Daily Archives: July 13, 2017

Technology is a funny thing. You get the latest iPhone, drive home with it, and by the time its activated theyre already announcing the next one. In the office however, things seem to move a little bit slower. While its occasionally okay to be a step behind other industries, outdated technology can definitely affect your business. Here are a few reasons it may be time to update the tech in your office.

Its moving waaaaay toooooo slooooooow: Its awful when things lag. When it takes forever for your computer to respond to a command, it can be terribly frustrating. Whether its a software or hardware issue, if its becoming stressful for your team to use their equipment, it may be time to upgrade. Periodically ask your staff how things are running and start researching new products if necessary.

Its no longer safe: Old tech can still be productive as long as its running smoothly, but that doesnt make it hacker-proof. Older systems are more vulnerable to being hacked (because hackers have had more time to figure out how to access them), so you may want to prescribe to the out with the old, in with the new way of thinking.

Increase member satisfaction: Even if your staff is getting by with outdated technology, are you really able to give your members everything they need? By making advancements in financial technology available to your members, it will allow you to provide them with the products and services they desire and allow you to improve your bottom line.

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3 reasons to upgrade your technology - CUinsight.com (press release)

Live sports events reliably draw in huge audience numbers, which broadcasters and cablers cherish in the splintered world of content programming. Varietys Sports and Entertainment Summit on July 13 looks at the different approaches to gaining viewers and growing audiences, the ways technology can enhance a fan experience and branding, for both teams and athletes.

This story first appeared in the July 11, 2017 issue of Variety. Subscribe today.See more.

One way to engage fanatics as well as casual viewers is through feature films and TV series. Filmmaker Billy Corben, who made his name with Cocaine Cowboys and University of Miami doc The U, thinks that sports movies are the easiest to make. Inherent in sports are all the essential ingredients of drama obstacles, all the pathos, conflict, all of the excitement and drama, its already baked in the subject, he says. Once you find a good sports story, its like cheating. Youre off to a good start.

Start with: Who gives a sh**? Is this going to connect? With sports, you are already starting with a fan base. Some of the best compliments I get about The U are, Oh, I hate the University of Miami, but I loved your movie, he says.

With the bio-doc Mr. Chibbs, former NBA superstar Kenny Anderson, who will be at the summit, is making the kind of connection that goes beyond basketball fans. Anderson was the best on the court, but his life after the game spiraled out of control drinking, drugs and a 2013 DUI arrest. The doc follows him as hes building his new life and inspiring others to stay straight and sober and play ball.

Technology is another big focus of the professional sports leagues. Technology is critical to sports because of the nature of the live window, says David Nugent, partner, chief commercial officer, Omnigon, who is moderating the Creating Immersive Fan Experiences panel. In a digital environment, we can tell stories with data, beyond just watching a match. You enhance the storytelling ability.

And also deliver the content to fans wherever they are. Dates and times dont move, he says. You have to consume that content wherever you are. And for most people, that means content on the phone. Theres a desire to consume that content even though people are not at home. Technology is critical to that. We have opportunities in digital to dive deeply into events and grow the audience.

Amy Trask, CBS Sports analyst and former CEO of the Oakland Raiders, says athletes need to think about fan engagement after their playing careers are over. She moderates the panel Its Not Just About Winning Athletes Engaging Fans Beyond the Game. Each athlete has to decide for himself or herself a goal to put in place. Athletes need to build post-playing careers while they are playing.

She adds that athletic careers especially in the NFL are, on average, pretty short. And while its smart for athletes to engage fans while they are still playing, they should also build engagement that will last into post-playing careers. I invoke the Hippocratic Oath that doctors take when I tell players, First thing, do no harm. At a minimum, you should not harm your post-athletic career. You cannot assume that you have privacy anywhere other than in your own home, with your closest family. What is captured now, certainly will impact what opportunities you have in the future.

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Audience Growth, New Technology Among Hot Topics at Variety's Sports and Entertainment Summit - Variety

If a few concerned parents have their way, Colorado will be among the first states to ban the sale of smartphones for use by children under the age of 13. After witnessing what he called a dramatic, very violent outburst from one of his sons when taking away his smartphone, a Colorado father (and medical professional) helped create a new lobbying group, called Parents Against Underage Smartphones (PAUS). The group provides links to a wide range of research into the negative effects of smartphone use on children.

The effort appears to be well-meaning and supportive of healthy childhood development. But from my perspective as a media psychologist, informed by research into the uses and effects of communication technology, I see that the groups concerns fit a common historical pattern of undue alarm over new technology. Human innovation advances rapidly, but most peoples understanding of new items and capabilities cant keep up. The result is a sense of moral panic over what we fear will be negative effects on us all, and even on society at large.

As we know from research on sex education, teaching fear and avoidance of something cant always protect people from negative consequences: Sexual abstinence instruction doesnt prevent teen pregnancies, but rather increases their frequency. Moral panics about technology similarly encourage people to withdraw from, rather than engage with and understand, the tools of today and tomorrow. The concerns of parents and groups such as PAUS are valid, but they shouldnt be dealt with by banning technology. Rather, children and adults should work together to understand new innovations and learn to use them in productive ways.

One of the earliest examples of a moral panic related to information technology can be found in Socrates concerns about writing. In the lecture later, ironically, recorded in writing as Phaedrus, the ancient Greek philosopher said written words divorced information from its original spoken source, and said writing things down would irreversibly weaken peoples memories. These may seem quaint worries today, but they were notable critiques in a time where systematic reasoning and oral debate were bellwethers of intelligence.

In the 1790s, the printing of adventure novels raised concerns that children were compulsively reading at the expense of their chores. In the 1920s, people feared that crossword puzzles would contribute to illiteracy. In the 1970s, the video game Death Race was labeled by critics as a murder simulator, sparking an ongoing debate about whether video games encourage violence.

Social attitudes regarding technology are not usually formed by direct experience. Rather, they most often come from media reports, parents and teachers, or Hollywood films. As a result, many of our perceptions of technological threats are based on often-sensationalized anecdotes rather than actual interaction and understanding.

Smartphones may be particularly difficult to evaluate, because one device has so many capabilitiesfor both good and ill.

Skepticism toward technology is important, so we can avoid misusing technology in harmful wayssuch as using X-ray machines to figure out what size shoes a person needs to buy. Indeed, philosopher Philippe Verdoux argues that technological advances increase the chances of any one invention destroying us all. But as worrying as Verdouxs warning might be, he doesnt suggest avoiding innovation. Rather, he says the most productive response is to develop a deep understanding of what a given inventions uses are, including its potential for good and bad consequences.

Moral panics, by contrast, tend to suggest people not use new technologies at all. Abstaining does avoid the costs, but also deprives people of the technologys benefits. For example, kids and teenagers with smartphones can use them to support their educational efforts. And they can help kids social lives, keeping them in touch with friends. Safety also comes into play: Concerned about school shootings, many school districts are reversing bans on smartphone access during school hours, allowing and even encouraging students to use them for emergency communication.

Engaging with new technologies cautiouslyand, for children, under adult supervisionis a better approach than banning the unknown. The American Academy of Pediatricians suggests limiting childrens access to computer, smartphone, and TV screens. But rather than banning screen time entirely, the group recommends parents and kids work together to figure how how best to use smartphones and other devices.

By discouraging learning, moral panics fuel misunderstanding and unfamiliarity. Millennials dont actually understand technology as well as people often assume, which could help explain why they feel less safe online than older adults do. The connection comes from established research about how fear affects social beliefs: Focusing too much on threats without also discussing skills leads to panic rather than progress.

When it comes to smartphones, it would be oddand wrongto ban kids from using the digital devices that help define their entire generation. And it wouldnt help prepare them for jobs and lives in the information-saturated 21st century.

This post originally appeared at The Conversation. Follow @ConversationUS on Twitter. Learn how to write for Quartz Ideas. We welcome your comments at ideas@qz.com.

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Banning smartphones for kids is just another technology-fearing moral panic - Quartz

This article series provides a monthly dashboard of industries in each sector of the GICS classification. It compares valuation and quality factors relative to their historical averages in each industry.

Executive summary

I wrote last week in my S&P 500 monthly dashboard that Technology (including Telecom) is fairly priced regarding historical averages of valuation ratios and above the baseline in profitability (measured by ROE). In a closer look at industry level and extending the stock universe to mid caps, Hardware, Semiconductors, Communication Equipment and Wireless Telecom Services have mixed valuation factors and are undervalued for at least one of them. They are also above their historical averages in profitability. Other industries are less attractive. Software and Diversified Telecom Services are the most overpriced. This is not justified by an exceptional profitability: both are close to their historical baselines.

Since last month:

P/E has improved in Wireless Telecom Services and deteriorated in Internet, Communication Equipment, Computers/Peripherals.

P/S has improved in Computers/Peripherals, Wireless Telecom Services and deteriorated in Internet, Software, Semiconductors.

P/FCF has deteriorated in Internet, Software, Diversified Telecom Services and is stable elsewhere.

ROE has improved in Computers/Peripherals and deteriorated in Diversified Telecom Services.

The Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) is almost tied with the SPDR S&P 500 Trust ETF (SPY) in monthly return.

In this period, the 5 best-performing S&P 500 Tech or Telecom stocks are Alliance Data Systems Corp. (NYSE:ADS), Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD), CA Inc. (NASDAQ:CA), Oracle Corp. (NYSE:ORCL) and Red Hat Inc. (NYSE:RHT).

Some cheap stocks in their industries

The stocks listed below are in the S&P 1500 index, cheaper than their respective industry factors for Price/Earnings, Price/Sales and Price/Free Cash Flow. The 10 companies with the highest Return on Equity are kept in the final selection. This strategy rebalanced monthly has an annualized return about 12.76% in a 17-year simulation. The sector ETF XLK has an annualized return of only 2.83% on the same period. I update every month 8 lists like this one, covering all sectors (some sectors are grouped). The 8 lists together have returned about 25% in 2016. If you want to stay informed of updates, click "Follow" at the top of this page. My Marketplace Subscribers have early access to the stock lists before they are published in free-access articles. Past performance is not a guarantee of future result. This is not investment advice. Do your own research before buying.

Seagate Technology Plc (NASDAQ:STX)

COMPUTER

Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFB)

ELECTREQUIP

Cirrus Logic Inc. (NASDAQ:CRUS)

SEMIANDEQUIP

Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC)

SEMIANDEQUIP

Nanometrics Inc. (NASDAQ:NANO)

SEMIANDEQUIP

Citrix Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS)

SOFTW

Cardtronics plc (NASDAQ:CATM)

TECHSVCE

CSRA Inc. (NYSE:CSRA)

TECHSVCE

NeuStar Inc. (NYSE:NSR)

TECHSVCE

Science Applications International Corp. (NYSE:SAIC)

TECHSVCE

Detail of Valuation and Quality indicators in Technology and Telecom on 7/12/2017

I take 4 aggregate industry factors provided by portfolio123: Price/Earnings (P/E), Price-to-Sales (P/S), Price-to-Free cash flow (P/FCF) and Return on Equity (ROE). My choice has been justified here and here. Their calculation aims at limiting the influence of outliers and large caps. They are reference values for stock picking, not for capital-weighted indices.

For each factor, I calculate the difference with its own historical average: to the average for valuation ratios, from the average for ROE, so that the higher is always the better. The difference is measured in percentage for valuation ratios, not for ROE (already in percentage).

The next table reports the 4 industry factors. There are 3 columns for each factor: the current value, the average ("Avg") between January 1999 and October 2015 taken as an arbitrary reference of fair valuation, and the difference explained above ("D-xxx").

P/E

Avg

D- P/E

P/S

Avg

D- P/S

P/FCF

Avg

D- P/FCF

ROE

Avg

D-ROE

Internet

51.68

38.33

-34.83%

4.04

2.93

-37.88%

35.3

29.72

-18.78%

-20.02

-26.83

6.81

IT Services

29.5

23.34

-26.39%

1.65

1.16

-42.24%

20.98

18.68

-12.31%

6.58

2.42

4.16

Software

52.05

33.79

-54.04%

4.27

2.81

-51.96%

35.41

23.95

-47.85%

-6.21

-8.17

1.96

Communications Equipment

32.94

28.48

-15.66%

1.75

1.61

-8.70%

23

24.1

4.56%

-0.76

-9.61

8.85

Continued here:

Valuation Dashboard: Technology And Telecom - Update ... - Seeking Alpha