• President Biden Signs $280 Billion Bipartisan Bill to Boost Domestic High-Tech Manufacturing
• Top 25 Emerging Technologies: Which Ones Will Live Up to the Hype?
• Cybersecurity, Cloud and AI & Robotics: The New Digital Utilities
• How to Spot a Deepfake? "One Simple Trick is All You Need"
• Top 3 Soft Skills That Are Anything But Soft In Technology Leadership
• FCC Denies SpaceX Bid for Nearly $1 Billion in Rural Broadband Subsidies for Starlink; MEANWHILE Google Fiber Plans 5-State Growth Spurt
• CDC Drops Quarantine Recommendation for Those Exposed to COVID

Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. has officially opened its new MSG Sphere Studios in Burbank, California. The company's MSG Sphere - for which 7thSense is a technology partner - is set to open in Las Vegas next year, and this new Burbank facility will be a space for its teams to create original content and immersive experiences for the attraction. The state-of-the-art MSG Sphere will feature a 160,000-square-foot display plan that surrounds the audience, including the world's highest resolution LED screen with 170+ million pixels and a resolution of 16K x 16K. The new California facility is home to a screen built specifically to replicate the experience of the MSG Sphere. 7thSense is working with MSG Entertainment to ensure the speed, image quality, and integrity needed to render content for MSG Sphere.
ALSO, 7thSense has been working on media tests for Outernet London and their new music venue, 'HERE,' set to open in London this autumn.
AND, Electrosonic used 7thSense Medialon Manager as part of a new upgrade to The Social Lab at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. (Bryan Hinckley, SGV)

Alvaka Networks CEO Oli Thordarson recently placed second at the Spec Corvette 2022 National Championship Race at Ozarks International Raceway in Gravois Mills, Missouri. Oli, who is currently the points leader for the West Region, was racing the Ransomware Rescue red and white car. In addition to leading Alvaka, Oli holds professional and amateur racing licenses with SCCA, Trans Am, NASA, POC, Spec Corvette and others, and has been racing since 2007. Watch a video of the last lap of the race. (Oli Thordarson, SGV)

Coherent has debuted its new OBIS 320 XT, now offered with 20 or 40 mW of true CW output, an addition to the company's family of compact, reliable Coherent OBIS XT ultraviolet lasers for flow cytometry. Two other important additions to the smart OBIS XT family are higher power versions: the OBIS 349 XT and OBIS 360 XT lasers are both now available with 150 mW of output at a wavelength of 349 nm and 360 nm respectively. Most compact lasers for flow cytometry are discarded at the end of their useful life. But OBIS XT lasers are unique in being factory-repairable, which serves to further increase their value for both OEMs and end-users alike. (Randy Heyler, SGV)

Covetrus Pulse saves time and is easy to implement, finds a new customer survey by Covetrus (NASDAQ: CVET), a global leader in animal-health technology and services. Among survey respondents reporting time savings, Pulse saved an average of 3 hours per work week. Practice managers who reported gains said Pulse saved them an average of 45 minutes daily. The cumulative effect of this time saved results in a more efficient and profitable practice. Pulse is an innovative cloud-based veterinary operating system that seamlessly connects veterinarians to the technology they need to optimize their operations amid workforce challenges and a drumbeat of demand.
MEANWHILE, in the first episode of Covetrus Connected Care podcast, the company outlines practical, easy-to-follow steps to find value in technology. (Bob Richardson, OC)

Eckert & Ziegler (EZ) and Belgian biotech company PRECIRIX NV have signed an agreement for the supply of Actinium-225, used as an active substance in cancer treatment. This gives PRECIRIX priority access to EZ's high-purity, non-carrier-added Actinium-225, which is used for the labeling of trial drugs in radionuclide therapy.
AND, EZ affiliate Myelo Therapeutics GmbH announced that the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of NIH, extended their contract to advance the development of the new chemical entity Myelo001 to mitigate acute radiation syndrome.
PLUS, Myelo Therapeutics was selected to receive grants from the European Defense Fund worth approximately 17 million Euro for the development of its medical countermeasure against acute radiation syndrome. (Frank Yeager, SGV)

Instil has announced the launch of Online Fundraising within Instil through a partnership with Pledge, the world's most trusted and innovative fundraising platform. Instil users can now access Pledge's fundraising functionality and create modern, mobile-optimized donation forms and pages without ever leaving the Instil platform. (Adam Miller, JD, WLA)

LookinLA recently announced, "We find opportunities and develop techniques to improve our understanding of optimal marketing strategies for the modern era. To accomplish this, we gather information from a variety of sources to gain as complete a picture of the current market as possible. This [survey] would take you less than 3 minutes to complete."
ALSO, LookinLA recently announced a partnership with Clearco, the largest e-commerce investor and a funding platform built by founders, for founders. Clearco has funded 7,000+ businesses across three continents and has invested $3+ billion. The collaboration will enable LookinLA to provide its clients with powerful financial tools to expand their businesses, including personalized growth insights to ensure that funds are being well-utilized to market competitively.
MEANWHILE, in Stagnation Readiness: Why Marketing Is Still A Top Priority, LookinLA shares that during the 2008 recession, marketing and ad spending dropped by 13%. But the businesses that end up bouncing back the strongest from recessions were the ones that didn't cut their marketing spending. In fact, some companies even increased their marketing budget during recessions or otherwise economically uncertain times. (Ali Payani, SGV)

Xsolla has announced the launch of two additional solutions to help video game developers begin their development journey and successfully manage the growth of their games post-release. Xsolla Accelerator helps early-stage indie developers learn how to prepare for their game launch and receive funding from the right investors to keep their gaming business thriving. Xsolla Payouts enables developers and publishers to streamline payouts to external content creators and gaming influencers.
MEANWHILE, Xsolla has partnered with Adikteev, a software and services provider for performance-driven app marketers. As a result, mobile game developers can contact Xsolla and Adikteev to participate in their program to drive mobile players over to their Web Shop ecosystems to convert non-paying players into paying players and acquire new consumers. (Shurick Agapitov, WLA)

On August 17, at 9 a.m. Pacific, AfterNow's Prez Speaker Series will present Rick Casteel from VR 4 Work, where he will share his experience with increasing personal productivity and how virtual reality can enhance flow and focus. This talk will be an immersive experience on Quest or Hololens, and he'll go over the four leading multi-monitor VR productivity platforms.
MEANWHILE, read recent articles from AfterNow: AfterNow Prez for Sales: Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Presentations and Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality for Museums and Exhibitions. (Philippe Lewicki, WLA)

In Why should you explain WHY?, Dave declares that of the "five W's" (who, what, when, where and why), "Why" is by far the most important for business leaders to consider and communicate. Employees, contractors, even investors want to know why they are asked to make use of their valuable resource to support your effort. Failure to explain why will scare away potential investors, other than closest friends and family. The same failure will disenfranchise your workforce to a degree that most will give less effort to a project, and certainly with less enthusiasm.
AND, in Are you the leader if no-one follows, Dave discusses various leadership styles, including by example, fear, servant, and military, and offers a simple test to figure out how your leadership style is perceived.
Other recent blogs from Dave include: HIRE for talent. RENT for experience and Learn the power of NO! (Dave Berkus, SGV & WLA)

"If you want to study the past then GIDEON is a great place to do so," the company declared recently. "The question is, what would you do with over 750,000 data points, dating back to the 17th Century? A team of researchers answered in an interview: Predicting the Future with GIDEON Data.
MEANWHILE, GIDEON's recent webinar is available to watch on-demand: Imported Diseases: Ongoing Monkeypox Outbreak and Salmonellosis in a Chocolate Egg. (Uri Blackman, WLA)

In Marketing Data Visualization To Fully Leverage Your Sources Of Truth, Half Past Nine confirms the value of robust data - capturing complete and accurate data. However, you also need to interpret and communicate data in order to truly leverage its full power. This is what allows responsive and insightful decision making. Half Past Nine goes on to discuss what data visualization is, how to use it, tips to make it impactful, and specific tools. (Kenneth Shen, WLA)

In 6 Reasons Why You Should Offer Buy Now Pay Later Services, Nortridge Software suggests that offering your customers different payment options can help create long-lasting relationships with them and boost sales. Nortridge's loan management software includes the ability for your customers to set up short-term installment loans, also known as the buy now, pay later arrangement, or website payment plans (if you plan to sell on your website). In this blog post, Nortridge explains what buy now, pay later payment methods are, how they work, and why you should consider offering them. (Greg Hindson, OC)

In The Gold Standard! Next Generation High-Performance Lasers, OEwaves shares those advances for space made by CEO Lute Maleki, a former researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, along with his JPL colleagues, have now led to some of the world's most refined lasers and oscillators for applications like communications, range finders for self-driving cars, and emerging fields like quantum computing. In this article, read about their special differences and unique opportunities showcased by NASA. (Lute Maleki, SGV)

In Perspectives: Vertically Focused Field Operations Solution vs Traditional CRM Solutions, Optimum Info explains that a traditional CRM solution does not fit with the franchise sales and after-sales model which requires a specialized set of processes and focus to effectively manage Field Operations. Optimum's IKON solution, on the other hand, has several flexible features to manage the full contact meeting process, including a performance scorecard / dashboard, action planning, and analysis reports.
AND, read about an Optimum Info success story in Leading Trailer Manufacturer Increases Parts Sales with New Solution. (Arvind Verma, OC)

In Surf the Black Friday Surge - Load Your Test Apps Now, Parasoft asks, did your application stay on top of the e-commerce wave during Black Friday in July? The holiday shopping-inspired rush of Black Friday and Cyber Monday is rapidly approaching. Are you ready? You've planned and scheduled to test your apps and your website to withstand a sudden spike in traffic, but have you ensured that all your subsystems and dependencies are ready as well? Parasoft goes on to discuss three challenges companies face when considering load testing, providing a link to an on-demand webinar, and more.
ALSO, watch other recent Parasoft webinars on-demand: Qualcomm Presents: How to Achieve System on Chip Functional Safety Compliance and It's 10 PM. Do You Know if Your Application Is Secure? (Elizabeth Kolawa, Ph.D., SGV)

Alina Trigubenko, CEO of Profi, recently published an article in Entrepreneur - 3 Steps to Becoming an Independent Professional Services Provider - in which she elaborates on: Start networking and building your brand; Get your technology in order; and Be prepared to work harder than ever.
ALSO, read Profi's blog posts: 11 Best Coaching Management Software to Scale Client Onboard and Top 5 HIPAA Compliant Video Conferencing Tools to Use in 2022. (Alina Trigubenko & Adam Miller, WLA)

In How to Create a Workplace Safety Quiz, ProProfs shares that work-related accidents and diseases result in an estimated 2.78 million deaths yearly, far exceeding the combined toll of road accidents, war, and violence. The quality of your training programs is of paramount importance in regards to workplace safety. You must ensure that your employees understand and remember all the safety practices and protocols and have a safety-oriented mindset. Workplace safety quizzes and assessments can play a key role. ProProfs then details how to create such quizzes online, their benefits, and more. (Sameer Bhatia, WLA)

A recent episode of the Feudal Future Podcast, hosted by Marshall Toplansky and Joel Kotkin - America's Vulnerability Exposed: The Country's Need For Reshoring Semiconductors - features industry experts discussing this critical issue for America.
AND, in another recent Feudal Future episode - Space Reimagined: Exploring the Universe of Opportunity - Marshall and Joel are joined by Ashwin Rangan, CIO of ICANN, and Rand Simberg, aerospace engineer, to discuss the future of space. (Marshall Toplansky, OC)

In Vincit's CEO of the Day Program: A Roundup, Rachel Valentine of Vincit describes her company's program in which each month, one employee has the opportunity to act as Vincit's CEO for one day and make a lasting choice for the company - with an unlimited budget. These employees may not have an interest in leadership roles otherwise, but this unique program helps Vincit employees and the company overall in lasting positive ways. Rachel shares more details about the program, some tips on building your own, and more. (Rachel Valentine, OC)

Change Healthcare reports that E-prescribing has undergone major changes, including federal and state governments introducing new Electronic Prescriptions for Controlled Substances (EPCS) mandates. To help providers, digital health, telehealth, EHRs, and EMRs comply, Change Healthcare has created an interactive map that tracks EPCS mandates. Any organization serving providers can also quickly integrate e-prescribing into their PMS or EMR with Change Healthcare's Clinical Exchange ePrescribe offering, bringing benefits that include pharmacy connections, workflow efficiencies, prescribing accuracy, and patient safety.
ALSO, watch Change Healthcare's on-demand webinar - CMS Audit Recovery Programs - How CMS Audit Programs Work, which can help providers with compliance and audit prevention. (Marcia Augsburger, JD, ABL-Health Bay Area)

In Role of Anatomic Pathology Software in Optimizing Lab Workflow, LigoLab says that anatomic pathology is considered the most direct method to diagnose complex health issues. Along with clinical testing, it builds the foundation of diagnostic medicine. Collecting tissues, preparing microscope slides, examining samples, capturing findings, and producing results is a long process that asks for the utmost precision and efficient coordination. An anatomic pathology laboratory information system (LIS) helps speed up this process by automating it. Pathology lab reporting software solutions are designed to facilitate improved communication and collaboration between professionals handling the specimen at different stages of clinical testing and diagnosis. The software helps with patient management, data tracking, and quality assurance.
MEANWHILE, the LigoLab LIS & RCM Laboratory Operating Platform and its TestDirectly DTC Portal were both featured in the July issue of Clinical Lab Products. (Suren Avunjian, ABL-Health LA)

The FDA has granted 510(k) clearance to the MedWand from MedWand Solutions. Immediately available is the MedWand Evaluation Kit, which includes a MedWand device, and an Android OS medical tablet that is pre-configured with VirtualCare application software and private access to the cloud-based VirtualCare telemedicine platform. This Evaluation Kit allows potential end-users to perform clinical evaluation of the MedWand device itself and explore advanced telemedicine workflows enabled by the VirtualCare platform. The company is also accepting orders and production slot reservations for their MedWand Mobile Clinic and Remote Clinic configurations.
ALSO, MedWand CEO Bob Rose is the featured guest on a recent Revenue Maze podcast episode - "Creating a Closed Loop," in which Bob shares tips on how companies can grow their revenue. (Bob Rose, ABL-Health OC)

In The Benefits of Outsourcing Medical Operations, SAVI Group suggests that medical practices and healthcare organizations can reap many benefits when deciding to outsource certain tasks and operations traditionally done by in-house staff members. This is especially applicable when it comes to medical billing and coding work, as experts in this field can do many things to help medical practices save money and run more financially savvy organizations.
AND, in Simple Ways to Improve Medical Practice Operations, SAVI Group delves into investing in proper scheduling and communicating proactively with patients. (Sumit Mahendru, ABL-Health OC)

President Biden recently signed a $280 billion bipartisan bill to boost domestic high-tech manufacturing, part of his administration's push to boost U.S. competitiveness over China. Biden feted the legislation, a core part of his economic agenda that will incentivize investments in the American semiconductor industry in an effort to ease U.S. reliance on overseas supply chains for critical, cutting-edge goods. The legislation sets aside $52 billion specifically to bolster the U.S. computer chip sector. (https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/biden-sign-280b-chips-act-bid-boost-us-88134944)

Gartner has identified 25 key emerging technologies to watch in its latest Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies study. The research firm put together this list by identifying key insights from 2,000+ technologies and applied frameworks that it profiles each year. Gartner grouped emerging technology trends around three themes:
1. Technology that evolves and expands immersive experiences is important because the future of digital experiences lies in immersive technology, the analyst said. It identified the metaverse, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), super apps and Web3, decentralized identity, digital humans and digital twin of the customer and internal talent marketplaces as the technologies to watch in this category.
2. Tech that accelerates AI automation is valuable because AI is becoming an integral part of products, services and solutions. Gartner identified autonomic systems, causal AI, foundation models, generative design AI and machine learning code generation as the technologies to watch in this category.
3. The set of technologies that fall under the optimization of technologist delivery focus on the products, service and solution builder communities and the platforms they use. Gartner identified augmented FinOps, cloud data ecosystems, cloud sustainability, computational storage, cybersecurity mesh architecture, data observability, dynamic risk governance, industry cloud platforms, minimum viable architecture, observability driven development, OpenTelemetry and platform engineering as the technologies to look out for in this subset. (https://www.zdnet.com/article/25-emerging-technologies-to-watch/)

The push to a permanent hybrid workforce by enterprises and the increasingly online posture of consumers in the wake of the pandemic has fundamentally transformed the state of the modern economy. The global economy must confront: a more vulnerable cyberspace as greater online presences raise the potential for costly attacks; the need to offer flexible working environments for staff while also ensuring business productivity meets heightened demand; and a growing workforce gap as this heightened demand and absence of labor strain resources. Consequently, three factors have become and will remain vital components for operating in the modern economy: security, scalability and simulation. (https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/cybersecurity-cloud-and-ai-robotics%3A-the-new-digital-utilities)

With criminals beginning to use deepfake video technology to spoof an identity in live online job interviews, security researchers have highlighted one simple way to spot a deepfake: just ask the person to turn their face sideways on. The reason for this as a potential handy authentication check is that deepfake AI models, while good at recreating front-on views of a person's face, aren't good at doing side-on or profile views like the ones you might see in a mug shot. (https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-spot-a-deepfake-one-simple-trick-is-all-you-need/)

According to Investopedia, soft skills "are considered to be a compliment to hard skills, which refer to a person's knowledge and occupational skills." For technology leaders, those hard skills have long been considered some flavor of technical expertise. Yet many of today's modern chief information officers differ greatly from yesteryear's suited-up top engineer. Cryptic and hardline systems management was perfectly fine in the cyclical era of building lights, keeping those built lights on, identifying new lights to build, and so on. Now that technology extends beyond feeds and speeds, complexity has been redefined and expertise is a bit more nuanced. Technology today underpins business, hard stop. Every office relies on technology in some form or fashion to work effectively, efficiently, seamlessly. More than ever before, who is placed in the top tech leadership position matters. In simplest terms, technology skills keep the lights on while soft skills drive a rethinking in a direction of, Why and how are we using these lights? And so on. (https://www.forbes.com/sites/paigefrancis/2022/08/15/top-3-soft-skills-that-are-anything-but-soft-in-technology-leadership/?sh=1cc40194114b)

The FCC has denied SpaceX's bid for nearly $1 billion in subsidies to support rural broadband customers through the company's Starlink satellite internet network. SpaceX had been awarded $885.5 million in the FCC's $9.2 billion auction in December 2020 under the regulator's Rural Digital Opportunities Fund. The company sought funding to provide satellite internet service to nearly 650,000 locations in 35 states, the FCC noted. In a press release, the FCC said both Starlink and LTD Broadband - another company that initially was awarded $1.3 billion in subsidies under the program - "failed to demonstrate that the providers could deliver the promised service." (https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/10/fcc-denies-spacex-bid-for-nearly-1-billion-in-broadband-subsidies-for-starlink.html) MEANWHILE, Google Fiber Plans 5-State Growth Spurt, Biggest Since 2015: Google Fiber plans to bring its high-speed internet service to multiple cities in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska and Nevada over the next several years in its first big expansion since it spun out as an independent Alphabet Inc unit in 2015. (https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/exclusive-google-fiber-plans-5-state-growth-spurt-biggest-since-2015-2022-08-10/)

Instead of quarantining if you're exposed to COVID-19, wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested on or after day 5, irrespective of vaccination status, the CDC recently suggested in revised COVID guidelines. In addition, "CDC now recommends case investigation and contact tracing only in healthcare settings and certain high-risk congregate settings," the authors wrote. The updated guidelines no longer mention the "test to stay" strategy previously recommended for school students who had a potential exposure. The agency developed the revised guidance because "high levels of vaccine- and infection-induced immunity and the availability of effective treatments and prevention tools have substantially reduced the risk for medically significant COVID-19 illness (severe acute illness and post-COVID-19 conditions) and associated hospitalization and death," the CDC indicated. (https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/100181)

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