New Florence. New Renaissance.

BA "Look Up" Magic

I am headed to UK next and hope to see one of these billboards in London (they are not that new, but I have not been to London in a few years).

"The charming execution, which featured adorable children on the digital boards pointing at overhead planes, masked a technologically complex backend. It involved mounting an antennae on the roof of a building near each board. The antennae picked up data from the transponders of British Airways aircrafts within 200 kilometers and fed that information into to an application that identified the flights. The application then sent the information to a server that served the messages about the plane's destination or origination. A "trigger zone" acted as a trip wire to determine when a plane should instigate a message and cloud altitude data determined if the plane could actually be seen."

 

 

The monster Cricket World Cup event

Tomorrow starts what will be 46 days of one of the most watched events in the world - the Cricket World Cup. England, the host country (with Wales), will play South Africa in the first match at the hallowed Oval grounds in London as the official app page below shows.

The Telegraph says

"The tournament is now the third biggest stand-alone world championship in any sport, below football and rugby, according to Sportcal, a sports market intelligence company. It will generate about £400 million for the International Cricket Council in broadcasting rights alone."

My own cricket is rusty. I played it when I was very young but have not kept up. The technology and the athleticism is so much better now. I have 4 games penciled in my calendar - the semis and the finals, and one game in person while in the UK. However, I asked a few friends in technology from around the world who are fanatical cricket fans the following questions and each, surprise, surprise has strong opinions.  

a) Which team do you think will win the tournament? Who would you like to win the tournament?

b) Is there a player or two you think will dominate the tournament?

c) which technologies (on the field, in broadcast etc) will make this tournament more exciting from your pov?

d) how do you plan to stay productive across 46 days of this competition?

Thomas Otter who will be watching from Germany:

a) England are in theory the favorites. They have home grown advantage, and they looked impressive against Pakistan. As has been the case since 1896, England cricket reaps the rewards of immigration.Today their best batsman and captains is Irish, and their new exciting bowler is from Barbados.

I would like South Africa to win. It is time to deal with the ghosts of 1999. I’d like to see Afghanistan surprise a top side or two. The story of Afghanistan cricket is a most remarkable thing. A small slither of joy to emerge out the horrors of decades of war and strife.

b) Batting has dominated this form of cricket lately, so I’m hoping that the bowlers will get their chance to shift this. I’d like to see Kagiso Rabada (of S Africa) bowl Virat Kohli (of India) with a yorker first ball. The fielding keeps getting better but this still takes some beating.

c) The decision tech keeps Improving. It brings more fairness to the game. I hope that we talk more about the cricket than the tech though. Kohli’s cover drive is perfection, the tech still has a way to go.

d) I hope to catch a game live, but I’ll be watching a lot on TV. I will also watch some games with the cricket diaspora in Heidelberg.

Vijay Vijaysankar who will be watching from the U.S.:

a) Highest chance is for England. I would like India to win

b) Virat Kohli of India

c) Hoping for better Umpire Decision Review System (DRS) for LBW decisions (that's leg before wicket, one way a batsman can be dismissed) 

d) By planning meetings around it as much as I can . Time difference is not terrible this time with the cup being held in UK 

Dennis Howlett who is in England, so pretty close to the action:

a) England are favorites but the weather plays a huge part in how each pitch plays and it's an open question whether England has the temperament to stay the distance. I wouldn't be surprised if India did really well with their line up.

b) I don't really want to pick a stand out player at this point. There are so many that could shine. Relieving Root of the England captaincy in favor of Morgan could see some serious slogging but then you never know. Can Archer repeat his impressive start? Is he the next gen Anderson? I'd be delighted to see a player who has been a solid journeyman shine - for whatever team. And it's high time we saw a world class spinner emerge from at least one of these sides while playing in English conditions. On batting v bowling - it's all about the weather. Headingley (one of the venues) can (and has) produced some of the most exciting cricket of all time IMO - who can forget Botham destroying Australia in a test where the odds were 250-1 on an England win. I saw that. Or Viv Richards (of West Indies) smashing 135 before lunch one glorious Saturday morning. I saw that too. I doubt that will be repeated this year given the fixtures to be played there. 

c) I'd like to see drones take a part in following the action. Example - you rarely get a full sense of swing from the TV position behind the bowler's arm but you can from above. Stump mics? Turn 'em up so we can hear the on-field sledging - always a fun part of the game for me.

d) I will try and make at least one of the Headingley fixtures. They are always incredibly good-natured with food and drink readily exchanged among competing crowds...unless it's India and Pak - then it's not quite so convivial. But that match isn't scheduled for Headingley so...but Sri Lanka v India could be a lot of fun. It's a helluva good way to spend a day out - whatever the result. If the weather holds, take your sunblock. And a poncho to save getting drenched by summer storms.

Play ball!...oh wait, I hope I still remember baseball rules after this summer.

 

Singapore's startup ecosystem

Singapore’s effort to create an ecosystem to support startups is gaining ground, with the city-state now home to more than 150 venture capital funds.

L’Oreal SA, Microsoft Corp. and Oracle Corp. are among more than 100 entities running incubator and accelerator programs, according to Enterprise Singapore, the government agency spearheading enterprise development. Venture funding has increased to $10.5 billion in 2018 from $800 million in 2012, according to data from PitchBook.

BusinessWeek

 

 

 

"Memorials are our specialty"

I would love to be in Washington, DC today. So many Memorial Day activities like Rolling Thunder, the large parade, the always solemn Arlington National Cemetery and so much more as this page shows

I am not, but no matter where you are it is a good day to remember the sacrifices of so many.   

Photo Credit

Tires and steering wheels at the Indy 500

For the Indy 500 and the 5,000 tires used there, the right side must sustain long duration—turn one can last 35 seconds—of loads over 3,000 pounds.

“The right front is stiff, the right rear is stiff, matched to the front,” Adams says. “They are durable and consistent.”

The right rear tire comes one-third of an inch bigger than the left rear, which is also softer. The left front is where the grip comes to play, so expect to see 11-inch treads in the front and over 15-inch treads in the rear.

Firestone, which has served for the past 20 years as the exclusive provider of racing tires for the IndyCar circuit, will produce one specification for every corner of the car from its factory in Akron, Ohio. Adams says most teams will have two variations of dry tires, one that puts a focus on durability and an alternate that has an initial performance benefit that drops away quickly. Every team will also have rain tires. Every tire includes a mix of fabric, steel, and over 10 different compounds.

Popular Mechanics

BTW, the steering wheel on those cars is way different than what you and I have in our cars

Book table. Then buy ticket.

There are many motivations for traveling: taking advantage of a school vacation or holiday break or pursuing cultural enrichment in an unfamiliar city. But for passionate eaters like Ms. Martins, there’s no better reason to jump on a plane than a meal at a bucket-list restaurant.

For dining obsessives of this ilk, the annual World’s 50 Best Restaurants list serves as a travel punch-card — a roster of upscale restaurants that beg to be tried. The 2019 list will be announced at the end of June, and although the awards have been criticized for, among other things, their large number of corporate sponsors, a dearth of female chefs, and the ease with which restaurants and others can game the vote, they remain a global benchmark.

New York Times

 

Last year's list

 

 

Electrifying Aviation

MagniX's approach is to build an electric motor for standard aircrafts that fly nine to 15 passengers on standard, 100- to 1,000-mile routes, and that take off and land at standard airports. "So the only thing that's different is, instead of being gas-guzzling, emissions-creating aircraft," he says, "they don't need any fuel and don't create any emissions."

Earlier this fall, MagniX passed a critical milestone: powering a propeller on a Cessna "Iron Bird" with the company's 350-horsepower, all-electric motor powered exclusively by battery.

Pacific Standard

 

 

 

RIP, I.M. Pei

Best known for designing the East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington and the glass pyramid at the entrance to the Louvre in Paris, Mr. Pei was one of the few architects who were equally attractive to real estate developers, corporate chieftains and art museum boards (the third group, of course, often made up of members of the first two). And all of his work — from his commercial skyscrapers to his art museums — represented a careful balance of the cutting edge and the conservative.

New York Times

 

You may enjoy this walk down memory lane

 

TopGolf: tech-enabled social hive

I had seen the 170 foot tall mesh fences in several cities. I just did not want to show off my poor game at those TopGolf locations which are sprouting up around the country and around the world (the company was founded in the UK).

So, I grudgingly accepted the invite from ASUG during SAP Sapphire week for a reception at the Orlando location. Turns out there is way more than golf at these venues. They are hives of social activity often with as many as 1,500 customers. There is a 50 table restaurant. A 3,000 sq. ft roof terrace. A room with several pool tables. Nearly 300 flat screen TVs. The whole space covers 65,000 square feet. On this evening, one of the sponsors, SNP publicized its Bluefield approach to S/4HANA migrations by serving a drink made with Blue Curacao.  And donuts you could inject with sugary fluids. The video below describes the syringes and the location in more detail.

The place is not just for grown ups. Don't take my word for it. Kyle Fish, a 6th grader says "I love Top Golf because I'm able to hang out with my family & friends and they have great food."

He took his mom, Stacey Fish and his sister Audrey, a 8th grader to TopGolf for Mother's Day.

Most patrons, of course, are there for the golf. They are hitting balls from over hundred bays. Each bay can hold 6 players. 600 players hitting balls at the same time calls for a lot of technology. Each specially designed golf ball has a RFID chip which ties it to each player. The field has circular zones with nets and RFID readers. The distance of the shot (the zones are 20 feet to over 200 feet ahead of you) and how close you get to the center of a zone determines the points you earn. No scorecards or pencils required - the scores are reported to your console and recorded on your digital membership. Instant feedback. No cheating.

This location was open till midnight. Others are open till 2 am. You can play rain or shine from the comfort of your bay. Who needs golf courses and waiting impatiently for others to tee off? Who needs to lug the cart in the blazing heat or biting cold?

Of course, Audrey says it even better: "the food at Top Golf is delicious and you don't have to love golf to enjoy the experience."

 

Dean Kamen, Polymath

Dean Kamen keynoted at PowerPlex last week. I would have been content to just listen to him talk about his serial inventions which have earned him nearly 450 patents - the Segway, insulin pumps, prosthetics and countless other items.

However,  in his talk he spent plenty of time on FIRST and how it has fired up so many of our young about robotics and STEM topics. 

and that is about to get turbocharged with help from Disney 

But to me even more inspiring was how he has helped revive Manchester, NH. That textile town is now a high-tech hub. This Politico article describes Kamen's role in the revival. So many other US towns could benefit from similar rejuvenation.

Just when you thought he could not do any better, he ended his talk with

"Us technologists solve problems...we can always wait for politicians or lawyers...but why wait?"  

Indeed.