Happy 18th birthday to the Viodi View. Although barely a generation in human-terms, there have been multiple generations of technology and business models since November 2002, when the Viodi View reported on the launch of the TelcoTV conference. Back then, multichannel video was an important driver for DSL adoption. Video-On-Demand, such as Movielink (reviewed here), was nascent, today’s social networks were non-existent, and slow-speed dial-up still the dominant way to access the early Internet.
Cutting Edge, Automated Mobility at the Oldest National Park & Beyond
In many ways, Autonomous mobility is where broadband at the turn of the century. It’s apparent it will have a big impact on society, but no one can predict when and what that impact will be. With Waymo’s driverless launch in Arizona and Beep’s quiet rollout out of low-speed, electric autonomous shuttle services, we are starting to see glimpses of that future. It is clear in talking to Beep that wireless broadband will be a critical element for such a service and that the future of mobility will be as much about delivering excellent customer experience as it will be the actual transportation of goods and people.
The Solar Passenger & Cargo Bike
Robots aren’t the only way to improve the efficiency of moving people and goods. An electric assist bike that can be configured as a passenger or a cargo vehicle could be a game-changer for urban and/or mountainous rural areas. With solar panels charging onboard batteries, it provides both low operational costs and low environmental impact. Some of what makes this unique is from where it hails and their approach to workforce development through distributed manufacturing.
The Virtual Referee Assistant
Will the referee of the future be a robot? One has to ask that question after seeing ST37 Sport Et Technologie’s cameras effectively serve as a referee. Founded by a fencing champion, their product, Mia, offers the opportunity to assist and improve the judgment of existing referees. It also provides the added benefit of streaming the video and providing real-time statistics.
The Blockchain Home Surveillance Camera #CES2020
IoTex built on its CES2019 debut with a home surveillance camera produced in partnership with Tenvis. IoTex’s open-source blockchain technology secures the privacy of the end-user so that neither Tenvis nor IoTex can see their customers’ personal information and video streams. This approach of distributing processing and security via blockchain is core to IoTex’s vision to create an Internet of Trusted Things.
Some Tweets and Short Thoughts
- On 11/18/20, the FCC voted unanimously to split up the 5.9 GHz band formerly dedicated to DSRC into shared spectrum use (e.g. WiFi) and automotive safety (PDF). It was not without controversy, however, as evidenced by this exchange between a representative from the trucking industry and FCC Chair, Ajit Pai. Pai points out that after two decades, only .0053% of 247M U.S. vehicles have DSRC technology.
- $51M – that would be the cost of the iPhone 12 if we were teleported back to 1991. Read the analysis from the American Enterprise Institute here.
- @AlexStapp “running a leafblower for 30 minutes creates more emissions than driving a F-150 pickup truck 3800 miles” Granted the Edmunds testing behind that claim is from 2011, but one has to wonder if policy-makers are missing some low-hanging fruit as far as ways to cost-effectively reduce pollution?
The Korner – Leadership in Challenging Times
Although the title of the event was “Christian Leadership in Challenging Times”, the ideas shared by the panelists were relevant to any business leader dealing with the events of 2020. A common theme was the idea of being a servant leader who serves staff and customers first. As the panel moderator to this Christians in Communications- produced virtual event, Matt Polka painted a picture of servant leadership as an inverted pyramid where the leader supports his/her constituents.
