Interesting Reads – 2018-08-21
Contents
Articles
- ASMR videos could be a new digital therapy
- 10 must-read books: Broaden your perspective, leaders
- How the science of timing can boost productivity
- The next major innovation in batteries might be here
- Online Shopping Is Making Us Accumulate More Junk
- Octane: Develop your employability skills
- 10 TED talks to sharpen your communication skills
- 10 Threats Lurking on the Dark Web
- 7 Indian Union Ministries Who Have Embraced Artificial Intelligence Big Time
- Foot In Mouth: 43 Quotes From Big Corporate Execs Who Laughed Off Disruption When It Hit
Events / Announcements
- IWPAA3: 3rd International Workshop on Pattern Analysis and Applications on the theme “Deep Learning”
- INDICON 2018: Theme “Harnessing Technology For Humanity” at Coimbatore during 16-18 Dec 2018
- NACLIN 2018: 21st National Convention on Knowledge, Library and Information Networking
- eWIT QUIZ Time
- CSI-2018: 53rd Annual Convention of Computer Society of India 2018
- The Audiovisual & Integrated Experience Association (AVIXA) classroom training (hands on)
- IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Congress – 2018
- Tell a good science story and win a prize
========================================================
Articles
ASMR videos could be a new digital therapy
You may know “ASMR” as the niche genre of YouTube
video which people watch on tablets and laptops to help them relax, perhaps
before bed or in the lull of a Sunday afternoon. These videos typically involve
someone role-playing a mundane professional service, such as giving you a
haircut, a massage, or booking you in for a doctors’ appointment.
The role-plays are usually performed in whispered
voices, with the “ASMRtist” (the term for the creators of these videos) focused
on building a feeling of intimacy and emphasising any crisp sounds or slow hand
movements. But what exactly is ASMR, and why do people watch these videos?
10 must-read books: Broaden your perspective, leaders
Here are ten picks that we think CIOs and other
leaders can gain new perspective from – on topics including Silicon Valley's
"brogrammer" culture, AI, blockchain, team building, and navigating
culture change.
How the science of timing can boost productivity
We humans tend to think of timing as an art, shaped
by some combination of intuition and guesswork. But timing is really a science,
according to best-selling author and management and motivation guru Daniel
Pink, who posits that when we do things is just as important as how we do them.
The next major innovation in
batteries might be here
Lithium-ion
batteries were first introduced to the public in a Sony camcorder in 1991. Then
they revolutionized our lives. The versatile batteries now power everything
from tiny medical implants and smartphones to forklifts and expensive electric
cars. And yet, lithium-ion technology still isn’t powerful enough to fully
displace gasoline-powered cars or cheap enough to solve the big energy-storage
problem of solar and wind power.
Dave
Eaglesham, the CEO of Pellion Technologies, a Massachusetts-based startup,
believes his company has made the leap beyond lithium-ion that will bring the
battery industry to the next stage of technological disruption. He and his
colleagues have accomplished something researchers have been struggling with
for decades: they’ve built a reliable rechargeable lithium-metal battery.
Though
other startups have for years made various claims about lithium-metal
batteries, none yet have gotten past the development or testing phases; Pellion
has already been selling their battery to at least one buyer since February.
Pellion’s
battery can pack nearly double the energy of a conventional lithium-ion
battery, making it able to, for example, double the time a drone can spend in
the air. That 100% increase in energy density is a step change compared to the
annual 10% or so improvement the battery industry currently averages. If Pellion
overcomes early limitations, its batteries have the potential to power a Tesla
car for 800 km (500 miles) on a single charge, rather than today’s upper limits
of 400 km.
Online Shopping Is Making Us
Accumulate More Junk
‘We Are All Accumulating Mountains of Things’
How
online shopping and cheap prices are turning Americans into hoarders
Octane: Develop your
employability skills
As
well as your technical and academic skills, there are other skills that any
employer looks for when deciding who they want to work with, be they academic
researchers, government, business, non-governmental organisations, public or
private sector. While there are many lists of these ’employability’ skills, at
Oxford we focus on the key eight skills – based on the Confederation of British
Industry (CBI)’s report, Future fit: Preparing graduates for the world of work.
We call this the Octane framework.
10 TED talks to sharpen your
communication skills
Do
you feel like when you talk, no one listens? Or do you struggle to remember
what you hear? Improve your speaking and listening skills with these talks
Effective
communication is paramount to great leadership. But it’s more nuanced and
complicated than just learning how to give a great speech. If you want to
inspire others through your words, you must learn how to not only speak
effectively, but also listen effectively. Communication is a two-way street,
after all.
We’ve
rounded up 10 TED Talks that offer wisdom and advice for leaders who are
serious about improving their communication skills. From practical tips like
leaving bullet points out of slides, to learning the importance of
vulnerability in conversations, these talks offer a mini-course on more
effective communication. That should lead to deeper understanding on both sides
for leaders and teams.
10 Threats Lurking on the Dark
Web
Despite some high-profile takedowns last year, the Dark Web remains alive and well. Here's a compilation of some of the more prolific threats that loom.
7 Indian Union Ministries Who
Have Embraced Artificial Intelligence Big Time
It
is no secret that Artificial intelligence has seeped into citizen’s lives. On a
larger scale, AI in India has also become a crucial part of numerous government
initiatives. The NDA-led BJP government has put enough importance towards new
technologies by starting various new programmes. They have also set up an AI
Task Force to prepare India for the Industrial Revolution 4.0.
In
fact, through a series of events and speeches from his tenure, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi is seen to have been deliberately showcasing India as well as his
government as technologically-forward.
In
an exclusive interaction with Analytics India Magazine, professor Kamakoti
Veezhinathan, who heads the AI TasK Force, had explained that the venture was
an amalgamation of thought leaders from multiple disciplines — academicians,
government officials, corporates and people with other specialisations.
The
story list top 6 Union Ministries who are using artificial intelligence on a
very large scale in their operations:
Foot
In Mouth: 43 Quotes From Big Corporate Execs Who Laughed Off Disruption When It
Hit
With
the iPhone as a glaring example, and stretching through Amazon and e-commerce
and more recently blockchain and bitcoin, many innovations have initially been
met with derision by big company CEOs. History often proved them wrong.
Sometimes
disruption is staring you right in the face and you can’t help but look the
other way. That’s doubly true when you’re the head of a legacy business
desperate to stay relevant.
Small
players have historically changed the business landscape when the older guys
aren’t aware enough or nimble enough to respond. Here are some examples of big
CEOs and executives who minimized disruptive threats when they appeared. When
asked about these smaller players at the time (and even now) some companies
have remained woefully dismissive.
Events / Announcements
IWPAA3: 3rd International
Workshop on Pattern Analysis and Applications on the theme “Deep Learning”
The
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition Unit, ISI Kolkata is organising the 3rd
International Workshop on Pattern Analysis and Applications (IWPAA3) on the theme
“Deep Learning” during 24-26 September 2018
at Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata
Apply
on or before 28th Aug at https://goo.gl/forms/zqTy2Mef51SItWYE2
INDICON 2018: Theme “Harnessing
Technology For Humanity” at Coimbatore during 16-18 Dec 2018
INDICON
is the flagship Annual International Conference of the IEEE India Council. It
has its origins in the Annual Convention and Exhibition (ACE) of the Council,
which transformed into the INDICON in 2004, being conducted at IIT Kharagpur.
Each of the IEEE Sections have been conducting INDICON in turns, with the last
(2017) being organized by the UP Section at IIT Roorkee.
With
the theme of “Harnessing Technology for Humanity”, the 15th IEEE India Council
International Conference (INDICON 2018), being organized by the IEEE Madras
Section during December 15-18, 2018, at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore,
with technical support from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, promises
to be bigger and better than before. With plenary sessions, keynote addresses
by reputed academicians, tutorials, workshops, Student Paper contests, industry
exhibits and stalls and most importantly, high quality presentations from the
best of the researchers in India, no effort is being spared to make INDICON
2018, the best so far.
Last
date for paper submission: 31st August 2018 (Hard Deadline)
For
details visit the website at http://indicon2018.in/
NACLIN 2018: 21st National
Convention on Knowledge, Library and Information Networking
The
National Convention on Knowledge, Library and Information Networking (NACLIN
2018) will discuss a large number of latest issues under the theme :
"Managing Strategies and Technologies for Advancing Scope and Services of
Libraries" It is being held during October 4-6, 2018 at Mother Teresa Auditorium, GITAM, Visakhapatnam.
Last
date for submission of papers: September 1, 2018.
NACLIN
2018 brochure can be downloaded from www.delnet.nic.in
Contact:
Dr. H. K. Kaul, E-mail: hkkaul@gmail.com
/ director@delnet.ren.nic.in
Tel : 91-11-26741111 / Mobile : 91-9891016667
Tel : 91-11-26741111 / Mobile : 91-9891016667
eWIT QUIZ Time
eWIT
Invites You To QUIZ Time on Friday, 7th Sep 2018, Friday from 4.30 p.m. to 6.30
p.m.
QUIZ
time is a 'fun event’ organized by eWIT for women and men. Very attractive
prizes can be won. A maximum of 10
teams will take part. Each team would have 6 participants. Come as a team or be
teamed!
Venue:
Ascendas Building, Phase II, 8th Floor, Taramani, Chennai 600113.
Registration
Link
Pre-registration
is a must. Register on or before 6th Sep
2018. Registration is Free for members & partner organisations’ members. Non-members
need to become a member to attend the event
CSI-2018: 53rd Annual Convention of
Computer Society of India 2018
The
53rd Annual Convention of CSI will be held at Hotel Inder Residency.
Udaipur, Rajasthan, India during 14-16 Dec 2018.
Call
for Papers, Thematic Conferences, Workshops, Pre-Convention Tutorials and
Participation are open.
Last
date for paper submission is 15th Sep.
All
Accepted and selected reviewed papers will be published as a part of the
thematic edited book by CRC Press (Taylor and Francis Group). The published
will carry the logo of CRC Press and CSI . Further published books/papers will
be send for indexing and inclusion in SCOPUS, Web of Science (WOS) and Google
scholar.
For
details visit the convention website at http://www.csi-2018.org
The Audiovisual & Integrated Experience Association
(AVIXA) classroom training (hands on)
AVIXA
will be organizing AV Installation – System Fabrication class room training at
Mumbai during September 15 – 17, 2018. The hands-on, workshop style course will
be important for Installation technicians; Systems integrators; AV
Professionals & candidates preparing for CTS I. For more information please
visit: https://www.avixa.org/events/event-details/2018/09/15/default-calendar/av-installation-level-1-system-fabrication-mumbai
IEEE Robotics and Automation
Society Congress – 2018
IEEE
Student Branch at Quantum School of Technology, Roorkee is organizing the IEEE
Robotics and Automation Society Congress 2018 during September 21-22, 2018. The
congress comprises of distinguished lectures, participants presentation
sessions and discussion sessions on the various themes relevant to the
congress.
More
details at http://www.ieeerasc.cf
Contact:
Prof. Raunak Gupta, Email: raunak31rp@gmail.com
Phone: +91-9721056160, +91-9634840658
Phone: +91-9721056160, +91-9634840658
Tell a good science story and
win a prize
To
encourage science students and young scientists to become communicators, the
Department of Science and Technology has launched a nationwide campaign named
AWSAR or ‘Augmenting Writing Skills for Articulating Research’.
Under
the initiative, PhD students and post-doctoral scholars in all science and
technology streams would be encouraged to write at least one popular science
story during the tenancy of their scholarship, and to participate in a national
competition. The best 100 entries from PhD scholars will get an incentive of ₹10,000 each,
along with a certificate. Their work also stands a chance being published in
newspapers and magazines.
Out
of the hundred best entries, top three science stories would be awarded cash
prizes of ₹1 lakh, ₹50,000 and ₹25,000
respectively. In addition, 20 entries would be selected from stories submitted
exclusively by post-doctoral fellows relating to their line of research. These
scholars will get incentive of ₹10,000
each along with a certificate, while the most outstanding story out of this
group would be given a cash award of ₹1 lakh.
The
selection will be done by a panel of scientists and science writers based on
factors like accuracy, clarity, insightfulness, and resourcefulness. The word
limit for the popular science story will be in between 1,000-1,500 words, and
they can be in English or Hindi. Technical and research papers will not qualify
for this competition. The stories can be submitted from August 15 till
September 30, 2018 after online registration at www.awsar-dst.in
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