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Archive for the ‘business’ category: Page 255

Oct 4, 2016

Quantum computing: What businesses need to know

Posted by in categories: business, computing, particle physics, quantum physics

Most people will be familiar with Moore’s Law which states that the number of transistors it’s possible to get on a microprocessor doubles every 18 months. If this holds true it means that some time in the 2020s we’ll be measuring these circuits on an atomic scale.

You might think that that’s where everything comes to a juddering halt. But the next step from this is the creation of quantum computers which use the properties of atoms and molecules to perform processing and memory tasks.

If this all sounds a bit sci-fi, it’s because practical quantum computers are still some way in the future. However, scientists have already succeeded in building basic quantum computers that can perform certain calculations. And when practical quantum computing does arrive it has the potential to bring about a change as great as that delivered by the microchip.

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Oct 1, 2016

BlackBerry to quit making smartphones

Posted by in categories: augmented reality, business, mobile phones

Finally, they may have a chance as we have seen the prediction of the phasing out of smartphones by 2021. Although not all will be phased out by then; the continue struggle of companies trying to play catch up with smartphones is not an ideal route to take anymore especially with technologies such as the AR Contacts with Bluetooth headsets, other things such as BMI technology, etc. it is smart to focus in the next 3 to 5 years on these technologies instead of playing catch up with Apple.


He says the company’s “pivot to software is taking hold”, pointing to the recent launch of BlackBerry Radar, an asset tracking system, and BlackBerry Hub+ for Android, a set of productivity apps.

BlackBerry may not be designing its own smartphones anymore, but that doesn’t mean we won’t see new devices sporting the BlackBerry logo. The company plans to end all internal hardware development and will outsource that function to partners.

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Oct 1, 2016

IBM announces AI-powered decision-making

Posted by in categories: business, robotics/AI

Project DataWorks predictive model (credit: IBM)

IBM today announced today Watson -based “Project DataWorks,” the first cloud-based data and analytics platform to integrate all types of data and enable AI-powered decision-making.

Project DataWorks is designed to make it simple for business leaders and data professionals to collect, organize, govern, and secure data, and become a “cognitive business.”

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Sep 30, 2016

First ever scalable quantum computer developed by scientists

Posted by in categories: business, quantum physics, supercomputing

Scientists all around the world are working towards making the quantum computing a reality for past few years as it will bring another revolution in the world of technology. Quantam computers are thousands of times faster and way smaller than the conventional computing devices as they use photons to do computing and are also compatible with fibre optics.

A team of researchers from the University of Innsbruck in Austria claims that they have invented world’s first scalable quantum computer. Although the device is still several years behind coming to reality but still scientists consider it as a giant leap towards bringing quantum computers into people’s hands.

From hypothetical models in last decade to practical models now is promising. Former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates believes that we will make quantum computers by next decade. This promising, complex technology may soon amplify the capabilities of today’s computers, which will greatly benefit science and business organizations by helping them work faster and more efficiently. Quantum computers are next step of computers and they can solve problems with ease which are nearly impossible for computers and supercomputers of current generation.

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Sep 30, 2016

Practical business advice for building great customer relationships

Posted by in category: business

Unconscious biases can play a role in what type of people get hired, promoted and fired in the workplace. Unfortunately, we all have unconscious biases. Though, some have more problematic (racist and/or sexist) ones than others. That’s why diversity consulting startup Paradigm and HR platform Emtrain have co-launched an online course to teach people how to manage their unconscious biases.

Managing Unconscious Bias, a two-year online course, monitors employee progress and identifies unconscious bias “hotspots” in the workplace. The course implements video, dialogue and other activities to engage employees. It also gathers and shares feedback from those participating, and provides anonymized data to employers.

“This is really facilitating an online dialogue,” Emtrain CEO Janine Yancey told me. “It’s an ongoing program and dialogue, and what I’m excited about is soliciting some of these personal experiences that people might not otherwise feel comfortable sharing.”

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Sep 29, 2016

IARPA To Develop Early-Warning System For Cyberattacks

Posted by in categories: business, cybercrime/malcode, government, robotics/AI

The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity has launched a multi-year research and development effort to create new technologies that could provide an early warning system for detecting precursors to cyberattacks. If successful, the government effort could help businesses and other targets move beyond the reactive approach to contending with a massive and growing problem.

IARPA, part of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, says the three-and-a-half year program will develop software code to sense unconventional indicators of cyber attack, and use the data to develop models and machine learning systems that can create probabilistic warnings.

Current early warning systems are focused on traditional cyber indicators such as activity targeted toward IP addresses and domain names, according to IARPA program manager Robert Rahmer. The first stage, lasting 18 months, will examine data outside of the victim network, such as black market sales of exploits that take advantage of particular software bugs. The second and third phases, 12 months each, will examine internal target organization data and look for ways to develop warnings and transfer any tools that emerge from the research from one organization to another, he said.

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Sep 29, 2016

ReadCoor will commercialize the Wyss Institute’s (FISSEQ) fluorescent in situ RNA sequencing technology

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, business, engineering, neuroscience

Boston-based startup completes $23 million Series A financing to leverage novel imaging platform of gene locations towards gaining diagnostic insights and delivering therapeutics for cancer, immuno-oncology, infectious diseases, neurological and neuromuscular diseases, brain function and cognitive disorders

BOSTON—()—ReadCoor, Inc., today announced completion of an oversubscribed $23 million Series A financing round and its concurrent launch from Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. ReadCoor will commercialize the Wyss Institute’s FISSEQ (fluorescent in situ sequencing) technology.

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Sep 29, 2016

The future of robots: singing lullabies, testing motorcycles

Posted by in categories: business, drones, geopolitics, robotics/AI, transhumanism

Cool new story in the San Francisco Chronicle about the robotics conference. I gave a speech at it yesterday.


At the two-day RoboBusiness Conference, about 2,000 people were serenaded with lullabies and Disney tunes, including “Let It Go” from the hit film “Frozen,” by a human-like robot designed to comfort senior citizens and autistic children.

And next to a man-size robot that can drive a motorcycle 190 mph around a race track, a half-dozen ant-size robots quickly scurried about a miniature factory floor.

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Sep 29, 2016

What It’s Like to Fight Online Hate — By Anna North | The New York Times

Posted by in categories: big data, business, governance, innovation, internet, journalism, law

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“Brittan Heller has a hard job. The Anti-Defamation League’s first director of technology and society, she’ll be working with tech companies to combat online harassment.”

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Sep 24, 2016

The robot bodyguard is coming — and you’ll want one

Posted by in categories: business, law enforcement, military, robotics/AI, security, transhumanism

My new story for VentureBeat on the coming of robot bodyguards. I’ll be speaking about this next week at RoboBusiness 2016, a major robotics conference in San Jose:


I recently consulted with the US Navy on all things “transhuman.” In those conversations about how science and technology can help the human race evolve beyond its natural limits, it was clear that military is keen on replacing human soldiers with both fighting and peacekeeping machines so American military lives never have to come under fire or be in harm’s way.

However, it’s the peacekeeping technology that is particularly interesting for many civilians. While you wouldn’t want an armed Terminator in your home, you might like a robot that travels with you and offers personal protection, like a bodyguard. In a survey by Travelzoo of 6,000 participants, nearly 80 percent of people said they expect robots to be a significant part of their lives by 2020 — and that those robots might even join them on holidays.

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