Online Grocery Orders

Ordering groceries online for delivery has been a service that has been around for several years, mostly in the big cities, but has never taken off big time. Start-up cost has been a major issue, and has slowed the growth of such big services as Googles. The real issue is the business model, which for many has involved the building of warehouses and related infrastructure.

Instacart has a different model, which involves using established retail stores, like Costco, as their warehouse and hiring shoppers to do the shopping and deliveries, So there is little startup cost and almost no infrastructure to develop. The service seems to be taking off. The issue for them is whether they can compete in the long term on price, since they are buying from retailers. That will depend on how successful they are, and how much they are able to develop clout in determining prices they pay to their suppliers. Here's a writeup on Instacart.

Using Brain Waves to Control Electronic Devices

Researchers are commercializing a new technology that has been undergoing research for over a decade. It is a device that attaches to the skull and communicates with a brain implant that picks up thoughts and transmits them to nearby devices. The result is that the user can control the remote devices with their thoughts.

This technology has major implications for people who are paralyzed, and that is the focus of the first planned implementations. Here's a writeup.

WiGig - A New Faster Wireless Technology

There's a new wireless technology coming into the market this year from a number of vendors. It's called WiGig and works more than 10 times faster than the fastest WiFi. So it will be useful for such functions as transferring Hi Def movies between devices, which it can do in a few short minutes.

Since WiGig can't go through walls, it won't replace WiFi, but it will still be a useful tool for transferring data within a room without wires. For an article on WiGig, click here.

Email and Internet makes Workers feel more Productive

Pew Research shows that white collar worker usage of the internet, which amounts to over 90% of such workers, appears to improve productivity. Workers say that email facilitates communications with others outside the organization. Internet makes them feel more in charge. For a write-up, check this link.

Smart Wearable Devices Will improve Your Health

Wearable devices - technologies - are going to be used more often, with some predictions that they will be common by 2018. Smart bracelets, watches, rings, pins, implants and other devices are all going to get smarter and be more useful for monitoring and improving health.

We already see several devices being worn now, in many cases for exercise purposes, but also for people with chronic health issues, like heart problems.

But most of the devices in use now are not all that smart. They can do simple jobs, but their range of functionality is limited. The new devices coming along will be much more robust and make use of big data to carry out more sophisticated analysis. They will be used to monitor fitness, chronic health problems, recovery from illness and surgery, effects of diet and so on.

For more on this new trend, check out this article.

MOOCs are Finding their Space

Only two or three years ago, MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) were being touted as the vehicle that would revolutionize higher education. So far, they aren't doing that and you don't hear it as much any more.

But yet, MOOCs are still being offered on a "massive" scale, with institutions like Harvard, MIT Stamford and Georgia Tech offering them and in the case of Georgia, offering an entire masters program with MOOCs. The interesting thing is MOOCs are finding their niche. And that niche is not in replacing the traditional face-to-face educational model.

In some cases, they are supplementing the traditional model. For example, they are replacing textbooks in certain courses. They are also being used to help with training teachers, including high school teachers. And they are being used for industrial training, with one major provider focusing solely on that area.

Much has been made by the detractors that 90% of MOOC students do not finish the courses. But that's an overrated statistic. To flip it around, 10% of them do, 10% of 3000 students amounts to a sizeable course. Some of the students who register never start, because there is no financial barrier. For the rest, there is a variety of reasons why students don't finish, many of which do not mean they didn't have a meaningful and potentially useful experience. Maybe they studied just the material that interested them. Maybe they didn't want to work through assignments and exams. Maybe they didn't need or want a certificate and just wanted the learning experience. Learning for the sake of learning is not a bad thing. The students who did finish are the ones who really wanted to learn. Those who attended the lectures are the ones who really wanted to be there. That's not a bad thing either.

For a great article on MOOCs, click here.

 

Top Ten Tech Trends by Juniper Research

It's that time of year. Juniper Research has released its list of top ten tech trends for 2015 with the following release: 1: Securing Your Data: The Time for Encryption, Tokenisation & Biometric Authentication In the wake of a number of high profile security breaches, cloud service providers need to regain trust (at both the enterprise and consumer level). Thus, we expect to see an increasing array of companies investing in encryption and tokenisation solutions as a means of reducing the risk of data loss or theft during 2015. As with tokenisation, biometrics are increasingly perceived as a key way to enhance end-user identification and transactional authentication, across an array of technologies. In mobile, the combination of Apple Pay with Touch ID is perhaps the most high-profile example, but we envisage that markets where the mobile device is already used for personal authentication (such as Scandinavia and the Baltic states) will rapidly incorporate biometrics as an additional factor. The technology is also entering the card space: biometric technology developer IDEX has recently agreed to provide fingerprint sensor technology to Card Tech for incorporation into a digital card. The Top 10 Tech Trends whitepaper also has more detail on the following topics: 2. Wrist Wearables Smarten Up, and Know Their Limits 3. 2015 – The Year of NFC (At Last!) 4. All About the Data! 5. Leading Retailers to Facilitate Cryptocurrency Payment 6. Attack of the Drones 7. Consumers Take Control of their Own (Digital) Health 8. Budget Phablets, Smartphones Go Global 9. Location Based Services Move Indoors 10. Deep Linking to Become Standard Across Apps

Broadcasting to Russia? The Thin Edge of the Wedge

It seems that the famous Russian hackers are tapping into webcams all over the world. Many of them are set up with "default' passwords, like admin, or 1234, which everyone knows about, making it easy to break in. The use of default passwords has been a classic means of hacking into business systems for years. A login ID of admin, with a password of admin will sometimes get you right into a system with lax security administration, and sometimes even give you access to the security administration function, which enables you to modify accounts or even create your own for future use.

But home wireless systems and things like webcams are the biggest culprits, and therefore the target of hackers worldwide. The problem is going to become epidemic when more "things" come onto the web. Password management in the home will become even more crucial.

Here's the story about Russia and webcams.

Credit Cards on your Wrist

Royal Bank is running a pilot testing an innovative concept in the race to find a workable means of electronic mobile payments. Much effort by various parties has gone into the use of mobile phones, and this ill continue, but there are other means being researched.

Royal may be onto something with this product, which involves wearing a band that is equipped with NFC technology enabling it to communicate with similarly equipped cash registers or terminals. The band would be linked to the wearer's credit card and the authentication process, rather than a password or pin, would be the heartbeat of the wearer. So if the band is lost, it wouldn't be able to be used, as everyone has a unique heartbeat. Kind of a portable cardiogram.

We can expect other innovations in the payments space, but this one has a lot of potential. Wearable technologies are the future and perhaps we will see technological rings, pendants, and other things that will be able to facilitate our shopping for us. For more on the Royal initiative, check this link.

Will That be Credit Card, Debit Card or Cell Phone?

The recent launch of Apple Pay had drawn attention once again to the use of cell phones for payments. Check out this article on the subject by Gerald Trites on Money.ca.

Cars and Data Privacy

Automobiles are increasingly using advanced technologies to improve safety and the driving experience generally. Many of these technologies involve internet connections, which means that data about the car and the individual driving it is also available on the cloud. many people have raised concerns about the privacy implications of this trend.

The Association of Global Automakers -- the trade association representing Toyota Motor Corp, Honda Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co., Hyundai Motor Co. and other foreign automakers -- and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers -- the group representing U.S. automakers, Toyota, Volkswagen AG, Daimler AG and others -- both say they are working together to ensure driver data Relevant Products/Services privacy.

Their objective is to write a set of principles that could form the basis of their technology development. The principles could also form a basis for legislation. Privacy concerns extend beyond cars to all things being included in the internet of things and this will be a major issue for the foreseeable future. For more on the car makers actions, check out this site.
 

Technology Must Disappear to be Successful

Smartphones and tablets have been taking the personal computing space by storm in recent years. And yet, they are destined for the dustbin. Eventually they may be viewed as a flash in the pan.

The problem is they are too obtrusive. They are clumsy and get in the way. And nobody wants to carry devices around all the time. Not really.

Also, they get in the way of inter-personal interaction. They are a diversion that we don't need in a fast moving world. Technology needs to integrate with personal interaction, not interfere with it.

As technology evolves, the ultimate goal should be to make it invisible. There's an old saying - "we know a technology is successful when it disappears." A good example is HTML. That's the language that is used to build web pages. Way back in the dark ages of technology, lets say in the 1980's, when people were beginning to experiment with their own websites, they had to program them in HTML. Gradually web development tools came into use and HTML was no longer visible to the users. It is still there, but has disappeared.

Remember StarTrek? Most people do and some still watch it on the history channel or, perhaps more likely, on Netflix. The personal computers on StarTrek were accessed by tapping a lapel badge worn on the user's chest. Their interface with the computer was oral. They talked and the computer talked back.

That technology is much easier to imagine now than it was 25 years ago. A wearable badge capable of accessing the internet? Sure. An application talking to you like a person? (We already have that, an example being Apple's Siri). Very simple.

We are currently working hard on wearable technologies. Eventually, computing devices will disappear. But they will still be around and will be more successful than ever.

Self Driving Cars - Life and Death Virus Protection

With the advent of self-driving cars, likely in the next few years, virus protection will become a life and death matter. Check it out here.

The Spiral of Silence

Research into Communications over the years has established the concept of the "spiral of silence". That means the tendency of people not to speak out on policy issues if they feel their views are not widely shared,

Much of that research was done in the years before the internet and of course before social media and texting began to have such a huge impact on communications. Since the advent of social media, there has been speculation (and some research) on the question of what this impact might be and whether social media might have the effect of reducing this spiral of silence.

Pew Research has released one study that directly addressed this question. They interviewed 1800 people on the subject of the Edward Snowden revelations of 2013 and hose peoples' willingness to express their views on the matter.

The results are revealing. They show that social media not only does not reduce the effect of the spiral of silence, it actually increases it.

"People reported being less willing to discuss the Snowden-NSA story in social media than they were in person—and social media did not provide an alternative outlet for those reluctant to discuss the issues in person.

"Fully 86% of Americans reported in the Pew Research survey they were “very” or “somewhat” willing to have a conversation about the government’s surveillance program in at least one of the physical settings we queried —at a public meeting, at a family dinner, at a restaurant with friends, or at work. Yet, only 42% of those who use Facebook or Twitter were willing to discuss these same issues through social media."

Among the other findings, people were less willing to discuss the affair in social media that in person. Also, people who used social media were found to be less willing to discuss these issues in person that those who did not use social media. An important finding!

The reasons for these findings remain a rich area for further research. For a report on the study, check this link.

Do Computers Damage Your Learning Ability?

Some recent studies have shown that readers of digital media absorb less effectively than readers of paper. In one recent study, carried out at Stavenger University in Norway, students were given a short story to read, half on a Kindle and half on paper. In subsequent tests where they were asked to reconstruct the plot, the paper readers did significantly better.

In a previous study, again in Norway, 72 students were given some text to read, with some reading a PDF document and others reading it on paper. In the comprehension tests that followed, the paper readers did significantly better.

Many people feel that their comprehension and retention after reading on a computer is less effective than reading the same thing on paper. Some studies have indicated that students often prefer to study on paper.

This line of research has serious implications for today's students who get much of their information from computers. Also, there has been a move to move textbooks into digital format. But is this really a good idea?

One observer concludes that we need to learn about which types of information can be best absorbed using digital media and which using paper. It's an important question and one that requires further research.

For more, check out this article.

Amazon Moves into the Mobile Payment Space

Payments using mobile phones has been an area receiving a lot of attention over the past couple of years. But nobody has really broken heavily into the market, despite several prominent entries, such as Square and Paypal Here.

Paypal in particular is a powerhouse in the e-commerce payments area and has had a significant advantage in moving into mobile payments.

That advantage will be diminished with Amazon's entry, Local Register.

The system will be used with a card reader that will enable credit cards to be swiped on a mobile phone. The card readers will be available at various outlets, including Staples.

Initial resistance both from shoppers and merchants because of complexity and security issues is slowly fading, so the mobile payments market is widely seen as a major one. Successful providers will be able to make massive revenues from transaction fees. And the volume of retail transactions is staggering.

For more on this new service, check this link, and this one.

IT Security for Cars

When most people think about security for their car, they think locks and alarm systems; i.e. safety from theft and events like carjackings.

Those are important concerns, but a newer one is become a serious threat as well. That arises from the growing inclusion of technology into automobile systems, including the steering, brakes and parking manoeuvres. The prospect of driverless cars adds further urgency to this issue.

The issue is making sure those high tech systems incorporate the best of modern security techniques to provide protection from hackers.

The thought of hackers breaking into your car and disabling the brakes is a scary one, but nevertheless very real, if not now, then in the near future.

Last week, a group of security specialists published an open letter to the CEOs of the major automobile manufacturers calling for adoption of a new five star cyber security program in the manufacturing process.

Hopefully the industry will listen to these pleas. With the rapid changes now taking place in the automation of automobiles, we can't afford to wait until pranksters or malicious hackers begin wreaking havoc on the highways. For an article on the security experts' letter, check this link.
  

Facebook Remains Most Popular Social Media

Recent research carried out by Pew Research reveals that 71% of "online adults" use Facebook, often two or more times a day. Next in line, and way down the line, are LinkedIn (22%) and Pinterest (21%). It's a bit surprising that Twitter (18%) and Instagram (17%) come in last in the survey.

The differences can be partially explained by demographics. The fastest growing group in Facebook (as shown in other research) is the 45 - 60 age group, a large and powerful demographic. While Twitter is famously popular, it is mostly with young people and certain minorities, not as large a group. LinkedIn is popular as a business relationships  tool and the demographic is dominated by young well educated professionals. Most users of Pinterest are female.

But these demographics don't tell the whole story. There are various pockets of usage. For example Twitter is widely used by business for making corporate announcements.

Social media is used by 73% of the online adult population and Facebook has the widest range of demographic among its users. Another Pew study revealed that 74% of adults go online. So we're talking about a major portion of the population that uses social media. That's significant for many reasons.

Business has known for a few years now that social media is important as a tool for reaching their customers and other stakeholders. Many are still struggling with how to make best use of that fact. Some have embraced social media to the point that they are sometimes labelled as social businesses. Others are into select areas, such as Social CRM and Social PR.

The effect is a massive shift in spending - from traditional media to social media.

What the long range effect of this shift will be on social media remains to be seen. We can be sure that the effects will be significant, including formalization, legislative frameworks, rules, specialization, customization, etc.. For the Pew Study, check out this link.

Investor Relations - There's an App for That

Companies are bound by law and necessity to keep their investors informed. They do so by issuing annual reports, maintaining IR sections on their websites and filing various forms with regulators. It's an area where there is room for creativity (the right kind as well as the wrong) and innovation. There are competitions where they compete for prizes, such as the annual Corporate Reporting Contest sponsored by the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada.

Technology has played a growing role in IR over recent years, mostly on the world wide web. The has included not only websites, but the use of social media. Twitter is big in the IR area, because it is a way to send out quick notices on important events along with links for those who are interested in the details. But they use Facebook, LinkedIn, Youtube, Instagram and several others as well.

More recently, there has been a global trend to the use of smartphones and tablets for all kinds of uses. This has manifested in the use of apps for many of those purposes. IR is no exception.

Several companies have introduced IR apps, two good examples being Tim Hortons and General Electric.

The Tim Hortons app loads for the iPhone and iPad and presents a full range of information normally provided by a company to its investors. On the main page when it is opened, that includes current stock prices on both the TSX and the NYSE. Further there is late breaking news, a complete copy of the annual report, financial statements, other financial information and so on. The range and amount of information is considerable. Of course reading a 228 page annual report on a phone screen is challenging, but possible by enlarging the pages with finger swipes, and may be a good pastime when you are waiting in a doctors office for an appointment or waiting for a flight.

There has been some controversy as to whether these apps are useful or worth doing. They have been adopted by the most innovative companies but not by the average company out there. They are not mainstream as yet, but are growing in numbers.

Intuitively, it seems a logical development in a world inundated with new mobile devices where many users have ceased to use laptops with any regularity. Since it's important to reach these users, especially when they are investors or other stakeholders, then an IR app is a relatively easy and effective way to do it.

Check them out. You can find them on the usual app stores where available and also can often track them down through the corporate IR website of the company in which you have an interest.

Using the Internet to Inform Investors

For over fifteen years now, companies have been reporting their investor information on 
their websites. At the time, this was a big change because traditionally, they issued big printed
annual reports with all the financial and business information.

Now, there is a general recognition that the website information in the Investor Relations 
sections of the websites is the prime source of information by investors and others. Generally
speaking, specific information is easier to find on the web than it is by leafing through print
documents. And then, it is easier to use, since the information is already digital and can be
transported over to individual desktops for further analysis. That is, some of the time.

The difficulty is that quite often companies have found it hard to move away from the old 
print paradigm. They persist in presenting information in large PDF documents that preserve
the information just as if it had been printed. Nothing against Adobe here. It’s just that if that
is the only way the information is presented, then we lose the benefits of a digital format for
presenting information because typically PDF documents are difficult to extract information
from and leave the user in exactly the same position as if the information had been printed.

Some of the more progressive companies do provide the information investors need in 
alternative formats. Potash Corporation, for example, long a leader in financial reporting and
winner of many awards, provides a “Data Tool” in which a variety of information is
presented in a format that can be easily manipulated and downloaded for analysis.

Others, such as Agnico and BMO, also leaders in investor relations reporting, offer financial 

information in their websites in Excel format, which of course can be imported directly into 
individual user spreadsheets. Still others, such as Thompson and Tim Hortons offer their 
information in XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) format, a powerful format 
that is easily transported across platforms and analyzed in real time mode.

People want to consume financial information not just by reading it, but by analyzing it. 

Offering them at least the opportunity to choose seems not an unreasonable proposition, and
one that is easily accommodated by the web. Lets hope that those companies who are stuck
in the past rethink their approach.