Just in Case it Matters to You
Weekly Report 19-13
- RE: TURNING BACK TIME. S. and Russian researchers teamed up to conduct an experiment which “returned the state of a quantum computer a fraction of a second into its recent past… effectively reversing the second law of thermodynamics that posits only one-way direction of time – from the past to the future.” If accurate, the ‘reversal algorithm’ utilized in a four-stage experiment involving ‘superconducting qubits,’ which found 85% results in which their quantum computer “returned back to its initial state,” suggests the eventual potential for some very strange future. [WWW.IMPACTLAB.NET/2019/03/a9]
- ‘5G’ IS THE NEXT GENERATION OF WIRELESS NETWORKS, starting to rollout this year, which “could replace wired broadband in the home and allow for billions of other connected devices, unlocking an array of technologies from autonomous cars that share traffic data to immersive virtual reality games… with download speeds for a movie reduced to 20 seconds and drones able to send video and mapping data to be analyzed in real time.” American firms are vying with China’s telecom industry for patents and standards control, since “the nation that dominates 5G gets to develop a whole generation of mobile services with improved artificial intelligence and machine learning, by allowing algorithms to access more data faster.” Currently China’s Huawei conglomerate is in the lead, however the U.S. has banned their products “amid fears of espionage and stealing trade secrets,” so it could be several years before the dust settles and 5G is fully implemented. [THE WEEK – 3/22/19]
- SOUNDS OF ANYTHING WILL SOON BE 94% BLOCKABLE by a 3D-printed ‘acoustic meta-material.’ Boston University researchers have designed a material which “sends incoming sounds back to where they came from…by reflecting certain frequencies through the air… These silencers can be tailored to circumstance, fitting HVAC systems, drone turbines, MRI machines, office or apartment walls, and co-workers.” [FAST COMPANY – 3/16/19]
- STRATEGIC PLANNING IS NOT JUST A BUZZ-PHRASE, it’s the process by which businesses can address the array of challenges that lead to success or failure, whether intending to expand or just stabilize. The process effectively has three dimensions: (1) Clarifying a STRATEGY which articulates a consensus Vision of what owners ‘want to get to and look like’ at some time-targeted point, with explicit measurable Goals; (2) Developing an OPERATING PLAN which defines ‘what it will take to make that happen,’ with tangible Objectives – time lines, required people & financial resources – necessary to minimize risks and optimally execute the Strategy; (3) Implementing a BUSINESS PLAN which focuses on action steps to achieve the targeted levels of revenue/profitability/cash flow, referenced to reality-based assumptions. Strategic Planning is most effective when all important stakeholders have some voice in developing these elements – not just the C-Execs, but also key Managers, Advisors, sometimes Investors/Financiers and even key Clients. DCG have decades of experience in facilitating this critical business process. Let us help you achieve your Vision before your reality check bounces.
- NO FEDERAL OR STATE LAW REQUIRES A SYSTEM OF IDENTICAL VOTING MACHINES, but a strange decision was reached by the state of Georgia. Despite cyber-expert evidence that its existing computerized voting machines are “most hackable in the country, and allow for no auditable trail,” Georgia has rejected a plan for hand-marked ballots because this would discriminate against the blind. Their argument: “if the blind can’t use them, neither should anyone else… akin to saying that because some people can’t walk up stairs, now everybody has to use the elevator.” 70% of U.S. electorate currently vote with hand-marked ballots feeding into a computerized scanner, accompanied by computer-assisted machines for the disabled. [BUSINESSWEEK – 3/18/19]
- THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK Awesome advice for seniors: Don’t Let the Old Man In. https://biggeekdad.com/2019/03/dont-let-the-old-man-in/
In both California and Texas, seven in ten households headed by immigrants are on taxpayer-funded welfare, according to Census data analyzed by the Center for Immigration Studies.
An entertaining ‘clap along’ video from Celtic Thunder: https://biggeekdad.com/2012/02/a-place-in-the-choir/