Dr Luther King Day

Ivan,

It’s 2018, and I, like so many, often take for granted the condition in which we find our nation. I look around and see a myriad of people going about their daily life enjoying the freedoms that America affords. 

I see school children spanning the vast arrays of melatonin playing and learning side-by-side... people of all ethnic backgrounds and religious affiliations working together, interacting with one another, worshipping together, and standing united in a common purpose - a common dream. Viewing the face of America today, I can scarcely believe this country I know, and love was the polar opposite of itself only fifty years ago. It is in this vein that I pause on this auspicious day to reflect upon a man who would come to epitomize the word "peace" in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

The message that Dr. King espoused during his lifetime was, and remains a message that rises above partisan politics and resonates with all of humanity. While I'm not making a political statement, I would be remiss if I did not stop to recognize the work of a man who had a vision of peace and harmony for our great nation regardless of political affiliation.   

Of the many adjectives that I can think of to describe the American people, hopeful is at the top of the list; however, for far too long, an important portion of our populace, the African American community, had little to hope for from a nation that had caused so much hurt to them, yet Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came into the forefront bearing a message of renewed hope and healing to an injured people and nation. 

In an effort to spur our country to live by its noblest principles, Dr. King put his life on the line in the pursuit of justice and freedom. He was a man acquainted with beatings, jail, and death threats, a man who paid the ultimate price for the sake of democracy... democracy for us all. 

As we commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we recall his life dedicated to the timeless values of truth, service, humility, love, compassion, courage, and peace. He championed the cause for our country to live by its noblest principles. His message and life’s work radically changed the United States of America, and as more than 100 nations celebrate his vision of ecumenical solidarity, indeed, the world. 

Today, we not only remember the legacy of Dr. King but also thank him for his selfless dedication to the ideals of freedom and equality.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: Only love can do that." – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Sincerely,

Shaun Cohen
President

Thanks Yvonne Keane 

"When the sharpest words wanna cut me down, I'm gonna send a flood. Gonna drown them out. I am brave. I am bruised. I am who I am meant to be. Look out 'cause here I come. And I am marching to the beat I drum. I'm not scared to be seen. I make no apologies. This is me..."

(Via: The Greatest Showman)

#ForMyBelovedTribe

#MakeNoApologies

#ThisIsYou #ThisIsMe

Google trying to dominate CES2018

The Bob Pritchard Column 

At the 2017 CES, the biggest technology conference of the year, it was all about Alexa, Amazon’s virtual assistant. 

In 2018, Google is doing everything possible to hijack the news cycles to ensure Amazon does not dominate CES 2018.

 

Google usually doesn’t exhibit products at CES (formerly the Consumer Electronics Show), but this week is making a slew of new announcements about its own virtual helper, the Google Assistant.  Google revealed that the Assistant is coming to a variety of new devices, including new voice-activated speakers, Android-powered TVs, headphones, and cars that support Android Auto.

 

 

The new Google Assistant-compatible speakers will be made by companies such as Bang & Olufsen, Altec Lansing, Anker Innovations, JBL, and iHome, among others. TV makers such as Hisense, Xiaomi, and Skyworth will be bringing Google’s voice-activated helper to their Android TVs. And new headphones from JBL, Sony, LG, and Jaybird will also have the capability to summon Google’s digital helper.

 

But Google is also taking a more direct shot at Amazon with the announcement of Smart Displays, a new type of device that will run on the Google Assistant.  Smart Displays are a bit like Google’s Home smart speaker in that they’re voice-centric computers, but Smart Displays include interactive touchscreens similar to Amazon’s Echo Show, unlike the Google Home, which primarily relies on voice commands. Also unlike the Home, Smart Displays are made by Google’s hardware partners, rather than in-house — Lenovo, JBL, LG, and Sony are all involved. Smart Display’s are Google’s answer to Amazon’s Echo Show, which also includes a tablet-like touchscreen. The Smart Display runs on Android Things, Google’s platform for Internet of Things devices, rather than the standard version of Android.

 

The Lenovo Smart Display can be used for just about any task you might also do with the Google Home: playing music, controlling smart home devices, and pulling up recipes or restaurant recommendations . But since the Smart Display has a screen, the device will show users helpful information when answering their questions. When asking the Smart Display where to go for dinner, it will show nearby restaurant recommendations from Google Maps.

 

And Google’s Smart Displays can play YouTube videos. That gives it an edge over the Echo Show, considering Google pulled support for the YouTube app on Amazon’s touchscreen device last year. Lenovo and Google’s new device also has an advantage over Amazon when it comes to aesthetics being sleeker, a more polished design that blends more easily into the home.

 

The Smart Display also integrates with smart home devices, including those made by Nest, which is owned by Google’s parent company, meaning parents can use the Smart Display to view a live feed from a Nest security camera.

 

Most large technology companies, like Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, and Amazon, reserve their product announcements for their own keynotes and events. This year, Google is determined to make CES attendees — and the world — forget about Alexa

Blockchain Applications for All Walks of Life

 

By

 

Gareth Jenkinson

20802  Total views 

312 Total shares

FINTECH

Given the meteoric rise in popularity of cryptocurrencies in 2017, some mainstream financial institutions are clamoring to board the steadily moving crypto train.

The successful launch of Bitcoin futures contracts on CBOE and CME markets has proven that there is a healthy appetite for Wall Street investors to hedge their bets on the daily trade movements of cryptocurrencies.

While the two Chicago-based exchanges will go down in history as the first to offer futures, a number of big players aren’t far behind.

The New York Stock Exchange has officially filed for permission to launch Bitcoin exchange traded funds linked to the CME and CBOE listed futures, and the likes of Goldman Sachs are planning to launch their own cryptocurrency trading desk.

Let’s not forget about the NASDAQ, which is expected to launch its own Bitcoin futures midway through 2018.

While the experts iron out the fine print of their plans to offer Bitcoin futures on their futures platform, NASDAQ shared some important facets of the underlying technology that breathes life into cryptocurrencies - the Blockchain.

Blockchain 101

For the uninitiated, we should take a quick glance at Bitcoin’s Blockchain. Put simply, this particular Blockchain is an electronic accounting ledger that records every single transaction made using Bitcoin since its inception.

The ledger is shared on a worldwide network of computers, that keeps exact copies of the entire Blockchain. Batches of transactions are stored on blocks which, when full, are added to the chain - hence the word ‘Blockchain.’ Every transaction must be verified by nodes on the Blockchain before it is stored on the Blockchain.

Given this watered-down definition of Blockchain technology, its application is almost endless, as we have seen with the creation of a wide variety of cryptocurrencies.

For the NASDAQ, and other financial institutions, Blockchain application for transactions is of the utmost interest and it allows for a number of crucial functions in the financial world.

Cutting out the middleman

First and foremost, the decentralized nature of Blockchain technology rules out the need for a central body or third-party to approve and process transactions. As the Nasdaq pointed out in its articlepublished on Due.com by Peter Daisyme, most parties act in their own interest.

“The problem, however, is that many of these ‘agents’ have misaligned incentives, in that they are all fighting for their own slice of the profit.”

By using Blockchain technology, vital information can be authorized and shared by an efficient algorithm, free from maladministration.

“Implemented at scale, we can remove the error of human bias and maintain a cleaner, more accurate transactional databases.”

Proving ownership

Ethereum first introduced smart contracts with its Blockchain, which effectively allow contractual parameters to be added to transactions or shared information.

Smart contracts were created to ensure credible, transparent contractual obligations using Blockchain technology, effectively ensuring contractual obligations are met by both parties for the rest of the world to see.

NASDAQ highlights TrustToken’s smart contract Blockchain application, which provides a legal protocol for asset ownership.

More secure

While it’s enormously difficult to completely negate the threat of hacking, Blockchain technology has made a significant step in the right direction in negating the threat of cyber attacks.

Given that the Blockchain must be verified by nodes on the network, which is comprised of millions of computers around the world, it's virtually impossible to hack a Blockchain. Making changes to a single node is ineffectual, as the rest of the Blockchain will simply remove the node and its non-compliant record of the ledger.

Even if a hacker could destroy or affect every node of a Blockchain, the data is cryptographically encrypted. While every transaction is universally viewable, the information is unchangeable.

Quoting SteelKiwi from Hackernoon, the Nasdaq highlight just how difficult the technology is to crack.

“Unless the hacker could simultaneously bring down an entire network (which is near impossible), undamaged computers, also known as “nodes,” would continue running to verify and keep a record of all the data on the network.”

Overhauling supply chain

Another big factor for big businesses is the application of Blockchain technology in supply chain management.

Traditional methods would see long paper trails accounting for complex business activities. From finances to tracking and placing orders for raw materials, a lot can go wrong during this process.

Multinational fast moving consumer goods giant Unilever is looking to implement its own in-house Blockchain technology to streamline the supply chain management of tea production in Malawi.

The corporation plans to use Blockchain technology to manage transactions within its tea supply-chain, which could include up to 10000 farmers.

Possibilities are endless

As Daisyme points out in his analysis, the applications of Blockchain technology are endless. It simply takes bright minds looking for simple, electronic solutions to real-world problems to breathe life into the next Blockchain application.

11 predictions for 2018

2018 - 2020 will be an exciting place to be..... with some really amazing innovations coming our way - 

Here  are a few......

1. Gene-editing techniques move to reality.

Gene editing, modifying human DNA using a technology known as CRISPR, will become more advanced in 2018. The technology will have huge beneficial consequences when it comes to fighting disease and removing congenital problems.

 

2.  Bitcoin and Cryptos

The cryptocurrency rose from below $1,000 at the start of 2017 to nearly $19,000. Economists are in two minds, will it crash in 2018; or will it totally change the monetary markets 

 

3. Self-driving cars hit the market. 

Audi is set to release the first commercial vehicle to drive itself while monitoring its surroundings. 

 

4.  A.I. will become pervasive.

Artificial intelligence’s next frontier is creativity. A.I. is going to help us learn from our own successful routines and the bots can process..

 AI features will play an integral role in virtual communications, and will surpass in-person communications in terms of user experience and productivity. Artificial intelligence capabilities such as smart transcription, virtual personal assistants, and voice recognition will support smart video meetings that will become the communications standard. Says Eric Yuan, founder and CEO of Zoom, a provider of modern enterprise video communications

 

5.  Micro leases and pop us stores thrive while retail, restaurants and malls struggle 

A glut of empty storefronts in malls will force landlords to sign ever-shorter leases. To combat sluggish sales in traditional retail, concepts will move more frequently to better align with consumers’ interests.

6.  M&A boom.

Corporate tax cuts, a growing economy, access to cheap money and industries being disrupted will give companies that are in growth mode big opportunities for m and a : retail, healthcare and entertainment.

Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Cisco and Microsoft will continue to grow through acquisition. with money and capital in abundance. 

7. Corporate wellness and continuous learning

Humans should spend the year in constant learning mode.

The importance of the body, mind and spirit connection will be a huge focus for corporate wellness  and learning programs in 2018. The successful  Companies will be investing more and focusing on their employees and launching new programs to support their mental and physical energy and wellbeing. 

8.  SAAS becomes pervasive - Ownership will decrease.

The rise of the  'as-a-service' business model is changing the way consumers interact with the world. People no longer want stuff, just access to stuff, when they need it. From our cars to our phones, and the music and movies we stream on them, we increasingly own less.  With the first of Generation Z hitting the workforce in 2018, we're going to see the start of a whole generation which simply haven't grown up with that expectation of ownership, and are far less emotionally wedded to it.   

9.  The world runs on voice.

The explosive growth of virtual assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home will transform the lives of millions of all Americans.

Consumers will expect voice on everything from home appliances to personal digital assistants.

10. Face-to-face interactions will increase.

"The internet has made it possible for people to communicate easily while slowly weakening personal connections. Technology has allowed companies to track productivity with monitoring software, at the same time weakening trust.

Relationships have proven to be the way to increase sales and strengthen companies. 

People who focus on their customer giving unique unparallelled service will shine. Those that influence the way customers communicate, listen, watch, shop, work and play will win. 

 11. Trust is key

 Companies will be focussing on their most important asset: trust. And for good reason. From fake news and foreign ads on social media potentially impacting our election to the massive data breach at Equifax, trust in technology took a serious beating this year. 

So while some of the most transformative technology in decades, like autonomous cars or blockchain, is poised to go mainstream , successful companies will be putting trust front and center. If your users don't trust you, it doesn't matter how cool or transformative your product or service is - It's dead in the water.

And a few other themes to look out for:-

- The cannabis industry 

- The engagement and organisation of gig workers 

- With the proliferation of cameras - the integration of face recognition

- New innovations in electric vehicles 

 

 What do you think? 

DVD predictions for 2018

Bring on 2018, 

Artificial intelligence applications, virtual reality going mainstream, the end of retail (Rest in peace), print news media... dead  (good riddance), solar powered houses mainstream'sh, electric cars getting cheaper, cryptocurrency/bitcoin ATMs, the beginning of the end of traditional banking, robotics and machines replacing humans for a range of industries...

And there's never been more opportunity and support from business, private investment and government in the tech space to build a tech based business, from grants, to tax incentives to well organised co working spaces, to networking events and sharing of knowledge... 

The Silicon Valley mindset of innovation is going mainstream and the pace of technology and innovation is accelerating.

I also predict a property market crash in the next 24 months... not just wishful thinking... 

Oh and baby will be able to speak English and Mandarin better than me all going to plan :D 

Its going to be an interesting rotation around the sun on our spaceship called Earth! Approximately the 4.4 billionth rotation + or - 500 million years to be relatively precise. 🤣

The Robots are Coming

Jobs are not important workers are! The Swedish model works.

The Robots Are Coming, and Sweden Is Fine

The New York Times shares with us the success of Sweden ! 

In a world full of anxiety about the potential job-destroying rise of automation, Sweden is well placed to embrace technology while limiting human costs. 

Some gems:-

A Cushion for Innovation

Sweden presents the possibility that, in an age of automation, innovation may be best advanced by maintaining ample cushions against failure.

“A good safety net is good for entrepreneurship,” says Carl Melin, policy director at Futurion, a research institution in Stockholm. “If a project doesn’t succeed, you don’t have to go broke! “

Handling automation , innovation and change needs a major mindset shift from all parts of an economy and country! 

It boils down to trust !

Trust that the company will look after the employee

Trust that the state will look after the Enterpreneur

Trust that it’s about the worker and the human and not about the job!

Hope you all have an amazing 2018! 

 Read the full story

Best

Ivan