Monthly Archives: May 2017

Charlotte Observer

Technology in schools: Too much of a good thing? Charlotte Observer There's no question that technology has transformed education, making it possible for students and teachers to learn in ways we couldn't have imagined even a decade ago. Students can research any subject without leaving their seats and peer edit ...

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Technology in schools: Too much of a good thing? - Charlotte Observer

MUMBAI: With advancements in the field of biometric technology, India has topped globally in adoption of biometrics techniques, says a report.

"On an average, people in India (9 per cent) are three times more likely than any other country (3 per cent) surveyed to have used 'iris recognition' to identify themselves," said the HSBC's recent 'Trust in Technology' report.

It said people in Asia and the Middle East are ahead of the West when it comes to the adoption of new technologies due to greater understanding and optimism leading to more trust.

The report was compiled from research representing views of 12,019 people from 11 countries and territories --- Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, UK and the USA.

The trust in technology and its adoption are driven not only by consumer trends, but can be encouraged by wider governmental support, it said.

The Indian government first launched the Aadhaar Project, a biometrics programme, in 2009, creating the world's largest biometric data set, said the report.

The accelerated adoption of fingerprint recognition in the East, a widespread consumer technology, highlights the contrasting perspectives, it added.

People in China (40 per cent) are the highest adopters of fingerprint technology, followed by India (31 per cent) and the UAE (25 per cent) among the countries surveyed.

On the other hand, just 9 per cent of people in France and Germany, and 14 per cent in Canada have used fingerprint technology to identify themselves, the report noted.

"Consumers living in countries in the East seem to have a better understanding and greater trust of emerging technology, and how it can benefit their lives. The speed of change and the insatiable rate of adoption put the likes of India, China and the UAE leaps ahead of most Western markets," HSBC India Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management Ramakrishnan S told PTI here.

In the case of India, a national mind set of openness coupled with government support for the roll out and promotion of new technology has had a transformative effect on the nation, he said.

The regular use of traditional technology like using password feature is most common in West, it said.

When it comes to money management, people in India (50 per cent) and China (48 per cent) agreed that computers can provide more accurate advice than humans, while it was just 18 per cent in Canada, and 21 per cent in the UK, it said.

Further, it revealed that Germany has the lowest adoption of smartphone or tablet banking with only 4 per cent claiming that phone banking is their preferred way of banking as compared to 9 per cent in Hong Kong and 15 per cent in the UAE.

However, the report said while there are clear reasons to be optimistic about the adoption and attitude of countries in the East to new technology, this is not the full story.

About 50 per cent of people in China own a fax machine and 39 per cent of people in India own a pager, the highest percentages of those countries surveyed.

While the East has overtaken the West in attitudes and adoption today, data, however, suggested that progress across the region is hugely uneven with the differences most likely between the rural and urban areas.

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India leads globally in adoption of biometric technology: Report - Economic Times

Museum of Discovery exhibit shows how people with disabilities use technology to readjust

Jamal Goss , KTHV 6:09 PM. CDT May 27, 2017

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) -- The threat of rain for part of the weekend proves the value in having some indoor ideas to keep the kids busy.

The Museum of Discovery opened a new exhibit Saturday that gets kids thinking about STEM. It's all about innovation and getting people to think outside the box.

The new Human Plus: Real Lives + Real Engineering exhibit has a ton of creative and fun ways that show how people with disabilities use technology to readjust, but be careful there's a lot of kids learning a lot of cools things about technology. Alex Palmer works for the new exhibit.

"We just had our human plus engineering exhibit open up, it's all about the engineering of prostatic and the human body, Palmer said. "It's just letting people know about the world and what goes on."

Inside, kids learn different functions of prosthetic limbs and how they help people carry out their day to day functions. Each station explores different ways people with disabilities use high-tech engineering to overcome the impossible. It's helping ignite a passion for science, technology, and math for people of all ages.

"We can draw a lot of cool art and show how different colors can come together, Palmer said. And just create something really amazing."

Funded by the National Science Foundation, Palmer said it opens the minds of children, exposing them to things they may have never seen before. It's family day for Fonz Jenkins along with his niece and nephews.

"I used to come here as a kid when I was living here, Jenkins said. So I thought I'd let them experience the same thing I experienced when I was a kid."

He's impressed with how the museum keeps children engaged.

"We get to meet so many cool people from all over the world, Palmer said. Nigeria, China all over the United States that come and visit here and learn so much about the natural world and about science."

The exhibit will remain open at the Museum of Discovery until September 10th. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for children. More information can be found here.

2017 KTHV-TV

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Museum of Discovery exhibit shows how people with disabilities use technology to readjust - THV 11

Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. expressly grants and prohibits access to certain materials on school provided computers. Here is a quick-hit list of dos and donts included in current school policy.

Students will receive information about appropriate online behavior, including, but not limited to, use of social media to interact with others online, interacting with individuals in chat rooms or on blogs, recognizing cyberbullying and understanding cyberbullying is a violation of corporation policy and learning appropriate responses to cyberbullying.

All computers, telephone systems, electronic mail systems and voice mail systems in the school corporation are the school corporations property and are to be used for business purposes. BCSC reserves the right to access and review all electronic and voice mail, computer files, databases or any electronic transmissions in its system and staff members should have no expectation that any information contained on such systems is confidential or private.

The Student Code of Conduct governs students use of the corporations personal communication devices (computers, tablets, e-readers, cellphones, smartphones or any other web-related device) and applies to devices connected to the corporations network, the corporations Internet connection or online educational services (Ed-Tech).

BCSC has implemented technology protection measures (those that filter or block) access to visual displays or materials that are obscene, constitute child pornography and/or are harmful to minors, as defined by the Childrens Internet Protection Act. The school corporation also has technology to monitor online activity of students to restrict access to these materials that could be harmful to minors.

The director of technology may temporarily or permanently unblock access to websites or online education services containing appropriate material, if access to such sites has been inappropriately blocked by the filters. The determination of whether material is appropriate, or inappropriate, shall be based on the content of the material and the intended use of the material.

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BCSC technology guidelines on the web - The Republic

Image source: The Motley Fool.

At Berkshire Hathaway's (NYSE: BRK-B) annual meeting earlier this month, an investor asked Warren Buffett about the company's shift from investing in high-return, asset-light businesses to capital-intensive businesses, such as railroad operator Burlington Northern. Whether this shift is actually occurring or not can be argued, but Buffett agreed with the questioner about the idea of investing in businesses that return gobs of capital with minimal investment. He said, "Buying a high return on assets, very light capital-intensive business that's going to grow beats the hell out of a business that requires a lot of capital to grow."

This isn't the first time that Buffett has expressed his fondness for a business with high returns, low capital requirements, and high growth. However, after reiterating his ideal business characteristics, Buffett's followers are likely clamoring to find the next company that matches a few of the Oracle's investing criteria. Let's see if Cognizant Technology(NASDAQ: CTSH)fits the bill.

Cognizant is in the IT services business, providing consulting and professional services to a variety of clients. With over 260,000 employees, its greatest assets are its people rather than equipment or software. As a result, Cognizant has been able to generate gobs of cash.

Data source: Thomson Reuters. Chart by author. All numbers in millions.

Despite the dip in 2016, Cognizant's management has done a solid job generating cash. The company also recently began paying a $0.15 per share dividend and announced a plan to return 75% of its free cash flow to shareholders, through either share buybacks or dividends.

While free cash flow is a great metric to analyze a company's performance, a better measure to see if management is adding value is return on equity (ROE). Over the trailing 12 months, Cognizant's ROE came in at 16.5%. While impressive, the downward decline over the past five years is concerning.

A declining ROE is often a sign of either increased competitive pressures or that the company is earning less and less on each dollar invested by its shareholders. A lack of value-added investment opportunities may also be the reason for the company's new shareholder return program. On a positive note, in its most recent quarter ending in March, Cognizant's ROE increased to 22.3%. Assuming the bump is not a head fake, an increasing ROE combined with a strong capital return program can be a boonfor Cognizant shareholders.

High returns on assets with low capital requirements are often a recipe for a solid investment. However, if you can combine those two traits with high growth, you may be looking at a great investment. Let's see where Cognizant stands in terms of growth.

According to data from S&P Capital IQ, Cognizant has grown its revenue at 17.1% annualized over the last five years. Earnings and cash flow growth didn't come in as strong but are fairly solid at 12.3% and 13.8%, respectively, over the same period. Despite strong growth over the last half decade, growthhas slowed more recently as the company has matured. In its latest quarter, revenue growth slowed to 10.7%.

Despite the slowing growth, Cognizant is not resting on its laurels. The company has been aggressively making acquisitions in the fast-growing digital technology space, gobbling up smaller consultant firms like Idea Couture, Mirabeau, and Adaptra. On March 1, Cognizant made its seventh acquisition in just one year by purchasing Japan-based Brilliant Service Co. Ltd.

Cognizant appears to meet Buffett's criteria of achieving high returns, having low capital requirements, and growth. However, there are some concerns about declining returns and slowing growth. That growth also appears to be more and more dependent on acquisitions. Additionally, given Cognizant's footprint in the technology space, I wouldn't exactly call the IT services company an ideal Buffett investment.

10 stocks we like better than Cognizant Technology Solutions

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Palbir Nijjar owns shares of Berkshire Hathaway (B shares) and Cognizant Technology Solutions. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Berkshire Hathaway (B shares) and Cognizant Technology Solutions. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Does Cognizant Technology Fit the Bill as Buffett's Ideal Business? - Madison.com

If you thought that wearable computing was the stuff of science fiction movies, companies like Vuzix are bringing this technology to life. With a Smart Glasses range for enterprise and entertainment; hands-free, digital eyewear is becoming an accessible option for all. Why would you want a computer directly in front of your eyes? Here are a few of the benefits this latest technology brings.

With a range designed for business and industry, Smart Glasses can increase worker productivity from the factory to the office. Through a pair of intelligent glasses, your workers get a functioning Android-based computer on the tip of their noses. With all the capabilities of a smartphone and compatible with Android apps, now they can wear their computers and leave their hands free to carry out pertinent tasks simultaneously.

In warehousing and manufacturing, workers can fulfil more orders, scanning a barcode by simply looking at it. They no longer have to stop and consult their tablet or smartphone, but have their hands free to carry out orders, load produce, or operate machinery. In fields like telemedicine, workers can recall pertinent data in instants, while helping serve patients quicker.

Compatible with the almost 3 million apps available in Google Play, the wearer can use Smart Glasses for just about any program or function. They can take pictures through a high definition camera, play videos, record, and link the Smart Glasses to their phones to make calls, send messages and place orders. This can greatly speed up your company workflow.

The live streaming function is particularly helpful to employees who work in remote and hard-to-reach locations. The wearer can connect to a computer (or computers) at any location, allowing others to get a visual on exactly what the viewer is seeing in real time. This brings unsurpassed possibilities for remote tech support, employees working on an external site and first responders.

With the live streaming capability, surgeons and other specialists can get an accurate visual on the situation without having to be there, or rely on voice commentary of events under stress. Remote technicians working on site can solve a problem on the first call out, without the need to assess and return. This makes for augmented worker productivity, reduced cost, and can help save lives in an accident and emergency situation.

Smart Glasses have the potential to change the way many businesses work, from the operating room to the factory floor, telemedicine and remote tech support. Theyre also proving useful in the field of employee learning and practical training. Allowing the wearer to view the computerized image, as well as their actual surroundings. They can watch a tutorial and follow instructions at the same time.

Healthcare workers, for example, can learn on the job and carry out important maneuvers, such as CPR, while receiving exact indications on their screen. White collar workers can take notes, carry out exercises and interact with training videos, speeding up the learning curve.

Smart Glasses can transmit the exact coordinates of the wearers location, with GPS, gyroscope and a compasses system integrated. So, you can follow your field workers into hard to locate areas without risk of losing their location. This can reduce accidents and make your workers jobs safer.

The iWear model allows the wearer to get into the cockpit of the drone by providing a widescreen, immersive view. The screen size is the equivalent of a 125 screen viewed from 10 feet with 24-bit true color. Theres also an optional full immersion face mask for where outside distractions are not an option; making this technology suitable for the military, science and geology.

With a built-in battery, the drone pilot can participate in the activity for hours, with crystal clear audio and added noise isolation. This enhances the accuracy and safety of using drone technology.

In the entertainment industry, iWear has won multiple Consumer Electronic Show awards. Working like a high-end pair of video headphones, the user gets a wearable video display that provides a high definition gaming solution.

Vuzix slogan is view the future, but it seems as if theyre actually bringing the future into the here and now. Making waves in the gaming and entertainment industry, the field of drones, medicine and enterprise. Increasing worker productivity in the factory, helping first responders do their jobs, facilitating training, and even saving lives.

Read next: Rumors spread on WhatsApp lead to mob violence and death in India

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Smart glass technology is making wearable computers accessible - TNW