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What you missed this month in the Schey
Monday, November 21 2016 12:00am
The Schey Sales Centre hosted their largest Sales Symposium, won first place in the International Collegiate Sales Competition, toured three corporate partner facilities, and it didn’t stop there...
November has been a busy month in The Ralph and Luci Schey Sales Centre. Between sales competitions, networking events, mock sales calls and company tours… there’s no slowing down! With all the exciting news, we wanted to take a moment to recap what you missed this month in the Schey:
1. 19th Annual Schey Sales Symposium
On Thurs., Nov. 3, the Ralph and Luci Schey Sales Centre hosted its 19th Annual Schey Sales Symposium. Corporate partners, local professionals, faculty and students were invited to learn about coaching, communicating and cultivating in the workplace.
Attendees heard from OHIO’s very own executive director of the Ralph and Luci Schey Sales Centre and professor of sales Dr. Adam Rapp and executive-in-residence of management Tim Reynolds. They also learned from industry leaders including Erin Fischer, owner of the Leadership and Training Studio, Dr. Nick Panagopoulos, professor of Marketing at The University of Alabama, and Tony Nuckolls, vice president of training and development at Quicken Loans.
And we can’t forget the inspiring student TED Talks by Jacki Andrascik, ‘19, Barbara Bruce, ‘19, Jennifer Vance, ‘20, and Sydney Wolff, ‘17.
This year, the Ralph and Luci Schey Sales Centre hosted 260 guests, making it the largest event yet. As Dr. Rapp put it, “[The Schey Sales Symposium] was an incredible event!”
2. International Collegiate Sales Competition
While the Schey Sales Centre was busy working on the Sales Symposium in Athens, Dr. Jess Ogilvie, assistant professor of marketing, took an undergraduate team of students down to Florida State where they competed in the International Collegiate Sales Competition.
ICSC invited the top 40 schools in the country to compete in the Sales Management Case Competition. The Schey Sales Centre qualified to compete this year based on their fourth place ranking in 2015. The Schey also qualified to compete in the Role Play Competition.
This year, the Centre brought four students to the competition and they all achieved great success.
In the role play competition, Nicole Bolzan, ‘19, made it to the wildcard while Adam Moses, ‘19, made it to the semi-finals as a top 20 competitor out of nearly 200 students. On the case study side, teammates Andre Whiteleather, ‘17, and Halley Hinderer, ‘18, were named the 2016 ICSC Sales Management Case Competition champions.
Overall, this was the highest achievement Ohio University has received at this event, and the feeling of excitement and pride will last forever.
“I was honored to be asked to compete at ICSC and represent The Schey Sales Centre and Ohio University,” said Whiteleather. “During the three-day competition, Halley and I spent nearly every hour of the day together and worked very well together. We were able to bring our biggest strengths out in one another and the team comradery we had was a big key in how we were able to win the competition. Before the competition, we also spent a lot of time with Dr. Jess Ogilvie and Greg Scott who were able to help prepare us for the case competition through practice case studies. Halley and I went into the competition excited and ready to compete thanks to Jess and Greg.”
3. Company Tours
Schey Sales Centre students toured three corporate partner facilities this month: Quicken Loans, Schlumberger, RevLocal, Gartner, and Apex Systems.
4. Mock Sales Calls
Students enrolled in the Fundamentals of Professional Sales course perfected their professional selling skills during mock sales calls with corporate partner DISH Network.
The roles were reversed during this roleplay as the Schey Sales students had to sell the satellite service to DISH area managers, who acted as homeowner buyers.
And it didn’t stop there, the students acted as college recruiters for Ohio University in round two of their mock sales calls.


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BONK Coin is a meme token created on the Solana blockchain network. This dog-themed meme has become one of the most sought-after coins on the network recently, thanks to Solana’s high transaction speed and low-cost advantages.
In December 2022, $BONK distributed 25 billion BONK airdrops to developers within the Solana ecosystem. At that time, this amount was worth approximately 880 USD.
Coinbase exchange also recently listed Bonk. The value of the coin has continued to increase since then.
Solana’s Saga Phone Sells Out in the USA!
The surge in the value of BONK Coin has directly impacted the sales of the Saga phone. The distribution of a 30 million BONK token airdrop to Saga phone owners also contributed to the increase in sales.
During this period, the value of the BONK airdrop given to Saga owners reached $877, causing phone sales to skyrocket. According to official statements, Solana’s Saga phone has completely sold out in the USA and is available in limited quantities in Europe. Due to the high demand, the company had to limit new orders to one phone per household.
The Saga is a blockchain-based smartphone developed by Solana. This phone allows users to securely store their crypto assets in the device’s hardware. It also stands out for its high technical specifications.

domain: news


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Tech companies such as Amazon and Google have emerged victorious in a California drone legislation battle, according to GeekWire.
Earlier this month, state governor Jerry Brown vetoed a bill that would have prohibited unmanned aerial vehicles from flying less than 350 feet above property without express permission from the owner of the building/premises below.
According to Brown’s letter to the California State Senate, the legislation would have held trespassers liable for breaking the law and entering the “no-fly” zone, whether or not a person’s privacy was violated by the drone’s flight.
The bill passed the California Assembly and Senate, but Amazon, Google, and GoPro were among several groups that firmly opposed it, reports Recode.net. Amazon and Google fought the legislation because of their plans to implement drone delivery. In the end, the tech industry won.
However, GeekWire says this will not be the last legal battle to be fought, as 46 states have considered over 150 different bills about drones this year alone.


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Peloton is launching cheaper options: A new treadmill and discounted bike
Peloton, the interactive fitness platform, is releasing cheaper options for people itching to go back to their workout routine without leaving their homes.
Starting Wednesday, customers can buy the original model bike for $1,895, as well as the new Bike+ for $2,495. The company is also launching the Peloton Tread+ for $4,295 and a discounted Peloton Tread for $2,495 starting in 2021.
The move comes after ales surged more than 60% to $420 million last quarter, as gyms around the globe remain closed amid pandemic restrictions. The company reports more than 2.6 million members.
"Our goal is to be the go-to at-home fitness solution for as many people as possible, and with these new product launches, we'll be able to offer access to Peloton's best-in-class fitness content at various price points, depending on what consumers are looking for, especially in a world where people are increasingly working out at home," said John Foley, Peloton's CEO and co-founder.
Struggling with credit card debt?:Here's what you can do with them during COVID-19
The company is offering payment plans depending on a customer's piece of equipment. The original Peloton Bike can be purchased for $49 a month for 39 months, with an all-access membership starting at $39 a month.
The company began offering exercise classes through the Peloton App, which can be accessed without owning the equipment. The company crossed the 1 million-subscriber threshold in May as the $13-per-month subscription plan really took hold.


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Tech News Today for March 22, 2017
Tech News for Wednesday March 22, 2017
Airbnb is adopting the new name "Aibiying" in China and has doubled its investment in the country. Read more at bloomberg.com.
The saga over Google's ad algorithm continues. Today both AT&T, Verizon, and Enterprise rent-a-car have pulled their ads from Google and YouTube, even after Google apologized and said they were fixing their system to avoid ads appearing on extremist content. This will amount to hundreds of millions of dollars of lost revenue for the company. Read more at businessinsider.com.
Elon Musk criticized President Donald Trump for touting his signing of a NASA budget authorization bill as being "about jobs." And indeed, authorization bills don't give NASA new funding or create new jobs. Funding comes from appropriations committees, as ArsTechnica pointed out in its coverage Musk's critique. What this bill did was tick off a final approval to keep things going on exisiting long running NASA projects, like the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft. Musk said in a pair of tweets: "This bill changes almost nothing about what NASA is doing. Existing programs stay in place and there is no added funding for Mars. Perhaps there will be some future bill that makes a difference for Mars, but this is not it." Read more at arstechnica.com.
Copying Snapchat is so last week. Today Instagram is adding features stolen from Yelp, OpenTable, and other services like Angie's List. You will now be able to look up reviews of different businesses and even book appointments or restaurant reservations. The fact that Instagram can now offer businesses, not just a like or a follow, but actual business is a big move for the company. The photo and video sharing tool owned by Facebook has more than 1 million monthly advertisers, which is five times what it was a year ago. Read more at theverge.com.
Nintendo says the Switch's left Joy-Con controller issue is not a hardware problem, but a "manufacturing variation." Nintendo says there are other reasons why consumers may be having wireless interference, and is encouraging customers that have issues to contact them so they can determine whether a repair is necessary. Read more at kotaku.com.
Jason Howell is out this week, so Nathan Olivarez-Giles will be joining Megan Morrone. Tech News Today streams live weekdays at 4PM Pacific, 7PM Eastern at twit.tv/live. You can subscribe to the show and watch it on-demand at twit.tv/tnt.


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Content Related To: Princess Yachts
Princess Yachts appoints Will Green as new CEO
British shipyard Princess has announced the new appointment of Will Green as its new CEO, bringing over 20 years of experience to the table and a vision to solidify the brand's position as a leading name in the yachting industry.
Superyacht ‘Hot Pursuit’ available for Bahamas charter this holiday season
Princess’ 27m/ 88ft superyacht ‘Hot Pursuit’ will be chartering the Bahamas adding a tropical flair to the onboard festivities this holiday season.
Bahamas charter deal: motor yacht CRISTOBAL offers special rate
Book a two-week Bahamas yacht charter aboard Princess’ 30m/97ft superyacht CRISTOBAL during January and February 2019 and receive an unmissable 13 percent discount.
Superyacht ANKA joins Global Charter Fleet
The 131ft/40m Princess Motoryacht Anka is now available for charter in the Mediterranean
Motor Yacht CRISTOBAL Joins Global Charter Fleet
The 97ft /29m Princess superyacht CRISTOBAL is now available for charter in the Bahamas and Florida at a lower rate than before.
VIDEO: Superyacht KOHUBA Cruises Around Ibiza
Video footage captures the 30m/100ft motor yacht KOHUBA, a 2016-build from British shipyard Princess Yachts, cruising along the dramatic coast of Ibiza and The Balearics.
Motor Yacht KOHUBA To Join Global Charter Fleet in 2016
The 30m/100ft superyacht KOHUBA will join the global charter fleet on her launch next year when she will be available for charters in Ibiza and the Balearics.
Superyacht SOLARIS Available to Charter in the Maldives
The 40m superyacht SOLARIS has charter availability in the Maldives from December.
Princess Yachts 40m ‘Solaris’ New to Charter
The brand-new 40m/131ft superyacht SOLARIS by Princess Yachts has joined the global charter fleet and will be available for vacations in the French Riviera.
The 2014 Singapore Yacht Show Begins Today
The 2014 Singapore Yacht Show was officially opened this afternoon by Minister Iswaran at ONE°15 Marina Club.
VIDEO: Cannes Boat Show 2013 - Day 6
The final video from YachtsXL of the Cannes Boat Show 2013 for Day 6 features interviews with Baglietto Yachts, Sunseeker Yachts and the event Organisers each offering an overview of the success of the year’s first major show.
Luxury Yacht Charters in Hong Kong
Startling statistics come to light that the average time a Hong Kong-moored luxury yacht spends at sea is just 32 hours a year. The rest of the time, they sit ignored by their wealthy owners.
New Charter Rates on Carte Blanche III
The Princess 72 charter yacht Carte Blanche III has new charter rates.
2013 Singapore Yacht Show Opens Today
The third annual Singapore Yacht Show is now officially open, exhibiting more than double the number of displays as last year's show.
Singapore Becoming True 'Monaco of the East'
The Singapore Yacht Show is set to play an important role in securing Singapore as a true 'Monaco of the East'.
ANKA boasts a range of striking features to match that of her colourful hull


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Comet customers have criticised the quickfire sale from the electrical retailer which is offering little more than 10 to 20 per cent off items.
Just been to comet, was expecting a massive sale with big cuts.. 10% off everything isn't exactly a ground breaking sale #dissappointed
Comet fire sale is a load of rubbish, 10-20% off, prices still higher than other shops or outlets!!!!!!
Comet Sale, wat sale, 10% of large goods, 20% of small goods, #wasteoftime
A Deloitte spokesman said of the sale: "The discounts are gentle. It's not a hard sale."


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Stellantis to unveil long-term plan on March 1
CEO Carlos Tavares is expected to detail strategy for further digitalisation and sustainability.
Stellantis will announce its long-term plan on 1 March as it seeks to shape “the future of mobility with innovation and sustainable solutions”.
The car-making giant – formed by a merger of the PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles – is celebrating its first anniversary today.
Reflecting on this, CEO, Carlos Tavares said: “It's no coincidence that Stellantis was born precisely when our world requires a new kind of spirit, one that supports this human imperative by providing clean, connected, affordable and safe freedom of mobility for all.”
There are no formal details on what Stellantis will announce on 1 March, but it’s expected to focus on digitalisation and expanding its offerings even further beyond car ownership.
It already has car-sharing firm Free2Move and short, mid and long-term vehicle rental company Leasys under its umbrella.
Since its formation, Stellantis has launched more than 10 new vehicles across its various brands and planned investments of more than €30 billion (Rs 248,010 crore) by 2025 for electrification and software.
It has also unveiled an ambitious electrification strategy, with 33 electrified vehicles available now and eight more electric vehicles due in the next 18 months.
New partnerships, considered key to software transformation, include those with Amazon, BMW, Foxconn and Waymo.
Tavares said: “We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but the Stellantis community is well on its way and so the race is on.
“Stellantis will make the difference in the demanding environment in which we operate. It is our duty, and thanks to our competitive mindset, I'm confident that our stars will continue to shine.”
It will held at Tokyo Big Sight from 26 October to 5 November 2023.
Spanish metal components supplier joins Catena-X ecosystem, which allows the optimisation of business processes along th...
A large number of people are injured by cars turning and backing up; dynamic near-field projections with new micro-LED t...


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On the second day of the reopening of markets, the commercial control and consumer protection sector in Dubai’s economy closed 26 stores and alerted 234 commercial establishments and violated 14 stores. Fitting rooms and promotional offers are not allowed in the re-opening stage.
During the process of inspection in open markets, the number of shops that met the conditions and precautionary measures reached 165 stores, while 150 stores were alerted, and another 26 stores were closed, in addition to violating 8 other commercial stores, according to what was reported in the “Al Bayan” newspaper.
The inspection campaigns focused on the stores located in Al Quoz, Al Nakheel, International City, Hor Al Anz, Al Satwa, Al Riffa, Souk Al Kabir, Al Karamah, Al Qusais, Al Nahda, Hor Al Anz, Freej Al Murar, Al Warqa, Al Rashidiya, Al Muteena, Abu Hail, Jumeirah, Al Wasl, Ras The creek.
The commercial activities of shops violating the laws also varied, to include activities such as: sale of used furniture, general trade, electrical trade, transaction clearance, technical services, sewing and embroidery, mobile phone trade, sale of meat, plastic bag trade, trade in fabrics and textiles, car rental, Electronics trading, selling auto parts, selling sweets, grocery.
On the other hand, the fieldwork team inspected 8 commercial centers in Deira and Bur Dubai, and it resulted in 84 warnings, due to the lack of physical spacing stickers, and the non-stopping of the application of the replacement and return policy, in addition to violating 6 stores, due to opening rooms Measure and do promotional offers during this period.
Dubai’s economic drive extended over the hours of the market’s operation from the morning to the closing hour. Dubai Economy directs merchants to adhere to precautionary measures such as wearing gags and gloves, applying principles of physical spacing and not doing business in the market during the hours of national sterilization, whereby stores are required to close except for activities that are allowed to work 24 hours according to the previous circulars.


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RIM sets Jan. 30 launch for BlackBerry 10, prompts worries about when phones will appear
The OS will be joined by two smartphones
Computerworld - Research In Motion (RIM) today set Jan. 30 for the launch of BlackBerry 10, when it will also unveil its first two smartphones on the OS.
The announcement was greeted with some surprise by longtime BlackBerry fans who warned that the announcement must be followed quickly by in-store sales.
The new OS was originally due out this year, and its delay has factored in dwindling sales and market share for RIM. Some longtime RIM customers, including U.S. government agencies, have decided not to continue with BlackBerry, favoring iPhones instead for thousands of workers. RIM last week announced that Blackberry 10 meets the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS).
IDC and Gartner both recently put the RIM share of the global smartphone market at less than 5%.
Not only does RIM need to worry about market share, it must worry about its product rollout timetables and overall credibility, some RIM supporters said.
"A lot of people will not be happy if it turns out that there are more than two weeks between the launch party and actually getting [smartphones] in our hands," read one blog forum comment by Ryan Robinson.
"They need to get the devices out ASAP," said Jack Gold, an analyst at J. Gold Associates. "There are still a lot of BlackBerry faithful. Unless the phones are somehow defective or the OS doesn't work well, I expect to see a pretty good pent-up demand for the new devices."
Gold said his company recently surveyed business customers and found that BlackBerry remains the No. 2 strategic choice behind iPhone and ahead of other OSes.
Missing the upcoming holiday sales season won't matter as much to business customers as it will for consumers.
Whether the new BlackBerry 10 smartphones -- both a touchscreen and a physical keyboard model -- get on the shelves of U.S. wireless carriers quickly could be important for RIM. With Windows Phone 8 devices from Nokia and others appearing, the shelf space for BlackBerry as the No. 3 smartphone on sale behind iPhones and Android devices could be up for grabs.
Carriers only have so much room and will want to show off top sellers, several analysts noted.
Matt Hamblen covers mobile and wireless, smartphones and other handhelds, and wireless networking for Computerworld. Follow Matt on Twitter at @matthamblen or subscribe to Matt's RSS feed. His email address is email@example.com.
Read more about Smartphones in Computerworld's Smartphones Topic Center.
- Mission Critical: Managing Mobile Applications & Content Smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices have become embedded in enterprise processes, thanks to the consumerization of IT and a new generation of...
- Securing Mobility, From Device to Network At one time, the process of managing and securing mobile devices and applications was fairly straightforward. Most organizations worried about one application (email)...
- Planning for Mobile Success Many organizations are seeing clear and quantifiable benefits from the deployment of mobile technologies that provide access to data and applications any time,...
- The Challenges and Opportunities of Mobile Application Development Nearly all business users now demand mobile devices--their own or company-owned--along with anywhere access to corporate applications and data. What turns mobile devices...
- On Demand: Mastering the Art of Mobile Content Management Mobile device usage in the enterprise has skyrocketed, and it continues to escalate. IT must answer to users who demand access to their...
- Technology for Everyone A Kansas school district modernizes teaching and learning and paves the way to a one-to-one program with a comprehensive upgrade of its wireless... All Mobile/Wireless White Papers | Webcasts


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A Memphis television station recently reported that The Dixie Café was selling Vietnamese farmed pangasius labeled as “catfish” and failed to properly identify the fish to consumers. Under federal law, only American channel catfish (ictalurus) may be sold as catfish.
The FDA said it only physically inspects between one and two percent of fish imports, meaning 98 percent or more of imported pangasius eaten by Americans has not been inspected at all for safety. In sharp contrast, Bill Battle, a U.S. Catfish farmer in the Memphis metropolitan area said the FDA inspects his operation once a month. “If they found any of the dangerous additives frequently found in Vietnamese fish in my fish, they would shut me down,” Mr. Battle added.
As reported by media and consumer organizations across the nation, as much as 50 percent of seafood Americans eat in restaurants is mislabeled. Often, cheap and potentially tainted Vietnamese pangasius is illegally sold as other, more expensive species including catfish and grouper. The states of Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee require restaurants to label the country of origin (COOL) of catfish served. The federal government, however, has no such requirement, and not every state law covers pangasius, which is often served as “catfish.”
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Google is working on a new Android TV dongle that would ship with a new remote and user interface. This device will be a successor to Chromecast Ultra, however, it will be on par with Android TV devices from other OEMs. This dongle, internally codenamed "Sabrina", will launch this summer, alongside a new Pixel smartphone.
XDA has come up with the exclusive details of "Sabrina", which was first reported by 9to5Google back in March. As per XDA's sources and FCC filing for the device, Google's new Android TV dongle will ship with Chromecast streaming features, and a Google Remote. It will also feature a full Android TV user interface, unlike current Chromecast dongles, which are completely dependent on smartphones and other devices for input.
XDA got their hands on a pre-release firmware build that contained a marketing video for the upcoming product. It shows the out-of-box experience, which usually appears when a user first turns on the product. The video shows the new Android TV dongle and its design, Google Remote and updated Android TV software that will ship on it.
Google's Android TV Dongle - New Design, Remote, and User Interface
The new Android TV has an oblong shape, and looks slightly nicer than the current Chromecast dongles. It will ship in three colors: black, white and light pink.
The Google Remote features a few buttons which include Google Assistant, home, playback, and volume controls. It also has a trackpad, similar to Apple TV's Siri Remote. Because of Google Assistant support, the Remote will feature a microphone, and an IR blaster.
A few images of the new Android TV user interface show YouTube TV and Google Assistant integration. The user interface has also been tweaked to focus more on content from various sources, and also work with Google Nest and Assistant-powered devices.
Other information shared by XDA is that the dongle will support Dolby Vision and will be powered by an Amlogic SoC. It will likely be powerful enough to support 4K HDR video, considering that it will be a tier above Chromecast Ultra. Protocol reported earlier in May that Google is aiming to compete against Roku and Amazon's Fire TV, and will price the new dongle around $80.
It is unclear when Google will announce this new product and what it will be called. As per the latest rumors, Pixel 4a is going to be announced on July 13, so this new dongle might be announced on the same day.


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My orange skateboard was plastered in peeling stickers and a dark layer of dust when I found it in my childhood bedroom last May. I hadn't touched it in seven years, but it called to me at that moment. I needed to get out of the house, have fun, even feel the thrill of a different kind of danger — one that had nothing to do with a virus. My 25-year-old sister, Frances, needed it, too. We stepped on our boards, pushed off, and in the air between the rushing pavement below us and the sunset sky above, we were absolutely free.
A lot of people were craving that feeling in 2020.
"Skateboarding saw a growth in sales like it hadn't seen in years," says Jeff Kendall, who skated professionally and is now president and Chief Marketing Officer of NHS Inc., a top skateboard manufacturer and distributor.
Companies like his have spent the past year scrambling to meet a monstrous appetite for parts and boards. For a while there, with so many skaters out on the streets, there was actually a skateboard shortage at shops, just like with bikes. According to Action Watch, a data provider for the skate and surf industries, sales of skateboarding equipment in the U.S. had increased 118% by last June alone, compared with a year earlier.
Kendall credits skateboarding's booming popularity to a few things: The pandemic led people to rediscover the outdoors. Meanwhile, social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are bringing greater visibility and representation to skateboarding. And to top it off, the Olympics are including it as a sport for the first time this summer. All of these planets have aligned, Kendall says, to fuel what might be the strongest demand the global skateboarding industry has ever seen. The market was valued at $1.9 billion in 2018. Before the pandemic hit, it was projected to reach $2.4 billion by 2025. Now, it's likely to grow even more.
"This is something we're seeing all around the 80 countries that we sell to in the world," Kendall says. "I think that by the end of 2021, there'll be more skateboarders in the world than ever before."
The rise of the skater girl
Girls are helping usher in skateboarding's revival. Kendall says there are more female skateboarders now than he's seen in his more than 35 years in the industry.
Latosha Stone is one of them. In 2013, she started her own skate brand, Proper Gnar, in her hometown of Greenville, Ohio, where she designs and produces skateboards and clothing for girls and young women.
She says her business was always more of a hobby until the skate boom of 2020 allowed her to make it a full-time job. It didn't hurt that on Juneteenth, Beyonce's website included Proper Gnar in a directory of Black-owned businesses.
"That was super insane," Stone says. "It still feels weird talking about it. Like, Beyonce knows that I exist."
Today her company counts more than 77,000 Instagram followers, and she says social media has helped inspire girls and women to pick up skateboards.
"You get on social media — you see all different kinds of people skating. You see women, you see LGBTQ people," Stone says. "I'm really stoked for this upcoming generation. They're not going to have to deal with growing up and being a skater and you're the only one that looks like you out there, you know?"
Skaters find community through 'SkateTok' videos
Ruby Medina says she hears customers talking about what they've seen on social media when they come into her family's two skate shops in Venice, Calif. Her parents started the business more than two decades ago after immigrating from Mexico and El Salvador, but these social media users are driving demand like never before.
A while back, Medina's friend showed her what was going down on TikTok — thousands of users were posting videos of themselves skating around town or landing tricks. A burgeoning online community affectionately referred to as "SkateTok" had emerged.
Medina joined in, posting a video of herself at a beachfront skatepark. It now has more than half-a-million views.
"Honestly, I was pretty shocked," Medina says.
Videos like these aren't just driving demand. They're changing the game.
"When I was younger, skateboarding was what the bad kids did. It was a way to rebel," Stone of Proper Gnar says. "Now it's more accepted."
That skateboarding will be in the Olympics for the first time this year is another sign — or perhaps symptom, depending on how you feel about it — of the changing times.
The TikTok that swept the world
But, even without the camera crews of a global event, there's one short video that may be the most memorable of all.
Last September, Nathan Apodaca, a 37-year-old dad known as "Dogface" (after his TikTok handle, @420doggface208) posted a video of himself on the platform. It shows him skating down a highway, vibing to Fleetwood Mac's 1977 hit "Dreams," swigging Ocean Spray cran-raspberry juice right out of the 64-ounce bottle.
The TikTok video, which people have seen more than 80 million times, sent the song back to the top of the charts and cranberry juice flying off of the shelves. At Medina's shops, it moved boards, too. She says she'd hear people chattering about Dogface, wanting to buy a longboard so they could be like him.
"Just to see someone enjoying themselves so much on a board, it makes people realize that this is actually fun, this is actually cool, and it makes people like — I'm going to go skate, I'm going to go cruise," Medina says.
I know the feeling. Skateboarding is the one thing that's made me feel totally alive during the daily nothingness of coronavirus lockdowns. That first afternoon with my sister last spring, I wiped the stickers and dust from my board, calling it up to a second life. Its sunset-orange color was brilliant again, and its soft yellow wheels carried me into a state of mind I hadn't known in years.
On the sidewalk that day, a neighbor walked by and shouted over the grind of our skateboards, "Do you feel like kids again?"
My answer was an emphatic "Yes."
Editor's note: TikTok helps fund NPR-produced videos from Planet Money that appear on the social media platform. Google, which owns YouTube, and Facebook, which owns Instagram, are among NPR's recent financial supporters.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
It seems like skateboarding is having a moment. Skateboarders are everywhere. Stores and manufacturers are having a hard time keeping up with demand for boards. As with everything, the pandemic is playing a role, but that's not all. Claire Miller reports on some of the other reasons why the skateboarding industry is about to be bigger than ever.
(SOUNDBITE OF SKATEBOARD ROLLING)
CLAIRE MILLER, BYLINE: Have you seen all the skateboarders out on the streets? They're everywhere, even on social media like Instagram and TikTok. There's actually a whole side of TikTok referred to as SkateTok, where users post clips of themselves cruising around town...
(SOUNDBITE OF SKATEBOARD ROLLING)
MILLER: ...Landing tricks...
MILLER: ...Feeling absolutely free.
(SOUNDBITE OF WHOOPING)
MILLER: Ruby Medina is a skateboarder who saw the trend and posted her own video.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SKATEBOARD P")
MADEINTYO: (Rapping) Yeah, going ape like Nigo...
MILLER: Picture a giant empty pool. Medina's skating every curve and slope as smooth as butter. It has more than half a million views.
RUBY MEDINA: Honestly, I was pretty shocked. I was like, what (laughter)? I didn't know my video could hit that much (laughter).
MILLER: But Medina's not just any TikToker. She works in two skate shops in Venice, Calif., and her parents are the owners. They started the business about 22 years ago, but they've never seen demand like this. Turns out, the industry hasn't either.
JEFF KENDALL: Skateboarding saw a growth in sales like it hadn't seen in years.
MILLER: Jeff Kendall used to be a professional skater. Now, he runs NHS, a skateboard manufacturer and distributor. Companies like his have spent the last year scrambling to meet a monstrous appetite for parts and boards. Kendall credits the rising popularity of skateboarding now to social media plus a few other factors - the pandemic led people to rediscover the outdoors, more girls are getting into it than ever before too - full confession, I'm one of them - and the Olympics are including it as a sport for the first time this summer.
KENDALL: This is a global phenomenon. This is something we're seeing all around. You know, the 80 countries that we sell to in the world, they're all seeing an increase. I think that by the end of '21, there'll be more skateboarders in the world than ever before.
MILLER: All these new skateboarders aren't just young people. Remember "Dogface"...
(SOUNDBITE OF FLEETWOOD MAC SONG, "DREAMS")
MILLER: ...An Idaho dad who made a TikTok while cruising on a longboard, drinking cran-raspberry juice, vibing to Fleetwood Mac?
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DREAMS")
STEVIE NICKS: (Singing) Now here you go again, you say...
MILLER: People have viewed this video more than 80 million times. It sent the song back up to the top of the charts and Ocean Spray flying off the shelves. At Medina's skate shop, it moved boards too.
MEDINA: I would hear a lot of comments. And they would be like, oh, we could be like the "Dogface." And all like, let's get a longboard. And I'll just be, like, laughing in my head. And I was just like, OK.
MILLER: Medina gets why people love these videos so much and why they're inspiring new skaters to hit up their local skate shops.
MEDINA: Just to see someone, like, enjoying themselves so much on a board, it makes people realize, like, yo, this is actually fun. This is actually cool. It makes people, like, I'm going to go skate. Like, I'm going to go cruise.
MILLER: For a while there, Medina's family shop could not keep up with demand, but now it's fully stocked and merchandise is flowing. At the skate park, she says it already feels like summer.
For NPR News, I'm Claire Miller.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DREAMS")
NICKS: (Singing) Oh, thunder only happens when it's raining. Players only love you when they're playing. Say, women, they will come, and they will go. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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An alleged action is circulating on social networks, run by pages calling themselves “Alcampo fans”, in which the supermarket chain is giving away gift bags to users who, in their publications, congratulate the company on its 51st anniversary. Some of them encourage you to share the message in other groups, and others encourage you to register at a link those posts provide.
“To celebrate Alcampo’s 51st birthday, we’re sending a special gift bag to everyone who writes ‘Happy Birthday’ on our page before November 21st. Much luck! Register here” is the message that these pages have published on Facebook, sometimes accompanying them with a shortened link. The text is shared with some variations of the entry deadline.
This is a new case of phishing. Scammers pose as Alcampo to trick users into believing that the “fan” page is officially linked to the supermarket and that he’s giving away anniversary products. In this way, Internet users are redirected to a web page where they must provide their personal information in order to supposedly receive the gift. However, this gift never arrives as scammers aim is to get this data in a fraudulent way.
Alcampo confirms it’s a scam
Speaking to Newtral.es, Alcampo denies that the supermarket is behind these alleged gift bags. “This is a fraudulent act,” they explain from the company. In this way, scammers pose as rogue Alcampo fansites by using its logo and company name and spreading a misleading message to carry out the scam. phishing.
Scammers use decontextualized images to pretend that Alcampo is giving away products for its anniversary
These rogue fan pages are not verified by Facebook and only contain the images that accompany the scam report and a shortened link using the bit.ly tool used to compress web links. Also, none of them are linked to the supermarket’s official profile on Facebook. Supermarket workers appear in some photos containing the fraudulent posts, and numerous bags full of products in others.
However, reverse image searches on Google reveal that the photos have nothing to do with the supermarket’s anniversary, as they have previously been used by food portals to report on Alcampo supermarket openings and renovations, as in the case of La Orotava ( Tenerife) and Vallecas (Madrid). In addition, in the images where the products appear, the logo of 99, a 24-hour convenience store chain in Malaysia, can be seen on the bags. Therefore, those responsible for the scam have compiled decontextualized images to give the impression that this is a real event.
Despite this, the fraudulent posts were shared hundreds of times and received numerous comments from users who trust the alleged gifts to be true.
Alcampo is not celebrating its 51st anniversary
As Alcampo states on its website, the company – a subsidiary of the French group Auchan – was founded in 1981. Therefore, at the time of writing this confirmation, the supermarket is 41 years old and not 51 as the authors state phishing.
The supermarket’s “phishing” repeats itself a year later
At Newtral.es we have already denied fraud of this type. There was also a publication last year that used Alcampo’s corporate identity and said that the supermarket was giving away a €500 card to celebrate its 50th anniversary. However, it was a different case of phishing.


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Epic Video games will not be pulling out of a combat with Apple, even when Fortnite is staying out of the App Retailer. The day after he stated Apple had no proper to “the fruit of Epic’s labor” in courtroom recordsdata, Apple CEO Tim Sweeney took footage on Twitter whereas responding to consumer feedback on the continued authorized course of. Apple eliminated Fortnite from the App Retailer in August after Epic Video games gave gamers the choice to pay on to the sport developer for in-app purchases in an effort to bypass Apple’s 30 p.c price.
“What worries most about Apple’s place is that they appear to genuinely consider that they“ personal ”all of the cellphone gross sales they make and label direct funds as theft, smuggling, and even shoplifting. It is a loopy, misguided view, ”Sweeney wrote on Twitter yesterday. In considered one of a number of replies to feedback on his put up, he stated that simply because Apple offered a cellphone doesn’t have the correct to tax and management the one who purchased the cellphone.
Apple has blocked Epic’s Fortnite developer account for “no less than 12 months”.
– Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) October 25, 2020
Epic bought right into a fierce #FreeFortnite campaign Towards Google and Apple a combat in opposition to “anti-competitive restrictions in the marketplace for cell units” is described. Nonetheless, US District Decide Yvonne Gonzales Rogers, who negotiated her case in opposition to Apple, didn’t subject an injunction that would enable Fortnite to be unlocked within the App Retailer.
Apple has claimed that eradicating Fortnite from the App Retailer was honest. The corporate lately stated that its conduct was acceptable, that its actions have been taken in good religion to advance authentic enterprise pursuits, and that they encourage, encourage, and enhance competitors. “The obvious disregard of contractual obligations and different misconduct by Epic has triggered Apple appreciable injury,” quoted The Verge of Apple Court records on Friday.
Attorneys representing Epic Video games within the lawsuit in opposition to Apple have been quoted in a report TechCrunch on the grounds that Epic violated among the contractual restrictions Apple positioned on iOS builders as a result of they have been unlawful. “Epic spoke out in opposition to Apple’s monopoly to show that iOS will be aggressive and that buyers would respect and profit from it. Epic did this with out prior discover to Apple, as a result of in any other case Apple would have used its monopoly management to forestall this competitors, “the attorneys quoted the report as saying.
However Apple is not simply on the incorrect aspect of Epic Video games as of late. Fb Video games was lately launched as a cloud service providing titles like Asphalt 9 which can be launched straight from the social community for Android customers and isn’t obtainable on iOS units. Play’s vp Jason Rubin tweeted yesterday, saying Apple had turned down a number of requests for approval of its iOS cloud ideas.
Apple claimed to offer us “useful suggestions” on this story. Answering a number of requests for approval of our iOS cloud ideas with “This fails below pointers” is best than the radio silence we’ve generally skilled prior to now, however that’s hardly “useful suggestions”. https://t.co/UpIiCmI8OX
– Jason Rubin (@Jason_Rubin) October 26, 2020
Whereas Apple didn’t reply to Rubens’ allegations of blocking the usage of Fb video games on iOS units, Decide Rogers did According to reports really useful holding a trial someday in July 2021 to resolve Epic Video games’ civil lawsuit in opposition to them.
Will the Xbox Collection S, PS5 Digital Version fail in India? We mentioned this on Orbital, our weekly know-how podcast, which you’ll subscribe to through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, Download the episodeor simply hit the play button beneath.


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Culture often jumps through the holes technology opens. In 2010, Apple released the iPhone 4, its first phone with a front-facing camera, unleashing a billion selfies, and a cottage industry of apps to support them. In early 2011, William Wilkinson released Everyday, an app made to document a selfie a day and create a stop-motion video timeline with the results. "I didn't have much faith in it," said Wilkinson. "I thought it was a really niche thing."
He was wrong.
Everyday proved a hit for Wilkinson. It was a top 25 iOS App Store app, and today has some 200,000 active users. And over time, those users began to find new and creative ways to do things with it that Wilkinson never intended. Wilkinson had built it as a way to help people take consistent selfies which they could compile into a movie. But people just used that as a conceptual jumping-off point.
"I designed it for one use and realized people were using it to take pictures of their babies, their kids, multiple projects," said Wilkinson. "They wanted to take a picture of other people, or their house, it could be anything."
Wilkinson is rolling out a second version of the app today. This version has several features meant to make it more flexible. With a $2 in-app purchase it supports multiple timelines — so you could set up separate timelines for yourself and your cat (or dog) now. You can also have the reminders go off at random times, or at fixed locations — so you could do something like take a picture every time you go to Costco. It also supports Dropbox archiving. And yes, you can still use it to take selfie series too.


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FedEx Corp. shares surged Wednesday as Wall Street reacted favorably to the Memphis-based company's latest earnings report.
Shares climbed 5 percent, closing at $116.25, as the broader market gained about 1 percent on news that the U.S. Federal Reserve would maintain a key program to stimulate the economy.
With FedEx stock hitting a six-year high, Raymond James Financial Inc. and Avondale Partners LLC raised target prices to what would be the highest ever, in the mid-$120s a share. FedEx's all-time trading high was $121.42 on Feb. 6, 2007.
The investor activity came after FedEx reported a profit of $489 million for the June-August quarter, beating analysts' expectations amid a cost-reduction push and continuing challenges in the global economy. Profits were up 7 percent over the same period last year, while revenue for the quarter increased 2 percent to $11 billion.
FedEx Ground, head-to-head competitor of UPS' domestic package delivery business, continued to be a star performer, largely on the strength of e-commerce.
Officials said FedEx Express, the air express unit, made progress reducing costs in the U.S. and adapting overseas to a seemingly permanent shift of freight volume to cheaper, slower-moving alternatives.
Raymond James Financial, which bought Memphis-based Morgan Keegan & Co. last year, raised its target to $124 a share, from $117. Analyst Art Hatfield maintained an "outperform" rating for FedEx stock and said in a research note: "we believe the FedEx story is an attractive one over the long term, especially as the leverage materializes through cost reduction initiatives, and valuation remains attractive at current levels."
Avondale Partners senior analyst Donald Broughton raised his target to $125 from $110. "We were again impressed by growth in Ground and are gaining increased confidence that FDX will ultimately meet or exceed its profit improvement objectives in Express," he said in a research note.
Analyst Helane Becker left Cowen and Co.'s FedEx price target unchanged at $117.
Earlier, FedEx leader Frederick W. Smith told analysts and media on a conference call that "FedEx had a good quarter despite higher fuel cost and one fewer operating day. Growth in overall customer demand for our wide range of global transportation solutions drove the improved earnings."
The Memphis-based company's chairman, president and chief executive added, "FedEx Ground reported another outstanding quarter as average daily volume grew 11 percent. FedEx Express is skillfully executing its profit improvement plans. As part of this, earlier this month FedEx Express took delivery of its first new Boeing 767-300 freighter, which uses about 30 percent less fuel and offers at least a 20 percent operating cost (improvement) over the MD-10 which it replaces."
FedEx is the largest private employer in Greater Memphis, with about 30,000 employees.
Executive vice president and chief financial officer Alan B. Graf Jr. said the company was continuing to evaluate further cost-reduction actions at Express to achieve a desired $1.6 billion-a-year improvement in profits.
"We're committed to the $1.6 (billion) and we'll have that by the end of (fiscal year) 2016 and I feel comfortable by saying that in today's environment," Graf told analysts.
About 3,600 U.S. employees of FedEx Express, a large but undisclosed share of them from the Memphis home base, are leaving in waves under a voluntary buyout program that's part of the push for better earnings. Buyouts are expected to eventually save the company about $600 million a year in personnel-related expenses, Graf said.
Graf said 45 percent of buyout participants, about 1,620, had already left, and about 25 percent, or 900, would be staying on until next May 31. The remainder are leaving between now and then.
The earnings came in ahead of estimates from analysts who follow FedEx, whose projections averaged $1.50 to $1.51 a share.
Raymond James took it as a positive that the company reaffirmed projections of a 7-13 percent increase in earnings for the full year ending May 31, compared to the previous fiscal year.
"Importantly but not unexpectedly, management reaffirmed its full year fiscal 2014 (earnings per share) guidance for growth of 7-13 percent (correlates to $6.67-7.04)," the firm's research note said.
FedEx said the projection assumes stable fuel prices, 2.1 percent growth in the U.S. gross domestic product and 2.6 percent growth in global economic output.
The company also announced a U.S. rate increase for FedEx Express averaging 3.9 percent Jan. 6.
The capital spending forecast for fiscal 2014 held steady at about $4 billion.
FedEx by the numbers
1st Quarter Fiscal Year 2014
Revenue: $11 billion, up 2 percent
Operating income: $795 million, up 7 percent
Operating margin: 7.2 percent, up from 6.9 percent
Net income: $489 million, up 7 percent
Source: FedEx Corp.
On the web: news.van.fedex.com
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Machinima Inc., an online video company targeting gamers, is already the most watched entertainment channel on YouTube. Now, thanks to a $35 million investment announced last week, the L.A. company is planning to stretch out by creating game-themed series for other platforms and international markets.
YouTube parent Google Inc. was the biggest investor; Redpoint Ventures and MK Capital, both already investors, upped their stakes in this latest funding round – the largest to date for the 10-year-old company.
Machinima has brought original programming based on video games to YouTube in a big way. The company has produced wildly popular gaming-themed programs such as “Mortal Kombat Legacy” and also original live-action shows such as “Bite Me,” a zombie apocalypse series. Gaming fans are eagerly awaiting Machinima’s next YouTube show, “Halo: Forward Unto Dawn,” based on the “Halo” game series. Machinima has generated more than 1.6 billion views on YouTube, primarily among the 18-34 male demographic.
With these huge viewer numbers, Machinima has attracted a wide range of advertisers, including Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures, Chrysler Inc.’s Jeep brand and several gaming companies.
Also last week, Machinima announced a deal with Agoura Hills-based THQ Inc. to host a gaming tournament.
Allen DeBevoise, Machinima’s chief executive, said the new funding will allow the company to expand its roster of original shows. But it will also allow the company to move beyond YouTube to mobile devices and overseas markets.
“Machinima is well-positioned to make the next evolutionary step in the world of multichannel video programming and distribution by expanding into original content, international territories, and new platforms and devices,” DeBevoise said.
Hundreds of other online original content companies are also trying to make that jump, but one industry analyst said Machinima’s position as the largest entertainment channel on YouTube places it in an enviable position.
“All these companies are trying to find and identify territories,” said Drew Baldwin, founder of TubeFilter.com, an L.A. company that produces a kind of TV Guide for YouTube.
Although the investment by Google is seen as an incentive for Machinima to keep its programming on YouTube and the rest of the Google empire, Machinima could also use the money to get its programming on other platforms.
Baldwin said Machinima can now pursue deals to get its content on Apple Inc.’s iPads and iPhones, Google’s Android platform and on devices of wireless carriers such as Verizon Communications Inc. Machinima can also use the money to penetrate markets in Japan, Europe and possibly China.
For the first time, Baldwin said, an online content company has the chance to produce a breakout program, one that reaches beyond a small niche audience.
“With this funding, Machinima now has the chance to do something really big, to set itself way apart from the pack,” Baldwin said.
For reprint and licensing requests for this article, CLICK HERE.


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At recently concluded Mobile World Congress (MWC 2018) event, Samsung unveiled Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus, two of the most searched Android smartphones this year. Now next year at MWC 2019, the South Korean smartphone giant could launch Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ phones.
The rumors of Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10 Plus are coming up as the next Samsung flagship phones is always talk of the town.
Mobile World Congress is the world biggest technology event dedicated to mobile technology and products. Since years it has been a tradition of Samsung to launch a new flagship at the event and it mostly happens on the first day of the event. Every year MWC is held at Barcelona, Spain and is attended by lakhs and millions of technology experts and enthusiasts.
Talking about the Galaxy S10 Specifications, the smartphone is expected to sports near similar specs and features with 5.9-inch display by increase the screen to body ratio and keeping the same size externally. It will be running on Android 9.0 P version out of the box and will get the Android 10 aka Android Q update. It will be available in two different variants of Exynos SoC for EMEA region and Qualcomm version for China and USA.
Talking about the Galaxy S10 Release date, things are pretty much same as usual. It will be available in most countries by March and reaching shores in 250+ countries by April 2019.
Currently, for Samsung, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are doing great things. The South Korean giant is expecting big orders for it. The next up for them is Galaxy Note 9 which will be released at IFA 2018 event in August or September month. It will be a successor to last year launched Galaxy Note 8.
Has Samsung planned for a surprise by naming the 10th edition of flagship S Series as Galaxy SX with elder brother been called as Galaxy SX+? Does that sound good name?


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May 31, 2007
Oklahoma lawmakers seek to prevent microchipping, not promote it
Interesting legislative goings on in Oklahoma around human chipping.
Oklahoma State Sen. Brian Crain and Rep. Sue Tibbs are the authors of a bill opposing the microchipping of people, SB 47. It passed out of the state Senate in March and has been making its way through committee. Creepily, it was apparently amended to allow for the microchipping of criminals, but calmer heads are prevailing and that provision has now been stricken (see article below). One interesting human interest note: Rep. Tibbs is a 73 year-old grandmother.
While I am pleased to see these legislative efforts (Liz and I submitted testimony in favor of the bill), we need to let lawmakers nationwide know about our Bodily Integrity Act. It covers all the bases and is urgently needed before society becomes numb to the violation these chips represent.
Our model bill is just one page long and written in plain English.
House rejects microchip implants for violent criminals
By Tim Talley Associated Press Writer
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Legislation that would authorize microchip implants in people convicted of violent crimes was sent back to a committee for more work Wednesday after state House members questioned whether the proposal would violate constitutional civil liberties.
The measure, approved by the Senate, authorizes microchip implants for persons convicted of one or more of 19 violent offenses who have to serve at least 85 percent of their sentence, including murder, rape and some forms of robbery and burglary, while prohibiting government from requiring microchips implants in anyone else.
The tiny electronic implants are commonly used to keep track of pets and livestock, but several House members questioned whether their forced use in people would be unconstitutionally invasive.
"We are going down that slippery slope," said Rep. Ed Cannaday, D-Porum.
Lawmakers never voted on the measure. During debate, its author, Rep. Sue Tibbs, R-Tulsa, asked that it be sent back to a joint House-Senate conference committee where the exception for violent offenders was inserted.
Cannaday and others said the measure may violate the Fourth, Fifth And Fourteenth amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The Fourth Amendment prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures, the Eighth Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishment and the Fourteenth Amendment contains the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses.
"I see it as invasive," Cannaday said. He said many sex offenders and prisoners convicted of other crimes are already required to wear wrist or ankle bracelets when they are released from prison so their movements can be monitored by satellite tracking devices.
October 12, 2006
Retinal Scans can reveal sensitive health and lifestyle info
The eyes are the window to the soul, say the poets, but they may also reveal some very private information about you. Researchers have developed a scanning device that takes photos of the retina, then analyzes them for everything from medical conditions like high blood pressure and AIDS to drug use and pregnancy.
According to the article:
Many health problems show up in your eyes, potentially creating non-invasive tests for everything from cocaine to sickle cell anemia. Cocaine, alcohol, and other drugs can make the OSI a non-invasive drug test. Infectious diseases such as malaria, AIDS, syphilis, Lyme disease, and chicken pox all show up in your eyes. Interestingly enough, so does pregnancy–no more pink lines.... Even genetic diseases like leukemia, lymphoma, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and sickle cell anemia affect the eyes. In addition, your eyes show signs of chronic health conditions like bleeding or clotting disorders, congestive heart failure, arthrosclerosis, and high and low cholesterol. Other poisons like botulism manifest themselves in the eyes, too.
Source: Retinal Scans Do More Than Let You In The Door
Physorg.com, August 31, 2006
The next time someone proposes retinal scanning as a security measure, say, at an airport terminal or for access to a job site, be sure to point out the potentially invasive nature of such scans.
October 4, 2006
Tracking Where You've Been
If you've read the foreward to Spychips, you know that sci-fi writer and futurist Bruce Sterling is up on all things RFID. He did a stint last year as Art Center College of Design's "Visionary in Residence," where he assigned his class to use their industrial and graphic design skills to come up with novel uses for RFID. Then he invited me to fly out to California and throw in my two cents at the end of the semester.
Some of the designs were nutty (a retirement home for the oversexed was one standout example, though the RFID connection was tenuous). Others were inventive, like the power diet that would turn you into Vince Lombardi if only you'd continually scan the spychips on all your food and workout equipment.
But one project really stood out in my mind, perhaps because the danger in it was so difficult for the students who'd created it to grasp. It was called "Kilroy," as in "Kilroy was here" of 1960's graffiti fame. The idea was to place passive RFID tags in the form of little stickers in public locations, like the doorways of clubs, music stores, restaurants, etc. as a sort of spychip graffiti. Whenever you saw one of these dots, you could aim your cellphone at it and download information about the venue from a social network, or add your own thoughts on the venue. ("The pad thai here is great, but avoid the duck salad," or "Look out, the bouncer at this place is a real jerk.".)
That all sounds pretty cool, but a very different scenario immediately occurred to me. "Wait a minute, guys," I said. "If you put these things everywhere, bad people will use them to keep track of where you've been."
"Huh?" they responded."These things aren't readers, they're tags. They can't track anything."
"Maybe not, but if you put them everywhere, they'll act like little real world cookies, and eventually some device you carry around with you will suck the data off these tags as you pass, as a way to monitor your travels and activities. Somebody could download the data and see everywhere you've been and when."
"Huh?" they replied again unfazed and uncomprehending. I tried a few more times then finally gave up with a sigh.
I'd almost forgotten about that incident until this morning, when I learned that someone else has been thinking along the same creepy lines as me. But it's not your friend Sarah or Jodie wanting to tell you about the pad thai down at the Siam Palace. It's NTT, the mobile phone provider to most of Japan, one of the planet's biggest megacorps.
"...NTT DoCoMo recently developed a system that utilizes mobile phones and RFID tags to monitor and infer people's behaviors and deliver relevant information. The system uses mobile phones that have the RFID reader capability. Those RFID reader phones read tags embedded in retail stores, for example, and the software running on the phones sends out information such as the stores people visited.."
Sometimes it sucks to be right.
May 23, 2006
High-tech Fences in Urban Corridors?
President Bush's immigration address May 15 was mined with privacy and civil liberties bombshells if you read between the lines. His call for "high tech fences in urban corridors" to nab undocumented aliens was particularly chilling, and suggests his administration is planning some kind of national Identification system that would demand the electronic equivalent of "your papers please."
See http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/05/20060515-8.html for the offical transcript of the President's address.
How else would his high-tech fence system work? There couldn't be gaping holes in the fences that would allow people to pass through without scrutiny. To be effective, every one of us would have to prove we have the government's permission to pass through the "gates."
The President offered no details about how his high-tech fences would function or how we would prove our identities to the system, but I suspect he would prefer this proof to be quick and automatic so as not to create long lines and constantly remind citizens that the state is watching. This could be facilitated by grids of biometric and RFID readers stationed at choke points in key cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Houston.
The President's recent statements should be red flags to citizens who value their privacy and civil liberties. While he didn't spell out the details of his plans, it's clear he wants to know "who is in our country and why they are here."
I spoke with John St. George about "high-tech fences" on FMNN World News (starts at 4:10): http://www.fmnn.com/eTVLaunch.asp?rid=630
- Liz McIntyre
March 29, 2006
Be careful what you wish on your enemies
Think pedophiles and/or illegal aliens should be tagged with RFID?
I'd say that's a very bad idea.
Living in this surveillance and power-mad century, there's a wise Chinese proverb we should all keep in mind:
"The fire you kindle for your enemy often burns you more than it burns him."
While some people may, at first glance, think it's a good idea to tag the more dangerous and unsavory elements of society with a computer chip, it's actually a very bad idea in the long run. An industry that's built around tagging human beings against their will, whether they're illegal immigrants, criminals, or even mass murderers, will grow fat and powerful and bureaucratic from feeding at the trough of our tax dollars. An infrastructure of human tagging will take root, then, like all industries, it will want to see its market expand. (Think of the prison-industrial complex today -- or any powerful lobby.)
The human-implant-prison-industrial-complex will shmooze at political fundraisers and send lobbyists to urge politicians to expand the mandatory chipping program to other "markets." They'll urge the tagging of parolees and ex-felons. In fact, they'll say, society would be safer if all criminals -- rapists, drug dealers, prostitutes, thieves, and domestic abusers -- had a chip implant, along with gun law violators, marijuana smokers, drunk drivers, custody violators, tax cheats, habitual traffic violators, shoplifters, protesters who won't stay in their designated First Amendment zones, rowdy college revelers, and eventually the guy who didn't fill out the right paperwork to add a deck onto the back of his house.
Once the mandatory chipping lobby really gets going, they won't stop at criminals. For our own safety, they'll get the lawmakers to agree that we ought to chip nuclear plant workers, anyone handling biological or chemical agents, drivers transporting hazardous materials, anyone owning a gun, anyone working with children, anyone preparing food for public consumption, anyone...
Get the picture yet?
No matter who you are and how saintly a life you lead, I can almost promise you that if we light this fire to burn the pedophiles, somewhere down the road it will burn us and our children, too.
Big Brother has surrounded us with dried kindling and he's hankering for a match. Don't hand it to him.
- Katherine Albrecht
March 28, 2006
If you tag the police, they'll want to tag you
Some police departments have begun testing spychipped police badges. Here's how Inforrmation Week describes it:
South Carolina Highway Patrol, Brookline Massachusetts Police Department, and Louisiana State Capitol Police are testing SmartShield, said John Domurad, director of research and development at Blackinton. Furthest along on deployment, the South Carolina Highway Patrol began September testing badges in the field. The agency deployed the software earlier this year. Next, deploying Datastrip Inc.'s DSVII-SC readers running Windows CE.Net in the field, Domurad said.
The DSVII-SC reader can communicate over wireless LAN or cellular networks, has biometric capabilities, and reads PDF bar codes, magnetic strips and RFID chips. It also can retrieve data from on-board memory or an external database via wireless 802.11 or Bluetooth technology, said Stuart Tucker, customer and sales support manager at Datastrip.
Blackinton's application uses 125 kilohertz or a 13.56 megahertz RFID chip. Each encoded with an identification number and law enforcement agency number specific to the division and embedded into the badge made from ferrous metals. "The chip is embedded into the badge, not attached," Domurad said. "The chip becomes inoperable if someone tries to remove."
- Katherine Albrecht
Amusement park or testing ground for a total surveillance state?
This just in from RFID Update:
Computing reports that the Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire, England, will roll out a new service for guests that incorporates RFID with souvenir DVDs. Guests wear RFID bracelets during their day, while cameras located at strategic points throughout the park snap pictures of them. The pictures are identified by the RFID information such that when guests leave the park at the end of the day, a DVD with up to thirty minutes of personalized and stock photos is available for sale. The system will go into production next spring, according to the article. (For another RFID wristband tourism application, see Friday's article RFID Goes to the Poconos.)
According to the article, Andy Davies, commercial services director at Alton Towers, believes visitors will not be overly concerned about the invasion of privacy implications of wearing the bracelets.
"We will not force the bracelets onto people and the cameras will be unobtrusive, so they will not feel like they are being watched," he said.
But of course they are being watched. Closely.
That's the "beauty" of RFID's power -- if you're one of the watchers.
You can identify and track people everywhere they go, closely monitoring and photographing their every move -- secretly, silently, and invislbly.
Will you be stupid enough to wear one of these wristbands? Or to have an equivalent RFID device embedded in your shirt, shoes or driver's license? They could be there already for all we know.
The industry's sure working hard to keep us from finding out.
- Katherine Albrecht
March 20, 2006
RFID Chipped chompers
Chipped chompers could take a bite out of privacy if Belgian scientists convince the public to open wide and say "ahhhh" to spychips. Dr. Patrick Thevissen and his team from the Catholic University of Leuven think embedded RFID tags in teeth would be an ideal way to uniquely identify people, according to an article in The Register today. After all, they note, teeth are the most enduring of human remains, and certain RFID tags can withstand temperature changes in excess of 800 degreees Farenheit.
The university's interest in identifying humans with RFID should come as no surprise. Members and associated members of one of the university's consortiums, Leuven Security Excellence Consortium, include Philips, HP, Sun Microsystems, and IBM, among others.
- Liz McIntyre
March 17, 2006
Time to buy a flyswatter
The Pentagon wants to insert RF equipment into insects at the larval stage, so they'll pupate into hard-shelled surveillance drones, maneuverable by remote control.
"Darpa seeks innovative proposals to develop technology to create insect-cyborgs, possibly enabled by intimately integrating microsystems within insects, during their early stages of metamorphoses," its advertisement says.
Embedding the control equipment deep in their bodies will overcome those annoying "instinctive behaviours for feeding and mating" that kept bugs with RFID tags glued onto them from performing "reliably" in past studies. (How pesky of living creatures to believe they own their own bodies! How annoying of them to want to live their own lives!) Among other things, Darpa wants the power to force the insects to "remain stationary indefinitely or until otherwise instructed." Sounds like a real barrel of laughs for the bugs.
The goal is for insects to covertly transmit video and "bug" conversations by lurking unseen in enemy hideouts with micro-transmitters strapped to their bodies.
- Katherine Albrecht
March 10, 2006
Homeland Security puts remote tracking plan on hold
A few weeks ago, we disclosed a Homeland Security plan to use RFID "tokens" tucked in people's wallets to identify them as they walked through doorways and scan them from 25 feet away as they travel in a "car, truck or bus" at speeds of up to 55 mph.
Here's what the government's RFI (request for information) specified:
"The Government requires that [an RFID device] be read under circumstances that include the device being carried in a pocket, purse, wallet, in traveler's clothes, or elsewhere on the person of the traveler. The device must be readable when the traveler walks into a (Port of Entry) or crosses the border... Readers are located in doorways and in individual pedestrian and vehicle lanes to allow identification of where the token is read and to allow association of the token with the individual and, if applicable, the vehicle in which the token is carried."
Evan Schuman of eWeek followed up on our press release and contacted DHS to learn the full story. He discovered that the plan has been put on hold while the government "is trying to determine what technology we are going to use," said Bob Richards, the DHS specialist handling the project.
Apparently, it was not privacy concerns, but bureacratic wrangling that put the project on hold in mid-December. Though DHS reports receiving "a lot of responses" from vendors eager to created the system, Schuman reports that "interdepartmental jurisdiction" issues have become a concern. "Now it's also going to involve the State Department," said Richards. (Feeling safer yet?)
February 22, 2006
NY RFID System Prompts Peaceful Protest
Thanks to a supporter who snapped this photo of a New York City RFID scanner with a "SPYCHIPS.COM" sticker attached. Scanners like this are being installed in PATH train stations so riders can pay for fares with new RFID smart cards.
We're guessing this is the work of a grass roots activist who decided PATH train riders should visit our website to learn about the downsides of RFID technology. (This is not a CASPIAN sanctioned project, but we can't help but smile when we see this kind of peaceful protest and education campaign.)
Reportedly, these SPYCHIPS.COM stickers are showing up in other locations where RFID is in use. They appear to be non-destructive labels like you might see on file folders.
Here are some links to recent articles about the new PATH RFID system that might have prompted the recent activity:
- Liz McIntyre
February 10, 2006
CityWatcher Implant Controversy
Our press release about CityWatcher implementing a new VeriChip-based security system has prompted some to "slam the [CityWatcher] site with irate emails," according to its Network Administrator Khary Williams. He says he's willing to have a dialogue about the system, but asks that those opposed show a bit more restraint.
"Posting raving emails about RFID doesn't really help anything. It makes me lose respect for your cause...," he said.
He's got a point.
Besides, the downsides of getting a VeriChip implant need no embellishment. The chip is not only a privacy and civil liberties nightmare, it is a poor option for security, and it's got serious problems as a medical device. That information alone should prompt CityWatcher and its employees to rethink the new system.
Please be kind. Thanks.
January 16, 2006
VeriChip or dog chip?
There are two glass encapsulated RFID tags pictured above. One is intended for human flesh, the other for the scruff of your pet's neck. Which is which?
Answer: The chip pictured at the top is VeriChip's VeriMed chip that former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson would like to see implanted in all Americans. Directly below the human chip is the animal chip marketed by Schering-Plough under the "Home Again" brand name.
There's no visible difference between the chips. They look the same, and they're both manufactured by subsidiaries of VeriChip's parent company Applied Digital Solutions. The whitish substance on the end of the chips is an anti-migration coating called "biobond" that encourages tissue growth so the chip doesn't move around inside of the animial--human, feline, or canine.
There is a technical difference between the chips that you wouldn't see with the naked eye. The pet chip contains a 10-digit number while the human chip contains a 16-digit number. I asked VeriChip spokesman John Procter why the human version contained 16-digits. His reply: "flexibility." He said the company wanted to ensure there would be enough unique numbers available for all the people it envisions chipping. Yikes!
Note: The VeriChip corporation tries to ease consumer fears by referring to the chip as being "about the size of a grain of rice." The rice in the photo above is long-grain rice--the longest grain I could find in my pantry. As you can see, the VeriChip is much larger.
- Liz McIntyre
January 6, 2006
New device senses through concrete walls
DARPA has developed a 1.5 pound, $1000 device that can detect a person breathing through a brick wall from 50 feet away.
"The new 'Radar Scope' will give warfighters searching a building the ability to tell within seconds if someone is in the next room... By simply holding the portable, handheld device up to a wall, users will be able to detect movements as small as breathing....
"The Radar Scope, developed by DARPA, is expected to be fielded to troops in Iraq as soon as this spring, Baranoski said. The device is likely to be fielded to the squad level, for use by troops going door to door in search of terrorists. The Radar Scope will give warfighters the capability to sense through a foot of concrete and 50 feet beyond that into a room, Baranoski explained.
It will bring to the fight what larger, commercially available motion detectors couldn't, he said. Weighing just a pound and a half, the Radar Scope will be about the size of a telephone handset and cost just about $1,000, making it light enough for a soldier to carry and inexpensive enough to be fielded widely. The Radar Scope will be waterproof and rugged, and will run on AA batteries, he said."
Learning of this device makes me want to read Anne Frank all over again.
Wired lampposts hit Scotland
A company called "Compliance Technology" will soon install 4,000 solar powered lampposts in Scotland to provide not only off-the-grid light, but wi-fi wireless Internet access, as well. And there will apparently be enough energy left over to sell the excess to the national grid.
According to a news article at Dundee University, where the first lights are being installed: "It is envisaged that every street lamp in the UK could be changed to solar energy over a period of approximately 3-5 years. The impact of this is enormous....Every solar panel is also fitted with the latest WIFI or WIMAX technology, powered by the solar cell."
Of course, it wouldn't be hard to build RFID readers right into those lampposts, too. Already, solar powered street lights are being equipped with surveillance cameras.
Imagine the potential of electrical power and anywhere-placement combined with Internet connectivity and surveillance capabilities. Were it not for the camouflage benefits, a snoop might be tempted to dispense with the light fixture altogether and jump right to the chase. Authorities (or marketers) could set up wi-fi/surveillance-cam/RFID scanning anywhere there's sunlight.
In our book, Spychips, Liz and I discuss places where creative companies have hidden RFID readers, like floor tiles and picture frames. (Yikes! Could the Mona Lisa someday secretly scan your skivvies?) And the thought of of an RFID reader hidden in a lamppost has crossed my mind on more than one occasion.
When I was in England last year, I was creeped out by the thought that their RFID-rigged Oyster cards could be read right through people's wallets or purses to identify them anywhere British authorities had thought to place a reader. Of course, this could be a picture frame or a floor tile, but at the time the example that occurred to me was a lamppost. "What if I'm carrying this Oyster card in my wallet and the lamppost on the corner scans me as I walk past?" That day may not be far off.
January 5, 2006
VeriChip Corp's new competition - DIY chippers
Thanks to Steve for sending me this link to fascinating videos about a tech type who decided to implant an RFID tag in his hand: http://www.electric-clothing.com/chipped.html Warning: the pictures and videos linked at the site are quite graphic, showing things like metal rods being shoved under the skin and the suturing of slits and puncture holes.
The implantee and webmaster, Mikey, says he knows of more than sixteen other "midnight engineers" who have similarly chipped themselves, and he provides links to images of a few of those procedures, too. It seems there is some fascination with self-implanting tags not designed for human chipping, like animal tags, to do things like automatically open doors or access computers.
If you watch the link to the longer video interview with Mikey, you'll hear him acknowledge some potential medical risks associated with the implants. He raises the specter of cancer, for example. But I didn't hear any mention of concerns like potential MRI incompatibility, chip migration, or electrical hazards-- issues the FDA raised in a letter it sent when approving the VeriChip human RFID implant as a medical device: http://www.spychips.com/press-releases/verichip-fda.html.
Also absent from the discussion are the privacy and civil liberties implications of RFID implants--issues free-spirted individualists should take into consideration before plunging tags into their flesh.
January 4, 2006
The duct tape wallet - a sign of the times
RFID-laced credit cards with names like "Blink" and "ExpressPay" are in the mail, and concerned consumers are fighting back--with duct tape. Yikes!
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and an enterprising tech type has come up with a duct-taped, aluminum foil wallet that promises to keep invasive radio waves from siphoning card data--though you might have to suffer with an oozing, gooey back pocket on steamy days. Anyone familiar with the properties of duct tape can get a mental snapshot of that pending laundry disaster.
Here's a better idea: send back the spychipped cards. Yep. Just refuse them. We've been told that credit card companies will send you the familar low-tech mag striped cards if you insist. Better still, switch credit card companies in protest and opt to use anonymous cash whenever possible.
Cash: use it or lose it.
December 21, 2005
Will Bird Flu Scare You into Getting Chipped?
Beware! Americans are being prepped for a big health crisis that could scare them into lining up for a VeriChip.
In a new AP article out today, a "government advisor" is painting a bleak picture of America under seige by the bird flu. He claims that people might be too sick or too scared to go to work, companies could go bankrupt, and citizens might not have basic necessities. Here's a snippet from that article, titled "Few companies prepared for a flu pandemic":
Public health specialists and the government are pressuring businesses to prepare for a worldwide outbreak of the bird flu or some other superstrain of influenza, a crisis that could bankrupt many companies if their workers are too sick or scared to show up and their supply chains disappear.
The concern isn't just because of economics, but because many companies provide products and services that people literally can't live without, said Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota, who advises the government.
"Automobiles, jewelry and electronics will not be big ticket items" during the next flu pandemic, Osterholm notes. "We still have to feed people. How do we assure we have heat, fuel oil, electricity?"
Of course VeriChip board member and spokesperson Tommy Thompson is very concerned about this scenario, too. So much so, that he and his new Deloitte & Touche health think tank commissioned a survey to prove how ill prepared companies are for this questionable disaster on the horizon. According to the article, the survey will be unveiled behind closed doors to 25 companies and health officials this Friday.
Can't you see this drama leading to the suggestion that Americans get chipped as a way to keep us all safe in the impending crisis? I'm predicting the chip will be touted as a way to keep tabs on those who are sick so they can't infect you or your loved ones--and even protect you in your time of need should you become ill and be unable to speak in the event of an emergency.
According to some doctors and researchers, the bird flu is not the contagion health spokespeople would like you to think. Check out these links for other viewspoints on the human risks of avian flu:
Eliminating Bird Flu Fears by Dr. Sherri Tenpenny
December 19, 2005
Ad-Age features our opposition to Walgreens' RFID plans
WALGREENS RFID TRACKING PLANS STIR CONTROVERSY
'Spy Chip' Critics Cite Future Consumer Implications
December 13, 2005
By Jack Neff
CINCINNATI (AdAge.com) -- The planned rollout of a radio-frequency identification system to track promotional displays in 5,000 Walgreens stores is raising objections from privacy advocates, who cite patents as proof the system could eventually track consumers using RFID chips in loyalty cards.
In what appears to be the largest marketing application yet of RFID, the system from privately held Goliath Solutions at Walgreens electronically tracks when, how long and where displays are placed in stores. It allows the 15 package-goods marketers who have initially signed on to the program to track results of promotions by store or demographic cluster.
It also lets participating manufacturers send representatives to stores that haven't put up displays and time local, regional or national advertising according to when displays are in place. The system doesn't involve putting RFID chips on products consumers take home.
Out of the store
But the privacy group Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering cites two patents and two pending applications by Goliath that envision extending the system to track individual consumers in stores and target ads to them at home by using RFID chips embedded in loyalty cards.
One of the patents, granted in October, for example, outlines using RFID readers to count how many consumers are exposed to a particular display or to identify consumers who "closely identified a display for a predetermined amount of time" by reading their loyalty cards. The patent envisions consumers flashing their loyalty cards in the vicinity of the displays or, it adds: "The card could be read in a shopper's purse." The patent also covers gathering data about which displays individual consumers frequent in retailer databases to provide "personalized incentives" and "focus subsequent advertising material, such as direct mail."
Vows to protect privacy
"I couldn't speculate on the future and I could never say never about anything," a Walgreens spokesman said. But he added: "All we're doing at this point is looking at using this technology to get better performance out of our displays in the stores, and that's it." Walgreens doesn't have loyalty cards, he said.
"We are absolutely focused on not impacting consumer privacy," said Robert Michelson, CEO of Goliath.
In a statement, he said Goliath is not using the system in Walgreens to track consumers and that the RFID tags there are attached to displays and signs only, not on any products. "Consumer privacy is not an issue in that displays and signs are part of the store. Consumers do not purchase them."
He did not respond to questions regarding future plans to use the Goliath system to track consumers in stores using RFID-enabled loyalty cards.
Liz McIntyre, communications director of CASPIAN and co-author of the recently published anti-RFID book "Spychips," said she knows of no retailers that currently use RFID chips in loyalty cards, a practice that was fraught with controversy for the one retailer caught trying it. German retailer Metro recalled its frequent-shopper cards in 2004 after CASPIAN founder Katherine Albrecht discovered an RFID chip in a sample card given to her by the chain.
But Ms. McIntyre said technology suppliers like Goliath and retailers like Walgreens are likely to try to maximize returns from investment in infrastructure by expanding use of RFID tracking to consumers. "Today, they may just be monitoring displays," she said.
"Tomorrow, they could be monitoring individual shoppers and siphoning information from them without their knowledge or consent."
She noted promotional material from Goliath touts its system's invisibility to shoppers and store personnel, citing an ability to track RFID signals from "well beyond 30 feet" and to embed readers unobtrusively in light fixtures or above ceiling tiles.
"Once RFID crosses the line from the warehouse to the store floor, that's where we have an objection," Ms. McIntyre said, adding that the group believes any use of RFID in stores should be disclosed to consumers. But she said the group hasn't decided yet what if any action to take regarding the Walgreens program.
December 15, 2005
AP: Tommy Thompson still plans to get chipped
Tommy Thompson still plans to "get chipped" with a VeriChip/VeriMed implantable RFID device, according to a new AP story. The former Secretary of Health and Human Services and four-time governor of Wisconsin made a commitment to undergoing the procedure back in July of 2005, but has never followed through.
When we contacted VeriChip Corporation spokesman John Procter about the delay, he said Thompson was "too busy." He added that Thompson "wants to see it [the VeriChip] in a real-world environment first," and that he was trying to arrange a tour for Thompson at Hackensack University Medical Center, the first hospital to implement the technology in its emergency room.
We were hoping that Mr. Thompson was having a change of heart about the procedure, but he told AP that he will be eager to get chipped when the time is right. "In fact," he said, "I'll be in the front of the line."
Apparently, Mr. Thompson envisions a mass chipping at some point--something VeriChip has been planning.
When I asked Mr. Procter why the human version of the VeriChip implant contains a 16-digit number instead of a nine-digit number like the nearly identical pet chipping version, he told me the longer number would provide "flexibility." He said the extended numbering scheme would ensure more unique numbers would be available for the large number of people they were planning to implant at some point in the future.
I'm hoping VeriChip's "planning" is just wishful thinking. But considering the words of Senator Joseph Biden to Judge John Roberts during his Supreme Court Confirmation hearings on September 12, 2005, mass chipping plans could really be in the works. He said:
Can a microscopic tag be implanted in a person's body to track his every movement? There's actual discussion about that. You will rule on that -- mark my words -- before your tenure is over.


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Robots will be able to conduct a wide variety of tasks as well as humans if they can be given tactile sensing capabilities.
A KAIST research team has reported a stretchable pressure insensitive strain sensor by using an all solution-based process. The solution-based process is easily scalable to accommodate for large areas and can be coated as a thin-film on 3-dimensional irregularly shaped objects via spray coating. These conditions make their processing technique unique and highly suitable for robotic electronic skin or wearable electronic applications.
The making of electronic skin to mimic the tactile sensing properties of human skin is an active area of research for various applications such as wearable electronics, robotics, and prosthetics. One of the major challenges in electronic skin research is differentiating various external stimuli, particularly between strain and pressure. Another issue is uniformly depositing electrical skin on 3-dimensional irregularly shaped objects.
To overcome these issues, the research team led by Professor Steve Park from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Professor Jung Kim from the Department of Mechanical Engineering developed electronic skin that can be uniformly coated on 3-dimensional surfaces and distinguish mechanical stimuli. The new electronic skin can also distinguish mechanical stimuli analogous to human skin. The structure of the electronic skin was designed to respond differently under applied pressure and strain. Under applied strain, conducting pathways undergo significant conformational changes, considerably changing the resistance. On the other hand, under applied pressure, negligible conformational change in the conducting pathway occurs; e-skin is therefore non-responsive to pressure. The research team is currently working on strain insensitive pressure sensors to use with the developed strain sensors.
The research team also spatially mapped the local strain without the use of patterned electrode arrays utilizing electrical impedance tomography (EIT). By using EIT, it is possible to minimize the number of electrodes, increase durability, and enable facile fabrication onto 3-dimensional surfaces.
Professor Park said, “Our electronic skin can be mass produced at a low cost and can easily be coated onto complex 3-dimensional surfaces. It is a key technology that can bring us closer to the commercialization of electronic skin for various applications in the near future.”
The result of this work entitled “Pressure Insensitive Strain Sensor with Facile Solution-based Process for Tactile Sensing Applications” was published in the August issue of ACS Nano as a cover article.
- Researchers report minimalistic principles for designing small molecules with multiple reactivities against dementia. - Sometimes the most complex problems actually have very simple solutions. A group of South Korean researchers reported an efficient and effective redox-based strategy for incorporating multiple functions into simple molecular reagents against neurodegenerative disorders. The team developed redox-active aromatic molecular reagents with a simple structural composition that ca2020-05-11
(Professor Jinwoo Lee from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering) A KAIST research team doped nitrogen and boron into graphene to selectively increase peroxidase-like activity and succeeded in synthesizing a peroxidase-mimicking nanozyme with a low cost and superior catalytic activity. These nanomaterials can be applied for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Enzymes are the main catalysts in our body and are widely used in bioassays. In parti2019-04-30
A KAIST research team developed a novel fabrication method for the multilayer processing of silk-based microelectronics. This technology for creating a biodegradable silk fibroin film allows microfabrication with polymer or metal structures manufactured from photolithography. It can be a key technology in the implementation of silk fibroin-based biodegradable electronic devices or localized drug delivery through silk fibroin patterns. Silk fibroins are biocompatible, biodegradable, trans2019-03-15
(Professor Sung-Yool Choi from the School of Electrical Engineering) A KAIST research team developed a technology that makes a transition of the operation mode of flexible memristors to synaptic analog switching by reducing the size of the formed filament. Through this technology, memristors can extend their role to memristive synapses for neuromorphic chips, which will lead to developing soft neuromorphic intelligent systems. Brain-inspired neuromorphic chips have been gaining2019-02-28
(from left: Professor Steve Park, Jeongjae Ryu and Professor Seungbum Hong) Fiber-based electronics are expected to play a vital role in next-generation wearable electronics. Woven into textiles, they can provide higher durability, comfort, and integrated multi-functionality. A KAIST team has developed a stretchable multi-functional fiber (SMF) that can harvest energy and detect strain, which can be applied to future wearable electronics. With wearable electronics, h2019-01-31


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China and Philippines have a very good economic relationship. As a matter of fact, China is the third biggest partner of the Philippines when it comes to trading, technical cooperation, development assistance, as well as investments. The President of the Philippines, His Excellency Benigno S Aquino III sees China a larger source of investment for the country. Most of the country’s agricultural productions are exported to China.
The Philippine government invites Chinese businessmen to take part in the food industry and agribusiness in the country. As a matter of fact, Philippines is even sharing its BPO success to China. The two Asian countries are doing its best just to strengthen its bilateral trade relations. However, the beautiful economic relationship of the two countries is compromised because of an island in the South China Sea. The countries are claiming the said territory. The economic relationship of the two countries was significantly affected.
The two countries claim that they own the island known as Panatag Shoal (Philippines) and Huangyan Island (China). In line with this, the export of Philippine banana to China was held at various China ports because of quarantine concerns. China takes the dispute seriously that it even advised its people not to travel to the Philippines for safety and security reasons. There was even an allegation that anti Chinese rally will be held in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines.
The country considers this as a punitive economic action against the Philippines. Large Philippine vessel as well as large Chinese vessel was safeguarding the opposite borders of the Panatag Shoal. Will this economic and territory dispute continues to worsen? Well, this still remains a mystery up to now. The only sure thing is that other countries are now mediating just to iron the indifferences of the two promising countries.
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09/13/2017 10:29:05 AM 35 Views
CBS Local — As fast food employees across the U.S. continue to protest for higher wages, a California chain restaurant has decided to hire a new staff member that works for free. The competition for the company’s low-wage workers: a burger-flipping robot named “Flippy.” CaliBurger has announced they will be installing the high-tech replacement in 50 of their locations around the world. “Flippy,” the robotic kitchen assistant, was created by a California startup company called Miso Robotics and is expected to roll out in 2018. “We are excited about the impact Miso’s AI-based solutions will have for the restaurant industry,” Miso’s David Zito said. The CEO added that their creation will likely push workers out of their current jobs. “Humans wil...
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