Monthly Archives: March 2017

Dog show win is a win for food supplement company – WSAW

Posted: March 4, 2017 at 1:13 am

PRAIRIE DU SAC, Wis. (WISC) -- A business that had been steadily growing over the years has seen a spike in sales after a recent dog show.

The Doctors Choice Supplements is the provider of a dog food supplement for Rumor, the winner of this years Westminster Dog Show.

Probably 20 to 25 percent busier, and I think this is just the tip of the iceberg, says Karen Duhr, warehouse and office manager for Doctors Choice Supplements.

The company has been providing Fido-Vite supplements to Kenlyn Kennels for several years. Kenlyn, an Edgerton kennel, is the owner of Rumor, a female German shepherd.

When it got down to the finals, I was thinking she cant lose, she cant lose. Then, all of a sudden when she won, Im like, I cant believe she won, says Jon Sawle, a part owner of Doctors Choice Supplements.

While the employees of the Prairie du Sac company celebrated Rumors win, they realize they are just one part of what went into the success.

You know, were just one brick in the wall, but you know youve got to have all those bricks to make the wall, says Sawle.

The Fido-VIte supplements provide a probiotic and enzyme that improves the health and appearance of a dog.

It helps the food work better, helps the overall digestion and then they absorb more nutrients from their dog food, says Sawle.

While the increase in sales is welcomed at Doctors Choice Supplements, they joke it has made for more work for the UPS drivers.

Yeah, especially on Mondays, I feel a little sorry for the UPS man, says Sawle.

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Amazon’s private label Elements expands for first time in years with invite-only vitamins and supplements – TechCrunch

Posted: at 1:13 am

Amazon has quietly added a new product to its private label, Amazon Elements, which previously only carried Amazons own brand of baby wipes, after pulling its diaper line from the label in 2015. Now Elements is movingbeyond baby products, having introduced its own line of vitamins and supplements under the brand.

Launched on February 21st, 2017, this is the first addition to the Elements brand in years.

The label, which first arrived in 2014, had grown fairly stagnant following its exit from diapers the following year. And with last years rumors that Amazon was considering rolling out diapers again, this time under its newer, now baby food-focused brand Mama Bear, it wouldnt have beenall that surprising to see Amazon shutter the Elements brand entirely by movingthe wipes tothe Mama Bear label.

But thats not the case, as it turns out.

Instead, the brand has expanded to include a small selection of new vitamins and supplements products. Listed on the site currently is Amazon Elements Vitamin D2, Turmeric Root Extract, Calcium Complex, and Vitamin K2. Thats a small, and interesting, selection to kick off the launch but one thats likely informed by Amazons customer shopping data.

The products are branded on the site as premium and of transparent origins.

Highlighting the origins of its products is something Amazon has put more emphasis on with several of its private labels. Mama Bears baby food, for example, touts its organic nature, with no GMOs, pesticides, artificial flavoring or chemicals; while the Elements baby wipes product pagelets you click through a large slideshow that shows where and how theyre made from the water to the extracts used, and even the supplier details.

Theres alsoan Amazon mobile appyou can use to scan a transparency barcode on your item to learn about its origins and authenticity.

The transparency focus is emerging as consumers have grown more concerned about how products are sourced, made and what chemicals they contain.

Amazon today faces competition from newer e-commerce players like Jessica Albas The Honest Company, which wasin acquisition talks with Unilever last fall, but didnt sell. (Unilever bought Seventh Generation instead.) The Honest Companys baby, household and beauty products claim to avoid using the harsh chemicals found in rivals lines, and despite some missteps, have grown popular with consumers to the tune of $300 million in sales in annual sales.

With Amazon Elements vitamins and supplements, each product gets a big, splashy marketing page that details the itemsorigins and contents. Product descriptions say things like does not contain allergens, artificial colors and flavors, chemical preservatives, or gluten, and states the product was made in a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) facility in the USA.

Amazon also verifies the potency, purity and integrity of the ingredients, and shares its test results on the site a move designed to gain consumer trust in a fairly shady industry.

The supplement markettoday is rife with fraud. Many brands even top sellers have been found to sell products that were contaminated or didnt even contain the ingredients on their label.

Amazon basically guarantees thats not the case with its own products, by stating that the product is tested both by the supplement maker ( Arizona Nutritional Supplements) and ISO accredited third-party labs.

Also worth noting is that Amazon Elements vitamins and supplements are not available to all Amazon shoppers you have to be a Prime member to order them, for starters.

But even more oddly, you have to request an invitation to buy the product at this time. According to the site, those who register their interest in shopping these products will be notified by email in the coming week when the products become available.

According to early testers, none have received their email invite yet. However, some Amazon Vine reviewers have received samples, we understand.

Amazon has been highly focused on expanding its private labels in recent months, with moves into consumables, food / consumer packaged goods, baby food, fashion, and more.

According to retail analytics firmOne Click Retail, Amazon has launched over 50 products in the past three months,with varying degrees of success. Happy Belly and Wickedly Prime sales are still small and show only mild growth, One Click Retail said, with less than 1 percent of thecategory share.

But Amazon Elements wipes have doubled sales year-over-year, and have a 12 percent share of their category.

When the new Elements products golive, expect themto be heavily promoted on the site, One Click Retail says.

We expect to see Gateway placements, Sponsored search, and Fly out banner ads if they follow the same pattern they did with other Amazon Private brands, notedSpencer Millerberg, One Click RetailCEO.

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Big crowd still feeling the Bern at Jewish socialism confab – Jweekly.com

Posted: at 1:12 am

Just before she launched a panel discussion titled From the Bund to Bernies Campaign, moderator Elaine Leeder laid a little joke on the audience: Its only in a place like Berkeley, she said, that you could get a hundred Jews on a Saturday to talk about socialism.

Given that the panel was part of a conference called From the Bund to the Bern: Yiddish Socialism for the 21st Century, its no surprise the joke drew laughs.

Leeders panel came at the end of a day exploring the history of Jewish involvement in 20th-century socialist politics, and how that history sheds light on the modern progressive movement.

Held at Berkeley City College, the event was co-sponsored by the Workmens Circle/Arbeter Ring and Lehrhaus Judaica. Leeder and Diana Scott, who has chaired the Northern California branch of the Workmens Circle for nine years, organized the agenda.

The Workmens Circle/Arbeter Ring was founded in 1900 to promote social justice and a secular Jewish identity rooted in community engagement, with the Northern California branch founded in 1948. Although nearly 70 people had preregistered for the Feb. 25 event, around 100 showed up, Leeder estimated a big number for the venerable left-leaning Jewish organization.

The conference included talks on topics such as the Jewish Labor Bund in interwar Poland and divides in the Yiddish-speaking socialist movement. Scott led a breakout session on socialism and Jewish cultural autonomy. For presenters, the conference gave them a chance to illuminate details of a progressive Jewish past most people today know little about.

Today those legacies are still with us, if we realize it or not, said Tony Michels, professor of American Jewish history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, whose keynote address explored how the Russian Revolution shaped American Jewish politics.

Apparently, many conference attendees were still feeling the Bern, as in Bernie Sanders.

Running like a current through the days discussions was how the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate impacted todays progressive Jewish left. Sanders even sent a letter to the Workmens Circle that was read aloud during the conference, noting he was delighted that you are gathering to discuss the relevance of democratic socialism.

The message Bernie has is so relevant, and comes from a legacy of Jewish activism.

Barbara Epstein, professor emerita in the History of Consciousness Department at UC Santa Cruz and an expert on the history of social movements, gave a talk on the early left and Zionism in Europe. She drew a line connecting the long tradition of Jewish socialist humanism and the Sanders campaign. It seems to me that thats what Bernie was representing, she said.

The message Bernie has is so relevant, and comes from a legacy of Jewish activism, said attendee Deborah Israel of Oakland.

Carol Sanders, first cousin of the Vermont senator, also attended the event. Like others there, the Berkeley resident said she learned a lot about a topic she previously had been aware of only in broad outlines. Its something I didnt know much about, but it was part of the zeitgeist, she said of the gathering.

Audience members agreed on the strength of a politically progressive element in their Jewish identity. Its in our DNA, said attendee Clara Davis of Oakland.

As the day wound down, talk turned to practical measures, such as finding out which congressional representatives to target and how to talk to generations younger than the decidedly older cohort at the conference.

Josh Kob, a union representative for the California Teachers Association, was one of the younger people in the room. He had driven from Fresno to be there.

For Jews, understanding where we came from is a huge motivator, he said.

Although much of the day dealt with history, the most-discussed topic among attendees was the urgency of todays political climate under the Trump administration and ways in which the legacy of Jewish socialism could be relevant more than 100 years after the founding of the Workmens Circle.

Its really how we build who we are, going forward, on progressive Jewish values, Scott said.

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David Duchovny Hits the Road to Seek the Musical Truth That’s Out There – PopMatters

Posted: at 1:12 am

15 Feb 2017: Social Hall SF San Francisco

Its Wednesday night in the middle of SF Beer Week, and theres a sense of alternate realities from the realm of science fiction seeping into the current timeline. Hogwash in Lower Nob Hill is hosting a Star Wars-themed Lagunitas tap takeover complete with an appearance by a lifesize wookie, drawing in a gathering of rebel rogues and would-be Jedi Knights. Theres no band like at the Mos Eisley Cantina, although some of the recordings are piped through. But those seeking live music with a Hollywood twist need only walk a half mile up Sutter Street to catch the artist best known as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder live in concert at Social Hall SF.

Its said that the truth can be stranger than fiction and actor David Duchovny probably knows something about that. Duchovny has become a living legend around the world for his iconic portrayal of Agent Mulder on FOX TVs The X-Files, where he spent a decade from 1993-2002 searching for the truth about aliens, the UFO cover-up and a slew of paranormal phenomena and government conspiracies. The show tapped the dark pulse of the modern zeitgeist like few others have and won Duchovny and co-star Gillian Anderson (as Agent Dana Scully) a legion of lifetime fans.

Pop cultures affinity for The X-Files surged again in 2016 when Duchovny and Anderson were reunited for a series reboot of six episodes, including a mind-blowing season premiere in which Mulder summed up the entire UFO cover-up in the episodes opening minutes. With a tagline of The Truth is Still Out There, Americas fascination with seeking the truth about UFOs and extraterrestrials was rekindled. Duchovny has done some fine work on other projects too like Californication and his scene-stealing cameo as the worlds greatest hand model in Zoolander, which mined pop cultures love of conspiracy theories for comic gold.

Then theres his recent turn as a hard-boiled detective in late 60s Los Angeles on the trail of Charlie Manson in the vintage noir of Aquarius. Duchovnys character Sam Hodiak plays a little bit of acoustic guitar when hes at home on the show, and this apparently was a direct result of the actor requesting such a character trait, so he could continue trailer guitar lessons hed started in his last season as Hank Moody on Californication.

Duchovny apparently caught the songwriting bug and cut an entire album, releasing Hell of Highwater in 2015. The album mixes low-key blues and brooding folk rock with flashes of country and alternative and holds together fairly well with its character-driven songs. Now Duchovny has put together a full band to go out and play some shows. His fans cant wait to check it out as a line forms over two hours before showtime for those who bought the VIP ticket package, of which there were many. And While hes done excellent work on those other projects, the concept of witnessing the man who plays Mulder live on stage in a rock band seems like its whats providing the buzz here for one of the more unique pop culture moments of recent years.

The band opens with 3000, utilizing one of the albums more rocking tracks to kick things off on a high note. Some of the lyrics may seem to rhyme a bit too easily, but when Duchovny sings of 3,000 steps between heaven and hell, it feels like Fox Mulder is there opening up his soul. Let It Rain features a sharp Americana style chord progression with some bluesy leads and Duchovny singing to his low vocal registers strength.

Some of the slower songs find Duchovny singing in an odd Leonard Cohen-esque drawl that doesnt seem to suit him as well. The vocals seem a little flat at times during the set, but its still interesting to watch an accomplished artist daring to put himself out there in a different realm. Duchovny introduces the new Strangers in the Sacred Heart as being about a church where people pray for others instead of themselves, an interesting theme in a crazy world where the gods offer no refunds for over-praying.

A cover of David Bowies Stay finds the band getting more funky with some stinging blues mixed in and Duchovny with some serviceable vocals. More vibe boosting occurs when Duchovny takes multiple trips out into the audience to give out handshakes, high fives and stir the vibe up ala Buddy Guy playing his guitar out in the audience. Its a classy move to break down the invisible wall between performer and audience, giving fans a chance to get even more up close and personal.

Duchovny seems somewhat obsessed with the concept of rain on his album, even dropping a box of rain line into The Rain Song that seems like a nod to the Grateful Dead and trying to find the splintered sunlight that can break through even the darkest clouds (and pictures from the VIP soundcheck session indeed show him sporting a shirt with the Deads Steal Your Face logo). When the Time Comesintroduced as a post-apocalyptic love songmines a similar bluesy Americana sound and both songs feel like they could be coming from a weary Mulder serenading Scully, conjuring an endearing vibe.

Duchovnys vocal delivery seems to work best on the more up-tempo rocking material, however. This is confirmed in the encore when he and the band break out a surprise rendition of the Velvet Undergrounds Sweet Jane. The band plays through the extended introduction, leading to a cathartic breakthrough when they launch into the main progression. The crowd eats it up, especially when Duchovny sings Me, babe, Im in a rock n roll band. Then its more classic rock goodness with The Weight, as Duchovny dons one of the trending pink pussyhats that have become a symbol of solidarity with the feminist movement against the Trump regimes assault on womens rights. Another endearing audience sing-along ensues, and its been a fun night out at the very least.

Duchovnys musical soul searching may not hit quite as deep as Mulders quest for the truth, but he seems to somehow tap into a similar existential journey.

Greg M. Schwartz has covered music and pop culture for PopMatters since 2006. He focuses on events coverage with a preference for guitar-driven rock 'n' roll, but has eclectic tastes for the golden age of sound that is the 21st century music scene. He has a soft spot for music with a socially conscious flavor and is also an award-winning investigative reporter. Follow him on Twitter at @gms111, where he's always looking for tips on new bands or under the radar news items.

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Bank of Canada channels Al Gore – Toronto Sun

Posted: at 1:12 am


Toronto Sun
Bank of Canada channels Al Gore
Toronto Sun
Lane did acknowledge that, adapting to a lower-carbon economy will likely mean more profound structural changes for Canada than for many other countries because of our resource-based economy and that it will be costly for households and businesses ...

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Mandryk: Next Saskatchewan boom needs to be from our heritage fund – Regina Leader-Post

Posted: at 1:12 am

A heritage fund would help to wean Saskatchewan off its dependence on boom-or-bust resources like oil and gas. Don Healy / Regina Leader-Post

All governing politicians avoid talking about a boom.

After all, it implies they are merely the recipients of good luck rather than brilliant managers.

But if they were truly good managers, they would acknowledge that booms and busts occur in a resource-based economy like Saskatchewans and tuckaway a few dollars for a rainy day.

Interestingly, governing politicians whocant ever quite utter the word boom do eagerly subscribe to if not the word itself at least the notion of the word bust.

Consider how much youve heard from Finance Minister Kevin Doherty of late onthedeclining naturalresource commodity prices as the source of the $1.2-billion deficit in the 2016-17 budget.

Itssomewhat true. But its even truer that Dohertys Saskatchewan Party government overspent in the booms and is now paying the price in the bust. This is all too common and something governments hate talking about even more than the reality of booms and busts.

Frankly, the only really shocking thing about what just happened is that we were all somehow mesmerized by Premier Brad Walls insistence that unprecedentedresource prices were forever the new reality. (Remember Wall insisting five years ago when oil was $90-100 U.S. a barrel that it would never fall through a floor of $50 or $60 U.S. a barrel?)

But because politicians wont, the rest of us need to take stock of what weve learned from the latest cycle in Saskatchewans long history of boom and bus cycles:

First, booms cant be all about who races to the trough first in good times.

Todays need for austerity to deal with the $1.2-billion deficit is at least partly an admission of excessive past spending. We are now paying dearly for everything from that $1.9-billion Regina Bypass to the cost of the new Mosaic Stadium, to the decreases you may have received on your property taxes to the 36-plus-per-cent increase to registered nurses to the decision to not pay down more debt that is now again on the rise.

This takes us to the next reality weve learned from the current boom-bust cycle:

Second, busts are a bad time to fix government spending problems because we dont have the money sitting around to fix the problem.

If you live in Saskatchewan today, you cant help but notice how Wall, Doherty, et al. have thrown everything against the wall to see what sticks.

Weve seen enough trial balloons to block the winters sun eliminating all or most of the school boards, privatizing government cleaning services, freezing or rolling back all public sector wages, implementing Wallidays in which public sector employees would be forced to take unpaid days off once a month, cutting into teachers preparation time to reduce education costs and offering voluntary severances for health region CEOs and VPs as we move to a single health district.

What the Saskatchewan Party government is failing to tell you is each and every one of those trial balloons is weighed down with an anchor the costs of breaking contracts or paying severance in contracts that government wont be breaking.

The sum of all this adds up to the impossibility of eliminating a $1.2-billion dollar deficit in single year without massive carnage that would have toinclude big-time tax increases.

So what we need is a return to the basics setting aside the next boom money in a heritage fund that we havent much talked about since former University of Saskatchewan president Peter MacKinnon presented his A Futures Fund for Saskatchewan report in 2013.

In a recent opinion piece, Todd MacKay, Prairie director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation,broached the problem of Saskatchewan continuing to ride the commodity price roller coaster and the need for a heritage fund to smoothout the bumps.

Were unprepared for the bust because were unprepared for the boom, MacKay said, advocating a heritage fund.

It makes sense. It begins with recognizing that booms and busts will remain a Saskatchewan reality.

Murray Mandryk in the political columnist for the Regina Leader-Post.

mmandryk@postmedia.com

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Firm canvasses technology strategy – The Nation Newspaper

Posted: at 1:12 am

A marketing and communications company, Verdant Zeal, has reiterated the importance of Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as key players in not only Nigerias economic growth, but Africas.

The firm said governments and other development partners needed to harness the power of technology to make a quantum leap in order to have a fair chance of development on continental scale. The company said it was casting a long range vision for the future by focusing on growing technology among African youths.

Its Group Director, Synergy, Mr. Dipo Adesida, while briefing reporters in Lagos earlier in the week, disclosed that his firm planned to train youths on how e-commerce and mobile money would help grow the economy as part of the innovation series the firm was promoting.

Adesida said the initiative was part of the desire to give back to the society as the company celebrates its 10thAnniversary. We, as Verdant Zeal, will not only galvanise the youth and inspire them to think differently, but will ensure a robust engagement so that some of them would have opportunities to live out their dreams, he assured.

As part of the innovation series instituted to examine the question of Africas development and hone opportunities for growth, he stated that the firm would also leverage on inherent strengths.

To achieve this, a lecture/symposium is being organised by the firm, with the Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank, Mr. Segun Agbaje and Etisalats Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr. Matthew Willsher as discussants to encourage the youths.

He said: Africa is gradually moving from a resource based economy to knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy. This has helped in impacting our youths as more youths now are exposed to the internet and get to share ideas with both local and foreign friends.

The Group Director Marketing & Business Development and Chairperson, 10th Anniversary Planning Committee, Nkiruka Oguadinma, said there would be an art exhibition showcasing their operations in Africa. She said the exhibition would cover artefacts from nine African countries.

On their expansion drive in Africa, Oguadinma said they were studying the business bend in other African countries.

According to her, any income from the exhibition will be donated to the Society for the Blind and Sickle Cell society.

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Stocks to Buy in Home Automation — The Motley Fool – Motley Fool

Posted: at 1:10 am

Home automation is a growing trend with its roots in decades old wired technology. It is quickly becoming a child of the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution. While many of its components still host wired connections like their ancestors, much of the recent innovation is linked viaAI-based virtual assistants. Here's a look at some of the ways you can invest in this nascent technology.

Investors looking for a pure-play in the growing trend of home automation need look no further than Control4 Corporation (NASDAQ:CTRL), the industry-leading provider of automation and control solutions for the connected home or business. This is an extremely small company, with a market capitalization of about $365 million, so investors should expect some share price volatility that is often associated with small market cap companies. Its professional systems are installed during the initial homebuilding or can be part of a retrofit. It provides homeowners with a growing number of options for automation including communication, entertainment, security, lighting, and temperature control. Products can be connected via a central network and the system can integrate over 10,000 third-party product choices.

The home automation segment is forecast to grow. Image source: Getty Images.

Control4 has been exhibiting massive growth. In its most recent quarter the company produced revenue of $57.4 million, up 34% over the prior year quarter, and earnings of $0.16 per share compared to a loss of ($0.03) year over year. The company has been increasing its sales and marketing efforts, which appears to be paying off. Control4 continues to expand its base of dealers in both its domestic and international markets. Early last year, it acquired Pakedge Networking and is continuing to roll this product out among its dealer base. The inclusion of an organic networking solution will drive revenue and increase customer satisfaction, by more quickly identifying issues in customer networks. The company is also expanding its addressable market by providing lower priced options for middle income homeowners.

Investors looking for a more diversified offering have numerous options. Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) is a top choice in the managed services segment of the market. While nested in the company's security service, it also provides lighting and environment controls. Investors will no doubt be familiar with Comcast's cable and broadband services, which provides the company with the advantage of controlling the network. Comcast has grown both revenue and earnings consistently over the last five years, and the stock has increased 156% to the S&P's 75% over the same time.

The home automation Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Market offers a multitude of options. The list of products in the segment is extensive and range from lighting, thermostats, cleaning products, and many more. Some of the biggest names in technology provide artificial intelligence-based virtual assistants that can act as the controller for your DIY system and a gateway investment in the category. Amazon's (NASDAQ:AMZN) Alexa, Alphabet'sGoogle Assistant and Apple's Siri virtual assistants will integrate with a plethora of devices.

The development of the smart-speaker system controlled by these virtual assistants will likely prove to be the tipping point in the DIY segment. Amazon's Echo, powered by Alexa, currently boasts more 7,000 third party skills. While not all these skills are related to home automation, it does provide an indication of just how much of a lead Amazon possesses in the area. Google Assistant, which is integrated into most Google hardware, is the smarts behind its Home smart speaker.

These companies are major players in big tech, with any income from home automation barely making a dent in their overall revenue. Each is making a play for the control of your in-home ecosystem. By becoming a one-stop shop, and having an assistant become a virtual presence in your home, each company hopes that this will lead to a greater share of your consumer dollars.

^SPX data by YCharts

Each of these companies represents a solid way to invest in the home automation segment, offering pure play, or diversified options. This is an emerging technology that bears watching, as investments will evolve over time. Now how can I automate making my bed?

Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Danny Vena owns shares of Alphabet (A shares), Amazon, and Apple. Danny Vena has the following options: long January 2018 $85 calls on Apple, short January 2018 $90 calls on Apple, long January 2018 $640 calls on Alphabet (C shares), and short January 2018 $650 calls on Alphabet (C shares). The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), Amazon, and Apple. The Motley Fool has the following options: long January 2018 $90 calls on Apple and short January 2018 $95 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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35 percent of UK jobs may be at risk from automation – Phys.org – Phys.Org

Posted: at 1:10 am

March 3, 2017 Credit: Shutterstock

Fear of losing our jobs to those who can perform tasks faster, cheaper and perhaps with more creativity, has been longstanding. Equally, the introduction of a new leisure class with more free-time to spend once liberated from mundane, repetitive and boring tasks has also long been promised. With some forecasts indicating that within 20 years, 35 % of UK jobs are at risk from automation, it might be time to sort the job terminators out from the tumble dryers.

When Caf X opened a few weeks ago in San Francisco selling coffee made by a resident robot, baristas were highlighted in a list of jobs which were under increasing threat from automation. Research published last year by Oxford University and the business advisor Deloitte, indicated that in the UK there is a 77 % probability of 1.3 million 'repetitive and predictable' administrative and operative roles being automated.

What seemed to be unexpected was the range of jobs at risk from our cybernetic cousins. While factory workers have been familiar with automation taking over repetitive, precise and physically arduous tasks for decades, the list also cited work performed by the police, teachers and even senior executives as amenable to computerisation. Similar research in the US by the consultancy firm, McKinsey also backs up these findings.

Perhaps to buck what might be seen as a passive approach and given that insurance writers topped the 'at risk list', it was recently reported that the insurance company Aviva apparently recently wrote to all of its 16 000 UK workers asking them if they consider that their job could be automated. In a twist, and firmly putting the ghost back in the machine, the carrot for full disclosure was that the self-selecting staff would be retrained.

Conceivably the current debate is prompted by the seemingly daily inundation of autonomous device innovations, exemplified by driverless cars as under development by Google and others, leading the way. Alongside, this is the deliberately imperceptible and ubiquitous nature of the technology dubbed the 'internet of things'.

So how worried should we be? Anyone familiar with the term Luddite could be forgiven for responding by asking, 'wasn't it ever thus?' The more optimistic forecasters point out that while innovation drives change - resulting in social adjustments - the reality is rarely exclusively negative, straight-forward or even predictable.

McKinsey research points out that the discussion is misleading if by 'job' we mean 'occupation', going on to say that only some functional activities will be automated, leading to a redefinition of occupations in the same way that automatic cash machines changed that of the bank clerk. The researchers found that less than 5 % of US occupations could currently be completely automated. They did however also find that 60 % of occupations could have around a third of their activities automated.

Additionally, the more sanguine remind us that after two centuries of automation the net sum is not less jobs, but more. Another Deloitte study found that while automation had reduced agriculture and manufacturing employment in the UK over the preceding 150 years, the growth in business and technology services, along with the caring and creative professions had more than offset this downward trend.

Rather than either a dystopian or utopian future, the reality is likely to be more mundane as policy and law makers get to work tackling issues such as culpability in the instance of driverless car accidents. Just a few days ago, Bill Gates even suggested that there should be a tax applied to robots that replaced human workers. Currently, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are asking the European Commission to establish a legal 'status' for robots to exploit their economic potential, while guaranteeing citizen safety and security, including job security.

And will discussions about responsibilities also bring us to those of 'robotic rights?' Well that raises the prospect of Artificial Intelligence (AI), beyond the scope of this articleunless my computer disagrees?"

Explore further: Automated cafe sets up shop in tech-crazy, fancy coffee-loving San Francisco

As Katy Franco waited for her morning coffee, passersby pulled out their phones and snapped photos and video of her barista.

"Make an appointment for 4pm today with Gary," I say to my assistant as I hang up from a promising phone call with a potential client. There was a time when you had to be high up in an organisation to have an assistant.

If your job involves inputting reams of data for a company, you might want to think about retraining in a more specialised field. Or as a plumber.

Ronald De Feo has watched robots take factory jobs for years. Now he sees them threatening a new class of worker: People who drive for a living.

Computers have been an important part of many industries for decades already and have replaced humans in many jobs. But a new wave of technological development means that even positions that we once saw as immune to computerisation ...

Jobs, or more accurately, not having a job, has been in the news this week.

A team from the University of Leicester's Department of Engineering has, for the first time ever, vibration-mapped the famous London bell Big Ben in order to reveal why it produces its distinct harmonious tone.

Despite advancements in fuel-saving technologies over the last 25 years, on-road fuel economy for all vehicles is up only one mile per gallon during that time.

Amazon says an incorrectly typed command during a routine debugging of its billing system caused the five-hour outage of some Amazon Web Services servers on Tuesday.

The car of the future will let you pay for petrol or parking directly from your vehicle and receive traffic alerts and restaurant recommendations from your onboard digital assistant.

For 2017, Toyota has added its most fuel-efficient Prius ever: a plug-in gasoline-electric hybrid called Prius Prime that can travel up to 640 miles on a full electric charge and a single tank of fuel.

Usually people don't notice the "cloud"unless, that is, it turns into a massive storm. Which was the case Tuesday when Amazon's huge cloud-computing service suffered a major outage.

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I would really be surprised if in 20 years more than 1% of jobs(work) are performed by humans. 🙂 The only thing holding it back now is battery technology and that is being well researched.

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35 percent of UK jobs may be at risk from automation - Phys.org - Phys.Org

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News 12 Upgrades Newsroom Automation With Grass Valley Ignite – Sports Video Group

Posted: at 1:10 am

Providing 24-hour news coverage to cable viewers in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, News 12 operates seven distinct local channels as well as an interactive network of websites and mobile applications. The demands for productivity in a 24-hour news environment are intense, so the group leverages automation solutions to maximize its operation and improve efficiency. Launched more than 30 years ago, News 12 has been using automation solutions fromGrass Valley, a Belden Brand, from the beginning. As the News 12 team looked to upgrade the studio automation system, they carefully evaluated all the options on the market and determined that the latest Grass ValleyIgnite Automated Production Systemwith theKayenne K-Frame Video Production Centerswitcher addressed more of their requirements for workflow, hands-on operation and on-air effects/transitions.

We were the first station in the country to use the automation system that preceded Ignite, so Grass Valley has been an important part of our success over the years, saysMilan Krainchich, VP of operations, News 12 Networks. The Ignite system is capable of cutting live news as well as freeform breaking news for an extended period of time, which is extremely important to us. Our operators value that they can tailor the workflow in a way that works best for them.

Ignite is designed as the industrys first and most complete link between the control room and the newsroom, providing an unmatched return on investment with single-operator capabilities. It allows a single operator to manage control room devices used to produce live newscasts and event programming, making it possible to control on-air timing, accommodate last-minute show changes and direct any type of production on the fly. It also makes it easier to repurpose content for digital multicasting and webcasts, increasing overall production value.

News 12 uses Ignite to control six cameras in its studio connected through a Kayenne K-Frame switcher. The integrated approach was an important consideration in the upgrade, and theIgnite Katalyst control panelis a critical and unique component of the workflow. An essential component for unscripted and breaking news productions, the purpose-built tactile surface of the Katalyst panel enables directors to produce compelling live productions with Ignite. Another important new component is the Media Object Portal (MOP) Gatewayone of the most advanced newsroom control system portals ever developed. The MOP Gateway provides visibility from Ignite into the control system that details what has changed and where that change is in the rundown and alerts the director if there are conflicts that require attention.

The way the whole system comes together, including integration with ENPS and other devices, is one of the biggest benefits for us, says Krainchich.Also, we appreciate having choices over control surfaces while being able to operate the system on air with a standard keyboard or with the Katalyst dedicated control panel, but not requiring a full switcher control panel and audio mixing console. Its the right solution for us.

News delivery has changed a lot over the years, but the value of automation has remained consistent. Ignite has been delivering that value to users around the world for years. News 12 is a perfect example of an operation that embraces technology to strengthen its own business while providing an outstanding experience for its viewers. The latest upgrade positions News 12 to continue its success for years to come, says Kyle Luther, vice president of sales for North America, Grass Valley.

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News 12 Upgrades Newsroom Automation With Grass Valley Ignite - Sports Video Group

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