Daily Archives: May 9, 2017

Forbes

How Technology Is Changing The Way Millennials Name Their Babies Forbes What is it with computer programmers and their apparent allergy to plain English? Cartoon by Shannon Wheeler. See more cartoons: No Good Ever Comes From Engaging Internet Trolls · Gallery ...

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How Technology Is Changing The Way Millennials Name Their Babies - Forbes

Whether or not youre familiar with the source material behindAmerican Gods, something thats becoming increasingly apparent for both longtime fans and recent converts alike is that theres a growing storm on the horizon. A clash between the old world and the new is coming, and caught right in the middle is none other than Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle). Presently, Shadows mysterious employer Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane) seems untouchable, but Shadow hasnt fared so well, as he found himself dangling at the end of a noose after an encounter with the Technical Boy (Bruce Langley). If theres anything we can garner from the new gods weve met thus far, however, its that theyre as persistent as they are powerful, and once they extend an offer theyre not going to accept no for an answer, as we see in episode two when Media (Gillian Anderson) approaches Shadow with her own sales pitch in The Secret of Spoons.

In a sense, Media and Technical Boy are intrinsically, yet hopelessly linked. Watching a show on a mobile device is more accurately a means of worshiping both gods in tandem rather than choosing one over the other, as Media elaborates in episode two: They sit side by side, ignore each other and give it up to me. Now they hold a smaller screen in their lap or in the palm of their hand so they dont get bored watching the big one. By her own televised admission, Media is disturbed by Technical Boys more violent methods, but she seems either unwilling or unable to do more than subtly express her disappointment, considering that shes likely stuck with him for the foreseeable future. What shecan do for Shadow, at least, is to make amends in whatever way she can, including an offer to glimpse Lucy Ricardos assets.

When the source material was first written, the boundaries of the so-called new gods were more defined. Technical Boy could probably best be described as the Internet personified; Media, the embodiment of television. On their own, media and technology are ubiquitous; together they serve to mutually amplify each other as they viefor time and attention. The lines between media and technology have blurred for even the most ardent of devotees. After all, we only want the best, well-equipped devices in order to binge watch our favorite shows.

Therein lies the irony, and the way in which the new gods of American Godsstrike the viewer as that much more convicting than they might have if this on-screen adaptation had been conceived ofat any point within the last 15 years. The book was writtenseveral years before the advent of Twitter, before social media changed the landscape for how we watch television and engage with other viewers. Manyof us arewatching this story play out through our televisions, livetweeting our reactions, shifting attention between bigger and smaller screens. All of this is tracked to account for audience engagement, a system thats only been acknowledged by companies like Nielsen over the last few years. Media sums it up best: the screens the altar; Im the one they sacrifice to.

The intersection of media and technology in our own reality is an ever-evolving relationship, one thats omnipresent and feels entirely unstoppable. Perhaps thats oneof the reasons whyAmerican Gods Media and Technical Boy areparticularly formidable enemies for Mr. Wednesday; by sheer number of worshippers alone, theyve more than likely got him beat. Medias very muchaware that the scales are tipped in her advantage, citing recent technological advances from self-driving cars to 3D printers. Next to them, [Shadows] boss is still selling oranges on the side of the road. To his credit, however, Wednesday doesnt seem phasedas he travels across the country to rally other ancient figureheads of old religion and legend to his side. Hes either pretending to remain ignorant of his downward slide into obscurity, or, at the very least, hes prepared to defy it to the bitter end.

Two episodes into the planned-out narrative for the first season, the stakes are already pretty high if Shadows narrow escape from death is any indication, and, as the new gods have signaled, their resources are essentially limitless. Theyve found creative ways to ensnare new followers and used whatever means they have at their disposal to keep them. Within the greater narrative of American Gods,they certainly haveourtime and attention. By those rules, theyve already established themselves as the strongest gods this world has ever seen.

Images: Starz.

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Why Media and Technology are the Scariest Gods on AMERICAN GODS - Nerdist

(TNS) -- ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Albuquerque startup OptiPulse Inc. says its new optics technology could soon provide citywide wireless internet access for all at 100 times the speed and less than half the cost of todays networks.

It wants to install the system here in the next few years as a demonstration project that could pave the way for more such networks in cities and rural communities throughout New Mexico, and then beyond.

OptiPulse has already built the technology. Now, its a matter of deploying it into a ubiquitous array of telecommunications nodes that can beam affordable high-speed internet into any home or business that wants it, said company CEO Mathis Shinnick.

Albuquerque is the footprint where we want it to happen first, Shinnick said. We want this to become a global technology, but with New Mexico as the showcase. As we move forward, well work to keep most of our manufacturing and production here to ship it elsewhere.

Those are lofty goals for a homegrown startup that only launched in April 2015. But the architect behind the new technology OptiPulse founder, President and Chief Operating Officer John Joseph is a longtime optics engineering wiz and previous Sandia National Laboratories scientist who gained broad recognition for building the technology that fueled Trilumina Inc.

Trilumina is another homegrown startup that has generated $10 million in venture capital. Its now working with global partners to incorporate its optics technology into future automobiles for autonomous sensing capabilities.

At OptiPulse, Joseph has created laser chips that can beam data at 10 gigabytes per second (GBPS). The technology is built on a vertical cavity surface emitting laser, or Vixel, platform that allows engineers to virtually grow crystals directly on a semiconductor wafer. The crystals are arranged in ways that produce minuscule cavities with mirrors on the sides.

As electricity flows through the cavities, its converted into photons and phonons, meaning the electric current creates light each time it pulses through the cavities.

That resonates within the cavity and builds in power to push an amazing circuit of energy coming out of just a small spot, Joseph said.

Those laser pulses can be harnessed to create a high-speed, high-power light source at very low cost that can be manipulated for use in different applications. In Josephs OptiPulse architecture, light from multiple chips with hundreds of lasers on each one is used to simultaneously beam wireless data from one transceiver to another.

OptiPulse plans to mount arrays of transceivers, or nodes, throughout cities or communities to beam high-speed Internet service to any end user who wants to hook in.

It will be nodes talking to nodes that are only a few kilometers apart, Joseph said. Each node could hook up 50 houses, for example, and wed put up a broad grid of nodes.

Thats very different from the radio frequency technology used today for wireless communications, whereby signals are shot out randomly from towers in all directions over a wide area. Buildings and infrastructure interfere with the signals, lowering the transmitting power and greatly limiting speeds even for todays state-of-the-art radio frequency for wireless devices like cellphones. And its expensive to install and power the towers.

In contrast, the OptiPulse system is based on a meshed, or multiple-transceiver, network with low-cost, high-power lasers that beam signals directly from node to node. The array eliminates interference because the system routes signals through the most-efficient path to reach end users, Joseph said.

Each node will be linked to multiple other nodes, so if one signal goes out, it will still travel through the meshed network, he said.

In rural areas, the system could potentially provide even faster speeds because fewer transceivers would be needed, allowing the laser chips to shoot beams at optimum speed over long distances.

Ten GBPS is an old figure for us today, Shinnick said. Were now testing chips we believe will manage 20 GBPS, and well reach 40 before long.

The company is working at the Team Technologies engineering firm at Sandia Science and Technology Park as a member of the new, city-backed Team Accelerator thats helping local startups build innovative hardware into viable products.

Team is helping us with initial circuit board production to get off the ground, Shinnick said. Its giving us the immediate infrastructure we need for prototyping capability.

The company already has a contract with a corporate investor to build a first 13-kilometer demonstration network in another state. But its working with local technology companies and organizations to build a new Broadband Coalition here that would seek National Science Foundation funding for a demonstration project in Albuquerque under a new NSF-sponsored program to support emerging wireless Internet technology in select cities around the country.

The project could provide leapfrog innovation to propel Albuquerque into a GigaCity at less than half of what it would cost to lay fiber optics across the urban landscape, Joseph said. The network would operate at 10 GBPS speeds, but it would offload signals at 1 GBPS speeds for homes and businesses to start. Thats about 100 times faster than todays typical speeds.

2017 the Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, N.M.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Startup 'OptiPulse' Touts Speedy Wireless Internet Technology - Government Technology

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas - The U.S. Mexico border spans nearly 1,954 miles. Although many agents try to prevent people or drugs from crossing. Agents may not be able to stop all crossings at all times, that's when they turn to technology.

This past month, many vendors expecting to sell something to the federal government. From the latest weapons, surveillance, drones, etc. some get together to discuss the future of protecting the border. Thats what brought us to the 2017 Border Security Expo. Its a place where industry professionals meet to see the latest in keeping our borders safe.

Event Organizer John Moriarty says theres a renewed sense of interest in the border security. Oftentimes, border communities like the Rio Grande Valley may never know what technology is being used today. At this expo, the public is not allowed only buyers and sellers. We got special access. This is glimpse what we found.

A camera specifically designed to look for residue of explosive narcotics and chemical warfare agents. An autonomous drone that will film/livestream people trespassing into an area. Rubber weapons used for practicing purposes. Surveillance systems such as cameras, radars, lighting equipment.

Theres nearly 160 vendors here border agents and local law enforcement. Many of these items will not be sold and will likely remain as prototypes. Some are already used today and they are here to remind their customers that their systems are still the best.

Well wed like to assist the border in doing security and surveillance, says Doug Carey from IEC Infrared Systems.

Theres some interest in D.C. in using our products adding our products to the mix, comments David Schnell from LRAD.

Traditionally youd expect this type of event near the border. Its the only one dedicated specifically for the US. Mexico Border. Its taking place hundreds of miles away from the actual border.

San Antonio is the closest we could get to a sizable venue and a city that is easy enough to travel to for people from around the country, says Moriarty.

But its not just about the technology. Border agents discuss their latest statistics. Those with proposals for a border wall show up not sure if the same leaders would see their wall proposals first.

There are visitors making sure that people remember that despite the latest technology, human lives are at stake.

Such is the case with Erica Aguilar. Her husband lost his life protecting the border. She believes, the industry believes in protecting America or our borders. That is why they create the equipment they create.

There are those fighting for what they believe and there are those trying to keep the border safe. Either way they unite to make a difference.

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Technology on the Border, Pt. 1 - RGVProud

BBC News

RBS cuts hundreds of technology jobs BBC News RBS is shedding nearly 250 posts, as part of an overhaul of its back-office operations. The bank said a net 92 full-time staff would be affected, while 154 contractor roles will be lost later this year. It is understood that most of the posts are ... and more »

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RBS cuts hundreds of technology jobs - BBC News

KING 5's Ryan Takeo reports

Ryan Takeo, KING 11:12 PM. PDT May 08, 2017

T-Mobile pledged to have5Gnationwide by 2020. (Photo: KING)

This is the future, Grant Castle said, beaming while showing a large bay station thats about waist-high.

The bay is Bellevue-based telecom company T-Mobiles 5G testing. 5G is the next generation of wireless speeds. This month T-Mobile pledged to have 5G nationwide by 2020.

Dont be fooled by the large size of the bay, warned Castle, vice president of engineering services and QA at T-Mobile.

We also have a phone, but the test phone is currently the same size as the bay station, he said. It shrinks in half about every year, so were getting close.

5G has been the industry buzzword for the past few years. Developers say speeds could reach anywhere from 100 to 1,000 times faster than 4G speeds.

T-Mobile competitors like giants AT&T and Verizon have claimed theyll be in the 5G field as early as 2018.

The 5G standard doesn't exist yet there are some companies out there trying to push that and get out ahead for the standards are written, said Castle. Our goal is to work with the industry get the right standards to find and then we're going to roll out in the 2019, 2020 timeframe.

Castle admits the possible applications are difficult to picture because they havent been created yet, like instant translation and live virtual reality working in real-time. Other applications include improving augmented reality and virtual reality. He added 5G could help preserve battery life and help latency issues related to virtual reality headsets.

In today's world, it's way more than you'll ever need, right? But for tomorrow's world when everybody has something as augmented reality when everyone else heads up displays that's got to be something that's important, said Castle.

But technology expert Charlie Amadeus of GeekServ warned of the 5G hype.

There's been no determinate policy for what the protocol looks like, he said.

Those industry protocols could be in place in the next couple of years, said Castle.

Amadeus said once the protocols are established, it normally takes five years for a new generation of technology to be ready for the masses.

Thats just how it is with technology early adoption and then that mainstream wave finally picks it up, and then your grandma uses it, he said.

Castle feels confident in his companys timetable.

I've no doubt about that, he said.

2017 KING-TV

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T-Mobile in race for 5G technology - KING5.com

Halstead CEO: Technology Can't Replace A Great Real Estate Agent Forbes Tech enabled real estate brokerages like Redfin and Compass may be very hot these days, however, back in 1984, Diane M. Ramirez and Clark Halstead had already pitched and raised VC funding to The Halstead Property Company from investors like ...

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Halstead CEO: Technology Can't Replace A Great Real Estate Agent - Forbes

As real estate professionals, we are constantly inundated with webinars, Facebook ads and emails promoting the latest technologies designed to betterour business.

As a licensed real estate instructor and educator, I strongly encourage agents to stay current with industry trends and advancements in technology, and Im an advocate of technology designed to help with business efficiency; work smarter, not harder, as the mantra states.

While I agree that technology is essential to our success, its time to get back to basics.

Despite the countless tools we have at our disposal, there seems to be something inherently missing from our industry these days: great people skills.

We have created an entirely new language consisting of emojis and hashtags; texting and private messaging has become the expected mode of communication, and people rarely seem to actually answer phone calls.

People become oddly bold behind the safety of their keyboard, and they hide behind avatars and caricatures. Weve all read inappropriate and disrespectful posts and comments on social media that incite anger and hurt feelings, often created by people who would not dare verbalize those same words to the recipients face.

Common courtesy and excellent customer service seem to be virtues of the past, andthe speed with which one can post a negative review on social media, Yelp! or Google should be a new category in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Sadly, people arent as quick to write a positive review or give props to a fellow colleague for doing more than the expected.

We may market and sell one of the biggest products available, but a listing is worthless without buyers. Without practicing proper etiquette and communication with these buyers, we fail.

Without buyers, we are simply out of business.

As a real estate professional, you must have the mindset of a small business owner. Twenty percentof small business owners fail within the first year, and 50 percentfail within the first five years; this is usually due to lack of focus, lack of passion and poor marketing.

What you really need to know is that 19 percentfailed because they were out-competed, and 14percent failed because they ignored their customers.

In an industry that currently boasts over two million professionals, the competition is strong. According to the most recent NAR member profile report, 20 percent of members had less than one year of experience in 2016; 22 percent of members with less than two years of experience earned a gross income of less than $10,000 in 2015 and 26 percent of those were under the age of 30.

In fact, gross member income in 2015 was only $39,200, regardless of age.

If you want to stay away from becoming another underwhelming statistic, I propose that you incorporate the following key ingredients into your business model:

1. Common courtesy.While I should not have to spell out what this entails, it bears mentioning. If you are going to be late to an appointment, text or call the person waiting; if you are not going to show a listing that was scheduled, call the listing agent to cancel.

The homeowner may have had to leave with her toddler and the dog after spending two hours preparing for your tour, or maybe the sellers are an elderly couple with health issues. The point is that you must return all calls, texts and emails in a timely fashion.

If you are going to be unavailable for an extended period of time, utilize your outgoing voicemail and autoresponders to let folks know when they can expect to hear from you.

Communicate using correct grammar and punctuation, do not send texts or emails in haste or anger and most importantly always be kind.

Rememberthat everyone youencounter is a potential client.

2. Send thank you notes.Handwritten notes are a lost art, and folks barely know what their own handwriting looks like these days.

Send a thank you note to your customers after the listing or buyer agreement is signed; hand one to the other agent at the closing table; send one to every person that sends you a referral, whether or not it results in business for you.

Did the contractor do some extra work? Did a colleague cover for you while you were sick? Those people went the extra mile for you, so send them a card and follow up with a thankful shout out on social media.

Thank you notes should definitely be part of your daily prospecting.

3. Listen more than you speak. This a common mistake made by those who arenew to the business; eager to prove their worth and knowledge, they chatter endlessly. Instead, they should ask a question and patiently wait for the answer.

What is the clients true goal and motivation? Additional questions can help peel back layers and get necessary answers.

Taking notes and making eye contact are also important.

4. Be authentic.Only relate in personal ways if youve found a common thread; be empathetic only if you can truly share in their emotions.

Be honest and admit when you do not know an answer. Assure your customer that youwill research their concern and follow up with an answer.

No matter how amazing the latest technology is, old-fashioned courtesy and communication is what willget you ahead in this business.

Longevity in this industry is derived from a healthy blend of technological tools, punctuality, honesty and excellent interpersonal communication skills.

Christine Williams, CRS, is a real estate instructor and coach with Accredited Real Estate Institute. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Email Christine.

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What technology can't do for your real estate business - Inman.com