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Ethical AI and the Future of Work with Ted Nielsen
Ethical AI and the Future…
In today's episode, my guest is Ted Nielsen. He is the vice president of product management at UKG, which is the combined entity of Ultimate Software and Kronos Group that merged during the pandemic. We are talking about all kinds of things, from classic languages and individual motivations to ethical AI and the future of work.
Ted's specialty and portfolio are focused on data and artificial intelligence, but his academic background is in classical languages. His passion for classical languages came from his teachers, who were equally passionate about them.
Through Ted's education in this subject area, he realized how the great works of philosophy and poetry, and all things written by different cultures, all have a few things in common — their wants are the same as ours today. "You realize that people 2,000 years ago, 1,500 years ago, depending on the time period that you specialize in, they're a lot like us today. They care about the same things. They have the same fears. They have the same desires," Ted says.
Think about it this way: From 2020 to now, the world has seen a pandemic, uncertainty, chaos, the impacts of climate change, and more. We might agree that these past few years have been some of the worst times for society, but Ted begs to differ. He gives that dubious honor to 536 AD. A volcanic eruption led to darkness, starvation, the Plague of Justinian and more over the following years. So while we can argue that 2020 deserves the award for the worst year, 536 AD has it beat.
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Through our conversation, Ted talked about what UKG offers and the direction of the new organization. But one unusual topic he raised was the development and implementation of ethical AI. It's not a topic that you typically hear concerning payroll and benefits, so it had me curious as to how it all fits together.
From Ted's explanation, it's "the sort of complexity of running a business, a business at scale. That boils down to, at the end of the day; our software is helping individual people do things that one person couldn't possibly do." Some people are using Excel to handle their payroll, and while it may be attainable with a small team, it becomes a bit more complicated when adding more people and business functions, which can lead to human error.
UKG provides a way for their customers to scale while removing the human error that arises from manual processes. The way that Ted and his team are focused on AI is less as a nanny pointing out your errors and more as a sidekick who is there to help you figure it all out. "It's not the person saying like you did this wrong, you did this wrong, you did this wrong, but a person to help provide more universal context for what's happening, to help you do your job better, to point out potential errors, potential gotchas that are coming — to make smart recommendations so that people can make smart choices," shares Ted.
Robots aren't taking over our world, but technology and specifically AI has given companies the ability to streamline numerous manual processes. Ted explains that the technology is here "to understand that people, with all of their dynamism and with all the incredible flexibility that comes with our approach to problem-solving, aren't really good at processing really linear data at scale."
Developing and Implementing Ethical AI
Another way the UKG is developing and using ethical AI services is through a workforce listening product called Employee Voice. This product allows companies to distribute surveys at scale. In one way or another, most people have done annual surveys built around linear data, where employees are asked many boring questions to rate a service or product.
Not many people like having to sit there and answer all those questions, and Ted says Employee Voice that flips that method on its head. "Instead of all of these sort of more linear measures, it presents an open text box and says, 'How are you feeling? What are you doing? What are you worried about? What are you focused on right now?'"
Typically, people can sit down and read through thousands of responses, but that can be time-consuming. By leaning on this shorter model, users can have dimensional data to efficiently slice and dice. "What Employee Voice does is, it takes that open-ended text information and runs natural language processing against it so that people can understand what's actually being said, how people feel about what's being said and build action plans and other sorts of ways to respond," explains Ted.
Possible Ramifications
While this technology is admittedly astonishing, I'd rather avoid an apocalyptic doomsday with the rise of AI. Is a way for users to give themselves checks and balances and thus avoid making decisions that can negatively affect us down the road.
I was hopeful that there would be a way, but Ted shares that it might not be possible. "I think the answer is actually kind of, 'no.' I think that the story of humanity is one of unintended consequences," he says. What's needed is to "talk about things from a long-term strategic perspective."
Through automation and AI, leaders can free up their time to address ethical questions by acting like submarines. Ted explains, "We need to be able to go deep and be focused on the current state and solve our problems, but also able to periscope up and understand where we're headed," he says. By removing the need to manage processes like payroll and open enrollment manually, "people can be people, and they can use this sort of critical thinking in the long-term strategic thinking to help periscope up."
'You realize that people 2,000 years ago, 1,500 years ago … they're a lot like us today.' ~ @ted_nielsen of @UKGInc. Tune in to learn more about ethical AI on #PunkRockHR! Click To Tweet
People in This Episode
Ted Nielsen: LinkedIn, Twitter, UKG Website
Laurie Ruettimann:
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Hey everybody, I'm Laurie Ruettimann. Welcome back to Punk Rock HR. My guest today is Ted Nielsen. He's the VP of product at a company called UKG, which is the combined entity of Ultimate Software and Kronos Group. They merged during COVID, and they're UKG now. And Ted is on the show today to talk about, well, all kinds of stuff. Classical languages like Greek and Latin, and the history of mankind, and individual motivation. But we also talk about ethical AI and responsible programming and the future of work. This conversation is just the favorite kind of conversation I have on Punk Rock HR, which is unscripted, no agenda, just talking to someone really smart about the world of work. So if you're up for that kind of ride, well, sit back and enjoy this conversation with Ted Nielsen. Hey Ted, welcome to the podcast.
Ted Nielsen:
Thank you so much for having me. It's such a pleasure to be here.
Well, I'm excited to have this conversation with you, but before we get started, I would love for you to tell everybody who you are and what you're all about.
No, absolutely. So my name is Ted Nielsen. I'm the vice president of product management at UKG, which is an organization focused on building the world's finest human capital management and workforce management software. My specialty and my portfolio is focused in the data and artificial intelligence space.
Well, that's a huge, obscure job. And before we got started a few minutes ago, you were telling me that your family thinks you do printer Wi-Fi and tech support. So is that your background?
It is not. Absolutely not. Academically speaking, my background is in classical languages. So I have a degree in Latin from the University of Chicago in our classical languages and literatures department. And it was a little bit of a winding road to end up in software, much less B2B SaaS software. But no, I was always the nerd at home. I was always the one trying to get the Wi-Fi to work. Growing up on a farm, as it was, trying to see if you could stretch the signal out to the barn or not. So I did a lot of that, but I never did any tech support professionally.
Well, let's talk a little bit about your academic background because classical languages is something you see in the Dead Poets Society and on TV, but you don't really meet people with that kind of background. So what did you love about language enough to pursue it in a university setting?
No, absolutely. So some of it is absolutely the education I had, the teachers that I had that were super passionate about it, and they shared that passion with me. At a certain point, really in any language, this is not unique to Latin or to ancient Greek, but in any language, you usually start with a textbook written by a person whose native language is your own. So you start reading Latin written by a native English speaker. And eventually as you've worked through those textbooks, you leave those behind and you start reading Latin written by a Roman, and those become your textbooks. And those become the things that you study and that you look at.
But what you find is all those books that you read, the great works of philosophy and poetry and the histories, and all the things that were written by that culture, you realize that people 2,000 years ago, 1,500 years ago, depending on the time period that you specialize in, they're a lot like us today. They care about the same things. They have the same fears. They have the same desires. And in a lot of ways, that granite wall of time, that inability to sort of look back to the past or sort of reach the past, falls away. And you really find this sort of common human story in who people are trying to become, the problems that they face every day. And yeah, I found that really beautiful and really motivating.
Well, I wonder if you can talk a little bit more about that because I think so many of us walk around thinking that this moment in time of the pandemic, of chaos, of climate change is so particularly unique. And I'm comforted to hear you talk about the parallels between 2.000 years ago and today. So what do you find are some of the common themes?
Gosh, I don't want to be wrong on this. I'm pretty sure it was [536] AD broadly considered the worst year to be alive in human history.
Wait, followed by 2022. Come on now.
2020 part one and part two. Yeah. So [this] is during the Plague of Justinian. So already you have a plague. So the Roman Empire is falling apart. You have a society under pressure, lots of different political regimes happening. The current thesis is that there was a volcanic eruption that actually kind of blanketed Europe in fog for the better part of a year. And so it killed the crops and then as crops died, there was starvation. Usually before the advent of modern medicine, starvation generally came right before plague, and then plague happened. So I hate to break it to us, but as horrible as 2020 parts one and two have been, there have been other years where very much have dealt with that.
That's both comforting and scary because the human —
And horrifying.
Yeah. The human tendency is to ignore what's right in front of us. And to focus on things that are outside of our control, whether it's religion or cult-like beliefs, or even over-indexing on somebody else solving our problems like politicians or figures. We just tend to be in denial. So you're in a really interesting situation where you're focused on people working today and trying to solve problems. So how do you take that knowledge from that ancient Greek or that Roman time period and apply it to what you're doing today?
So I will tell you every person on my team kind of has a running joke about sort of the strange stories or the little anecdotes that I will feather in. So that'll always be — or the analogies and metaphors that I'll bring to bear. I like to think about, and especially in the human capital management space, I think it's very easy to get caught around the axle of the idea that there are hourly workers and then there are salary workers. There are people who are blue-collar and there are people who are white-collar, and they have radically different needs. They have radically different backgrounds. And the ways that you would address different problems or different challenges that each group has, are super-different. Almost like peas and carrots on your plate, like you make sure they don't touch.
What I think is so important is at the end of the day, what we're seeing is they're all people, they actually have very similar drivers. To approach the idea that a person working in an hourly environment doesn't want to grow or doesn't want to develop, or the idea that they don't have career aspirations — I think we're moving away from that as an organization and understanding that the operational capabilities that you provide to an organization to help run their company are different from the tools that you give them, that you arm them with, to grow and develop the people that make up that company. And to think about that differently and realize that, under the hood, everybody has similar motivations. They all want to grow. They all want to develop. And what are the ways that we can help organizations run efficiently while also making the people within those organizations grow efficiently?
Well, I wonder as you were talking about everybody having the same primary drivers. The way we define that in the modern HR era is through Maslow and his hierarchy of needs. Do you believe in that or is there a different model that you follow?
I don't, personally, I think it's very attractive to find patterns or theses for how people think or how people behave. We're pattern-driven people. We want to easily categorize people. And unfortunately, when you categorize people, you tend to pigeonhole them. Once a person is in a category, it's really hard to jail break and sort of get out of it. I'm not a huge fan of that purely linear model of thinking. And frankly, it's very similar to how people think about history — that there's this unbroken line of progress from deep time, from the great pyramids to the Pizza Hut and then from the Pizza Hut to the iPhone and iPhone to Bitcoin. Like this sort of unending up into the right line of life just getting better for people. And we know that's not true. We know there are setbacks, there are loops, there are ups and downs, different areas advance faster than others.
And so, time is much more cyclical and people are more cyclical. And so an individual person in a career may make a trade-off for, 'I no longer want to be in this particular leadership role. I want to care more about my individual contribution" or "I want to emphasize my family life more." And so take a step back or take a different job. Or I may be particularly interested in growing and developing my financial security. So I may go to a high-risk job that has a high-reward potential with a commission or other sorts of things. People change and people's needs and drivers change over time. I'm not wild about very linear or highly structured models for human behavior, because I think we're not that simple.
Well, I like that you thought that we're moving from the iPhone to Bitcoin is a fun example to use because I think Bitcoin might be a blip. We all recognize that currency is just a human creation. And we're all over-indexing on this idea of whatever that version of Bitcoin is being the new currency. But one of the things that strikes me is we never get pay right. Whether it's dollars euros, rocks, Bitcoin, we just don't nail compensation. Do you have any thoughts on that? I mean, whoa, what a mess.
Absolutely. So it's funny, pay is one of those things that from an accuracy perspective is critical — to the penny accuracy for billions and hundreds of billions of dollars. It's silly to say, but it's kind of table stakes. And it's so complicated as, obviously, legislative realities are changing, individual preferences — everything from the deductions that people take and the bonuses that are available to them, different contracts that might be in place from a union. Pay is a space that complexifies very, very quickly. I used to think sort of jokingly, as I was sort of entering the human capital management space, how hard could it really be? It's a rate times the number of hours minus some taxes and deductions, bada bing, bada boom, it's a calculator. Like how hard is this? I was wrong. I was very, very wrong on that. But what I will say, we get obsessed and I think focus on — pay is a great example of this.
We are focused on the operational needs of an organization. The way that we can help them run. And I will tell you absolutely being right about payroll and being right about your timesheets and the right benefit deductions being pulled out of your paycheck. All of those are extremely important, but that's just keeping the train moving. That's just running a business. And I think all of us, especially in the last couple years, living through this sort of dramatic change, realize that we cannot just run our business. We also have to prepare our business for what's coming next. We have to think about how our people contribute and sort of put them in new situations that grow and stretch them.
The organization that I'm a part of, UKG, is made up of two legacy organizations that went through a merger right in the middle of 2020. I will tell you doing a merger over Zoom, I do not recommend it for anybody's mental health, but we pulled it off. Two 6,000-person companies with tens of thousands of customers, millions of lives under management, went through an incredible merger, Ultimate Software and Kronos incorporated. And everybody's job at the company got twice as hard overnight. And there's no way that you can prepare for that. There's no gym that you can go to. There's no training program. There's no learning module that you can distribute because your job — even in place, just running in place — your job got twice as hard. And it didn't happen linearly. It happened overnight for everybody.
And so I think about those operational needs that exist for an organization. Doing those well and hitting them out of the park so that frankly, people don't have to spend time managing them. The more that you can automate and just get those things to work, you can focus on frankly, the really important parts of your job, which are all the other things that are coming your way.
Well that's a really beautiful segue to what I'm so excited to talk to you about today. When we met, you were talking about some of the offerings of UKG, the new organization and where the company's going, but then you started talking about something that really caught my attention, which is the use, the implementation, the development of ethical AI. And I thought, whoa, you don't hear this often at a conference about payroll and benefits and all the other stuff that we were just talking about, operations. So tell me, where does ethical AI fit into all this, but more importantly, what is it?
So when you think about, as I just said, like the sort of complexity of running a business, a business at scale. That boils down to, at the end of the day, our software is helping individual people do things that one person couldn't possibly do. Theoretically, given an infinite number of human beings in an infinite amount of time, you could, by hand, calculate every single paycheck in your organization.
Good Lord, don't go there because I've seen it. I've seen it. It's terrible, 1995.
There are people right now who are doing this stuff out of running payroll out of Excel. So at the end of the day, we provide scale and surety and sort of take that human error that comes from these manual of processes out of the equation. Now, unfortunately, that equation gets harder and harder and harder as you have more and more people, more and more business functions to care about. And so artificial intelligence is, I think, there's a lot of different ways to implement it. There's a lot of different ways to think about it from a product management perspective. But the way that my team and I are focused on implementing it and bringing it to life for UKG customers is, it's a sidekick. It's not a nanny. It's not the person saying like you did this wrong, you did this wrong, you did this wrong, but a person to help provide more universal context for what's happening, to help you do your job better, to point out potential errors, potential gotchas that are coming, to make smart recommendations so that people can make smart choices.
Because at the end of the day, our goal here isn't to get rid of people and have robots rule the earth. It's to understand that people, with all of their dynamism and with all the incredible flexibility that comes with our approach to problem solving, aren't really good at processing really linear data at scale. One of the offerings that we have at UKG it's a workforce listening product called Employee Voice. And so this allows you to distribute at-scale surveys. And I think most people in some way or another have done annual surveys, and they're generally built around linear quantitative data. One to five, how much do you hate taking a 230-question survey? One to five, what page do you think you're on? Sort of the very, very question after question after question. Employee Voice flips that on its head.
And instead of all of these sort of more linear measures, it presents an open text box and says like, "How are you feeling? What are you doing? What are you worried about? What are you focused on right now?" One of any number of questions. And it accepts that sort of block text. Now, normally a person could sit down and read 5,000 responses to that or 10,000 responses or 50,000 responses. That's hard. And so what people do instead is they lean into these one-to-five question models so that they have dimensional data that they can slice and dice. What Employee Voice does is it takes that open-ended text information and runs natural language processing against it so that people can understand what's actually being said, how people feel about what's being said and build action plans and other sorts of ways to respond.
One of the interesting things about software that's being developed today, solutions that are being developed today, is that oftentimes the person who's using it is both the user and part of the product. And the software works against us, not for us, or it works in ways that aren't necessarily transparent, which I think is the antithesis of what we want: a future state of just life. So I wonder where the ethics of all this comes in, because I want to feel comfortable that whatever I'm writing is going to be used for the benefit of me, the benefit of my development, the benefit of the organization and not programmatically down the line to doom society, or even doom my own career. So where does the ethics of all this come into play?
Absolutely. And so part of it is both how the data is used and how we evaluate the algorithms that we're building because I think both are super-important. So in that example of Employee Voice, it's actually only used in aggregate. So that we know that people will feel comfortable about what they're saying and be more honest. They do that in an environment where they know no matter how hard a person tries, they're not going to figure out that Ted is the person complaining about this problem or voicing a concern about this problem.
Anonymity is the best way to ensure that people feel comfortable sharing their opinion. And so that's an example of how you use the data. Another example is in something like candidate match, which is a capability built into recruiting, which is our applicant tracking system software. And this allows us to compare a job description and kind of all the rich skills and histories and expectations for a given role and the resume that's been submitted as part of an application for a candidate to compare. As I said, everything from their skills, their history, the education level that a person has. What it helps with is, it doesn't look at something like a person's ZIP code, which can tell you a lot about a person's race and socioeconomic status. It doesn't look at a person's name which can tell you about their gender and potentially also their race.
And so using things like candidate match, it actually helps organizations interrupt bias in the recruiting process by evaluating purely on the basis of skills, background and competencies. And what's even more important is, not only are we helping do that as part of the transaction, but after the fact, we are evaluating the quality of the model ourselves, by looking at the results of people who actually do in fact go through the recruiting process, who do in fact get hired, to make sure that up to the EEO-1 standards, we're not adversely affecting any one of those protected groups. So it's not just how the data is used, but it's how we look at and measure ourselves for how the data is actually creating change in an organization.
Well, it's so interesting because when I think about ethical AI, I think about the algorithm and the platforms being designed in a specific way and also organizations and individuals making a choice on what they're looking for and how they interpret data. Is it possible for organizations to flash-forward into the future and build technology in such a way so that we're purposely not re-engineering data to do negative things with it? Because I worry that a choice around an algorithm, around capturing data is a moment in time. And I want to make sure that we're setting ourselves up for success, for subsequent ethical decisions down the road. And I'm just going to ask you, does that make sense, what I just asked you?
So, let me rephrase it to see if I caught it. So I think it's a classic problem of the kind of the frog in the pot. Every choice that we make leads us down a certain path, or it brings us to a certain point in time, and we don't always realize as it's happening kind of where we are until we have an opportunity to take a step back and be like, wow, this water's really hot. Or how the heck did we end up all the way over here? We wanted to be over there.
Right. Oh my God, it's Westworld.
Well, there's that, too.
We got a bomb. Yeah. It's terrible. Yeah. So I want to avoid, like, an apocalyptic doomsday scenario and I worry about some of the design of this technology. Is there a way to design it in the moment where we're giving ourselves checks and balances so that we're not making decisions that affect us down the road in a terrible way?
Sure. And I think, and I'm actually going to lean into my background in history and Latin there. And I think the answer is actually kind of, "no." I think that the story of humanity is one of unintended consequences. And so what I think it does take, and frankly, it's part of the skill of doing product management really, really well, is at the same time that we always talk about things from a long-term strategic perspective. You're always talking about the forest and kind of what's happening at that macro scale. But at the end of the day, we are transacting tree by tree. We're thinking about this particular feature or this particular context. And so in a certain sense, people in a leadership position, both in the entire generation of software vendors that we have today, as well as the organizations that are implementing them, they need to be a little bit like submarines.
We need to be able to go deep and be focused on the current state and solve our problems but also able to periscope up and understand where we're headed. And I think this gets back to the point that I was making about AI helping organizations. Because the more that we handle the transactional and the operational on behalf of people and make it easier to close payroll, easier to do open enrollment, all those hair-pulling things that happen year-end. The more that we take that heavy effort away from them, people can be people, and they can use this sort of critical thinking in the long term strategic thinking to help periscope up.
Well, you're a student of history clearly and you know, you're right. I mean the incentive structure out there is for people to make short-term individually favorable decisions, pretend like they're thinking strategically, but then set us up in history for a lot of failure. So I'm really glad we have you doing what you're doing and your team to keep an eye out on trends and issues. And to really help us with humanity. Ted, I just have this strong feeling that work technology is so important for the future of humanity. This is how we identify, this is how we contribute. This is how we make improvements to the world. And it's all being done through these very important systems that are being created right now, right before our eyes. And if we don't do it with thought and intellect and care and compassion, I worry that we're not setting up future generations for success.
Absolutely. Especially as all of those parameters are literally changing day by day. Looking at a society where there might be something like a universal basic income in place, where 20% of today's jobs might be automated in some fashion or another in the next 10 years. As I said, at the very beginning, this is not a blue-collar-versus-white-collar thing. Two of the professions that are probably the most under pressure in my opinion, from artificial intelligence, aren't jobs like those in the fast food/hospitality industry or in warehousing, it's doctors and lawyers. It's document analysis and image analysis for MRIs and assisted diagnosis and automated contract development and the things that, frankly, are already available. They haven't been productionalized, they're not at scale yet, but I think we're at this very interesting junction.
Well, and it's also human resources business partners. The bread and butter of HR. Individuals who would hear from one side and another and make a decision. All of that can be mediated through software, through technology. Things that I did as a human resources leader 15 years ago are now done through the UKG platform. So you listen to commercials all the time. You can get an HR manager for $9.99 a month. And even if it's $999 a month, it's still cheaper than an HR manager's salary. So I love that you're thinking about UBI and automation, what else are you thinking about? What's on your radar for the future of work?
I think the future of work by definition, it's so easy to think at a massive scale. To think at a scale of the entire workforce or demographies of countries or regions. What I think is so important to forget is ,the future of work is extremely intimate. It's personal, it's every single human being and their contribution and the way that they help sort of fulfill themselves and make organizations better. And so understanding how we can provide, again, those kind of macro tools that support big-scale problems without losing sight of the fact that there's a person in there, the human in human resources, the people that you're there to support. I think one of the things that I'm particularly interested in is, most organizations, just like people have unique problems. The industry that you're in, the region that you're in, the competitors that you have because of your scale, et cetera. Everybody's like a thumbprint. Everyone is a little bit unique.
When you look at vendors, particularly in the cloud space. So these are folks like the Amazon and in the Google Cloud platform and Azure for Microsoft. So many of them are investing in low-code or low-threshold machine learning to sort of democratize or to citizen data scientists that can kind of lower the threshold for people who don't necessarily have the background in data science or the expertise in data science to build and develop some insights. And I was actually talking with my team about why we think this is happening. And I think it's actually a reflection on business applications. This entire generation of business applications so far doesn't, in fact, have the insights that these companies need. And so they're going out to try and figure out how to get the insights to make smart decisions themselves. There's a study done by Accenture, as a consequence of the pandemic, that only 17% of executives stated that they felt they had enough information to make smart decisions during the pandemic. Fewer than one in five.
And so you have all of these organizations — nowhere near enough data scientists to grow around, let me tell you. And so you have all these organizations who are trying to self-serve, who are trying to survive in a world that is changing day by day. And they're out there using these low-code tools to try and build and get answers to these critical, critical questions. Because those questions aren't generalizable, they're not fully universal. They have to do with a corporation's size and industry and who they're competing with and what's going on and how healthy they are internally and how well they're retaining their employees. And so, I think, as I said, the future of work and the way that that is changing, I unfortunately don't have a great crystal ball. But what I can say is, as those large-scale, those macro changes are happening, we have to remain focused on the fact that those changes are happening to individual people.
Well, spoken like a man who understands history. I love that, focusing on the individual. Well, Ted, it's been a real joy to kind of go through this journey of me not really knowing what I'm talking about with programming and historical languages and ethical AI, but I feel a little bit smarter and maybe a little bit more reassured and also scared about the future at the same time. So tell everybody, if you're a data scientist or a human resources professional and they want to get in touch with you, where do they go? How do they find you?
The best place to find me is on Twitter. I'm at Ted_Nielsen, N-I-E-L-S-E-N. I will sometimes put funny things about jokes from classical languages and stuff from data science and AI. It's a real grab bag, but that's the best way to get in touch with me.
I love it. Amazing my friend. Well, thanks again for being a guest today.
Absolutely. Thank you for having me.
Hey everybody. I hope you enjoyed this episode of Punk Rock HR. We are proudly underwritten by the Starr Conspiracy. The Starr Conspiracy is the B2B marketing agency for innovative brands creating the future of workplace solutions. For more information, head on over to the starrconspiracy.com. Punk Rock HR is produced and edited by Rep Cap with special help from Michael Thibodeaux and Devon McGrath. For more information, show notes, links, and resources, head on over to punkrockhr.com. Now that's all for today and I hope you enjoyed it. We'll see you next time on Punk Rock HR.
Category: Podcast January 24, 2022 1 Comment
Tags: artificial intelligenceautomationethical behaviorethical leadership
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Q: What's the relation between half-twists, star structures and bar involutions on Hopf algebras? A star structure on a Hopf algebra is an antilinear antiautomorphism squaring to 1 and satisfying some further axioms. A Hopf algebra with a star structure is then a star algebra and a Hopf algebra in a compatible way.
Recently, there's been research into half-twists on Hopf algebra. See for example the question 180˚ vs 360˚ Twists in String Diagrams for Ribbon Categories. Half-twists, or half-ribbon elements are implemented by an element $X$ such that $X^{-2}$ is a twist, or ribbon element and $(X^{-1} \otimes X^{-1}) \Delta X$ is the $R$-matrix.
Looking at the example of $U_qsl(2)_\mathbb{C}$ as the complexification of $U_qsu(1,1)$ with generators $K,E,F$ and real $q$, there is a star structure that satisfies $\Delta \circ * = (* \otimes *) \circ \Delta$.
It has $K^* = K$, $E^* = -F$ and $F^* = -E$ (see e.g. Majid's book, pages 90 and 91, with different conventions). But also if we define $C_X(h) := X^{-1}hX$, then $C_X(K) = K^{-1}$, $C_X(E) = -F$ and $C_X(F) = -E$ according to Snyder and Tingley - The half-twist for $U_q(\mathfrak g)$ representations.
Surely this is no coincidence? But yet I can't find a mention of star structures in their article. It can't be that $C_X$ is exactly the star, since the star is antilinear and $C_X$ is linear, so what is going on here?
David Hill suggests in the comments that this is related to the bar involution (to which I can't find the original references since I don't have a copy of Lusztig's book), which seems to be an antilinear map generated by $\overline{E} = E$, $\overline{F} = F$ and $\overline{K} = K^{-1}$.
What is the precise relation between star structures, half-twists and the bar involution?
It seems like in this example, one can compose two to get the third, but is this a general phenomenon for all *-Hopf algebras or at least those of the form $U_q\mathfrak{g}$? And what happens if there are several star structures? Why is one of them preferred, and why is it the one where $q$ is real, so $\overline{q} = q$? Or are there several bar involutions as well?
For example, there are two other star structures on $U_qsl(2)_\mathbb{C}$:
One arises as the complexification of $U_qsl(2,\mathbb{R})$ with complex, root of unity $q$. It has $K^* = K^{-1}$ and $E^* = -E$.
A further one arises from $U_qsu(2)$, with $K^* = K$ and $E^* = F$. If $q$ is not real, but a root of unity, the star is a co-antihomomorphism: $\Delta \circ * = (* \otimes *) \circ \Delta^{\text{op}}$

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The U.S. Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) a potential $480 million contract to design a second hypersonic weapon technology for the service branch.
Lockheed's missiles and fire control business will support critical design review, test and production readiness efforts under the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon program, the Defense Department said Monday.
Work under the sole-source contract will occur in Orlando, Fla. through Nov. 30 2021.
The AF Life Cycle Management Center is obligating $5 million in fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds at the time of award.
In a separate announcement, the service said it expects to definitize the contract action within 180 days of award.
The ARRW project is among two USAF prototyping initiatives that seek to accelerate hypersonic weapons R&D and aims to reach operational capability status for the technology in three years.
The other project, called the Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon effort, focuses on exploring mature technology platforms that the military has not integrated with an air-launched delivery system.
USAF agreed to cooperate with the DoD, Missile Defense Agency, U.S. Navy and U.S. Army on efforts to develop boost-glide technology under a memorandum of understanding signed in late June.


Here are the top stories we are following for you today.
Duke Energy crews are getting ready for this weekend's pending snowstorm. Crews are checking supplies and equipment and, if needed, they're ready to call in crews from out-of-state. They recommend you have an emergency supply kit that lasts at least three days.
Today, musician Warren Haynes will be on hand for a Habitat for Humanity wall-raising ceremony for this year's Christmas Ham House. It's being built in the new Curry Court neighborhood in Candler. The Christmas Jam is this Friday and Saturday night at the US Cellular Center.
Today, Franny's Farmacy is opening its first CBD store in Hendersonville a ribbon cutting ceremony starts this afternoon at 4pm at the Henderson Crossing plaza. This is Franny's Farmacy's second location. The first store opened on Merrimon Avenue in Asheville, back in October.


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The Crime Report (https://thecrimereport.org/2019/07/23/study-gun-rates-tied-to-domestic-homicides-only/)
Study: Gun Rates Tied to Domestic Homicides Only
By Crime and Justice News | July 23, 2019
More on Guns
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A new study found that while firearm ownership was associated with higher rates of domestic violence gun homicide, there was no significant association between gun ownership rates and the rates of other kinds of gun homicide, The New York Times reports. The study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine examined state-level gun ownership from 1990 to 2016.
The study reaffirms a well-known connection between access to guns and abusive relationships turning deadly, at a time when intimate partner homicides are on the rise. Research has shown that women killed by their partners are more likely to be murdered with a firearm than by all other means combined, and the presence of a gun in domestic violence situations can increase the risk of homicide for women by as much as 500 percent, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. One possibility for the finding that other types of homicides showed no significant association with gun ownership rates, the researchers hypothesized, is that perpetrators in non-domestic homicides are more likely to obtain their weapons illegally, or to buy a weapon legally shortly before the crime. The National Rifle Association, which recently opposed efforts to expand law enforcement's ability to restrict gun purchases by convicted domestic abusers, criticized the study for failing to consider certain factors that contribute to violence.
White Supremacists Charged Before Richmond Rally
The FBI arrested three men allegedly linked to a violent white-supremacist group who had discussed traveling to a pro-gun rally Monday in Richmond, Va., and preparing for a race war.
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About UsTogether we can make a difference
Loyola Senior Sec. School, an English Medium Co-educational School was established in 1986, keeping in view the scarcity of English Medium Schools in Ranchi Town. Education in its wider sense is deeply related to integrated development of the personality of the students. Our institution, apart from academic excellence provides environment to propagate cultural, traditional, moral and spiritual values of life. Education reflects the spirit of the age. Its shapes and moulds the students according to its new ideas. Thus our school is not only confined to the educational sphere but it is a mission also to cut across the barriers of caste and smooth out inequalities imposed by birth and other circumstances. We provide moral education to cut across the barriers of class distinction social evils, and gender inequalities. Feelings of nationalism, secularism and socialism are inculcated into the students from the very beginning through various means.
School starts with morning assembly which is an important part of a school activity. Daily assembly comprises hymns, pledge, recitation, news reading, thought of the day and National Anthem.
The school programmes lay special emphasis on Indian Culture and Moral Education through creating an environment for the development of a wholesome pattern of human relationships and social responsibility. It expects the students to be self disciplined, self reliant, rational young people with a cosmopolitan outlook on life who can think and act on their own in developing the socio-economic framework of the country.
Loyola Convent School is committed to Quality Education of Global Dimensions, instilling strong character in its students, turning them into good humans for building a healthy society and strong nation.
Modern and latest teaching techniques, discipline through example and encouragement, excellent facilities for co-curricular and sporting activities, make the School an ideal platform for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual growth of the children in its fold. Students are encouraged to engage in a wide range of activities which are important for their overall development. Debates, declamations, group discussions symposia and quiz competitions are held periodically on topics of current international significance, not only to expand awareness of the world outside the school, but also to give the children valuable experience in public speaking. Cultural activities include folk dancing, singing, fancy dress, role play etc. The days showing children on streets playing hide & seek, marbles are not be found these days as parents have become over ambitious and they keep their children under pressure to fulfill their dreams. Having known to this fact we arrange co-curricular activities in the school such as dance, music- play, skit, sports and games, Drawing and crafting etc which make the child feel happy and free in his area.
To ensure the proper physical, mental and moral growth of the pupils and to create in them a zest for learning in tune with modern scientific temper. To enlarge the mental horizons and to broaden the outlook of the pupils through the inculcation of the Reading Habit and the Book Culture. To arouse in them the aesthetic sense in order to appreciate and uphold the beauty of nature and everything in it both animate and inanimate. To provide the pupils with opportunities ( through a built in system of co-curricular activities ) to be innovative, independent and confident so that they may ever channel their energies towards creative pursuits. To help them to understand and appreciate that one's own good lies in the general good, through training in cooperation, team spirit and concern for others expressed through genuine service.


Home > Frequently Asked Questions > Products > Accessories > What is the field of view (FOV) of Ocean Optics optical fibers?
What is the field of view (FOV) of Ocean Optics optical fibers?
Our fibers have FOV of ~25°. Collimating lenses are adjustable, allowing the user to establish FOV angles from near collimation (~ 0°) to ~45°.


I've run whole school story writing workshops for over 15 years in the UK, Europe and America.
At the beginning of the day I make up interactive stories with large numbers of children (like whole key stages) using children's ideas and dropping in 'top tips' as I go. I then talk about the writing process to classes/year groups for the rest of the day.
I've taught in nurseries right through to Year 6 and am still attached to a school part-time. I'm passionate about helping children write better creative stories and on school visits switch between being a teacher as well as a writer.
I've completed writer-in-residences with Creative Partnerships and written resource material for teachers such as Literacy in Action (24 literacy lessons based on football), Classroom Literacy Games and Helping Children Think About Bereavement, all published by Routledge.
In 2015 the UK Literacy Association gave my children's novel, Us Minus Mum, published by Little, Brown, an award which was very exciting. Us Minus Mum was also long listed for the Carnegie Medal and short listed for several other awards.
The Milkshake Detectives was published by Little, Brown in 2015.
I love visiting schools and am frequently asked to return, often to lead INSET.
Check out more about my writing days and INSET at www.heatherbutler.info.
'An excellent session, particularly appreciated by less able Year Six boys. Loads of ideas. Many thanks.' Kingsfield Primary, Chatteris, Cambs.


If you wish to purchase Marley Convertible Sofa By DHP , look for top quality wooden joinery. If a piece is glued jointly or maybe fingernails or toenails and anchoring screws are utilized to retain the furniture with each other, it does not very last very long. It is advisable to spend more to acquire a Marley Convertible Sofa By DHP with a few outstanding wood joinery work with it. Definitely look at the hip and legs for any Marley Convertible Sofa By DHP you are interested in purchasing. Individuals legs need not only to assist body weight, they'll even be in touch with your flooring surfaces. When they seem like they'll do injury to your floor due to the components used (like metal), then you really should opt for a various type. When buying Marley Convertible Sofa By DHP for the living room area, choose fairly neutral colors. You may affect the colors as well as other furnishings of your place by changing accents, color along with other points. Consequently, you can easily alter up the style of your family room without having to spend a lot of cash.
Everybody wants to possess a bar in their house! Catching a drink in your personal bar is much more thrilling than sitting on the couch. The couch doesn't give the exact same sensation! There are several individuals, who develop the bar of the dreams but they're uncertain about the type of bar stools they can purchase. Should you request us, you should buy the correct club feces. It should be visually appealing, helpful and comfortable. You may decide to purchase barstools for the restaurant or perhaps your houses club. You have to keep couple of issues in your mind before choosing the right barstools. These days, we are going to cover the guidelines for buying for leather barstools. Also, we've produced a summary of Top 10 Leather Barstools. This list has reviews of each club feces which will help you pick the perfect one. Read on to discover and make the decision. Looking for the right bar stool for your home? Nicely, you must feel the checklist to obtain an concept. We're certain that might be what you are looking for within this list! We've covered the key features to help in making decision. The good thing is available these stools on the internet! These can be sent to your house within couple of days. So, go through the list and pick the best.
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3.Harrison Configurable Living Room Set By American Eagle International Trading Inc.
With the current surge in interest in the Middle-Hundred years Modern design genre, this sofa design is really a hot item. Regardless of whether true vintage items, forgeries or new styles that incorporate Middle-Century Contemporary components, they are really flexible couches. Most often utilized in a minimalist or middle-hundred years design scheme, they are wonderful for including a vintage feel to some room. The distinguishing components include the uncovered legs and straight line framework. Most middle-century sofas but not all of them may have some tufting on the back.
This established features a 1 remaining arm couch set, two armless couch models and something corner sofa set. This provides sufficient room to accommodate your friends and relations. The fabric is 100% polyester for enough comfort and durability. The advantage of this couch established may be the mixing and matching of chairs within the available space within the room for a ideal shape. As well as allows for fitted even just in small rooms. It requires just mild putting together.It also features drive cushions for maximum comfort and ease. You might want to try this established. It works well.
This is actually the next couch on our checklist. It's additional comfortable and very well suited for small areas or loft residing. It's upholstered in rayon fabric, potential customers inset buttons that provide a stylish diamond-tufted design. It is constructed of durable supplies and also the thighs are constructed with durable wood to increase its sturdiness. The loveseat comes with an espresso discolored wood legs and non-tagging foot caps. It offers an appropriate foam padding and rayon fabric furniture which makes it extremely magnificent. It has a longue place that provides an extraordinary space for resting.
You cannot discuss this sofa without talking about its remarkable design, durability, and comfort. Should you ever required a comfortable seat, then move quick and obtain your self Rollercoaster Samuel Selection Cream Leather Sofa. You will love it. This 3 seater sofa has clean outlines and excellent cushions. The soft cushions are attached to the seat and behind. It is made from leather which definitely is a certain bet that it is durable. It also features tufted back and seats that certainly contributes to its remarkable look. More to the point, it features a spring base that provides the necessary comfort and durability. Its wooden body causes it to be very sturdy. The long and also the lacking it is that this sofa is remarkable in every element. You might or might not accept this. But the only method you can appreciate this is to find and check out it.
Does your living space show space requirements? Are you currently willing to throw a sleep party within the mild of the absence of space to rest? This DHP Futon mattress would be ideal for you in cases like this. This Futon mattress sofa by DHP includes the performance of the couch bed having a contemporary and stylish appearance. Put it inside your living room to achieve an additional sleepy bed at night. A micro-fiber floor that became popular in the centre will be a perfect mixture. This amazing sofa comes with a tapestry with gleaming stainless locks and legs. Bringing together these outcomes with each other in a comfy well-liked design sofa. You may choose to have it in Faux Leather-based, Purple velvet or Bed linen. A component that's really worth indicating is its back style. Considering the different chairs, DHP encourages the alteration from the sofa to your comfort and ease amounts. You can level up to have an computer animated babble, or for quiet shifting picture night.
This lying loveseat takes the second spot simply because its an excellent inexpensive, super comfy choice that can fit in with most house dcor styles. Its wood body is padded with circles (for many springtime) and high-density froth (for many soft), and padded with brownish faux leather which makes it an extremely-flexible piece of furniture. Combine it with the man cave for any cozy destination to watch the sport (and dont worry about any spillsits vinyl fabric furniture makes cleanup simple) or perhaps your living room with a couple of ornamental throw cushions for the perfect place to cozy up after a long day. Actual-life customers love this reclining loveseat because its comfortable, durable, simple to assemble 1 rater even noted that they could put together two units within 45 minutes! and delivery in the vendor is a breeze.
This suits you if you just need a beautiful coach. It is designed with a flared frame and cushion leading amrests in a awesome cobblestone gray. Now, it has resilient foam cushions that are obsessed with inside a rayon upholstery to create the desired comfort. It has a durable corner blocked body that increases the sturdiness. Also, feet are in a faux wooden finish. We have an impressive grey color that suits with any decor. It measures 89 T x 39 Deb x 40 They would thus large enough to support you together with your familyOrbuddies. More to the point, it occurs fully assembled. This saves you the agony of having to put together the set.
This RTA loveseat offers different types of upholstery depending on the material. That considerably incorporates linen and purple velvet. Advanced tones, Marzipan, Stoneware-Light tan and Rye-Dark brown enhance the style of the couch. Choose the shading and the materials that will depend around the stylistic design of your living space. Not only the covering, the material can also mirror the main difference in style. Ensure that the fabric you select fits the concept of the room. This loveseat votes in support of mixing the current style with an excellent style. It's been increased by the arms that start to feed the couch. With this particular blend, you only witness enhanced comfort and stylish design when lighting the pads.


Kids are the lights of family life. And kids are loved when they dress up in the brightest of colours that reflect their own vibrancy and enthusiasm. Funky and lively clothes are preferred for kids. And thus kids wear is probably the highest grossing garment section for the cloth industry. Also, kids wear presents the most number of variations in them. There are cartoon and comic books inspired ensembles, adult wear- like dresses, then there are wedding and festive occasions wear. There are really numerous options to select from for kids. But where will you find all of this wide variety collection? One can find this with us at Textile Infomedia. What do we do? We are an online directory that list out wholesalers in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu that sell kids wear. These wholesalers are wonderfully equipped and some of them are industry names. We check and double check the wholesalers in our list to present you with genuine kids wear products. The prices are strictly wholesale in nature for your convenience.


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Q: Can I display compiler warnings in Sonar? Is there a way to include the Java compiler's warnings in SonarQube's analysis and dashboards?
I'm running SonarQube via Maven under Jenkins.

A: You can follow this thread of discussion: http://sonar.15.x6.nabble.com/Java-compiler-warnings-Generics-td5015634.html


My studio is in a small industrial pocket of Chicago called Kingsbury. Nestled in between a concrete manufacturer, a leather tannery and a metal refinery, with access to two train lines and Chicago's elevated bike and walking path, my studio reminds me of all the reasons that I love living in a big city with a rich history of manufacture.
My studio is set up so that I am able to hammer, weld, solder, fabricate, and finish all hours of the day or night, along with having a clean area for design and modeling. I have two large windows that overlook the Chicago River, the I-94 overpass, and my industrial neighbors. My practice is informed by the masculine identity of industry, and I am energized by watching the theatrical dance of the cranes moving sand from the barges on the river to the concrete manufacture's conveyor belt while I forge steel into delicate lace-like patterns.


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Thanks Plants campaign still relevant
A celebration of the houseplant and all the good things that it does for you - that's the 'Thanks Plants' campaign in a nutshell. This campaign was first rolled out in four countries in the autumn of 2018, with the aim of using botanical means to tempt consumers to buy more houseplants. The campaign was launched for the third time in the autumn of 2020.
High rating, great appreciation and incentive to buy
As with all the larger campaigns that the Flower Council has carried out, research agency Motivaction has researched the effectiveness of this campaign. To summarise the findings: the intended target group 'Aesthetic Explorer' gave the campaign a rating of 8.0, just like last year. Furthermore, 71% of that target group felt encouraged to go and buy plants. This figure is also unchanged. In addition, 82% of the target group reported that they found the campaign appealing, 76% felt that the campaign was personally relevant, and 89% thought the campaign was fun.
The campaign in brief
Not only did the campaign run in all 4 core countries (Germany, France, United Kingdom and the Netherlands) at the same time, but the same assets were used in all countries: the commercial and shortened versions of it on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. There were also advertisements on Pinterest and a strong commitment to digital out of home advertising. Obviously the campaign was also highlighted with articles on our consumer websites, and a very highly rated 'Green Paper' was also published in the context of 'Thanks Plants'. Because of the coronavirus pandemic we were sadly unable to organise any 'live' PR events last autumn. Instead we carried out collaborations with various online and offline media titles.
Want to know more about the campaign results?
Please contact Monique Kemperman, campaign manager at the Flower Council of Holland via m.kemperman@bloemenbureauholland.nl for more information.


Berlin, Germany - Iberdrola has begun the geotechnical phase for the Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm, which will have a capacity of 476 megawatts (MW), representing the start of a strategic project for the company.
Baltic Eagle is the second major offshore initiative that Iberdrola is undertaking in Germany, following the successful launch, at the end of 2017, of the 350 MW Wikinger wind farm. In addition, another 10 MW offshore facility in Germany, called Wikinger Süd, is under development. As Iberdrola points out, these three wind farms, located next to the island of Rügen, will give rise to the largest offshore wind complex in the Baltic Sea, with a total installed capacity of 836 MW and a joint investment of 2.5 billion euros. Germany has thus become a key area for Iberdrola in the coming years.
The director of the Renewables Business, Xabier Viteri, stressed that Baltic Eagle "confirms the company's firm commitment to technological innovation, the development of large renewable projects, the reduction of emissions to combat climate change and the increased economic and social contribution in the territories where it is present".
According to Iberdrola, Iberdrola Fugro, a global specialist in offshore prospecting, will carry out an exhaustive geotechnical and geophysical investigation of the Baltic Eagle seabed in order to obtain the most complete information possible on the conditions in the area in which it will be located. The studies contracted by Iberdrola, valued at more than 10 million euros, will be key to meeting the construction and commissioning deadlines for this renewable facility.
The investigation that has just begun includes, first of all, a study of the location and removal of possible unexploded ordnance. The programme for drilling boreholes and geotechnical investigations of the seabed will then begin, using state-of-the-art equipment and techniques. According to Iberdrola in addition, a number of laboratory tests will be carried out in accordance with the requirements established by the German planning authority, Bundesamt für Seeschiffahrt und Hydrographie (BSH). The data obtained by Fugro will determine the design of the foundations on which both the wind turbines and the substation will be built, which will be installed in waters up to 45 metres deep. The offshore work is expected to be completed by March 2019 and the last technical report to be submitted by the end of June 2019.


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MotoGP: Marquez wins in Thailand to take 2019 MotoGP crown
Repsol Honda's Marc Marquez was crowned the 2019 MotoGP World Champion in the only way he knows how: with a thrilling race win delivered at the final corner at the Thai MotoGP round.
A full house at the Buriram Circuit were treated to an edge of their seats MotoGP race as they witnessed Marc Marquez crowned World Champion for the eighth time. From the front of the grid, Marquez charged forward and immediately began to chase pole setter Fabio Quartararo on the Petronas Yamaha. With his only...
New Kit: Alpinestars 'Randy Mamola Legend' Supertech R Limited Edition boot
The Spanish MotoGP race weekend at the iconic Aragon circuit saw Alpinestars launch the 'Randy Mamola Legend' Supertech R Race Replica boot in recognition of one of MotoGP's most endearing characters, Randy Mamola.
The American enjoyed a successful career that lasted from 1979 through to 1992, with Randy finishing second in the premiere 500cc World Championship on four different occasions. Randy competed in 151 races in 500cc racing, securing 13 wins, 57 podiums, five poles and 11 fastest...
WSBK: Rea wins fifth consecutive world title after Race Two victory at Magny Cours
Kawasaki's Jonathan Rea secured a fifth straight World Superbike title with two rounds to spare after taking victory in Race Two at Magny-Cours; the Northern Irishman, 32, becomes the first rider to win five World Superbikes titles.
His nearest title rival, Ducati's Alvaro Bautista, exited early in Race Two after being taken out by Turkish Puccetti Racing's Toprak Razgatlioglu.
Turkey's Razgatlioglu beat Rea in Sunday morning's Sprint Race which was same one-two as Saturday's Race One....
MotoGP: Dominant Marquez takes lights to flag win at Aragon
Repsol Honda's Marc Marquez completed a perfect home weekend with a faultless 23-lap race where the World Championship leader delivered on his early weekend domination.
With a perfect start, Marc Marquez shot forward and immediately began to open an advantage of half a second after just a few corners, growing to a full second by the end of the first lap. Lapping on average half a second faster than the riders behind him for most of the race saw Marquez quickly build an insurmountable lead,...
MotoGP: Zarco's shambolic season comes to an end as KTM axe him from racing duties
Johann Zarco has seen his dream factory ride turn into a nightmare even quicker than anticipated, with KTM deciding replace him in the team with immediate effect.
Zarco and KTM had decided to mutually end their association at the end of 2019, but the Austrian powerhouse has decided to act now and relieve the Frenchman from racing duties for the remainder of the season.
The official reason is that 'developments and ongoing work mean that priorities have been realigned', and while Zarco is...


Discussion in 'Wii - Hacking' started by Davedom, Apr 20, 2009.
Is there any tool/homebrew app out that would allow for a remote upload of games to WBFS?
Is there any way to do this so that we don't have to unplug our drives every time?
Wireless transfers haven't been implemented yet, but it's not difficult. It's just a matter of adding tinysmb code to one of the loaders and mounting an ISO from a shared directory.
I was talking about ripping remotely, not playing via SMB. You can't do that even on Xbox with a wired ethernet connection.
Can't you just use the old 'Wii DVD Dumper'. With this homebrew you just put a Wii Game in, the Wii rips it and send it over the net to any computer.
So, you wanna do the Internal Mod? You also desire to send files to your HDD from your comp wirelessly?
Try the USB Device function in FTPii. See if that works.
Also, didn't the guide used the Male to Female USB Wire? (Like, a USB Slot extender). You then plug a male to male wire outside of the Wii (The normal USB wire). That way, wouldn't you be able to transfer games to and fro your PC?
Just thought of something, seeing as linux apps can be ported to an app, would it be possible to port a wbfs manager for linux to a HBC app so that you can ftp the iso file to one partion then use the app to install it to WBFS.


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Finally Home: Video Montage
You are here: Home / Blog / Riders Blog / Finally Home: Video Montage
Bike Ride 2017 is in the books.
The ride each year is an incredible amalgam of fun, challenges, seeing new sights, meeting new friends and overcoming the odds. This year was no different. Each year, the group of boys riding bring with them their own unique sets of strengths and weaknesses. And each year, they rise to the occasion and prove that often what seems impossible is certainly possible.
Long time followers of the ride understand each year how amazed the road crew, staff and volunteers are at what each group of riders accomplishes. From day one this year, we understood this group was unique. And honestly, we didn't want to say too much about it just in case we jinxed it.
Every morning, the boys were up, packed and ready without the necessity of being told. Each night, they readied themselves for sleep, and even if they didn't always want to go to bed right away, they were ready when bedtime came. That may not sound like much, but often the little details of preparedness off the road can impact so much more. When it was time for wheels down, these boys' wheels were down.
And they rode like a pack. Sure, they weren't always in a single group, but more than not they were close to it. Far more than any group before them. And considering the fact that everyone they'd trained with for the ride had somehow experienced injury or were otherwise taken out of play during the actual ride itself, the boys had to adapt to whomever was riding with them, to whatever experienced leader they had. And for a portion of the ride, the boys served as their own leaders. That has never been necessary on a bike ride before. And they more than met the challenge. In fact, on the final leg into the PAYH campus, they nearly beat the road crew and well wishers.
That's why you will notice very little footage and photos of the actual moment of arrival at the campus. Spectacular drones shots were planned. Steady shots capturing the glory of the ride's final moments. Stills of the first moments when victory was achieved. We have none of that to show. Instead, we can say how the riders, flanked by Harleys from the Sons of Smoke riding group and officers before and aft from the Vidalia Police Department, flew past the final rest stop and charged, finally, toward that mark they'd set out to reach six days before. And even though the day was long, they finished much earlier than anticipated.
So, good job, boys. Well done, in every respect.
And let's talk a moment about those leaders they had on the road. It goes without saying that we owe the bike ride to Mac Jordan. It was by his inception that the event came to be. And now, twelve years later, he is still an integral part. No thanks are big enough, but as is Mac's way, the only thanks he wants is to see these young men who rode this year's ride come back for future rides, to support the ride and the home either on a bike or by spreading the word. That is his challenge year after year, and the only gratitude he truly desires. When glory is achieved through the sacrifice and gifting of others, the greatest truth of gratitude in the recipient is to not allow those gifts be wasted, by careless forgetfulness or neglect, but rather to find the appropriate sacrifice and gifting within yourself and keep the momentum of change moving forward. That is Mac's desire and is, truly, his legacy for the Paul Anderson Bike Ride.
Another leader we missed last year but who was back in full capacity as an inspiration for the boys on the bikes this year was Drew Read. Even though he could not make the entire week, his time with the boys for the first two-thirds no doubt helped cement no only their capacity to ride as a team but also their love for the ride. There is a reason why the boys on bike ride can't seem to get enough of Drew, why they appear to just want to soak up the time they have with him. He is a natural leader and has an obvious heart for not only the ride, but the boys on the ride and the inevitable change that is taking place in them. It was great to have you back, Drew.
For me, a favorite moment of this year's ride was a photo taken of Drew, Mac, Sam and Eric (who happens to be writing this blog post) on the porch of the house we were blessed to be allowed to stay at (thanks again Chick-fil-A) in New Smyrna Beach. This house was the location of the first ever trip I went on with the youth home back in 2001, only months after I became a staff member. It was nostalgic, and so it was moving to stand for a photo with these three other men who, our combined time on the ride, all share more than 40 years of the PAYH Bike Ride. Each of the four of us have only missed one bike ride out of all twelve, so we know what it's like to work as a team for the ride. Victoria wasn't in the photo, but she, too, knows what being a part of the bike ride team means. It is a very special gift. (One that requires at least a week of recovery time once bike ride is over, let's be honest.)
Another leader, and one that was truly invaluable though he never once sat on a bike this year, was Fritz. Anyone who followed the last three bike rides knows that Fritz is an absolute beast on a bike, but due to an accident, he could not ride this year. But still, he was there and was a constant and steady source of stability, guidance, encouragement and motivation for the boys. He was uplifting and inspiring when necessary. He was a task master and brought correction as needed. Above all, he was a master teacher. Each day ended with a debrief session where Fritz would ask the simple question, "What did we get right today and what did we get wrong?" In that, the next day would prove the boys to be just that much stronger than the day before. When Fritz left us to head home on the last day, it was emotional. The boys were disappointed to see him go before he was able to see them finish what they had started. But Fritz was with them at the end, even if he couldn't be there in person.
Another hero of bike ride, though the only picture of her with a bike was as a joke, was Victoria. Let's be honest. For much of the leg work behind the scenes, Victoria is the tireless and often faceless person getting it done, and my money would be that she has been that person in preparation for this event for months. She is mom to the boys on the ride, reminding them the way boys sometimes need reminding, to pay attention, to pick up their things, to remember where you are and who you're with, and that someone is looking out for them. In the simple things, Victoria was there. Like doing laundry every night. The only night Victoria didn't do everyone's laundry, I lost a shirt. No joke. That doesn't happen when Victoria is on duty. But what she does goes well beyond laundry. Victoria loves the boys, and her first priority is always the boys. Do they have enough water? They better, or someone will have to answer to Queen Bike Ride Mamma. The ride is, after all, all about the boys, and Victoria never tires of reminding everyone of that fact. She is always a persistent eye that keeps watch over the boys, seeing to it that they are well cared for. If everyone who is part of the ride leaves a legacy, Victoria's legacy is love. Whole-hearted, full-bodied, undiluted and impartial love. We could all learn from her.
Then there is Sam. If Victoria is the mom of bike ride, Sam is grandpa. It's not just that he is a wizard with the van and trailer (which he is, and have no doubt about it), but he is also the one reminding the boys to pick up their dirty clothes, to throw their trash away, to make sure they have everything they need for the night before the van and trailer are locked up. And if you think any of this pertains only to the boys, then you've clearly never realized at the last moment that you've left a critical bag of editing tools on the van and need them so you can finish editing the videos, get them posted to the site and go to sleep-hopefully before 1 a.m.-and you have to find a way to ask Sam to either (A.) lend you the key to the van, which he is less likely than Gollum loaning out the ring, or (B.) open the van for you so you can retrieve what, to him, is just another bag of stuff that takes up too much room on the trailer ("I'd think by now you'd learn how to pack like the rest of…"). Sam is also the guy that has lunch ready everyday, has water and gatorade and ice and water at every stop. He has the bike riders' fuel bin ready, the pickle jar (yes, the pickle jar), and anything and everything else that may be needed. And if he follows the directions and sets up at a predetermined rest area only to be called and informed that there's been a change of plans and he needs to move to a different location, in true grandpa fashion, he fusses and jabbers… and then he packs everything up, laughs, and moves on to the next location, exclaiming as he does so, "Alright already!" Sam is a legend.
It seems clear to me that much of the skill the boys' demonstrated of riding together as a pack this year, came from their training, and for that, we have Jovel to thank. I was not there for much of their training, but what I saw of the boys on the road this year more than informed me of how their training went. Jovel was supposed to ride with the boys, but due to an injury, he could not. Still, he trained them and was there on the ride to support, encourage, correct and motivate. Not enough can be said of the men who work day in and day out with the boys at PAYH, a tireless and sometimes thankless job whose impact literally cannot be overstated. And for the ride this year, Jovel was that guy. He alone was the staff who works with the boys daily, who sees them in their most vulnerable states and at their most exultant, and is equally committed in both times and all in between. That is why he has earned the position he has in their lives and why his role on the ride is, in many ways, the most critical. Even that is often missed by the boys, who revel in new faces and exciting people, places and things. Take me and Drew, for example, who used to work at the home but no longer do. To the boys, we are fun and engaging in ways that the men who work with them daily aren't. That's because all of us tend to look past the most amazing people in front of us to ponder the things just beyond them, and in so doing often miss the extravagant gift of those in our immediate present.
And there were others on the ride, as well. Shane and Gannon were there every single day, often times doing things some of us didn't realize needed to be done. Going ahead to make sure we had dinner that night (anyone thankful for Niko's Pizza?) or bike fuel and supplies. They were constant sources of encouragement for riders and road crew, and were always looking for ways to serve us all. We had alumni parents back this year. Bill and Karen Wells were there for several days, and their son Jesse as well. The dynamic duo that is Karen and Bill have been a part of the bike ride since Jesse rode years ago. Jeff Thompson was with us for the last day, and Jeff has been a part of the ride, faithfully returning year after year, for even longer, ever since his son Nathaniel rode in the early years. We had many parents and family members who joined us at different points along the ride, and there is no way I can name everyone without forgetting someone. But tremendous thanks is due to all of them. They fill in much needed gaps that keep our boys safe and heading in the right direction.
But the true stars of the ride are always the boys. Hunter A., with his perpetually good attitude, playful spirit and willingness to work, looking for opportunities to lend a hand rather than waiting for those opportunities to present themselves (and after all that, he still found time to work on his tan! And he carried by bin in and out morning and night more than I did, true story.). Austin, who pushed through his "seat injury" to saddle up morning after morning with a smile, making the most of every moment and opportunity (and providing entertaining commentary in much of the footage). Tristan, who was often at the front of the pack leading the others on the bikes and someone who could be counted on to get things done off the bikes (who also kept me up at night much later than was necessary just so he could personally review all of the footage shot that day). Andrew, who even though he'd been off campus for the weeks leading into the ride and only arrived back the night before, did not let his lack of training in those weeks keep him from completing what he started (and he also has great taste in books and movies, by the way). Dingo, who, no matter what, had a goofy grin, a ridiculous idea, and a million questions… and who exuded a childlike enthusiasm with even the smallest of things, say a fiddler crab for example (and even though I spared no possible moment to poke fun at the boy, I enjoyed every moment of his life-loving personality, often at his expense-this blog no exception, it seems- and would look for him when I needed to laugh). And Grayson, who was never the loudest or the fastest and could easily have blended into the background, but instead stood out for his awareness of others, his relentless ability to do what needed to be done, and mostly for the simple fact that the quietness of his demeanor only reinforces the strength of what lies beneath it.
Yes, I inevitably left someone or something out. That does not speak to how little they brought to the table or how vital they were to the ride. It merely speaks to the fact that I am currently operating on less than four hours of sleep per night for the duration of the ride and, even with a full night's sleep last night, am still a good bit from being mentally sound. So to everyone I didn't mention, thank you. There are so many players to make this event possible that it is truly a daunting task to try and name them all. From our sponsors, who you can see named at the end of the final montage video or here on the site, to the people who gave us places to stay, fed us, and otherwise offered support before and during the ride, to everyone who sponsored a rider or gave in some other capacity: THANK YOU.
Until next year, share the road.
Final Day Begins Day 1 of the 2018 PAYH Bike Ride Begins


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Home >Science >Health >Year-end covid curve could be shaped by past festival lessons
The post-Diwali spike in infections did not last long, but Google mobility trends have enough lessons for Christmas and New Year (Photo: Reuters)
Year-end covid curve could be shaped by past festival lessons
4 min read . Updated: 23 Dec 2020, 10:49 AM IST Tanay Sukumar
Most festival-related outbreaks since August have come within days of an extraordinary rise in public mobility. The next big test is the year-end, and past lessons will come in handy
For months, covid-19 blossomed in India despite muted public movement. When it finally began slowing down in September, a tailwind appeared: the festival season. New outbreaks arose as Indians began crowding again. As the year-end holiday season approaches, a similar test is now here.
Every year, December is the busiest month for Indian airports. Some tourism-heavy states such as Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are still in the midst of an outbreak. Which way the covid-19 curve goes will depend on the restraint the country exercises over the coming weeks.
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The post-Diwali spike in infections did not last long, but Google mobility trends have enough lessons for Christmas and New Year. Most festival-related outbreaks since August have come within days of an extraordinary rise in public mobility, the data show.
For example, footfalls at retail and recreation places were still 58% of pre-pandemic levels when September ended. By Dussehra week in late October, this had soared to 69%, and further to 76% by Diwali.
Mobility scaled back later, but only after the festivals had ended. By then, it was time to make amends, and some state governments imposed night curfews as fears of a second wave arose.
Mobility rose sharply after September-end, but scaled back after Diwali
Much before Diwali, Kerala had emerged as an early victim, as its famous initial recovery saw a tragic reversal after Onam. In the days before the festival, Kerala's retail and recreation mobility had risen to 53% of pre-pandemic level. Nearly four months later, the state still contributes the most new cases in India.
West Bengal suffered the same in the days after Durga Puja. Maharashtra lost its guard in the run-up to Ganesh Chaturthi in August. Local mobility spiked in both cases, and the coronavirus followed suit soon after. Delhi's severe third wave around Dussehra was also preceded by some rise in mobility, though pollution and the winter could also have been dominant causes.
Most festival-related covid surges were preceded by extraordinary rise in mobility
Manindra Agrawal, professor at Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, said the festivals led to a surge because of higher probability of infection spread. "This probability doubled in November as people were travelling and meeting each other much more," he said, citing a disease prevalence model developed by him and his colleagues in a committee set up by the Department of Science and Technology.
But the outlook for New Year's week lies in the answer to why the post-Diwali virus scare was short-lived. Agrawal said the only logical explanation appears to be that most Indians—around 55% to 60%—had already got infected by now and had become immune to the virus. This share varied by state, rising to up to 80% in Assam and Telangana, and over 60% in Bihar, he said, citing his model.
This could partly explain Bihar's curious case, where crowded election campaigns and the popular Chhath festival were followed by no major spike in infections. However, inadequate testing data make such conclusions hasty while trying to predict the next few weeks. Ramanan Laxminarayan, director of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy, said the exact reason for such trends could not be understood without more data and regular serological surveys.
"Spikes are a consequence of opportunities for transmission, existing immunity in the population and other factors that change from week to week," he said.
Laxminarayan said state governments should release more detailed data on those who are being tested, such as age, gender, and geolocation. "If only one in 50 cases are picked up by testing as seems to be the case, we need far more information on these individual tests," he said. Bihar has one of the lowest testing rates in the country, but even among those who get tested, fewer than 0.5% turn out to be infected—also among the lowest.
Can states prevent such post-festival spikes? K. Sujatha Rao, a former Union health secretary, blamed it partly on the lack of political consensus. "If West Bengal had banned Durga Puja festivities, the BJP would have made it an issue," Rao said. "These are emotive issues. Either you impose a full lockdown, or just take the risk."
But festival-related outbreaks were not just led by local outings. Cross-country travel also spiked in October, and could have been a reason.
Indian domestic airlines together carried 6.4 million passengers in November, shows data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. This was 49% of last year's figure, the narrowest year-on-year deficit during the pandemic. The Delhi airport alone handled over 2 million passengers in October, the latest available airports data show. All these figures could only increase this month.
Europe has experienced this before. Holiday travel resumed with zeal after the first wave had come under control earlier this year. But the consequences were bad: one study, led by Thomas Plümper of Vienna University of Economics, blamed summer holidays for about half of the increase in growth rates in cases in Germany by September. Several European countries have now imposed some form of Christmas curbs to avoid a repeat.
A week before Durga Puja, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had appeared on television to warn of the risks festivals pose. Indians paid for complacency, but luckily, not much. Daily new cases have come down to early-July levels. But sustaining this will be a task if public movement remains lax.
According to Rao, the winter and the pollution may be a bigger problem than Christmas in the days ahead, especially in Delhi. Manindra Agrawal of IIT Kanpur is more positive, courtesy his mathematical model. "Nothing will happen," he said. "We are really very close to herd immunity level. There will be very localized outbreaks, but at the macro level things won't change."
With the pandemic seemingly waning in India, expert opinion will be divided. And so, the safest way may just be to heed to lessons learnt from the festivals so far.


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Kobach says he has talked to Trump but won't discuss details
Kobach say...
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Kris Kobach said Friday that he's not seeking "random federal jobs" after losing the Kansas governor's race and suggested it could take him at least another month to decide what his future holds after he steps down as the state's top elections official.
Kobach told reporters that he has talked to President Donald Trump by phone since his election loss to Democratic Gov.-elect Laura Kelly, a veteran state senator from Topeka. But Kobach wouldn't discuss the details.
The Kansas secretary of state is a conservative Republican who built a national profile as an advocate of tough immigration and voter identification policies. He advised Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign and afterward and served as vice chairman of a short-lived presidential commission on election fraud.
"I'm not out there looking for random federal jobs," Kobach told reporters after he and other state officials formally certified the results from the Nov. 6 election during a short public meeting. "But, of course, if the president were to call and ask me to serve, that's a different matter."
Some Republicans in Kansas have said they see Kobach as a likely candidate for a job in Trump's administration because of their political ties. Trump's endorsement of Kobach just a day before the Republican primary in August helped Kobach narrowly defeat Gov. Jeff Colyer.
Kobach's four-year term as secretary of state ends in January, when Kelly and other newly elected officials are sworn into office. He was elected secretary of state in 2010 and re-elected four years later.
"My wife I, we're taking it easy right now," Kobach said. "We're praying about it. We're enjoying the holiday season, and, you know, we'll see what turns up."
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Work on the Capital Project is in full force inside as the outside structure has the space fully enclosed. The Lab has been temporarily moved to its new space, which is going well. The Lab space has been fully demolished, the structural steel framing is in place, underground plumbing and electrical are in progress, and floors will be poured shortly.
The Outreach Clinic's walls are framed, and drywall installation is in progress. The new Clinic/Hospital Entrance, the Conference Rooms, the Business Office, and the Telemedicine Room are even further along, with much of the drywall hung and even some flooring installed. It's really taking shape! So, although it might not seem like much progress is being made from the outside, there is a flurry of activity inside the blocked off areas.
More of the front entrance.


A stomach-churning stench from a landfill site is not a health risk, environment bosses have decided.
Officers visited Gartside Farm on Sunnyside Lane, Droylsden last Friday after complaints about a terrible smell being carried up a quarter of a mile away.
One resident told the M.E.N. that the smell was 'getting inside houses' and he feared for the health of his young son.
They said the odour was "like sewers" and was seeping into their homes.
Other residents have contacted the M.E.N. complaining of strong 'eggy' smells on Sunnyside Road and Greenside Lane, close to the farm.
Sources said there were potentially "thousands of tons of waste at the site" which would take "weeks or even months" to remove.
The resident, who did not want to be named, said: "About six weeks ago we started to experience a funny smell in the area.
"The smell is terrible. It's like rotting food and methane gas and it gets in the houses.
"I've got a young son so I am worried it could affect his health.
"I know people have noticed it up to a quarter of a mile away.
A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: "We are aware of the concerns of local residents about odours being emitted and any potential health effects.
"We are currently liaising with Public Health England and taking their advice.
A Tameside Council spokesperson said: "We are working in support of the Environment Agency following a number of reports from the public of odour issues and illegal waste activity on a site in Droylsden.
"On Friday, December 15, our officers attended the site along with officers from the Environment Agency and police and found an illegal landfill site and waste transfer facility in operation.