Monthly Archives: April 2021

The American military is entering an era of great power competition, where agility and quick adaptation matters more than ever. For too long, emerging capabilities failed to bridge the valley of death and get integrated into Department of Defense programs of record. In recent years, the DoD has launched groups aiming to change the tech insertion reality, such as the Defense Innovation Unit, Joint Artificial Intelligence Center and Army Futures Command, which accelerate adoption of innovative technologies across the department.

Even so, disruptive innovation in the commercial sector still struggles to enter the federal market, including at the Pentagon. The recent trend toward the defense industrial base consolidating down to a handful of large system integrators tuned toward winning contracts that require custom-developed solutions must cease. Their hold on DoD means innovative software startups and small businesses find the federal government market increasingly complicated, lacking transparency and fraught with misaligned incentives, which further supports the incumbents.

Thankfully, it doesnt have to be this way. DoD is primed to accelerate digital innovation through procurement and governance transformation enabled by cloud software marketplaces. Last years NDAA contained Section 834, which allows for pilots of consumption-based technology and provides an opening to think differently about buying services for the war fighter. Cloud software marketplaces offer the government the potential to simplify the approach for procuring independent software vendors (ISVs) through the growing number of cloud contracts, which can fundamentally change the paradigm on tech insertion.

The Biden administration can leverage new DoD acquisition authorities and make long overdue shifts in the DoD IT and software budgets to accelerate the departments cloud transformation. Budgetary realignment offers the government an opportunity to open the door to innovation from third party providers, cutting edge software and cloud-based workloads. Such an approach would streamline tech insertion, increase government access to new solutions, mitigate concerns about vendor lock in, and level the playing field for small vendors that struggle to navigate the complicated process of selling into the federal government.

In particular, cloud marketplaces provide DoD an opportunity to successfully execute its software pilot mandate as required by Section 834. For instance, software marketplaces enable utility software consumption models, by providing scalable usage on demand, and at established commercial catalog prices. Marketplaces ensure that once new capabilities are launched and accredited, they are available for use under the program, while also enabling flexible and as-needed teaming arrangement to enable the software channel to participate in the ecosystem to support the mission. A strong 834 pilot can allow government to test and validate new technologies prior to making time-intensive investments in meeting security certifications required for production workloads.

By aligning tech delivery with its existing cloud service provider relationships, DoD can offload tech insertion to commercial industry via a cloud marketplace aligned to existing contracts.

In August 2020, Bessemer Ventures and Alliance for Digital Innovation member Tackle.io released their first State of Cloud Marketplaces report. In it they note, Fundamental shifts in the enterprise software industry come around very rarely, but when they do, most of us tend to underestimate how large of an impact they will have All we know in the near term is that Cloud Marketplaces will likely exceed all our expectations most large software buyers are just waking up to the opportunities that these Marketplaces afford them to save precious time and money on the procurement of cloud software that they are already buying.

DoD is the type of large enterprise that must embrace this opportunity and, thanks to some recent developments, is well positioned to unleash innovative software solutions across every inch of the Pentagon.

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As DoD moves the Cloud Computing Program Office from the Pentagon to the Defense Information Systems Agency, now is a perfect time to examine the role of cloud software marketplaces, establish software-as-a-service pilots consistent with Section 834, and remove friction to allow easier procurement and integration of ISVs into the DoDs agile acquisition framework. This approach will save time and money on procurement, create opportunities for small businesses, and enable DoD to deliver the best solutions for the war fighter faster.

Matthew T. Cornelius is the executive director of the Alliance for Digital Innovation. ADI is a coalition of innovative technology companies focused on improving mission outcomes in the public sector through the adoption and use of modern commercial capabilities.

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Cloud software marketplaces are linchpin to driving innovative technology solutions into DoD - C4ISRNet

Michigan has a diverse fruit industry with an economic impact of $7.5 billion on the state.

The way fruit is produced is quickly evolving, and growers are adapting to address a myriad of challenges. A key focus of the MSU Extension Fruit Team is to provide programming to help growers make pest and disease management decisions.

In particular, invasive insects and disease resistance management strategies have been a couple of top educational priorities in recent years.

Our team also develops programs with a focus on maximizing orchard productivity and/or fruit quality in order to remain competitive in a global marketplace. Orchard modernization, precision agriculture, and adoption of new technologies are a few areas Michigan growers need to thrive in to remain competitive.

With the novel coronavirus and the shelter-in-place order in spring 2020, the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center staff and the MSU Fruit Team continued to address these priorities through research and extension programming in new and different ways.

On April 13th, 2020, the two groups kicked off a daily, two-week webinar series to help growers gear up for a successful field season. In typical years, Extension educators host in-person meetings in the different fruit growing regions and cover timely topics, which include updates on insects, diseases and horticulture.

In March 2020, we operated under CDC recommendations to ensure the safety of our staff and clientele, we hosted daily weekday webinars via ZOOM technology. If growers were not able to attend a live session, the webinars were recorded and posted online for later viewing.

The MSU fruit team had been successfully using ZOOM for remote meetings, and ZOOM was a good alternative for continuing to host interactive programs with growers. ZOOM allows participants to view and listen presentations on a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Questions were taken through a chat box feature.

While this system is simple to use, high-speed internet or consistent cellular service was needed for this technology to watch it live, which was an issue to reach some growers in the Grand Traverse region. If growers chose or had to watch video after the live showing, high-speed internet was not necessary.

The webinars featured timely pest management and horticultural topics presented by MSU researchers, Extension educators, and out-of-state invited speakers. Even during a pandemic, the NWMHRC staff and MSU Fruit Team continued to do their best to ensure growers were kept up to date of pertinent information during the growing season just as we do with in-person meetings.

Because of the positive feedback we received from the statewide webinar series early in the spring, we expanded our reach to the regional level and held weekly online educational meetings in southwest Michigan, the Grand Rapids area, and northwest Michigan throughout the 2020 growing season.

We hope things will look different this growing season, but our regions growers and dedicated Extension staff were able to move with the times and keep important information flowing to help growers successfully raise fruit crops across Michigan.

Nikki Rothwell is a Michigan State University Extension district horticulturalist and coordinator of the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Station

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Nikki Rothwell is a Michigan State University Extension district horticulturalist and coordinator of the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Station.

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Technology allowed Extension to keep doing its job - Traverse City Record Eagle

COVID-19 was far and away the headliner of the last year, if not the last decade. It will continue to monopolise the spotlight as it has accelerated the research, development and launch of numerous initiatives that are making healthcare delivery better while optimising patient care to lead to better patient outcomes.

Cardiovascular caregivers generally engage with their patients on an intermittent, reactive basis, meaning they only have contact with patients when needed for individual episodes of care. They tend not to see the whole picture of the patient, nor the patients journey. This fractured view of the patients journey across the care continuum has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Patients have deferred routine appointments and avoided going to the hospital, which has resulted in late presentations of both heart attack and critical limb ischemia and has aggravated the issue of patients becoming lost for follow-up. To address this issue, physicians are meeting their patients using remote patient monitoring and communication tools to increase patient engagement and capture the full patient journey.

These tools will give physicians integrated actionable data to see the whole patient and connect the dots across the care continuum before, during and after any intervention. Whilst the pandemic has accelerated the use of remote patient monitoring, this will continue to be a cornerstone of future personalised patient care.

By directly interacting with patients continuously before and after intervention, physicians can address patients diverse and specific needs, encourage healthy behaviors, and understand what is needed to drive improvements in quality of life and patient outcomes.

Organisations and medical professionals have adapted in a variety of ways to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; remote webinars, conferences and meetings have now become the norm. Even conventionally, in-person experiences such as hands-on training and proctoring have adapted and are now being delivered remotely with the assistance of new virtual and augmented reality technologies.

The medical community will continue to leverage these technologies to enhance virtual training in 2021, including smart applications and virtual reality systems, enabling increased engagement and better results in less time and at lower costs than traditional training programs.

In the future, such technologies could be envisioned to enhance the value of remote congresses by providing unique in-person experiences. It will now be up to the cardiovascular community to meet the expectations and needs of the medical community. As such, we think organisational agility will be a differentiator in engaging and delivering value to physicians and patients.

In bringing new medical technology to market, the medical device community will continue to expand its enrollment efforts in 2021 to ensure that clinical trials encourage the participation of underrepresented populations who would benefit the greatest from the development of new drug therapies and medical devices. As such, we will see organisations make a conscious effort to be more inclusive when choosing investigators, selecting sites with diverse staff, and treating a diverse patient population, to meet the needs of those in underserved communities.

While socioeconomic factors have been flagged as a driver in the varied care and engagement that patients have received from healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the cardiovascular community needs to also address other disparities, like women and non-Caucasian patients being less likely to receive preferred treatments.

The medical community is working to understand and address the diverse inequalities in cardiovascular care, including systematic underrepresentation of women and non-Caucasian patients in clinical trials. The plan is to develop initiatives to improve patient interaction and encourage patient engagement to address this imbalance.

Further, we predict the whole healthcare industry will start taking steps to address inequitable access to and provision of care, as well as the variation in clinical outcomes across racial and socioeconomic groups.

In the cardiovascular space, we will see an increase of visibility in pre-Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) assessment, including imaging-derived physiology and post-PCI assessment (new clinical data). As a result, we will also observe a gradual shift in the proper diagnosis of formerly difficult to diagnose conditions like coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) to improve patient outcomes and quality of life.

The cardiovascular and medical communities will see continued advancements in the deployment of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to solve challenges related to information and data overload. Healthcare providers will require AI tools to collect, collate and synthesise the abundance of information gathered from traditional medical sources such as labs and diagnostics, and now increased information generated from remote monitoring and smart device usage.

The combination of medical data and lifestyle information will help to personalise patient pathways and determine the best treatment tailored to each patients unique health needs and desires. Overall, data-driven technologies through applications like smart wearables will continue to make measurable impacts in 2021 and beyond, as evidenced by findings from the broader medical community as described in Abbotts recent Beyond Intervention research.

If we have learned anything about medicine in the last yearand life in generalis that it is far from predictable. Living through a global pandemic has taught us about the necessity of flexibility, adaptability and mental fortitude. 2020 was an incredibly challenging year for everyone, especially the medical community, and we know our colleagues will continue to rise to the challenge in the future.

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Abbott Vascular: delivering vascular care in 2021 | Technology & AI - Healthcare Global - Healthcare News, Magazine and Website

Implementing new trends like "buy online, pickup in-store" can both enhance the retail shopping experience and prepare functionality if testing periods continue.

Apr 25, 2021Ed. Note: A version of this article originally appeared at Retail TouchPoints.

Like many other industries, retail is currently in its most testing period, yet "buy online, pickup in-store" (BOPIS) is currently revolutionizing the modern-day retail experience. BOPIS is a hybrid shopping experience allowing customers to buy items online and then pick them up at a physical store. BOPIS helps retailers provide a more accurate stock inventory and better visibility of the stock, keeping supply chains running smoothly.The transition from BOPIS 1.0 to 2.0 is one of the most significant retail technology upgrades. The transformation is best described as upgrading from pen and paper to a modern computer. While the pen and paper works, it might not be the quickest or most advanced option, nor the most organized approach if used continuously.

The Future of RFID and RetailThis has been an exceptionally turbulent year for all, with 2021 somewhat following suit. Suffering from multiple blows throughout the year, the retail industry, in what is usually a steadfast and resilient sector, has been brought to a shuddering halt in most of the world. Overnight, all non-essential stores were forced to shut, and where stores were closing, months of stock were staying put on retail shelves. Even when steps were taken to reopen retail, it was with a vastly different outlook and a dramatically different model from what was needed before the 2020 pandemic hit.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a phenomenon never seen before in the supply chaina total emptying of the product pipeline, then the startup of that massive supply chain again. However, BOPIS 2.0 technology aids the ability to repopulate these emptied pipelines and supply chains. By taking advantage of item-level RFID technology and its drastic improvement in inventory accuracy for BOPIS 2.0, it can be a kickstarter to the retail sector and become a technology "must-have" for the apparel, footwear, home goods, cosmetics, sporting goods and electronics sectors.

No matter where in the supply chain, RFID technology offers retailers the ability to gain full visibility of all stock across their entire estate. RFID solutions allow retailers to experience a level of accuracy of more than 98 percent, showing exactly how much stock they have, what they are missing, where that stock currently is, what needs to be replenished and what may be bloated inventory. What's most impressive, though, is what the technology can do for BOPIS models. Knowing what you have, definitively, allows you to make commitments to customers with confidence not found in today's BOPIS.

New BOPIS operational models are not possible with traditional 70 percent (or less) inventory accuracy. By using RFID, BOPIS 2.0 retailers can effectively ascertain the exact amount of stock they have left, what areas need restocking, what suitable alternatives are for stock that isn't available, and where the rest of the current stock supply is. It can also enhance the customer experience and satisfaction by accurately allowing retailers to locate new stock in busy stockrooms and on shop floors.

COVID-19 and the New Retail RealityWe should not expect our shopping experiences to return to normal for a sizable amount of time. As expected, the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the way we live our lives in almost every way, and the retail sector is no different. The pandemic has introduced an enhanced level of "hybrid shopping." Since the evolution of the Internet, this purchasing method has been readily available for the majority, but not to the levels that we saw since the pandemic struck.

With people adhering to social distancing and lockdown guidelines, more shopping is taking place online, but stores are essential to meet customer expectations and experiences. Stores and retailers have had to limit the number of shoppers in the store at any given time and have had to introduce strict shopping measures, such as time limits and one-way aisles.

To avoid disruption as well enable limited customer contact, an accurate BOPIS system can allow shoppers to quickly and remotely know whether their desired item is in stock in-store. There have also been strict restrictions placed on shoppers' ability to "try before you buy," so many have been buying various sizes and returning those that aren't right. An accurate BOPIS system can help you get these items back into the supply chain as quickly as possible, avoiding unnecessary time delays.

What to Expect in 2021It's difficult to predict what the next 12 months have in store when it comes to retail and the "normal" we were used to. From the unpredictability of 2020, we're expecting to see the shopping landscape evolve and adjust even further than it currently has into 2021. Yet if retailers implement an effective BOPIS strategy, they can look to future-proof their business and be prepared for any future uncertainties.

The most significant trend, moving into 2021, will be the continuation of omnichannel shopping, such as BOPIS and "buy online, ship from store" (BOSFS). With social-distancing measures introduced globally looking set to stay, BOPIS and BOSFS should be expected to be a key trend. We should also expect RFID technology to be at the center of this transformation for the next 20-plus years.

Nothing will be certain in 2021. With a lack of stability within many aspects of everyday life, normality is still seeming to be in the distant future. Implementing new trends like BOPIS can both enhance the retail shopping experience and prepare functionality if testing periods continue. Omnichannel retail has been around for a good amount of time. If 2020 has taught retail anything, it shows that by utilizing these trends, online consumption can withhold another straining time of uncertainty.

Dean Frew is the chief technology officer and senior VP for RFID solutions at SML Group and the founder of SML Intelligent Inventory Solutions (formerly Xterprise, acquired by SML in 2013). With more than 20 years' experience in delivering RFID solutions to retailers and brand owners around the globe, Frew is responsible for SML's overall strategy in driving forward its RFID tags and solutions.

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The Future of Retail: BOPIS 2.0 and RFID Technology | RFID JOURNAL - RFID Journal

While India is working hard to be on track to become a $5 trillion economy by 2025, we must understand that reaching there will take more than what we as an economy have been doing so far. With exports amounting to 48 percent and as many as 11 crore job creations (until July 2020), SMEs in India are leading the way to fulfil Indias trillion-dollar economic dream. At this crucial juncture, it is extremely important for us, as a country, to support and strengthen SMEs that form the very backbone of our economy, through accessible credit options.

However, before we explore the great things technology can do to bridge the credit gap between financial institutions and SMEs, it is important to understand what is blocking access to credit for these small businesses.

When it comes to digital maturity, India ranks 9th in the small and medium businesses segment in the Asia-Pacific region (according to the CISCO India SMB Digital Maturity Study 2020). The road to the digitisation of SMEs is far too complex for anyone to tread alone; there are n number of challenges ranging from lack of skills and access to talent, to lack of business-appropriate technologies required for an overhaul.

Most traditional financial institutions struggle as unit economics does not favour penetration in the SME segment. Despite having great unit economics for individuals and corporates, traditional banks struggle to serve SMEs due to lower margins, higher operational, and risk/ underwriting costs. The fact that costs often exceed the revenue generated results in SMEs being underserved as a segment.

For most traditional financial institutions, credit underwriting and identifying SMEs with reliable credit history is a cumbersome process. Underwriting alternative data on trade receivables in the traditional setup is not just expensive, but time-taking as well; which leads banks to shy away from the process. This has led to a strained relationship between banks and SMEs, which, in turn, has created a huge gap in the market.

It is often said that the use of technology is not impressive on its own, it is the experiences you create with it that matters. This is exactly where fintech startups step in to fill that void and create a rather conducive environment for all to survive with utmost comfort.

Fintechs bring convenience and help SMEs get easy access to products like bank accounts, cards, securing working capital, managing cash flow, etc.

By using tools such as AI (Artificial Intelligence), ML (Machine Learning), and big data analytics, fintech startups develop alternative forms of credit risk analysis, which allows them to understand and effectively price credit risk as well as underwrite cases that traditional banks may refuse.

Moreover, fintech startups act as aggregators to access and analyse digitally available GST-linked data, and thus, customise lending solutions to unlock credit supply for the sector and connect customers (SMEs) to suitable lenders. Fintechs also use social media footprint and digital data establishing the quality of the business network for underwriting new to credit segment.

There are millions of SMEs in India with no or low capability to manage cash flows, operational compliances and documentations; fintech startups help provide a structure to their credit flows, enabling them to seek credit faster and maintain financial health to help them grow. They address various pain points like managing online bank accounts, automating finance, assisting the credit-underwriting process, and more.

By using APIs, demographics and business trends, fintech startups look to use Platform as a Service (PaaS) to perform an effective risk analysis to underwrite their own customers. This helps them customise their lending process, starting with small credit lines that can be paid off in a smaller duration, gradually increasing their eligibility, and unlocking more credit over time. Challenging traditional methods of funding through equity finance, P2P lending, etc. Fintech startups are providing bespoke solutions to meet the revenue requirements of SMEs.

Lastly, Fintech startups assist small businesses with several useful DIY tools that help them make a huge difference and achieve a competitive advantage. Be it communication, accounting, bookkeeping, project management to marketing, several fintech startups and neo-banks provide most of these tools all under one roof for SMEs with limited resources to help manage day-to-day operations and monitor administrative tasks with convenience. Technology helps deliver these resources to SMEs at an efficient cost.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)

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How can technology bridge fintech and SMEs to ease the lending process - YourStory

Gene-editing using the groundbreaking CRISPR technology is about to be put to the test in the first-ever clinical trial of the treatment in humans. CRISPR is a protein in bacteria that can be used to manipulate genetic material to,according toJennifer Doudna, who won last years Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of CRISPR technology, alter[] DNA sequences in any cell in a precise fashion, in a programmable fashion. This remarkable technology has the potential to eliminate all genetic disorders and is already delivering results that scientists say were unimaginable just a few years ago.

As is observed in the Netflix documentary series Unnatural Selection, we are now doing science fiction science, and have been thrust more quickly than we expected into a new world in which our genetic blueprints can be tweaked and optimized. Many bioethicists see such interventions as a potentially dangerous affront to the natural order, opening a Pandoras Box of potentially disastrous outcomes we cant begin to predict.

Yet, it is not at all obvious what the term natural means or ought to mean, particularly within the context of a human history defined by technological interventions that necessarily restructure natural reality. We may wonder, for example, whether the domestication of grains was natural, whether the use of vaccines to conquer smallpox and polio was natural, whether turning wolves into dogs tens of thousands of years ago was natural, whether using our knowledge of genetics to safely increase the quality and quantity of our crops was natural, whether the very practice of medicine as we know it today is natural, etc.

What is clearer is that this technology will be used by some people; now that the genie is out of the bottle, we can be virtually certain that the rich and the powerful will have access to these mechanisms and will leverage them for their own advantage in ways we probably cannot yet imagine. We already know that the United States military is investing heavily in genetic engineering technologies. Doudnarecalls a dream in which Adolf Hitler asks her to give him the recipe for CRISPR.

The debate about the appropriate use of this technology is bound to last for generations; already, in a response to Chinese scientist He Jiankuis controversial decision to edit the genomes of two human embryos, scientists around the world have called for a worldwide moratorium on the use of this technology in human embryos. Ethical issues also surround the high costs that attend these gene-altering therapies, which can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

A democratic approach to these world-shifting technologies cannot be one that locks them away behind artificial barriers created by partnerships between the state and capital, allowing the pharmaceutical industry (one of the worlds most powerful and profitable industries) to collect rents from a scarcity of their own creation. Here, the champions of the free market and the socialist opponents of Big Business can agree. The libertarian solution is also the socialist one: There should be no patents on any treatment that could alter human genetic material ever.

This knowledge must live permanently in the public domain, or we risk a world in which the powerful sort other people into classes at least partially defined by genetic attributes, a world very much like the one Aldous Huxley famously created in Brave New World. This is not at all to argue that pharmaceutical companies should not be allowed to market, sell and profit from gene-editing therapies, only that they should not be able to establish any kind of exclusive ownership or control of the scientific knowledge itself.

Should we miss the chance to establish this norm now, at the dawn of this new era, we will be faced with a reality were already beginning to see, whereby pharmaceutical companies hold life-saving and life-changing treatments for ransom. The scientific facts that lie underneath such treatments belong to humankind perhaps more accurately, they belong to no one. They are aspects of nature that are not ownable and not properly patentable. The pharmaceutical giants must not be permitted to monopolize the benefits of this astounding scientific breakthrough, which, for better or worse, will change the course of human history forever.

David S. D'Amato is an attorney, a columnist at the Cato Institute's Libertarianism.org and a policy adviser at both the Future of Freedom Foundation and the Heartland Institute.

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The good, the bad and the truly horrifying potential of CRISPR technology | TheHill - The Hill

Rob Cottle's remarkable wildlife photographs demonstrate his love for nature. Rob spoke about how new technology for capturing birds can help photographers starting out in the genre and more experienced photographers too.

Cameras are constantly evolving, and there are some amazing features available now. Rob uses Olympus kit, and there is no denying that their latest models are innovative; innovation has always been a feature of the brand. He spoke about the newest changes in the context of other advancements. He said that we think of technology as being the most recent developments, and we now take for granted features that were new to photography a decade or less ago.

Autofocus, frame rates and low-light focusing and shooting have moved on rapidly.

He highlighted his cameras' frame rates of up to 60 fps, their wildlife-friendly silent mode, the focus points going right to the edge of the frame, all being the more accurate and quicker cross-type, customizable focus arrays, and tuning the autofocus. All these features are relatively new, but he said we forget that because of the constant advancement of technology.

There are sometimes discussions whether technologies might deskill the photographer, but Rob sees the recent advancements as a positive thing, especially for encouraging those starting out in photography.

Pro-capture, Bird AI, andto some extent, Live ND are a natural progression to those advancements and are especially super helpful for those just starting out in wildlife photographyand indeed seasoned photographersto attain images that may have eluded them or in some cases werent even possible before.

If you are unfamiliar with the terminology, with Bird AI Olympus, cameras recognize and focus on birds. Live ND is Olympus' inbuilt digital neutral density filters (up to 5 stops), and Pro-capture stores images to a buffer before the shutter is fully pressed, taking your reaction time out of the equation when shooting action. Rob said that Pro-capture makes it possible to capture images that would otherwise be down to pure luck.

I love the fact that anyone starting out can pick up a camera and capture wildlife instead of feeling the camera is against them and give up too quickly, something I hope will encourage them to carry on enjoying wildlife and as a consequence conserve and love it.

Although he recognizes their importance, Rob says he doesnt use Pro-capture or Bird AI because they aren't necessary for his photography. I suspect this is probably because he is a talented wildlife photographer with years of experience; knowledge and and awareness of subjects' behavior that is essential for his trade. When you get to know an animal or bird, you can anticipate their actions. Consequently, you learn when and where to point the camera.

However, Rob's explanation for not using those features is more modest. He said that he is hopeless at remembering what setting he is using. He likes to keep things as simple as possible and experience the challenge of capturing images on his own terms and in his own way. That notwithstanding, he admits that he couldnt make a lot of his shots without all the other advancements.

I find it hard enough being in the right position and composing a shot without trying to think what is the best setting/feature to use.

Most of us will agree with Rob that it is not practical to alter lots of settings, all at the same time when events are unfolding quickly in front of you. He sets his camera so all changes can be made from the exterior of the camera body without looking. One of the beauties of the OM-D E-M1 range is how customizable the buttons and dials are.

I use the four custom positions on the Olympus dial with my go-to settings, but even then, I tend to use position one on the dial 99% of the time. Sometimes, less is more, not just in composition, but in my head as well!

Rob emphasized that image stabilization is the big game-changer for wildlife photography. In fact, he believes the stabilization of camera systems may be one of the most important and overlooked advances in technologyand that Olympus cameras are at the forefront of this. He said he could achieve astonishingly slow speeds at silly lens ranges.

It allows me to handhold all M.Zuiko telephoto lenses including the 150-400mm, and I know I would not be able to sit in a lake and handhold the equivalent of a 1,200mm lens without it.

(Rob does indeed sit in the lake, and he sometimes jokes about his "Darth Waders" that enable him to keep dry while wading deep into the water.)

He has no doubt his photography would be different if image stabilization wasnt there. He said that the amazing handhold speeds also allow him, maybe surprisingly, to use Live ND for wildlife. Rob likes showing movement in some of his images, and so, the slower shutter values achievable with the inbuilt neutral density filter allow him to quickly achieve that. The Live ND feature has another advantage too.

I tend to limit the gear I carry (often just the camera and lens), so not having to carry or clean filters, along with lugging a tripod around, is a boon.

Rob has that setting on the dial ready to go if the situation warrants it, and being able to simulate what a final image may look like, he says, is an amazing feature. He also finds the ability to handhold a camera with 600mm equivalence for over a second, and without a tripod, opens up many opportunities.

Its purely down to movement of subject that limits (or enhances) its use.

The Micro Four Thirds equipment clearly meets Rob's minimalist approach. He uses both the OMD E-M1X and E-M1 Mark III which, he says, are hugely advanced cameras.

The Olympus 150-400mm M.ZUIKO Digital ED F4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO lens has a built-in 1.25x teleconverter, which givesincredible reach, and it only weighs a little over 4 pounds. Its baby brother, the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS,is lighter still, weighing in at under 2.5 pounds and is probably more affordable for many.

Weight is becoming an ever more important ergonomic factor for photographers, not wanting to suffer sore necks backs from carrying unnecessarily heavy cameras and lenses. Also, carrying heavy equipment on airplanes is becoming increasingly expensive.

Wildlife photography is an important aspect of conservation, raising awareness of the plight of our natural world. Historically, the genre was considered quaint. But things have changed, and it is appreciated now as an important art form. Rob spoke about how technology has allowed wildlife photography to progress from where it once was.

He feels that photography owes a great debt to the advancement of camera technology. Wildlife photography, especially, is moving on quickly because of it. He said that the 50 Years of Wildlife Photographer of the Year book is an eye-opener. He thought it an amazing feat that photographers captured some of those outstanding images with relatively primitive equipment. But the quality of the images themselves pales compared to even the most basic of modern cameras with even hobbyists' models sporting low-noise, high-ISO capabilities.

ISO was only as fast as your film and wasnt something you could change on the fly of course, and now, we are into the thousands, which has altered the way we capture wildlife.

Furthermore, Rob says that, ultimately, a good image still comes from a great composition, a great subject, with a great background, and all in great light.

Field craft, local knowledge and positioning are all super important in wildlife photography. All the technology in the world wont help if you cannot get close enough to your subject or youre standing in the wrong position.

He finished by saying that all these advanced features are fantastic to have at your fingertips. Nevertheless, the reason the advanced photographer or professional uses more expensive cameras is not because the images are better.All cameras now output amazing quality images;its all about control.

All these features help and improve a wildlife photographer's lot.

You can see more of Rob Cottles images at Olympus Image Space; he's an Olympus Mentor. You can also follow him on Instagram.

He is planning workshops and other events with Olympus UK, so please keep an eye open on their Facebook page for further details.

Images used with permission of Rob Cottle.

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How Technology Is Revolutionizing Wildlife Photography - Fstoppers

The EU is known for its hard line against Big Tech, but the FTC has taken a softer approach, at least in recent years. The agency is meant to police unfair and dishonest trade practices. Its remit is narrowit does not have jurisdiction over government agencies, banks, or nonprofits. But it can step in when companies misrepresent the capabilities of a product they are selling, which means firms that claim their facial recognition systems, predictive policing algorithms or healthcare tools are not biased may now be in the line of fire. Where they do have power, they have enormous power, says Calo.

The FTC has not always been willing to wield that power. Following criticism in the 1980s and 90s that it was being too aggressive, it backed off and picked fewer fights, especially against technology companies. This looks to be changing.

In the blog post, the FTC warns vendors that claims about AI must be truthful, non-deceptive, and backed up by evidence.

For example, lets say an AI developer tells clients that its product will provide 100% unbiased hiring decisions, but the algorithm was built with data that lacked racial or gender diversity. The result may be deception, discriminationand an FTC law enforcement action.

The FTC action has bipartisan support in the Senate, where commissioners were asked yesterday what more they could be doing and what they needed to do it. Theres wind behind the sails, says Calo.

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This has just become a big week for AI regulation - MIT Technology Review

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce believes that the U.S. government cannot ban bitcoin, stating that its very difficult to ban something thats essentially a peer-to-peer technology. The commissioner is hopeful that with the new chairman who has deep knowledge of bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, the SEC can take a fresh look at some of the reasons used to reject bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

Hester Peirce, a commissioner at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) who is also known in the crypto community as crypto mom, was asked whether there is a possibility that the Biden administration could ban bitcoin in an interview with Fox Business Charles Gasparino on Thursday.

With new cryptocurrency regulations in the works, investors are concerned whether the government will ban cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin. Some people have warned that governments can outlaw bitcoin if it becomes a risk to their financial systems. Among them are Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio, The Big Shorts Michael Burry, and Ron Paul.

A bitcoin proponent, Peirce has been advocating for the SEC to approve bitcoin ETFs. Regarding the possibility of banning bitcoin in the U.S., the commissioner opined:

I think its very difficult to ban something thats essentially a peer-to-peer technology. I think the goal, as with any technology, is to prevent people from using it for illicit purposes and only allow them to use it for legal purposes. Thats what I expect to happen.

Commissioner Peirce previously said that the government would be foolish to try to ban bitcoin, likening it to shutting down the internet.

The U.S. government is concerned about cryptocurrencies being used in illicit activities. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said several times that cryptocurrencies are mainly used for illicit financing. She also said previously that the Treasury will work with other regulators to come up with appropriate regulations for the crypto space.

Fox Business recently reported that crypto regulation may start from the Treasury and the SEC is waiting for direction on broad regulatory policies on cryptocurrencies from the Treasury.

The SEC also has a new chairman; Gary Gensler was confirmed to lead the commission last week. He has deep knowledge of bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, having taught classes on the subject at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Gensler is also a former chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). He is expected to impose a fair amount of regulation on cryptocurrencies. Last week the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill mandating that the SEC and the CFTC establish a working group focused on digital assets.

Regarding the possibility of the SEC approving a bitcoin ETF this year, Peirce said, With the new chairman, we will be able to take a fresh look at some of the reasoning that we used to deny bitcoin exchange-traded products in the past. She added: Frankly, Canada is ahead of us now. Not only they have bitcoin exchange-traded products, but they also have exchange-traded products based on ether.

Do you think the government can ban bitcoin? Let us know in the comments section below.

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.

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SEC Commissioner on Banning Bitcoin: 'It's Very Difficult to Ban Peer-to-Peer Technology' Regulation Bitcoin News - Bitcoin News

Russia has been making comments recently about the condition of the ISS, which has been in orbit for many years. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov has gone so far as to say that the condition of the ISS left much to be desired. Recently, Russia announced that it will transform its research and power unit development originally for the ISS into a module for its new national orbital space station.

Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said that the agency plans to start with the groundwork it has already laid. Work done on the research and power module will be reworked for Russias new space station. The research and power unit will be the basic module for Russias new orbital station, where greater autonomous operation will be required.

With greater autonomous operation required in Russias new space station, it will be incomparable with the modules use aboard the ISS. Russia has previously confirmed that Energia Space Rocket Corporation has been tasked with making the first basic module for the orbital station. Current plans are for the first module to be ready in 2025.

Previously, the research and power unit was planned to be sent to the ISS in 2024. The module is currently under construction. Currently, Russia says that it might quit the ISS program in 2025. Russia says that in order to avoid any accidents, it was necessary to carry out a complete technical inspection of the ISS.

Its unclear at this time what, if any, challenges Russias decision to trend is in a module meant for the ISS to use in its space station will impose on the ISS. Certainly, space station partners were counting on Russias module to keep the ISS functional.

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Russia will rework technology developed for the ISS for its space station - SlashGear