it as fast and as safe as possible."

So, soldiers are experimenting with different technologies to answer a specific question.

"How can I gain an accurate picture of what's going on in an affected area without necessarily putting my team at risk," said Major Andrew Hanson of the Weapons of Mass Destruction - Civil Support Team.

That tech includes a drone in a box to get an overhead lay of the land, and two different robots - one that can see through 18 inches of concrete and detect breathing and heartbeats, and another that provides 3-D maps of the disaster area to an off-site command center.

"It reduces the amount of time that our responders have down on a hazardous site, and two, it allows us to get a quicker picture of the victims and casualties and what their dispositions are," said Chief Warrant Officer 2, Dan Thomas.

In fact, Dan Thomas says the technology could save a lot of time.

"Easily hours, if not days," Thomas estimated.

This experiment is part of a two-year, $711,000 project funded by the U.S. Department of Defense.

The goal is to see if any of these tools they're experimenting with can be beneficial to local police, fire, and EMS in times of natural disasters like earthquakes or tornadoes, as well as potential terror attacks.

"We always train for the possibilities," Davion Thomas said. "We would be remiss if we didn't have a plan in place for when things did happen. It's not if, it's when."

If soldiers think this technology could be beneficial, they may as ask for these devices to be developed.

A final report on what this experiment found and how it could potentially help first responders is due within the next three months.

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Soldiers experiment with new technology geared to help first responders in crisis response - KY3

New technology makes WT performance hall one of the finest in the world – KAMR – MyHighPlains.com

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Danzig

A WT Alum Developed the New Technology

Posted: Oct 16, 2019 / 03:58 PM CDT / Updated: Oct 16, 2019 / 05:15 PM CDT

CANYON, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) The West Texas A&M University School of Music can now say they are the only music hall in the world to possess a piece of technology that helps control reverberations.

The technology was created by Jay Purdue, a WT alum.

So, what we mean by this room being the most acoustically advanced in the world, Purdue started. You understand that here at the university, theyve always got something different going on. One minutes of solo, one minutes of band concert, one minute a percussion ensemble. Each one really requires a different reverberation time, which means just out how long sound carries around in the room so that it wont be really muddy. And so, this room will change to meet every single thing thats going to be performed here.

Robert Hansen, the director of the School of Music, said he has already noticed a remarkable difference in the hall since the equipment has been installed.

We did an opera in here this summer, Hansen explained. And everybody could understand all the words. That doesnt happen with singers that often, right. So, we have something here that is perfection. Its not just excellent. Its perfect.

The equipment cost about $200,000.

New technology makes WT performance hall one of the finest in the world - KAMR - MyHighPlains.com

Technology is redefining that client-financial advisor relationship – CNBC

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Danzig

Towfiqu Photography | Moment | Getty Images

If you can find your husband or wife online, why not your financial advisor?

That's why Andres Garcia-Amaya launched Zoe Financial, an online matchmaking engine that hooks up investors with registered investment advisors.

A recent Stanford University study found that 39% of people surveyed met their spouse through a dating website by far the most common way to find a significant other these days. Garcia-Amaya is betting that consumers want to find their other significant other namely. their financial advisor the same way.

"Online research gives people a lot more options, but often too many options," said Garcia-Amaya. "One of our taglines is "we reject 95% of advisors so you don't have to."

A good client portal used to be a strong value proposition. Now, it's a basic requirement.

Andres Garcia-Amaya

founder, Zoe Financial

It's hard to overstate the impact of technology on the financial advice industry.

For advisors, the software for customer relationship management (CRM), managing investment portfolios and dealing with the back office, has enabled them to serve far more clients and by extension spend much more time with them.

And how is technology changing the client experience with advisors? In a word, profoundly. From how investors find advisors, to how they interact with them, to how they exchange information and content and draft financial plans, the relationship between clients and advisors is evolving rapidly.

Ten years ago, quarterly reports from advisors were still a vital source of information for investors. Today they're a quaint reminder of how things used to be.

People now have the ability, if not always the desire, to monitor their investments in real-time. They demand clear pictures of their portfolios and updated financial plans on a daily basis.

"Younger people want everything aggregated at their fingertips and they want it quickly," said Brandon Hayes, managing director of Atlanta-based RIA oXYGen Financial. "They want a moving balance sheet and a cashflow analysis updated every night."

For many retirees, a face-to-face meeting with their financial advisor is a good opportunity to get out of the house. But for growing numbers of people, a videoconference call via the web does the trick.

"Our client relationships usually start with a face-to-face meeting, but it's amazing how fast most clients want to go digital now," Hayes said. "Whether they live in cities or rural areas, more people want to check-in with virtual meetings."

FS Productions | Tetra images | Getty Images

Advisors no longer have to worry about setting up cameras and coordinating participants. Remote-conferencing websites such as Zoom and GoTo Meeting handle it simply and inexpensively.

Danielle Fava, director of innovation at TDAmeritrade Institutional, sees videoconferencing growing rapidly among the nearly 7,000 advisors on the TD custodial platform. She recently posed a question on the firm's internal messaging network with advisors about the use of videoconferencing. "I got over 900 responses from advisors and almost 70% said they were doing it," said Fava.

Technology provides more opportunity for touches between advisors and clients. Granted, many of those touches may be machine-hatched messages from customer relationship management software wishing you a happy birthday or reminding you about an upcoming event.

Indeed, advisor Tom Powers, a principal at California Financial Advisors in San Ramon, California, said the greatest challenge on the horizon for the sector is "the growth of automated, formula-driven, less personal advice." (His firm is ranked No. 7 on the CNBC FA 100 list.)

BombBomb, a video email website, enables advisors (and anyone else) to deliver those birthday wishes in a personalized video. "Constant touches are important," said Hayes. "As the landscape becomes more competitive, advisors need to go with the technologies that enable them to reach people and connect."

Fava sees growing numbers of advisors using voice and video technologies to interact with their clients and deliver content on a more regular basis. Flash briefings, personalized videos, podcasts and even YouTube channels are now more common tools for advisors to connect with clients.

Good content can drive customers to make decisions. It's a non-abrasive way to connect with existing and potential clients.

Brandon Hayes

managing director, oXYGen Financial

"If you can stay in the ear of your client, it's a good way to build relationships and to remind them that you're working for them," Fava said.

Podcasts talking about financial planning issues or investing ideas can also be a useful tool for reaching potential new clients. "If I tell a friend to listen to an advisor's podcast, it's kind of like a soft referral," said Fava.

Ted Jenkin, a certified financial planner and founder of oXYGen Financial in Atlanta, has produced thousands of podcasts and videos accessible on the firm's website. Hayes credits the content with raising the firm's profile and driving growth. "Good content can drive customers to make decisions," said Hayes. "It's a non-abrasive way to connect with existing and potential clients."

One caveat? The potential for cybercrime. Cory Robinson, vice president and portfolio manager at CNBC FA 100-ranked firm Tom Johnson Investment Management in Oklahoma City stressed not only "protecting client data from hackers, but also educating clients about the potential phishing scams and the like that seem to get more and more sophisticated every year."

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Technology is redefining that client-financial advisor relationship - CNBC

MCPc Expands into IoT and Emerging Technologies – PRNewswire

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Danzig

CLEVELAND, Oct. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- MCPc Inc., the global data protection company, announces the formation of Community Innovation Partners (CIP) (http://communityinnovationpartners.com/), a new division focused on de-risking innovation by developing and implementing custom "secure-by-design" technology solutions.

CIP was developed in response to clients seeking digital transformation solutions but struggling with the inherent risk in adopting new technologies like IoT, AI, and Mixed Reality (VR+AR).

Rooted in MCPc's deep experience and expertise in security and emerging technologies, CIP works with healthcare and manufacturing clients to develop and implement actionable strategies that enable secure digital innovation. Through a multidisciplinary team of security analysts, technologists, engineers, industrial designers, and business strategists, the CIP service model consults for and solves innovation challenges.

"Today, the ratio of digital devices to people is 6 to 1 and growing rapidly. This causes a massive surge of data creation which incites risk," says Andy Jones, MCPc's CEO. "The risks in adopting new technologies and managing their use, and most importantly, the risks associated with protecting the data these devices produce and house is considerable. We formed Community Innovation Partners to help organizations mitigate those risks while moving at the ever-accelerating pace of business."

"We are leveraging a new, holistic approach to help our clients increase revenue growth and position them and the communities they support for a stronger future," says Michael Trebilcock Jr., Managing Director & President of CIP. "To accomplish this, our division taps a multitude of high-level resources, engages alternative talent pipelines, and originates investment opportunities."

For insights into CIP's approach, Mr. Trebilcock will be presenting "Modeling the Future: Tech, Talent, and Capital" at Case Western Reserve University's Digital Futures Conference presented by the Innovation Research Exchange on October 16th at 10:30am. https://irispring.com/conference/

About MCPc: MCPc is a global data protection company that helps clients Achieve SecurityCertaintySM through our unique Chain-of-Custody Security SolutionSM, a holistic end-to-end lifecycle management protocol that protects data, manages the complexity and sustainability of technology, ensures consistency in security, and ultimately, mitigates business risk.

Community Innovation Partners is part of MCPc's Advisory Services Group joining Global Consulting, IT Asset Management, and Talent Solutions. Integrated into MCPc Advisory Services are MCPc Technical Solutions: Incident Response & Remediation, Secure Technology Procurement & Logistics, Managed Security Solutions, and Secure Technology Asset Disposition.

SOURCE MCPc

mcpc.com

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MCPc Expands into IoT and Emerging Technologies - PRNewswire

‘Addictive Technology’ Is the New ‘Reefer Madness’ – The Atlantic

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Danzig

The irony is that, just as voters in states across the country are rejecting exaggerated claims about marijuanas harms and legalizing the drug, alarm over allegedly addictive technology is on the rise.

Read more: I wont buy my teenagers smartphones

In recent years, CBSs 60 Minutes featured Anderson Cooper interviewing Tristan Harris, director of the Center for Humane Technology, who claims technology is leading to human downgrading and is destroying our kids ability to focus. The Washington Post ran a headline declaring Subtle and Insidious, Technology Is Designed to Addict Us. Even The Atlantic ran a piece that asked Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?which, naturally, went viral on everyones smartphone.

A slew of books, with titles such as Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked, The Hacking of the American Mind: The Science Behind the Corporate Takeover of Our Bodies and Brains, and Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction Is Hijacking Our KidsAnd How to Break the Trance, paint a bleak portrait of the human psyche under the trance of internet-connected devices.

Moral panics are often based on half-truths. Reefer Madness wasnt all wrong. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, fully 9 percent of people who consume marijuana develop a cannabis use disorder, even though the drug is widely understood not to be chemically addictive (at least not in the way nicotine, alcohol, or heroin leads to compulsive dependence).

Similarly, personal technologies are potentially addictive to some people, but like cannabis, not to everyone. By promoting the idea that technology is hijacking our brains and getting all of us addicted to our devices, techno-fearmongers promote the exception rather than the rule. They redirect the debate to the product instead of the underlying causes of addiction for the unfortunate few suffering from the pathology. The fact is, the vast majority of people are not and will never become addicted to their devices or their favorite social-media platforms just as almost no one gets addicted to alcohol from having a glass of wine with dinner or addicted to pot from toking up from time to time.

Clearly, the extreme use of pretty much anything can be harmful. However, for those who use marijuana or Facebook moderately, the negative effects are negligible. While headlines spread fears about addictive technology, the data show that almost nothing is happening. Earlier this year, Scientific American reported on a study of 350,000 adolescents that found that technology use had a nearly negligible effect on adolescent psychological well-being. The article added, Eating potatoes is associated with nearly the same degree of effect and wearing glasses has a more negative impact on adolescent mental health.

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'Addictive Technology' Is the New 'Reefer Madness' - The Atlantic

Why a ‘blanket investment approach’ to technology isn’t the way forward – Insurance Business UK

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Danzig

The golden ticket to success in the insurtech space might be a focus on data, based on the insurance industrys needs and insurance clients demands. Take it from one executive, who spoke with Insurance Business at InsureTech Connect (ITC) in Las Vegas and revealed where hes seeing technology companies bring the most value to insurance.

In insurance, data is fundamental to what we do in terms of assessing risk and pricing, and theres been an awful lot thats gone on with regards to data, particularly as it applies to commercial insurance, said Sean Ringsted (pictured), executive vice president, chief digital officer, and chief risk officer forChubbGroup, pointing to the small business segment that has been traditionally underserved by insurance. You have a growing number of small businesses and if you think about an entrepreneur or a start-up, they dont have much time, cash flow is important, and they want to be able to buy that policy and get it wrapped up quickly. That is really driving a lot of the innovations and advancements around the use of data.

Simplifying the customer experience is likewise important, especially when it comes to small businesses. Asking only five underwriting questions of a florist or a new online clothing store relies on having a solid foundation of data to work with.

The customer experience becomes very important being able to explain in plain English the type of coverages that you should have from a regulatory point of view, said Ringsted. We think of cyber, as an example. Most of these businesses are probably unaware or underinsured with regards to cyber, [but] they store personally identifiable information or they may use an outside service for payroll. Packaging all of that up and explaining it to the small business, that is [also] driving, I think, a lot of innovation.

Read more: Local authorities fighting off hundreds of cyberattacks every hour - report

Walking around ITC 2019, the sheer number of insurtech booths was overwhelming to many insurance experts. However, Ringsted offered up insight on Chubbs approach to sorting through the many technology offerings today.

Were thoughtful [and] we know the type of problems that were looking to solve, and then what solutions are out there that we can bring to bear on that, he told Insurance Business. Theres a lot of competition out there, and weve not sought a blanket investment approach to insurtech. Weve got a number of investments that weve announced, but theyve been done in a thoughtful way with partners that weve worked with that we think are worth backing further.

There are nonetheless still challenges in navigating a packed insurtech marketplace and identifying the technology trends that incumbents can actually apply in their day-to-day processes.

Read more: Willis Towers Watson: Insurtech investment remains buoyant in Q2

I would describe it as that last operational mile. Some of these concepts around the use of data and artificial intelligence, I think everyone gets that high-level concept, but when you actually want to apply it and practice it, at the end of the day theres a lot of work to take that and apply that to the business, said Ringsted.

You can talk about machine learning as a concept, but to actually make that operational, you have to go through and label all your data, and that is such hard work and it takes time. If you think about IoT, you have to now install that device, say in a hospital, so you have to put it behind drywall, for example, [and think about] how youre going to connect that up to systems. How do you think about data security, how do you think about privacy? Theres a lot that has to happen to make these things operational, and all of that is a breaker on speed.

Traditional insurers, as well as MGAs and brokerages, can, however, do a few things to best position themselves for long-term success in this technology-driven marketplace.

I think having a very clear understanding of your customer base and their needs, and then making sure that as an organisation you are organised around those needs with technology [is important], recommended Ringsted. I think it starts there, and then you can figure out how you deliver that, whether thats an internal model or using insurtech.

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Why a 'blanket investment approach' to technology isn't the way forward - Insurance Business UK

NBN chief blames Australia’s poor speed rating on ‘unrepresentative’ data – The Guardian

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Danzig

NBN Co chief executive Stephen Rue has argued Australias poor showing in global speed test rankings cannot be relied on because the data is unrepresentative of broadband available in the rest of the world.

Broadband speed reports released by companies such as Ookla, M-Lab and Akamai show how each country fares for broadband, with Australia lagging behind.

According to the latest Ookla report for September, Australia ranks at 61 in the world for fixed broadband.

The result is often seized upon by people unhappy with the speeds they can get on the Coalitions multi-technology mix NBN, but NBN Co said the results cannot be relied upon and has devised another measure to make the rankings a more fair representation of Australias broadband.

NBN Co commissioned research firm Alpha Beta to analyse the data behind speed tests and come up with a method of ranking broadband that is a more like-for-like comparison with other countries around the world. Rue launched the report at Broadband World Forum in Amsterdam on Wednesday.

Alpha Beta argues in its report that speed tests are not representative of the whole countrys internet access because they only account for people who use the speed tests.

For companies such as Ookla and M-Lab, the tests work by people testing the speed of their connection from their device to a server.

Alpha Beta said that, because the test is self-selecting, 38% of Australian households (or 3.5 million) have used the M-Lab speed test, while countries that rank higher in the speed test results are based on much smaller sample sizes.

The companys other concern with the data is that it doesnt account for access to broadband meaning countries without as much access to broadband such as Thailand, Panama and Paraguay rank higher than Australia.

Alpha Beta did not analyse Akamais data directly which is likely to be a much more accurate reading of broadband speeds because it measures speed of requests to its HTTP/S platform, and therefore has a larger sample size.

But the companys previous concern about not capturing those who do not have access to broadband in every country remains a concern in the Akamai data. It is a point the company made in 2017 when Akamai ranked Australia below Kenya in broadband speeds.

According to Alpha Beta, it is much more reliable to say Australia ranks 17 out of 37 countries using what Alpha Beta claims is representative data. It still puts Australia behind countries such as Singapore, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand and the United States, but ahead of countries such as Indonesia, Russia, China, France and Germany.

To achieve this ranking, however, the company has largely relied on subscription speeds the price people are paying for rather than actual achievable speeds, and weighted it down against the availability of broadband, where countries where fewer households have internet access are penalised. Alpha Beta has used this because it is something collated by governments and more easily verifiable.

This methodology is likely to be controversial, considering the biggest complaint facing the NBN as the rollout nears completion is that people arent able to achieve the speeds theyre paying for on weaker technologies such as fibre-to-the-node, or cable.

The ACCCs latest report on broadband speed in August found fibre-to-the-node users had the lowest percentage of hours where the speed they were paying for was available, at 80% compared to 90% for fibre-to-the-premises users.

Rue admitted in a statement that there was no perfect ranking of fixed broadband, but the popular speed tests were unrepresentative.

We hope this report can play a role to balance the way we talk about broadband and its contribution to our societies and economies, he said.

This report confirms that Australia ranks 17th in the world against comparable nations. This is a strong position and a great benchmark for us to continue our mission to improve.

The communications minister, Paul Fletcher, said he welcomed the insights provided by Alpha Beta.

Quite a few broadband surveys which are quoted in the media do not properly take account of the many factors that influence speed test rankings, such as broadband penetration rates, network capability, population density, market structure and so on, he said.

Today there are more than 6 million homes and businesses connected to the network and 65% are choosing broadband plans of 50 Mbps and above.

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NBN chief blames Australia's poor speed rating on 'unrepresentative' data - The Guardian

Integrating the Science of How We Learn into Education Technology – Harvard Business Review

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Danzig

Executive Summary

For well over a century, researchers have labored tirelessly to understand how humans learn and remember. The resulting scientific literature is impressive, both in its scope and its depth. But its often not obvious how to use these findings in educational settings. This is where technology can help, opening up huge opportunities to use the science of learning in new ways. For example, new technologies can be used to track students progress on a very granular level, to personalize their learning at just the right level the so-called Goldilocks Spot, where they are challenged not so much that they get frustrated, and not so little that they are bored. To take advantage of these opportunities, we need to have clear learning outcomes, we need to measure each students progress in achieving those outcomes very granularly, and we need to shift to a focus on active learning. To achieve these ends, faculty and administrators must decide that successful teaching is a crucial goal and be willing to devote the time, energy, and resources necessary to achieve it.

For well over 100 years, researchers have labored tirelessly to understand how humans learn and remember. The resulting scientific literature is impressive, both in its scope and its depth. In fact, so much is now known that I doubt that any human could read and absorb all that has been written on the subject. The sad irony, though, is that its often not obvious how to use the findings of all of this research in educational settings.

Using the science of learning to improve education starts with identifying some general principles. Some of these principles grow out of a property of our brains: The more intensively we process information, the more likely we are to remember it. For example, before you go to sleep at night, do you ever find yourself reflecting on the events of the day? If so, what percentage of what you recall do you think you tried to memorize at the time the event occurred versus how much you just happen to remember later, without having tried to memorize it earlier? When Ive asked large numbers of people this question, they typically report that they intentionally tried to learn at most a tenth of what they recall at the end of the day.

So, where did the rest of what we recall come from? Deep processing. The mere act of paying attention and deeply thinking something through leads you to remember it. Much of what we remember is simply a byproduct of having paid attention and having thought about something.

This general property of our brains implies that if we want people to learn something, we should induce them to focus on it and consider its nature and implications. There are many ways to accomplish this, which grow out of specific principles of learning that reflect particular ways to focus on and process information. For example, one is called the Principle of Desirable Difficulty, which states that people learn best when challenged not so much so that they get frustrated, and not so little that they are bored but rather at just the right level, the so-called Goldilocks Spot. Getting people to the Goldilocks Spot means that we induce them to pay attention and process as much as they can, thereby enhancing the amount of learning.

But heres a problem: What counts as the just right level of challenge differs for different people. Whats too hard for Sam may be too easy for Sally. And its worse than that: What counts as the right level varies for the same person, depending on the subject matter in general, the more you know about something, the more difficult the material can be before you are challenged beyond your capacity to process effectively.

As you can imagine, with so many variables, applying this principle in a traditional classroom setting is challenging. This is where technology can come into play to use the Principle of Desirable Difficulty to enhance the learning of large numbers of students at the same time. First, you need a way to collect data on student performance. For example, students can take a short quiz after each class session, and the individual quiz questions would be coded according to exactly which competencies they are testing. The platform would track each students performance at a granular level.

Second, small breakout groups can be designed to allow students to engage in active learning (such as group problem solving, role playing, and debate) such active learning has been shown repeatedly to be a very effective way to learn, in part because it induces deep processing. Critically, each breakout group activity can be classified according to which competencies are being drawn upon. Thus, the platform can assign students at comparable levels of the relevant (for that activity) ability to the same breakout groups.

Third, each of the activities that students perform in breakout groups can be multilayered it can be approached more or less deeply. For example, in a lesson on figurative language, students might be asked to read a passage and identify all similes and metaphors. In this case, the subtlety of the language can be varied, so that some students may detect only the obvious examples whereas others may detect more subtle ones.

The social interactions during the breakout group could be designed to lead students (who are selected to be at comparable levels for that activity) to adjust how deeply they process the relevant information to keep the activity from being boring, activities can be designed to encourage students to nudge each other to move to their collective Goldilocks spot. This approach would scale very well and incorporates the social component that is so important in learning.

Clearly, technology opens up huge opportunities to use the science of learning in new ways. To take advantage of these opportunities, we need to have clear learning outcomes, we need to measure each students progress in achieving those outcomes very granularly, and we need to shift to a focus on active learning. To achieve these ends, faculty and administrators must decide that successful teaching is a crucial goal and be willing to devote the time, energy, and resources necessary to achieve it.

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Integrating the Science of How We Learn into Education Technology - Harvard Business Review

Several ‘barriers’ prevent adoption of technology in the NHS, CQC finds – Digital Health

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Danzig

Technology has the potential to improve health and care outcomes but there are several barriers preventing its adoption, a new report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) report has found.

The CQCs annual state of care report suggested technology would bring great benefits but warned digital-enabled care should not be implemented as a blanket solution to prevent certain groups of people being left out.

For all its possibilities, we have found some barriers in the way of adopting new technology. Our staff have highlighted that cost can be one, as can be the knowledge and attitudes of staff towards technology, the report said.

We have seen staff who have been sceptical of new technologies, for example, because of the poor performance of previous systems. The perceived complexity of adopting new technologies can also be a barrier.

Our staff have highlighted concerns about the ability of existing IT infrastructures to support new technologies, and whether different systems could talk effectively to one another between different organisations.

Issues surrounding data sharing and the ethics of information sharing can also hamper to uptake of technology, the CQC found.

The independent regulator encouraged health and social care providers to consider technology in the broader strategic sense, as an enabler of high-quality care.

Peter Wyman, chair of the CQC, said: This report points to examples that show how providers are working together more effectively often using technology to help to ensure that people get the care they need when they need it.

But their efforts must be supported by Parliament, commissioners and national and local leaders in order to deliver real change in how and where people are cared for, and how they are supported to stay well.

The use of tools including apps, tablets and assistive technology were having a positive impact on peoples lives but its vital the solutions work for all patients, the report found.

Research from Healthwatch England suggests there is broader support for technological solutions for accessing health and care services.

Technology, including apps and online treatments, also have the potential to empower people to manage their mental health, charity Rethink Mental Illness told the CQC.

But technology isnt the right solution for every patient.

It is important to make sure that certain groups, such as older people or people with a learning disability, are not excluded from the roll-out of digital solutions and tech-enabled care, the report said.

It is important for providers to take individual differences into account and involve the people who use their services in designing any systems.

It is also vital that technology should enhance, rather than replace, human support.

Provision of online appointments has been the most significant change the CQC has seen through its regulatory work, the report said.

In May 2019, 0.5% of NHS GP appointments were delivered online.

Theres also been an increase in the use of digital health monitoring, including apps to measure blood pressure, blood sugar levels, weight and heart rates.

But the adoption of technology isnt consistent across primary care providers, the report found. Improving information sharing was identified as a priority.

Issues including clinicians being unable to access a patients medical records and history due ineffective sharing between healthcare services need to be addressed, it said.

Responding to the report Graham Kendall, director of the Digital Healthcare Council, which represents eight digital providers, said: Digital care, working hand-in-hand with face-to-face provision, is an increasingly important part of solving access to care.

Digital consultations can take the pressure off hard pressed emergency departments that are too often left to fill the gaps, especially when access to local high-quality general practice is limited.

We strongly support the CQCs call to ensure the benefits of technology are widely adopted. The single most important way to address these inequalities is to make sure everyone can benefit from the full range of digital services, regardless of their personal circumstances or where they live.

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Several 'barriers' prevent adoption of technology in the NHS, CQC finds - Digital Health

Visualized: The Rise of Investment Technology – Visual Capitalist

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Danzig

View a high-resolution version of this graphic here.

From agrarian economy to global superpower in half a centuryChinas transformation has been an economic success story unlike any other.

Today, China is the worlds second largest economy, making up 16% of $86 trillion global GDP in nominal terms. If you adjust numbers for purchasing power parity (PPP), the Chinese economy has already been the worlds largest since 2014.

The upward trajectory over the last 70 years has been filled with watershed moments, strategic directives, and shocking tragedies and all of this can be traced back to the founding of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) on October 1st, 1949.

The Chinese Civil War (19271949) between the Republic of China (ROC) and the Communist Party of China (CPC) caused a fractal split in the nations leadership. The CPC emerged victorious, and mainland China was established as the PRC.

Communist leader Mao Zedong set out a few chief goals for the PRC: to overhaul land ownership, to reduce social inequality, and to restore the economy after decades of war. The first State Planning Commission and Chinas first 5-year plan were introduced to achieve these goals.

Todays timely chart looks back on seven decades of notable events and policies that helped shape the country China has become. The base data draws from a graphic by Bert Hofman, the World Banks Country Director for China and other Asia-Pacific regions.

Mao Zedongs tenure as Chairman of the PRC triggered sweeping changes for the country.

19531957: First 5-Year PlanThe programs aim was to boost Chinas industrialization. Steel production grew four-fold in four years, from 1.3 million tonnes to 5.2 million tonnes. Agricultural output also rose, but it couldnt keep pace with industrial production.

19581962: Great Leap ForwardThe campaign emphasized Chinas agrarian-to-industrial transformation, via a communal farming system. However, the plan failedcausing an economic breakdown and the deaths of tens of millions in the Great Chinese Famine.

19591962: Lushan Conference and 7,000 Cadres meetingTop leaders in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) met to create detailed policy frameworks for the PRCs future.

19661976: Great Proletarian Cultural RevolutionMao Zedong attempted to regain power and support after the failures of the Great Leap Forward. However, this was another plan that backfired, causing millions more deaths by violence and again crippling the Chinese economy.

1971: Joined the United NationsThe PRC replaced the ROC (Taiwan) as a permanent member of the United Nations. This addition also made it one of only five members of the UN Security Councilincluding the UK, the U.S., France, and Russia.

1972: President Nixons visitAfter 25 years of radio silence, Richard Nixon was the first sitting U.S. President to step foot into the PRC. This helped re-establish diplomatic relations between the two nations.

19761977: Mao Zedong Death, and Two WhateversAfter Mao Zedongs passing, the interim government promised to resolutely uphold whatever policy decisions Chairman Mao made, and unswervingly follow whatever instructions Chairman Mao gave.

1979: One-Child PolicyThe government enacted an aggressive birth-planning program to control the size of the countrys population, which it viewed as growing too fast.

From 1980 onward, China worked on opening up its markets to the outside world, and closing the inequality gap.

19801984: Special Economic Zones (SEZs) establishedSeveral cities were designated SEZs, and provided with measures such as tax incentives to attract foreign investment. Today, the economies of cities like Shenzhen have grown to rival the GDPs of entire countries.

1981: National Household Responsibility System implementedIn the Mao era, quotas were set on how many goods farmers could produce, shifting the responsibility of profits to local managers instead. This rapidly increased the standard of living, and the quota system spread from agriculture into other sectors.

1989: Coastal Development StrategyPost-Mao leadership saw the coastal region as the potential catalyst for the entire countrys modernization.

19891991: Post-Tiananmen retrenchmentEarly 1980s economic reforms had mixed results, and the growing anxiety eventually culminated in a series of protests. After tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square in 1989, the government retrenched itself by initially attempting to roll back economic reforms and liberalization. The countrys annual growth plunged from 8.6% between 1979-1989 to 6.5% between 1989-1991.

19901991: Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges openCombined, the Shanghai (SSE) and Shenzhen (SZSE) stock exchanges are worth over $8.5 trillion in total market capitalization today.

1994: Shandong Huaneng lists on the NYSEThe power company was the first PRC enterprise to list on the NYSE. This added a new N-shares group to the existing Chinese capital market options of A-shares, B-shares, and H-shares.

19941996: National 8-7 Poverty Reduction PlanChina successfully lifted over 400 million poor people out of poverty between 1981 and 2002 through this endeavor.

1996: Grasp the Large, Let Go of the SmallEfforts were made to downsize the state sector. Policy makers were urged to maintain control over state-owned enterprises to grasp the large. Meanwhile, the central government was encouraged to relinquish control over smaller SOEs, or let go of the small.

1997: Urban Dibao ()Chinas social safety net went through restructuring from 1993, and became a nationwide program after strong success in Shanghai.

1997-1999: Hong Kong and Macao handover, Asian Financial CrisisChina was largely unscathed by the regional financial crisis, thanks to the RMB () currencys non-convertibility. Meanwhile, the PRC regained sovereignty of Hong Kong and Macau back from the UK and Portugal, respectively.

1999: Western Development StrategyThe Open Up the West program built out 6 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, and 1 municipalityeach becoming integral to the Chinese economy.

Chinas entry to the World Trade Organization, and the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (QFII) program which let foreign investors participate in the PRCs stock exchanges contributed to the countrys economic growth.

Source: CNBC

2006: Medium-term Plan for Scientific DevelopmentThe PRC State Councils 15-year plan outlines that 2.5% or more of national GDP should be devoted to research and development by 2020.

2008-2009: Global Financial CrisisThe PRC experienced only a mild economic slowdown during the crisis. The countrys GDP growth in 2007 was a staggering 14.2%, but this dropped to 9.7% and 9.5% respectively in the two years following.

2013: Belt and Road InitiativeChinas ambitious plans to develop road, rail, and sea routes across 152 countries is scheduled for completion by 2049in time for the PRCs 100th anniversary. More than $900 billion is budgeted for these infrastructure projects.

2015: Made in China 2025The PRC refuses to be the worlds factory any longer. In response, it will invest nearly $300 billion to boost its manufacturing capabilities in high-tech fields like pharmaceuticals, aerospace, and robotics.

Despite the recent ongoing trade dispute with the U.S. and an increasingly aging population, the Chinese growth story seems destined to continue on.

The 70th anniversary of the PRC offers a moment to reflect on the countrys journey from humble beginnings to a powerhouse on the world stage.

Because of Chinas economic success, more and more countries see China as an example to emulate, a model of development that could mean moving from rags to riches within a generation.

Bert Hofman, World Bank

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Visualized: The Rise of Investment Technology - Visual Capitalist

Google And Levis Partner Up To Bring Us Wearable Technology – Forbes

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Danzig

Google has been experimenting with wearable technology for the past couple of years. In 2015, they released a new line of functional clothing that allowed users to interact with their phones through the fabric.

However, due to expensive retail prices, the wearable clothing trend never caught on. Almost five years later, the company is still chasing the same goal with the recent release of Levis Jacquard-enabled jackets.

Back in 2017, Saint Laurent launched a backpack with Jacquard support priced at 1000$. Luxury products like these didnt get much attention from the average tech users due to the high price.

That is why Google is hoping to present a new type of wearable technology that will bring the same benefits at a more affordable price. Read on to learn more about their Levis smart jackets!

The New Smart Jacket Features

The latest collaboration between Google and Levis has brought to us two versions of the smart jackets, including the classic Levis Trucker Jacket at 198$, and the Sherpa Trucker Jacket at 248$.

Jacquard

Each jacket comes with Googles Jacquard dongle that is placed in the jackets cuff. It connects to the conductive fabric inside the jacket and thus makes interaction possible.

Once you connect a smartphone to the dongle, you can control multiple features with simple movements such as a swipe or a tap over the cuff. For instance, taping and holding over the cuff of the jacket will allow you to issue commands to the connected smartphone.

Users can also customize each movement or gesture to activate different features and abilities, including communicating with the voice assistant, controlling music, or controlling the phones camera.

The tech-enabled jackets currently feature 19 abilities that can be customized on the phone. The dongle also sends notifications through vibration to let you know about your messages, emails, and alarms.

Will Wearable Technology Catch On

After it has failed to earn the interest of the masses, wearable technology is making a breakthrough once again. The question is, will it catch on this time?

Experts at Google are hoping that the tech-enabled jackets will become a true thanks to their more affordable price point. Ivan Poupyrev, the head of Jacquard by Google: Since we launched the first product with Levis at the end of 2017, we were focused on trying to understand and working really hard on how we can take the technology from a single product [] to create a real technology platform that can be used by multiple brands and by multiple collaborators.

He also added that the overall goal of creating wearable technology is to give people the opportunity to create new digital touch points to their digital life through things they already have and own and use every day.

Were left to see whether smart jackets are going to become the next big trend. The Jacquard-enabled jackets are currently available in Germany, France, Italy, UK, US, Australia, and Japan.

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Google And Levis Partner Up To Bring Us Wearable Technology - Forbes

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