Unexpected thing, the transistors I worked with were anything but stretchable.
Transistor Stretchier Than Skin for Ultra-Flexible Wearable Tech By New Scientist
Stanford University researchers have developed a new transistor that can be stretched to twice its length without losing conductivity, making it well-suited for use in small devices worn on the body.
"In the near future we will be able to make wearable electronics that are stretchable and able to conform to the human body," says Stanford professor Zhenan Bao. .... "
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
First Impressions: People, Brands?
Quite interesting results. Does a lapse of time still not heal the first impression? Is this also the case with a brand?
Science: First Impressions Are Even More Long-Lasting Than You Think
New research produces some bad news about how long awkward first encounters can linger. By Jessica Stillman
Science: First Impressions Are Even More Long-Lasting Than You Think
New research produces some bad news about how long awkward first encounters can linger. By Jessica Stillman
BPM Empowering IoT and Defining Analytics
A favorite topic. How Business Process Modeling (BPM) could be used with analytics and AI to really understand and improve business process. Here in the Jan-Feb 2017 Analytics Mag, the emphasis is put on IoT. Good thoughts. Many have suggested this, but have not seem it well integrated. Examples out there? Disney and UPS mentioned below.Looking to seeing this consistently done and sustainably delivered. Is it just because BPM is rarely done well? (completely, consistently and well-maintained). Or does this have to wait for formal rigorous semantic methods are applied to make it work? And those methods take considerable effort and devotion to apply. Once you have such a model it is natural to connect sensors to its IoT elements.
BPM empowering IoT business users By Gal Horwitz
IoT (Internet of Things) devices have become increasingly popular in recent years. They are all around us – from fitness trackers on our wrists to smart thermostats in our homes – and adoption will only continue to grow in the coming years. In fact, Gartner, Inc. reported that 5.5 million new things were connected in 2016 alone, upping the total of connected things worldwide to 6.4 billion, a 30 percent increase from 2015. Gartner projects we will reach 20.8 billion by 2020.
IoT devices are continuously tracking and using data and information about the way we interact with the physical world. With this data, they make our everyday lives easier. The business world is taking notice of this growing market and the benefits that can be gained. Companies have begun to deploy IoT solutions into their business operations. For example, UPS uses IoT sensors on its delivery trucks to collect data on drivers’ routes, delivery efficiency and truck performance. Disney World employs IoT in its wearable “MagicBand” wristband, which not only allows guests to get on rides quickly, but also uses RFID tags to collect data and track their activities in the park.
While this data is useful, there is still a disconnect in integrating these powerful IoT devices with mission-critical business processes. Business process management (BPM) is the key to bringing together IoT data and business processes to unlock positive results. It has become the leading technology in fast, enterprise-changing systems that optimize and streamline workflows for organizations across an array of industries. .... "
Monday, January 09, 2017
Softbank Pepper Sales Robot
A relook at the SoftBank humanoid Pepper robot. Seems the test they mention that showed increases in sales is far too short, and could have largely been driven by publicized novelty. In Recode:
SoftBank’s humanoid robot Pepper is improving sales at brick-and-mortar stores
Turns out people like to shop with robots. By April Glaser
SoftBank, the Japanese company recently in the news for a meeting between its CEO and Donald Trump and its promise to invest $50 billion into U.S. tech companies, has been working to bring its humanoid robot Pepper to American markets for the past year.
And after launching a few pilots with Pepper helping customers in California retail stores in 2016, SoftBank says the robot actually pays off.
In one pilot at B8ta, a tech retail shop in Palo Alto where Pepper worked customer service for a week-long stint last August, SoftBank says the store clocked a 70 percent increase in foot traffic. At another pilot at a B8ta in Santa Monica in December, the store reported a 13 percent increase in revenue and a six-fold increase in sales of a featured product, according to SoftBank. ... "
SoftBank says there are already over 10,000 Pepper robots in use around the world, including at a Pizza Hut in Singapore, on cruise ships and even in homes across Japan. .... "
List of personal assistants examined
SoftBank’s humanoid robot Pepper is improving sales at brick-and-mortar stores
Turns out people like to shop with robots. By April Glaser
SoftBank, the Japanese company recently in the news for a meeting between its CEO and Donald Trump and its promise to invest $50 billion into U.S. tech companies, has been working to bring its humanoid robot Pepper to American markets for the past year.
And after launching a few pilots with Pepper helping customers in California retail stores in 2016, SoftBank says the robot actually pays off.
In one pilot at B8ta, a tech retail shop in Palo Alto where Pepper worked customer service for a week-long stint last August, SoftBank says the store clocked a 70 percent increase in foot traffic. At another pilot at a B8ta in Santa Monica in December, the store reported a 13 percent increase in revenue and a six-fold increase in sales of a featured product, according to SoftBank. ... "
SoftBank says there are already over 10,000 Pepper robots in use around the world, including at a Pizza Hut in Singapore, on cruise ships and even in homes across Japan. .... "
List of personal assistants examined
Everything is a Virtual Assistant Now
CW look at the future of virtual assistants, based on the explosion of solutions delivered and embedded, shown at CES last week. Good points made about 'supporting' interaction.
Amazon's Alexa won CES this week. by Mike Elgan
At CES, we're learning that virtual assistants like Amazon's Alexa will be delivered as a utility to almost every appliance in your home.
" ... Amazon's virtual assistant, which first appeared more than two years ago on Amazon's Echo smart speaker, seemed to be popping up everywhere at the annual International CES trade show in Las Vegas this week. ... Amazon opened Alexa to third-party hardware developers in the summer of 2015. Now, a year and a half later, the number of devices that support Alexa are dizzying. (We also learned this week that Alexa now offers more than 7,000 "skills," which is what Amazon calls apps or third-party capabilities.) ... The chatter about Alexa at CES is broadly muddled, with reporters talking about devices "supporting Alexa." But not all "support" is created equal. .... "
My list and coverage of 25 virtual assistants.
Amazon's Alexa won CES this week. by Mike Elgan
At CES, we're learning that virtual assistants like Amazon's Alexa will be delivered as a utility to almost every appliance in your home.
" ... Amazon's virtual assistant, which first appeared more than two years ago on Amazon's Echo smart speaker, seemed to be popping up everywhere at the annual International CES trade show in Las Vegas this week. ... Amazon opened Alexa to third-party hardware developers in the summer of 2015. Now, a year and a half later, the number of devices that support Alexa are dizzying. (We also learned this week that Alexa now offers more than 7,000 "skills," which is what Amazon calls apps or third-party capabilities.) ... The chatter about Alexa at CES is broadly muddled, with reporters talking about devices "supporting Alexa." But not all "support" is created equal. .... "
My list and coverage of 25 virtual assistants.
Facial Recognition by Baidu and KFC China
Long have discussed facial recognition uses. Here a test at the point of sale at KFC China. Evan Schuman makes a good case that the proposed use is dangerous, especially in US and European cultures. Consider also other uses by Baidu. Read below.
KFC's facial-recognition trial is a disaster in the making
A new facial-recognition trial from KFC China and Baidu has more potential to alienate customers than to help them. by Evan Schuman
KFC's facial-recognition trial is a disaster in the making
A new facial-recognition trial from KFC China and Baidu has more potential to alienate customers than to help them. by Evan Schuman
IBM's Cognitive Advantage Report
What is cognition? Why should we care? Who is using it? How do we get started? Comprehensive look. Get it below. Good information and statistics. This blog covers the topic.
The cognitive advantage report
Cognitive computing is quickly emerging as a transformative technology that enables organizations to gain business advantage. Also referred to as artificial intelligence (AI), cognitive technology augments human expertise to unlock new intelligence from vast quantities of data and to develop deep, predictive insights at scale. This shift to systems that can reason and learn is especially germane to the bottom line; the cognitive era is here in large part because it makes practical business sense.
It’s no surprise then that demand for cognitive computing technologies is skyrocketing. Estimates project the market will grow from $2.5 billion in 2014 to more than $12.5 billion by 2019. Within the next two years alone, half of all consumers are expected to interact with cognitive technology on a regular basis.
To understand how organizations are capitalizing on the potential of cognitive computing and to uncover emerging patterns of adoption, we surveyed more than 600 decision makers worldwide who are actively engaged in or planning cognitive initiatives. These early adopters fall into three stages of maturity based on their use of cognitive technologies: advanced users (22 percent), beginners (54 percent) and planners (24 percent). .... "
AI and Digital Advertising
AI and deeper analytics continues to drive more intelligent decisions. I always ask: To what degree will the decisions be autonomous? And how will they be integrated with human insight?
Harley-Davidson Boosts Digital Marketing With AI By Ariella Brown
The Harley-Davidson brand of motorcycles is an American icon. But this iconic brand didn't go it alone: It got a marketing boost from artificial intelligence. ....
Asaf Jacobi, president of Harley-Davidson of N.Y.C., realized that this approach wasn't cutting it. "We are in one of the top markets in the world, but our sales weren't competitive with the other top markets," he observes. ....
An All-in-One Campaign Dashboard
Harley-Davidson NYC started using Adgorithms in the spring of 2016. That entailed integrating its leads metrics and prospect data from the Hubspot content management system with the sales data and analytics from its website and CRM system to achieve an "all-in-one campaign dashboard." The company now runs all digital campaigns through Albert, including paid search, display, email and social media efforts.
Using existing customer data, Albert comes up with what Jacobi describes as "lookalike customers," who have "similar demographic and behavioral profiles as our highest-value customers." After the AI system identifies the lookalikes and their behavioral patterns, it learns what these individuals do and don't respond to. .... "
Harley-Davidson Boosts Digital Marketing With AI By Ariella Brown
The Harley-Davidson brand of motorcycles is an American icon. But this iconic brand didn't go it alone: It got a marketing boost from artificial intelligence. ....
Asaf Jacobi, president of Harley-Davidson of N.Y.C., realized that this approach wasn't cutting it. "We are in one of the top markets in the world, but our sales weren't competitive with the other top markets," he observes. ....
An All-in-One Campaign Dashboard
Harley-Davidson NYC started using Adgorithms in the spring of 2016. That entailed integrating its leads metrics and prospect data from the Hubspot content management system with the sales data and analytics from its website and CRM system to achieve an "all-in-one campaign dashboard." The company now runs all digital campaigns through Albert, including paid search, display, email and social media efforts.
Using existing customer data, Albert comes up with what Jacobi describes as "lookalike customers," who have "similar demographic and behavioral profiles as our highest-value customers." After the AI system identifies the lookalikes and their behavioral patterns, it learns what these individuals do and don't respond to. .... "
Performance Management
McKinsey on Performance Manangement.
Ahead of the curve: The future of performance management
By Boris Ewenstein, Bryan Hancock, and Asmus Komm
Most corporate performance-management systems don’t work today, because they are rooted in models for specializing and continually optimizing discrete work tasks. These models date back more than a century, to Frederick W. Taylor.
Over the next 100 years, performance-management systems evolved but did not change fundamentally. A measure like the number of pins produced in a single day could become a more sophisticated one, such as a balanced scorecard of key performance indicators (KPIs) that link back to overarching company goals. What began as a simple mechanistic principle acquired layers of complexity over the decades as companies tried to adapt industrial-era performance systems to ever-larger organizations and more complicated work. .... "
Ahead of the curve: The future of performance management
By Boris Ewenstein, Bryan Hancock, and Asmus Komm
Most corporate performance-management systems don’t work today, because they are rooted in models for specializing and continually optimizing discrete work tasks. These models date back more than a century, to Frederick W. Taylor.
Over the next 100 years, performance-management systems evolved but did not change fundamentally. A measure like the number of pins produced in a single day could become a more sophisticated one, such as a balanced scorecard of key performance indicators (KPIs) that link back to overarching company goals. What began as a simple mechanistic principle acquired layers of complexity over the decades as companies tried to adapt industrial-era performance systems to ever-larger organizations and more complicated work. .... "
Sunday, January 08, 2017
Intel Corp and AI
An overview of Intel Corp's work in AI.
The Artificial Intelligence Era Is Here.
AI is the next big wave in computing. Like major transformations before it, AI is poised to usher in a better world. Intel technology and programs help unlock AI’s potential, creating even greater impact for business and society. ....
How Does Artificial Intelligence Impact Us?
Artificial intelligence promises to transform society on the scale of the industrial, technical, and digital revolutions before it. Machines that can sense, reason, and act will accelerate solutions to large-scale problems in myriad of fields, including science, finance, medicine and education, augmenting human capability and helping us to go further, farther, faster. Buoyed by Moore’s Law and fed by a deluge of data, AI is at the heart of much of today’s technical innovation. .... "
The Artificial Intelligence Era Is Here.
AI is the next big wave in computing. Like major transformations before it, AI is poised to usher in a better world. Intel technology and programs help unlock AI’s potential, creating even greater impact for business and society. ....
How Does Artificial Intelligence Impact Us?
Artificial intelligence promises to transform society on the scale of the industrial, technical, and digital revolutions before it. Machines that can sense, reason, and act will accelerate solutions to large-scale problems in myriad of fields, including science, finance, medicine and education, augmenting human capability and helping us to go further, farther, faster. Buoyed by Moore’s Law and fed by a deluge of data, AI is at the heart of much of today’s technical innovation. .... "
Case Based Reasoning Driving Chatbots
I was reminded about the possibility of using, even powering chatbots using case based reasoning (CBR) methods and intelligence architecture. We had looked at this for some simple cases by constructing decision trees and building on those structures. This is also of value because CBR data is easier to maintain and update with new learning. Earlier post on this topic. Anyone done something related?
Idea Networking
Simple thought. Via Columbia B School.
Get Ahead with "Idea Networking"
When opportunity takes too long to arrive, it's time to go out and find it. ... by William Duggan
Excerpted from The Seventh Sense by William Duggan. Copyright (c) 2015 William Duggan. ...
Get Ahead with "Idea Networking"
When opportunity takes too long to arrive, it's time to go out and find it. ... by William Duggan
Excerpted from The Seventh Sense by William Duggan. Copyright (c) 2015 William Duggan. ...
Achieving a Flow State
Examined the ideas of psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's 'Flow' way back. And now read a piece in medium by John Boitnott that points to work saying that multitasking is killing our brains. Gives some ideas about achieving it. Yes, need that protection with new devices popping up every day. Also see the post on the 'Flow Game' tag below.
Saturday, January 07, 2017
Cleverbot Converses
Cleverbot was again brought to my attention. We had examined some of its predecessors in the 90s as a means for trialing conversational bot applications. And then I just saw a whimsical demonstration of this shown here: " ... In early 2017, a Twitch stream of two Google Home devices modified to talk to each other using Cleverbot garnered over 700,000 visitors and over 30,000 peak concurrent viewers ... " in Wikipedia. The demonstration is worth a look. Might something like this, built within a specific context, be a way to think of a bot in action?
Watson goes Mobile
In ADTMag:
IBM Goes Mobile with Watson By David Ramel
For two years, IBM has provided the cognitive computing capabilities of its Watson Analytics service via a Web interface, and now it's gone mobile. ...
It can analyze and interpret data such as unstructured text, images, audio and video; learn on its own to grow its subject matter expertise; provide reasoned recommendations through understanding a user's personality, tone and emotion; create conversational chatbots capable of dialog with humans; and more. IBM has embedded the technology in a slew of open APIs and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products. ...
It can analyze and interpret data such as unstructured text, images, audio and video; learn on its own to grow its subject matter expertise; provide reasoned recommendations through understanding a user's personality, tone and emotion; create conversational chatbots capable of dialog with humans; and more. IBM has embedded the technology in a slew of open APIs and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products.
Now, in the face of enterprise mobility, mobile-first initiatives and mobile just generally "eating the world," it can be used on Apple's iPad mobile devices.
"IBM Watson Analytics Mobile is a data analysis and visualization service on the cloud that helps just about anyone quickly discover patterns and meanings in their data -- all on their own," the app's description reads. "Watson Analytics Mobile" recommends answers based on your questions using natural language and automatically serves up insights and visualizations that enable you to see new and unexpected things in your data." ... "
IBM Goes Mobile with Watson By David Ramel
For two years, IBM has provided the cognitive computing capabilities of its Watson Analytics service via a Web interface, and now it's gone mobile. ...
It can analyze and interpret data such as unstructured text, images, audio and video; learn on its own to grow its subject matter expertise; provide reasoned recommendations through understanding a user's personality, tone and emotion; create conversational chatbots capable of dialog with humans; and more. IBM has embedded the technology in a slew of open APIs and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products. ...
It can analyze and interpret data such as unstructured text, images, audio and video; learn on its own to grow its subject matter expertise; provide reasoned recommendations through understanding a user's personality, tone and emotion; create conversational chatbots capable of dialog with humans; and more. IBM has embedded the technology in a slew of open APIs and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products.
Now, in the face of enterprise mobility, mobile-first initiatives and mobile just generally "eating the world," it can be used on Apple's iPad mobile devices.
"IBM Watson Analytics Mobile is a data analysis and visualization service on the cloud that helps just about anyone quickly discover patterns and meanings in their data -- all on their own," the app's description reads. "Watson Analytics Mobile" recommends answers based on your questions using natural language and automatically serves up insights and visualizations that enable you to see new and unexpected things in your data." ... "
Microsoft Chatbot Called Zo
More emergent chatbots. Another excursion into AI like capabilities. Still needs help.
Microsoft takes another shot at an AI chatbot with Zo
Microsoft has fielded a preview of another AI chatbot, Zo.ai, but so far is limiting the topics it is able to address. By Mary Jo Foley
Microsoft is providing early access to users on Kik to its newest AI chatbot called Zo.ai.
Zo is a successor to Microsoft's ill-fated Tay.ai chatbot, which the company revoked shortly after its launch earlier this year after users got it to spew racist, hate-filled comments. MSPowerUser.com blogged about Zo being available in preview on December 4.
Kik users who are downloading the Zo preview note that Microsoft's latest chatbot is currently locked down tightly, presumably to prevent another Tay-like rampage. Among the topics Zo is unwilling to discuss is politics, for example. ... "
Microsoft takes another shot at an AI chatbot with Zo
Microsoft has fielded a preview of another AI chatbot, Zo.ai, but so far is limiting the topics it is able to address. By Mary Jo Foley
Microsoft is providing early access to users on Kik to its newest AI chatbot called Zo.ai.
Zo is a successor to Microsoft's ill-fated Tay.ai chatbot, which the company revoked shortly after its launch earlier this year after users got it to spew racist, hate-filled comments. MSPowerUser.com blogged about Zo being available in preview on December 4.
Kik users who are downloading the Zo preview note that Microsoft's latest chatbot is currently locked down tightly, presumably to prevent another Tay-like rampage. Among the topics Zo is unwilling to discuss is politics, for example. ... "
More Smart Refrigerators
More (expensive) smart refrigerators are out there, and looking inwardly. Cool looking and a conversation piece.
LG put Alexa in a refrigerator and it seems like a great idea
The company's Smart InstaView fridge puts Amazon's virtual assistant to work ordering groceries and more. ... "
LG put Alexa in a refrigerator and it seems like a great idea
The company's Smart InstaView fridge puts Amazon's virtual assistant to work ordering groceries and more. ... "
The Non Elegance of the Refrigerator Cam
Had seen the idea proposed many times, never successfully. Really a specific kind of sensor. Now add image recognition to it to get inventory. It was pointed out to me that there are many practical problems with such a sensor. Lots of previous posts on the frig, see tag below.
FridgeCam lets you make your dumb fridge smart with a simple camera
Why replace an entire fridge when you can stick a camera inside the one you have? by Valentina Palladino
LAS VEGAS—Companies love to debut as many "smart" home products as possible at CES to show that Wi-Fi in anything could make your life easier. LG is a perfect example as it just announced a new smart refrigerator (pricing info not disclosed yet) and the plan to put Wi-Fi in a number of its connected appliances. But investing in the smart home doesn't mean you have to drop thousands of dollars on a whole new fridge or oven. At CES, the London-based company Smarter announced its new FridgeCam, a small circular camera you stick on the inner door of your refrigerator to monitor the food you have. ... "
FridgeCam lets you make your dumb fridge smart with a simple camera
Why replace an entire fridge when you can stick a camera inside the one you have? by Valentina Palladino
LAS VEGAS—Companies love to debut as many "smart" home products as possible at CES to show that Wi-Fi in anything could make your life easier. LG is a perfect example as it just announced a new smart refrigerator (pricing info not disclosed yet) and the plan to put Wi-Fi in a number of its connected appliances. But investing in the smart home doesn't mean you have to drop thousands of dollars on a whole new fridge or oven. At CES, the London-based company Smarter announced its new FridgeCam, a small circular camera you stick on the inner door of your refrigerator to monitor the food you have. ... "
Bots Growing Up
Thoughtful piece. I agree, what I saw in integrated bots last year was not impressive. Far to easy to get the results to be poor or even highjacked. Context integration and management will be necessary. Our own experiments saw this years ago. In FastCompany:
Will Bots Finally Start To Grow Up In 2017?
The bots we saw in 2016 were tantalizing, but they'll need another few years to begin to live up to expectations. ... "
Will Bots Finally Start To Grow Up In 2017?
The bots we saw in 2016 were tantalizing, but they'll need another few years to begin to live up to expectations. ... "
Friday, January 06, 2017
Making Roads Smarter
Roads need to get smarter too. Infrastucture needs to act as part of an Internet of Things. An article from CACM:
States Wire Up Roads as Cars Get Smarter by The Wall Street Journal ... To prepare for the day when self-driving cars will travel on technology-aided roads, U.S. state transit planners aim to outfit those roadways with fiber optics, cameras, and linked signal devices to make traffic safer and more efficient. ... Planners say the technology will lead to faster trips, fewer accidents, and fuel savings. ... "
States Wire Up Roads as Cars Get Smarter by The Wall Street Journal ... To prepare for the day when self-driving cars will travel on technology-aided roads, U.S. state transit planners aim to outfit those roadways with fiber optics, cameras, and linked signal devices to make traffic safer and more efficient. ... Planners say the technology will lead to faster trips, fewer accidents, and fuel savings. ... "
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