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Duke Corporate Education>Insights>Innovation, Leadership>How to rocket boost society
How to rocket boost society
June 2020 - Dan Ariely
In the wake of coronavirus, understanding the behavioral levers of progress is more critical than ever.
Humanity was underperforming before the virus. The gap between where we were and where we could be was a gulf prior to the pandemic's arrival. How will it look after Covid-19? It will mostly be worse, but it will also force us to work harder and make some changes.
On public healthcare, human safety, and economic management, humans' potential is far higher than our performance. So what are the behavioral elements that limit our progress? What levers should we use to move forward more effortlessly? What interventions would have the most profound impact? Where and on what should leaders and lawmakers focus their efforts and resources?
To answer these questions, we should consider for a moment that changing behavior is the same as launching a space rocket. There are two fundamentals that determine this craft's chances of success.
The first fundamental is friction. The more scientists and engineers are able to reduce friction, minimizing drag on the spacecraft, the better its progress into the cosmos.
The second fundamental is motivation. Its fuel-carrying capacity is critical. The efficiency at which it converts its fuel via combustion into kinetic energy is another critical element.
Space flight is determined by the relationship between friction and fuel (motivation). If the friction outweighs motivation, the rocket remains on the ground. If the motivation outweighs friction, it shoots to the skies. Human progress is determined by the same levers.
The personal finance paradox
How do you help people who struggle to manage their money? When asked this question, most folks – quite reasonably – suggest teaching people the ABCs of money management.
But here's the thing. Teaching people about money management doesn't work very well. In fact, it's a really poor way of having them improve their handling of their personal finances.
Our memories are blameless here. Personal finance tutees remember the lessons perfectly well. The problem is they don't execute them. Even immediately after learning the techniques to manage their money, only 4% of course attendees put the techniques into action. In the medium-term that figure falls to a statistical zero. Only 0.1% of tutees maintain the habits beyond a few weeks of their learning them.
The right medicine
If telling people doesn't work, what does? It turns out that reducing friction really works. There is a story about an online pharmacy in the United States. Patients with long-term health conditions pay a quarterly fee and have their prescriptions delivered to their front door every 90 days.
The challenge is that most of the patients are buying branded drugs. Yet there are generic meds available of precisely the same formulation. They are chemically identical to the branded version. But they are vastly cheaper.
The online pharmacy wants its customers to switch to generic drugs which are higher margin for the retailer but far lower consumer cost. "It's cheaper for you," it says, "because it's cheaper for us." It decides on a campaign to have its customers switch their orders. It puts banners on its website advertising the potential savings. It sends them letters. It promotes the offer via email alerts. The case is compelling: you get exactly the same product for a third of the price.
And what happens? Nothing happens. Almost nobody switches. The customers know switching will save them money for exactly the same service. Yet they don't switch. Telling them just doesn't work.
Here, we need to dive into behavioral economics. Readers may be familiar with my papers on the 'allure of free.' The evidence shows that a reduction to free is much more powerful than a drastic price cut. If you reduce a dollar soda to 40¢, then sure, some people buy it who would normally have declined, but the increase in sales is almost never commensurate to the reduction in price. If you make it free, nearly everyone grabs a can.
So what does the pharmacy do? It offers its customers a whole year of free drugs, as long as they sign over their subscription to generic brands. You might think most would switch: not only do they get the same drugs much cheaper, for 12 months they get them for nothing at all. And yet, less than 10% switch. The pharmacists – angry that the behavioral economics doesn't work as they hoped– start writing to me. "We read about your 'allure of free'," they say. "Well, we made it free and they still didn't take it."
"Ah," I say, "then maybe it's about friction. They are currently buying branded and to switch to generic they still have to do something. They have to return the letter."
The pharmacy launches a new plan. Instead of sending a letter asking them to sign to switch, it mails a letter saying that if they don't return it signed, they will be switched automatically.
What happens? Lawyers happen! Lawyers happen in a big way. It turns out this is illegal. Illegal things are fine as hypothetical theories. They are not fine in reality. But nevertheless, the change in approach demonstrates the purity of the idea.
What did the pharmacy do? It created a T-intersection. It wrote to its customers telling them that unless they returned the letter they would lose all their medication.
If they wrote back, they had a choice: the costlier branded medication, or the cheaper generic drugs. In both cases, they had to do something. In this case, the vast majority switched. Once denied the 'no-action benefit' of doing nothing at all, the patients changed their behavior and almost all of them opted for the generic drugs.
It's the story of friction: people just don't like returning letters.
To save a shilling
How do you motivate someone to save? There's not much point telling people to save money. Most folks know they should put something aside for a rainy day; but they still don't do it. Coronavirus was a crisis that few could have predicted. It hit the Western world like a hammer blow, though having personal savings mitigated the worst for most people.
But in poor countries, every day can be a crisis. Saving just a little a day can mean the difference between life and death. People are living hand to mouth, and then something happens and they have nothing to fall back on. So they borrow, sometimes at interest rates of 10% a week. Once they get into this cycle they become stuck in it – all their cash goes into repaying the interest and things get worse and worse.
Out in Kenya, the goal was to find a system that actually propelled people to save, rather than simply accept it was a good idea, but not act on it.
Central to the plan was the aim of incentivizing families to save 100 shillings a week – about one US dollar – so they would have something left for a rainy day. We tried all sorts of options.
Which of these methods worked best? Most people assume that the 20% savings bonus will have the most effect; the 10% bonus the next best effect; and loss aversion a small effect. The average assumption is that the children's messages and the coin device will achieve nothing. Simply put, most people assume other people are rational actors – that increasing the incentive will deliver a commensurate increase in benefit.
But people are not rational actors. The bonus schemes had an effect, but there was no difference in savings performance between the 10% version and the 20% model, despite the rewards being double in the latter.
The loss aversion model did work – humans are hardwired to avoid loss over seeking gain. When families saw the money leave their accounts at the end of each week, it proved a powerful motivator to stop the perceived 'loss'– despite the fact that the net result was identical to the normal schemes, in which the bonus was paid retrospectively.
So what of the text messages? It turns out that sending texts in children's names helps a lot. The motivation was twofold. The texts acted as a reminder, and reminders are important: it's easy to forget to save. Moreover, the emotional element of having their children asking them provided a powerful motivator: most parents worry more about their offspring than themselves. They want the best for their children, which meant that we involved their children more frequently as a motivational tool.
Yet by far the most important measure was the coin device. It doubled savings compared to everything else. But why? An experience on the other side of Africa holds the clue.
Unhiding the hidden
There is a complex city in South Africa called Soweto, and in it there is a very large slum. One day, I found myself in the slum at the sales office of a company that sells funeral insurance. To understand the importance of this you need to know that South Africans spend more on their funerals than they do on their weddings. I want to point out that that's probably a very rational allocation of resources, given that with funerals we know for sure that we will have only one!
When I'm there, a man comes in with his son to buy funeral insurance. But he buys that insurance just for one week – it is all he can afford. If he dies in the next week, 90% of the costs of his funeral are covered. But if he survives, that money goes straight out of the family budget for that week.
Just after he purchases the insurance, the man ceremoniously places the certificate in the hands of his son. Why the ceremony? The explanation is the same as for the Kenyan coin. Buying insurance, like savings, is an observable behavior. The only observable thing when someone saves, pays off debt or buys insurance is that there is less: less water, less fruit, fewer things on the dinner table. But by grandly offering the certificate to one's son – like scratching vertically in the Kenyan experiment – we are demonstrating something very important for motivation: activity. We are making desirable, but invisible, economic acts visible.
Let's return to our launchpad. Following the pandemic, the rocket of the human race needs to fly a good deal further than it would have done before. But, we can still work to bridge the gap. To do so, we must both reduce friction and provide motivation. And we must experiment to better understand what motivations will work best.
The good news is that if we hold in our minds those two key factors, friction and motivation, and if we keep testing and trying, we will raise the rocket eventually.
— Dan Ariely is James B Duke Professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University.


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Q: How to get a string back from AsyncTask? I have the following class:
public class getURLData extends AsyncTask<String, Integer, String>{

@Override
protected String doInBackground(String... params) {
    String line;
    try {
        DefaultHttpClient httpClient = new DefaultHttpClient();
        HttpPost httpPost = new HttpPost(params[0]);

        HttpResponse httpResponse = httpClient.execute(httpPost);
        HttpEntity httpEntity = httpResponse.getEntity();
        line = EntityUtils.toString(httpEntity);

    } catch (UnsupportedEncodingException e) {
        line = "<results status=\"error\"><msg>Can't connect to server</msg></results>";
    } catch (MalformedURLException e) {
        line = "<results status=\"error\"><msg>Can't connect to server</msg></results>";
    } catch (IOException e) {
        line = "<results status=\"error\"><msg>Can't connect to server</msg></results>";
    }
    return line;
}

@Override
protected void onPostExecute(String result) {
    super.onPostExecute(result);
}

}

And I am trying to call it like this:
String output = null;
output = new getURLData().execute("http://www.domain.com/call.php?locationSearched=" + locationSearched);

But the output variable isn't getting data, instead I am getting an error:
Type mismatch: cannot convert from AsyncTask<String,Integer,String> to String

A: If the user clicks the button, then has to wait for the content, what do they do meanwhile?
Why not do this:

*

*User clicks button.

*You check for connectivity. If the user isn't connected to the Internet, tell them.

*You start an IntentService by sending an Intent to send the HTTP request.

*When the request finishes, you post a notification.

*The user clicks the notification, which returns to an Activity that can do the next step.

This allows the user to go off and do whatever while the request is being processed.
An IntentService runs in the background on its own thread. When it receives an Intent, it runs onHandleIntent(). When that method finishes, the Service is cached: it's not active, but it can re-start quickly when the next Intent arrives.

A: *

*Get the context in the constructor like this:
public GetDataTask(Context context) {}

*Create an Interface with the method:
void onDataRetrieved(String data);

*Implement the Interface in the class from where you are creating the Task object (e.g. MainActivity)

*Cast the Context to the Interface and call the onDataRetrieved Method

A: I'd rather create callback than block UI thread.
In your class create method which will be invoked when data arrive. For example:
private void setData(String data){
    mTextView.setText(data);
}

Then in AsyncTask implement onPostExecute:
@Override
protected void onPostExecute(String result) {
    setData(result);
}

And then somewhere in code just execute task:
new getURLData().execute(...

When task finishes setData is invoked and mTextView is filled.
AsyncTask.get() will blok your UI, so there is no reason to use AsyncTask.

A: The method execute returns the AynscTask itself, you need to call get:
output =
    new getURLData()
        .execute("http://www.example.com/call.php?locationSearched=" + locationSearched)
        .get();

This will start a new thread (via execute) while blocking the current thread (via get) until the work from the new thread has been finished and the result has been returned.
If you do this, you just turned your async task into a sync one.
However, the problem with using get is that because it blocks, it needs to be called on a worker thread. However, AsyncTask.execute() needs to be called on the main thread. So although this code could work, you may get some undesired results. I also suspect that get() is under-tested by Google, and it is possible that they introduced a bug somewhere along the line.
Reference: AsyncTask.get

A: In the following code, I get a String (directorName) back from AsyncTask.
public class GetDirector {
    String id;
    private String baseURL = "http://www.omdbapi.com/?i=";
    private String finalURL = "";
    String theDirector;

    public GetDirector(String imdbID) throws ExecutionException, InterruptedException {
        id= imdbID;
        finalURL = baseURL + id + "&plot=full&r=json";
        System.out.println("GetDirector. finalURL= " + finalURL);
        theDirector = new GetDirectorInfo().execute().get();
    }

    public String getDirector (){
        return theDirector;
    }

    private class GetDirectorInfo extends AsyncTask<Void, Void,String> {
        @Override
        protected String doInBackground(Void... params) {
            String directorName = null;

            ServiceHandler sh = new ServiceHandler();

            // Making a request to url and getting response
            String jsonStr = sh.makeServiceCall(finalURL, ServiceHandler.GET);
            System.out.println("Act_DetailsPage. jsonStr= " + jsonStr);

            if (jsonStr != null) {
                try {
                    JSONObject everything = new JSONObject(jsonStr);

                    directorName = everything.getString(JSON_Tags.TAG_DIRECTOR);
                    System.out.println("directorName= "+ directorName);
                } catch (JSONException e) {
                    e.printStackTrace();
                }
            } else {
                System.out.println("Inside GetDirector. Couldn't get any data from the url");
            }
            return directorName;
        }
    }
}

A: Add a context parameter to task's constructor which would refer to object where you'd store resulting data.
class PopulateArray extends AsyncTask<Integer, Integer, ArrayList<String>>
{
    Context _context; // context may be what ever activity or object you want to store result in
    PopulateArray(Context context)
    {
        _context = context;
    }
    @Override
    protected ArrayList<String> doInBackground(Integer... integers)
    {
        ArrayList<String> data = new ArrayList<String>();
        //manipulate
        return data;
    }

    @Override
    protected void onPostExecute(ArrayList<String> strings)
    {
        _context.setData(strings);
    }
}

A: This ONE LINER worked for me:
String result = MyasyncTask.execute(type, usrPhoneA, usrPWDA).get();

A: The only way to send data from AsyncTask to UI without pain is Otto or Event bus. Register a method which will handle a result under @Subscribe annotation in UI and post a message with a result to it in onPostExecute method of your AsyncTask.

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Description: A retro-inspired space adventure with a unique control scheme that puts a new spin on a classic genre.
Instructions: Controls: Mouse – Move Ship Left Mouse Button – Pulse Weapon Space – Pause/Upgrade Galaxy Wars: For the Sake of the Universe will test your hand-eye coordination as you dodge the enemy hoard, your weapon orbiting around you destroying everything it contacts! Your ship's wormhole drive allows it to move at impossible speed, use your mouse to move about the screen. You movements cause your weapon to gravitate around you. Subtle mouse movements give you more control, allowing you to orbit your weapon in small circles. Time your pules attacks to take out chunks of enemies. Bounce your weapon around the screen Collect the blue XP pieces to upgrade your ship and weapon.
Try to avoid the defenders and run the ball all the way to the end zone. Have Fun!


Used for debugging frontends. Don't get your hopes up though. Find More Posts by nomko. There appears to be no 3rd party and no I am not familiar on how to write or modify a script. Dynamic loading of shared-library backends. If you need to reset your password, click here.
This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. As can be seen above, there is no driver available for the scanner. Sign up using Email and Password. If you want to write a backend, contact him see link. Same liunx, but different ids: One bulk-in, one bulk-out and one interrupt endpoint.
Want to know if that peripheral is compatible with Linux? I tried already Ubuntu Supports 75,x dpi resolutions.
Dynamic loading of shared-library backends. Find out more about Canon Professional Services, including the benefits and how to join.
There seem to exist two different scanners with that name. Canon SD and Linux.
[SOLVED] Would Wine run software for Canoscan F?
Jul 23, PC Mall Ubuntu 8. UHB21, another type nr on the inside: By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features.
canoacan Please contact me if you own this scanner. Find More Posts by ferrari. With Image Stabilizer for nature, travel and sport. Visit the following links: So far, there is no Linux driver support available for Canon Scanner F, albeit with the latest and greatest kernel.
Please contact me if you own such a scanner. View All Camera Bags. Originally Posted by pwalden Canon has a customer loyalty program.
You might also need Want Answer 0 Clicking this will make more experts see the question and we will remind you when it gets answered. Find More Posts by joham Canoecan Posted by nomko.
Discussion in 'Canon' started by Marc, Mar 7, Has anyone out there managed to find a driver for a Canon Canoscan F Flatbed scanner?
For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. The long-term plan is to support all the cameras supported by the gphoto2 libraries currently over models. Newer Post Older Post Home. Other Products Other Products.


At Chicago's Moto restaurant you'll be able to enjoy papercrafts, that is rather, you'll enjoy eating them. Chef Homaru Cantu modded his Canon inkjet printer with food-based ink which he prints onto edible paper. [ via ] Link.


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text:
featured gallery for June 2018
Stardust: A Two-Part Show
Stardust is inspired by a time, a place (mainly New York and London) and a culture personified by David Bowie and the New York Dolls. David Bowie and the New York Dolls experimented with gender -- which was represented in a more fluid manner, wearing non-mainstream "punk" fashions -- and, of course, made great, inspiring music. The music and the manner in which they represented themselves were wildly creative, glamorous and spontaneous. The artists who I selected for Stardust have an element in their work of the exhilaration and the riotously creative energy of this music and time.
The artists selected also relate to lyrics from songs, theatrics on stage or by groupies, fashion from the time and the actual stage itself where the music was performed. David Bowie may be taking off any minute in his space ship to the stars and the New York Dolls could be part of some other worldly vagabond group of beautiful outsiders. Each artist in Stardust somehow personifies the joy, the beauty and the music in some manner.
Stardust can be grouped into a couple of smaller shows. The first grouping of images is subtitled "Stardust: The Magical Stage" and includes a blurry, drugged out color photo by John Morrison of backstage at CBGB. Jimmy DeSana's image of a floating, genderless body reminded me of Bowie flying away into outer space. Sarawut Chutiwongpeti's glittery installation of glowing lights and rows of columns would be a perfect stage to perform on, as it captures the other worldly nature of performance and ethos. David Wojnarowicz's work is a detail of a larger installation piece and, again, is a space for a mutinous performance that is riotous, messy and ecstatic all at once.
The second grouping of works is subtitled "Stardust: The Happening and the Importance of Style." This group of artists was either making work in NYC during that time or was actually capturing the scene itself. Others share a sensibility with the music, the style or energy of that time. A color photograph of Grace Jones in white face paint and red hair talking to Keith Haring by Juan Rivera and a photograph of Keith Haring in the Pop Shop in the late 80s capture the burst of creativity and intensity of the time. Works by Bern Boyle, Jose Luis Cortes and Mark Morrisroe capture the punk stylishness of the time with immense hair, numerous tattoos and men who are both very masculine and very feminine at once. Images by Derek Jackson ("Darrell: The Armory Show," "First Timer"), Max Greenberg, Hunter Reynolds and Albert Winn are playful and sometimes melancholy depictions of individuals at parties after the concert and perhaps behind the stage flirting and being watched and desired. David Abbott, John Morrison and Yolanda capture glamorous individuals being playful and showing rapturous aspects of the music, the scene and the time.
Bowie and the Dolls, through their performances and music, made it seem that anything and everything was possible. Even space travel was possible and perhaps this represented a location where one could occupy a different and more magical world. In some manner, all the artists in Stardust depict this magic and the creative energy of the time and the music.
Jimmy De Sana
Sarawut Chutiwongpeti
Bern Boyle
Jose Luis Cortes
Mark Morrisroe
Max Greenberg
Hunter Reynolds
Albert Winn
David Abbott
Leah Oates
Leah Oates is an artist and an independent curator living in New York. Oates has a B.F.A. from the Rhode Island School of Design, a Fulbright Fellowship for study in the United Kingdom and an M.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Oates recently curated "Dark Nature: Part 1 & 2" and upcoming exhibitions include "Reconstruction," "States of Longing" and "Locations of Elsewhere" at Chashama Gallery in Time Square and Harlem. Oates has also curated exhibitions and projects in New York with NURTUREart Gallery, The Organization of Independent Artists, Artists Space and The Kaufmann Arcade (a satellite space for A Taste of Art Gallery); and curated exhibitions in Chicago at the Peace Museum, Randolph Street Gallery, Woman Made Gallery and Noyes Cultural Arts Center. Oates writes for NY Arts Magazine and has written for AC: Collaborative, an online arts journal. As an artist, Oates has exhibited in over 80 group shows and 10 solo shows, both nationally and internationally. Her works on paper and books are in the collections of the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, MoMA, Franklin Furnace Archive, Yale University Art Library, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Tate Modern in London.
View Past Curated Galleries
The impossibility to make a thing remain still
Fever!
Florece / Flourish
Re-HomeComing
I Can Still Love You From Here
Blurry Self Portraits: The Expanse and the Body in 1980's Gay Art
Love Positive Women: The Alchemy of HIV
We're All Libraries Burning
Let My Presence Be the Refusal

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text:
Tag Archives: Triple Crown
BC Juvenile Race We Miss Artie and Strong Mandate
When the gates start loading for the 54th running of The Rebel stakes (gr.2) there will be an 80% chance of rain and thunderstorms. Although we all know the weather can quickly change; the current forecast for Hot Springs Arkansas is slated for a very wet and humid weekend! Alas, weather can surely influence the outcome of a race and a sloppy- muddy track could definitely result in surprising results. With a much smaller field than originally anticipated, 8 sophomores will be taking a plunge in stretching out to 2-turns (some for the first time). With the end in mind; trainers/owners hope their young colts will thrive the added distance when stretching out to 2-turns. A victory will guarantee the winner a spot in the Kentucky Derby since only the top twenty 3-year olds will make it to the gate on the first Saturday in May.
Categories: Breeders Cup World Championships, Derby Championship Series, Derby Trail, Horse Racing, Horseracing, Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, Triple Crown Trail Tags: bloodhorse, Bob Baffert, Breeders Cup, Derby, Derby Championship Series, Derby Point System, Derby Prep Races, dosage index, horse racing; horseracing; kentucky derby, Kentucky Derby, lee tomlinson, Mike Smith, Rebel Stakes; Oaklawn Park; Tapiture; Strong Mandate; D. Wayne Lukas; Steven Asmussen; Tapit; Southwest Stakes; BC Juvenile; Risen Star; Joel Rosario; Calvin Borel; Churchill Downs, street sense, tomlinson distance, tomlinson pedigree rating, Tomlinson wet, Triple Crown, Triple Crown Trail
This past weekend was the start to the Championship Series and a pivotal point on the road to the Kentucky Derby. Contenders are starting to emerge and slowly revealing themselves, as each prep win is now worth a whopping 50 points. Most 3-year olds at this time are stretching out from 1 to 2 turns for the first time, as well as facing much larger fields.
Post position and traffic problems can affect an inexperienced horse, but each race is a stepping-stone to learning, growing and gaining the experience that is needed to make it to the first Saturday in May .
The Risen Star Stakes and the Fountain of Youth started off the series with both winners exemplifying a "fighting spirit" to the very end! Re-watching both races will leave you on the edge of your seat with spine-chilling finishes that will leave you wanting more. It's just the start to new beginnings as we experience these young colts develop into pure competitors, and amazing athletes.
Categories: Derby Championship Series, Derby Trail, Female Jockeys, Horse Racing, Horseracing, Kentucky Derby, Triple Crown Trail Tags: Bloodhorse Magazine, Championship Series, Derby, Derby Dollar Contest, Derby Horse, Derby Point System, Fairgrounds Race Track, Fountain of Youth, Gulfstream Race Track, horse racing, horseracing, Intense Holiday, Kentucky Derby, Luis Saez, Mike Smith, Paulick Report, Risen Star Stakes, Rosie Napravnik, Triple Crown, Triple Crown Trail, Wildcat Red
With the Belmont Stakes now behind us, the dust has finally settled and we can now reflect on the final leg of the Triple Crown trail. What a journey it has been for this year's crop of talented 3-year olds! On picking winners, we can either give ourselves a tap on the back for some great handicapping efforts, or knock ourselves across our heads for overlooking imperative information and picking incorrect winners.
Now who would have thought the results of the Belmont Stakes (1st- Palace Malice #12, 2nd- Oxbow #7, 3rd- Orb #5) could be compared to a Mathematical equation, but the number 12 is indeed the sum of 7+5. How simple does that sound? If picking a winner was that easy; we'd all be rolling to the bank! I never really like numbers, in fact I hated Math in high school, but when I started to understand how the relationship of numbers within a horse race could actually help me with my handicapping, I actually appreciated all the numerical information I could I could get my hands on! I realized how important it was to keep things simple, and just understand each race and how the numbers within the race could help me to narrow-down my choices. Nothing comes easy when you are trying to pick a winner and things can get even more complicated once different variables are added to the mix. Yes in horse racing anything can happen, but having the right information gives you a calculated edge on who to keep within a race, as well as who to toss-out. This may probably be the longest distance any of these 3-year olds will ever run. A grueling mile and a half, no wonder it's known as "The Test of the Campion". Palace Malice who had set the second fastest initial quarter and half mile fractions in the Kentucky Derby's history was by-far the best horse on Belmont Stakes day. He drew clear in the last quarter mile to win by three and a quarter lengths from Oxbow, with Orb in third. With such wide sweeping turns at Belmont Park, how difficult was this race to figure out? Well, you could have eliminated half the field by understanding just how invaluable these factors were:
1. Tomlinson Figures – The late Art Kaufman aka Lee Tomlinson developed the Tomlinson pedigree ratings as a handicapping tool. It became a part of the DRF in 2001, and can be easily found in your DRF forms. It's located in the far top right of each horse's career information box under WET, TURF, DISTANCE. It is a 3 digit rating purported to gauge a sire's ability to pass turf, wet-track, sprinting, and staying ability to its offsprings. A look at the rating might give you a clue to which horse has the pedigree to get the distance
A DISTANCE rating range from 0-480 with a rating of 320 to be considered average. Each horse has a rating and is revised quarterly. Ratings are keyed to the distance of the specific race. The higher the rating the better chances a horse should run particularly well over that distance
For an off-track, a MUD rating of 320+ merits further consideration as a horse who could run particularly well over a wet track
Within the Belmont field the following horses had the highest Tomlinson Distance Rating:
**Midnight Taboo – 309
Palace Malice – 310
Overanalyze – 311
Incognito – 316
Oxbow – 330
2. A favorable Dosage Index figure of 3.00 or less. The Dosage Index is a number that comes from the ratio of speed to stamina in a horse's pedigree. The higher the number the more speed in the pedigree — while a lower number indicates that a horse should have more stamina. Anything above a number of 4.00 is supposed to indicate that a horse will have trouble at longer distances. It's a useful tool to quantify a horse's ability, or inability, to negotiate the various distances at which horse races are run. It is calculated based on an analysis of the horse's pedigree.
In the last 10 years horses that won the Belmont had a Dosage Index of 3.00 or less (In 2003, Empire Maker had a DI of 3.16)
In the last 25 years there have been three horses with Dosage Index above 4.00. Sarava in 2002, Commendable in 2000, and Touch of Gold in 1997
A Center of Distribution of .67 and higher. The CD value indicates the "Balancing Point" of the horse's pedigree profile, with positive values toward speed. A CD of 0.0 means that he horse has an even number of speed points as he does stamina. A CD of -0.5 means he has slightly more stamina points, and a CD of 1.5 for example, shows a large favor in the speed side of the profile.
In the last 10 years, there has been only one horse that had a CD lower than +0.67. Drosselmeyer in 2010 with a CD of +0.55
Again, only half the field in this year's Belmont had a Dosage Index of 3.00 or lower, and a Center of Distribution close to +0.67 or higher:
*Unlimited Budget – DI 3.00/CD +0.92
Incognito – DI 3.00/CD +0.64
**Midnight Taboo – DI 3.00/ CD +0.75
Overanalyze – DI 3.00/CD +0.92
Oxbow – DI 2.50/CD +0.86
Palace Malice – DI 2.64/ CD +0.65
Golden Soul – DI 1.92/CD +0.61
Vyjack – DI180/CD.71
Giant Finish -DI159/CD.41
When combining all 3 figures for Tomlinson Ratings, Dosage Index and Center of Distribution there were only 2 horses that had very close numbers, and that would be Palace Malice and Oxbow. Orb's Tomlinson Distance is 296, DI 3.21, and CD +0.86.
3. In this final and most demanding leg of the Triple Crown Favorites Rarely Win. In fact, the last favorite to win the Belmont was in 2005 with Afleet Alex. Beware of the betting public, they can steer you in the wrong direction!
***Understanding that most Belmont Stakes winners are Presser or Off the Pace types that sit 1-4 lengths off the lead in the early stages of the race
***The only "deep" closer that managed to win in the last 13 years was Jazil and he sat about 8 lengths off the lead early on
***Going back 10 years, there has been only 1 "wire-to-wire" type horse to win the Belmont. Da'Tara in 2008 at odds of 38/1
So it's been proven once again that statistics, and numbers do matter when handicapping a race like the Belmont Stakes. Being able to understand important factors within this race can help you choose the right contenders. There are also other factors to consider like the weather, but the use of the Tomlinson Figures will assist in helping you pick out the horses whose pedigree will favor a wet track. You can incorporate your other handicapping strategies along with these important factors to solidify your final picks.
Before we close the doors on this year's journey for the Triple Crown, I must address the only three horses that ran in all three legs of the races – Oxbow, Orb and Will Take Charge. There were memorable moments of glory; as well as the sadness of defeat, but despite the various outcomes to all three races Orb, Oxbow and Will Take Charge deserve much respect for their commendable efforts. Orb went off to win the Kentucky Derby on a sloppy track with the second fastest quarter and half-mile fractions set in Derby history. Two weeks later we patiently waited with anticipation for a Triple Crown candidate, but our hopes were shattered when out of nowhere Oxbow was guilty of stealing the 2nd jewel of the crown. He won going wire to wire, in what was the slowest fractions set in Preakness Stake's history. Orb was sadly defeated, but managed to come in 3rd in both the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont. Three weeks later, a fresh horse emerged as suicidal fractions were set in the Belmont Stakes. Palace Malice won by 3 1/4 lengths over Oxbow, with Orb beaten five lengths, Incognito six lengths and Revolutionary 6 1/2 lengths. What can I say about Will Take Charge? He had a disastrous trip in the Kentucky Derby when he ran into tiring Verrazano, and he never really had a chance to regain momentum and managed to come in 8th out of 19 horses. Although it seems "bad derby luck" could have been his excuse in the Derby, Will Take Charge was never a major factor in the remaining legs of the Triple Crown.
So as the quest for the Triple Crown ends, a few of these talented three year olds will eventually find their places in racing history. Some will move on and become remarkable turf horses, others will become unbelievable sprinters and maybe one of these horses may even go off to win the Breeders Cup Classic. What the future holds for each of these amazing three year olds will be a new journey with unlimited possibilities. Soon a new Spring will arrive, and a new cast of super-stars will create new excitement and the quest for the Triple Crown will start all over again.
It takes a lot out of a horse to run in all three legs of the Triple Crown so it's no big surprise that it's been 35 years since our last Triple Crown winner, Affirmed nipped Alydar by a head to claim his stake in horse racing history.
The 2014 Belmont Stakes will be run on Saturday, June 7, 2014.
*Filly
**In the last 75 years, no horse who ran 3 races or less has won the Belmont Stakes
***Courtesy of Super Screener, Belmont Stakes
Categories: Belmont Stakes, Breeder's Cup, Derby Trail, Kentucky Derby, Triple Crown Trail Tags: Belmont Park, Belmont Stakes, Breeders Cup Classic, center of distribution, dosage index, drf, Kentucky Derby, lee tomlinson, ORB, Oxbow, palace malice, preakness stakes, tomlinson distance, tomlinson pedigree rating, Triple Crown, Triple Crown Trail
Yes! A filly in the Belmont…
In the 145 year history of the Belmont Stakes 23 fillies have entered into the Belmont Stakes in hopes for victory, and to be draped with a blanket of white carnations. Only 3 fillies have accomplished this amazing feat and whose names have been written in the history books as simple amazing. The very first Belmont Stakes in 1867 was won by a filly named Ruthless, in 1905 a filly named Tanya, and then 102 years later in 2007 Todd Pletcher's captures the win aboard Rags to Riches. Only 3 gutsy fillies have done it, and the question is: Will history be made in this year's Belmont Stakes; with the first female jockey, and a filly named Unlimited Budget?
Fillies to place in Belmont Stakes
Year, Filly, Finish
1867, Ruthless, 1st
1868, Fanny Ludluw, 3rd
1869, Invercauld, 3rd
1870, Midday, 3rd
1905, Tanya, 1st
1913, Flying Fairy, 3rd
1927, Flambino, 3rd
1980, Genuine Risk, 2nd
1996, My Flag, 3rd
2007, Rags to Riches, 1st
*Courtesy of Bloodhorse.com, Article: Unlimited Budget will get her shot at history
The news was confirmed yesterday that Unlimited Budget will indeed be running with the boys! This awesome addition always adds excitement to see a filly in the race. Now add the top female jockey, Rosie Napravnik we just "Kicked It Up a Notch"! Check out my article called, "100 Oak Points", which shares my thoughts on the new Derby Points System and explains about the eligibility to run in the Kentucky Derby. Fillies that were graded stakes winner like Unlimited Budget; were unable to partake in this year's running of the Kentucky Derby with this very specialized point system. There are fans for the new system, as well as others that are not too thrilled. The opportunities just were not there to see the true potential of some amazing fillies in this year's three year old crop. Shut out, before shipping out! Like anything in life, I hate to say it; at times the measurement of a female's ability is how good she stands against her male counterpart. A horse can be a considered a super filly, but can she shine amongst a group of top 3-year old colts? A filly can be great, but once proven…She goes into that "unbelievable" category.
In an article on Bloodhorse's website , Owner Mike Repole said, "Unlimited Budget's physical size and her mental maturity gave him the confidence that the Street Sense filly would fare well against the males. She'll be one of the larger horses in the race." The first time he set eyes on her, he thought she was a colt. "She is as big and tall, if not bigger, than many of these colts".
She has the running style that will fare well in this race as she will be stalking the pace from mid-range and her speed scores are very comparable to her male counterparts. Out of a lifetime of 5 races, she was 3rd in her last race the G-I Kentucky Oaks and won her 4 previous races which consist of two G-2 races, and a G-3 race. Add to her resume, triple digit Brisnet speed scores on her last two races She had a sharp 4f bullet work: 47.2 – 1/46 on June the 2nd, and had a couple of other good works at Belmont.
Can this female duo outsmart, outlast and outrun the boys? We'll find the answer in the 145th running of the Belmont Stakes.
Good luck to Rosie Napravnik and Graded Stakes winner, Unlimited Budget = GIRL POWER!
Categories: Belmont Stakes, Derby Trail, Female Jockeys, Kentucky Oaks, Triple Crown Trail Tags: Belmont Park, Blood Horse Website, bloodhorse, Filly, girl power, horse racing, horseracing, Mike Repole, Rags To Riches, Rosie Napravnik, street sense, Todd Pletcher, Triple Crown, Triple Crown Trail, unlimited budget
Unlimited Riches; Will A Filly Run In The Belmont Stakes?
Lets all go back 6 years, to 2007 when a filly named Rags to Riches dominated the boys in the final quest to the last jewel of the Triple Crown. It was a monstrous feat to outlast the almighty Curlin but Rags to Riches prevailed, and become the first filly since 1905 to win the Belmont Stakes.
I can faintly hear the echoes of Tom Durkins' thrilling race-call as the horses are running toward the top of the stretch, "A filly is in the front of the Belmont, but Curlin is right there with her. These two in the "Battle of the Sexes" in the Belmont Stakes. It is Curlin on the inside, and Rags to Riches on the outside in a desperate finish. Rags to Riches and Curlin they're coming down to the wire. It's going to be close… and it's going to be a filly in the Belmont! Rags to Riches has beaten Curlin and a 100 years of Belmont history. The first filly to win it in a century!"
What an exciting feat for Todd Pletcher's first "Classic", win with a filly in the Belmont!
June 8th will be the 145th running of the Belmont Stakes, and with no Triple Crown on the line there is still much suspense brewing in the air with Todd Pletcher's filly possibly running in the most challenging leg of the Triple Crown. Decision to run her is still not 100%, but after turning in a sharp half-mile in: 47 2/5 this morning and galloping out five furlongs in 1:00 in company with Capo Bastone, Todd Pletcher estimates her chances of running in the Belmont as 80-90%. In a recent article from Bloodhorse website, Pletcher was very happy with how she worked as she seemed enthusiastic, and did not have to be asked or encouraged at any point. He plans to confirm with Owner Mike Repole at the end of the day whether the filly will run in the race. Her connections have been debating on whether to run her in the Belmont Stakes against the boys, or go against top filly Dreaming of Julia in the Grade I- Mother Goose on June 22nd.
Now if she does run in the Belmont, will she be able to emulate Todd Pletcher's "only" Belmont win with Rags to Riches? Inquiring minds want to know: Can the only filly in the race beat a tough field of male contenders? Does she have the tenacity that Rags to Riches had? Does she have the pedigree to go a mile and a half? Will this finally be the year that Todd Pletcher adds another Belmont win to his resume? Who is this filly, and what do we need to know about her?
Her name is Unlimited Budget. She is a stunning 3 -year old filly, out of the 2010 Kentucky Derby and Preakness 2nd place winner, Street Sense- Unlimited Appeal, by Valid Appeal. She was bred in Florida, out of Ocala Stud. Her name refers to what Owner, Mike Repole regretfully told his wife about her spending limit for their new home after selling his company Glaceau, maker of Vitaminwater and Smart water, to Coca-Cola for $4.1. "You've got an unlimited budget with this house." What a perfect name!
She's a big Street Sense filly, and although there is some concern from her female family, which is more predominately speed-oriented, her sire's line is bred for stamina.
In another article in Blood Horse website, when comparing Unlimited Budget to his 2007 Belmont Stakes winner, Rags to Riches this is what Todd Pletcher had to say, "The bottom side of her pedigree isn't as deep in stamina as Rags to Riches. The biggest thing about Rags to Riches pedigree is that she is so stoutly bred. She was sired out of a Belmont winner , A.P. Indy and being a half sister to a Belmont winner, Jazil". So there is little concern, but on the positive side Unlimited Budget has already won at a mile and a sixteenth twice this year, and has also won going at a mile and an eighth as a 2-year old so going longer in distance, should not be a major problem. Her speed figures also match up to the colts she would be going up against; so she seems to fit into the mix.
Add the top female jockey to the equation, and you could possibly have a winning combination. Rosie Napravnik is likely to ride Unlimited Budget, and will attempt to become the only female rider to win the Belmont since Julie Krone in 1993, aboard Colonial Affair. Having a female duo in a male dominated race is always exciting, as it gets the female bettors more involved in the sports betting.
Lets hope Unlimited Budget runs with the boys, and shows the sport what she is all about. In Mike Repole's words, "She's not only Unlimited Budget; I think she has unlimited potential too".
Categories: Belmont Stakes, Derby Trail, Female Jockeys, Kentucky Oaks, Triple Crown Trail Tags: A.P. Indy, Belmont Park, Belmont Race Track, Belmont Stakes, female jockey, Filly, horse racing, Mike Repole, ORB, Rags To Riches, Rosie Napravnik, Todd Pletcher, Triple Crown, Triple Crown Trail, unlimited budget


JCB are looking forward to strengthening their partnership with Formula One's Williams Martini Racing team for a second season.
As the Staffordshire-based construction giant develops its focus on the next generation, it is working on plans to introduce its apprentices to the world of Formula One, through Williams Martini Racing, as part of their training to gain experience of elite motorsport and develop a global understanding of power systems.
The partnership will also raise the profile of the JCB brand around the world, with the company's branding appearing on the Williams Mercedes FW41 chassis and rear wing end plate throughout the 2018 racing season, which begins with the Australian Grand Prix on 25 March.
JCB will also feature on drivers Lance Stroll, Sergey Sirotkin and Robert Kubica's race suits and helmets, and all trackside personnel team kit.
JCB chairman Lord Bamford said: 'Designing and engineering innovative products is at the core of what JCB do, which means there is great synergy with Williams Martini Racing.
'We have a long association with motorsport and frequently combine our engineering expertise with some of the best automotive technologies.
Claire Williams, deputy team principal at Williams Martini Racing, added: 'We are delighted to strengthen our relationship with JCB following our first successful year.
'Like JCB, engineering and innovation are integral to our success, which makes sharing our expertise and knowledge with the next generation of JCB apprentices a natural progression.


Imagine you are Paul and you want to buy a new refrigerator. Then Lowe's is where you should go. Lowes gives his house a bit of elegance and transforms it into the house of his dreams.
Even when you are doing something fast, enjoy a hamburger, if you do not have enough space, you will end up cooking in batches, which will result in cold burgers. While if you spend a little more and buy a large grill for, say, $ 300 to $ 400, you may never have to replace it. Charcoal is similar to a stick change.
You must organize the room within the ideal method that can be achieved. It should be centrally in your house. Must have the ability to designate and organize a place in your home to serve as a pantry. Not really, but it does require restarting if you want to take it to another region of the house. If necessary, it is completely fine to create multiple pantry locations. Make sure the grill is large enough to have two heat zones (high and low), which will help prevent burns and sprouts, and allows you to cook unique foods (such as steak and vegetables) all at once.
It will save time and could be the only method to get to a show on time. You will not be hungry and you will receive a show to start. Branson shows are not cheap.
All of Branson's madness began with just a couple of shows. No, not because of a very remote possibility, but it's a really cool gadget. The application is valuable for a couple of reasons, such as helping you clarify the strange request that Alexa is trying to understand. Many apps also have the option to buy directly into the app and pick it up at the store along with store location information, product information and availability (Lowes has an excellent approach to showing where you can find an item in your giant store to make it simpler for the consumer to find it), stores hours and more directly incorporated.
Consumers want to be in a position to research products online, go to a store and compare prices and finally buy. The first thing we would like to do is look for a retailer that sells gift cards for Lowes (or the retailer that wants to buy). When deciding which retailer will get your gift card, check if that retailer has a rewards program that will allow you to double. Now is the time for retailers to make sure they have the right mobile strategy to capitalize on this developing trend. Not every day you find a store that provides everything you need and saves you money. Use your pantry regularly, checking your inventory to make sure you do not have excess stock.
The customer's bar code must be presented at the time of payment. The full collection of terms and conditions is available here. At the end, within the application, you will discover an option to enable distinctive abilities. Take advantage of all the programs you can and earn as much as possible.


SPRINGFIELD — Two Springfield police officers have been acquitted by a federal jury of brutality charges.
The jury on Monday cleared the officers of eight counts each, including using excessive force, false arrest, and depriving the person who brought the suit of his civil rights.
In a separate verdict, the jury found the city was not liable for the officers' conduct.
The lawsuit was brought by Tomas Caraballo of Holyoke. He alleged in the suit that patrolmen Ahmad Shariff and Erwin Greene assaulted him at a New Year's Eve party at a Springfield home in 2006 after he objected to their treatment of another guest.
A lawyer for the officers tells The Republican they were pleased with the verdict especially since many of the witnesses were friends of Caraballo.


What is the Purple Pen Project?
As a busy parent, I am all too familiar with the lack of time available to support our children with their learning. In order to allow you to get a glimpse of your child's progress, one book/piece of work will be sent home on the Friday of every week from a different subject. Please follow the guidance on how you can support your son's/daughter's learning using your purple pen. This can be done by writing or merely by asking key questions to encourage dialogue with your child regarding how they are progressing in the classroom.
Focussing on the structure of exams.
Please complete the form below detailing the workshops you would like to attend.


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'I kept saying it was smelly': Lord Bell claims Bell Pottinger ignored his concerns over Gupta work
Bell Pottinger co-founder Lord Bell says he was "completely ignored" by management when he raised concerns about the firm's work with South African conglomerate Oakbay - claims the agency denies.
by Sam Burne James / July 11, 2017
Bell Pottinger last week announced the dismissal of partner Victoria Geoghegan and the suspension of three other employees over work done for Oakbay Investments.
The firm also apologised for what it said was "offensive" campaigning around the concept of 'economic apartheid' in the country, which has been viewed by many South Africans as orchestrated to strengthen the position of president Jacob Zuma, an associate of the Guptas.
In that statement, the company's chief executive, James Henderson, said management had been "misled" about the nature of the account. He had previously told PRWeek it was a corporate reputation brief and that there had been a "gross misrepresentation" of its role.
Bell, who left the firm last year, told PRWeek that the idea that Henderson was not aware of the nature of the work was "rubbish".
"He is the chief executive for God's sake, it's his job to know what is going on," Bell said.
Loss of clients
Lord Bell himself met employees of Oakbay and its owners, the Gupta family, in South Africa in early 2016, before the agency began work on the account.
Bell said he then warned others in the business that taking the brief would be bad for Bell Pottinger, but that colleagues "completely ignored me".
Bell said: "I kept saying it was 'smelly' – I told [chairman] Mark Smith it was smelly, I told [international managing partner] David Beck and James Henderson that it was smelly, and they ignored it."
Bell spent several months in the middle of the year away from the company due to illness, before announcing he would leave Bell Pottinger in August. He said the work with Oakbay was one of the reasons for his departure.
The firm has stopped working with investment firm Investec and mining group Acacia in recent months, and with luxury goods firm Richemont last year. The loss of all three has been reportedly due to concerns over Bell Pottinger's Oakbay work. Richemont and Investec were both founded in South Africa, and Acacia operates across Africa.
Bell Pottinger contested Bell's claims, but declined to provide a comment. The firm also declined to comment on the loss of the trio of clients.
Bell also said that Geoghegan should not be considered a scapegoat for the company, as he was reported as telling the Financial Times, because this would suggest she had done nothing wrong. He said Geoghegan should be seen as "the fall guy – or the fall girl".
Geoghegan, who is seven months pregnant and was due to go on maternity leave at the time of her sacking, declined to comment on the advice of lawyers.
The PRCA is looking into a complaint about Bell Pottinger's conduct, made by South African political party Democratic Alliance. The DA also complained to the CIPR, which is working to ascertain whether any of its members were involved in the work. Both bodies have declined to comment on the ongoing process.
Bell Pottinger's apology has been rejected by the DA and other groups and parties in South Africa, including Zuma's ANC. The DA has suggested that Bell Pottinger donate its fees for the account, which were initially £100,000 a month, to a charity in the country.
Financial PR
Lord Bell
Bell Pottinger
4 lessons agencies can learn from the Bell Pottinger scandal
BerlinRosen secures investment from private equity firm O2 Investment Partners
Can the Biden administration reverse its pandemic policy pitfalls?
Just briefly


It's a sad thought to think that there would be a new Star Wars movie without John Williams back as composer. Well, we already lost the battle with him not returning to compose the Man of Steel movie. Then again, that movie is like a reboot of sorts. With J.J. Abrams directing Star Wars: Episode VII, one would think that he would hire his go-to composer, Michael Giacchino, to score the movie. Thankfully, J.J. Abrams actually wants John Williams to score. Even Michael Giacchino prefers that Williams do it. In a Star Trek Into Darkness press conference in Berlin, he talks about how great Giachhino is, and then talks about how he believes John Williams will be composing Star Wars Episode VII.
Woohoo! That's good to hear.


Why Partner with CK Market?
CK Market is a multi-award winning global authority in the Forex industry and a broker your clients will trust.
CK Market is one of the most trustworthy brokers we work with. Tracking, conversions and account management are second to none.
CK partner program is one of the best programs, which I have seen in between the biggest brokers, fortunately I got one of the best manager, and he helped me a lot in marketing plus for sure helping my clients correct.
Working with CK for few years now, and I really believe they are the best and most honorable broker out there, tested many and still CK is on the top of my list.


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Recalls in April 2018
Get trending consumer news and recalls
Van's Foods recalls gluten free waffles
The products contain gluten and milk, allergens not declared on the label
Van's Foods is recalling approximately 1,584 cases of Van's Gluten Free Waffles.
A limited number of the wrong packaging was used during the production of Van's Belgian Waffles. The products inadvertently packaged in the Van's Gluten Free Waffle box contain gluten and undeclared milk.
There are no reports of illnesses or adverse reactions to date.
The following products, distributed to food retailers in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin, are being recalled:
Pkg SKU
Code Date
30206 Van's Van's Gluten Free Original BEST BY : AUG 22 2018
A640234710-WL2
Case SKU Brand Product Description Code Date
30201 Van's Van's Belgian HS WF 12/8 BEST BY : AUG 22 2018
Customers who purchased the recalled products or have questions may contact Van's consumer relations department at 866-886-8456 for additional information and/or reimbursement.
Van's Foods is recalling approximately 1,584 cases of Van's Gluten Free Waffles.A limited number of the wrong packaging was used during the production...
Read lessRead more
04/30/2018 By James Limbach
Ethnic Foods recalls Bhavnagri Mix
The product may contain peanuts, an allergen not declared on the label
Ethnic Foods of Port Washington, N.Y., is recalling Bhavnagri Mix snack mix that may contain peanuts, an allergen not declared on the label.
No illnesses or allergic reactions involving this product have been reported to date.
The recalled product, which comes in a 19-oz., clear bag marked with lot # 28517, 31917, 33817, 35317, 01118, 02318, 02918, 05118, 07318 on the bottom right corner of the label, and the UPC code 808550110206, was sold in retail stores nationwide.
Customers who purchased the 19 recalled product should return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.
Consumers with questions may contact the company at 516-767-7400.
Ethnic Foods of Port Washington, N.Y., is recalling Bhavnagri Mix snack mix that may contain peanuts, an allergen not declared on the label.No illnesse...
Model year 2017-2019 Coachmen Crossfit vehicles recalled
The rear axle Gross Axle Weight Rating is listed incorrectly
Forest River is recalling 210 model year 2017-2019 Coachmen Crossfit vehicles.
The vehicles' federal placards incorrectly list a rear axle Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) that exceeds the GAWR assigned by the chassis manufacturer.
The incorrect GAWR may cause the operator to overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Forest River has notified owners and provided a corrected Federal Placard, free of charge.
The recall began April 25, 2018.
Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-574-825-8590. Forest River's number for this recall is 225-0699.
Forest River is recalling 210 model year 2017-2019 Coachmen Crossfit vehicles.The vehicles' federal placards incorrectly list a rear axle Gross Axle We...
Labrada Nutrition recalls Leanpro8 Protein Powder
The product may contain egg, an allergen not declared on the label
Labrada Nutrition of Houston, Texas, is recalling specific lots of LeanPro8 Protein Powder.
The product may contain egg, an allergen not declared on the label.
No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem.
The following items, which come in 2.2-lb. and 5-lb. tubs marked on the bottom with lot numbers, are being recalled:
Lean Pro 8 Vanilla 2,268g
(5lb) Tub (UPC
# 710779112834)
Lot# 073437
Lean Pro 8 Vanilla
2,268g (5lb) Tub
Lean Pro 8 Chocolate
(UPC# 710779112841)
2,268 g (5lb) Tub
1,000g (2.2lb) Tub
Lean Pro 8 Cookies &
Cream 1,000g (2.2lb) Tub
The recalled products were sold in retail stores nationwide and through mail orders.
Customers who purchased the recalled products should return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.
Consumers with questions may contact the company at 800-832-9948, Monday thru Friday, 9am – 5pm (CT).
Labrada Nutrition of Houston, Texas, is recalling specific lots of LeanPro8 Protein Powder.The product may contain egg, an allergen not declared on the...
Forest River recalls FR3 and Georgetown RVs
The entry door may open unexpectedly while while the vehicle is moving
Forest River is recalling 597 model year 2018-2019 Forest River FR3 and Georgetown recreational vehicles.
The entry door latch may not engage fully, allowing the door to open unexpectedly while the vehicle is moving, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy for this recall is still under development.
The recall is expected to begin June 4, 2018.
Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 574-206-7600. Forest River's number for this recall is 68-0700.
Forest River is recalling 597 model year 2018-2019 Forest River FR3 and Georgetown recreational vehicles.The entry door latch may not engage fully, all...
OC Raw Dog recalls Chicken, Fish & Produce Raw Frozen Canine Formulation
The product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes
OC Raw Dog of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., is recalling approximately 1,560 lbs of Chicken, Fish & Produce Raw Frozen Canine Formulation.
The product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
There have been no reported illnesses of dogs, cats or humans in connection with this product.
The following products, manufactured on October 11, 2017, with the lot number 3652 and USE BY DATE of 10/11/18, are being recalled:
Nt. Wt.
UPC No.
OC Raw Dog
Fish & Produce
Meaty Rox
Doggie Sliders
Doggie Dozen
Patty Bag
The recalled products were shipped to the following states in these volumes:
California – 356 lbs.,
Colorado – 153 lbs.,
Florida – 195 lbs.,
Maryland – 320 lbs.,
Minnesota – 429 lbs.,
Pennsylvania – 78 lbs. and
Vermont – 30 lbs.
Consumers with questions may contact the company at 844-215-DOGS Monday – Friday, 8am – 5pm (PST).
OC Raw Dog of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., is recalling approximately 1,560 lbs of Chicken, Fish & Produce Raw Frozen Canine Formulation.The product...
HD Supply recalls ceiling fans
The brackets connected to the fan blades can break
HD Supply of Atlanta, Ga., is recalling about 144,000 Seasons ceiling fans.
The brackets connected to the fan blades can break and allow the blades to fall, posing an impact hazard.
The firm has received 13 reports of a bracket breaking and allowing a fan blade to fall, including one report of minor property damage. No injuries have been reported.
This recall involves Seasons-branded 52" five-blade ceiling fans sold in white, brass, bronze, and brushed nickel finishes and have zero, one, three or four lights.
Model numbers 269702, 269712, 269714, 269716, 269718, 269808, 269810, 269812, 269816, 269818, 269820 and 269822 are included in this recall. The model number is printed on a label on top of the motor housing.
The fans, manufactured in China, were sold at HD Supply stores nationwide and online at www.HDSupplySolutions.com from March 2016, through February 2018, for between $60 and $140.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled fans and contact HD Supply to receive a free repair kit. HD Supply is contacting all known purchasers directly.
Consumers may contact HD Supply at 800-782-4154 from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. (PT) Monday through Friday, by email at FMWarrantySolutions@hdsupply.com or online at www.HDSupplySolutions.com for more information.
HD Supply of Atlanta, Ga., is recalling about 144,000 Seasons ceiling fans.The brackets connected to the fan blades can break and allow the blades to f...
Eataly USA recalls artichoke spread
The product may contain walnuts, an allergen not declared on the label
Eataly USA of New York City, N. Y., is recalling Eataly Artichoke Spread that may contain walnuts, an allergen not declared on the label.
One allergic reaction is reported.
The recalled product, sold in New York City, is packed in a plastic container with the front label reading "Eataly artichoke spread" nt wt.7 oz. 200g, UPC: 612067, and the back label listing the ingredients and the expiration date of 05.12.
Customers who purchased the recalled product and are allergic to walnuts should return it to the Eataly NYC Flatiron at 200 5th Avenue, New York, 10010.
Consumers with questions may contact the company at 201-875-0606, Monday – Friday, 10:00am – 5:00pm.
Eataly USA of New York City, N. Y., is recalling Eataly Artichoke Spread that may contain walnuts, an allergen not declared on the label.One allergic r...
Model year 2018 Forest River Salem recreational trailers recalled
The trailers' federal placards may incorrectly state the tire pressure
Forest River is recalling 24 model year 2018 Forest River Salem recreational trailers, model SMT282QBXL-OR.
The federal placards on the vehicles may incorrectly state the tire pressure as 54 PSI, when the correct tire pressure is 65 PSI.
Incorrect tire pressure information can cause the operator to underinflate the tires, increasing the risk of a crash.
Forest River has notified owners and provided a tire placard with the correct tire pressure information, free of charge.
Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-503-831-5413. Forest River's number for this recall is 22-0693.
Forest River is recalling 24 model year 2018 Forest River Salem recreational trailers, model SMT282QBXL-OR.The federal placards on the vehicles may inc...
Honeywell recalls hard hats
The hard hats can fail to protect users from impact
Honeywell Safety Products USA of Smithfield, R.I., is recalling about 148,000 Fibre-Metal E2 and North Peak A79 hard hats sold in the U.S. and Canada.
The hard hats can fail to protect users from impact, posing a risk of head injury.
No incidents or injuries are reported.
This recall involves Honeywell's type 1 Fibre-Metal E2 and North Peak A79 hard hats sold in a variety of different colors.
The Fibre-Metal E2 hard hats have a manufacture date of April 2016, May 2016, December 2017, or January 2018.
The North Peak A79 hard hats were manufactured from April 2016 through January 2018. Only North Peak A79 hard hats with mold identification number 4 are included on this recall.
North by Honeywell, the mold identification number, and the manufacture date can be found on the underside of the hat's brim.
The date code is in a clock format: The numbers around the circle correspond to the 12 months of the year, the arrow points to the month of manufacture and the numbers on either side of the arrow represent the last two digits of the year.
The hard hats, manufactured in Mexico, were sold at industrial protective equipment distributors nationwide in their stores and through their e-commerce portals and online at www.Amazon.com and other websites from April 2016, through January 2018, for between $7 and $21.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled hard hats and contact Honeywell to receive a product credit or voucher equal to the purchase price of the recalled hard hat.
Consumers may contact Honeywell toll-free at 888-212-6903 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday or online at www.honeywellsafety.com and click on Voluntary Product Recall for more information.
Honeywell Safety Products USA of Smithfield, R.I., is recalling about 148,000 Fibre-Metal E2 and North Peak A79 hard hats sold in the U.S. and Canada.T...
TruPet Recalls Boost Me Mighty Meaty Beef Topper Meal Enhancer
The product may be contaminated with Salmonella
TruPet of Milford, Ohio, is recalling a limited amount of Boost Me Mighty Meaty Beef Topper Meal Enhancer.
The product may be contaminated with Salmonella.
No illnesses have been reported to date.
The recall is limited to 400 cases of "Boost Me Mighty Meaty Beef Topper Meal Enhancer" with lot number #20190531 13815.
The recalled product was sold throughout the U.S. by Chewy.com and TruDog.com through direct delivery.
Customers who purchased the recalled product should return it to the place of purchase for a refund.
Consumers with questions may call the company at 800-476-8808.
TruPet of Milford, Ohio, is recalling a limited amount of Boost Me Mighty Meaty Beef Topper Meal Enhancer.The product may be contaminated with Salmonel...
Briggs & Stratton recalls surface cleaners
The surface cleaner's spray bar can break and detach from the central hub
Briggs & Stratton Corporation of Wauwatosa, Wisc., is recalling about 206,000 3000 PSI pressure washer surface cleaners sold in the U.S. and Canada.
The surface cleaner's spray bar can break and detach from the central hub, causing broken pieces to strike consumers, posing an injury hazard.
The firm has received five reports of the surface cleaners spray bar detaching from the central hub, including one report of the spray bar striking an operator, resulting in a cut on the knee which required sutures to close.
This recall involves 3000 PSI Briggs & Stratton and Craftsman branded pressure washer surface cleaners.
The recalled surface cleaners are black, red, or gray and have the Briggs & Stratton or Craftsman brand names printed on the top of the product. All recalled models have 3000 PSI molded into the top of the housing.
Surface cleaners are designed to clean a variety of outdoor surfaces including concrete, asphalt and stone walkways. The cleaner connects to a pressure washer rated up to 3000 PSI.
The surface cleaners, manufactured in China, were sold at Briggs & Stratton dealers, Lowe's and other department, home and hardware stores nationwide and online at www.Lowes.com from March 2010, through February 2018, for between $50 and $80.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled surface cleaners and contact Briggs & Stratton for instructions to register online for a free replacement.
Consumers may contact Briggs & Stratton toll-free at 877-370-7505 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (CT) Monday through Friday, or online at www.briggsandstratton.com and click on "Support" at the top of the page and then "Recalls" or www.BriggsSurfaceCleanerInfo.com for more information.
Briggs & Stratton Corporation of Wauwatosa, Wisc., is recalling about 206,000 3000 PSI pressure washer surface cleaners sold in the U.S. and Canada.The...
Epic Products recalls Euphoric capsules
The product contains sildenafil and tadalafil, which are not declared on the label
Epic Products of Overland Park, Kan., is recalling all lots of Euphoric capsules.
The products contain sildenafil and tadalafil, which are used to treat male erectile dysfunction (ED), and are not declared on the label.
The makes Euphoric an unapproved drug for which safety and efficacy have not been established.
The company has not received any reports of adverse events related to this recall.
This recalled product, marketed as a dietary supplement for male sexual enhancement, is packaged in 1-count blister cards (UPC 6-9685928646-9), 3-count bottles (UPC 6-9685928646-6), and 12-count bottles (UPC 6-9685928648-3).
It was sold in retail stores nationwide.
Consumers who purchased the recalled product should stop using it and return it to place of purchase.
Consumers with questions may call 800-589-1470 between 9:00am and 6:00pm (CST).
Epic Products of Overland Park, Kan., is recalling all lots of Euphoric capsules.The products contain sildenafil and tadalafil, which are used to treat...
Keystone Carbon and Raptor recreational fifth-wheel trailers recalled
The vehicles are missing a protective barrier to prevent fuel absorption in the main floor
Keystone RV Company is recalling 423 model year 2018 Keystone Carbon and Raptor recreational fifth-wheel trailers.
These vehicles were manufactured without a protective barrier in the fuel station to prevent fuel absorption in the main floor.
Fuel absorption into the main floor can increase the risk of a fire in the presence of an ignition source.
Keystone will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the trailers and install a protective barrier free of charge.
The recall is expected to begin June 10, 2018.
Owners may contact Keystone customer service at 1-866-425-4369. Keystone's number for this recall is 18-317.
Keystone RV Company is recalling 423 model year 2018 Keystone Carbon and Raptor recreational fifth-wheel trailers.These vehicles were manufactured with...
Base Brands recalls children's water bottles
The pink paint outside the bear bottle contains unacceptable levels of lead
Base Brands of Atlanta, Ga., is recalling 2,000 children's Reduce Hydro Pro water bottles.
The pink paint on the outside of the bear water bottle contains levels of lead that exceed the federal lead paint standard.
Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health issues.
This recall involves Base Brands children's Reduce Hydro Pro Furry Friends water bottles.
The stainless steel insulated, 14 ounce water bottles were sold in a pack of two bottles: a pink bottle with a character of a bear face and a gray bottle with the character of a lamb head.
The recalled water bottles have a removable lid gasket and a rubber carry strap.
Reduce, www.reduceeveryday.com, and 14oz/0.41L are printed on the blue or pink underside of the bottle.
The bottles, manufactured in China, were sold at Costco Wholesale stores nationwide and online at www.amazon.com from January 2018, through February 2018, for about $13.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled water bottles, take them away from children and return them to any Costco store for a full refund.
Costco and Amazon are contacting all known purchasers directly. Consumers who purchased a water bottle via Amazon should contact Base Brands for a free replacement water bottle, including shipping, or a full refund.
Consumers may contact Base Brands toll-free at 833-600-2887 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday, by email at info@basebrands.com, or online at www.reduceeveryday.com and click on Safety Notices at the bottom of the page for more information.
Base Brands of Atlanta, Ga., is recalling 2,000 children's Reduce Hydro Pro water bottles.The pink paint on the outside of the bear water bottle contai...
Primark recalls decorative cushions
The cushions can catch fire if exposed to an ignition source
Primark US of Boston, Mass., is recalling about 14,500 decorative cushions.
The cushions can catch fire if exposed to an ignition source.
This recall involves 21 different Primark decorative cushions sold in various colors and shapes, including square, rectangular, heart-shaped, unicorn-shaped, and pumpkin-shaped.
The following product codes, which are printed on the label attached to the cushion, are being recalled:
TWO TONE SEQUIN
TWIN PACK PLAIN CUSHION
PV FUR SQUARE
HY OVERSIZED FAUX HEART
ROSEFUR HEART
GLITTER HEART CUSHION
PV FUR HEART CUSHION
UNICORN SHAPED CUSHION
CG STAR PRINT CUSHION
PUMPKIN SHAPED CUSHION
CG SWAN SHAPED CUSHION
HOME OBLONG CUSHION
The cushions, manufactured in China, were sold exclusively at Primark's eight stores located in the northeastern U.S. from May 2017, through February 2018, for between $5 and $9.
Consumers should immediately stop using the cushions and return them to a Primark store for a full refund.
Consumers may contact Primark toll-free at 855-215-5829 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday or online at www.primark.com/en-us and click on "Customer Service" at the bottom of the page for more information.
Primark US of Boston, Mass., is recalling about 14,500 decorative cushions.The cushions can catch fire if exposed to an ignition source.No incident...
Indian recalls various model year 2018 motorcycles
The motorcycle may start in some cases without the user's intent
Indian Motorcycle Company is recalling 3,341 model year 2018 Indian Chief, Chief Classic, Chief Dark Horse, Chief Vintage, Chieftain, Chieftain Classic, Chieftain Dark Horse, Chieftain Elite, Chieftain Limited, Springfield, and Springfield Dark Horse motorcycles.
Corrosion may develop within the right combination switch, potentially resulting in the motorcycle starting without the user's intent if the key fob is near the motorcycle and the required safety interlock conditions are met.
If the motorcycle starts unintentionally and is parked in an enclosed space, exposure to carbon monoxide may increase the risk of injury.
Indian will notify owners, and dealers will replace the right hand combination switch, free of charge.
The recall was expected to begin April 19, 2018.
Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697. Indian's number for this recall is I-18-04.
Indian Motorcycle Company is recalling 3,341 model year 2018 Indian Chief, Chief Classic, Chief Dark Horse, Chief Vintage, Chieftain, Chieftain Classic, Ch...
Rhino 69 Extreme 50000 recalled
The sexual enhancement product contains tadalafil, which is not declared on the label
AMA Wholesale is recalling Rhino 69 Extreme 50000 capsules.
FDA analysis found the product to be tainted with tadalafil, an active ingredient in a FDA-approved prescription drug used for erectile dysfunction, which is not declared on the label.
The firm has not received any reports of adverse events related to this recall.
The recalled product, which is used as a sexual enhancer and packaged in single capsule, blister packs with an expiration date of 12/2022 and UPC Code: 718122071128, was sold nationwide on the internet.
Customers who purchased the recalled product should immediately stop using it and return it to the place of purchase for a refund.
Consumers with questions may contact the company at (800) 689-6532 Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (PST) or by email at amawholesale@hotmail.com.
AMA Wholesale is recalling Rhino 69 Extreme 50000 capsules.FDA analysis found the product to be tainted with tadalafil, an active ingredient in a FDA-a...
Schneider Electric recalls Square D safety switches
The power can stay on when the safety switch handle is in the "OFF" position
Schneider Electric USA of Andover, Mass., is recalling about 1.079 million Square D brand safety switches.
The power can stay on when the safety switch handle is in the "OFF" position, posing an electrical shock or electrocution hazard.
No incidents or injuries have been reported.
This recall involves Square D brand General Duty 30 & 60A, 120/240-volt, 2-phase and 3-phase NEMA 3R safety switches.
The switches are a dark gray metal box with a black handle on the side that can be moved to an "ON" or "OFF" position. The "OFF" position is designed to shut off the flow of electricity.
The switches, which may be used in or around commercial buildings, outbuildings, apartments and homes, measure about 10 inches by 7 inches by 4 inches.
Brand name "Square D", the ampere of the safety switch and the 120/240-volt or 240-volt marking is printed on a label on the front of the safety switch.
The recalled switches were manufactured between January 1, 2014, through January 18, 2018, and have date codes 1401 through 1803. The date codes are in the YYWW format (example: 1401 = year 2014, week 1). The date code of the product can only be found on the inside of the cover and is not accessible if the product is installed and in-service.
Only safety switches with the following catalog numbers printed on a separate label on the side are included in the recall:
CD321NRB
D211NRB
D211NRBCP
D221NRBUP
DU221RB
DU221RBUP
DU321RBCP
The switches, manufactured in Mexico, were sold at authorized Schneider Electric distributors, Home Depot, Lowe's, original equipment manufacturers and others stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com, HomeDepot.com, and Lowes.com from January 2014, through January 2018, for between $40 and $500.
Consumers should immediately inspect installed safety switches by moving the handle to the "OFF" position. If the power stays on when the handle is in the "OFF" position, contact Schneider Electric for a free replacement safety switch and free service support to install the replacement switch.
If the safety switch is not installed and included in the recall, contact Schneider Electric for a free replacement safety switch.
Instructions on how to inspect the switch can be found at www.schneider-electric.us/gdss-safetyalert.
Consumers may contact Schneider Electric toll-free at 877-672-1953 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday or online at www.schneider-electric.com and click on "Square D" (found under Quick Links) for more information.
Schneider Electric USA of Andover, Mass., is recalling about 1.079 million Square D brand safety switches.The power can stay on when the safety switch...
Guixens Food Group recalls La Marinera Dried Yellow Potatoes
The product may contain sulfites not declared on the label
Guixens Food Group of Miami, Fla., is recalling La Marinera brand Dried Yellow Potatoes.
The product may contain sulfites which are not declared on the label.
The recalled product comes in a 10-oz. clear plastic bag marked with "Dried Yellow Potatoes - Papa Seca AmariIla" on the label with an expiration date of July 2018 and the UPC code 7-42287-73054-5.
It was sold at retail supermarkets in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, California and Tennessee.
Customers who purchased the recalled product should return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.
Consumers with questions may contact the company at 305-634-0500, Monday – Friday, 9:00AM – 4:00PM (EST).
Guixens Food Group of Miami, Fla., is recalling La Marinera brand Dried Yellow Potatoes.The product may contain sulfites which are not declared on the...


He has traveled the world headlining showrooms on Princess, Holland America and Carnival Cruise Lines, as well as performances with symphony orchestras in both the U.S. and Canada. Jay's every movement, sound and expression are tributes to the passion and power of the real Diamond, giving new luster to the life of the man and his music. From the moment he hits the stage with Diamond favorite "Cherry, Cherry" to the fabulous flag waving finale "Coming To America" Jay fires the audience with the intensity of his first class illusion.


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Homeblog What can Artificial Intelligence do?
You might be surprised to find out that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not that modern, as it has been established as a field of study since 1956 at a summer workshop held on the campus of Dartmouth College (US). Those who attended became the leaders of AI research (John McCarthy and 9 others). Before them, Alan Turing has conducted some research on AI, creating the Turing Test. The Dartmouth College gang failed by underestimating the difficulty of the project, bringing on the so called 'AI winter', when progress, interest and investment in the field stalled.
But at the beginning of the 21st century investment and interest in AI boomed. This was due to advancements in various fields that are tangent to AI. Innovations in hardware development, including sensors and GPUs, made it possible for AI to have the resources it needs to process huge amounts of data and to interact with its environment. Just like humans, AI needs experiences to learn from. Those experiences for AIs are the data sets, collections of data, whose availability has increased exponentially in later years. The development and refinement of machine learning algorithms and strategies have helped immensely, because these describe how the AI should process and extract information from the data sets or how to learn on its own. Also, Cloud services have made AI solutions available to more customers/businesses.
The victory of AlphaGo (a Go playing AI developed by DeepMind) against a professional human player, in 2016, is considered to be the starting point of The Age of AI. This victory was important because it shows that machines can really learn. The nature of the game of Go is such that you cannot use brute force to determine all possible moves, as there are as many as atoms in the universe. Therefore AlphaGo uses reinforcement learning and neural networks to mimic the learning process of a human brain.
Our world is currently going through a major transition. AI is progressing faster than you think and is very likely going to revolutionize the world, how we live and how we do things. Let's see some of its applications in different fields:
Presumably, whoever masters the AI technology will rule the world, that's why the first industry to adopt and deploy AI is the military and the greatest powers of the world are in on it (US, China, Russia).
Applications of AI in the military include:
self-driving vehicles (airborne and land)
lethal autonomous weapon systems
intelligent surveillance
robot soldiers
robots that carry heavy loads over rugged terrain
robots that can be sent into dangerous environments, like radioactive places, or for search and rescue
anti-robot robots
kamikaze drones
earlier detection of terrorist attacks
If you want to be creeped out but also deeply impressed, check out the demo videos for the Atlas and Spot robots from the Boston Dynamics company. Their mobility, agility, speed and human-like movements are remarkable.
Some of the diseases that humanity has to deal with have too many variables. No human can hold in their head all the information necessary to understand them. But a machine can easily do that. Healthcare is a field where AI will feel at home and it can help make the shift from reactive to predictive care.
After studying enormous amounts of patient data and scans collected from all over the world, an AI can see patterns, it can diagnose, it can offer suggestions, predictions, it can detect shades in a scan that humans cannot and it can detect cancer 5 years prior to it being visible to humans. Among the number of patients that undergo surgery for potentially cancerous breast lesions, only some of them actually need these surgeries, and AI would be able to filter out the healthy patients.
Bionic limbs are already used with success and they use machine learning to make quicker decisions and improve. They improve the reading and interpretations of the signals from the muscles and also create the sensation that the artificial limb is part of the body by sending feedback to the wearer. Hugh Herr has become the pioneer of bionic legs after losing his legs due to frostbite. Who better to understand the physical and engineering challenges than an amputee biologist mechanical engineer?
Parkinson's disease could be diagnosed earlier by wearing an AI device that detects changes in the voice or unusual patterns in walking and movements.
Accessibility devices are developed and available for blind people. These devices and phone applications use AI to interpret and describe the environment to the blind person.
Elon Musk's Neuralink project is trying to resolve spine and brain problems (paralysis, brain damage, seizures, extreme pain, depression, restore eyesight, etc) with a seamlessly implanted device in the brain. The applications of this device are quirkier than that, going towards making new forms of communication between people possible, like telepathy. And offering a brain-machine interface that will allow us to control devices with commands sent directly from our brain and eventually achieve symbiosis with AI.
5G will enable more advanced AI. Remotely performed surgeries need precision and instantaneous timing that can only be delivered by the 1 millisecond latency of 5G.
Big agricultural machines can be driven and controlled from the living room of the operator. The machines are equipped with sensors and video cameras maximising safety. They can even remember where the seeds were planted, so nothing is left behind during harvest.
With computer vision, they can detect weeds, pests, soil defects and defective crops. The localized detection of weeds and pests allows for local and automated treatment, thus decreasing the quantity of pesticide used.
A farmer in Japan used AI computer vision and robotics to enable cucumbers to be automatically selected and categorized, saving him hundreds of work hours. The artificial intelligence driving his farm it's called TensorFlow, it's open source, and was created by Google.
Bicycles and trains were invented in the early 19th century, motor cars in the 1890s, aircrafts in 1903 and next on the list are electric and self driving or autonomous cars. Probably the first greatest and complete achievement in the field of AI will be that of self driving cars. This has been under serious development for years, with Tesla being well known. Smart highways have to be built to ensure the safety factor and gigafactories have to be built to cover the demand of lithium-ion batteries, so it will take some time.
The trucking industry, transportation of goods, is deemed to be the first that will be automated due to lack of personnel.
Speech and text processing
Humans can speak, listen and communicate through language. This is the AI field of speech recognition. Humans can write and read text in a language, this is the field of NLP or Natural Language Processing.
Advancements in speech recognition and NLP have brought us more and more accurate language translation tools and apps that transform text to speech and vice versa. This resulted, for example, in automated subtitles and bot narrated videos. Also many devices that are operated with voice commands have flooded the market: Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, GoPro, curtains operated by voice commands.
There are text processing tools that can detect the tone of the text, like Grammarly or textio.com.
Grammarly plans to detect if the text sounds confident, accusatory, angry, sad, encouraging, egocentric, neutral, optimistic, regretful, excited, disapproving, worried, forceful, surprised, curious, rude, friendly or formal. But their AI is still in its learning phase, probably after a few years it will become more accurate.
textio.com is recommended for the hiring process, to help with formulating job requirements. For example, there's a scarcity of females in the STEM fields, so to make this kind of job more appealing to women, textio gives recommendations on how to make the job requirements sound more feminine.
JPMorgan developed an AI that saved them 360,000 hours of man work each year. The machine does the mind-numbing job of interpreting commercial-loan agreements in seconds.
GPT-3, developed by OpenAI, is also making a buzz. Today, it's one of the largest and most powerful machine learning models for natural language processing in the world. It generates tweets, pens poetry, summarizes emails, answers trivia questions, translates languages and even writes its own computer programs, all with very little prompting.
In the field of finance, AI has infiltrated the RegTech and stocks trading fields. It offers regulatory functions for broker-dealers, by detecting market manipulations like spoofing, layering activities, where a trader places multiple orders with the intent to cancel, to create the illusion of liquidity. AI powered trading bots are used to maximize profits and for micro trading.
Credit card fraud detection is another application of AI in finance.
Businesses and Marketing
Customer service for most businesses have been enhanced with various helping bots and chat bots.
AI can help with forecasting models, for example you can detect the demand for a particular color of clothes in a certain season/location. It can help with market surveillance, detecting patterns and anomalies.
An impressive application of AI is in personalized ads and suggestions that users see on various websites. Sometimes they are incredibly spot on, but behind that accuracy lies the study of your person, as you are being categorized and predictions about what is most likely to your taste are being made. This is done based on different variables like your searches, visited sites, your expressed interests online, age, gender and other. You can notice this on Facebook and Youtube, in the ads you see and in the pages that are suggested to you, on Netflix in the match percentage and suggestions. This is very helpful, it's like having a mini personal assistant that reads your mind (but it can also pose privacy issues).
'Just walk out' is an AI powered technology that allows for stores without cashiers or lines. You install an app on your phone, walk in, take what you want, the AI powered supervision detects what you took, and when you walk out you will be automatically charged for the products and a receipt will be sent to your email.
'NotCo' uses AI to study molecular composition of animal based food and determine how to obtain the same taste, color, texture using plant based sources.
Lights-out factories are fully automated and need no human intervention. FANUC is a Japanese robotics company that has been operating as a lights-out factory since 2001. The robots in the factory can run unsupervised for as long as 30 days at a time. In the Netherlands, Philips uses lights-out manufacturing to produce electric razors, with 128 robots made by Adept Technology. There are only nine human quality assurance workers who oversee the end of the manufacturing process.
The applications of AI are much more numerous than in these fields. You will find AI in smart cities, in Tech Art – with robots that can write screenplays and can paint. In earthquake prediction, environment conservation and on Youtube video analysis that automatically removes suspicious content. AI can also recognize sounds (SoundNet) and it can generate images (Petalica-Paint, pix2pix).
An interesting job title is Head of AI for Social Good at Intel. The person holding this title is involved in AI powered anti-poaching devices. The devices are installed in the wilderness and take motion activated pictures. The pictures are then AI processed and if the presence of 4 human is detected the rangers are notified. This job is overwhelming for people given the quantity of photos and the need for immediate action, so an AI really helps with this.
In theory, automation and artificial intelligence should free us from dangerous, boring or repetitive tasks. It should help us be more productive and improve our overall quality of life. But there is a lot of fear around humans being superseded by machines and it's not all unjustified. It is predicted that by 2030, 50% of the jobs will be lost to AI and humans are supposed to focus on more intellectual, creative jobs and on personal development.
The future can look dangerous and uncertain when advancements in AI are growing exponentially, but hopefully everyone's active involvement in the subject matter and organizations like The Future of Life will be able to protect humanity's best interest.
Adriana Trif


Modern home designs favor neutral hues and minimalist leanings. More homeowners and window contractors, though, are using black in their window designs. With the right contrast, black can make your home pop and give it character. Black frames are this year's top trend for windows and doors. It is a versatile color for interior and exterior decorating that can add a chic vibe to your home.
Renewal by Andersen® of Seattle talks more about this exciting development below.
Black is the safest color to choose for combinations because it blends with practically anything. It always creates an appealing contrast to a bright space. Indeed, the color is as versatile as it gets. Renewal by Andersen of Seattle offers window and door black Fibrex® frames.
Black interior frames widen the color choices in windows. While black exterior frames were also used before, black interior frames are relatively new. Furthermore, black can always enhance a view or provide a bold contrast to other design components in your home.
Some homeowners fear that the color black absorbs heat a bit too much, thus compromising energy efficiency. This is not a concern with Renewal by Andersen windows with Fibrex frames. This composite material is one of the most energy-efficient frames offered today. Black won't reduce the energy efficiency of the material, even on replacement patio doors.
We also added black for both our standard and high-end Estate hardware finishes. Whatever window style and color you choose, you have the option of selecting black.
Turn to Renewal by Andersen of Seattle for high-quality replacement windows and doors. Each comes with a Fibrex frame, Low-E4 glass and the option to style the frames according to your needs. We serve Seattle, WA and nearby areas. Give us a call at (206) 686-7733 for a free in-home consultation.