Silicon Valley is abuzz with the excitement of Super Bowl week and the influx of the purported 1 million visitors that are descending upon the Bay Area. In a news release, Verizon indicates they have invested $70M in LTE network upgrades to prepare for the onslaught. If an Indianapolis-based, IoT company, profiled below in the Korner, was just a little sooner to mass market, they would have an elegant solution for turning the trash generated by the Super Bowl tourists into an opportunity.
Vermont as a Brand
With the rise of communications behemoths, it is easy to forget that the acronym CATV stands for Community Antenna Television and that the roots of CATV can still be seen in many of the systems that still exist in rural America. The 60 subscriber “cable network” that Cliff Duncan bought in 1972 was the prototypical early CATV system, as, when he purchased it; cable was strung from house to house and tree to tree, instead of using pole-lines and rights-of-way. The story of Cliff Duncan and Duncan Cable TV is one of transformation from a fledgling antenna extension service to a state-of-the-art telecommunications and media production company; one that stayed true to its community roots.
Automated Live Video Production #CES2016
Simplifying the video production of live events is Livestream’s objective with Movi, which it previewed at the Pepcom Digital Experience! event at CES. Phil Worthington, founder, SVP Research and Development of Livestream, describes this 4k, 30 frame/second, 150 degree field of view video capture device that records locally as well as streams via WiFi or Ethernet, allowing anyone to create a professional broadcast without spending lots of money on equipment or crew. Movi offers the potential for local content producers to capture events and local meetings that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive.
Car Comforts with the Efficiencies of an Electric Motorcycle #CES2016
With an aim of helping to “catalyze the shift to a sustainable transportation system,” Mark Frohnmayer and the company he founded, Arcimoto, have a game-changing vision. Frohnmayer, who has had start-up success in the gaming world, is pragmatic about how to achieve that vision as evidenced by the prototype SRK that was on display at Pepcom’s recent Digital Experience! event. With options to convert this into a compact delivery vehicle, Arcimoto could provide service providers with a unique and low-cost way for transporting their representatives to make service calls.
Some Tweets and Short Thoughts:
- Turning an Awful Memory into a Symbol of Hope – Francine.Bellson, at a recent meeting on the importance of Lockheed Missiles and Space Defense to the development of Silicon Valley, discusses a little know Silicon Valley connection to the challenger disaster.
- Louay Eldada predicted a year ago that LIDAR would get to $250 by the end of 2016. LIDAR is fundamental building block to an autonomous future. This PBS article explores what could make that a utopian or dystopian future.
- Paul Solsrud – “2,800 people impacted by PCs for People in December!” Kevin Larson described this program several years ago at MTA and how CTC implemented the program in this video.
The Korner – IoT – Internet of Trash Cans #CES2016
With 254 million tons of garbage generated each year, according to 2013 EPA statistics, it is no wonder that some portion of it spills into the roadways, sidewalks and green spaces of America. As seen in the above video, Grant Jenkins and the company he cofounded, eCeptacle, believes their IoT solution, not only can help reduce litter, but provide efficiencies to local governments. In this case, the acronym IoT could mean the Internet of Trash.
Click here to learn more about this IoT device that incorporates multiple sensors, a display and WiFi. This type of device will continue to drive the demand for last-mile bandwidth.
