Orbital ATK Sues DARPA Over Satellite-Repairing Robots | Inverse – Inverse

Posted on by

Private space technology company Orbital ATK sued the Pentagons Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) last Tuesday over plans to give a rival firm a contract to build satellite-repairing robots for a government-funded mission.

The Virginia-based company filed a complaint with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, asking court to halt DARPAs work on the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) mission, which would promote and develop robotic satellite repair technology.

DARPA chose rocket manufacturer Space Systems Loral (SSL), which is a subsidiary of Canadas MDA Corp., to award a $15 million contract for building robots for repairing government and commercial satellites.

It clearly demonstrates the success of our strategy to bring the benefits of our commercial business to a broader audience and to grow our business with U.S. government work, Howard Lance, CEO of SSL MDA Holdings, said in a statement last Thursday.

According to Jared Adams, DARPAs chief of media relations, the RSGS public-private effort is a first for DARPA in the space-servicing domain, and DARPAs selection of SSL has been submitted for review by the Defense Departments Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics.

In the lawsuit, Orbital ATK argued that DARPA intends to give away this technology to a foreign-owned company for that companys sole commercial use. In addition, Orbital ATK said RSGS would waste hundreds of millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to develop robotic satellite servicing technology for which DARPA has admitted there is no present U.S. government need and that NASA and the U.S. private sector specifically the plaintiffs are already developing.

On the other hand, DARPA says RSGS would lower the risks and costs of operating in orbit.

Servicing on orbit could provide significant cost savings compared to current practices and a major advantage to the security of both commercial and Government space assets, Gordon Roesler, DARPAs program manager for RSGS, said in a statement last Thursday.

RSGS, Orbital ATK argues, directly competes with Orbital ATKs Mission Extension Vehicle, which is in development and provides life extension services to satellites. The company argues this violates the 2010 National Space Policy, which says that the government must refrain from conducting United States government activities that preclude, discourage, or compete with U.S. commercial space activities.

Currently, the Mission Extension Vehicle is backed by at least $200 million from investors, and Orbital ATK had set up a production facility in Northern Virginia. The company planned to launch the Mission Extension Vehicle next year.

In the past, Orbital ATK has worked with the U.S. government and NASA on various space projects. On Monday, the company announced that the U.S. Air Force awarded it a contract to provide support services for a multipurpose satellite.

This isnt the first time DARPA was asked to stop RSGS. Two weeks ago, three Republican members of Congress wrote a letter to the Pentagon saying RSGS violates the National Space Policy because its competing with a private company.

We urge you to promptly review this program to ensure its compliance with the 2010 National Space Policy, the letter to DARPA Acting Director Steven Walker said. As Acting Director, you should stop any further action on RSGS until the review is completed.

Walker replied saying that the commercial systems under development would not be as capable as RSGS, and he reviewed the mission, saying that it complied with the National Space Policy.

DARPA also said that a NASA satellite repair program called Restore-L does not have the same degree of autonomous control as RSGS. Restore-L was also awarded to Space Systems Loral and is planned to launch by 2020.

Photos via Flickr / NASA Johnson

Go here to read the rest:

Orbital ATK Sues DARPA Over Satellite-Repairing Robots | Inverse - Inverse

These ’80s Artists Are More Important Than Ever – New York Times

Posted on by

New York Times
These '80s Artists Are More Important Than Ever
New York Times
The Pictures Generation has become a ubiquitous, awkward catchall term, probably abrasive to the artists themselves, for something that was less an organized movement than a heterogeneous expression of a zeitgeist. Their art was connected by an ...

See the rest here:

These '80s Artists Are More Important Than Ever - New York Times

The Grammys Honored the Wrong Album, and Adele Knew It – Advocate.com

Posted on by

At the beginning of the Grammy Awards, Jennifer Lopez evoked the words of Beloved author Toni Morrison to stress the importance of courage in a time when art is threatened.

This is precisely the time when artists go to work, she recited. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear.

The quotation was a stirring kickoff for the Grammys, where throughout the evening, many artists strove to embody thiscri de coeur. Katy Perry wore a Planned Parenthood pin and a sequined persist armband, in solidarity with the womens movement, as she was outlined by a projection of the U.S. Constitution. A Tribe Called Quest led a chant of resist! after a politically charged performance denouncing President Agent Orange. Laverne Cox, in her introduction to Lady Gaga and Metallica, educated the audience about Gavin Grimm and the fight for transgender equality.

In effect, the evening was a crescendo of resistance to political and systemic oppression. However, this crescendo was cut short when the ceremonys top honor, the Album of the Year, did not go to the artist who fulfilled the promise of Morrisons words. It went instead to Adeles 25.

This is not to say that 25 is without artistic merit. The song Hello, in particular, is a stirring power ballad of loss and heartbreak, which resonated worldwide. Commercially, it is one of the best-selling albums of all time.

Yet artistically, it does not hold a candle to Beyoncs Lemonade. Upon its release, the visual album was a revelation, which combined music, poetry, and history with themes of feminism and racial injustice. It gave voice to movements like Black Lives Matter. It was beautiful, painful, and daring. Today, when members of vulnerable communities women, immigrants, people of color, and queer people fear for their safety and rights under a Trump administration, the album seems downright clairvoyant.

In the face of this zeitgeist, The Recording Academy made the wrong decision. And Adele knew it. You could see the embarrassment and confusion swirling in her face when Lemonade was not announced as the winner. For a moment, standing onstage, it seemed like the British artist might reject the music industrys highest honor.

I cant possibly accept this award, Adele said in her acceptance speech. And Im very humbled and Im very grateful and gracious. But my artist of my life is Beyonc. And this album to me, the Lemonade album, is just so monumental. Beyonc, its so monumental. And so well thought out, and so beautiful and soul-baring and we all got to see another side to you that you dont always let us see. And we appreciate that. And all us artists here adore you. You are our light.

And the way that you make me and my friends feel, the way you make my black friends feel, is empowering. And you make them stand up for themselves. And I love you. I always have and I always will, she added.

However, Adele, for all her praise of Lemonade and its social importance, did accept the award, with the army of those who helped produce the album standing behind her. Grammys, I appreciate it. The Academy, I love you, she said.

Yet, did Adele truly love the Academy for putting her in this position, for making her yet the latest example of an unjust voting outcome? Should she have rejected the award, handed it to Beyonc, or made some other symbolic gesture to give voice to those who once again felt silenced and marginalized? Probably, yes.

Adele continued to express her conflicted feelings in the media room after the win, telling reporters, "My album of the year was Lemonade, so a piece of me did die inside, as a Beyonc fan."

But ultimately, it is not about how Adele responded to the award or feels about its deservedness. The issue is how The Recording Academy played it safe in a year when, as Morrison said, there is no room for fear. Throughout the awards ceremony, there was much talk of the importance of art and politics. Yet when push came to shove, it was the political and artful that got shoved. After all, if Beyonc can't win Album of the Year for creating music about black lives, what other artists have a chance?

In short, Lemonade was robbed. But fortunately, itdid win for Best Urban Contemporary Album, which gave Beyonc an opportunity to address the urgency and intent of her work.

My intention for the film and album was to create a body of work that would give a voice to our pain, our struggles, our darkness and our history, to confront issues that make us uncomfortable," she said.

I feel its vital that we learn from the past and recognize our tendencies to repeat our mistakes, she concluded. The Recording Academy would do well to listen.

DANIEL REYNOLDS is an editor at The Advocate. Follow him on Twitter @dnlreynolds.

Read the original here:

The Grammys Honored the Wrong Album, and Adele Knew It - Advocate.com

Bishops’ fumble with same-sex marriage means the Church of England is about to lose a generation – The Conversation UK

Posted on by

After months of discussing the Church of Englands position on same-sex marriage, its bishops will deliver their summary to the General Synod in London on February 15. As events take place around the country celebrating LGBT History Month, this could have been a good opportunity to explore a rich and positive dialogue around faith and sexuality. But the bishops have blown it. In a document published before the meeting, they reaffirmed the traditional belief that marriage is a sacred bond between a man and a woman, for life, for the procreation of children.

The so-called Shared Conversations, the name of the discussion process, offered a chance for the church to jive with a sexuality-savvy generation. The bishops could have made a step further towards institutional equality and shown that they mean it when they say we are all wonderfully made.

But they could not be more culturally tone deaf. What should have been a moment to bridge generations is shaping up to be a lesson in alienation par excellence. When it comes to sexuality, the bishops discussion document is not just a beat behind the cultural zeitgeist, it is an entire hymn sheet behind.

What will appear on the synod agenda on February 15 is a fumbling discussion on sexuality that never achieves eye-contact. Synod is being asked to have a take note debate which means no vote will actually take place for or against the document about same-sex marriage though no doubt campaigners on either side will seek to get their point across. A group of 14 retired bishops published an open letter ahead of the meeting, concerned that the church was not listening to gay Christians.

Todays gender and sexual parlance is conspicuously missing from these debates. The millennial and post-millennial generations are embracing a whole new, non-binary, sexual vocabulary and they are free to be genderfluid, polyamorous and pansexual.

There is more silence than discussion in the bishops document and I suspect the heavy-handed editing was required to present a reassuring unity, something which the bishops are keen not to disrupt under any circumstances. There is little sense in the report of just what was actually discussed among the bishops. They attempt to generate a sense of moving forward in thinking about diverse sexualities, but it is overstated. In fact, you could stub your toe on the inertia the church has moved not an inch.

The synod will be presented with a heavy dose of church law, mainly to restate the traditional belief that marriage is a sacred bond between a man and a woman, for life, for the procreation of children. The nuclear family is spiritually and morally privileged. This may generate the rolling of eyes from much of the public, since the spiritual home for all the people of England is megaphoning its belief that swathes of the population are slip-sliding along a continuum of deviancy and sin, having sex outside the sanctity of lifelong heterosexual marriage.

But at the same time, a rather oxymoronic suggestion in the report argues that the church should really work on its welcome to lesbian, gay and bisexual people, while re-affirming its moral stance against same-sex marriage at the same time.

The bishops base their deliberations on the rickety and equivocal three-legged stool of tradition, reason and scripture. My ongoing research with women clergy, however, suggests there is elasticity in belief within the church. Aware of their own journey from the margins, many of these women want the church to be far more open to diverse sexualities.

The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement and clergy blogs are expressing disappointment in the bishops homage to heteronormativity. These weather vanes may indicate a shift in direction within the church and a growing resistance to its narrow doctrine.

To me, the act of relying on tradition to legitimise outmoded thinking is myopic. Lesbian, gay and bisexual clergy and lay people (trans people are invisible in the bishops discussion) are being cast as others in their own church.

What especially vexes the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement and their allies is the reinforcement of the expectation that gay and lesbian clergy should remain celibate, since they have an exemplary position, binding by church law, and are held to a higher standard of sexual conduct than churchgoers. In the movements letter to the bishops, they wrote:

It is now clear that the process has almost entirely failed to hear the cries of faithful LGBTI+ people. You are proposing to formalise Dont Ask, Dont Tell among clergy in same-sex relationships far from equalising the situation between straight and gay clergy it pushes LGBTI+ clergy back into the closet.

This letter clearly borrows from the language used during the struggle for womens ordination. The church hierarchy has resistance and protest on its hands once again.

The bishops might be able to publicly maintain collegiate unity, but it risks built-in obsolescence for the church. I would like to think that there are bishops who would distance themselves from this report if they could. Against the fast-paced change in social attitudes to sexuality, particularly among the young, the bishops Shared Conversation is just cultural white noise.

Read more from the original source:

Bishops' fumble with same-sex marriage means the Church of England is about to lose a generation - The Conversation UK

The ‘Dutch disease’ reexamined: Resource booms can benefit the wider economy – USAPP American Politics and Policy (blog)

Posted on by

Do resource booms enhance growth in a country or lead to a crowding out of other tradable industries, such as manufacturing? Traditional theories suggest that crowding-out effects dominate. The idea is that gains from the boom largely accrue to the profitable sectors servicing the resource industry, while the rest of the country suffers adverse effects from increased wage costs, an appreciated exchange rate and a lack of competitiveness as a result of the boom.

In the research literature, such a phenomenon is commonly been referred to as Dutch disease, based on similar experiences in the Netherlands in the 1960s. But traditional studies of Dutch disease do not account for productivity spillovers between the booming resource sector and other non-resource sectors. We put forward a simple theory model that allows for such spillovers. We then quantify these spillovers empirically, allowing for measurement of both resource and spending effects through a large panel of variables.

Using mineral abundant Australia and petroleum rich Norway as representative cases studies, we find that a booming resource sector has positive effects on non-resource sectors, effects that have not been captured in previous analysis. The wider benefits for the economy are particularly evident when taking account of productivity spillovers and learning-by-doing between industries. The most positively affected sectors from a resource boom are construction and services. Yet, manufacturing also benefits, though less so than the other industries.

Augmenting traditional Dutch disease theories

Experience in resource-rich countries suggests that there may be important spillovers from the resource sectors to other industries. Norway is good example. As the development of offshore oil often demands complicated technical solutions, this could in itself generate positive knowledge externalities that benefit other sectors. And since these sectors trade with other industries in the economy, there may be learning by doing spillovers to the overall economy.

Traditional Dutch disease theories do not account for such spillovers. The model developed in this study does take account of them. We allow for direct productivity spillovers from the resource sector to both the traded and non-traded sector.

We further assume that there is learning-by-doing in the traded and non-traded sectors, as well as learning spillovers between these sectors. Hence, we extend the more traditional model of learning-by-doing with technology spillovers from the resource sector. To the extent that the natural resource sector crowds in productivity in the other sectors, the growth rate in the overall economy will also increase.

The positive effects of a resource boom

We test the predictions from our suggested theoretical model against data by estimating a dynamic factor model that includes separate activity factors for the resource and non-resource sectors in addition to global activity and the real commodity price.

This makes it possible to examine separately the windfall gains associated with resource booms (that is, volume changes) from commodity price changes, while also allowing global demand to affect commodity prices.

The main finding emphasises that there are large and positive spillovers from the exploration of natural resources to the non-resource industries in both Norway and Australia. In particular, in the wake of the resource boom, productivity, output and employment increase for a prolonged period of time in both countries, see Figure 1.

The expansion in Norway is substantial; after one to two years, 25-30per cent of the variation in non-resource GDP is explained by the resource boom, while the comparable numbers are 43-50 per cent for productivity. In Australia, the expansion is more modest: 10-15 per cent of value added in non-mining is explained by the resource boom, while 5-6 per cent of productivity is explained by the same shock.

Examining the different industries, we confirm that value added and employment increase in the non-traded sectors relative to the traded sectors, suggesting a two-speed transmission phase. This is in particular evident in Australia. The most positively affected sectors are construction and business services. Still, and in contrast to the predictions from the traditional Dutch disease theories, manufacturing also benefits from the resource boom, although less so than the other industries see Figure 2.

Notes:

Hilde C. Bjrnlandis Professor of Economics at BI Norwegian Business School and Director at the Center for Applied Macro-and Petroleum economics (CAMP). She is also scientific advisor atthe research department of Norges Bank and member of the Swedish Fiscal Policy Council. Her main research interests are applied macroeconomics and time series. Special interests include the study of natural resources, business cycles, andmonetary and fiscal policy. Dr.Bjrnland has published extensively in top international journals. She is also the co-author of the book: Applied Time Series For Macroeconomics. Email:hilde.c.bjornland@bi.no

Leif Anders Thorsrudis a Senior Researcher in Monetary Policy Research at Norges Bank and Researcher II at the BI Norwegian Business School and Center for Applied Macro and Petroleum Economics.He obtained his Ph.D. at the BI Norwegian Business School in 2014. Dr. Thorsruds research on forecasting and energy economics has been published in top field international journals. Currently his research agenda centres on how unstructured data sources can be used to understand macroeconomic fluctuations. He co-authored the book: Applied Time Series For Macroeconomics. Email: leif.a.thorsrud@bi.no

See more here:

The 'Dutch disease' reexamined: Resource booms can benefit the wider economy - USAPP American Politics and Policy (blog)

What Does Device Automation Mean for Users? – Medical Device and Diagnostics Industry (blog)

Posted on by

Intelligent, automated medical devices are the way of the future, but automation can bring with it some important adjustments for device users.

Marie Thibault

When Medtronics MiniMed 670G was approved by FDA in September 2016, the device received much-deserved fanfare as the first hybrid closed-loop system for insulin delivery. Taking one more step toward an artificial pancreas, the devices SmartGuard HCL algorithm automatically aims to keep patients within their target glucose level range, while requiring limited patient input.

This kind of automation is a big step not only for the medical device industry, but also for users, since it can help reduce the burden of disease management and potentially improve their health. Still, automation in medical devices can be a tricky thing to introduce to some users, according to Steve Vargas, principle human factors design engineer at Medtronic Diabetes.

During a February 7 case study session at MD&M West titled "Deciphering the Diabetes Experience," Vargas noted an important difference in how users interacted with the device. That is, users already adept at managing their diabetes with insulin pumps can be skeptical of automation.

"My biggest challenge hasn't been on the novice side; it's been on the experienced side," Vargas said. "We call them elite users; you'll hear the term 'super users.' Those are the people that understand the system, understand their disease, and act accordingly. These are the [patients] that you have to gain trust from."

Vargas pointed out that until recently, device development and innovation focused on adding new features and improving user interface. "Now I need to do a 180 and take it all away. That's really the basis of automation."

Essentially, while this automation reduces the risk of erroneous patient input, it also reduces user control. With that comes some other interesting challenges, Vargas said. "How do you design for a user interface or how do you do usability testing on a system where the user is not expected to do anythingand on a candid basis?" he asked.

Vargas explained that he and his team kept the patient in mind by cutting down the number of tasks the patient needs to perform and making those interactions with the device meaningful and easy. While patients still need to put in their mealtime carbohydrates because the algorithm doesn't yet allow for fast changes in glucose, all other reactions are undertaken by the system, he said.

Super users of insulin pump systems already feel confident in their use of the technology and don't always see the benefit of switching to an automated system. That's when showing these users examples of such benefits and allowing them to test it with their own experiences comes into play, Vargas told the MD&M West audience. He illustrated the point with an automobile analogy:

The idea of going to automation, especially on a closed-loop system, especially someone that has so much experience with their diabetes, is the equivalent of taking somebody from a GTO Mustang with a manual transmission . . . and giving them something with an automatic . . . if you're somebody used to having a lot of control of the system, it's very difficult to get them."

Vargas added, "That's where you have to go into the trust category, you show them what the algorithm is doing for them, you show them what the burden is that we're removing from them, and get them on board."

Marie Thibault is the managing editor at MD+DI. Reach her at marie.thibault@ubm.com and on Twitter @MedTechMarie.

[Image courtesy of MEDTRONIC PLC]

See the original post here:

What Does Device Automation Mean for Users? - Medical Device and Diagnostics Industry (blog)

Your Most Valuable Resource is Time Get More of it through Automation – CMS Critic (press release) (blog)

Posted on by

How would you feel about increasing the number of productive hours you spend working every day, without working harder, or for longer? What about eliminating errors, enhancing your business processes, and reducing all the dreaded admin you have to do? Good news, you can Its all about automation.

One thing every small business owner, entrepreneur, middle-manager or startup can agree on is that theres never enough time to get everything done. Whether its managing finances, dealing with customer service, boosting sales, or creating content, demands on your attention are seemingly endless.

Perhaps the most subtle, and biggest drain on your time is that dreaded area, Administration. Its all the small things Replying to email, updating customer details, sending out invoices, tracking project tasks, producing reports. It might not add much value to your business, but its essential to running a successful operation. Unfortunately, you and your employees could be spending as much as half of your time on administrative tasks

Its time to put a stop to that by automating as much of your business operations and processes as you can. The revolution in Software as a Service (SaaS) apps (software that runs in your web browser) has created a vast ecosystem of automation that you can take advantage of. Heres how automation can help your business:

Significantly reduce the time you spend on admin Automation can increase your productivity by around 20%, simply through processing information and data without you needing to get involved.

Remove errors when transferring data and information Mis-keying, lack of oversight, and being rushed can all lead to normal human errors when handling information. Automation removes that problem by transferring data automatically.

Enhance business processes and how you support employees and customers With information thats there when you need it, you and your employees can provide more efficient and effective customer service. That helps to build trust with your customers, which is good for the bottom line.

There are hundreds of ways automation can help your business, here are just a few examples:

Automatically billing time you record against client projects back to their invoices If you run projects in Basecamp, Trello, Asana, or many of the other project management apps, you can record time spent on client tasks and automatically bill it back to your invoice and accounting software.

Integrating your Client Relationship Management (CRM) and customer support information together If you track customers in CRM software, you can automatically add their details to your customer support solution. That makes providing excellent customer service a little easier.

Tracking your return on investment from Adwords in Google Analytics If you use Googles Pay Per Click advertising product, AdWords, you can automatically link it to your Google Analytics account. That lets you easily track visits, sales, conversions, and revenue so you can see your marketing ROI and invest more wisely.

Linking your bank feed to your accounting software No one enjoys account reconciliation, but you can make it a little easier by importing your bank account data into your accounting app to make reconciliation easier.

Other ways to automate your business include:

Sending emails to Slack channels.

Adding mailing list signups to CRM.

Generating business reports from data.

Sending data to Google Sheets for analysis.

Publishing to your content management system automatically.

And many, many more.

Automating your business is very simple.

Decide what information you want to transfer between apps.

Identify the apps you want to transfer information between.

Find out if you can transfer information natively, or if you need to use a third-party service.

Setup the automation.

Test it and go!

There are two main ways to add automation to your business Via Native Integrations, and via Third Party Apps.

Most decent SaaS apps have inbuilt integrations. To find out what your particular software supports, search for the Integrations page on their website and find out what it links to. They should also have clear instructions on setting up your integration.

There are two main services that allow you to automate apps and transfer information between them. They are If This Then That (IFTTT) and Zapier. Both work with most of the major SaaS apps.They allow you to link two or more apps together, poll those apps periodically for data, and if they find any, transfer it to the new app. Both are very easy to setup and use.

Once youve setup your automation, test how your data is transferring and make tweaks. Over time youll be able to significantly enhance your workflow.

It really is worth taking the time to understand automation and how it can work for your business. Youll enhance your productivity, reduce frustration, avoid errors, and create happier customers.

Read the original here:

Your Most Valuable Resource is Time Get More of it through Automation - CMS Critic (press release) (blog)

Protests as Iowa considers its own ‘Scott Walker bill’ – Washington Examiner

Posted on by

In 2011, when Wisconsin passed Act 10, 100,000 left-wing activists descended upon Madison. When the bill passed and the reforms saved local governments billions of dollars, all the rancor looked pretty silly in hindsight.

The opposition to Iowa's version of Act 10 is not proving to be nearly as bitter or numerically overwhelming, but the teachers' unions sense the danger.

Hundreds of Iowa teachers, school children and other activists rallied outside the statehouse Sunday, voicing opposition to legislation filed last week that would overhaul the state's collective bargaining law ... The legislation would gut Chapter 20 which sets the parameters for contract negotiations with public employee unions Iowa Democrats have said, while Republicans have argued the changes would provide more local control and modernize the 1974 law.

Under the proposed legislation, public employees except for police and firefighters would only be able to bargain for base wages.

Another difference: Although the Iowa law is trying to do what Walker did in Wisconsin treating public safety workers differently from other state and government workers public safety unions are visibly protesting as well, arguing that this distinction between the two classes is artificial and could be undone in the future.

In Wisconsin, Act 10 limited collective bargaining to wages only (though wage bargaining was also sharply limited). The abolition of collective bargaining over work rules and benefits returned decision-making to elected officials at all levels. This created all kinds of new budgetary flexibility for school districts that they had never enjoyed before.

Previously, they had been bound to spend much of their budgets according to negotiation or arbitration procedures with the public-sector unions rather than decision-making by elected officials. But under Act 10, instead of massively overpaying on (for example) negotiated sweetheart deals to buy insurance plans from the union itself, they could bid competitively, save a fortune and spend the money on actually hiring teachers and educating students. What's more, they could create their own work rules merit pay, rewarding excellence instead of seniority and innovate without being hauled into court.

This is why Act 10 was so revolutionary. Because of the windfall it brought to local governments and school districts, the state contribution to these local government units could be scaled back without their having to raise property taxes. This, in the end, was the only realistic solution to the state's massive recession-era budget crisis, and it's the reason Act 10 has become so popular in the state today.

Like Wisconsin's bill, Iowa's would require public-sector unions to be recertified in regular elections. As noted in this explainer, union representation in many of the collective bargaining units in state and municipal government was voted on 40 years ago and hasn't been revisited since. In those cases, no one working today had any part in the decision. Workers who want a different union or no union are bound by decisions made in some cases before they were born.

Like Wisconsin's, this bill would also end the state's practice of automatically deducting union dues from paychecks. In cases where wage disputes go to arbitration, arbitrators would actually be bound (it's amazing this wasn't the case already) by the government employer's budget limitations.

Also from the Washington Examiner

The suspect was taken down by an employee of the network and wounded by the attacker.

02/13/17 6:12 PM

Republicans in the state legislature in Des Moines may find there is less resistance there, in part because Iowa is already a right-to-work state Wisconsin was not when Act 10 passed in 2011 and in part because Madison isn't its capital. But at a moment when the Left is especially restive and seems to be protesting everything, this reform isn't gaining the same kind of national attention Wisconsin's did.

Top Story

President Trump is "evaluating the situation" regarding national security adviser Michael Flynn role in the administration, the White House said Monday.

"The president is evaluating the situation," White House press secretary Sean Spicer. "He is speaking to vice president relative to the conversation the VP had with General Flynn and also speaking to various other people about what he considers he single most important subject there is - our national security."

Spicer's statement came approximately one hour after Kellyanne Conway said on TV that Flynn has "the full confidence of the president.

02/13/17 5:17 PM

See the article here:

Protests as Iowa considers its own 'Scott Walker bill' - Washington Examiner

Justice Ginsburg Expresses Concern About Anti-Immigrant Sentiment – Daily Caller

Posted on by

5478625

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg expressed concern about rising anti-immigrant sentiment during remarks she gave in Hawaii this weekend.

The 83-year old justice, at ease with several leis around her neck, spoke to students from Mililani High School in Central Oahu. She was asked if immigrants have benefited the country, according to the Honolulu Civil Beat.

I think of the U.S. as a place that welcomes people from abroad who want to work and who are yearning to be free, she said. Its disheartening to see that there are some people who dont agree with that view who think our borders should be closed. But its not the first time in U.S. history that has happened.

She added that she hopes the country will quickly restore its reputation as a land of freedom and democracy that embraces people who come to us as strangers and then become part of us.

Prior to arriving in Hawaii, where she is participating in the jurist-in-residence program at the University of Hawaiis William S. Richardson School of Law, Ginsburg gave the Rathbun Lecture on a Meaningful Lifeat Stanford University where she called for the abolition of the electoral college. She echoed those comments during her remarks in Oahu this weekend.

During her Stanford appearance, she was asked which constitutional provisions should evolve with the society.

Well, some things I would like to change, one is the electoral college, she said, to rapturous applause. But that would require a constitutional amendment. Amending our Constitution is powerfully hard to do, as I know from the struggle for the Equal Rights Amendment, which fell three state shy [of passage].

Still physically active despite her advanced age, Ginsburg was scheduled to go horseback riding Saturday morning, but was precluded from doing so by rain.

Follow Kevin on Twitter

Send tips to [emailprotected].

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [emailprotected].

Read the original:

Justice Ginsburg Expresses Concern About Anti-Immigrant Sentiment - Daily Caller

5 Steps To Validate Your Business Idea Before Getting Started – Forbes

Posted on by

Forbes
5 Steps To Validate Your Business Idea Before Getting Started
Forbes
For example, if you value health and personal empowerment, you might serve yoga studios. 2. Speak To Real People Within The Scope Of Who You Want To Serve. Once you've figured out who you want to help, get in touch with them. This will take your ...

Original post:

5 Steps To Validate Your Business Idea Before Getting Started - Forbes

Northwest Credit Union Foundation partners with BALANCE to provide personal finance training to MESA participants – CUinsight.com (press release)

Posted on by

CONCORD , CA (February 13, 2017) Saving for higher education and managing finances is daunting for most families. Northwest credit unions are offering two powerful solutions: matched savings and a comprehensive digital financial education toolkit.

Credit unions offering the Northwest Matched Education Savings Account (MESA) Program provide financial assistance to individuals with lower incomes by helping them save for post-secondary education at Idaho, Oregon, or Washington schools. The program, facilitated by the Northwest Credit Union Foundation (NWCUF) and Montanas Credit Unions for Community Development (MCUCD), offers a 3:1 savings match. For every dollar a participant saves, he or she will be eligible to receive another three dollars, with a maximum match of up to $1,500. One of the requirements for participation is completion of a personal finance/money management course.

The NWCUF selected BALANCEs BalanceTrack eLearning modules to provide training to MESA account holders.

We looked for a fun, easy, helpful resource for our MESA students and we found that in our partnership with BALANCE, said Denise Gabel, NWCUF Executive Director.

Participants will utilize the BalanceTrack series of eLearning modules focusing on eight core financial topics: money management, checking account management, high-cost financial services, the psychology of spending, purchasing an automobile, credit matters, understanding credit reports, and repaying student debt. Each module includes coursework, worksheets, podcasts, and quizzes. At the end of each module, participants are tested on the concepts they learned.

The 184 credit unions in the Northwest are focused on empowering families to save. Improving financial capability is exactly what not-for-profit, member-owned credit unions are all about, said Gabel.

BALANCE is the leader in innovative financial empowerment programs, financial education services, and housing and credit counseling. BALANCE is a non-profit and is a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC). The company is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children, Inc. and is certified by HUD to provide comprehensive housing counseling services. BALANCEs certified counselors have been helping individuals and families achieve their financial goals since 1969. For more information, visit http://www.balancepro.org.

The Northwest MESA Program is a collaborative project between the Northwest Credit Union Association, Northwest Credit Union Foundation, Montana Credit Unions for Community Development, and US Department of Health and Human Services through the Assets for Independence program. Additional program partners include Idaho, Oregon, and Washington credit unions.

The Northwest Credit Union Foundation (NWCUF) is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to identifying and nurturing partnerships that bring together Northwest credit unions, community organizations and nonprofits to improve and grow the regional economy. NWCUF provides credit unions and community partners with support that promotes asset-building, economic empowerment, and cooperative development. Learn more at http://www.nwcuf.org.

James Flores Vice President Marketing & Education (714) 447-1110

Read more:

Northwest Credit Union Foundation partners with BALANCE to provide personal finance training to MESA participants - CUinsight.com (press release)

Springs School News, February 16 – 27east.com

Posted on by

Feb 13, 2017 11:33 AM

Girls age 11 to 14 at Springs School will begin sessions with i-Tri, a program that fosters self-respect, personal empowerment, self-confidence, positive body image and healthy lifestyle choices for girls, this month; in March they begin training for their first triathlon. Through a curriculum of physical fitness, family outreach, nutrition classes and self-esteem workshops, affirming respect, responsibility, teamwork and dedication, as well as the sport of triathlon, i-Tri girls develop healthy habits and healthy attitudes which last a lifetime. At an age at which they are often confronted with difficult life choices, i-Tri girls are taught to believe in themselves and their peers.

The Functional Academics class made handmade Valentines day chocolates to sell as candy grams to the seventh- and eighth-graders. The chocolates cost $1 a bag with profits supporting Special Olympics. The orders were taken in the students lunchrooms ahead of time and delivered anonymously on Valentines Day.

Fourth-graders may participate in band and/or chorus in the early morning.

Students in kindergarten through sixth grade may sign up for the Camp Invention summer program at the school. Details and registration information is on the school website.

The Famous Springs Mystery Art Sale (SMARTS) is back again this spring! Students, teachers, and community members voted for a purple logo this year. Students are hard at work creating their 5 x 7 pieces of art which will be featured at Ashawagh Hall for sale side by side with the art of several local artists. Artists are encouraged to contact art teachers Colleen McGowan and Alex DeHavenon to contribute.

P.S. I Love You Day was celebrated on February 14, after being snowed out on last week. Teachers, students, and staff wore purple on Tuesday to be mindful of the positive impact kindness can have on others. Fourth grade teachers Mrs. Knight and Mrs. Reiner hope to make this a new annual celebration at the school where everyone makes a point to tell others that they are loved and accepted. Purple post-it notes covered the school with sentiments such as you rock or youre special. Student JanPol Munzon said, All I want is for everyone to have a good heart and all students have nice emotions and no one violates anyone else. I want this school to just have peace and justice.

Budget work sessions have begun for the 2017-18 school year. The next will be Wednesday. March 1. All community members are welcome.

The PTA hosted a very successful Skate Night at Buckskill for grades five through eight. This was made possible by the Turkey Trot, the pasta lunch, and other fundraising throughout the year. The PTA makes many special events and field trips possible. Please contact Mark Lappin for information on future events.

Original post:

Springs School News, February 16 - 27east.com

Technology puts ‘touch’ into long-distance relationships – Phys.Org

Posted on by

February 13, 2017 SIAT graduate student Azadeh Foirghani demonstrates the Flex N Feel glove. Credit: Simon Fraser University

Long-distance couples can share a walk, watch movies together, and even give each other a massage, using new technologies being developed in Carman Neustaedter's Simon Fraser University lab.

It's all about feeling connected, says Neustaedter, an associate professor in SFU's School of Interactive Arts and Technology (SIAT). Student researchers in his Surrey campus-based Connections Lab are working on myriad solutions.

Among them, researchers have designed a pair of interconnected gloves called Flex-N-Feel. When fingers 'flex' in one glove, the actions are transmitted to a remote partner wearing the other. The glove's tactile sensors allow the wearer to 'feel' the movements.

To capture the flex actions, the sensors are attached to a microcontroller. The sensors provide a value for each bend, and are transmitted to the 'feel' glove using a WiFi module.

The sensors are also placed strategically on the palm side of the fingers in order to better feel the touch. A soft-switch on both gloves also allows either partner to initiate the touch.

"Users can make intimate gestures such as touching the face, holding hands, and giving a hug," says Neustaedter. "The act of bending or flexing one's finger is a gentle and subtle way to mimic touch."

The video will load shortly

The gloves are currently a prototype and testing continues. While one set of gloves enables one-way remote touch between partners, Neustaedter says a second set could allow both to share touches at the same time.

Other projects also focus on shared experiences, including a virtual reality video conferencing system that lets one "see through the eyes" of a remote partner, and another that enables users to video-stream a remote partner's activities to a long-distance partner at home (called Be With Me).

Meanwhile the researchers are also studying how next-generation telepresence robots can help unite couples and participate in activities together.

They've embedded a robot, designed by Suitable Technologies, into several Vancouver homes. There, it connects to countries around the world, including India and Singapore. Researchers continue to monitor how the robot is used. One long-distance couple plans a Valentine's Day 'date' while one partner is in Vancouver, and the other, on Vancouver Island.

"The focus here is providing that connection, and in this case, a kind of physical body," says Neustaedter, who has designed and built eight next-generation telepresence systems for families, and is author of Connecting Families: The Impact of New Communication Technologies on Domestic Life (2012). He has also spent more than a decade studying workplace collaborations over distance, including telepresence attendance at international conferences.

"Long-distance relationships are more common today, but distance don't have to mean missing out on having a physical presence and sharing space," says Neustaedter. "If people can't physically be together, we're hoping to create the next best technological solutions."

Explore further: Review: High-tech gloves work as advertised

Connected wearables. It's a fancy term for gadgets built into clothing or accessories you wear like a smartwatch or fitness monitor or even a Bluetooth headset.

A 'smart glove' that translates sign language from hand gestures to visual text on a screen and audible dialogue has been developed by a Goldsmiths, University of London student. She's now working on an app to enable real-time ...

(Phys.org)Google has been granted a patent for devices and methods for getting information with one's hands. Their patent is titled "Seeing with your Hand."

Watching 'box-sets' and movies together can improve relationship quality and commitment, particularly in couples who don't share friends, according to research from the University of Aberdeen.

Rice University engineering students are working to make virtual reality a little more real with their invention of a glove that allows a user to feel what they're touching while gaming.

People improve their performance more when they practise with a partner rather than on their own, according to a new study.

I'll bet you don't have one of these at home.

Long-distance couples can share a walk, watch movies together, and even give each other a massage, using new technologies being developed in Carman Neustaedter's Simon Fraser University lab.

The Google Chromebook, a type of stripped-down laptop, isn't a practical mobile device for many peoplemostly because it basically turns into an expensive paperweight whenever it can't find a Wi-Fi connection.

Reliability measures of electrical grid has risen to a new norm as it involves physical security and cybersecurity. Threats to either can trigger instability, leading to blackouts and economic losses.

Researchers at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) in South Korea will be working to develop a new battery, using abundant and readily available seawater.

Microsoft virtual assistant Cortana began holding people to their promises on Thursday.

Please sign in to add a comment. Registration is free, and takes less than a minute. Read more

Here is the original post:

Technology puts 'touch' into long-distance relationships - Phys.Org

A New Angel Investing Platform Connects Deep Technology And Science Startups With Capital – Forbes

Posted on by

Forbes
A New Angel Investing Platform Connects Deep Technology And Science Startups With Capital
Forbes
There are two stories that have come across my radar in the past year that have reinforced many the things that frustrate me about tech startups and venture capital: the well-known story of Stanford-dropout Elizabeth Holmes and the implosion of life ...

Continued here:

A New Angel Investing Platform Connects Deep Technology And Science Startups With Capital - Forbes

The CFO Imperative: Next-Gen Technology Drives Cost Optimization – Knowledge@Wharton

Posted on by

A perennial challenge for CFOs is finding the right balance between spending and investing without hampering productivity and competitiveness. In the mobile age, this balancing act is more important than ever if companies want to stay one step ahead of disruptors. In the age of digital business, cost optimization takes on new dimensions. The pressure to remain competitive and invest in digital initiatives is increasing across industries, according to a February 2016 Gartner report1.

Cost-optimization strategies must include IT and business initiatives to make sure investments are maximized for long-term growth and profits. In this effort, next-generation technology such as machine learning becomes a critical partner. Theres an old saying, dont be penny wise and pound foolish, says Steven Kimbrough, Wharton professor of operations, information and decisions. Instead of focusing on cost minimization, what youre doing with cost optimization is looking at the bigger picture. Youre taking a wider, broader look. Such a viewpoint is critical if a company wishes to keep growing, because myopic actions like sweeping cuts can hurt the firms future if it means losing experienced workers and gutting operational units.

A perennial challenge for CFOs is finding the right balance between spending and investing without hampering productivity and competitiveness.

In cost optimization, the role of technology is clear, Kimbrough adds. It provides management with more data and analysis so executives can make the best decisions possible for sustainable growth. The broader and longer viewpoint also encourages experimentation because it gives the company more time, wherewithal and organizational room to try new things since not all initiatives succeed. What you want to do is set up the right portfolio, some of which can yield something new.

Suprio Sengupta, senior vice president and global delivery head, infrastructure and cloud computing at NTT DATA Services, says that cost optimization is also about understanding how you could do more with what you already have. As the company maximizes the use of its assets, it gains efficiency and productivity. An obvious outcome from cost optimization is that you become more competitive.

Ways to optimize with technology include automating processes, such as using robotics in manufacturing. Process improvements also could include adoption of cloud platforms where businesses benefit from efficiency and scalability. For example, an engineer managing 200 servers could expand his purview to 20,000 servers with software tools available in the cloud.

In such a software-defined environment, you dont manage each of the elements individually, but manage all of those by a software-defined tool, Sengupta says. He recommends that it is critical to create more of a conscious culture in a firm that looks at and refreshes processes regularly with an eye for optimization.

An obvious outcome from cost optimization is that you become more competitive.Suprio Sengupta, NTT DATA Services

Data analytics is another tool that aids cost optimization. For example, it can help companies determine where to cut costs and personnel as well as identify areas ripe for investment. Machine-learning, as a facet of artificial intelligence, also boosts optimization by being able to automatically detect and bring software fixes to points of inefficiency in operations, reducing human error and the need for human intervention.

While earlier generations of these solutions, such as auto-healing or self-healing technologies, also triggered automatic fixes to problems without requiring human intervention, they operated in an environment where the business logic is static, says Sengupta. For example, they can detect and repair a browser malfunction on a computer so the user does not have to contact the companys call center. But thats where it usually ends.

In contrast, machine-learning solutions continuously evolve. They begin with a default set of business rules but track changes in the operating environment to provide up-to-date solutions. Such software tools use data analytics to identify inefficiencies in operations, and fix recurring patterns of malfunctions or weak links with continually refreshed learning from operational data.

Machine-learning and Energy Savings

Machine-learning uses data to make predictions and inferences on aspects that contribute to outcomes, says Rahul Mangharam, a professor at the University of Pennsylvanias department of electrical and systems engineering. People are trying to figure out relationships between different factors that contribute to costs and performance, and how they could maintain the same performance while reducing costs.

People are trying to figure out relationships between different factors that contribute to costs and performance, and how they could maintain the same performance while reducing costs.Rahul Mangharam, University of Pennsylvania

Mangharam uses machine-learning to help achieve energy savings across 185 university buildings. Those edifices pay electric bills of $28 million annually for using an average of 70 megawatts a day enough to power about a thousand homes. His tool is DR-Advisor, a data-driven demand response recommendation system that he and others created at the university.

DR-Advisor analyzes energy usage data from each building, overlaying that with other data, such as weather patterns or activities conducted within those buildings. It tracks more than 220,000 knobs, or control points that measure indicators such as temperatures and pressure in campus buildings.

That exercise allows DR-Advisor to predict energy usage by the hour in each building and advise facilities managers about which knobs to tweak to increase efficiency. In pilot trials at one university building this past summer, DR-Advisors tools helped cut the usual four-month energy bill of $125,000 by more than a third, or $45,000. Plans are to extend those trials to more university buildings in the near future, says Mangharam.

DR-Advisor is also looking at using its technology in industrial settings such as refineries and boiler plants. For example, it could help a power company understand the extent to which it could use lower-grade fuel, which spews more carbon dioxide, before it begins to attract penalties from regulators and books higher costs, says Mangharam. Consumer and industrial products conglomerate Honeywell is in talks with DR-Advisor to use its machine-learning tools in industrial buildings.

Interpretability is understanding why machine-learning tools made certain choices, looking backwards from the results they generated. Provenance is the historical record of the data and its origins.

As an evolving technology, machine-learning has its share of limitations. Current research is focused on the big challenges of interpretability and provenance, says Mangharam. Interpretability is understanding why machine-learning tools made certain choices, looking backwards from the results they generated. Provenance is the historical record of the data and its origins. Thats because machine-learning in some ways is like a black box, where it is unclear why it makes these choices in cost optimization, such as in the University of Pennsylvania experiment, Mangharam says.

Global Crisis Management

Todays CFOs are embracing cost optimization as a formal objective that is continuously pursued. For example, instead of mindless cost cutting by reducing headcount, a technology services provider could use nonlinear ways to improve productivity, Sengupta says. These would include automation of certain processes and re-evaluating the existing mix of typically costlier onshore engineers and less expensive offshore employees for maximum cost efficiency. Often we find costlier people doing relatively simple work, says Sengupta.

But as companies use technology to control costs, they should not allow that to weaken their competitiveness. For example, heavy layoffs may leave an organization understaffed in crisis situations. Here, centrally-managed global crisis management teams could help them stay prepared, advises Sengupta.

Elsewhere, technology interventions can lead to unintended consequences. Data analytics, for example, certainly enables firms to achieve process-related improvements but not necessarily with brand new innovation. That was the key finding of a recent research paper by Lynn Wu and Lorin Hitt, both professors in Whartons department of operations, information and decisions.

If data on existing processes is analyzed efficiently, it can help firms productivity.Lynn Wu, Wharton

Their research tracked how data analysis and IT skills influenced innovation and process-oriented practices among 330 large firms between 1987 and 2007. If data on existing processes is analyzed efficiently, it can help improve firms productivity, says Wu. However, the research did not find a similar, positive effect of data analytics on innovation.

Further, the Wharton experts tracked patent filings by the firms they studied and found that data analytics could have a negative effect on pursuing riskier paths of innovation. If a firm finds that data-related innovation is cheaper to generate, it might focus on that and not pursue truly novel innovation or risky innovation because that is harder and the returns are uncertain, says Wu.

In the end, technology brings substantial cost-optimization benefits, but it is not a substitute for human judgment at least for now. Truly creative things happen through unique judgments, Wu says. You need to have leaps in imagination. She points to the Wright Brothers invention of the airplane after watching birds fly. Maybe one day, machines and artificial intelligence could do that.

Summary:

Technology plays an important part as organizations try to manage costs while improving competitiveness. Emerging technologies such as machine-learning promise agility, scalability and opportunities to prune costs, but adoption is still in the early stages. To gain full benefits from cost optimization, companies must also institute the right culture and process disciplines.

Key Takeaways

1. Gartner, Cost Optimization in the Age of Digital Business, 29 February 2016.

Continue reading here:

The CFO Imperative: Next-Gen Technology Drives Cost Optimization - Knowledge@Wharton

A look at North Korea’s missile launches and technology – ABC News

Posted on by

In the wake of North Korea's most recent ballistic missile test the Pentagon is strongly condemning the North Korean program as "a clear grave threat to our national security."

North Korea has continued to test a variety of mid-range and long range ballistic missiles in defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions barring the development of such technologies.

North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency described the missile launched Sunday as a Pukguksong-2 missile capable of carrying a nuclear weapon. While that claim cannot be proven, the test indicated that North Korea is making progress in using solid booster rockets to launch its newer missiles.

Though the missile was never determined to be a threat to the United States, Davis said the U.S. military has the means of defending itself and its allies from a North Korean missile threat.

Here is a look at North Korea's ballistic missile technologies and the progress they've made in recent years.

What was launched this weekend?

A U.S. official told ABC News that, this weekend, North Korea launched a solid rocket fueled KN-11 missile that is described as an intermediate range missile than can travel 1,400 nautical miles.

It was the first land-based test of a missile designed to be launched from a submarine. It was successfully tested in an underwater launch last year on August 23, though not from a submarine.

According to the official, the KN-11 missile was airborne for 14 minutes on a vertical trajectory and a distance of 310 miles into the Sea of Japan.

The two successful launches indicate North Korea is making progress in developing solid rocket fuel technology, a more stable propellant than the liquid rocket fuel North Korea has used in its other medium and long-range missiles.

The use of solid rocket fuels means North Korea will need less time to prepare making it difficult for American satellites to track potential launches.

Improving Missile Technology

Early this year North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced that his country was close to testing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). No such test has occurred yet, but the announcement marks North Korea's growing confidence in its missile programs. North Korea has stated publicly that its goal is to develop a miniaturized nuclear warhead small enough to be placed atop a ballistic missile capable of striking South Korea, Japan or the United States.

North Korea conducted 21 missile tests in 2016, the most significant being launch tests of the mobile launched Musudan mid-range missile and the KN-11 submarine launched missile.

The liquid fueled Mususdan was tested for the first time in 2016, but only one of eight launches was a success with the rest ending as spectacular failures.

The solid rocket fueled KN-11 is a missile designed to be launched from a submarine, but this weekend's test now shows the missile can also be launched from land. The success of the rocket fueled system advances North Korea's capabilities and could make future launches harder to detect.

The KN-08 and KN-14 missiles are larger mobile launched ICBM's potentially capable of reaching the continental United States, but North Korea has yet to test the missiles that have only been seen on parade in Pyongyang.

But North Korea has already demonstrated success in developing long-range rocket technology. Last February, the launch of an Unha 3 successful placed a satellite in orbit. American officials have said the satellite tests are used by North Korea to develop its long range ballistic capabilities.

See the original post:

A look at North Korea's missile launches and technology - ABC News

Market Higher As 4 Key Steel, Technology Stocks Top Buy Points – Investor’s Business Daily

Posted on by

U.S. Steel broke out of a base Monday as steel stocks rallied broadly. (makspogonii-Fotolia/stock.adobe.com)

The major indexes held gains in afternoon trading Monday, as key leading stocks broke out of bases, including U.S. Steel (X) and Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM).

The Nasdaq composite and S&P 500 climbed 0.5% each while the Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.7%. All three traded near session highs. Small caps lagged, as the Russell 2000 pared gains and showed a 0.3% increase.

Volume was tracking lower on the NYSE and higher on the Nasdaq compared with the same time Friday.

Steel stocks rallied broadly on news that China is considering sweeping production cuts in steel and aluminum to combat smog. Shares of steel and other materials are among the so-called Trump trade, companies in infrastructure and manufacturing that stand to benefit from the president's protectionist and construction policies.

In the group, U.S. Steel broke out of a cup-without-handle base, clearing the 39.24 buy point in volume 50% more than usual. IBD's steel industry group is in the top 10 of 197 groups, rising sharply in the past couple of weeks. Steel alloys and mining stocks were lagging badly, however.

The fiber optics industry group led the market, up nearly 5%. Finisar (FNSR) is a group leader to watch as the stock rapidly forms the right side of a base. The group was one of the hottest last summer and is showing renewed strength.

Fabrinet (FN), a related company, broke out of a double-bottom base with a 45.30 buy point in heavy trading. The relative strength line has not made a new high, which detracts somewhat from an otherwise strong breakout. Fabrinet has a nearly perfect Composite Rating of 98.

Taiwan Semiconductor broke out of a flat base with a 31.71 buy point. An alternate entry at 31.55 also exists on the chart. Volume was about one-third above average. Despite several down weeks in heavy trading during the 16-week basing process, the chart shows signs of institutional accumulation.

Mobileye (MBLY) broke out of a cup-with-handle base in huge volume. The maker of auto-safety and self-driving car technology struck a partnership with Volkswagen (VLKAY) to develop autonomous cars.

Mobileye shares made a good run from February to August of last year as the development of self-driving vehicles got more serious. The stock had been basing since an Aug. 23 peak.

Regional banks were moving well. Seacoast Banking (SBCF), which serves Florida, broke out of a flat base. The stock is already extended from the 23.10 buy point. Western Alliance Bancorp (WAL) cleared the 50.82 buy point of a flat base and remains in buy range. Both stocks are part of IBD's Sector Leaders.

Software and other technology groups were among the top 12 in today's trading. Consumer stocks such as department stores, discount chains and shoemakers also led.

RELATED:

China's Chronic Smog Is A Breath Of Fresh Air For U.S. Steel Makers

Vale, Rio Tinto Lead Mining Rally As Iron Ore Prices Won't 'Fall Off A Cliff'

Lumentum, Acacia, Finisar, Fabrinet Lead Fiber-Optics Stock Gains

The electronics sector has risen to No. 2 among 33 sectors. InterDigital broke out Monday.

5:05 PM ET The electronics sector recently moved up to No. 2 among 33 sectors. On Monday, two stocks from that sector broke...

5:05 PM ET The electronics sector recently moved up to No. 2 among...

Here is the original post:

Market Higher As 4 Key Steel, Technology Stocks Top Buy Points - Investor's Business Daily

IBM Adds Voice Help to Cybercrime-Fighting Watson-Powered Weaponry – Campus Technology

Posted on by

Security

IBM Watson-powered cognitive security operations center. (Credit: IBM)

Remember the scene when the Avengers are in the process of breaking into a Hydra base in "Avengers: Age of Ultron," and virtual assistant Jarvis informs Tony Stark, "The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield. Strucker's technology is well beyond any other Hydra base we've taken"? That really isn't much different from a security analyst making the announcement to his on-campus CISO that a dorm of students has been hit by Locky malware. However, in a vision hinted at by IBM as it officially announced the availability of Watson for Cyber Security, one crucial addition would be extra help so that everybody on the security team would know exactly how to respond to the new threat.

The new Watson security technology is being integrated into IBM's new cognitive security operations center (SOC) platform, which combines the cognitive abilities of Watson with on-the-ground security operations to help cybersecurity teams detect and fight threats across endpoints, networks, users and the cloud.

Several components come into play. IBM QRadar Advisor with Watson is a new app that taps into Watson's "corpus" of cybersecurity data, both structured and unstructured, and then correlates it with local security incidents to augment investigations. Based on the information the app gathers, it formulates a threat query to deliver to Watson for additional processing. The advisor program is available in the IBM Security App Exchange.

Among the users of QRadar Advisor is the University of Brunswick, which was one of eight institutions chosen last year by IBM to help the company adapt Watson for use in cybersecurity work. Computer science students at that time were enlisted to help Watson consume and process massive amounts of cybersecurity data, including two decades of security research, details on eight million spam and phishing attacks and more than 100,000 documented vulnerabilities. Now UNB, along with California Polytechnic and other organizations, is testing Watson's ability to aid in directly fighting cybercrime.

IBM is also pushing its Global X-Force Command Center work, which sets up managed service "war rooms" for staying on top of cyber threats. Those operations can be on-premise or hosted by IBM and run through the cloud. As part of that line, the company introduced a Watson-powered chatbot, which it uses to interact with its customers. According to the company, clients may ask Watson questions via instant messaging about their security posture or network configurations or execute commands, such as reassigning a ticket to a new support person.

Now it has also begun testing additional technology, code-named "Havyn" (for "haven"), which provides a voice-powered security assistant, a la Jarvis. Havyn was created by IBM "master inventor" Michael Spisak, who worked on the tool with his 11-year-old son. Spisak had been chatting with Watson through the keyboard when his son asked how come he couldn't just talk to Watson. Experimentation with a low-cost Raspberry Pi microcomputer and equally inexpensive 7-inch touchscreen lead to the development of the voice operation, which allowed Spisak to ask the system verbal questions about cybersecurity. Now it's being tested in the field to provide security analysts with updates on new threats that have appeared, along with recommended remediation steps.

The company has also introduced BigFix Detect, a new endpoint detection and response (EDR) program.

"The Cognitive SOC is now a reality for clients looking to find an advantage against the growing legions of cybercriminals and next generation threats," said Denis Kennelly, vice president of development and technology in the security division, in a prepared statement. "Our investments in Watson for Cybersecurity have given birth to several innovations in just under a year. Combining the unique abilities of man and machine intelligence will be critical to the next stage in the fight against advanced cybercrime."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal and Campus Technology. She can be reached at dian@dischaffhauser.com or on Twitter @schaffhauser.

Read this article:

IBM Adds Voice Help to Cybercrime-Fighting Watson-Powered Weaponry - Campus Technology

North Korea Claims Progress on Long-Range Goal With Missile Test – New York Times

Posted on by

New York Times
North Korea Claims Progress on Long-Range Goal With Missile Test
New York Times
SEOUL, South Korea North Korea said on Monday that it had successfully tested a new nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic missile, claiming important progress in being able to strike its enemies with long-range missiles tipped with nuclear ...
North Korea trumpets missile tech progressNikkei Asian Review

all 1,870 news articles »

Link:

North Korea Claims Progress on Long-Range Goal With Missile Test - New York Times