Tag: new

Travel Texas Names MMGY NJF As New North American PR AOR

Loknath Das

AUSTIN — The state-run Texas tourism department has handed MMGY NJF its North American PR business, which was most recently handled by Edelman. As Travel Texas’ North American PR and social media agency of record, MMGY NJF will be responsible for developing earned media and social strategies targeting domestic tourists, who make up 90% of Texas visitors. Out-of-state visitors were responsible for 44% of the $80.3bn Texas travelers spent in 2018. The remit includes targeting national and regional media through proactive pitching efforts, media missions to target markets and marketing…

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How To Empower Your Employees To Learn New Technology

Loknath Das

Here’s the irony. Our new “data-driven world” has created unprecedented demand for workers with skills in collecting, processing, analyzing and understanding data. But it has also done the opposite. More than ever, businesses need people with skills at the other end of the spectrum, such as creativity, emotional intelligence, empathy, and collaboration. These were once called soft skills. Now, they’re “power skills.” This is happening because of advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence. As these new technologies take over certain types of jobs, the uniquely human skills built around our ability…

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Who is Rajiv Kumar, the new finance secretary

Loknath Das

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday approved the appointment of Rajiv Kumar as the administrative head of one of the key economic policy making divisions of the government – the ministry of finance. The finance secretary is the senior-most bureaucrat among the finance ministry’s five departments—economic affairs, revenue, expenditure, financial services and department of investment and public asset management (DIPAM). Kumar a veteran of power corridors of the North Block, is also secretary, financial services. He succeeded 1983 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Subhash…

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Kentucky police use new technology to nab suspects in hours instead of weeks as rapid DNA market takes off

Loknath Das

The Kentucky State Police started using a new DNA test in February that law enforcement officials say could completely revolutionize criminal investigations, analyzing the data in under two hours instead of days or weeks. Colorado-based ANDE Rapid DNA is offering its quick DNA testing to Kentucky state police for free as part of an ongoing pilot program. Kentucky is the first state to use ANDE’s technology for sexual assault cases and it’s getting a lot of notice from other states. ANDE Rapid DNA declined to provide its sales data, but…

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Tencent’s latest education push is a nod to new collaborative structure

Loknath Das

When Tencent announced it had formed a new education brand this week, the internet giant wasn’t just flexing its muscles to conquer China’s booming online education sector. The new initiative is also an early result of Tencent’s long plan to foster more internal collaboration at a time when its core businesses, the lucrative video gaming segment and the billion-user WeChat,  are under attack. Called “Tencent Education,” the new brand consists of 20 products across all six of the firm’s business groups, announced executive senior vice president Dowson Tong at the company’s annual…

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Ticketmaster put an end to screenshots with new digital ticket technology

Loknath Das

Ticketmaster is turning to new technology to help fight ticket fraud. The ticketing giant today unveiled its next-generation digital tickets, “Safetix,” which are tied to the ticket holder’s mobile device through an encrypted barcode that automatically refreshes every few seconds. The tickets will also support NFC technology, allowing fans to enter venues through a “tap and go” experience. The company says ticket holders will later this year be able to add their contactless ticket to Apple Wallet, so they can enter a venue with their iPhone or Apple Watch. This…

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Police Are Investing In New Technology. ‘Thin Blue Lie’ Asks, ‘Does It Work?’

Loknath Das

In 2014, Michael Brown, an 18-year old unarmed black man, was fatally shot by a white police officer in Ferguson, Mo. In the four months that followed, the stock price of the stun-gun maker Taser International, now known as Axon Enterprise, nearly doubled. The following year, the Department of Justice launched a pilot program awarding more than $23.2 million in grants to expand the use of body cameras worn by police officers across the country. Today, these types of technologies are often touted by law enforcement officials and policy makers as ways to…

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New EU travel requirements mean (slightly) more paperwork for American visitors

Loknath Das

Starting in 2021, Americans will no longer be able to hop across the pond for a spur-of-the-moment visit to Europe without completing pre-authorization paperwork. But they still won’t need a visa. On Friday, multiple outlets reported that the European Union had announced that Americans would be required to complete a new visa to visit member countries — a shift away from the current policy which allows US citizens to travel through the 26 European members of the “Schengen Area” for up to 90 days without a visa. In actuality, the EU’s new…

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Smart vehicle technology new star of CES

Loknath Das

car giant Mercedes showcased its Vision Urbanetic, a concept autonomous vehicle designed for urban areas, at CES 2019 The technology on display at CES increasingly involves cars and other vehicles, with the gadget show becoming ever more diverse in the products showcased as a result. Some vehicle manufacturers now make as many major announcements at the Las Vegas convention as they do at key motor industry events such as the Detroit Motor Show. This year, Nissan, Ford, Mercedes, Audi and Hyundai are among the firms with a large presence in…

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Motorola 2019 phones: Moto Z4 with S8150, new Moto G7 duo

Loknath Das

There are new Moto phones cooking and will be ready for you to enjoy in 2019. The highlights will be a new flagship, the Moto Z4, as well as a couple of Moto G7 mid-rangers. That’s the story coming out of the rumor mill, anyway. The Moto Z4 promises to be a proper high-end phone with a Snapdragon 8150 chipset. That’s great to hear after the Moto Z3 proved a tad disappointing. Speaking of, the Z3 will be getting 5G MotoMod and there will be one for the Z4 too.…

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