Monthly Archives: January 2020

This has been slow and painful for us, CEO Anne Wojcicki told the website, which estimated the cuts would pare about 15% of the company's staff.

Boom times: Sales of DNA tests that tell people their ancestry and health facts started booming a few years ago, propelled by TV and Internet ads hawking the promise that people could gain unique insights from their genes.

During 2018, the total number of people who had ever bought the tests doubled, swelling the databases of 23andMe, Ancestry, and several smaller companies to over 26 million people altogether.

The bust: Now, all signs are that sales of the $99 consumer tests slowed dramatically in 2019.

Our own calculations suggest the largest companies sold only four to six million of them, meaning the databases would have grown by just 20% during the year. That would have been the slowest growth rate for the DNA test industry ever.

Uncertain causes: It's not clear why consumers stopped buying tests in droves. It could be that the market is tapped out, and there aren't many people left curious to learn what percent French or Nigerian they are, or whether they are at risk for going bald.

Others may have concerns about their DNA data staying private, since police have started accessing smaller ancestry databases to carry out genetic manhunts.

Ancestry, which maintains the largest database with more than 16 million people, did not answer questions about whether it had seen a sales slowdown. Last year, Ancestry introduced new health offerings in what some analysts saw as a bid spark a "re-testing" market, or coaxing consumers to pay for an additional test.

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MIT Technology Review

Technology : NPR

Technology Latest technology news and breakthroughs in technology, science, and industry. Download the NPR Technology podcast and Technology RSS feed.

This photo provided by NASA shows the view from NASA's Andrew Morgan's helmet cam as Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano works outside the International Space Station during a spacewalk Saturday. AP hide caption

Scooter Norton, captain of the Washington-Liberty High School's Rocket League team, says before the team was playing to improve, but now they have a goal in mind. Kisha Ravi/NPR hide caption

The Doomsday Clock reads 100 seconds to midnight, a decision made by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists that was announced Thursday. The clock is intended to represent the danger of global catastrophe. Eva Hambach/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Sandra Joyce, the head of global intelligence at the cybersecurity firm FireEye, speaks at the company's Cyber Defense Summit in 2018. Private tech companies are increasingly taking the lead in reporting information about suspected attacks by foreign actors. In some cases, the companies sell their reports to the U.S. intelligence community. Courtesy of FireEye hide caption

The phone of Jeff Bezos allegedly was hacked via a WhatsApp account held by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Bandar Algaloud/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images hide caption

This chicken from Memphis Meats was produced with cells taken from an animal and grown into meat in a "cultivator." The process is analogous to how yeast is grown in breweries to produce beer. Allison Aubrey/NPR hide caption

The phone of Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO and owner of The Washington Post, reportedly was hacked via a WhatsApp account owned by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Cliff Owen/AP hide caption

Voters in King County, Wash., will have the opportunity to vote on their smartphones in February. It will be the first election in U.S. history in which all eligible voters will be able to vote using their personal devices. Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Intelligence Community Threats Executive Shelby Pierson told NPR that more nations may attempt more types of interference in the United States. "This isn't a Russia-only problem," she says. Kisha Ravi/NPR hide caption

Experts say Iran may retaliate for the killing of Qassem Soleimani, its top military leader, with cyberattacks on American companies. Chris McGrath/Getty Images hide caption

Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou leaves her house on her way to a court appearance on Friday in Vancouver, Canada. The U.S. government has accused Meng of fraud. Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images hide caption

A team of Stanford University researchers designed the PigeonBot. Lentink Lab/Stanford University hide caption

Dating apps, including Tinder, give sensitive information about users to marketing companies, according to a Norwegian study released Tuesday. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

Precinct leaders across Iowa will use their own smartphones to transmit the results of next month's Iowa caucuses. JGI/Tom Grill/Tetra images RF/Getty Images hide caption

Russian hackers successfully infiltrated emails of employees at Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy company, according to a U.S. security firm. Here, a building is seen in Kyiv that holds the offices of a Burisma subsidiary. Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters hide caption

Two competing data firms, BuzzAngle and Nielsen Music, released reports in early Jan. 2020 detailing the many changes in listening over the past decade. Kirsty Lee / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm hide caption

DMV offices around the U.S. were slowed down for hours on Monday, due to a network outage in a key database. Here, people wait at the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles office in Brooklyn last month. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Grounded Boeing 737 Max airplanes crowd a parking area in Seattle in June. Elaine Thompson/AP hide caption

Facebook says it will continue to allow political ads to be targeted to only small groups of its users. Here, Facebook Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is seen visiting Congress for a hearing last October. Erin Scott/Reuters hide caption

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Technology : NPR

US/China Multifaceted Wars

If you thought the tariff war between China & the US would cause some meltdown in tech stocks you would be correct but only in the eastern hemisphere. China has resorted to sacrificing its stock market for as long as possible by deleveraging debt and devaluing its currency as an offset to Trumps tariffs. All the Chinese have to do is devalue the yuan to the percentage that offsets the latest round of tariffs imposed by President Trump, therefore, having no effect on the cost of exporting goods to the US.

The current mood towards the stock market in China is completely indifferent to that of the US. China will happily tank their stock market if required to maintain their political status quo. Under a communist rule by the Communist Party of China social mobility and cohesion ranks higher than profits and gains driven in the Shanghai Composite.

As investors start to see that China is on the brink of stock market meltdown and the EM debt crisis causing flatlining stock prices, the US tech sector has gained an artificial safe haven status alongside defensive sectors and the US dollar. Investors are flocking into the dollar as a safe-haven trade and US equities have outperformed other world stock markets in 2018 dramatically.

Tech Earnings Growth Has Peaked Dramatically

What the EPS estimates show is something to behold. Analysts are currently estimating that stocks such as NVDA and INTC have negative next year EPS YoY growth estimates of around 80%~ compared to the previous year yet stocks have continued to rise even after Q2 earnings releases. The hilarity ensues as analysts are still maintaining strong buys on the stock even though the growth potential for next years earnings has dwindled to single-digit figures. Current earnings estimates tend to only matter until the second-quarter earnings releases and after that next years earnings start to matter a lot more on Wall Street.

We have seen this kind of false optimism occur many times before. Every analyst had a Buy or Strong Buy rating on Apple stock in 2011 however 12 months later it was trading at a 50% discount to the sector and retail investors who had made money on the way up in the previous year ended up breaking even. This shows that tech stocks are in classic bubble territory where investors are loaded up on fake optimism and no one is really looking at the actual numbers.

If you think the US tech sector has weathered the perfect storm you would be mistaken, this is just the beginning of the multifaceted war between China and the US. President Trump has another powerful weapon up his sleeve to create even more market uncertainty in the future; introducing The Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA).

The act is part of reform enacted by theThe Committee on Foreign Investment in the United Statesand was signed into law recently on August 13th, 2018. The bill essentially grants Trump greater powers over Chinese business influence in the US such as prohibiting company takeovers and the transfer of new technologies. As China continues to steal technology from US through various channels Trump has a new trick in his playbook and can cause a cataclysmic effect on tech stocks by limiting Chinese investment not just in the technology sector but also in telecommunications and defensives.

Shutting off the second biggest market in the world (China) to technology related investments will cause a major correction and revaluation of technology stocks in the US market.

Once Trump starts to use this weapon it is likely to cause severe pain for the tech sector as a whole but the most pain will be seen in extremely high beta stocks such as chipmakers and testers that operate research and development facilities in both the US and Asia regions.

FIRRMA has the potential to kill the rapid growth in any company that sells or licenses technology developed in America to non-U.S. customers. For AMD this is particularly worrying since they carry out research in facilities located in both the US and China.

We see the same risk factors in every chip stocks annual report:

Uncertain global economic conditions have in the past and may in the future adversely impact AMDs business, including, without limitation, a slowdown in the Chinese economy, one of the largest global markets for desktop and notebook PCs.

We conduct product and system research and development activities for our products in the United States with additional design and development engineering teams located in Australia, China, Canada, India, Singapore and Taiwan.

AMD Annual Report 2017

So what happens when AMDs Chinese facilities make a breakthrough? The Chinese can easily issue countermeasures to seize technological advances before it ever reaches the US mainland. Chip companies rely on providing technological breakthroughs hence it allows them to beat their competitors in gaining contracts with important clients further up the value chain. This could have disastrous effects on the bottom line of chip making companies like AMD as governments seize their means of production.

China retaliates in a copycat fashion and expects nothing but the same from The Communist Party. Anything the US has done to hurt China, China has replicated. So imagine how the market will react when both sides start to engage in technological armageddon. The result inevitably is a major correction in the tech sector which has the potential to push major US indexes down sharply due to the highly cyclical nature of tech stocks.

The main indicator for economic health indicator the ISM Report on Business has rebounded from its yearly lows in February 2018 where world markets plunged 10% the month earlier however its beginning to look like a downtrend in growth is occurring. What we could be seeing is the topping out in the US which would only add to the decline in stock markets worldwide. So what does this mean for tech stocks?

Taxes kill growth and the victims are the technology, telecommunications and defense companies. An exit strategy to get out of tech stocks at the right time is hard but looking at the headwinds in the future and understanding what the effects of FIRRMA could be on the global tech industry is a no brainer. Reducing tech allocations in stock portfolios will likely to be a big theme in the near future as the reality strikes home.

What matters is how the media reacts to FIRRMA in the coming months and Trumps weaponization of the new legislation in order to give the US a temporary edge in the multifaceted war which in turn will have the Chinese respond with similar countermeasures. I will be keeping an eye out on the ISM reading for August if it continues trending downwards we could be seeing a massive downward move in technology stocks that is long overdue.

The trick is to get out before its too late.

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A Storm Is Brewing In The Technology Sector - Traders Magazine

Rethink what business you're actually in.

How much of a difference does technology make as companies attempt to compete in a digital economy? Dominos, the pizza chain, employs more IT people than other types of employees, and digital now represents almost two-third of orders. Signify, formerly called Philips Lighting, now concentrates on delivering data-driven smart lighting solutions, versus simply selling light bulbs.

Terry Jones, founder of Travelocity and founding chairman of Kayak.com, sees opportunities for companies of all persuasions, and technologies such as cloud, IoT and AI are accelerating their match into this new world. In his recent book, Disruption Off: The Technological Disruption Coming for Your Company and What to do About It, he points out that ultimately, the key is to own the edge, he says: The edge in business used to be location... But the edge has moved. Today, the edge is the edge of the glass. Thats because the edge of the glass is where the customer lives.

The new rules of business means more than simply producing, selling and shipping products. Its not enough to own the product, says Jones. It means owning the edge, and owning the outcome.

Jones describes four acronyms businesses seeking to get their foothold on the edge of the technology disruption revolution:

Leverage OPA Other Peoples Assets. Many of todays most disruptive players have business models employ technology that connects customers with physical assets, without having to own or maintain those assets. Very simply, disruptors make it easier to get at these assets than the asset-holders themselves have made it, Jones points out.

Leverage OPI Other Peoples Information. Build a platform that collects and accumulates data you can then leverage with customers or sell to other markets, Jones says.

Leverage OAO Over and Over. Todays disruptive companies employ subscriptions and SaaS to ensure a continuous stream of business. But its more than simply transactions. The most interesting change to me is the real-time learnings that come from the customer constantly connected to the software.

Remember, its ONI Outcomes, Not Iron. This is the model where traditional business can fight back against the disruptors, Jones points out. Companies are today selling outcomes like increased productivity, decreased energy usage, increased safety, or decreased maintenance.

Think what happens when you just keep selling iron, Jones illustrates. Your product becomes a very replaceable sub part of a much larger system.

Every company needs to become a disruptor, he adds. You only call it a disruption because you didnt do it.

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Four Acronyms That Spell Technology Disruption - Forbes

Emojis, vintage cartoons, paintings from inside machines and digitally distorted landscapes line the walls of the Ulrich Museum of Arts spring exhibition opening. The pieces span from the early 20th century to today, emphasising the idea that technologies have long been the subject of prophets-of-doom and utopianists alike.

This is a campus where technology is seen as an economic driver, the way of the future, Ulrich curator Ksenya Gursthein said. This artwork responds to that, sharing some of its ideals, but looking at it critically.

New York artist Zoe Beloffs installation explores technology constructed to manipulate emotions. Starting with World War I photographs used for military training, Beloff leads viewers to a series of commentaries on smart objects, like the Amazon Echo, which collect untold amounts of data from consumers to more effectively advertise.

Beloffs greatest achievement here is a powerpoint-esque parody of Silicon Valley optimism called internet of Things, or ioT. The video looks like something Innovation Campus visionaries watched in earnest when conceiving Braeburn Square as taking on a life similar to Bradley Fair, according to a Sunflower article in 2017.

Beloffs work is peppered with QR codes, which draw viewers into the work as they lean in to automatically bring up artist statements.

In one of these statements about a cartoonish cutout called Predator Drone, Beloff writes, The Predator drone is an extremely smart object designed to track and to kill people. But are not all the smart objects predators, preying on our desires only to take our money?

Predator Drone is particularly prescient, as drone strikes have been carried out by the U.S. Airforce from the Mcconnell Airforce Base in Wichita. The use of military drones is often criticized by journalists and human rights groups for causing untraceable civilian casualties and instilling a general sense of terror .

In Digital Palimpsest, Chicago-based educator and artist A.P. Vague, a WSU alumnus, looks at what happens when the tools we use to communicate in the digital era malfunction. The centerpiece is an audio-visual blend, with disparate sounds and rhythms interrupting each other, represented as warping waves projected on the wall.

This experiment is bracketed by a series of half destroyed, blown-up photographs, which vary from landscapes bathed in overwhelming light to the totally abstract.

At the heart of this work are questions about how we trust images, Gurshtein writes in the Digital Palimpsest pamphlet. These questions dont have easy or definitive answers.

The spring exhibitions focus on technology has an ongoing film series as well, curated by Beloff. The next showing, at 6 p.m. on Fri., Feb. 7, at The LUX, is a group of short films titled Its Gonna Blow Gadgets Go Mad.

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Ulrich spring exhibition explores the pros and cons of technology - Wichita State Sunflower

This is the first column in a series in which Id like to share with you how technology has helped improve building products. Ive worked in the residential construction industry for decades. In that time, Ive gotten a firsthand perspective on new products.

Not all of them have worked out so well, and sometimes it takes several permutations until a manufacturer gets it right. The same thing goes for techniques. Early in my career, I spent years taking apart 100-year-old houses and was able to see how the old-school craftsmen built.

Some of their methods are far better than the way things are done today. Ill share much of that with you in this series that will unfold as the year progresses.

Today Id like to dive into plumbing. Its a system that causes consternation with many consumers because repairs can be costly. You might imagine that not much has changed in plumbing, given that pipes and fixtures are pretty simple, but youd be wrong.

Lets start with simple advancements in drainage and water supply piping. Go back in time, and plumbers used cast iron, galvanized iron and copper for drain lines.

In rare instances, theyd have to use a lead pipe to make certain drains work. The old cast iron was susceptible to leaks and cracks because of how it was made. Galvanized iron pipes would corrode and start to choke off with deposits causing clogs.

Todays cast iron is spun cast and has a uniform wall thickness. You create leakproof joints in seconds with rubber gaskets and stainless-steel band clamps. Its the perfect material to use for vertical stacks in your home to prevent noise caused by water cascading down large-diameter vertical pipes.

The plastics industry exploded in the 1960s, and codes permitted plastic drainpipes. Plastic drain lines perform well; Ive installed miles of it. Not long ago, it experienced another technology jump when it was made lighter than the first-generation plastic. You can buy foam-core plastic drain pipe now.

Water supply lines many years ago were made using galvanized iron. These would suffer from corrosion and choke off, too. Copper became the standard, but here, too, plastic muscled its way into the marketplace. Imagine installing plastic water lines in a new home that have no joints or fittings.

Its installed much like an electric cable. Thats what I did at my daughters new home. The only joints are in the mechanical room at a distribution manifold and the shut-off valve under a sink or where the pipe connects to a shower or tub valve.

I installed all the water supply lines to four bathrooms, a kitchen and five outdoor hose bibs in less than four hours. Using traditional copper with hundreds of fittings, I might have gotten part of one bathroom done in that same amount of time.

Copper water lines also have seen tremendous technological advancements. In a recent column, I shared with you the new fittings that require no solder. You can create a leak-proof joint in less than five seconds using fittings that contain a rubber O-ring. You cant imagine how much time these save. The best part is you never have to wonder if a soldered joint will leak.

Accessory plumbing products also have seen changes. For years, the plumbing vent pipe flashing up on your roof has been made with a standard rubber that gets destroyed by the sun in just a few years and then starts to leak. You can now buy a vent-pipe flashing that has a superior siliconized rubber boot that might not be destroyed by the sun for five or more decades.

Water supply lines that connect sink faucets, toilet tanks and washing machines to the water supply have seen changes. Not very long ago, plumbers had to bend soft copper tubes to make connections. Washing machines used old rubber hoses. Now you as a DIYer can use flexible hoses protected by braided stainless steel wire to make leakproof connections in seconds.

Faucet manufacturers continue to make improvements with the cartridges that control the water flow when you turn a handle. I remember years ago having to change rubber washers inside faucets to stop drips.

It used to take skill to change a washer to stop a faucet leak. Now you can stop faucet drips without calling a plumber. With the plethora of how-to videos on the internet, you can switch out a faucet cartridge faster than you might read this column.

My advice to you, if using a brand-new product, is to read the installation instructions and be sure everything is being done correctly. Also, keep in mind that the first generation of new products might not have all the bugs worked out.

If youre installing a product thats going to be hidden behind walls or under slabs, think about using one that has been around for several years so you dont become a statistic. Go with proven technology in these situations.

Subscribe to Tim Carters free newsletter and listen to his podcast at askthebuilder.com.

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Ask the Builder: Plumbing technology has come a long way - The Spokesman-Review

Tyson Edwards

For Marcus High School senior Tyson Edwards, technology can be a double-edged sword.

A running back on the Marauders football team that reached the regional round of the playoffs this season as well as an AP student, Edwards said that technology has raised the expectations for todays youth.

The most difficult part about being a young person today is the pressure to achieve, especially with all the technological innovations that we have today, Edwards said. Not only are we supposed to be well-rounded individuals by playing sports and taking in extracurricular activities, but we are also supposed to maintain our grades and have extra time on top of that.

On the flip side of that, however, the Flower Mound teen said that technological advancement can be a great force for good.

As technology has advanced over time, I am able to interact and do a lot more things that teens werent able to do before, Edwards said. Society today brings a great sense of community and room for growth that I have been able to cherish

Edwards, 17, carries a 4.8 weighted grade point average at Marcus High School and said the best thing about his Alma Mater is sense of community.

The camaraderie I was able to build with my teammates and the relationships I was able to develop within my four years of high school is something that will last forever, Edwards said.

Edwards, who is also a member of the Black History Club and associated with a Christian organization called Young Life outside of school, plays baseball at Marcus High School as well.

The Highland Village teen said he also enjoys serving as coach of our schools powder puff team, and said he believes he is very fortunate to have grown up where he did.

Being a part of such a special community like Flower Mound opens doors for many great opportunities, Edwards said.

Edwards is undecided on where he will attend college, but said he plans to major in business or economics.

Edwards Favorites

Favorite Subject: Math

Person who most inspires you: Parents

Favorite Food: Pizza

Favorite Movie: Mission Impossible

Favorite TV Show: Blacklist

Book Currently Reading or Last Book Read: 1984 by George Orwell

Favorite Musical Group or Performer: Youngboy

Nominate your favorite high school student for this monthly feature brought to you byTexas Health Presbyterian Hospital Flower Moundby emailing[emailprotected].

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Edwards sees both sides of technology - The Cross Timbers Gazette

(NBC News) - The face of the cosmetic industry is changing, with new DIY devices that could let you skip a visit to the spa or salon.

"More brands are interested in making those advanced treatments accessible to at-home users, says Rio Viera-Newton with The Strategist.

Dyson, a company known for household appliances, is making waves with high-tech hair care

Dyson products like the Airwrap Styler use high pressure and high-velocity air instead of extreme heat, measuring airflow temperature 40 times per second to minimize damage to the hair.

Dyson also uses low-heat technology in its Supersonic Hairdryer. But these products have a hefty price tag of 400-dollars and up.

New technology is also taking skincare to the next level. The FOREO UFO is a $280 smart facial device with custom treatments.

After your facial, you can hide imperfections with Opt an inkjet printer for your skin. The handheld device treats and covers dark spots for a photoshop effect. The Opt comes out this summer for $600.

Like other new technology, the cost of those gadgets is expected to come down as more competitors enter the market.

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New technology transforms the beauty industry - Fort Wayne's NBC

The streets of downtown St. Louis are looking brighter and more energy efficient thanks to technology developed by Hazelwood-based Labyrinth Technologies. The local company developed a custom lighting solution as part of a$4 million Downtown STL Inc. projectto brand downtown and improve public safety.

On Fridays St. Louis on the Air, host Sarah Fenske learned more about Downtown STLs process of upgrading the streetlights throughout 360 square blocks. Once completed, the project will have made St. Louis one of the largest smart cities in the U.S., second only to San Diego, according to Downtown STL.

Joining the discussion were Downtown STL CEO Missy Kelley and the father-and-son team that helped develop the smart technology: Ted Stegeman, CEO of Labyrinth Technologies, and his 23-year-old son, John, the companys chief technology officer.

The initiative includes the installation of more than 2,300 curved, colorful light strips with "smart technology. The system of different sensors that collect data is referred to as the Internet of Things and can be programmed to look like a rainbow, a waterfall, a lava flow, an American flag, or blue and gold for the Blues hockey team.

The light strips are more energy efficient compared to the current sodium-halogen lights and will eventually be capable of added features such as cameras, gunshot detectors, weather sensors and pedestrian counters. And, if a bulb goes out, the city will instantly know via its mesh network grid.

A robotics team initially influenced the infrastructure for the invention of the light strips. John Stegeman started a FIRST (for inspiration and recognition of science and technology) tech challenge team during his time at John Burroughs School. He honed his technology skills and eventually worked on a project at the St. Louis Science Center. There, he worked on a NASA exhibit, building and designing Mars rovers all before the age of 18.

That built a lot of the core technology and background more than anything for how [the smart city lights] would work, because that particular exhibit involves wireless communication, long-distance data stuff and communicating between computers, he said.

So when I was asked by my dad [how to make the lights work], because he needed someone to help figure out this project, [I used] some of the information from there to help build this technology.

Ted Stegeman added: We're sort of a techie family. So we grew up building things and doing those kind of experiences, and the kids just sort of followed right along with them."

Listen to the full conversation to learn more about what the smart lights are capable of, how they aim to improve public safety in the city and plans for spreading this technology elsewhere:

St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill and Lara Hamdan. The engineer is Aaron Doerr, and production assistance is provided by Charlie McDonald.

Send questions and comments about this story to feedback@stlpublicradio.org.

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How This Father-And-Son Team Invented St. Louis' Latest Smart Technology - St. Louis Public Radio