When seconds can mean the difference between life and death

MARVLIS presents geographic and EMS call data plotted on a map

Though we tend to equate being predictable with being boring, in the case of optimizing emergency response, it is actually a virtue.

n emergency situations, response time can make the difference between life and death. 

Since it deployed the Mobile Area Routing and Vehicle Location Information System (MARVLIS) in 2008, Jersey City Medical Center EMS says it has better-than-average response times and markedly improved survival rates. MARVLIS combines geographic information system technology, wireless communications, and a global positioning system to produce real-time information that enables emergency response teams to get to their destinations faster.

Read more in

Analytics Speed Up Response Times for EMS

Highly detailed 3D printing in NY

Photo from Mini 3D Me

There are only four of these 3D printing systems in the world, with two of them in the United States. That one of those two should be in New York is not remarkable. But the fact that it is not in the Big Apple itself, but in Westchester County is somewhat surprising. How did the combination of a Pro Jet 660 3D printer and Artec scanner, which combined carry a 6-figure price tag, end up in Yorktown?  Find out in 

Advanced 3D Printing in New York

More efficient recycling with 3D printing

We generate so much plastic waste today that it has become a serious environmental problem. Some of us do put aside our plastic bottles for recycling, but even that endeavour requires energy consumption just to get the plastic to a recycling centre. Even more energy is needed for the actual recycling. There is a better way to reuse the plastic, and 3D printing makes it possible.Read more in

3D Printing Plastic — Distributed Recyling and Distributing the Benefits

Joshua Pearce holds a DremelFuge chuck made from shredded plastic milk jugs.

3D printing at MAD

My first-hand account of the 3D exhibit at MAD
Living in New York is wonderful for a number of reasons, but high on my list is access to so many great museums. Not only do we have world-famous museums, like the Met and the MoMA, but we have small, specialized museums that offer unique exhibits focused on innovations in art and technology. The Museum of Art and Design’s Out of Hand: Materializing the Postdigital, on view through until July 6th, is definitely worth a visit for anyone interested in digital design and production.

Read more in http://3dprintingindustry.com/2014/03/17/3d-printing-review-mad-exhibition/

Related: http://writewaypro.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-moma-goes-mobile.html

How am I tweeting?

NewTwitterAnalytics  offers answers. Almost every business has a Twitter account, but many fail to take full advantage of Twitter's many add-on tools. What's holding them back?
Perhaps it's just a matter of not knowing how to measure their impact and figure out how the tools contribute to their goals. Twitter solves that problem with its new Analytics for Twitter Cards service.  Read more in

Twitter Analytics Puts Cards on the Table

What were you hired for?

This is my rejoinder to "Don't ask me to think. I was hired for my looks."

British slang

from http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g186364-d213579-Reviews-Police_Box-Sheffield_South_Yorkshire_England.html

The list of terms is at http://www.effingpot.com/slang.shtml. 

I've picked up some British slang just from context. So this wasn't all new to me, though there were a few surprises, particularly the compilers' own perception of of American usage, perhaps that's due to limited exposure to some friends who are not familiar with all expressions.

What  could have been left out

I never thought of DIY as a British term; it's one Americans use regularly.

Also most Americans (apparently, excluding the friends of the compiler) understand that "piece of cake" means  that something is easy, though some, for some reason prefer the term "cake walk." You could also say "easy as pie" here, though I don't know if they would get the gist of that over the pond. . 

We also say "haggle" and are not too likely to say"dicker." 
Also Americans tend to say "excuse me" both for things like burping and to suggest that someone move out of their way far more often than "pardon me," so the distinctions the list presents are not exactly accurate. 
Oh, and some of us do use the -ly ending for adverbs, thank you very much!

What  could have been included
terms like "brill" is mentioned in passing, though it doesn't have its own entry. It could have been included because the word "brilliant" does have different connotation in British usage than in American usage. Over here, people use it primarily to mean really smart but not as the equivalent of "terrific."


Other regional differences? 
Perhaps it has something to do with focusing on strictly English slang rather than some that may extend to other parts of the UK.  Here's  the entry on "cracking"  -"If something is cracking, it means it is the best. Usually said without pronouncing the last "G". If a girl is cracking it means she is stunning."  From what I recall there's another slang meaning for "crack," though that may be more strictly speaking Irish usage. It appeared several times in a novel I once read and clearly meant talk, chat, of the variety one expects to have in a pub. 

Still it's an entertaining read. 

Photoshop in 3D

We may not yet have the Star Trek "replicator," but we're coming pretty close to wonders with recent advances in 3D printing. It's no wonder that Adobe sees this as the right time to introduce 3D printing capabilities to its Creative Cloud."

No longer limited to hobbyists printing out plastic shapes, 3D printing can now be used to produce ceramics and metals, increasing its functionality for engineers as well as artists. TheCES show in early January had 28 exhibitors for 3D printing. This past October, Gartner predicted rapid growth for 3D printers, anticipating that this year "spending will increase 62 percent, reaching $669 million, with enterprise spending of $536 million and consumer spending of $133 million."

That's a substantial enough amount to attract the likes of Adobe, which announced its foray into the 3D printing industry on January 16 with the new release of Photoshop CC.

Read more in

3D Printing From Adobe's Cloud

Oh the places you'll go and the stories your can can tell about htem

The main problem with the current state of in-car, location-based services is that they aren't required to notify consumers. It's possible that some motorists are completely unaware of who uses their location data, and how. Also, for four out of the six automakers, customers do not have the option to request that their historical data be erased. (The "right to be forgotten" is included in the EU’s data protection laws and recommended by the GAO.) Read more in 

In-Car Tracking: We Know Where You've Been

3D printing brings the stars to the blind

Discussions of big data often touch on the challenge of visualization. An even greater challenge, though, is rendering the data into something that is comprehensible to people who have to use senses other than sight.

3D printing brings the stars to the visually impaired by rendering Hubble's images into tactile form.
Read more in 

Reaching for the Stars With 3D Printing

Keeping your identity

Clones, robots, alien shapeshifters, or disembodied consciousness take over people's identities in shows such as Star Trek and Doctor Who. They can then take over the lives of the people they've duplicated, particularly when they have access to their memories. How can anyone defend himself when he can't tell friend from foe?

In real life, most of us don't fear having someone else show up in person claiming to be us. But we are concerned about identity theft. Our digital world makes it all too easy for the bad guys to hack into personal information posted online, as well as financial information that we can think is secure. The cost of identity theft can be huge when hackers get access to our credit cards, debit cards, and bank accounts.

Read more in Your Personal Online Guardian

Cellphone tracking: a matter of protection or loss of privacy?

With the right equipment, anyone can trace where we are through our phones. Whether and how this technology is used has been a source of controversy for years.

One of the latest flare-ups is police use of Stingrays. In this context, it's not a type of fish but the brand name of an International Mobile Subscriber Identity tracking device.

Read more in 

Cellphone Tracking: Protection vs. Privacy

Glassdoor

Glassdoor, once known primarily as a site for salary information and an insider's peek into corporate culture, has grown by building up its job search features, putting it squarely in competition with the better-known LinkedIn. That could be good news for job seekers and employees who want salary bumps or better benefits. Read more here:IIn Glassdoor vs. LinkedIn, Employees Win

Written in the meta-data

Is it possible to identify an individual’s romantic partner on the basis of his/her social networks alone? That’s the question Jon Kleinberg, a computer scientist at Cornell University and Eric Bakstrom, a senior engineer from Facebook, teamed up to answer. After analyzing millions of Facebook data points, they came up with an affirmative response in Romantic Partnerships and the Dispersion of Social Ties: A Network Analysis of Relationship Status on Facebook -- they assert the answer is yes with a 60% probability. 

Read more in Your Romantic Attachments as Predicted by Metadata

Students on camera -- not for security

We have technology that can use cCameras in Class: Insight vs. Privacy

ameras in the classroom for analysis of lessons. What do you think? Learn more about the concept of  EngageSense in