drones - What We're Reading - StockBuz2024-03-28T15:55:30Zhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/feed/tag/dronesTechs Year In Review 2016 With Trump In The Wingshttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/techs-year-in-review-2016-with-trump-in-the-wings2016-12-30T16:35:28.000Z2016-12-30T16:35:28.000ZStockBuzhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/members/1t2xbcvddkrir<div><p><a href="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/3e040e07e3e0e2a0d9cbd9d0e887ba29391be32b/c=276-0-4600-3251&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/2016/12/16/USATODAY/USATODAY/636174835194869510-AP-APTOPIX-Trump.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/3e040e07e3e0e2a0d9cbd9d0e887ba29391be32b/c=276-0-4600-3251&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/2016/12/16/USATODAY/USATODAY/636174835194869510-AP-APTOPIX-Trump.jpg?width=300" class="align-left" width="300" /></a></p>
<p>The image was startling, but a look into what could be tech's immediate future.</p>
<p>After being ostracized by the tech industry for most of the election year, there sat venture capitalist Peter Thiel, beaming, to the left of President-elect Donald Trump at the Trump Tower Tech summit in mid-December.</p>
<p>Around him was a ring of glum-faced and pensive tech titans, including Apple's Tim Cook, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Alphabet CEO Larry Page and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.</p>
<p>Silicon Valley's billionaire leaders had disavowed Trump during the campaign, throwing their weight behind rival Hillary Clinton. Only Thiel stumped for the real-estate mogul, and after the tech industry had turned on him for that and his role in Gawker's failure, he was luxuriating in the I-told-you-so moment.</p>
<p>The display of power portends a roiling year or two in tech. Trump railed against Amazon and Apple in tweets about corporate taxes and cyber security; now, he's likely to shape those issues as well as immigration reform, job creation, trade with China, deregulation and more, as he vowed during a bruising campaign.</p>
<p>"Tech is unusual in that the industry does not depend on government regulation or transfer payments, the way that banking, pharma, defense, agriculture and energy do," says Roger McNamee, founding partner of venture-capital firm Elevation Partners. "All tech needs is policy stability and access to global markets. Trump prides himself on being unpredictable."</p>
<p>The stunning development offered a fitting cap to what was a topsy-turvy year for tech, which generated $3.5 trillion in domestic economic output and accounted for more than 15 million people, or 8.4% of total U.S. employment, according to the Computer Technology Association.</p>
<p>In the year that was, there were winners and losers among companies and technologies; new faces emerged while others faded; and driverless cars and drones became more visible in our streets and sky.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/09/23/iphone-7-sales-boom-and-bust-and-so-apple-shares/90698064/">Apple's revenue and iPhone sales</a> subsided while Snapchat threatened established Internet leaders on its way to what is <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2016/11/15/report-snap-files-ipo-could-value-25b/93926022/">likely to be a blockbuster IPO</a>. Yahoo seemed to nail down a protracted sale of itself, while Twitter's struggles made it a persistent source of <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/10/10/twitter-tumbles-buzz-sale-disappears/91847582/">takeover speculation</a>. In the background, tech's <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/07/28/oracle-acquires-netsuite-93-billion/87652732/">legacy companies</a> entered into a series of cloud and data deals aimed at growth and relevancy.</p>
<p>Uber expanded its growing empire into self-driving cars — not without a <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/12/22/uber-moves-self-driving-cars-pilot-to-arizona/95763516/">trademark dust-up with government authorities</a> — and Amazon <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/12/14/amazon-delivered-its-first-customer-package-drone/95401366/">soared with drones</a> and our <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/10/20/amazon-online-sales-bigger-larger/92419572/">spending habits</a>.</p>
<p>But there were growing problems for Facebook, <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2016/12/15/pitched-fight-against-fake-news-takes-shape/95110032/">grappling with a fake news fiasco</a> that <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/12/16/facebook-users-fed-up-fake-news/95477786/">turned away</a> some users, and at some of the many units at sprawling Google-owner Alphabet, from <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/06/03/embattled-nest-ceo-steps-down-replaced-by-marwan-fawaz/85360524/">Nest</a> to <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/10/25/google-fiber-halts-rollout-ceo-leaves/92746288/">Fiber</a>.</p>
<p><iframe width="540" height="304" title="USA TODAY - Embed Player" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="true" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://www.usatoday.com/videos/embed/94436010/?fullsite=true"></iframe></p>
<h2 class="presto-h2">High-profile meltdowns</h2>
<p>Perhaps no subject loomed over tech — and perhaps the world — than cyber security.</p>
<p>Whether computer breaches that compromised the personal information of millions of consumers to a targeted hack by Russian operatives that conceivably tilted the U.S. presidential election, the very nature of conflict transformed this year, says McNamee.</p>
<p>And with the advent of the Internet of Things, the battlefield could extend to our homes, warn security experts. In October, malicious software that lets hackers take over home devices like DVRs helped cause a <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2016/10/21/cyber-attack-takes-down-east-coast-netflix-spotify-twitter/92507806/">massive Internet outage</a> along the East Coast.</p>
<p>"One of the biggest trends is the world waking up and realizing that connected IoT devices need security," says Talal Shamoon, CEO of computer security company Intertrust.</p>
<p>Samsung's stumble with the self-igniting Galaxy Note 7 was an epic meltdown of quality control, distribution and marketing. Though it didn't dislodge the South Korean electronics giant as the pre-eminent smartphone seller globally, it undercut customer trust and raised questions on how the company will bounce back.</p>
<p>Speaking of hacks and meltdowns, <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/12/14/yahoo-discloses-likely-new-1-billion-account-breach/95443510/">Yahoo disclosed it had been the victim</a> of two mega-hacks that compromised more than 1.5 billion accounts and put its $4.8 billion deal with Verizon in jeopardy.</p>
<p>Amid grousing from Verizon General Counsel Craig Silliman, who said breaches could "impact" the value of Yahoo, Yahoo’s reputation is likely to take a big hit, says Nir Kossovsky, CEO of Steel City Re, which insures companies against the financial impact of breaches and other damaging disclosures.</p>
<h2 class="presto-h2">Our friends, the bots</h2>
<p>The hit TV show <em>Westworld</em>, about a futuristic park run by robotic "hosts," foresaw a society increasingly intertwined, and dependent, on artificial intelligence, bots and automation. Sound familiar?</p>
<p>Artificial intelligence is officially a craze — Facebook, Apple, Google and Microsoft are among those with aggressive plans. Virtual reality became more of a reality.</p>
<p>Drones are popping up in all shapes and sizes — <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2016/12/21/flirtey-7-eleven-completes-77-drone-deliveries-reno-technobubble/95714592/">7-Eleven has been regularly delivering goods</a> to consumers in Reno. Amazon, meanwhile, made its first drone delivery in the United Kingdom this month and <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/09/08/alphabet-x-project-wing-delivering-burritos-by-drone/90090694/">Google X delivered burritos</a> at Virginia Tech in September.</p>
<p>Self-driving cars took to the streets in Michigan, <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2016/09/14/uber-gives-riders-preview-driverless-future/90366958/">Pennsylvania</a>, Arizona and California. Fully autonomous cars won’t be available for a few years, but a Morgan Stanley study estimates they will lead to productivity gains of $507 billion annually as consumers spend less time commuting and more time in meetings, writing reports and other business tasks.</p>
<p>Bots were ubiquitous, especially in the spread of fake news.</p>
<p>"Autonomous technology and AI became mainstream in 2016 with self-driving Teslas and new virtual assistants like the Amazon Echo," says Matthew Howard, managing partner at Norwest Venture Partners. "While we now have a clearer picture of where this technology is headed, we’re still only in the first inning (for the second coming of) AI."</p>
<p>There was nothing fake, however, over fears on what AI and increased automation will do to the workforce. This is sure to draw the attention of Trump, who lambasted Apple for exporting jobs overseas and discussed jobs creation in the two-hour tech summit this month.</p>
<p>Automation will have a profound impact on jobs across all Fortune 500 companies — not just Silicon Valley, says Box CEO Aaron Levie. "Tech is at the bleeding edge of the sphere on so many issues," he says. "It will be extremely interesting to see" how Trump's roundtable shakes out.</p>
<div id="module-position-PnJQEYx8om0" class="story-asset oembed-asset">
<div class="story-oembed-wrap">
<div class="js-oembed story-oembed story-oembed-usa-today story-oembed-type-link" data-oembed-type="link" data-oembed-provider="usa-today">
<div class="oembed-asset oembed-asset-link oembed-asset-usa-today oembed-simple-link-container">
<p class="oembed-link-desc">Zuckerberg can now talk to his AI, but it's still no Jarvis</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<h2 class="presto-h2">The Trump effect</h2>
<p>Speaking of the 45th president, his focus on immigration reform will undoubtedly pinch H-1B visas and heighten the urgency for increased STEM education, which was discussed at December's summit. What is unclear is how it might play into tech's stuttering attempts to become less homogenous by hiring more of the women and minorities who buy its products but have little role in their design.</p>
<p>There are 500,000 computing jobs open in the U.S., with an expected 20% growth rate over the next decade — yet only 55,000 bachelor degrees in computer science were doled out in 2014, according to Code.org and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.</p>
<p>"It's more important than ever," says Dennis Yang, CEO of Udemy, an online learning marketplace with more than 14 million students in 190 countries. "Independent of what the administration does, let's be real: Jobs increasingly will be adversely affected by automation. Tech will create jobs, but they will be super high-end, most likely for the building and programming of robots."</p>
<p>Tech's impasse with the Trump administration over job creation seems inevitable, but there may be hope. In his meeting with the reluctant CEOs, Trump vowed to keep the channels of communication open and meet quarterly.</p>
<p>2017 and beyond will tell.</p>
<p>Courtesy of <a href="http://usat.ly/2hF6h5v" target="_blank">USAToday</a></p>
</div>Investing In The Drone Spacehttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/investing-in-the-drone-space2014-10-04T23:44:19.000Z2014-10-04T23:44:19.000ZStockBuzhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/members/1t2xbcvddkrir<div><div style="float: right; margin: 0 10px 5px 0;">
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/dluqwhsbG7E" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0"></iframe>
</div>
<p>Last week it was amazing to witness entire expressways shut down during the Hong Kong protests. Something which was not surprisingly given little attention by our "keep the advertisers happy at all costs" mainstream media. *<em>cough cough</em>* Thank goodness for technology with this amazing drone footage and social media for 'getting it out there'. Afterwards I decided to take a further look into the area of investing in drone (and drone component) manufacturers.</p>
<p>I've thrown this together, running on battery only and no internet after having lost power due to a strong storm rolling through the region. Hey, it's a start, right?</p>
<p>Face it America. It’s only a matter of time before drone applications become commonplace and drones are buzzing past our homes like flies. Imagine the possibilities. Packages, mail, medical supplies, internet and wireless signals to remote or under served areas, news coverage, spraying fields with pesticides, no more lost hikers (or drivers for that matter) and yes, even law enforcement. Sadly this also equals job loss unless you’re on the manufacturing side of the business.</p>
<p>Pressure is being applied to the FAA by retailers, internet and ecommerce giants in order to utilize drone technology in their services. Thus far the FAA, under the gun to integrate drones into U.S. airspace by September 2015, has only released an <a href="http://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/uas/media/uas_roadmap_2013.pdf">initial roadmap</a> in November 2013. The next big step is expected later this year, when the agency says it will publish rules and requirements for drones weighing less than 55 pounds.</p>
<p>Expansion in the drone field within just the last few years is noteworthy:</p>
<ul>
<li>Cutbacks in U.S. military spending has had an impact on DoD’s drone plans. Instead of keeping the iconic U-2 spy plane for high-altitude reconnaissance, the Air Force instead is looking to <a href="http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20140305/NEWS04/303050029/Why-Air-Force-wants-keep-Global-Hawks-retire-U-2s">retire the fleet</a>, replacing spy planes with <b>Northrop Grumman’s</b> (<a href="http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=NOC">NOC</a>) upgraded Global Hawk drones. You know global military forces will follow.</li>
<li>Facebook (FB) raised the ante in the commercial drone war in March 2014 with the purchase of UAV manufacturer <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2014/03/04/facebook-follows-amazon-google-into-drones-with-60-million-purchase/"><strong>Titan Aerospace</strong></a> for $60 million. Titan’s solar-powered UAVs — which can stay airborne for five years at an altitude of 65,000 feet — potentially could enable FB to cost-effectively extend the reach of the Internet and mobile services to underserved rural regions around the globe.</li>
<li>It is well known that Amazon (AMZN) has begun testing their Prime Air” concept which would dispatch small drones known as “octocopters” to deliver small packages to customers within 30 minutes.</li>
<li>In May 2013 <b>Google’s</b> (<a href="http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=:GOOG">GOOG</a>) venture capital unit invested over $10 million in Airware, a company that builds development platforms — autopilots — for UAVs. It’s not GOOG’s first foray into the drone sector, either: Back in 2010, the tech giant reportedly tested a battery-powered <a href="http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-08/german-spy-drones-maker-sayd-google-testing-quadcopter-surveillance-drone">surveillance drone</a> manufactured by Germany’s Microdrones GmbH.</li>
<li>Even China is getting into drone usage as their government reportedly will deploy UAVs with flexible parasails that are capable of spraying chemicals that freeze atmospheric pollutants and cause them to fall to the ground. The drones can reportedly carry more than 1,500 pounds of the chemicals.</li>
</ul>
<p>From tiny aircraft that fit in the palm of your hand to commercial vehicles used to inspect power lines, the number and kinds of drones available for purchase are growing fast. Prices for smaller models are down to $40. But it's easy to spend thousands of dollars on high-end models. They do not require healthcare coverage, 401k, pay raises nor vacation days. Consumer models focus on basic flight and photography applications. Heavier duty devices are beginning to be used for commercial deliveries.</p>
<p>The major players in publicly held companies thus far are:</p>
<ol start="1">
<li><strong><i>Northrop Grumman Corporation</i></strong> (NOC) Providing products, services, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding, and technical service sectors.</li>
<li><strong><i>AeroVironment, Inc.</i></strong> (AVAV - the only pure drone play, publicly traded I am aware of): Designs, develops, produces, and supports unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), and efficient energy systems for various industries and governmental agencies.</li>
<li><strong><i>Lockheed Martin Corporation</i></strong> (LMT): Engages in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, operation, and sustainment of advanced technology systems and products in the areas of defense, space, intelligence, and security.</li>
<li><strong><i>Science Applications International Corporation</i></strong> (SAIC): Provides technical, engineering, and enterprise information technology (IT) services in the United States.</li>
<li><strong><i>Textron Inc.</i></strong> (TXT): Operates in the aircraft, defense, automobile, industrial, and finance businesses worldwide.</li>
<li><strong><i>General Dynamics Corp.</i></strong> (GD<a href="https://www.kapitall.com/framework/#?tool=CompanySnapshot&params=GD"></a>),: Provides business aviation, combat vehicles, weapons systems and munitions, military and commercial shipbuilding, and communications and information technology products and services worldwide.</li>
<li><strong>L-3 Communications</strong> (LLL) is a contractor in aerospace systems and national security solutions.</li>
</ol>
<p>Who else might benefit from drone expansion? <a href="http://blogs.marketwatch.com/cody/2014/06/24/3-best-stock-picks-for-the-drone-revolution/">Marketwatch’s Cody Willard</a> chimes in on small drone component manufacturers such as IXYS, AMBA and INVN. We’re talking power controllers, gyroscopes for motion tracking devices, chipsets and software that record and transmit/upload HD video.</p>
<p>Lastly here's Marketwatch's "Field Guide To Drones". Click the images and choose your preference after the jump. If you have more ideas, we’d love to hear from you. The next 10 yeas will be interesting as the world adapts to drone integration. Imagine the possibilities.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://projects.marketwatch.com/2014/a-field-guide-to-drones/"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1290939?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750"></a></p></div>