Tag Archives: internet

Signal Cortex simplifies task management for staff & managers @ CES 2021



Signal Cortex task managementMatt Crowley CEO of the start-up, Signal Cortex, is the former CIO for Philadelphia and Cleveland airports. During his time with the airports, he became accustomed to working in complex situations with large traffic flows and heavy background work done by frontline employees – everything from mopping floors to moving chairs around to directing customers. Current systems for managing these tasks, he says, are very complicated. For example, for janitorial staff trying to clean up a spill, they need to carry multiple devices and complete a long questionnaire after completing their task, so management can make proper deployment decisions going forward. It is a messy system with inconsistent results.

Signal Cortex addresses the bulkiness of these challenges through a system they’ve developed that simplifies complex enterprise environments, getting tasks to staff members more easily and results back to management more efficiently, to help them make better logistical decisions. The company’s first product is a simple phone app that can use commodity Bluetooth devices and convert routine tasks that employees need to do into audio-based notifications.

The system automatically dispatches and manages work for individuals, groups, or teams, empowers staff by streamlining data collection, reduces training time and process complexity, and is easy for everyone from staff to management to use.

Originally developed for airports, Signal Cortex pivoted because of COVID-19 and redirected their enterprise solution as a building management tool for building service contractors. Building service contractors typically lose half of their customers each year due to bad data, says Crowley, with either employees not receiving information about their tasks, or failing to report the tasks completed, resulting in dissatisfied customers. Their solution eliminates both those problems.

Ultimately Signal Cortex views itself as both a business and a consumer product as well. The company officially launched publicly at the end of January.

To learn more about Signal Cortex, visit their website.

Interview by Christopher Jordan of The Talking Sound.

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GXC makes virtual learning feel more like being in person @ CES 2021



GXC educational platformOne of the accidental and unplanned themes of 2020 was definitely remote learning. Whether it be schools trying to virtualize their lessons or corporate conferences trying to maintain their engagement, the struggle has been intense. Tools like Microsoft Teams have worked, but they’re far from perfect because education is not what they were designed for. Fortunately, both schools and corporations now have GXC to improve the experience.

Because the GXC Education Platform is designed specifically for education, it’s able to bring back some of the capabilities teachers and students miss from being together, without the chaos of meeting platforms. Obviously, the system is video-focused, but also maintains a lot of the written aspects of traditional learning. For example, during a class, the system has the ability to write, organize, and share notes about the lesson – specifically related to that lesson. The notes are timestamped to the video, so you can get back to the point in the video where you created it. There is also class-specific messaging, which allows the students to communicate with one another without disturbing the class itself.

For international students, there are a number of language features. The first is a dual view subtitle option. It shows the video on the top of the screen, with timestamped, searchable transcription on the bottom. Those transcriptions can be viewed in the natural language of the video or translated into other languages. The translations can be done by professional translators or can be done automatically using the system’s neural network machine learning system. The AI translations can be done live, in near real-time.

The GXC Education Platform is available to educational institutions or corporations. Core features can be had for about $2 per student per year, with additional capabilities being available. To learn more about the platform or to request a demo, check out the company’s website.

Interview by Christopher Jordan of The Talking Sound.

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fash\on turns your closet on with a digital closet system @ CES 2021



fash\on digital closet systemJong-Hyun Ko is the founder of fash\on, a Korean company that has developed a Digital Closet tool to make fashion clothing shopping fast and efficient. It’s a brand new company debuting its product at CES for the first time.

The fash\on Digital Closet is designed for the customer who wants fast fashion products and regularly updates their wardrobe with the latest styles. fash\on aims to remove the obstacles that currently make both online and off-line clothing shopping slow and tedious, by separating how customers get product information from their purchasing behavior. In the case of clothing shopping, fash\on believes there’s too much information for shoppers, who can spend nearly an hour trying to find just what they’re looking for as they sort through product descriptions. Their smart Digital Closet solution aims to take the guesswork and the extra time out of the clothing shopping experience.

Company surveys show that people wear 10-20 sets of clothing per season, so what they really want, Jong-Hyun believes, is to buy clothes in their style to mix and match what they already have in their closet. Therefore, the best way to get good fashion recommendations and purchase options are to show clothing stores what’s actually in your closet.

fash\on is a digital tool that does just that, making your closet “smart” and channeling your personal styling into a subscription service. With the tag line, “Turn your Closet On”, the device and companion app help you get personalized and fast styling service, allowing you to shop online or off at your favorite retailers. You register your size with your favorite shops, then take photos of your current clothing collection, and add them to the app to find complementary clothing by color or style at your favorite clothing stores quickly and easily.

To learn more, visit the company’s website.

Interview by Christopher Jordan of The Talking Sound.

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Publidata wants to streamline communication with government @ CES 2021



Publidata government communication platformIf you have ever tried to get meaningful information from your government, you know just how challenging it can be. When we moved our studio last year, we had to learn what the rules were for trash and recycling. Finding accurate information was not easy, because different parts of the website had conflicting information. It was also seemingly impossible to find out what days were collection days. Fortunately, we were able to get answers from a neighbor, but it shouldn’t be like that. Publidata is working to fix that situation.

Publidata is a system for managing and disseminating data in a single, unified way. It provides a single back-office portal with the ability to update any piece of information, whether it be the hours of your local pool or the availability of trash pickup. From there, UIs can be built on top, including government websites and applications. The company even has a number of pre-built applications designed to streamline the time from adoption to general availability.

In addition to data entry capabilities, Publidata’s system can incorporate fleet location data. Instead of just knowing that trash pickup is Tuesdays and Fridays, you could know exactly when your pickup will be today, or whether it has already happened. Think of it as the governmental equivalent of the Amazon Prime delivery tracking system. With a GPS tracker on the garbage truck, you can get information on where it is right now, and potentially see how long before it arrives at your property.

Publidata’s system is currently in use in France, covering 2.6 million citizens. The company is currently in the process of expanding outside of the country, and is looking for governmental bodies interested in implementing the technology. For more information on the system or to find out about bringing it to your city, check out the company website.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology.

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Hello Genius bridges the learning gap for parent and child @ CES 2021



Hello Genius Early LearningThe idea of Hello Genius is a genius idea! When a child is in public school, the parents aren’t always aware of the true nature of what the child is learning. Hello Genius is an app-based learning system that is designed to build greater connectivity between parents and their young children through a personalized learning experience.

Founded in 2020 by Jack Lee, CEO, and Lee Daley, the chief strategy and marketing officer, the idea for Hello Genius was inspired by the desire to better understand their children and connect with them as they learn. Hello Genius believes that all children learn at a different rate of speed and at different levels. Children are more receptive to learning if it is done with something they are interested in or care about. At that early age, they aren’t normally driven by the average curriculum but rather by something they are truly interested in-something that captivates them.

The Hello Genius software platform is driven by the principles of non-linear adaptive learning and natural development during the child’s early formative years from ages 3-10. As the child explores, the system will adapt to feed or satisfy the particular interests and potential of each child.

There are two apps available, one for parents and one for children. For children, the system adapts with a tailored learning journey while revealing their interests and preferences to their parents through quantitative and qualitative data.

For the parents, the app provides a set of features to help parents support their child as they learn and grow, also encouraging the feeling of safety and security of their children being online. One feature is a live activity feed and the capability for parents to share topics in real-time and receive content from their children, which may also have messages, voice and video call functions, and push notifications.

The software platform uses AI and machine-learning algorithms to build the child’s profile based on valuable data and insight, helping parents to get a deeper understanding of the child’s growing interests and talents. The app management feature provides parents with the ability to regulate a safe mode as the child engages on the Hello Genius app. This safe mode allows the child to engage with other third-party applications, selected by the parent, apart from the main app, and thereby reassuring the parent’s desire for safety and security.

The cost of this app is less than the price of a cup of coffee, only $0.99 a day. Hello Genius is currently only available in English, but there are plans for expanding to multiple languages in the next 12-18 months. Hello Genius is offering free subscriptions for the remainder of 2021, along with a lifetime membership to the parent community who download the early release of March 1, 2021. The early release platform is available on any iOS or Android device. For more information go to the company’s website.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central.

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CardCruncher finds you the best credit card for your spending



CardCruncher Credit Card FinderThere are so many credit cards available that it is nearly impossible to choose which one is right for you. Which ones will give you a good rate? Which have the best cashback options? Which ones have cashback that matches your spending habits? To help you wade through all of this information and make an informed decision, we’ve got CardCruncher.

This platform helps you find the right credit card for you, based on real-life information. All you have to do is attach your bank account, and CardCruncher will look at your spending, how much you spend, where you spend it, and how often. Using that information, they compare your habits with the details of every credit card in their database to find what will give you the best return on your spending.

The service is provided to users entirely for free. They accomplish this because they get paid per new card signup that they refer. This is a pretty common business model for a free product. Sometimes referral businesses will lean towards the products that make them the most amount of money, but with CardCruncher, there is no doubt that this is not the case. The value of their platform is based on the value they provide through their algorithm, and to stray from that mission would damage their value. This is good news for everyone involved.

The idea, like many ideas at Collision, came about from a personal need. Mike Bonfigli, the company’s co-founder, found himself sitting in front of a computer with a spreadsheet and a lot of research, looking for his best deal. He realized that he couldn’t possibly be the only one who wanted this information and set about to bring the idea to reality. Now, you can find out which card is best for you in just moments.

To get your free credit card recommendation, head over to the website.

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Tom Banks – Liberty Speedway and RC Cars – IBM Innovate 2014, Orlando, FL



In this interview, Nick talks to Tom Banks, the Technical Evangelist for WebSphere Application Server Liberty Profile. Tom might have the coolest job, as he tries to find new and innovative ways to show off IBM technologies to the masses and has done so with a car that can be driven via your smartphone.

The car has sensors to prevent it from crashing, speed limiters and more, and it is all run off of Raspberry Pi. The application is so compact that it only takes up a small percentage of the resources of the mini-computer.

Video by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live and PLuGHiTz Live.


Watson – PitStop Meetup – IBM Innovate 2014, Orlando, FL



In this second part of a two-part PitStop Meetup, we move to Watson, IBM’s deep learning and cognitive reasoning technology. The experts discuss several different fields where Watson could improve life. This is the tech that not only has solved problems in the healthcare and finance industries, but has given us amazing food concoctions out of the by using cognitive cooking.

Related reading on deep learning

Video by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live and PLuGHiTz Live.


Internet of Things – PitStop Meetup – IBM Innovate 2014, Orlando, FL



In this first part of a two-part PitStop Meetup, the Internet of things was the point of conversation. From the estimated 20 billion possible connected devices to how to actually use the data these devices are giving you, it was definitely an interesting discussion. Where are we now? What is the future of our data and devices? All of that is talked about in this segment.

Video by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live and PLuGHiTz Live.


Attendee Reactions – IBM Innovate 2014, Orlando, FL



In this short video from IBM Innovate 2014, we wanted to ask a few attendees what they thought about the convention and what they learned or hoped to take away from it. For Nick, while there was no 3D printer to take away, there is butternut squash BBQ sauce on the horizon!

Video by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live and PLuGHiTz Live.