Podcasting from the Heartland to Silicon Valley

Speaking at NTCA's RTIME event, two respected leaders of long-established broadband operators, call for the enforcement against providers that make false claims before the FCC. They contend that these claims threaten to take money away from communities lacking broadband. They also point out that the low-density nature of rural areas means the sustainability of ongoing operations is a challenge. Along those lines, they propose an approach for restructuring the contribution aspects of the Universal Service Fund.

Shirley Bloomfield discusses how members of NTCA bring broadband to rural parts of the United States. The fiber networks they are providing form the basis of gigabit ecosystems that are the foundations of what NTCA calls Smart Rural Communities.

8x8's Chairman/CTO Bryan Martin explains how, in this time of shutdown, people are using its Jisti-baed video conferencing for remote learning, knitting parties, workouts & even virtual reunions/wineparties. Read more at: https://www.viodi.tv/2020/03/20/lessons-from-italian-schools-on-how-to-go-online-in-a-time-of-shutdown/

Lots to be thankful for on #Thanksgiving Eve, particularly the interviews with Bernie Arnason SmartDrivingCar A. Kornhauser @VTA Gary Miksell @Mediacom Communications Italia Commisso & more in today's #ViodiView

Tom Olson, a name that probably isn't familiar to most, had a huge impact on the cable industry as it transitioned from the 12-channel systems of the 60s to 36-channel and beyond systems of the 1970s and 1980s. Starting from humble beginnings, his engineering prowess was only exceeded by his ability to work with people. Other topics in this edition include 5G, Fiber and what it means for rural operators, the smart home of the future, turning air into water and thin-film solar cells enabling new kinds of solutions to age-old problems.

In today's #ViodiView, #autonomousmobility, #connectedvehicle approaches, #humanfactors, #10G and what it means, mobility and real estate value, #solarcows, rural applications of autonomy and 5 years to the tipping point.

The intersection of broadband & wetlands, the race should be for a secure 5G, an overview of Daimler's San Jose testing efforts, dynamic license plate, automatic dog business clean-up, & helping those without grid access. Find the links to these videos and articles at: https://viodi.com/2019/09/06/viodi-view-09-06-19/

Ken Pyle reflects on what a great town Chicago is for conferences. He describes some of the topics, including reclaiming C-Band frequencies for 5G, and new tools to help broadband providers serve apartment dwellers. Electric mobility options are discussed as well. Read this newsletter at: https://viodi.com/2019/08/20/viodi-view-08-20-19/

A zoo without a live animal, a high school lab that allows students to explore a beating human heart, or a realistic rendering of an architect's design are just a few of the potential use-cases for the Looking Glass Pro, holographic display. Looking Glass Factory Co-Founder and CTO, Alex Hornstein, describes this unit as "a Looking Glass for business." This podcast describes the interview with Hornstein, which may be found at: https://www.viodi.tv/2019/07/20/virtual-museum-display-in-a-box-and-more-awe2019/

FlexVU aims to grow the number of cord-cutting households. Parks Associates reported in their December 2018 study that 13% of U.S. households have already fired their traditional pay television providers. As explained by Anselmo Pilla, Senior Director of Marketing of Pixelworks, FlexVU is an ad-hoc consortium of companies with a goal of educating consumers as to how to use over-the-top and over-the-air television services to create an effective substitute for the typical pay television line-up. The group has assembled the entire ecosystem which includes members that supply integrated circuits, antennas, in-home distribution and streaming services, and set-top boxes. Stay tuned, as this group has literally just gotten started. See more videos at http://www.viodi.tv/

Whether by air, road, bike lane, hallway or virtually, via wireless, CES2019 had all aspects of mobility covered. Starting with wireless, announcements of so-called “5G” were everywhere. Of course, connecting IoT devices to artificial intelligence to create so-called smart cities is another opportunity for all communications’ networks. And, although some recent developments and public attitude suggest we are in a period of deflated expectations for autonomous vehicles, start-ups and established companies continue to work on the building blocks that are critical to technological and operational success. And finally, by the mid-20s we may start to see the third dimension unlocked as an affordable means of intra-city and regional transportation. Read more at: https://viodi.com/2019/01/12/through-the-air-or-on-the-ground-ces2019-had-mobility-covered/

“An issue our community is facing is connectivity,” says Matthew Dosch of Comporium. The connectivity issue is not a broadband one, as Comporium, has been a leader in bringing high-speed Internet and other cutting-edge communications services to the Rock Hill, South Carolina area for decades. The challenge has to do with the ease of moving within the downtown area and to the local university. As a community leader, Comporium, which also has its headquarters in downtown Rock Hill, decided to sponsor a community bike-share program to provide an alternative way of getting around.

Moms quite often claim to have eyes in the back of their respective heads. As demonstrated above, the Linkflow's FITT360 provides electronic, 4k resolution eyes integrated into a subtle neckband. With built-in auto-stitching and stabilization, the objective is to enable the average consumer to create a hands-free, high-quality point-of-view video. Spun-off from Samsung in 2016 and incubated in Samsung Electronics C-Lab, Linkflow's FITT360 is crowd-funded with an expected delivery of March 2019, according to the Indigogo website. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/fitt360-the-first-360-neckband-wearable-camera--5#/updates/all The application for what they are doing extend beyond personal use, as Linkflow has apparently found a market in the security business. With the live-streaming capability, their system provides 360-degree vision providing first responders improved situational awareness; similar to what that moms everywhere have. https://linkflow.co.kr/en/products/b2b See more videos at http://www.viodi.tv/

When computers begin to perceive or feel things the way a human would they could be described as sentient. In a way, it may not matter what the computer feels if the human feels like they are connecting with something that is sentient; much like the storyline of the 2013 movie, Her. Patrick Levy Rosenthal, Founder & CEO of Emoshape, Inc. demonstrates their “emotional engine”, which he explains senses 64 million possible emotional states every 1/10 of a second. Analogous to a graphical processing unit, Levy Rosenthal describes a device that can augment a PC with emotional intelligence. At CES2018, Emoshape demonstrated this capability by immersing attendees in a dream-like, virtual reality setting that changed based on the feedback from the viewer/participant.

To paraphrase Author C. Clarke, when the smart sensors that will make autonomous driving possible slip into the background, mobility will become magic. The concepts that North American Lighting (NAL), a Koito Group Company, displayed at CES2018, suggest that by the early to mid-2020s, driving will be magic. In the above interview, Kishore Ahuja, Vice President Technology of NAL, discusses how this large OEM is integrating various sensor technologies, from Radar to Lidar, into form factors that are familiar to existing cars. Besides providing a 360-degree view beyond the range of human vision, NAL will be integrating features, such as windshield wipers, to ensure operation in all conditions.

Understanding the impact of diet on health is challenging as it is difficult to easily and regularly quantify the interaction of foods within the digestive system. FoodMarble hopes to change that with its innovative device that detects and analyzes the composition of one’s breath to help individuals and their doctors understand and diagnose issues people have digesting food. In the above video, Dr. James Brief, Chief Medical Officer of FoodMarble, explains how their simple technique of collecting data opens people’s eyes to the types of foods (e.g. apples) that might cause stomach pain.

Roads that generate electricity, solar-powered planes that stay up for weeks at a time and electricity storage that is a part of a structure are the types of things that Dr. Peter Harrop sees in the not-too-distant future. To the naysayers of mobility electrification and alternative power generation, he suggests that they are acting like those who suggested the cell phone could never replace the landline. He makes the point that what those earlier critics missed is that the smartphone didn’t just replace one device (the telephone), but replaced many devices by providing greater utility and new functionality.

The concept of wireless charging sounds great until literally, the rubber hits the road. It is one thing to make the technology work in a lab, but creating a wireless charging system that easily integrates into the existing road and withstands the stress and pounding of heavy vehicle traffic is an entirely different challenge. Magment's approach is unique in the world of electronics as they mix recycled ferrite material into concrete mixture, effectively magnetizing the road or parking spot. Embedding a coil into the concrete mixture allows them to create an antenna that radiates power to a vehicle-mounted receiver and achieve efficiencies of up to 96%. Speaking at the 2018 IDTechExpo, Magment CEO and Co-Founder, Mauricio Esguerra, discusses how this magic material mixes with existing concrete and provides insight into its applications, which include creating next-generation roads, countertops and, potentially, the hyperloop. Watch the video and read more at: https://viodi.com/2018/12/13/a-concrete-plan-for-wireless-charging-idtechex/

The Americans with Disabilities Act, championed by the late President Bush, has removed barriers and improved the lives of people of all abilities. For instance, everyone can appreciate the utility of levered door handles that allow one to open by simply pushing with their gluteus maximus while carrying a young child and bag of groceries. Still, some of the measures to improve access for some may harm others. For instance, truncated domes, which serve as a tactical interface between sidewalk and road or parking lot and provide are great for the visually impaired, but can be a tripping hazard in slippery conditions, for those wearing high-heels or rollerblading. The above interview with IntelligentMaterials sheds light on an interesting invention that could create virtual truncated domes and better way-finding for everyone. In addition, their smart paint could be a good a great tool for helping autonomous vehicles stay on course.