Artificial Intelligence for Smart Phones!

Artificial intelligence on your phone.  Think about that!  A.I., used for defense, finance, and believe it or not, gaming, is coming to your handheld smartphone.   The article Artificial Intelligence Goes Global discusses how IBM is working on this type of technology.  The artificial intelligence can suggest ways to change your stock portfolio from your phone!  It will respond more quickly than any other machine.  The article predicts that doctors will have A.I. screening test results and diagnosing patients.
While the doctor bit is amazing, I hope that we do not completely rely on computer chips to make important decisions.

Another amazing new product is Intel's mind reading hat!  It's a wireless hat that can predict what you are thinking.  It will be years before the A.I. is fully trained with vocabulary in order for it to really be useful.
Within the next ten years we will be shocked with the bounds of new technology available for use.   We will be in one of those nonrealistic si-fi movies!

Netflix: Friend or Foe?

In the article "Netflix: Premium Cable's Worst Nightmare" the question raised is whether Netflix is a competitor of premium movie channels or a complementary service.  I have a subscription to Netflix in addition to HBO and Showtime.  I use Netflix far more frequently than either of those channels.  The only reason to have premium channels is for their shows, not movies.

If Netflix can acquire the rights to stream shows from HBO and Showtime, I believe the premium channel industry will go under.  I doubt this will happen- HBO and Showtime execs know that their tv shows are what holds viewers.  Netflix is clearly a competitor, even Apple products are programmed to be used with Netflix! Good luck HBO.

Workers of the World, Innovate

After reading the article Workers of the World, Innovate, I am happy to hear that companies are finally putting to use valuable employee feedback.  Pitney Bowes Inc. was looking for a way to sort callers without transferring them through different lines.  Instead of hiring a consultant or looking to upper management for solutions, Pitney Bowes called on its employees.  Within days employees came up with a worthwhile idea!

Another example is a video game company asked their gamers  to predict which games would be big sellers and which ones flops.  The employees came up with a better forecast than the company!

While the systems used to collect the data from the employees may be costly, the results are well worth it!  Also, as employees feel connected and valued at work, their loyalty and morale may rise which will lead to better work performance.  This is a win, win, win!

Apple TV - Waste of time

The article "Don't Rule Out Apple Ruling Your Living Room" caught my eye because I thought, "Wow, what new innovating product does Apple have now?!"  The sad reality is that there is nothing new about this little box except the color.

My friend, an Apple/tech junkie, bought Apple TV right when it came out and I was disappointed. I thought it was a waste of money.  Sure you can watch YouTube videos and buy movies...but that's nothing special!  What happened to Apple products blowing my mind?

The article discusses how Apple is trying to get the rights to certain tv shows to offer on Apple TV.  If Apple somehow can eliminate the need for cable tv I would definitely buy one!  If there was a possible way to buy channels a la carte (for example the History Channel, Food Network, Comedy Central, etc.) Apple TV might have something.  I hope in the near future Apple TV gets the licensing rights!