When technology evolves, it is also changing the dynamics of society. As today’s modern technologies continue to disrupt our worlds, we also need to account for the gains we derive from them and consider cognizable impacts they bring too. Artificial intelligence has been at the helm of this transformation for the past couple of decades. This digital transformation is caused by a perfect brew of interrelated disciplines like cybersecurity, cloud computing, data science and analytics, AR-VR, blockchain, and many more, AI’s contributions are undeniable and always the forerunner here. This may be because while data is omnipresent in a raw structured or unstructured format, AI gives quantifiable value. They are thus enabling it to act as a pipeline of the current digital age. This is quintessentially why AI is set to revamp the profound ways industries have been functioning hitherto.
If one factor in the advantages we obtain from AI, the potential of this field is limitless. And conglomeration of these innovations can create an authentic global village that can boost the global economy to new heights. For instance, at present, Fintechs are leveraging AI to gain a competitive edge in the market against rivals. Hence most of the market leaders have adopted the technology to enhance operations in terms of speed, cost, accuracy, and efficiency, as well as meet customer needs in an altogether more comprehensive manner. This illustration is just a scratch on the surface. Other drivers include a shift in customer demands with the volatile market, data analysis for business-oriented insights, timely detection of anomalies, integration of diverse yet simultaneous organizational tasks, an improved layer of security, and so on.
Once a business sector implements AI models and systems that align with the business goals and models, the gains are multifold. Businesses gain the ability to:

• Mine data to extract insights that can help in making an informed decision
• Automate rote, monotonous, and trivial tasks with higher efficiencies, thus saving money, resources and time
• Provide round the clock availability and services
• Boost revenue generation by identifying and maximizing sales opportunities
• Predict and forecast customer preferences to offer a better customized and personalized experience
• Identify reliable touchpoints to qualitative lead generation and retention
• Minimize the frequency of human errors in applications

Continue reading: https://www.analyticsinsight.net/ai-exploring-the-impacts-and-gains-that-we-achieved-so-far/

Questions about salary are among the most important during an interview process, and can therefore be the most difficult to answer.
Megan Prosser, a senior manager at recruitment specialist Robert Walters, says it is important for applicants to recognise that they have a say when it comes to what they want to earn.
In conversation with Cape Talk, Prosser noted that the working environment is different from how it was prior to the Covid pandemic, changing the needs and requirements of both employer, and employee.
“I think there’s a perception when people are interviewing that the employer holds all the cards, and we are sort of cattle or pawns in that process, but that is not the case,” said Prosser.
South Africa is unique in that it does not fall within the global ‘great resignation’ trend; however, paired with a high unemployment rate, South Africans often do not have the luxury to quit, said Prosser.
Applicants should not hesitate to negotiate for more time and flexibility, especially when they are employed full-time, said Prosser.
When questioned on how potential employees should negotiate their salaries, both Prosser and Silke Rathbone, a principal partner at Labour Excel, agreed that applicants must avoid emailing as a means of communication.
Prosser said that emails are prone to misunderstandings and gauging tone. It is best to call or meet in person with the employer, the HR department or your recruiter if you want to negotiate salary expectations or need to discuss relocation.
Rathbone said that it is right to ask an employee what their salary expectation is however, she stressed that employers should consider pay based on an applicant’s experience and the role they intend to fill.
Job seekers must only have the conversation at the end of the process, said Rathbone.
Be confident and research
Being brave enough to negotiate well can show the employer what skills you can bring to the organisation, notes recruitment firm Michael Page.
Continue reading: https://businesstech.co.za/news/wealth/583280/how-to-answer-one-of-the-toughest-job-interview-questions/

In math, they say that “Things equal to the same thing are equal to each other. We’re hearing that Web3 is really blockchain, and that the metaverse is blockchain too. Therefore, Web3 is the metaverse. Is any of that true? And if it is then what could the failure of one of these hot concepts mean for the others? Some relationship-exploring is in order. Web3 is a sprawling concept aimed at “decentralizing” the Internet by creating a peer-to-peer model of authentication of people and things and verification of the elements of and rights to transactions. It’s grounded in the notion that blockchain can host an absolutely secure form of identity proof and also create a chain of validations for any activity by maintaining a forgery-proof ledger. Blockchain is absolutely fundamental to Web3, and if there’s a flaw in it, that flaw either has to be corrected, or Web3 falls. At first glance, the metaverse is a totally different thing. It’s a virtual or artificial reality populated by digital twins of people and objects, and some objects and people that are products of the software itself. In a sense it’s the use of gaming technology to create an immersive alternate world that you actually live in. However, the fact that people are represented by avatars means that there has to be some mechanism to verify the identities underlying those avatars and preventing impersonations that could be awkward at best and downright dangerous at worst. There also has to be a mechanism to pay for things, including virtual things, and convey ownership authoritatively. Blockchain is a leading technology option for both these things. Blockchain is, of course, also the basis for cryptocurrency. The financial incentives to break or steal cryptocurrencies are obviously high, and we’ve seen major hacks of crypto exchanges seemingly monthly dollars. That hasn’t seemed to taint either Web3 or the metaverse so far, but we’re not hearing much about how either Web3 or the metaverse would avoid cryptocurrency’s problems with theft, loss of your assets by misplacing your wallet, etc. These hacks are probably the greatest risk to both Web3 and the metaverse, one that I’m sure is keeping some venture capitalists (VCs) up at night. The problem with blockchain security is the classic “emperor’s new clothes” problem. Few people understand blockchain security, and an even smaller number would have any skill to assess it. It’s supported by acclamation, just like the emperor’s new clothes. If there was a major credibility threat to blockchain, it might be only a matter of refinement to fix it, but would the people who didn’t understand how it worked to start with now understand and accept the fix?
Continue reading: https://www.nojitter.com/enterprise-networking/what-web3-and-metaverse-have-do-one-another

The internet of things (IoT) is growing exponentially, with as many as 25 billion devices expected to be deployed by 2030. IoT technology has many benefits for consumers, corporations and, in particular, the manufacturing, health care and transportation industries. However, if IoT security issues are not addressed, as more devices get installed, connected networks will be exposed to an increasing number of cyberattacks.
What Is the Internet of Things?
The IoT is a system of interconnected devices, digital or mechanical machines and objects that can transfer data over a network without human interaction. 
An IoT system can be a vehicle with built-in sensors that alert the driver about low tire pressure, a biochip transponder implanted in a farm animal, a heart monitor implant implanted in a person or any other object that uses an internet protocol (IP) address to transfer data over a network.
Organizations use IoT to deliver enhanced customer service, improve decision-making, increase the value of the business and operate more efficiently.
IoT Security Challenges
The challenges listed below can put IoT device users at risk of a potential data breach.
Lack of physical security
Attackers can sometimes make physical changes in IoT devices located in remote places for long periods of time. For example, they can infect USB flash drives with malware. Manufacturers of IoT devices must ensure the physical security of devices. However, building secure transmitters and sensors for low-cost IoT can be a challenging task for manufacturers.
Botnet attacks
A botnet is a collection of malware-infected machines. Attackers use these infected machines to bring down a target by sending thousands of requests per second.
IoT devices are highly vulnerable to malware attacks because they do not get usual security updates like regular computers. As a result, attackers can easily turn IoT devices into infected botnets and use them to send vast amounts of traffic.
Lack of visibility
Gaining visibility into all IoT devices in the network is challenging for IT teams because many devices are simply not registered in IT inventory records. Devices like smart coffee machines, ventilation and air conditioning systems are considered not “important enough” to track by IT teams. Security teams cannot do anything to prevent breaches if they cannot see what is connected to the network. 
Continue reading: https://securityboulevard.com/2022/05/5-top-iot-security-challenges-and-solutions/

Finally, the most recent research on the gender gap in the technology industry in 2022 is inspiring and encouraging as it shows that over the years, the number of women entering India’s technology sector has witnessed a steady growth. According to Deloitte Global, large global technology firms will have nearly 33 percent overall women representation in their workforces by 2022, an increase from 2019.
The number of women entering STEM-related fields is at par with men, but this gender representation decreases  at managerial and higher levels. According to a report by 451 Research, women now make up 34% of the IT workforce in India, with a 50:50 gender parity rate in STEM graduates. However, while women make up 51% of entry-level recruits, only 25% are in management positions, with less than 1% in the C-suite.  Due to the lack of women  role models at higher levels, the tech industry appears to be male dominated, resulting in fewer women pursuing careers in the industry.
Stereotypes such as engineering is a male-only field must not stop women from chasing their dreams. Businesses, leaders, and employees have a role to play along with women themselves to create opportunities for growth and visibility to overcome such stereotypes. Organizations must implement a step-by-step approach to consciously hire women talent and develop them by building an inclusive work environment and improving women’s representation in senior leadership roles. Initiatives must be implemented at all levels of the organization, from leadership to human resources (HR). Business leaders at the top can initiate mentorship programs and directly assist women in preparing for the boardroom.
In STEM the under-representation and disparity of women result from deep-rooted social stigma, discrimination, biases, social norms, and expectations that are influenced by the quality of education they have received and the subjects they studied. These career choices represent not only a missed opportunity but also a societal imbalance reflecting in unequal gender representation. 
Continue reading: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/we-need-more-women-in-technology-for-an-inclusive-digital-ecosystem/

You might not have heard, but there’s a new version of the internet being built, one with much more virtual reality, non-fungible tokens, and highly volatile cryptocurrencies. It’s called Web3, and according to swaths of entrepreneurs and venture capital investors, it could be the next big thing. But what actually is Web3, and what does it consist of?
Web3.0 is focused on building the next iteration of the World Wide Web, but this time on distributed and decentralized systems, with the goal being to create an internet ecosystem not controlled by any one singular entity, such as Facebook or Google.
Due to this, the industry is built on open, decentralized blockchains like Ethereum and Solana, which run on tokens - tradeable digital assets that leverage blockchain technology for additional functionality such as higher speeds or greater security.
Many Web3 startups are often funded through less traditional methods, such as selling their platform’s tokens to users via a token sale, or establishing themselves as a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO). These methods not only allow the startups to fund their operations, but also give everyday users a stake or say in how the business is operated.
Broadly, Web3 is aimed so individuals will have better security, transparency, and privacy, and will be freed from the influence of some of the powerful big tech Web2 companies.
Wait, there’s a Web2?
Yep. The internet as we know it today can broadly be referred to as Web2, which usually refers to the period after the turn of the millennia where major companies, such as Facebook and Google, began to dominate the Web, and users could interact with the internet through the creation of social media accounts and the like. Some of the iconic developments of Web2 include things like blogs, video sharing websites like YouTube, photo sharing and web apps.
Continue reading: https://www.smh.com.au/technology/what-is-web3-20220427-p5agmn.html

Pasi Hurri, CEO of BaseN, joins the IoT For All Podcast this week to discuss digital twins and how they are evolving. The podcast begins with Pasi giving background into himself and BaseN before providing insights on their partnership with the European Union Space Agency. Pasi and Ryan then break down what a digital twin is, its role in IoT, and what the next generation of digital twins looks like. They then wrap up the podcast with a high-level discussion surrounding the real-world value of IoT and the challenges of deploying solutions in the industry.
Pasi Hurri has held the position of Chief Executive Officer since BaseN was established in 2001. Mr. Hurri is also a visiting lecturer and expert speaker, e.g., at IEEE and several universities. Before founding BaseN, Pasi spent more than a decade in senior technology management positions. He presided over the engineering effort of the KPNQwest Eurorings network, then the largest pan-European carrier transporting more than 50% of the Internet traffic. Mr. Hurri also was the Chairman of FICIX, the Finnish Commercial Internet Exchange, and a Member of the Board of Directors at Academica Oy, now part of Equinix. Within Ahlstrom Corporation, Mr. Hurri managed the creation of a global IP network in the early 90s.
Continue reading and listen in: https://www.iotforall.com/podcasts/e182-what-are-digital-twins-and-how-are-they-evolving

 have multiple Google Alerts keeping me apprised about announcements regarding radio frequency identification (RFID), Near Field Communication (NFC), Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), real-time locating systems (RTLS) and other Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. Google Alerts lets people receive emails when new results for user-specified topics show up in Google Search. I receive daily alerts about product releases, pilots, deployments, standards and other developments, allowing me and RFID Journal reporter Claire Swedberg to find interesting angles to write about.
Typically, the articles I see in Google Alerts depict the IoT sector and the innovative technologies it encompasses as enjoying an era of unprecedented growth. Every now and then, though, the alerts cause me to raise an eyebrow. One of my alerts is for the term "Internet of Things" with the word "market" filtered out to avoid my being deluged with a plethora of websites promoting market reports—which can be useful, don't get me wrong, but they seem mass-produced on conveyor belts, considering how many new ones are announced every month. Today's alert was filled with alarming reports regarding a lack of IoT security.
An article from Digital Information World, titled "The Internet of Things Was Attacked Over a Billion Times in 2021," claimed the interconnected nature of common household appliances, smart devices and digital assistants (Alexa, for example) "is something that many experts are warning against," on the grounds that "this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up creating many more vulnerabilities that malicious actors can exploit." The article cites a report from SAM Seamless Network indicating more than a billion cyberattacks occurred last year, 900 million of them focused on the IoT, which the article paints as a very insecure environment.
Google Alerts also pointed me to a ZDNet story, "This Unpatched DNS Bug Could Put 'Well-Known' IoT Devices at Risk," covering a warning from researchers at IoT security firm Nozomi Networks. The warning pertains to a popular library for the C programming language for IoT products that is vulnerable to Domain Name System (DNS) cache-poisoning attacks, due to a 10-year-old bug that cannot be patched. Researcher Andrea Palanca, the article explains, discovered the DNS implementation of uClibc and uClibc-ng C libraries "generates predictable, incremental transaction identifiers (IDs) in DNS response and request network communications," affecting "a range of well-known IoT devices running the latest firmware versions with a high chance of them being deployed throughout all critical infrastructure."
Beneath that headline, meanwhile, was a story from Federal News Network titled "Hackers Find More Than 400 Vulnerabilities in DoD's Industrial Base Companies." The U.S. Department of Defense invited HackerOne, a crowdsourced group of bounty-hunting ethical hackers, to identify vulnerabilities in its contractors' IoT-based networks. "Over one year," the article reveals, "the hackers probed 41 companies and found more than 400 vulnerabilities that needed mitigation." It's encouraging to see the Department of Defense proactively addressing and preventing holes in its security, but it's also a bit scary to think the U.S. military could be so vulnerable to attack.
These are just a sampling of the alarming articles in today's Google Alerts—and lately, they've been popping up with increasing frequency. How accurate, in your opinion, does reporting on Internet of Things security tend to be? Is the IoT a dangerously insecure smörgåsbord for criminals to steal sensitive data from business and individuals? Do such articles amount to alarmist fearmongering and worst-cast scenario clickbait? Or is the truth somewhere in the middle—that threats to the IoT are undeniably real, but that the picture isn't nearly as grim as it's being painted?
Continue reading: https://www.rfidjournal.com/a-false-sense-of-iot-security

Cybercriminals have developed different avenues for trying to access personal information. You will often hear that they have breached servers to steal information, perhaps through technical means such as exploiting a security vulnerability.
But one of the most common methods cybercriminals deploy to gather personal data is through phishing attacks. Cybercriminals will deploy many different types of malicious email techniques  to coerce potential victims into handing over anything from account credentials and payments, to actual data points, such as dates of birth and address.
Phishing scheme seeks out Verified Twitter users
What we know: Unknown threat actors have begun posing as Twitter Verified, the platform the social media company uses to determine whether an account meets the threshold for a blue check mark. Verified Twitter users have reported receiving phishing emails asking them to click on a link to address issues with their accounts, or else they will be suspended from the platform. 
Once clicking on the “Check notifications” button in the email, users are then asked to enter their credentials twice. After entering the credentials, a phishing kit will reset the user’s password, after which a page will prompt the victim to enter a login verification code, which the hacker will use to complete the process and lock the victim out of their account. From there, cybercriminals may spread scams and malware to other Twitter users under their name.
Recommendations: First, it’s important to note that Twitter, nor any other organization for that matter, will ever send you a message asking for your credentials. If you receive any message of that nature, it’s best to delete it immediately. Also, be on the lookout for other hallmarks of a phishing scheme, including messages that contain a call to action with a sense of urgency, misspellings or are from senders that you do not recognize.
Vulnerability leaves millions of IoT devices, routers at risk
What we know: A recently discovered vulnerability leaves millions of internet-of-things devices and routers at risk. Researchers at Nozomi Networks said the flaw leaves the devices open to DNS poisoning attacks, which gives cybercriminals the ability to redirect victims to malicious websites or servers they control, rather than their intended location. The vulnerability may be present in devices manufactured by popular router vendors, including Netgear, Axis and Linksys.
Recommendations: Currently, there is no patch in circulation to address this vulnerability, but the stakeholders involved are working to develop one as quickly as possible. If you have a device from one of the vendors listed, or are concerned you may have a vulnerable device, keep your eyes open for the patch once it’s released. While you can attempt to update the device yourself, it’s highly recommended that you allow an IT professional to perform the task to ensure that you are protected.
Continue reading: https://securityboulevard.com/2022/05/phishing-scheme-targets-verified-twitter-users-vulnerability-leaves-millions-of-routers-iot-devices-at-risk/

Anna Masker, an Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) member in New York, is a founding partner of ProfitLinq, a scalable outsourced finance and accounting solution for fast-growing crypto and blockchain companies. We asked Masker, a member of the Accounting Blockchain Coalition, how the decentralization of banking will impact the accounting industry. Here's what she shared:
Seldom does a person use the words "accountant" and "innovation" in the same sentence.  However, with the evolution of Web 3.0, accounting firms must adapt to the innovations coming with blockchain technology or risk getting left behind.  
What is Web 3.0?
Web 3.0 (also referred to as Web3) refers to the evolution of decentralized, blockchain-based applications that bring trade and commerce to a new level. Blockchain, simply put, is a distributed ledger technology that provides an immutable record of transactions between parties. Once a transaction is cryptographically recorded to a blockchain, the transaction cannot be altered, modified, or removed. Copies of the ledger are stored among many computers across the world, enhancing trust and providing transparency to the transactions on the ledger. 
Web 3.0 decentralizes information storage but also allows peer-to-peer transactions through programming of "smart" contracts, which can transfer money, rights, and property between parties very efficiently. The evolution of smart contracts eliminates many of the middlemen--like banks--that facilitate transactions between parties. As a result, an entire financial system exists outside of the current traditional banking system. In this blockchain-based ecosystem, individuals and businesses are transacting among themselves, buying, borrowing, lending, and investing without needing to use a bank.      
In addition to the evolution of smart contracts, a new class of digital assets has evolved in Web3, including cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The underlying blockchain technology has allowed these digital assets to take on many different use cases, from governing decentralized organizations to payments, investments, or currency and collectibles in virtual reality metaverses. 
Continue reading: https://www.inc.com/entrepreneurs-organization/3-ways-web3-may-impact-accounting-and-how-to-prepare.html

An Application Programming Interface (API) is a software intermediary that allows applications to communicate with one another. APIs provide routines, protocols, and tools for developers to facilitate and accelerate the creation of software applications. They enable applications to easily access and share data. APIs connect Web-based applications and other services or platforms, such as social networks, games, data repositories, and devices. Internet of Things (IoT) applications and devices also use APIs to access and collect data as well as control other devices.
Applications are the engine that drives enterprise growth and APIs are core to accelerating this process. Using APIs lowers the barrier to entry for inexperienced developers, and at the same time increases efficiency for more experienced people. 78 percent of IT decision-makers say the adoption of APIs is important for their company to stay competitive in the market. As developers continue to shift to an API economy, cybercriminals have taken notice and intensified efforts to find new attack vectors and exploits.
As decision-makers in organizations attach greater priority to accelerated, inexpensive application development, the industry is adopting API use at unprecedented rates. At the same time, organizations must employ corresponding security functions and processes to ensure they can protect their data. Today, at least 90 percent of developers using APIs in cloud-native web application development and organizations are reviewing their API security strategies to ensure that security moves in lockstep with innovation.
Overall, decision-makers realize using APIs improves internal data quality, enhances customer visibility and trust, helps create a better product for customers, and streamlines internal processes. To gain these benefits, organizations must overcome the challenges of competing or evolving priorities across teams and find a balance as they expand the adoption of APIs and the security that protects their assets. This means building a holistic API security strategy that optimizes overall productivity and ensures developers have the skills and tools required to manage API security.
As with any data-centric security strategy, having continuous visibility into APIs reduces the complexity of securing them. An API security technology can reduce complexity around securing APIs, ease compliance, and enhance the ability to classify API-transferred data, ensuring all key modes of visibility. To overcome security concerns relating to expanding the attack surface with more channels for data, the right security solution can assuage concerns and enable APIs to keep delivering on investments.
Continue reading: https://securityboulevard.com/2022/05/forrester-report-reveals-the-5-benefits-it-teams-really-need-from-api-security-tools/

People prefer to carry their business online today, and with the lack of face-to-face communication, it’s hard for companies to understand what their employees and customers are feeling. In this situation, enhancing your operations with emotional AI that can distinguish different sentiments could be a game-changer. But this brings up several questions about the potential for misuse of power:
Is it acceptable for companies and government entities to survey people, detect their emotions, and take corresponding actions? And is artificial intelligence smart enough to read human emotions accurately?
'There is still a lot of controversy around AI emotions. Emotional AI has its benefits, but you should be aware of the challenges when considering potential applications at your organization.' - Nadejda AlkhaldiClick To Tweet
Despite these concerns, AI consulting firms are thriving as the global emotional AI market is expected to reach $173.81 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 34.05 percent between 2019 and 2025.  Let’s take a look at what emotional artificial intelligence can do and what hurdles you can expect along the way should you decide to implement emotional AI in your organization.
What is Emotional AI?
Emotional AI, also referred to as affective computing and artificial emotional intelligence, is the branch of artificial intelligence that deals with processing and replicating human emotions. This technology dates back to 1995 and aims at making human-machine interactions more authentic and natural. Emotional AI can read people’s feelings through text, voice tone, facial expressions, and gestures and adjust its demeanor accordingly. 
People have the upper hand in recognizing different emotions, but AI is catching up with its ability to analyze large volumes of data. Emotional AI employs computer vision, speech science, and deep learning algorithms, among other techniques. It can listen to human speech and detect voice inflections that correspond to anger, stress, etc. The technology can spot facial micro-expressions that disappear so rapidly that the human eye wouldn’t be able to catch them. 
Continue reading: https://www.iotforall.com/emotional-ai-are-algorithms-smart-enough-to-decipher-human-emotions

We show you how crypto can increase revenue, broaden financing options, boost savings and accumulate no-risk rewards in your business.
If you're a small business owner, you may wonder if using cryptocurrency is wise for your personal or business finances. A Finder.com survey showed that about 23% (59 million) of adult Americans have invested in crypto. And according to Skynova, 32% of US small business owners and top-level executives said they accept crypto as payment.
As crypto gains popularity, consider how it could improve various aspects of your business and help you achieve results. We'll review tips for using crypto in your venture, whether you're just getting started or are a seasoned entrepreneur.
What is cryptocurrency?
Crypto is a digital store of value and a medium of exchange that uses blockchain technology to record transactions on a global, decentralized ledger. So, instead of needing a bank or middleman to process payments, buyers and sellers can transact directly using encrypted digital wallets or exchanges.
There are many reasons small businesses might want to own, accept, and pay with crypto. It may help you attract new customers, partners, or employees or even prevent fraud. Another is that crypto may be a good investment or provide you with innovative ways to take out business loans.
Here are five ways to use crypto in your small business for more success.
Continue reading: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/426438

Perfectly reliable, digital data management - is there such a thing? Softing is taking on the challenge of implementing IoT and Industry 4.0 applications by offering an integrated software solution that has comprehensive functions for efficient and reliable digital data exchange and data management.
Complete Package for OPC Communication and Cloud Connectivity
dataFEED OPC Suite Extended offers OPC UA and OPC Classic communication, plus IoT cloud connectivity. Via the integrated OPC UA Server with store-and-forward, it provides secure and reliable access to controllers from a wide range of brands. 
By acting as a gateway between the two OPC standards, dataFEED OPC Suite can integrate existing OPC Classic components and applications in Industry 4.0 OPC UA solutions. Production data is transferred by using the MQTT and REST protocols to IoT cloud or big data applications running on cloud platforms.
At the same time, dataFEED OPC Suite also allows production data to be saved out to a file or stored in an SQL database, or in MongoDB or CouchDB.
Continue reading: https://www.ien.eu/article/flexible-and-secure-data-integration-for-iot-applications/

The use of drones and ground-based robotics is evolving to such an extent locally that various companies are using them in all aspects of their operations, which is resulting in “bun fights” about which department gets to use the devices and payloads, says Dwyka Mining Services MD Jamie van Schoor.
Using such technology is in line with calls in industry to embrace Industry 4.0, digitalise workflows and operations, increase efficiency and safety by removing humans from dangerous situations, and increase real-time Big Data capturing.
Drones have been trialled in applications including crop spraying, power line debris removal, crowd surveillance and control, as well as search-and-rescue operations and Covid-19 pandemic surveillance, besides others.
Initially used primarily by the military, drones have been refined for commercial civilian applications. They are being used in mainstream and enterprise applications, including by wildlife conservation and management departments for antipoaching operations, security teams to conduct surveillance, and mines and the construction industry to obtain aerial imagery and map areas, and are attracting increasing interest from logistics providers as a courier service.
Continue reading: https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/deployment-of-drones-growing-in-sa-as-users-incorporate-them-into-whole-of-mine-operations-2022-05-06/rep_id:4136

To be truly useful, drones -- that is, autonomous flying vehicles -- will need to learn to navigate real-world weather and wind conditions.
Right now, drones are either flown under controlled conditions, with no wind, or are operated by humans using remote controls. Drones have been taught to fly in formation in the open skies, but those flights are usually conducted under ideal conditions and circumstances.
However, for drones to autonomously perform necessary but quotidian tasks, such as delivering packages or airlifting injured drivers from a traffic accident, drones must be able to adapt to wind conditions in real time -- rolling with the punches, meteorologically speaking.
To face this challenge, a team of engineers from Caltech has developed Neural-Fly, a deep-learning method that can help drones cope with new and unknown wind conditions in real time just by updating a few key parameters.
Neural-Fly is described in a study published on May 4 in Science Robotics. The corresponding author is Soon-Jo Chung, Bren Professor of Aerospace and Control and Dynamical Systems and Jet Propulsion Laboratory Research Scientist. Caltech graduate students Michael O'Connell (MS '18) and Guanya Shi are the co-first authors.
Neural-Fly was tested at Caltech's Center for Autonomous Systems and Technologies (CAST) using its Real Weather Wind Tunnel, a custom 10-foot-by-10-foot array of more than 1,200 tiny computer-controlled fans that allows engineers to simulate everything from a light gust to a gale.
"The issue is that the direct and specific effect of various wind conditions on aircraft dynamics, performance, and stability cannot be accurately characterized as a simple mathematical model," Chung says. "Rather than try to qualify and quantify each and every effect of turbulent and unpredictable wind conditions we often experience in air travel, we instead employ a combined approach of deep learning and adaptive control that allows the aircraft to learn from previous experiences and adapt to new conditions on the fly with stability and robustness guarantees."
O'Connell adds: "We have many different models derived from fluid mechanics, but achieving the right model fidelity and tuning that model for each vehicle, wind condition, and operating mode is challenging. On the other hand, existing machine learning methods require huge amounts of data to train yet do not match state-of-the-art flight performance achieved using classical physics-based methods. Moreover, adapting an entire deep neural network in real time is a huge, if not currently impossible task."
Continue reading: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220505085644.htm

Say you’ve just received a job offer or approaching your year-end performance review, and there is a chance to negotiate your salary or a raise.
Confidence is critical, among other things. Going into a negotiation with confidence will aid in identifying areas where you can exchange or generate value.
Confidence aside, these conversations can be stressful, but remembering these tips can help you succeed at the negotiation table.
1. Be likable Any mistakes made during the negotiation will lessen the chance of getting what you deserve. This is about more than being giddy or astute during the talk. Tensions are inevitable during the parlay; understanding how to navigate and reel them in when necessary is crucial to your overall success.
2. Be clear in why you deserve what you’re asking for If you can’t justify why you’ve made a demand, don’t make it. Your employer will likely not make the mistake of overpaying you or offering too much. You must deliver a clear message about why you’re worth what you’re asking for and justify it with your contributions to the company.
3. Prepare for tough questions Some of the questions in a job interview include: “Are we your top choice?”; “Do you have any other offers?” and “Will you accept if we make an offer?” Your goal is to answer these questions honestly while maintaining your position as a good candidate for the role.
4. Be flexible Not all things work out according to Plan A. A flexible mindset offers a willingness to change course and move on when required quickly; most stalled or failed negotiations happen because one or both parties are unwilling.
5. It’s not just about the money Quality of life at the workplace is just as important, and it is up to you to tell the other side what you need beyond money. This can include flexibility in work hours, travel, perks and location.
Continue reading: https://www.benzinga.com/general/22/05/26974359/10-tips-for-negotiating-salary

As we eagerly wait for the massive deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and air taxis in the national airspace (NAS), examples keep popping up of companies that have found a way to develop profitable business models and lucrative ways to make money with these non-traditional aircraft.
For years we have been arguing in this column that the first examples of successful use of UAVs will not happen over the crowed skies of New York City or Los Angeles or Miami, but instead they will happen in the quiet rural settings all over the world.
This week, we had the pleasure of meeting an entrepreneur who came up with a successful business model under the most difficult circumstances and a hostile business environment, to put it mildly. We spoke with Emilio Marquez, the CEO and founder of Eco Roc Drone, an agricultural fumigation company in Venezuela.
The reason this story is remarkable is because Venezuela is under severe sanctions from the international community given its poor human rights record and documented anti-business economic policies that have decimated one of the most successful oil nations in the world. In 2000, Venezuela produced and mostly exported 3.5 million of barrels of oil a day. Today, this number is a meager 700K barrels, and, just a few months ago, it was 350K barrels.
Emilio and his team saw a business opportunity and jumped at it.
“With the heavy restrictions on aviation fuel for private aircraft, most flight activities over Venezuelan skies stopped for everyone except the military, and the country entered a period of crisis in many sectors,” said Emilio, reflectively. “One of these sectors was agricultural fumigation, and farmers panicked over the prospect of pests ruining their crops. We saw an opportunity to provide the same service with electric drones that didn’t require aviation fuel and Bingo! A new business was born!”
In August 2018, there was an assassination attempt against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro using two DJI drones that exploded accidentally before reaching its target. This incident prompted the Venezuelan civil aviation authority, INAC, to halt all unmanned aircraft activities in the country.
“We were desolated when the decree came out, and our legitimate activities were stopped,” said Emilio. “But we immediately asked for a meeting with INAC and were granted special permission to fly in rural areas and under strict supervision. So, in short, we survived this huge obstacle and moved on.”
In January 2022, three-and-a-half years after the assassination attempt, INAC finally published its rules on UAVs or RPAs (remotely piloted aircraft), as they are commonly known in most Latin American countries.
“The funny thing about the January 2022 regulation is that it completely prohibited the use of RPAs in Venezuela,” said Emilio with a smile. “But at the same time, they left open a huge door by saying that companies and individuals can ask for waivers to operate them commercially. So, we applied and were immediately approved, and our business has boomed since then.”
The law was intended to stop all unauthorized uses of drones, but it created a simple mechanism for legitimate businesses to apply for waivers. According to Clyde & Co., a global law firm with offices in Caracas, and a team of lawyers specializing in aviation regulations, every waiver so far has been approved.
Continue reading: https://www.commercialuavnews.com/international/making-money-with-drones-in-agriculture-in-latin-america

To enhance customer loyalty in the hospitality business, you need to deliver an everlasting customer experience to your guests. With the introduction of advanced and powerful technology like artificial intelligence in the hotel industry, delivering premium guest experiences at reasonable prices has become easier.
It can help you magnify your business revenue and profits and scale your business to new heights.
Today big brands like Hilton Hotels & Resort and Marriott International have integrated chatbots that help automate the customer support experience for their customers
Artificial intelligence in hotels is helping businesses make well-informed decisions that can streamline the business flow and optimize performance.
It can help businesses better understand the customer's requirements and needs and help hoteliers deliver a quality guest experience.
But that’s just the drop in the bucket.
There’s a lot more you need to know to get a holistic view of the impact of artificial intelligence in the hotel industry.
So without further ado, let’s get started.
What Is Artificial Intelligence?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a powerful concept that refers to the intelligent and advanced behavior of computers or machines that can learn from the collected data and make well-informed decisions by analyzing the data.
The advancements in AI have increased its applications, and the horizon has touched the hospitality industry. The collection and analysis of consumer data to extract valuable touchpoints have become a great asset for hoteliers.
Continue reading: https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4110360.html

This swarm of 10 autonomous drones can manoeuvre through a bamboo forest in China. They are the first to successfully fly outdoors and navigate unprogrammed obstacles, according to researchers at Zhejiang University who led the experiment.
Read more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPul9WKQ6oQ

After IBM’s Watson supercomputer beat two Jeopardy! champions in 2011, artificial intelligence seemed ready to take on the world’s greatest challenges. Indeed, following Watson’s widely publicized quiz show victory, IBM teamed up with some of America’s foremost medical institutions to use Watson’s algorithms to tackle the scourge of cancer. The hope was that Watson’s A.I. capabilities would analyze the vast amounts of cancer data the institutions had amassed, develop data-driven insights, and help care providers make more effective treatment decisions. 
The initiative didn’t go as planned. Oncologists turned to A.I. for answers, but Watson couldn’t deliver for various reasons, including gaps and messiness in the data and A.I.’s inability to pick up textual cues in medical documents that were clear to doctors. Several of the cancer initiative’s projects eventually shut down.
But the oncologists and engineers in some of the projects took a different tack. Instead of blaming A.I. for not delivering results, they redesigned the respective roles of human and algorithm. They realized that A.I. could rapidly cross-reference a patient’s genetic profile against the gene mutations mentioned in thousands of digitized academic papers and identify treatments that could have been overlooked. Instead of asking Watson for a solution, they asked it for solution alternatives. In reframing the respective roles of the oncologists and A.I., both were able to play to their strengths: The A.I. shrank the time and effort needed to identify a comprehensive list of potential treatments, while the oncologists used their experience to choose among those treatments and deliver them to patients. 
As business increasingly adopts A.I., company leaders should keep the lesson of Watson in mind. To generate the optimum results from their investments in A.I., they must understand the different ways in which employees and algorithms can be combined and choose the most effective human-A.I. combination for the challenge at hand. Here are three principles for doing so.  
Continue reading: https://fortune.com/2022/05/06/ai-artificial-intelligence-human-collaboration-watson-dominos-pizza/

There has been no better time to be in the world of artificial intelligence than now. AI has achieved an inflection point and is poised to transform every industry. Much has already been written about specific applications of AI. In this article, I take a step back to consider how artificial intelligence is poised to fundamentally restructure broader swaths of our economy and society over the next decade with five bold predictions that are informed by my expertise and immersion in the field.
1. AI and ML will transform the scientific method.
Important science—think large-scale clinical trials or building particle colliders—is expensive and time-consuming. In recent decades there has been considerable, well-deserved concern about scientific progress slowing down. Scientists may no longer be experiencing the golden age of discovery.
With AI and machine learning (ML), we can expect to see orders of magnitude of improvement in what can be accomplished. There's a certain set of ideas that humans can computationally explore. There’s a broader set of ideas that humans with computers can address. And there’s a much bigger set of ideas that humans with computers, plus AI, can successfully tackle. AI enables an unprecedented ability to analyze enormous data sets and computationally discover complex relationships and patterns. AI, augmenting human intelligence, is primed to transform the scientific research process, unleashing a new golden age of scientific discovery in the coming years.
Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/05/05/the-future-of-ai-5-things-to-expect-in-the-next-10-years/?sh=257ac39d7422

Whether for mobile network operators or enterprises, edge computing is currently getting lots of airtime. And rightfully so as distributed computing resources are necessary to quickly ingest, analyze and make decisions (both for manual and autonomous operations) based on data from all manner of devices, including anything that would fall under the internet of things umbrella. While edge computing is the star of the show, so to speak, storage is certainly near the top of the call sheet—while ultra-fast connectivity like 5G allows enterprises to strip off data that doesn’t have clear utility, in order to operate anywhere close to real-time, data needs to be stored, if even for a short time, to be actionable. 
Dell’s Jon Siegal, senior vice president, ISG Products and Solutions Marketing, made the case in a May 3 blog post. IT organizations, he wrote, need to be prepared “to extract the most value from their data, whether it lives. Ready to put insights into action with automated operations and intelligence. Ready for security threats that can strike at any time. All while managing differing strategies across edge, core and cloud, IT staffing needs and exploding data growth.” 
Customers have communicated to Dell Technologies, Siegal continued, “that they need to deliver innovation at light-speed and address challenges in real time. To accelerate the time between data creation and innovation, we realized that what is truly needed is a storage experience that is continuously modern. And the only way to do that is through software-driven innovation.”
So what does that look like from a product perspective? In press materials Dell specifically called out its PowerStore, PowerMax and PowerFlex solutions: 

• PowerStore is described as “the fast ramping new architecture in company history,” so, “Customers can better plan business continuity strategies with software-only high availability metro replication…” 
• PowerMax is geared towards “mission-critical storage…[and] cyber-resiliency.” There’s built-in ransomware detection and mechanisms to help speed up cyber recovery. 
• PowerFlex is for enterprises looking to simplify “multi-cloud and DevOps” and it works with “all major Kubernetes and container orchestration platforms from Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Red Hat, SUSE and VMware.”

Continue reading: https://enterpriseiotinsights.com/20220505/data-analytics/in-the-edge-computing-era-what-about-storage

I have multiple Google Alerts keeping me apprised about announcements regarding radio frequency identification (RFID), Near Field Communication (NFC), Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), real-time locating systems (RTLS) and other Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. Google Alerts lets people receive emails when new results for user-specified topics show up in Google Search. I receive daily alerts about product releases, pilots, deployments, standards and other developments, allowing me and RFID Journal reporter Claire Swedberg to find interesting angles to write about.
Typically, the articles I see in Google Alerts depict the IoT sector and the innovative technologies it encompasses as enjoying an era of unprecedented growth. Every now and then, though, the alerts cause me to raise an eyebrow. One of my alerts is for the term "Internet of Things" with the word "market" filtered out to avoid my being deluged with a plethora of websites promoting market reports—which can be useful, don't get me wrong, but they seem mass-produced on conveyor belts, considering how many new ones are announced every month. Today's alert was filled with alarming reports regarding a lack of IoT security.
An article from Digital Information World, titled "The Internet of Things Was Attacked Over a Billion Times in 2021," claimed the interconnected nature of common household appliances, smart devices and digital assistants (Alexa, for example) "is something that many experts are warning against," on the grounds that "this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up creating many more vulnerabilities that malicious actors can exploit." The article cites a report from SAM Seamless Network indicating more than a billion cyberattacks occurred last year, 900 million of them focused on the IoT, which the article paints as a very insecure environment.
Google Alerts also pointed me to a ZDNet story, "This Unpatched DNS Bug Could Put 'Well-Known' IoT Devices at Risk," covering a warning from researchers at IoT security firm Nozomi Networks. The warning pertains to a popular library for the C programming language for IoT products that is vulnerable to Domain Name System (DNS) cache-poisoning attacks, due to a 10-year-old bug that cannot be patched. Researcher Andrea Palanca, the article explains, discovered the DNS implementation of uClibc and uClibc-ng C libraries "generates predictable, incremental transaction identifiers (IDs) in DNS response and request network communications," affecting "a range of well-known IoT devices running the latest firmware versions with a high chance of them being deployed throughout all critical infrastructure."
Continue reading: https://www.rfidjournal.com/a-false-sense-of-iot-security

It’s time asset owners embraced the blockchain. 
I’m not talking about allocating to a venture-capital fund focused on blockchain projects, cryptocurrencies, and nonfungible tokens (NFTs).
I’m talking about asset owners using the blockchain to create their own investment DAO (decentralized autonomous organization).
A DAO is created by a group of people or entities seeking to achieve a specific objective or perform a specific function. It’s reminiscent of a traditional investment club — but in this case, it is built on a blockchain.
While most investors might not be familiar with DAOs, they have been around since about 2016 (and the idea seems to have its origins in a 1997 paper by German computer scientist Werner Dilger). To give you a sense of the DAO ecosystem, DeepDAO, a dedicated DAO analytics firm, is currently tracking more than 4,800 DAOs with a total of $9.3 billion in their treasuries.
Many of these might seem a bit frivolous. After all, who wouldn’t like to be a member of BeerDAO (whose mission is to “collaborate with fellow beer lovers and beer makers to create an environment that helps all parties while providing membership benefits”) or BurgerDAO (“a community of food and Web3 enthusiasts creating the first decentralized burger franchise”)?
But there are also commercially focused DAOs. BitDAO, which aims to support builders of the decentralized economy, raised $230 million from investors such as Peter Thiel, Pantera Capital, and Dragonfly Capital and has over $2 billion in its treasury.
I believe DAOs could serve not only as a mechanism for asset owners to invest in digital innovations, but also as a solution to one of the most nettlesome problems in the asset management business.
Continue reading: https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/b1xwdvq02148gm/How-the-Blockchain-Could-Fix-Asset-Management