Cloud Produces Sunny Earnings at Amazon, Microsoft and Alphabet

SEATTLE — The moneymaking machines at the core of Amazon, Microsoft and Alphabet, the parent company of Google, are notably different. But the respective kings of online retailing, software and internet search should all credit a relatively new line of business for lifting their financial results.

In their quarterly earnings reports on Thursday, the three said cloud computing — through which they rent computing services and online access to software hosted in their data centers — was growing faster than their larger, older businesses.

The impact of cloud computing was particularly noticeable at Amazon, far and away the leader in this still-young business. The profit Amazon can make on cloud-computing services is significantly bigger than in its retail sales, and that has helped turn the Seattle company from a consistent money-loser to a respectable moneymaker.

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A Hardware Renaissance Grows in Brooklyn — and Elsewhere

StrongArm Technologies, a start-up company in Brooklyn, makes “ergo-skeletons” that look a bit like futuristic versions of the back support belts that warehouse workers often wear.

Sensors embedded in the devices monitor a worker’s movements, and artificial intelligence software uses that information to suggest rest, stretching or posture changes — an automated safety coach for preventing back injuries.

StrongArm, a fledgling outfit with just 20 employees, is one of a new wave of start-ups making all sorts of devices that offer a glimpse of the future for the manufacturing of high-tech hardware in America’s cities.

The company’s home in Brooklyn is a vast, renovated industrial building, where World War II battleships were once made. Now it is dedicated to commercializing digital-age hardware start-ups.

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HR technology budgets likely to rise across Asia-Pacific market: Study

Corporates are witnessing a significant rise in their HR technology budgets with 56 per cent of all Asia-Pacific organisations planning to increase their spend in this segment, says a survey.

"More than 40 percent of all Asia-Pacific organisations and 50 per cent of India-based organisations are looking at improving or developing a new enterprise HR Systems Strategy this year," the Sierra Cedar HR Tech Landscape Study for Asia said.

Almost 56% of all Asia-Pacific organisations are planning to increase their HR technology spending this year, the study added.

Across the Asia-Pacific market, overall HR technology adoption is maturing rapidly and is moving beyond initial investments in payroll talent management, workforce management and even business intelligence applications.

"Like all regions, the Asia-Pacific market is seeing an increased adoption in Cloud/SaaS HR Systems: just 18 per cent of Asia-Pacific organisations have a Cloud-based HRMS today, but 33 per cent plan to have one in the next year," the report added.

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Sweden ready to share green city experience, technology

ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION was at the heart of a meeting between the Maharashtra state and Swedish Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change Eva Svedling on Tuesday. Efficient waste management systems and cleaner transport facilities were the top agenda, said Svedling who engaged in a policy dialogue with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam.
Sweden, a global leader in sustainable development, is intent on sharing its experience as well as technology with Maharashtra, said Svedling, who was in Mumbai to discuss climate policy and potential collaboration with the state on climate change and sustainable environmental solutions. She said that Sweden has vast experience in the fields of waste management and adapting to renewable energy.
“Through this visit we will share our experiences with Maharashtra and engage in policy dialogue,” said Svedling.
“Sweden and Swedish businesses are ready to work with India on the important transformation taking place, when it comes to smart and healthy cities, renewable energy and more,” said Svedling adding that Swedish companies offer attractive solutions in smart energy, urban transportation, waste management and air quality.

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How technology will be used in the US-Mexico border wall

Though bidding for companies vying for the chance to build the estimated $15 billion wall has closed, experts still say that technology has and will continue to play an important role in securing the border. The executive order on border security emphasizes urgency to achieve complete operational control of the southern border.

FLIR, a company that specializes in the production of thermal imaging cameras as well as components and imaging sensors already has a presence on the border wall. The company is a supplier into the integrated fixed tower program outfitted with long range thermal cameras.

"DHS has been a long time user of technologies to help detect and identify border incursions. Thermal imaging technology has been recognized as a very powerful tool in that mission in that it operates day or night" outgoing FLIR CEO Andrew Teich said to CNBC in an interview.

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Billionaire Jack Ma says CEOs could be robots in 30 years, warns of decades of ‘pain’ from A.I., internet impact

Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma warned on Monday that society could see decades of pain thanks to disruption caused by the internet and new technologies to different areas of the economy.

In a speech at a China Entrepreneur Club event, the billionaire urged governments to bring in education reform and outlined how humans need to work with machines.

"In the coming 30 years, the world's pain will be much more than happiness, because there are many more problems that we have come across," Ma said in Chinese, speaking about potential job disruptions caused by technology.

The Alibaba founder warned that social conflicts could have a "huge impact" on all walks of life. Ma's company has invested in areas such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence as it expands into new sectors beyond its e-commerce business.

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New technology that can help the 360 million people with hearing loss

For the 360 million people worldwide who lack some or all of their ability to hear, technological interventions have already come a long way. But still, they're not perfect. Hearing aids don't translate certain frequencies as well as regular hearing, and some users find hearing interventions uncomfortable or are ideologically opposed to them.

Soon that might all change. Scientists are working on a number of experimental techniques that may soon transform hearing interventions. That could greatly improve the quality of life for millions, who have been waiting a long time — the last major innovation in hearing technology occurred in 1985.

Normal hearing is more simple than it may appear. Sound waves move through the ear canal and pulse the ear drum, which then moves the tiny bones inside the middle ear. They in turn tap the cochlea, a snail shell–looking structure that contains thousands of delicate hairs and fluid. The cochlea converts mechanical signals into electrical ones, which it then passes to the auditory nerve, which transmits it to the brain for processing.

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GTT launches managed SD-WAN service using VeloCloud technology

McLean, VA: GTT Communications, a global cloud networking provider to multinational clients, announced today the launch of its Managed SD-WAN (software-defined wide area networking) service. The service will expand the breadth and flexibility of GTT’s cloud networking services, supporting the rapid growth of enterprise network traffic and connecting people across organizations and around the world.

GTT is uniquely positioned to deliver a managed SD-WAN service, with assets that include a Tier 1 IP network ranked top five in the world, extensive connectivity to leading cloud service providers across 300+ global points of presence, and a broad portfolio of diverse last mile connectivity options to any location in the world.

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Technology and humans can be complementary, not competitive, says SATS CEO

Advancements in the field of robotics have driven fears across the globe that many jobs could soon be displaced by machines.

But that does not always have to be the case, according to Alex Hungate, president and CEO of airport ground-handler and catering solutions provider SATS.

The company, which operates in 50 locations across 14 countries, has made large inroads in technological investments under Hungate's leadership. The investments seem to have paid off, with SATS reporting an increase in overall productivity across its business units while keeping labor costs in check.

Speaking with CNBC's "Capital Connection" on Tuesday, Hungate said that robotics and automation technology implementations in companies often stumble due to a failure to allay employees' fears: "At SATS, we're technology-driven but we're people-led, so we try to encourage people to come up with the ideas about how we use technology and we remove the threat that you referred to by stating very clearly that we don't intend to reduce their jobs."
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Technology is great, but are we prepared for the consequences?

Our dependence on these gadgets has dramatically changed how we communicate and interact, and is slowly eroding some of our core principles, said Michael Bugeja, professor and director of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University. Bugeja is not advocating against technology -- in fact, he relies on it for his work and personal life -- but he says we need to recognize the possible ramifications before it is too late.

In his forthcoming book, "Interpersonal Divide in the Age of the Machine," Bugeja explores what might happen if we allow machines to dictate our life. Those machines range from smartphones to robotics to virtual reality. Bugeja theorizes that because of our reliance on machines, we will start to develop the universal principles of technology, such as urgency, a need for constant updates and a loss of privacy.

"We are losing empathy, compassion, truth-telling, fairness and responsibility and replacing them with all these machine values," Bugeja said. "If we embed ourselves in technology, what happens to those universal principles that have stopped wars and elevated human consciousness and conscience above more primitive times in history?"
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