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Smart textiles for designers : inventing the future of fabrics

Location: Engineering Library- TS1767.P35 2016




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Finding the Cheapest Bristol Airport Parking: Smart Travelers’ Guide

Finding The Cheapest Bristol Airport Parking: Smart Travelers’ Guide

Ariana justin...




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Using Smart Lens, and OCR package

This little audio demonstration attempts to show you how to use "Smart Lens," an OCR package by a developer called Duy Pham from (MMLab).

Duy has given blind folks a promot code to use in order that we may get the app free.
The promo code is:
"godloveyou" without the quotes.

The Play URL of this app is located at:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.duyp.vision.textscanner

Audio File: 





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The smartest thing the Fast and Furious franchise ever did was become gloriously stupid

It all comes down to a thrilling vehicular showdown with a ruthless villain at an arctic base. With a clock ticking and the threat of a weapon of mass destruction looming, our hero races an absurdly modified classic car on a frozen lake, contending with assault rifle-wielding snowmobilers and enemy vehicles firing rockets…



  • Screen/Screen News

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Charging Smarter: A Dive into iOS Battery Health and Charging

In this episode, Thomas Domville delves into the details of iOS battery health and charging features. He begins by explaining what battery health is and why it’s important for your device’s performance. Then, he explores the various charging options that iOS provides, discussing how each one affects your device’s battery health.

A key part of this episode is the introduction of a new feature that’s only available on iPhone 15 and newer. This feature lets users set a charging limit to 80%, and Thomas discusses its benefits and how it can extend your device’s battery life. He also provides a step-by-step guide on how to set this charging limit on your iPhone 15 and newer devices.




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Review of the RAY-BAN META SMART GLASSES

In this episode, MarkSarch provides a comprehensive review, shares his insights, and demonstrates the features of the RAY-BAN META SMART GLASSES. He takes us from the initial unboxing through the exploration of their unique functions, detailing how they’re integrated into the glasses, and concludes with a live demonstration using the smart assistant

To learn more about the RAY-BAN META SMART GLASSES
https://www.ray-ban.com/usa/ray-ban-meta-smart-glasses

transcription:
Disclaimer: This transcript is generated by AIKO, an automated transcription service. It is not edited or formatted, and it may not accurately capture the speakers’ names, voices, or content.

Hello everybody.

My name is Marco and this audio I'm going to do unboxing, hardware description, demo and extra features of RayVan Meta Smart Glasses.

Unboxing.

Well, it looks like a classic recycle package, flat box, and I'm going to give you the package dimensions.

It's about seven inches length, about three and a half inches width, and about two inches height.

Okay.

I don't feel that has any tape on it, so which means so I don't have to cut anything.

So in order to open it and also I feel some something printed on it in highlights is on the top and on the sides, on the length sides and both sides.

Okay.

So I'm going to place the box with the length side closer to me in horizontal way.

It's sitting down on my desk and the way how open the box is from the left and from the right sides, which means the width sides.

So I'm going to start opening from the left side.

Once again, I don't have to cut anything.

Basically the only thing I need is use my fingernail in order to make some pressure.

You know, like pushing out, yeah, pushing down first and then pushing out and I'm going to open.

Here you go.

I did.

I'm going to open also the right side.

Once again, I'm going to use my finger and nail, push down and push out and this one is easier.

Okay.

So what's on it?

Well, the box has like a compartment in one of the sites and which is the, you know, the paper manuals, the user guide and everything in this case is on my right side.

And on the left side is the microfiber cloth and I feel the case on it.

Okay.

So in order to take out the case from the package, that I do is with my right hand, I'm going to feel it and make some, and I'm going to push it so to my left side.

So and with my left hand, I'm going to touch it and locate it and I'm going to twist it a little bit and the way, you know, how get out a little bit and here we go.

I'm going to start pushing once again with my right fingers and here we go.

I have it here.

Well, this is the box and on my hands.

Now I have the, the case and the glasses are inside.

Now I am going to open the case and it has on the front, some kind of magnet, which allows to attach to the case with the lid, that's I can tell and the glasses are inside.

On the middle, there is some plastic tape, which is in order to keep in place the glasses in the case.

So I have to cut it or just, yeah, cut it or push up and down in order to take out the glasses…




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Exploring the Latest Feature Additions to the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses

In this episode, Mark Sarch provides a follow-up to his previous introduction of the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. He demonstrates several new features including music integration with Apple Music and Spotify, multilingual support for messaging services like WhatsApp, the new Meta AI visual assistance capabilities, and hands-free video calling with WhatsApp and Messenger.

Mark walks through enabling music services in the MetaView app and using voice commands to control playback. He shows how to send multilingual WhatsApp messages by voice. For the Meta AI visual assistance, Mark showcases its ability to describe objects, read text, identify colors, and more - highlighting its limitations as a mainstream device not optimized for comprehensive document reading.

He compares the Meta AI's output to a live video call demonstration with a human assistant reading details from a business card. Mark also explains the process for hands-free video calling on WhatsApp and Messenger by using the capture button and touchpad.

While not a dedicated assistive device, Mark highlights some potentially useful features for visual assistance and hands-free operation.

transcription:

Disclaimer: This transcript is generated by AIKO, an automated transcription service. It is not edited or formatted, and it may not accurately capture the speakers’ names, voices, or content.

Hello everybody, my name is Mark and I'm back once again to talk about Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses latest feature available only for US and Canada.

If you haven't heard before about this pair of smart glasses, I highly recommend listening to the episode I made, review of Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, where I talk about unboxing, hardware description and basic tasks that you can do with the voice assistant.

In this episode, I will show 4 of the latest features available for hardware, V4.0, music integration, multilingual support for messenger services, Meta AI available for US and Canada only, and WhatsApp and Facebook messenger video call.

Let's talk first about music integration.

Now, Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses support Apple Music and Spotify completely hands-free.

To do this, you have to activate Apple Music or Spotify directly from the MetaView app.

I will show you how to do it.

MetaView Open MetaView MetaView From the bottom you have a few tabs, click on settings, and then from here you have to see Apple Music Button Spotify Button If you listen to my voice not too loud, it's because I have placed the microphone really close to my ear, where you will be able to listen to the music completely hands-free.

Using only your voice, where you can request commands as resume the music, change to the next song, change to the previous song, and also pause.

Just you have to say the magic phrase and it will sound like this.

Hey Meta, resume music.

Hey Meta, next.

Hey Meta, previous.

Hey Meta, pause.

Great, I think you get some idea how this thing works.

Now, I'm going to show you something, but in order to do this request, you have to place the finger on the touchpad.

It's to change to the next radio station.

Press and hold using one finger on the touchpad for two seconds, will change to the next radio station.

Resuming, this is…




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AppleVis Extra 101: Future Echoes - In conversation with the team behind Echo Vision smart glasses

Welcome to AppleVis Extra 101, where Dave Nason is joined by Xiaoran Wang and Huasong Cao from Agiga, the team behind the upcoming Echo Vision smart glasses. Check out some early demos, with more to come, on their YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/@AgigaAi/videos And learn more on their website at: https://echovision.agiga.ai/ The team would love to hear your feedback, so please comment below, or contact them through the website.

Transcript

Disclaimer: This transcript was generated by Aiko, an AI-powered transcription app. It is not edited or formatted, and it may not accurately capture the speakers’ names, voices, or content.

Hello there and welcome to the AppleVis Extra.

This is episode number 101.

My name is David Nason and I'm delighted to be joined by two fantastic guests from Agiga.

We have Xiaoran Wang and HuaSong Cao

Is that correct, guys?

Thank you, David.

Thank you for having us.

So yeah, delighted.

And the product you're going to talk to us about is the Echo Vision.

So before we get into that, though, do you want to tell us a little bit about yourselves, the company, what you do, really, and how it all came about?

Sure.

My name is Xiaoran.

I'm the CEO, and before doing this company, actually, I had long experience building and shaping intelligent devices.

I started my career at Amazon Level 26.

That's the first place of the world's first Kindle and also the world's first Alexa.

And I was actually in the early team that developed Alexa devices.

And this experience gave me good exposure and got me enough experience on how to build a good intelligent device.

I think that's one of the confidence I brought in when I was doing this company that we can build a great product for the community.

Brilliant, and obviously, Alexa, a device that's very popular, being a voice-first product, very popular in the blind and visually impaired community.

So yeah, that's really cool.

And tell us about yourself, Hua Song.

Yeah, thanks, David.

So my name is Hua Song, and I'm an engineer by training.

Before I started this company with Xiaoran, I was with Google for about nine to ten years.

I did various software projects, and the latest one is Google Assistant, the voice assistant similar to Amazon counterparts.

Yeah, I've been enjoying doing software, building stuff, both hardware and software.

And with Giga, what we are trying to do is really to use our expertise built prior to this company and take that to something that we can really use to help everyone.

That's brilliant.

So do you want to quickly tell us what the product is, and then we can delve into a bit more detail.

Yeah, so the product is called EchoVision.

By looking, it looks like a normal pair of glasses.

The key feature is to articulate visual information into voices.

Think about it.

If you can't see this, and there's someone next to you, how will this person help you?

So basically, he or she is going to describe it for you, like read it out for you.

And that's how we envision our product, basically.

It's like an assistant, a virtual assistant that does this work for you.

Well, I was going to…




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Your new premium smartphone could get more expensive

Industry executives said the latest generation chipsets, set to power high-end Android handsets, are already around 20% more expensive than their predecessors due to a more complex circuitry and advanced manufacturing process. High demand for premium handsets is also contributing to improving the product mix of chipset makers towards more high-end chipsets.




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Trágico viaje de Rosmary Jiménez a Egipto: víctima de explotación laboral




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Director invidente está haciendo cine con SmartFilms




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The Smart Notebook transcribe automáticamente las notas del papel al celular




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Why it's not just your brain that makes you smart

Science journalist Annie Murphy Paul, author of The Extended Mind, wants to dispel us of our brain fixation. Meanwhile assistant professor Julia Kam, who runs Internal Attention Lab at the University of Calgary, emphasizes how important it is to let the mind wander.




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AI on the frontline: How can retailers outsmart fraudsters in real time?

By Aviram Ganor, General Manager EMEA, Riskified.

Retailers have plenty to keep them awake at night, whether it’s enticing consumers to shop,  utdoing their competition or – most worrying of all – how to ensure their long-term survival in a rocky economy.




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Made Smarter powers SME manufacturers to invest £25m in technology

Made Smarter, the movement accelerating the digital transformation of SME manufacturers, recently reached a major milestone - backing North West companies to invest £25m in new technologies.




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Leveraging robots for smarter internal logistics ~ The role of precise, adjustable motors in optimising warehouse processes

“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails,” Dolly Parton once said. In the face of uncertainty and disruption, all we can do is adapt. This rings especially true for the logistics industry, which has been subject to major disruption over the last five years. Here, Dave Walsha, sales and marketing director at drive system supplier EMS, explores how robotics could streamline internal logistics operations.




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Standalone Android-smartwatch op Kickstarter

De meeste smartwatches die tot nu toe gelanceerd zijn waren vooral een accessoire voor je smartphone. Ze werkten via bluetooth als tweede scherm. De TrueSmart van Omate is echter een standalone smartwatch die als volwaardig apparaat gebruikt kan worden en nog waterdicht is ook.




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Kuo: Apple Planning Smart Home Camera and New AirPods With More Health Features

In a blog post today, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed two new products that Apple apparently plans to release in a few years from now, including a smart home camera and updated AirPods with more health management features.


Kuo said mass production of Apple's smart home camera is scheduled to begin in 2026, and the company apparently aims to sell tens of millions of them over the long term. He said the camera will have wireless connectivity, and deep integration with Apple Intelligence and Siri, but he did not mention any other specific features.

Previous rumors have indicated that Apple is planning to release a smart home display, but that device is expected to launch as early as 2025, so it seems like the 2026 camera that Kuo has mentioned here is a different product.

As for the AirPods, Kuo simply said that future models of the earbuds will have "more health management features" like the Apple Watch, and that Chinese manufacturer Goertek will serve as the primary supplier of a 2026 AirPods model. The new smart home camera will also be assembled by Goertek, according to the analyst.

We previously reported that Apple's upcoming Powerbeats Pro 2 will offer heart rate monitoring during workouts, and perhaps that feature will extend to AirPods in the future. In addition, health-focused sensors that could allow for features like body temperature measuring have been rumored for AirPods in the past.

Related Roundup: AirPods 4
Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Buy Now)
Related Forum: AirPods

This article, "Kuo: Apple Planning Smart Home Camera and New AirPods With More Health Features" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums




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Nuki Unveils Smart Lock Ultra With Faster Operation, Compact Design

Austrian smart lock maker Nuki has announced its new Smart Lock Ultra, featuring a smaller design and claiming significantly faster operation than its predecessor.


The Smart Lock Ultra is one-third the size of previous Nuki models. This has been achieved through a new built-in battery design that eliminates the need for a bulky battery compartment, according to the company. The lock features a new brushless motor, similar to those used in electric vehicles, enabling it to unlock in under 1.5 seconds, which could make it one of the fastest smart locks available.

Built-in Wi-Fi eliminates the need for a separate bridge, while Matter-over-Thread and Bluetooth connectivity options are also included. The lock supports all major smart home platforms including Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home. Battery life is rated at six months per charge, with charging handled via an included two-meter magnetic cable.


The European version requires replacing the entire lock cylinder and comes with three physical keys, while an upcoming US model will work as a retrofit solution similar to August smart locks. The lock can be controlled through multiple methods, including geofencing, via the smartphone app, or compatible smart home platforms, and it works with Nuki's existing accessories like key fobs and keypads.

The fifth-generation Nuki Smart Lock Ultra will be available in Europe this December for €349, with the US version planned for the second quarter of 2025.

Tags: HomeKit, Nuki

This article, "Nuki Unveils Smart Lock Ultra With Faster Operation, Compact Design" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums




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Apple Might Make Smart Home Products Like Cameras

Apple has considered building its own line of smart home accessories, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple could manufacture smart home cameras and other devices that would connect to its HomeKit smart home platform and that would tie in with a planned smart home "command center" that could come out as soon as next year.


As one example, Gurman suggests Apple could create an indoor security camera that could also be used as a baby monitor, which is in line with a report we heard from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo yesterday.

Kuo claimed that Apple is designing a smart home camera that will be manufactured starting in 2026, with Apple planning to sell "tens of millions" of the devices over the long term. Kuo says that the cameras that Apple is working on will have wireless connectivity and deep integration with Apple Intelligence and Siri.

Gurman does not seem as sure that Apple will follow through on plans to create its own smart home products. He says that it's something Apple is "exploring" that could be prioritized should its upcoming smart home hub device turn out to be a success.

Apple would likely emphasize privacy with its smart home cameras, providing an alternative to cameras from companies like Amazon's Ring and Google's Nest. Ring has been derided for its privacy policies over the years, primarily because it had a "Request for Assistance" tool that allowed law enforcement officials to request video footage from Ring customers. Ring has provided police officers with Ring camera footage without notifying users, and reserves the right to do so in emergency situations. Google's Nest brand also says that it will provide police with smart home camera footage in emergency situations without a warrant.

Apple is known for having strong privacy protections, and it is possible that customers would trust a smart home camera from Apple more than a smart home camera from a company like Ring. Apple already designed a ‌HomeKit‌ protocol for cameras called HomeKit Secure Video, which is end-to-end encrypted.

Prior to coming out with any smart home accessories, Apple plans to release an iPad-like smart home display that will serve as a home hub. The smart home device, which is set to come out as soon as March 2025, will run apps and will control ‌HomeKit‌ and Matter-based accessories.


This article, "Apple Might Make Smart Home Products Like Cameras" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums




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Smartish Gripzilla iPhone 16 Pro Max case review

REVIEW – One of the nice experiences when buying a new smartphone is choosing nice cases that are not only attractive but provide protection and create a good gripping surface. Let’s see how this Smartish Gripzilla iPhone 16 Pro Max case works for me. What is it? The Smartish Gripzilla iPhone 16 Pro Max case […]




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KOSPET TANK T3 ULTRA Smartwatch review – premium features at a midrange price

REVIEW – My first smartwatch was the Pebble, which I found to be instantly invaluable by displaying my notifications right on my wrist and then letting me decide if they were important enough to pull my phone out. For me, this has been the primary function of my smartwatches to this day. Other functions and […]




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Govee Smart Space Heater fire risk

NEWS – Govee Smart Space Heaters are being recalled due to fire and burn risks. We’ve reviewed many Govee products here including the H7135 and the H7134. Govee says the listed models do not pass the UL safety standard and they are voluntarily recalling these smart space heater models. Recall details are at the Govee […]





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rich people are smarter

Today on Married To The Sea: rich people are smarter


This RSS feed is brought to you by Drew and Natalie's podcast Garbage Brain University. Our new series Everything Is Real explores the world of cryptids, aliens, quantum physics, the occult, and more. If you use this RSS feed, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron. Patronage includes membership to our private Discord server and other bonus material non-patrons never see!




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Pretty smart new kitten

Made his own window




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What is a Milestone? A SMART-er Approach to Achieving Your Life Goals

We all have big dreams and ambitious goals we’d love to accomplish, like getting that major promotion while still having quality family time, getting fit and healthy despite a crazy busy schedule, or saving up enough to retire early and pursue our passions. The problem is that these huge, life-changing objectives can feel so daunting ... Read more

The post What is a Milestone? A SMART-er Approach to Achieving Your Life Goals appeared first on LifeHack.




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Smartphone Photography: The Essential Guide (+ 15 Tips)

The post Smartphone Photography: The Essential Guide (+ 15 Tips) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Karthika Gupta.

These days, you don’t need professional photography equipment to take stunning photos. The smartphone in your pocket has the power to capture the kind of high-quality shots you can find in magazines – and it’s extremely easy to use, too! That said, smartphone photography involves more than grabbing that iPhone or Google Pixel, turning on […]

The post Smartphone Photography: The Essential Guide (+ 15 Tips) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Karthika Gupta.




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Malware Campaign Uses Ethereum Smart Contracts to Control npm Typosquat Packages

An ongoing campaign is targeting npm developers with hundreds of typosquat versions of their legitimate counterparts in an attempt to trick them into running cross-platform malware. The attack is notable for utilizing Ethereum smart contracts for command-and-control (C2) server address distribution, according to independent findings from Checkmarx, Phylum, and Socket published over the past few




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Smart Way To Set Up Automated Blog Posting

We have already shared our thoughts on why people do blog and why blogging is still afloat despite the rise of social media. We have also reasoned the help of automated blogging and even its necessity. And after RSS Ground has updated all of its automated posters we would like to dwell in more detail […]

The post Smart Way To Set Up Automated Blog Posting appeared first on RSSground.com.




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10 Smart Ways To Increase Organic Traffic To A Website

Improving organic traffic can sometimes be challenging, but if you apply the correct SEO strategies, the hard work will eventually pay off. Search engine traffic is great because it’s relevant and targeted. For most websites, organic traffic converts much better than traffic from social media or other sources. Another great advantage is that visits from […]

The post 10 Smart Ways To Increase Organic Traffic To A Website appeared first on RSSground.com.




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Malaria is outsmarting blood tests. Can a breath test help?

A parasite that causes the most common form of malaria is evolving to be undetectable by current tests. Some scientists want to zero in on compounds in patients’ breath instead.




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Best Android Smart TV to Buy in 2024

In this guide, we have put together the best 5 Android smart TVs with Android TV pre-installed. You can install Kodi right onto these TVs easily. These TVs are available from Amazon and can be purchased worldwide.




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Trump To Biden: ‘There’s Nothing Smart About You, Joe’

President Trump fired back at Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden intelligence after the former Vice President took a jab at his rival response to the coronavirus pandemic, stating the president needs “to get a lot smarter” or more people are going to die. The first of many sparring moments between the two candidates during the […]

The post Trump To Biden: ‘There’s Nothing Smart About You, Joe’ appeared first on Hispolitica.






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Apple's reported new smart home device will use its AI to help it catch up with Google

Apple's smart home device, featuring AI and FaceTime, could enter the market by March, Bloomberg reported, and could compete with Google and Amazon.




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Here's how much more laptops, TVs, and smartphones could cost under Trump's proposed tariffs, consumer group says

Donald Trump's proposed tariffs would hit the consumer tech sector, raising prices on US consumers' favorite gadgets, an October report found.




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Oura the best smart ring, say testers

The Verge's roundup of smart rings seems representative of a general consensus: Oura is just ahead of the game when it comes to these inconspicious gadgets. The competition is either too rough in one repect or another, be it software, syncing or the basic credibility of measurements, and the best is a model from Samsung that requires other Samsung stuff to work right. — Read the rest

The post Oura the best smart ring, say testers appeared first on Boing Boing.




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Mining, Minerals and Metals Expert Roundtable: Forest-Smart Mining Report Launch

Mining, Minerals and Metals Expert Roundtable: Forest-Smart Mining Report Launch 10 May 2019 — 5:30PM TO 6:30PM Anonymous (not verified) 12 April 2019 Chatham House | 10 St James's Square | London | SW1Y 4LE

The impact of mining on forests has received relatively limited attention at the global level despite its implications for climate change, biodiversity and the wider Sustainable Development Goals. Three new studies – commissioned by the World Bank and the Program on Forests (PROFOR) and delivered by a consortium including Fauna and Flora International, Levin Sources, Fairfields Sustainability Consulting and Swedish Geological AB – shed new light on the impact of mining on deforestation, current practices to protect forests in mining areas and how ‘forest-smart’ mining policies, practices and partnerships can be scaled-up and accelerated.
The report authors will introduce the key findings of the reports, as they relate to large-scale mining (LSM), artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) and the implementation of biodiversity offset schemes, with a focus on landscape-level efforts that avoid or minimize adverse impacts on forests – and ideally result in a net gain for forest outcomes. The speakers will then set out policy and practical recommendations designed to support ‘forest-smart’ mining, conserve biodiversity and ensure a ‘well below 2c’ future, before opening up the discussion to participants.




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Problem Notes for SAS®9 - 66509: Several procedures in SAS/STAT Software and SAS/QC Software generate incorrect results when an OBSMARGINS= data set is used

If the response variable is in the CLASS statement variable list before the class variables that also appear in the MODEL statement, and an OM-data-set is used, least squares means results for several of the statistical procedures are incorrect.




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Gender-smart Procurement: Policies for Driving Change

Gender-smart Procurement: Policies for Driving Change Research paper sysadmin 14 December 2017

Governments should use public procurement policy as a strategic lever to accelerate gender-inclusive economic growth through the application of state spending power.

Entrepreneurs Virginia Santy and Melanie Ulle at Women in Kind, a co-working space aimed at small businesses run by women in Denver, US. Photo: Getty Images.

  • Governments need to rethink public procurement policy. They need to use it as a strategic lever to accelerate gender-inclusive economic growth through the application of state spending power, while maintaining rigorous governance standards. Reform of public procurement to make it more gender-inclusive could create a ‘diversity dividend’ through increased job creation and economic growth. Gender-smart procurement policies could also mitigate economic and business risk by rendering supply chains more diverse.
  • In 2014, G20 members agreed to reduce the gender gap in the labour market by 25 per cent by 2025. Procurement policy is one of the most powerful tools governments have to achieve this goal. All G20 members, regardless of the differences in their legal frameworks, can implement measures that will increase the ability of women to benefit from procurement policy.
  • Public procurement accounts for around one-fifth of global gross domestic product (GDP). It is estimated that women entrepreneurs supply only 1 per cent of this market. Women’s businesses face considerable barriers to accessing procurement tenders and winning procurement contracts. The inadequate design of many procurement processes prevents more inclusive gender outcomes for citizens. Governments should redefine procurement policies to make explicit the requirement that increasing women’s workforce participation, through greater use of female suppliers, is a key objective when selecting bids for procurement contracts.
  • Through the use of policy and spending levers, governments can play four primary roles in encouraging procurement from enterprises owned by women, or from businesses committed to promoting female labour participation. These roles are:
    - To direct reforms of government procurement – reviewing procurement policies and practices to ensure sustainable and inclusive procurement;
    - To reduce barriers to women’s participation in the economy – creating the support mechanisms to ensure an environment in which businesses owned by women can flourish;
    - To help scale up gender-smart procurement in the private sector – expanding government’s role in encouraging private companies to spend more of their procurement budgets with women’s businesses; and
    - To encourage increased transparency on the issues – creating and sharing procurement databases and lessons learned, especially at the regional level.
  • Companies can also benefit from having more diverse supply chains and volunteering for accreditation schemes. They can start conversations with government about national regulation that encourages diversity in procurement, leading by example.
  • The G20 should set measurable and time-bound targets in the area of gender-smart procurement, to build on the momentum of UN reforms and incorporate good practice in supply chain management.




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Are smartphones ruining childhood? | Jonathan Haidt

Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt's latest book, "The Anxious Generation," is shaping cultural conversations and sparking fierce debates about the role of smartphones in society. In this timely conversation, he investigates how a smartphone-based childhood, amplified by overprotective parenting, is driving the mental health crisis among young people. He also explores the push for phone bans in schools and the concrete steps we can take to improve the mental health of young people around the world. (This conversation was hosted by Elise Hu, the host of TED Talks Daily. Visit ted.com/membership to support TED today and join more exclusive events like this one.)




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Why spending smarter beats bigger budgets | Karthik Muralidharan

Billions of dollars are poured into global development every year, but results are lacking, says economist Karthik Muralidharan. Diving into an example with public education, he outlines how smarter resource allocation and evidence-based interventions, like learning software that dynamically responds to students and teaches at the level that's right for them, can accelerate global development worldwide — not by spending more, but by spending smarter.




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Feds: No Penalties for Nevada After Smarter Balanced Testing Woes Last Year

The state requested a waiver from the federal requirement in January. Failure to meet the 95-percent requirement can lead to funding penalties for states.




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Smarter Balanced Delays Spur Headaches in Wisconsin, Montana, and Elsewhere

In addition to a delay, Wisconsin had to eliminate certain questions from its Smarter Balanced exam, after opting not to use the adaptive testing feature of the test.




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North Dakota Drops Out of PARCC, Commits to Smarter Balanced

The state decided that the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium offers it a chance to share assessment goals with neighboring states.




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North Dakota, Wyoming Move Away From Smarter Balanced Tests

North Dakota and Wyoming state superintendents said this week that they will soon hire new testing vendors.




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Smart Scheduling Puts Students' Needs First

The principal of a school in Kentucky went back to the drawing board on his school's schedule after hearing author Daniel Pink talk about what children really need.