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blockchain fixes

187 Things the Blockchain Is Supposed to Fix

Erin Griffith 

https://www-wired-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.wired.com/story/187-things-the-blockchain-is-supposed-to-fix/amp
 
Blockchains, which use advanced cryptography to store information across networks of computers, could eliminate the need for trusted third parties, like banks, in transactions, legal agreements, and other contracts. The most ardent blockchain-heads believe it has the power to reshape the global financial system, and possibly even the internet as we know it.
 
Now, as the technology expands from a fringe hacker toy to legitimate business applications, opportunists have flooded the field. Some of the seekers are mercenaries pitching shady or fraudulent tokens, others are businesses looking to cash in on a hot trend, and still others are true believers in the revolutionary and disruptive powers of distributed networks.
 
Mentions of blockchains and digital currencies on corporate earnings calls doubled in 2017 over the year prior, according to Fortune. Last week at Consensus, the country’s largest blockchain conference, 100 sponsors, including top corporate consulting firms and law firms, hawked their wares.
 
Here is a noncomprehensive list of the ways blockchain promoters say they will change the world. They run the spectrum from industry-specific (a blockchain project designed to increase blockchain adoption) to global ambitions (fixing the global supply chain’s apparent $9 trillion cash flow issue).
 

Things Blockchain Technology Will Fix

  • Bots with nefarious intent
  • Skynet
  • People not taking their medicine
  • Device storage that could be used for bitcoin mining
  • Insurance bureaucracy
  • Electronic health record accessibility
  • Health record storage security
  • Health record portability
  • Marine insurance risk
  • Cancer
  • Earning money on personal data
  • Pensions
  • The burden of car ownership
  • Inability to buy anything with cryptocurrency
  • Better marketplaces for nautical shipping services
  • Better ways to advertise to your friends
  • Better ways to trade forex with your friends
  • Ownership shares in ancient sunken treasures
  • Poverty
  • Complying with Know Your Customer laws
  • Complying with Anti-Money-Laundering laws
  • Complying with securities laws in token sales
  • Censorship
  • A use for QR codes
  • Rewards for buying alcohol by subscription
  • Tracing water supplies
  • Dearth of emergency responders
  • High cost of medical information
  • Improved digital identity authentication
  • Managing real estate workflow
  • International real estate purchases
  • Physical branches for crypto banking
  • Physical branches for crypto exchanges
  • Private equity
  • Venture capital
  • AIDS, also online sales of classic Japanese domestic cars
  • Efficiency and transparency at nonprofits
  • Incorporating local preferences in decentralized banking options
  • Boosting sales for local businesses
  • A digital-only investment bank
  • Containers to transport sensitive pharmaceuticals and food
  • Protecting consumer information on mobile
  • Helping mobile phone users monetize their data
  • Not enough interconnection in the world
  • Complexity and risk in the crypto market
  • Expensive AI research
  • Counterfeit goods
  • Connecting “innovation players” and “knowledge holders”
  • Movie industry’s slow and opaque accounting practices
  • Global supply chain’s $9 trillion cash flow issue
  • Trust in the global supply chain
  • Economic crisis
  • Cash flow problems at small and medium-sized businesses
  • Improving the use of data in the transportation and logistics industries
  • Poverty among African farmers
  • Transparency in the food supply chain
  • Ad fraud
  • Fake news
  • False news
  • Settling payments faster
  • Speeding transactions
  • The unbanked
  • The underbanked
  • The bidding process in art and collectibles markets
  • Assessing the value of collectibles
  • Diamond industry’s high banking and forex fees
  • The illicit diamond trade
  • Availability of digital games
  • Currency for eSports
  • Currency for eSports betting
  • Currency for sports betting
  • Storing scholarly articles
  • Health insurance providers billing processes
  • Currency for healthcare providers
  • Shortage of workers with advanced tech skills
  • Lack of diversity in tech
  • Elder care
  • Rights management for photographers
  • Content rights management
  • Simplifying the logo copyrighting process
  • Ticketing industry’s “prevalent issues”
  • Crowdsourcing for legal dispute resolution
  • Securing financial contracts
  • Paper
  • Automation
  • Control of personal data
  • Control of personal credit data
  • No way to spend crypto
  • Advertising for extended reality environments
  • Human suffering
  • Security for luxury watches
  • Authenticity in cannabis sales
  • Crypto rewards for cannabis-focused social media site
  • Crypto payments for rating cryptoassets
  • Crypto payments for taking surveys, watching videos and clicking links
  • Crypto rewards for video game skills
  • Crypto rewards for time spent playing video games
  • Buying, selling and trading your social media friends
  • Crypto rewards for social media sharing
  • Free mobile data for watching ads
  • Crypto rewards for watching entertainment content
  • Gold-backed cryptocurrency
  • Crypto-backed gold
  • Metals-backed cryptocurrency
  • Precious metals-based cryptocurrency
  • “Tokenizing” real world items
  • Nashville apartment buildings
  • Monaco real estate
  • Financial infrastructure for trading within video games
  • Checking ID for purchases like alcohol
  • “Uber for alcohol” on blockchain
  • Inefficiencies in cargo delivery
  • Branded tokens for merchants to reward customers
  • Fraud and corruption among non-profits
  • Better transparency at non-profits
  • Better transparency around impact investing
  • Bitcoin mining uses too much energy
  • Home appliances mining for bitcoin while not in use
  • Bitcoin mining using hydropower
  • Large corporations’ carbon footprints
  • “Decarbonizing” electricity grids
  • Climate change
  • Trust in governments
  • Trust in corporations
  • Trust in social networks
  • Trust in media
  • Universal billing system for travel industry
  • Decentralized Uber and Lyft
  • Online gambling not fair
  • Online gambling sites take commission
  • Helping retailers hurt by Amazon
  • Online retail fraud
  • Paying for things with your face
  • Streamlining interactions among shoppers, retailers and brands
  • Linking content across computers, tablets and phones
  • Ranking apps by their value
  • Aligning creativity and recognition for content creators
  • Improving payments for artists on Spotify and Pandora
  • Online piracy
  • Improving the technology of the Russian gas industry
  • A blockchain equivalent of Amazon, Groupon and Craigslist
  • Too many non-value-added costs
  • Unregulated prison economies
  • Standardizing the value of advertisements
  • Advertising not transparent enough
  • Old real estate practices
  • Free public information from silos
  • Speeding the rendering of animated movies
  • Selling items for crypto instead of regular money
  • Borders
  • Man-in-the-middle hacks
  • Security sacrifices that come with innovation
  • Scams, fraud and counterfeits
  • Tools to build decentralized apps
  • Blockchain infrastructure
  • Removing barriers separating blockchains
  • Safety in buying and selling blockchain tokens
  • Improving privacy in online file storage
  • ICO projects could benefit from the “wisdom of the crowd”
  • Improving privacy of blockchain
  • Decentralized database for decentralized technologies
  • Improving trust and confidence in blockchain system
  • More cohesive user experiences across blockchain and the cloud
  • Democratizing gold trading
  • Giving investors more control of their assets
  • Simplifying the cryptocurrency transaction process
  • Trading indexes as tokens
  • Improving crypto safekeeping solutions
  • Simplifying ICO investment, trading and cryptocurrency
  • Improving institutional-grade crypto asset management
  • “Painstakingly slow” manual crypto wallet process
  • More open global markets
  • Easier way to invest in real estate
  • Easier way to invest in Swiss real estate
  • Easier way to combine smart contracts with crowdfunded home loans
  • Easier way to borrow against crypto holdings
  • Faster porn industry payment options
  • Lower porn industry payment fees
  • Identifying and verifying users in online dating
  • Improving traditional banking services for crypto world
  • Cryptocurrency based on Game Theory, IBM’s Watson, and other theories
  • Better social network + blockchain + AI + human touch
  • Improving content streaming on the blockchain
  • Supply chain transparency
  • Increasing public sector trust of cryptocurrencies
  • Education around blockchain technology
  • Blockchain not mainstream enough
 
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more on blockchain in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=blockchain

Fortnite Craze

https://www.npr.org/2018/05/05/608164530/the-fortnite-craze-might-be-here-to-stay

In April, a PLAYlive Nation lounge in Tracy, Calif., hosted its first Fortnite tournament and sold out. Hundreds of players bought tickets to play against one another and win prizes.

Joost van Dreunen, the CEO of Superdata Research, a video game analytics firm, says most shooter games are serious and simulate violence. Fortnite, he says, is more like a friendly game of tag.

His company estimates the game has made about $223 million across all platforms in March alone. In lifetime sales, it had made about $614 million. The game is free to play, but Epic Games, the company that owns Fortnite, makes money through microtransactions. Players can spend real money to make cosmetic changes to their characters in the game. They can buy things like skins, which are like costumes, for their characters or emotes, which are celebratory dance moves their characters can do after winning or killing another player in the game.

Ninja, the gamer name taken by 26-year-old Tyler Blevins, is now a legend in the Fortnite world. He is a master at the game and rocketed into popularity after playing in an online battle with rap artists Drake and Travis Scott on March 14. That battle has been watched more than 9 million times.

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Educators Battle ‘Fortnite’ for Students’ Attention

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/05/03/educators-battle-fortnite-for-students-attention.html

Many educators want to ban the game from their classrooms, but some are taking the opposite approach, attempting to weave students’ interest in Fortnite into class discussions and assignments.

Nick Fisher, a science teacher at Fort Zumwalt North High School in O’Fallon, Mo., said his students like to take screenshots of gameplay and send them to friends over Snapchat. Teenagers want to broadcast their victories, and because the game is on their phones, it’s easy to post updates to social media, making Fortnite “the perfect concoction of addiction,” said Fisher.

North High blocks all social media and gaming sites on its WiFi, said Fisher, but students tell him how they circumvent the restriction: They use virtual private networks, or VPNs, to establish independent internet connections. (Dozens of YouTube videos provide step-by-step tutorials for students looking to get around school WiFi controls.)

“Kids can’t multitask,” she said. “Even having a digital device within sight can cognitively distract the student enough that they can’t focus on the academics.”

Schools and teachers should be guiding parents when it comes to appropriate limits around screen time, said Kolb. Most parents will appreciate research-based recommendations, such as turning off all screens a set amount of time before bed, she said.

Games like Fortnite can even have social benefits, said John Velez, an assistant professor of journalism and electronic media at Texas Tech University. Velez, who studies the positive effects of video games, has found that playing violent games cooperatively with helpful teammates promotes pro-social behavior.

Chris Aviles, the coordinator of innovation, technology, and 21st century skills for the Fair Haven Public Schools in New Jersey, wrote “A Teacher’s Guide to Surviving Fortnite,” an exploration of ways the game can be used for instructional purposes. The guide, posted to his blog Teched Up Teacher, suggests how to integrate the game into writing prompts, math lessons on probability, and physics.

Aviles doesn’t advocate playing the game at school. There isn’t any educational value in letting students engage in virtual combat during a lesson, he said. Instead, teachers can build a lesson around one aspect of the game, such as having students calculate the best angle of approach as they jump from the “Battle Bus,” the floating bus that drops players onto the map at the beginning of each match.

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Instagram, Snapchat, Fortnite: The distractions are endless. Here’s how to help kids cope.

 May 14 at 9:00 AM
In January, two of Apple’s shareholder groups asked the company to look at the addictive effects of iPhones on children. Google’s recent developer conference highlighted tools to help users better control smartphone usage.
2015 survey of more than 1,800 teachers and 400 principals in Alberta, B.C., found that nearly three-fourths of teachers frequently or very frequently observed students multitasking with technology, and 67 percent of teachers believed that the number of students negatively distracted by digital technologies in the classroom was growing.
2017 study published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science tracked college students’ progress on their goals over the course of a semester and found that successful goal attainment was less about self-control and more about blocking and eliminating potential distractions.
The best approach is to use empathy, compassion and collaboration to help the young people in your life find ways to manage their digital workflow.
Encourage visualization for inspiration and motivation. The first step is getting students to buy in and to want to make behavioral changes.
Focus on compartmentalization. A 2009 study from Stanford researchers found that people who juggled several streams of electronic information were not able to pay attention, remember key information or switch tasks as effectively as those who completed one task at a time.
Using the Pomodoro technique of spending 25 minutes focused on one task followed by a five-minute break can be an easy way to have students begin to shift from a multitasking to a monotasking mind-set.
Make focus fun. There are now numerous ways to use technology to help us be more productive with technology, and it doesn’t have to be arduous. Students in my office use apps such as Forest or Flipd to motivate them to stay off their phones during class or when doing homework. Forest has a simple interface that will build a digital tree for users who stay off their phones. Flipd allows users to hide certain apps, allot time off their phone based on their schedule and, for a premium, track their progress over time.
Provide structured support as needed. A middle school student with whom I worked recently was relieved when his mother used the Mac OS app SelfControl to block YouTube and ESPN while he was doing his homework (Cold Turkey is a similar PC-based app).
Allow opportunities for regrouping. Even the best plans can go awry (for adults and kids alike). It’s important to focus on progress rather than perfection. Create time daily or weekly for students to think about what went well in terms of managing distractions and improving productivity, and what they would like to do better. Ask open-ended questions without judgment or expectation

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more on gaming in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=gaming

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more on social media addiction in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2018/05/08/social-media-addiction/

adult learners support

How Universities Can Rethink Support For Growing Number Of Adult Learners

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/51089/how-universities-can-rethink-support-for-growing-number-of-adult-learners

Anya Kamenetz, April 18, 2018

You’ll hear a reasonable amount of discussion about “new traditional” students today. But the common assumption — in Washington at least — seems to be that they require more vocational education to fill a “skills gap,” particularly in STEM or technical fields. Or that they need quicker, cheaper paths to a degree.

if you ask incoming adult community college students about their educational aspirations, more than 70 percent want to get a bachelor’s or beyond.

The problem finding good hires is actually a jumble of different realities. In some sectors (for instance, advanced, digitally driven manufacturing), innovation has outpaced training, and there is truly a shortage of technically skilled workers. Higher ed needs to work with employers and government in these targeted sectors to fill a real “skills gap.”

In other sectors, employers complain they can’t find workers with communications, problem-solving and other soft skills. The solution to that is more liberal learning, not more technical workforce training.

For most nontraditional students, this dimension of “self-authoring” (in the words of psychologist Marcia Baxter Magolda) is not less crucial, but even more. They often feel that they have failed in some way the customary narrative of high-school-to-college that defines successful adulthood.

The obstacles they face are as diverse as their lives. But here’s one key way of understanding what they share: Adult, nontraditional students have to fit their studies into complex lives with multiple roles and stressors, rather than being able to organize their work and social life around a central role as a college student.

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more on higher ed in this IMS blog:
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2018/04/28/disruption-in-higher-education/

Disruption in Higher Education

What to Expect in an Era of Disruption in Higher Education

Jim Black President & CEO of SEM Works https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-expect-era-disruption-higher-education-jim-black/

1. Determine what the customer craves and deliver it. In the case of college and university students, there are limits. Balancing student wants and desires with what they actually need to be successful students and engaged citizens can, in fact, be extremely challenging. “The customer is always right” philosophy practiced by many businesses simply does not fit with the mission of postsecondary institutions. Instead, the role of educators is to advance and apply knowledge, facilitate the exploration of ideas, foster cognitive dissonance, prepare students as lifelong learners and productive workers, and even, hold them accountable for their actions or inactions. Ideally, the college experience should be transformational—helping students become the best person they can be. With that said, failing to align teaching methods, curriculum, academic programs, and institutional services with the needs and expectations of students is a perilous path.

2. Create unexpected value. Incumbent institutions tend to focus on known problems (e.g., student attrition causation factors, poor service delivery, cumbersome processes, undersubscribed programs, insufficient class availability). True disruption seldom occurs in this space. Creating value where it did not exist before or was not expected spawns disruption. In the private sector, such intuitive value ideation is seen in Disney’s “Imagineering” the attractions in its theme parks, Apple’s invention of the iPhone, and Airbnb’s alternative to staying with the multitudes at expensive, disturbingly uniform hotel chains. This is what the authors of Blue Ocean Strategy characterize as swimming in the “blue ocean”, where there are few, if any, competitors (Kim, W. C. & Mauborgne, R., 2005). No disruptor is found in the “red ocean” crowded with similar competitors.

3. Avoid being average. If your school is one of the elite, well-known few, with highly selective admissions, it is not average. However, the vast majority of colleges and universities do not fit this profile. They have to find other ways to distinguish themselves. A capstone student experience, an innovative curriculum, guaranteed internship placement or study abroad, digital career portfolios, or a unique pricing model represent just a few examples. While it would be ideal to find something that makes your institution distinctive throughout the nation or the world, that is highly improbable. A more attainable goal is to position your institution uniquely among your direct competitors.

4. Identify the potential for expansion. As it relates to student enrollment growth, expansion opportunities are usually found within one or more of four domains: (1) thorough penetration of your existing primary market, where the institution and its academic programs have a strong presence, (2) the introduction of new programs into your primary market, (3) promotion of the institution and existing programs in a new market, and (4) diversification—new programs and new markets. Each domain has inherent risks and potential rewards. Risk levels are illustrated in Figure 1 and are described here.

Primary market penetration possesses the lowest risk, requires the least investment of resources, and has the fastest return on investment. Depending on an institution’s primary market, this domain also may produce only modest new enrollments. Option two, mounting new programs in an institution’s existing primary market has risks associated with conducting the proper market research to determine student and industry demand as well as market saturation. Another common risk relates to the degree to which new program offerings are adequately promoted. An obvious upside to this domain is that the institution already has visibility in the market. Taking the current program array to a new marketrequires the time and resources to develop a presence where none has previously existed. Sending recruiters to a new territory once or twice a year is woefully insufficient. Creating such visibility requires a sustained physical presence with area recruiters or alumni volunteers, targeted advertising, networking with schools and other organizations in the region, and strategic partnerships. Finally, diversification carries with it the highest level of risk because it involves assuming all the risks of launching new programs in a market with no prior visibility. If executed effectively, however, this domain can generate an abundance of new students.
market expansion risk

5. Disruption always comes at a cost. It is true that your institution may create a disruption by leveraging existing technologies and human capital. Yet, no organization can avoid the cultural and real costs associated with unlearning old ways, creating new programs and business models, scaling innovations, or marketing a new approach. These costs must be weighed judiciously against potential benefits of such a paradigm shift. Once a decision is made to pull the trigger, the change process must be managed carefully with the upfront inclusion of key stakeholders.

6. Equate disruption with innovation, not extinction. The rise of educational disruptors can be unsettling. If disruption is simply perceived as a threat to the way of life in the academy or ignored, the results will be devastating for many higher education institutions. Conversely, if disruption pushes college leaders and enrollment managers out of their comfort zone and they reinvent their institutions, the educational experience of students will be greatly enhanced. In a time of creative destruction, the winners are those who exert extraordinary efforts to go beyond traditional norms, which is not always the early adopters of a new educational model or practice.

7. Successful disruptors pursue four disciplines simultaneously. The four disciplines translated into the higher education lexicon include low costs, relational connections with students, program innovations, and rapid time-to-market. Of these, student connections is the only discipline college and universities excel at consistently. To thrive in a future with a seemingly infinite number of nimble disruptive innovators, educators must compete in the other three disciplines as well.

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more about higher ed in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=higher+ed

https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2018/07/14/disrupting-higher-education/

net neutrality and education

3 Ways a Net Neutrality Repeal Might Impact Universities

The impending change in internet regulations could be detrimental to the quality of education students receive.
Meghan Bogardus Cortez , Jan 11, 2018
https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2018/01/3-ways-net-neutrality-repeal-might-impact-universities

1. Technology that Increases Access Hits the Slow Lane

Innovations in videoconferencing and lecture capture technologies have allowed universities to provide flexible learning experiences to students no matter their location. However, if internet service providers are allowed to create “fast lanes” and “slow lanes” of access, experts worry these learning experiences will be in jeopardy.
“slow lanes” of internet access could make it difficult for students to access cloud software or applications without hitting data caps.

2. Inhibit Ability to Research and Access Materials

a 40-page commentary to the FCC explaining how a repeal would hurt universities, eCampus News reports.

“Institutions of higher education and libraries depend upon an open internet to carry out their educational and civic missions, and to serve their communities,” reads the commentary.

“almost everything” relies on the internet in higher education. Students use it for research, to take courses and turn in assignments while faculty use it for research and to create lesson plans. Roberts says his library needs it to archive and preserve materials. Slower internet could inhibit research and access to library resources.

3. Increased Costs Without Increased Educational Experiences

high cost of attending a university might see a bump without net neutrality.
slower internet access would actually degrade the quality of education offered for a higher cost.

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more on net neutrality and education in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=net+neutrality

blockchain in education

What is Blockchain

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2018/02/common-craft-explains-blockchain.html

What is Blockchain in Education

Andreia Inamorato Dos Santos from bcined

Digital Skills Gap Peer Learning Activity – Blockchain in Education – Usage Scenarios for HE In the European Higher Education Area from European Distance and E-Learning Network – EDEN

Blockchain for Education: A Study on Digital Accreditation of Personal and Academic Learning from Anthony Fisher Camilleri

Technology Innovation Loves Humanities: Open Education on the Blockchain from Hristian Daskalov

World's First Educational Blockchain Project Manifesto (2013) from Hristian Daskalov

Ad Kroft from bcined

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more blockchain in education in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=blockchain+education

blockchain

35 Amazing Real World Examples Of How Blockchain Is Changing Our World

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2018/01/22/35-amazing-real-world-examples-of-how-blockchain-is-changing-our-world

My note: nothing about education by this author. Here it is from our IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2018/01/12/blockchain-for-libraries/

https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2017/09/27/blockchain-credentialing-in-higher-ed/

https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2016/10/03/blockchain-credentialing/

Cybersecurity

Guardtime – This company is creating “keyless” signature systems using blockchain which is currently used to secure the health records of one million Estonian citizens.

REMME is a decentralized authentication system which aims to replace logins and passwords with SSL certificates stored on a blockchain.

Healthcare

Gem – This startup is working with the Centre for Disease Control to put disease outbreak data onto a blockchain which it says will increase the effectiveness of disaster relief and response.

SimplyVital Health – Has two health-related blockchain products in development, ConnectingCare which tracks the progress of patients after they leave the hospital, and Health Nexus, which aims to provide decentralized blockchain patient records.

MedRec – An MIT project involving blockchain electronic medical records designed to manage authentication, confidentiality and data sharing.

Financial services

ABRA – A cryptocurrency wallet which uses the Bitcoin blockchain to hold and track balances stored in different currencies.

Bank Hapoalim – A collaboration between the Israeli bank and Microsoft to create a blockchain system for managing bank guarantees.

Barclays – Barclays has launched a number of blockchain initiatives involving tracking financial transactions, compliance and combating fraud. It states that “Our belief …is that blockchain is a fundamental part of the new operating system for the planet.”

Maersk – The shipping and transport consortium has unveiled plans for a blockchain solution for streamlining marine insurance.

Aeternity – Allows the creation of smart contracts which become active when network consensus agrees that conditions have been met – allowing for automated payments to be made when parties agree that conditions have been met, for example.

Augur – Allows the creation of blockchain-based predictions markets for the trading of derivatives and other financial instruments in a decentralized ecosystem.

Manufacturing and industrial

Provenance – This project aims to provide a blockchain-based provenance record of transparency within supply chains.

Jiocoin – India’s biggest conglomerate, Reliance Industries, has said that it is developing a blockchain-based supply chain logistics platform along with its own cryptocurrency, Jiocoin.

Hijro – Previously known as Fluent, aims to create a blockchain framework for collaborating on prototyping and proof-of-concept.

SKUChain – Another blockchain system for allowing tracking and tracing of goods as they pass through a supply chain.

Blockverify –  A blockchain platform which focuses on anti-counterfeit measures, with initial use cases in the diamond, pharmaceuticals and luxury goods markets.

Transactivgrid – A business-led community project based in Brooklyn allowing members to locally produce and cell energy, with the goal of reducing costs involved in energy distribution.

STORJ.io – Distributed and encrypted cloud storage, which allows users to share unused hard drive space.

Government

DubaiDubai has set sights on becoming the world’s first blockchain-powered state. In 2016 representatives of 30 government departments formed a committee dedicated to investigating opportunities across health records, shipping, business registration and preventing the spread of conflict diamonds.

Estonia – The Estonian government has partnered with Ericsson on an initiative involving creating a new data center to move public records onto the blockchain. 20

South Korea – Samsung is creating blockchain solutions for the South Korean government which will be put to use in public safety and transport applications.

Govcoin – The UK Department of Work and Pensions is investigating using blockchain technology to record and administer benefit payments.

Democracy.earth – This is an open-source project aiming to enable the creation of democratically structured organizations, and potentially even states or nations, using blockchain tools.

Followmyvote.com – Allows the creation of secure, transparent voting systems, reducing opportunities for voter fraud and increasing turnout through improved accessibility to democracy.

Charity

Bitgive – This service aims to provide greater transparency to charity donations and clearer links between giving and project outcomes. It is working with established charities including Save The Children, The Water Project and Medic Mobile.

Retail

OpenBazaar – OpenBazaar is an attempt to build a decentralized market where goods and services can be traded with no middle-man.

Loyyal – This is a blockchain-based universal loyalty framework, which aims to allow consumers to combine and trade loyalty rewards in new ways, and retailers to offer more sophisticated loyalty packages.

Blockpoint.io – Allows retailers to build payment systems around blockchain currencies such as Bitcoin, as well as blockchain derived gift cards and loyalty schemes.

Real Estate

Ubiquity – This startup is creating a blockchain-driven system for tracking the complicated legal process which creates friction and expense in real estate transfer.

Transport and Tourism

IBM Blockchain Solutions – IBM has said it will go public with a number of non-finance related blockchain initiatives with global partners in 2018. This video envisages how efficiencies could be driven in the vehicle leasing industry.

Arcade City – An application which aims to beat Uber at their own game by moving ride sharing and car hiring onto the blockchain.

La’Zooz – A community-owned platform for synchronizing empty seats with passengers in need of a lift in real-time.

Webjet – The online travel portal is developing a blockchain solution to allow stock of empty hotel rooms to be efficiently tracked and traded, with payment fairly routed to the network of middle-men sites involved in filling last-minute vacancies.

Media

Kodak – Kodak recently sent its stock soaring after announcing that it is developing a blockchain system for tracking intellectual property rights and payments to photographers.

Ujomusic – Founded by singer-songwriter Imogen Heap to record and track royalties for musicians, as well as allowing them to create a record of ownership of their work.

It is exciting to see all these developments. I am sure not all of these will make it into successful long-term ventures but if they indicate one thing, then it is the vast potential the blockchain technology is offering.

Bernard Marr is a best-selling author & keynote speaker on business, technology and big data. His new book is Data Strategy. To read his future posts simply join his network here.

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more on blockchain in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=blockchain

AI autonomous cars libraries

AI, Autonomous Cars, and Libraries

at RMG’s Annual Presidents’ Seminar:
The View from the Top on Friday February 9, 2018, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
ALA Midwinter Conference, Denver Colorado Convention Center Room 505

Who, When, Where?

  • How will these disruptive technologies enter the

Library Industry ?

  • Who will lead the innovation?
  • And what about Robots, Blockchain, and the loss of Net Neutrality?
  • How will Artificial Intelligence and Self-Driving Cars improve library services and performance?
  • • In the age of click and digital download, will driverless library (or Uber or Lyft) delivery services plus robots-to-the-door put printed books and other physical items into readers’ hands with comparable ease? Or transport and escort readers to Library programs and browsing opportunities?
  • • Alexa:   Please deliver to my weekend address the Hungarian cookbook I checked out from my Branch Library last year and fresh — not frozen — ingredients for goulash for six. Text me by Thursday if I can’t get all this by Friday 6pm. Also, could you recommend a suitable under $15 red wine available at my weekend Whole Foods?
  • • Siri or Alexa:   Call the Library and make reservations for my two grandchildren and me for the February program on Spring solstice, and ask them to text each of us confirmations. Also, could you ask the Library to send them links to e-books that explain the history of astronomy? And deliver to Amy a book in English or Mandarin about ancient Chinese astronomy a week before the program?

The Seminar is open to everyone for dialogue on topical issues and concerns — registration is not required.

Attendees are invited to ask questions of Library Industry executives entrusted with delivering platforms and solutions for global library systems, services, and content to thousands of libraries serving millions of library users worldwide.

Participating companies & executives include:

Axiell (Ann Maelerts), BiblioLabs (Mitchell Davis),

Demco Software (Ravi Singh), Easy Mile, Index Data (Sebastian Hammer), Innovative Interfaces (James Tallman),  Overdrive (Steve Potash), ProQuest (Rich Belanger), SirsiDynix (Bill Davison), The Library Corporation (Annette Murphy)

Rob McGee  will moderate the session with assistance from Marshall Breeding and RMG’s Geoff Payne (Melbourne Office).

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more on artificial intelligence in this ims blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=artificial+intelligence

SpringboardVR and Steam in libraries

Springboard Vr and Steam for virtual reality in libraries

A bit more information from SpringboardVR for anyone interested:
Here is a link to their setup guide – https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dYp4-hoHcJD3I8_YdyNh8PI-4CFvkWfVT3HJ-NK6FvY/edit
It is currently built specifically for arcades, but they think there are a lot of features that libraries could still find useful.
They also have a booking system:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/14-HvD-F1Kt7aTrlwiKdq8aXouU5d4l0lszPo6TwlM1w/edit

I heard back from Steam, with exactly the response I expected: Our service model (users reserve our own PC and VR headset, using our Steam software) needs to use their site license program. And even if it’s just on that one PC, we’d still have to run their site license server locally to manage it.

We did an inventory of what it would cost us to purchase a site license for our most popular games: Of our top 25 most played VR games, only 10 have site licenses available at all. Those 10 games would in total cost us slightly more than $3000 per year to license, which strikes me as ridiculous.

But Tara, thanks for pointing out Springboard VR! At a glance it looks really promising. I’m really glad to hear about another option.

-Chad

We ran into the same problem last year with Steam. However, we are now working with Springboard VR. Our head VR specialist says you can test run their interface on a machine for free and that they are putting together an academic package that should be available soon!  https://springboardvr.com/
Tara
Amazing timing, Laura! I was just looking into the site license program this week. I wrote up what I’ve learned so far for someone else this morning, shared below. But to sum up, it’s not very promising either from a financial or practical view of the way we use Steam currently (one PC with Steam titles that we’ve purchased under our account, with an attached HTC Vive).
I originally thought this was just a different kind of license for each game, one which allows public use in a library, cafe, etc. But I got some clarification questions answered by Steam support – it’s actually designed for users to log into one of our computers using their own Steam account. They can then check out a game we’ve purchased a site license for, and play it under their account while they’re on our computer.
 
This also requires running some sort of server locally to handle the checkouts.
 
So I don’t think this is going to work for us. The pricing is also pretty wild. One of our most popular titles is Space Pirate Trainer – currently $10 paid one time to own individually, or $30/month/seat for a site license subscription. And I’ve seen at least one title that’s free for individual ownership, but somehow costs $20/month/seat for site license.
 
Much of their documentation is contradictory and out of date.
 
Even more annoying is that you can’t even see the site license prices until you sign up for a site license account and fill out some legal forms.
 
Last but not least, many titles, even free ones, do not have site licenses available at all.
 
I have one more request into Steam support asking how they prefer we purchase things as a library. I’ll let you know what I hear.
 
Oh, also – you can’t convert an existing Steam account or purchases. You need to create a new one and start from scratch.
 
-Chad
We’d also like to know if any other libraries had set up the Steam/Valve Site license, which we were just starting to look into ourselves:  https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=3303-QWRC-3436  – which sounds like it solves many of these problems. Our general counsel has a few issues with the license terms but are willing to consider especially if I can find examples of other institutions utilizing it!
 
____________________________________________________________________
Laura K. Wiegand
Interim University Librarian
Associate Director Library Information Technology and Digital Strategies
Echoing what Peter said there are no good solutions right now.  It would be great if Steam or HTC or Oculus offered site licenses or group accounts, but they don’t.  We have 2 HTC Vives that share an account.  This causes problems occasionally as it doesn’t like it if two headsets are using the same program.  Going offline usually takes care of it.  Our 4 Oculus Rifts also share an account but the Oculus store is less problematic than Steam since it only contacts the mother ship when doing an update.  If you have the option prepaid cards and individual accounts would be the best way to go but our purchasing department said no.
Edward Iglesias
In our library’s VR Studio, we have a separate library-owned Steam account for each of 7 VR workstation computers. Some have Vives, some have Oculus Rifts at them. We purchase content for each account. We also allow patrons to download free games/tools to those computers.
If a patron owns Steam content that we don’t, they may log in to their personal account and download the game to our computer. So far, this hasn’t posed a problem, except that the added game will show up in that workstation account’s game list, but will not be playable to other patrons. I occasionally delete personal games that are causing confusion to other patrons.  Not too many patrons have downloaded content yet so if it gets to be too troublesome we may disallow it in the future.
For the Oculus Rift stations, there is a Steam account as mentioned above, plus the Oculus library. For Oculus, I’ve been able to use one account for all of the workstations. We purchase content once and it’s usable on all the computers from the one account. This has worked fine so far except for playing multi-player online. The single account will not support multiple instances of online play for the same game.
None of these is a perfect solution but they are mostly working as this is a continuous work in progress. Feel free to get in touch off list if you’d like more specific info, etc.
Thanks,
Pete
Hi all,
I was curious if any of your libraries have Steam from Valve installed on your public workstations to drive PC gaming and an HTC Vive? Any tips on how to set that up? Obviously the licensing issue with purchased programs/games through Steam is a problem when you are providing access for a large user base. There are multiple free games/programs available.
How do you handle providing each user with HDD/SSD space on your machines for downloaded games/programs through Steam?
Thanks,
Alex
Elisandro Cabada
Engineering and Innovation Liaison Librarian
Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering Librarian

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more on Virtual Reality in libraries in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=virtual+reality+library

PALS at CATT

Campus Academic Technology Teams Webinar:

Online Education Report:

https://mnscu.sharepoint.com/sites/SO-UG-Educational-Innovations/Shared%20Documents/CATTs/2017-11-28/Advancing%20Online%20Education%20-%20Full%20Report.pdf?slrid=9d6b319e-e02a-4000-c1b7-12461657a5be

PALS: Enhancing Library System Solutions

PALS is housed in Mankato, 40+ years, shared by all MnSCU institutions. smaller libraries with smaller staff benefit.

Funding: Centrally from the Chancellor Office and privately.

Ex Libris. Alma (management software) discovery software is Primo. Implementation from Sept 2017 to 2019

value-added services?  A valueadded service (VAS) is a popular telecommunications industry term for non-coreservices, or, in short, all services beyond standard voice calls and fax transmissions. However, it can be used in any service industry, for services available at little or no cost, to promote their primary business.

Value-added service – Wikipedia

The new library system: backroom processing: – acquisitions – resources management (phys + electr) – analytics / reports /APIs
fulfillment : circulation and ILL
Discovery (Primo)
– phys + electr
– institution, consortium, remote resources
advantanges:
Hosted apps
web-based staff interface (until now on Windows)
all in one vs four separate apps – staff efficiency, common services, student success?
electronic resource management
Electronic resource management (ERM) is the practices and techniques used by librarians and library staff to track the selection, acquisition, licensing, access, maintenance, usage, evaluation, retention, and de-selection of a library’s electronic information resources. These resources include, but are not limited to, electronic journalselectronic booksstreaming mediadatabasesdatasetsCD-ROMs, and computer softwarehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_resource_management
Primo – comprehensive discovery
one search point; phys + electr; integrated into central system; academic resources available in central index; analytics and reporting; library consortia
EZ Proxy – provides access to library resources off campus
Islandora – open source digital asset management solution tha preserves, manages, and provide access to docs, unique history (photos, publications); research, other resources
Islandora is considered for OER, link to course materials through D2L
Leganto – expensive ExLibris for D2L integration
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Thurs, Nov 30 – continuation from Tues, Nov 28
Islandora. open source digital assessment tool. STCC is using Islandora
Primo is the discovery tool for campus only w subscription. PALS does not fund Primo. PALS does it through state-wide dbases.
ILL of electronic resources among campuses; the new system is making it easier.
your comments about the new system making electronic resources more available : does it mean that I will not have to go through my campus ILL persona can “borrow” directly? or it is too optimistic to expect that?
 Stephen Kelly: Tim Anderson has shared with me some thoughts on how Islandora can assist with archiving Open Educational Resources (OERs), but could you comment further on that for the benefit of everyone on the call? Answer: safe place to save OER. Drupal-based front end. Customizable. What is the connection to Primo
Stephen Kelly: Could it facilitate easier sharing of resources between institutions? For instance, if an OER was created at one institution and uploaded to Islandora, could it easily be populated for every other institution to access the materials as well?
Piggybacking on Stephen Kelly: are the account permissions similar to the average social media tool, where faculty can decide how “wide” the permission of h/er OER product is? E.g. a blog or YouTube / Kaltura can have: private / unlisted / public levels. Does Islandora function the same?
ownership of the OER.
copyright can be placed on each screen.

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