Category: Business

My Techno Post

I am not much of a techno geek so I only post on the subject as an FYI or something new that has been released……

These are my two techno references…..

Some see the rise of AI as a rise of Skynet….but then there are attempts to prevent that from happening……

Thousands of artificial intelligence (AI) experts and developers have signed a pledge vowing to “neither participate in nor support the development, manufacture, trade, or use of lethal autonomous weapons,” and imploring governments worldwide to work together to “create a future with strong international norms, regulations, and laws” barring so-called killer robots.

More than 160 companies and groups from three dozen countries and 2,400 individuals from 90 countries are backing the pledge, which was developed by the Boston-based Future of Life Institute (FLI) and unveiled Wednesday during the annual International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI) in Stockholm, Sweden.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/07/18/worlds-artificial-intelligence-experts-sign-pledge-aimed-averting-dystopian-future

Your fears are addressed…..then why do I not feel better?

Next…..we all run on GPS….our blue tooth, phones, tablets, etc and the world economy also runs on GPS and that should be changed……

Duke Buckner was enjoying his breakfast at the Renaissance Tel Aviv Hotel, looking out on the city marina, on the day that time stuttered. Buckner oversees marketing and business development for Microsemi Corp., an American communications and defense contractor, and he gets a copy of emailed error reports for its equipment. It’s rare to get more than one in a given day. But on the morning of Jan. 26, 2016, they flooded his inbox. He forgot about breakfast.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-07-25/the-world-economy-runs-on-gps-it-needs-a-backup-plan

My two small attempts to post on techno issues…..

That does it for my Saturday……foul weather is about and we should get a lot of rain today…..so a lazy day watching Britbox (compensation not given)……

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More Tariffs On The Way

Closing Thought–20Jul18

Our Dear Leader has decided that his newest round of tariffs will be the auto industry…….seeing how his other tariffs have been so successful and widely loved…….

Having tangled with China on trade and angered US allies with steel tariffs, President Trump is primed for his next fight: autos. Trump’s latest plan is to consider slapping tariffs on imported autos and auto parts—a move he says would aid American workers but that could inflate car prices, make US manufacturers less competitive, and draw retaliation from other nations, the AP reports. The action has also begun to provoke a backlash among members of Congress. On Thursday, manufacturers, suppliers, car dealers, and foreign diplomats will line up to testify at a Washington hearing to try to head off auto tariffs.

After the hearing, the Commerce Department will decide whether to label imported vehicles and auto parts a threat to America’s national security and whether to recommend tariffs to the president. In announcing the auto investigation in May, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross had said, “There is evidence that, for decades, imports from abroad have eroded our domestic auto industry.” Yet even General Motors and other companies that build cars in America are opposed. They rely on imported parts that would be subject to the tariffs, thereby raising automakers’ costs. “There is no automaker that has 100% exclusively US-sourced parts,” says Brian Krinock, Toyota’s senior vice president for North American factories. “It is a global business with global operations.”

He, Trump, fired the first shot earlier when he put luxury German cars on a list to be banned…..and now this…..

Nothing more fun than a trade war…..nothing is more effective than a trade war (that is sarcasm)……

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue belittled American farmers on Wednesday.

“It’s a little bit like weight loss,” Perdue said of the tariffs that are damaging the bottom line for lots of red state, U.S. farmers. “It’s going to be good to get there but it is a little painful in the meantime.”

Perdue referred to Trump’s reckless tariffs as “trade disruptions we’re experiencing,” as if they weren’t specifically manufactured and imposed by the Trump administration. His remarks echoed Trump’s dismissive rhetoric about how trade wars are “easy to win.”

“Wait a minute, ‘Trade disruptions we’re experiencing.’ That sounds very passive,” stressed Axios editor Mike Allen, as he interviewed Perdue. “In fact, it’s your president, it’s your administration, that’s disrupting trade.”

Trump has also suggested it’s the patriotic duty of U.S. farmers to bear the burden of an unnecessary trade war.

“They want to hit the farmers because they think it hits me — I wouldn’t say that’s nice,” Trump said of China, as it readied its response to Trump’s sweeping tariffs. “But I’ll tell you, our farmers are great patriots. These are great patriots. They understand that they’re doing this for the country,” he added.

“We’ll make it up to them. And in the end, they’re going to be much stronger than they are now.”

(shareblue.com)

So far the only people that see any benefits for these trade things are the President and his Boyz…..the rest of the economic sector does not see the same benefits as Our Dear Leader.

Closing Thought–25Jun18

The past week the screaming and yelling on the news and in most so-called conserv blogs has been about the border situation….if I need to catch you up then try Google I will not waste my time…..but the news that the corporate Americans would be watching have very little to do with the border…..

Following tariffs recently imposed on steel and aluminum, U.S. businesses have been forced to pay more than $110 million in tariffs in just 13 days according to the Customs and Border Patrol. The U.S. took in $82.2 million in steel tariffs and $28.3 million in aluminum tariffs between June 1-14.

The unintended consequences of tariffs are vast, and have a harmful ripple effect throughout our economy. In just two weeks, U.S. businesses could have spent $110 million in a much different way. Consider the following:

$110 million is enough to hire 2,000 out of work Americans at $55k salaries for an entire year.

$110 million is enough to purchase 4,000 brand new, American made, Jeep Wranglers using the MSRP of $27,495.

https://freedompartners.org/press/report-tariffs-cost-u-s-businesses-more-than-100-million-in-just-two-weeks/

Apparently “Freedom Partners” is not here to cover the horrible policies to this man we call “president”….

I realize that economics is not something most conservs can get a grip on…but all the yelling about the border has done nothing to strengthen our economy and neither has the policies of the dude in the White House.  (Please do not taunt the stock market as proof….there is more to an economy than the markets….if you need a quick refresher course on economics…..https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/economics)

Time for a change…..period!

The “South Beach” Life

Good morning my friends……we are expecting lots of rain and wind today so the garden adventures may be out for the day.

In keeping with tradition I found something completely different than the posts I usually do during the week.

South Beach……the Southern Florida lifestyle that so many want to be part of…..we have a the South Beach diet and of course it is sold on TV by this babe in a bikini (what else?)…..South Beach is a beach experience and all its trappings like Volley Ball, girl watching, sun bathing, etc.

Formula One is considering adding a Miami Gran Prix to the world championship schedule (I will be bitching about this at a latter date)……

All the high life and glamorous aspects of South Beach…there is another industry there that seldom gets talked about….

At just 20 years old, Kandie Monaee earns good money, works a few days a week from home and even gets gifts mailed to her by adoring clients.

She is a success in a Florida industry that is consistently on the cutting edge of technology, generates tens of millions of dollars in revenue each year and aspires to move into the mainstream.

Monaee’s job: web cam model.

Her on-line sessions run up to six hours, mixing small talk and teasing with sex acts. Hundreds of viewers log onto a free website called Chaturbate and type her messages, awarding her virtual “tokens” as tips that she redeems for money. On a good day, Monaee — a Tampa mother of one who wanted to be identified only by her web cam name — says she will pull in about $300.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/-Cam-Con-exposes-a-booming-biz-Florida-doesn-t-talk-about-selling-live-sex-online_168673077

Do you know how hard it is to rite a post using only one hand (LOL)

Thanx for stopping by my friends….hope all have a good day…..will be back to “normal” tomorrow…….chuq

Closing Thought–14May18

Speaking of the all important policy of jobs…..

The US auto industry has been struggling for decades……and after the last hit it took it did what it had too to streamline…..a few models went away….Mercury, a few models of Ford, Saturn, etc……well the streamlining is not yet complete……

Some 110 years after the first Model T rolled off the line, Ford has decided to start phasing out car sales. The company announced Wednesday that it “will not invest in next generations of traditional Ford sedans for North America.” In a financial release, Ford said that it plans to transition to just two cars over the next few years: the Ford Mustang and the new Ford Active, a “crossover” vehicle to be released next year. Ford currently sells the Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, C-Max, Mustang, and Taurus sedans and coupes in North America reports TechCrunch, which notes that the Lincoln sedans are also expected to vanish.

Ford hasn’t said exactly when the Taurus and other models will be phased out, but the company’s statement says almost 90% of its North America portfolio will be trucks, utilities, and commercial vehicles by 2020. Auto industry experts say the move is a bold one, but not totally unexpected, given the continuing shift among consumers away from cars and toward SUVs. ” Ford’s announcement to pretty much get out of the car business … comes as no surprise,” says analyst Michelle Krebs, per the Detroit Free Press. “Ford’s car sales have been dismal for the past couple of years, and there’s no end in sight to the decline of traditional cars.”

Since the auto industry is struggling…..which models will be next and which maker will close down completely?

What say you?

It’s Jobs, Jobs, Jobs!

Making America Great Again!  Apparently we do this by helping China’s ZTE corporation……wait for the WTF!

Remember all those jobs that the president said would come flowing back to the shores of America? 1.7 million jobs created in 2017…..compared to 2.2 million created in 2016….I feel confident that we will have a new day in this country any time now.

Trump is planning to save jobs in China….you heard me….CHINA…..that is the nation of China not China, New Mexico….

President Trump surprised the business world Sunday by saying Washington would help keep the Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE alive—right after US sanctions had crippled it, the New York Times reports. “President Xi of China, and I, are working together to give massive Chinese phone company, ZTE, a way to get back into business, fast,” tweeted Trump. “Too many jobs in China lost. Commerce Department has been instructed to get it done!” The Commerce Department last month imposed a seven-year ban on US companies shipping technology to ZTE, saying it had allowed workers to disregard US trade controls on North Korea and Iran.

Then ZTE, which has 70,000 workers across 160 countries, announced Wednesday that it was stopping “major operating activities.” So, what’s up? “Given his pressure on Beijing on trade, I don’t understand concern for Chinese jobs,” says technology and security expert Adam Segal. In fact, many analysts are “initially scratching their heads,” the Times says, while the Wall Street Journal calls Trump’s about-face “extraordinary.” Reuters notes that US suppliers like Intel and Qualcomm will likely suffer “a significant impact” from the Commerce Department ban. American companies are said to supply 25% to 30% of components used by ZTE, which makes smartphones and gear for telecom networks.

So Trump is going to help save jobs for a Chinese company…that ought to give all those workers that lost their jobs when Harley-Davidson closed their plant to move to Thailand so much confidence and a warm feeling while they try to get some unemployment hopefully they will not suffer the insult of being called a freeloader for needing help.

Also keep in mind that ZTE is one of the companies that has software to make a security breech easy……we will help save jobs and help make security violations so much easier.

That should “Make America Great Again”.

Services Rendered

Saturday and I will do nothing but flipping relax…..I try not to dig into current events on my weekends……I just want some time away from the silliness we call the news.

I was sitting there in my easy chair watching the news when an ad came on……there is a company that offers security patrol services, warrant serving, tracking down vandals, parking lot security, etc, etc…..all this is nothing unusual until you see the rest of the story……it is all done with robots…..

Knightscope’s technologies provide real-time access to detections from a fleet of mobile, ground level eyes and ears that enhance situational awareness like never before. Help your officers make smarter, safer, and faster decisions with Knightscope.

Knightscope’s long-term vision is to predict and prevent crime utilizing autonomous robots, analytics and engagement. Crime has a $1+ trillion negative economic impact on the U.S. economy every year and Knightscope is on a mission to cut it in half. Founded in April 2013 in Silicon Valley, Knightscope is a leader in developing autonomous physical security solutions. The Knightscope “Hardware + Software + Humans” approach reduces costs for our clients, provides a 24/7 force multiplier effect as well as advanced anomaly detection capabilities. Our solution includes providing an autonomous physical presence, gathering data from the environment in real-time, and pushing anomalies to our user interface, the Knightscope Security Operations Center (KSOC)

https://www.knightscope.com/about/

Recently a regular reader told me about a machine that makes your Sushi for you……sorry not an idea that gives me a warm fuzzy feeling…..I do not eat raw fish….fuzzy or otherwise…..and then I read about “Flippy”…….

After months of practice in the art of fast food preparation, “Flippy,” has finally taken up a position as grill cook on the line at Caliburger’s Pasadena, Calif., restaurant.

“It’s not a fun job — it’s hot, it’s greasy, it’s dirty,” acknowledges John Miller, the CEO of Cali Group, which runs the international fast food chain.

Even so, it could be the beginning of a bright career for Flippy in an industry that is otherwise notorious for high employee turnover.

It certainly helps that Flippy, a burger-flipping robot developed by Miso Robotics, shows no concern about the low wages, meager benefits or long hours that plague the industry. The robot is reportedly capable of grilling 150 burgers per hour.

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/05/590884388/flippy-the-fast-food-robot-sort-of-mans-the-grill-at-caliburger

Seriously?

I get why the auto industry replaced $30 dollar an hour worker with robots…..but now they want to take away the minimum wage jobs also……never fear we all are replaceable and soon.

Time to finish my day with relaxation and some wine…..peace out…..chuq