Author: Hannah Stewart

Treating cancers, smoothing skin, diagnosing bone disease and producing precise incisions are a couple of the uses of lasers in the medical field. What are lasers and why are they special? Lasers tend to be more broadly put from the realms of science fiction. However, they could play critical roles in everyday life.

The true attraction of lasers is that you may provide light energy with outstanding precision to virtually any place in the body, using different wavelengths to attain the desired result. By directing concentrated beams of laser light right onto tissue through fibres inserted into your system via endoscopes (flexible telescopes) or through needles inserted through the skin you are able to softly coagulate tumors, trigger drugs that ruin diseased tissues or create exact, non-contact incisions.

What are lasers and why are they special?

Regular light like that by a light bulb consists of many distinct wavelengths, all spread in various directions. In contrast, ‘laser’ (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) light is composed of beams with a particular wavelength, concentrated together in a thin channel.

This produces a high-intensity ray (it may be extreme enough to cut difficult stuff, such as diamond or steel) which may be concentrated precisely, letting it be utilised for detailed surgical function, like cutting through targeting or tissue particular cells. Since lasers are made from the light of the exact same wavelength, it is possible to choose particular wavelengths for their specific properties.

By way of instance, carbon dioxide lasers produce a beam of infrared light, which may be utilized as a non-contact scalpel for producing precise incisions in fragile processes like spine surgery.

Saving eyes

Lasers can assist the thousands annually who have surgery for cataracts, a clouding of the eye lens that causes blurred and double vision. Cataracts are usually connected to age (the vast majority of victims are over 65). Presently, surgery for glaucoma involves cutting to the eye and removing a disk in the capsule surrounding the lens. It is a delicate thing, and any little slip could lead to critical damage. Laser surgery can also help correct vision impairment and make other eye surgeries much safer.

Helping skin

Laser treatment may also help eliminate unwanted blemishes on your skin, like birthmarks, acne, scarring, tattoos and thread veins. Medical conditions such as eczema scarring and another scarring can be treated using laser technology.

Appearance may have a significant psycho-social effect on you personally. So, having the ability to take care of disfiguring marks is vital. With no lasers, a few of the procedures you are talking about would utilise quite primitive surgical removal and grafts of large regions of skin, whereas using lasers you’ll be able to target particular coloration or tissue type and render nearly all the skin unaffected. You may have heard of low-level laser therapy used in cosmetic dermatology to reduce fine lines and wrinkles as well as minor sun damage and freckles on patients. Cosmetic medicine is also embracing laser technology to offer treatments for skin.

Diagnosing bones

Researchers have developed what might be another generation of a diagnostic instrument for bone ailments, such as osteoarthritis and fragile bone disorder, using lasers.

The laser light is utilised to detect changes in the bone chemistry which couldn’t be seen with conventional methods, for example, X-ray. This might help diagnose bone ailments sooner and more efficiently.

Fighting cancer

Lasers might be a highly effective weapon in the struggle against cancer. For cancers of the skin, there is already a remedy, which can be in use, known as photodynamic treatment (PDT).

PDT occurs by the use of lasers and naturopathic medications in conjunction to destroy cancerous cells. The medication used is often light-sensitive medication which exposes cells and makes them sensitive to light. Once in the body, the medication is brought to cancer cells. This light triggers the medication that’s from the cells, inducing it to destroy the cancer cells. A few wholesome, normal cells within the body will also be impacted by PDT, however, these cells will typically heal following the therapy.

Other procedures using laser technology

There has been an increase in the field of laser treatments for non-vital procedures such as laser vaginal rejuvenation for women who want enhanced treatments for such issues. Laser vaginal tightening is another treatment that uses laser technology to firm up the vaginal tissue for women who experienced loosening due to childbirth or other causes. There are many aesthetic services available that utilise laser technology include laser hair removal reduction of stretch marks.

Safety First

Lasers can bring fantastic advantages — but they should not be misused. Awful practice can lead to eye damage, scarring, and burns. If you are likely to get laser therapy, you ought to be known through your physician or GP since there are dangers to remedies and it is not something for everyone. Lasers should be utilised in a controlled environment to help keep patients and medical professionals safe.

From enormous TV screens to robots of all stripes, there is no lack of eye-popping minutes at CES, the yearly trade show for the most up-to-date and greatest in consumer technology, automotives, and outdoor furniture. However, the most memorable time for me personally in this season’s occasion, which wrapped up last Friday, came from a remarkably poignant tour of this iHome booth.

Decor and design are big players when it comes to smart home tech. Launched in 2005, iHome made its name with bedside docking stations for iPods, predating today’s smart home technician using a useful device which joined clock-radio, charging speaker capabilities into a single item. I possessed an iHome iPod-docking clock-radio throughout college and loved it.

Walking throughout the iHome booth at 2018, I was struck (and dizzied) from the sheer breadth of goods the business currently made. Beside from the aromatherapy diffusers and dressing table mirrors which have equally built-in Bluetooth speakers, iHome’s bedside lineup also has versions that offer wireless charging, versions using an integrated charging perch for your Apple Watch, also, essentially, models with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant built in. What? When did this occur?

The answer is, naturally, only in these last few years. That is the condition of dwelling technology today, where everything from the home – if we are prepared for this or not – appears to be embracing not wireless connectivity but also services powered by artificial intelligence.

The vehicle with this particular vision of the smart home might be these new-age iHome apparatus that pack AI assistants to some more conventional, less intimidating alarm clock outside. Or it might be recognizable smart speakers, such as the Amazon Echo and Google Home, that everybody has been getting as holiday presents. Or it might be your normal appliances which will only run on AI.

In reality, Samsung declared in CES that it is planning to make all its products not just internet-connected by 2020 but also “smart”, via its smart voice helper Bixby (Paradoxically, Alexa and co. have a new buddy competitor).

Really, the greatest takeaway on the smart home front is it nevertheless feels like only the start. Tech companies are discovering numerous ways to provide the connected smart house it appears likely to locate us one way or another, finally.

Below, have a peek at some specific and fascinating smart house trends and products which might be broadly applicable sooner rather than later.

Totally wireless kitchen

Among the very “futuristic” yet timely technology I stumbled upon was that this kitchen produced by Michigan-based startup Urbaneer with little spaces in your mind. We have been monitoring wireless charging furniture for a little while, but this kitchen layout warms up the tech and in a sensible manner. Compatible appliances cost and operate directly on the countertops, therefore those surfaces that need to be are turned into a cooktop and then are a totally free counter area the remainder of the day. That is not to say a wireless kitchen cannot have papaya homewares to decorate the space.

A wireless kitchen would also cut back on cords from the kitchen, particularly important near sinks. The kitchen “island” that was revealed in a photograph sits wheels for additional flexibility. Everything in the display, from the granite countertops into the Philips and Haier apparatus that operate together, are now already available on the market.

Smarter home deliveries

Last autumn, Walmart and Amazon triggered a collective shudder whenever they declared in-home delivery solutions which use smart locks and safety cameras to allow couriers into your home as you monitor the procedure remotely through a program. Well, brace yourselves for more of this.

In CES, leading smart lock manufacturer August, that partnered with Walmart because of its own expedited shipping pilot, announced it is opening up the support (currently called August accessibility) into the extensive network of retailers who work with same-day shipping startup Deliv.

BoxLock, offers a more consumer-facing alternative for the delivery service – it’s called “last mile delivery”. They are a startup which makes an internet-connected safety padlock geared towards residential deliveries. BoxLock Home, compatible with all significant shipping carriers along with some other storage container, opens just after a package is checked and assessed. The item is presently accepting preorders for $99 on Indiegogo.

Next-level “remote controls”

Physical remote controls are not moving away in the smart home. They are just shifting contours, such as is wire furniture. At last year’s CES, I had been fascinated by the abundance of startups which make products which boil smart house control to the media of literal switches. Businesses such as Senic and Flic, are still  very much around and growing, including new integrations for clever lighting, speakers, thermostats, and much more.

Another intriguing way to digitize smart house controller comes in Nanoleaf, making modular, internet-connected mild panels. This past year, the business debuted the Nanoleaf Remote, a palm-sized dodecahedron which works with Apple HomeKit. Every one of the distant’s dozen sides may be programmed to establish another control, be it a particular lighting scene made by the settings or panels for any HomeKit-compatible apparatus, from cameras and locks to fans and outlets.

And then there is Talon, a $129 bright ring which allows you, among other items, to turn on the light with a wave of your hands. Interior designers in perth, and across the nation for that matter are creating interiors to accommodate this futuristic trend.

Utilizing Data for Improved sleep and Wellness

From smart alarm clocks into some breathing sleep robot it is possible to cuddle with, sleeping technician has been back with a boom at CES 2018 – the thoughts are moving quicker than the study – is the way the Verge sets it. While it’s still too early to tell if any specific option will probably be life-changing, the big-picture tease within this area is the vision the huge number of biometric information being gathered – if through fitness trackers or beds that are smart – will help improve private and public health.

Smart mattress manufacturer Sleep Number, for an instance, analyzes countless biometric information points in its own SleepIQ platform (split from private data information, of course) every evening and asserts the technology could one day forecast medical conditions such as sleep apnea or even a heart attack, track patient retrieval, and identify flus and epidemics as they disperse. So whether you are dreaming about those galvanised steel mesh panels or are having a night terror the technology can pick up your heart rate and other biometrics.

Technology is helping a great deal of businesses to improve their productivity and processes, and the building sector is no exception. This industry is considered one of the very information-intensive sectors as a great deal of procedures need actual time plus extensive exchange of data between employees and stakeholders. Employing the proper technologies at the ideal time is essential to accomplish time, quality and cost goals of your building project.

It’s crucial that businesses evaluate their technological requirements before searching for a solution. Among the biggest constraints for any building market is the applications they use on one computer where data can only be retrieved from one location. Cloud-based applications have considerably opened new horizons and permits remote access to data without it being connected to a certain geographic site. A good illustration of a cloud established alternative is ‘Assignar’ that features compliance and office management for builders working in the heavy construction and transportation market.

Assignar provides attributes like work allocation, timesheets, permit and competency management in addition to payroll integration. The program was originally designed for ‘infraworks’ to be stored on the shelf, but because of high demand from subcontractors it has been rolled. Their bundle includes a mobile program which allows managers to capture security-related information of the fieldworkers.

Recent technological improvements have made building sites more effective and less stressful. Construction jobs like house extensions involve a great deal of machines to be at the site which increase the chance of machines being lost or stolen possibly costing businesses millions every year. These machines also pose a security hazard if left unattended. In response to such issues, building organizations are implementing bar-codes / QR Codes in their gear to figure out this matter. By simply scanning these codes with electronic subscribers at the start and end of every workday, firms can monitor their machines better.

Telematics, that is a blend of the phrases Telecommunications and Informatics, goes a step further by monitoring machines in real time. This technology allows managers to know just where their machine is, even if it is being used and when it is in need of service. Two main advantages of this technology are streamlining resource allocation and decreasing theft. The information obtained from Telematics is also utilized to reduce idle time, which wastes gas and causes gear wear. Wacker Neuson Telematic supplies an identical GPS positioning solution for building machines. Their machine not only supplies operating time of building machines but also information on GPS place and operating requirements. JDLink is just another Telematics system meant to connect employees and supervisors remotely to their gear.

Smart wearable sensors are used to monitor employees in the industry like home extension builders, which can be having a positive influence in the building industry, particularly concerning workplace safety. Many places are currently putting smart detectors in their employee’s helmets, boots and wristwatches to become real-time information on the worker’s health and security. By way of instance, hard helmet detectors can alert supervisors in the case of an event happening. These helmets may track workers’ wellbeing in extreme outdoor environments utilizing the sweatband detectors that measure the pulse and temperature of their wearer. In the long run, we can anticipate these helmets to be smart and comprise augmented reality where employees may safely map their surroundings and track metrics. This will make sure that the employees understand the procedures faster and less time is spent on each measure with fewer mistakes made. Boot sensors can track how long employees are on their toes, permitting them to monitor the quantity of time between fractures. Similarly, exploit detectors can track the amount of employees on site and notify supervisors if there’s a sudden drop in elevation suggesting an employee has collapsed.

Quite frequently, it’s extremely hard for employees to undertake jobs in dangerous and awkward areas like a roof installation on an abstract angle. Rather than using expensive surveying tools and heavy machines, cheap drones may be helpful to rapidly survey the site and assemble maps. These flying gadgets set up with higher resolution cameras are already forming an essential part of business operations of several innovative construction companies. With the development in 3d Modelling technologies and intense resolution cameras, 3D versions of building sites can be made in no time. A business may use this technology as a promotion tool allowing them to make a buzz about their business utilizing intriguing imagery and videography captured.

Drones may also be employed to maintain a program on track and decrease time, ensuring the efficacy of employees onsite. Thorough shots obtained from a drone can show stakeholders the progress thus far of a job. The bigger the construction site the more useful a drone could be at tracking the job. But most businesses are still reluctant to utilize this technology because of its possibility of hacking or lack of electricity, which might lead to personal injury, bodily harm or even death. Drones are not only used in construction but can be used to evaluate a situation such as a blocked storm water drain which needs attending to.

Some other technological tendencies are 3D printing that will allow construction parts or whole buildings to be fabricated using concrete printing technology, powered robotic exoskeletons which are fitted to employees to improve strength. Smart metering may also be employed to assist companies to alter their energy and water consumption habits.

With each these improvements in technology, there’s one big drawback that will have a profound influence on the sector from the future and that’s job losses arising from the decrease in demand for manual labor. A current quote created by CEDA is that as many as 40 percent (5 Million) of Australian occupations are at elevated risk of redundancy from new technology in another 10 to 15 decades. According to the report, white-collar employee functions are in high risk as a result of improvements in the area of artificial intelligence. There are a whole lot of jobs undertaken by engineers, surveyors and designers that are currently being performed by machines. Robotics is currently being used in building business to weld structural steel, create engineered timber or to create structural timber beams for buildings that could be quicker, more precise and productive.

Google has assembled its quantum computer that’s 100 million times faster than digital computers and will have the ability to work together with people and undertake many creative jobs and conclusions. They’ll have the ability to communicate and understand as they proceed.

Whenever you want something — a product, a piece of advice, a contact number — what is the first thing you usually do? You pull up a search engine and type in your question, right? Google processes over 3.5 billion searches daily. Therefore, it’s no surprise that so many companies are scrambling to get involved with search engine optimisation (SEO), a strategy that helps businesses rise to the top of search positions for queries associated with their company, services or products.

To the outside observer, SEO often seems complicated, intimidating and bogged down with technical logistics. But it doesn’t need to be.

Here are some simple ways to increase the visibility of your website:

1. Optimise every page of your site with rich content.

This is undoubtedly the most complicated thing on this list, but it is fundamental. Without it, you will be hard-pressed to have visibility in search engines in any way.

All of your webpages, especially your primary line-up (home, contact, etc.), have to include concisely written, descriptive articles. Ideally, this content will be optimised for particular target keywords and phrases (so long as the text doesn’t seem unnatural). In case you have pages without a lot of content, prevent Google from indexing them by using the “noindex” feature, and “nofollow” any hyperlinks to those pages, also.

2. Write unique title tags and meta descriptions for each page.

Title tags function as the headlines of your pages in search engine results pages (SERPs), whilst meta descriptions function as descriptive text. Not only do these constructs inform Google about the web content and purpose of each of your pages, they also dictate how your pages appear in search results.

They rank your pages higher and increase click-through rates from users on search engine results pages. It is possible to use a web-based tool like Siteliner or a comprehensive website crawler like Screaming Frog for an accurate evaluation of every page on your website, including name tags and meta descriptions.

3. Weed out 404 errors.

404 errors are annoying for users and might interfere with the amount of pages Google may index. By themselves, they are not likely to hurt your rankings, but it is still usually worth setting up a 301 redirect or restoring the webpage if you observe that a 404 error where there should not be one.

Google Search Console has an excellent tool for assessing this: Look under “crawl mistakes” If your site is on WordPress, you can download one of a variety of plugins made to automatically make 404 pages useful and fun, or mechanically 301-redirect them to a different page, including your home page.

4. Make your articles easily shareable.

This is a very simple change, and in case you haven’t done it already, you have probably missed out on some significant opportunities. On your site page, feature social share icons so that your users can actively and easily share your articles socially. Social shares do not contribute to positions directly, but might make your pieces more visible, which makes it easier for them to make more inbound links.

This advantage was recently confirmed as one of the top two ranking variables in Google’s algorithm. If your website is WordPress-based, you will find a range of plugins that may incorporate social share buttons to your site dynamically.

5. Optimise your images.

You are probably using images and logo design in your articles advertising effort, but are you optimising them efficiently? It does not take much to get your pictures into optimum shape for search engines; all you need to do is name your pictures accurately; write a precise, keyword-rich description; and include alt tags along with a caption to categorise and describe the picture’s role on your webdesign.

If optimisation is done properly, your picture will be indexed and searchable in Google Image Search — an indirect, but valuable path for online searchers to get to your website.

6. Make your site load faster.

Site speed is not a vital element for search engine visibility, but it certainly does count. Additionally, a quicker site usually contributes to a better consumer experience, which means a higher conversion rate, among other advantages.

You can enhance your loading speed by: optimising your pictures, using relevant pictures, using a good caching plugin, deleting unneeded meta data and utilising only using plugins you really need.

7. Include structured mark-up.

Okay, to be honest, this one is not that simple, but it’s a powerful (and more or less straightforward) way to get your website more visible in search engines. Sooner or later, you have performed a search and noticed some stand-out response for your query situated above or on the side of the normal results; this might be a miniature calendar, an encyclopaedic entry or a brief summary-style answer.

These are rich snippets, and if you would like to get featured like this, you ought to include structured mark-up for a variety of kinds of digital content on your website.

Now, do not think these strategies are the complete extent of SEO. In actuality, they barely scratch the surface of what onsite SEO is about, and they do not even take off-site SEO into account. Nor will these strategies net you a dramatic difference overnight, but they’re easy to execute, and can offer a meaningful spark of expansion in your site’s search visibility.

In the 21st century, cash is no longer confined to bills, coins and credit cards. In fact, some money is really international — not owned by any particular government — and regulated “by the people” instead of a central entity. Additionally, it exists wholly online. This type of money is known as cryptocurrency.

You might have heard of or even used Bitcoin when it first became popular many decades ago, but where Bitcoin used to rule, other cryptocurrencies are now being used to pay back family members for lunch, charge customers for products and services and make other everyday transactions. As an entrepreneur, it’s important to keep an eye on the most commonly-used cryptocurrencies. Here are six I think you ought to know about.

Ethereum

As opposed to competing with Bitcoin like many other cryptocurrencies, Ethereum complements it; where the Bitcoin network tracks ownership of its own money, the Ethereum runs programming codes for its users’ applications. People today use Ethereum to make custom (but reliable) crowdfunding platforms, autonomous online organisations and even their own cryptocurrencies. Because these applications are decentralised, they can only be built in the Ethereum network.

Ether, the system’s money, wasn’t made to be used for everyday payments, however anything of value can be traded for products and services; as a result, many developers use it to cover one another’s help in building applications.

However, most online shops that accept cryptocurrency don’t take Ether.

Litecoin

If Bitcoin were gold, Litecoin would be silver. Litecoin works the same as its more popular counterpart, but it’s worth a little less — there are 21 million total Bitcoin in life and 84 million Litecoin. Litecoin are easier to mine and quicker to move from person to person due to its faster block creation. It is possibly the least intimidating cryptocurrency for those who are new to exchanging money on the internet: Litecoin’s wallet can be downloaded from the official Litecoin website, which is fully encrypted to prevent accidental spending and computer viruses. This is a super simple network for people who need to move smaller amounts of money fast.

Ripple

Though other cryptocurrencies avoid banks, Ripple adopts them. In actuality, Ripple was made for banks, as it enables them to make faster, low-cost, on-demand global payments of any dimension. Traditional cross-border trades require banks to go through an intermediary (or often several), which delays completion. Ripple offers a faster and more direct choice. When a bank customer in the US wants to send a payment to another bank client in China, Ripple immediately queries both banks for their transaction fees and makes the move in a few minutes. It even updates both customers’ ledgers right away so that they can view their accounts following the trade. This cryptocurrency allows lenders to offer new payment options, simplifying the transaction process for consumers worldwide.

Why are these so important?

If your business does not use any of these cryptocurrencies already, you may want to start incorporating them soon.

Cryptocurrency transactions aren’t validated by an entity, meaning there are no bank or platform fees associated. You also don’t have to wait nearly as long to receive cryptocurrency as possible with traditional money.

Again, a cryptocurrency’s main feature might be that it’s truly international; no particular government owns or regulates it. This means there are no fees for payments that cross borders, and the trade works the same regardless of where you or the other party are located.

The only major drawback to cryptocurrency is the requirement to sell it for USD (or some other government currency). However, this process closely imitates how you’d transfer PayPal funds to your checking account.

Plan ahead

This is the most important thing to do if you are building a house automation system for your home or apartment. Do you need just light and air conditioning to be controlled from your smartphone or tablet, would you like to incorporate a safety system, or would you like to go the whole hog and include your house theatre or living room TV installation?

When you speak to the commercial electrician, going in with a plan of what devices you have, or that you need, means you are both on the same page when it comes to mapping out a diagram of your future smart home and discussing the possible costs.

A good Wi-Fi router is the heart of your home

Purchasing a good Wi-Fi router will solve nearly any of the issues which may pop up with a wireless, iPad- or tablet-controlled smart house system.

In you’ve got a sound, high-quality Wi-Fi signal throughout your home, all of your smart home devices will have the ability to communicate with each other with no prospect of drop-out, which means tapping to flip on a light or swiping to change its brightness works every time and occurs instantly.

Building from scratch? Do that little bit extra

To get a new house build, decking out it with fixtures and fittings that will stand the test of time only makes sense, and it will help any home automation installer immeasurably.

Brand consistency may be beneficial, but is not a necessity

You do not necessarily need to keep all of your entertainment devices in the same brand — it is not required to have a Samsung TV and a Samsung Blu-ray participant, for example — even though it may be worthwhile for the aesthetic benefit and for all those devices talking to each other via their proprietary media standards.

Speak to An Expert

When it comes to technology, we all like to think of ourselves as fairly clued-up, but in regard to the intricate world of home automation, it can be better to leave the heavy lifting to individuals that have done it several times before.

Particularly if you’re going all-out with a fresh construct and incorporating serious smart house technology like irrigation, lighting, pool pumps or a solar power system, you will need to get expert advice and guidance at least for two or one of the measures in the whole procedure.

Leave Wiring Jobs to The Professionals

Needless to say, if you’re considering doing any work that involves touching 240-volt power wiring or your in-home telephone line, that should be left up to a professional.

In Australia, testing and installation of mains-connected electric devices must be performed by a licenced electrician, and penalties apply if you are caught — not to mention the threat of potentially coming in contact with live power and electrocuting yourself. It is not worth it — speak to an expert.

Updates can be done remotely or in person

If you switch from a Samsung TV to a Sony it’s likely that you will have to re-program your smart house system to accommodate the various infrared or IP control codes. This isn’t a tricky job, however, purely because it will be handled by the installer you used to incorporate your house automation system in the first location.

Get in contact with your installer, and there is a really good probability that he or she’ll have the ability to upgrade your smart home controller remotely (for systems that support that feature). Otherwise, a fast home visit will get everything sorted.

Whether they are hunting down LeBron’s new Nike kicks or pricing the fluffy heels they see on a co-worker, shoe shoppers are having micro-moments everywhere, all of the time. Here are four tips for savvy retailers so that they may be there, be relevant, and benefit from these I-want-to-buy moments.

Perhaps we should stop referring to sneakers as fashion accessories, because they continue to grow their share of our cupboard space and our clothes budgets. Sneakers alone are a $34 billion industry in the U.S., and that figure is growing.

Internet shopping is playing a major part in that growth by placing the capability to test out new shoes or to buy at the moment into the hands of shoppers. “Sneaker heads” obsessively scour websites, message boards, as well as apps to discover the latest shoe models. Whilst a large share of shoppers will buy on a whim from the shop they get to first, others will buy shoes online and expect speedy shipping and free returns. Mobile has changed the way people shop–both online and in-store–into a set of crucial micro-moments that may influence a purchase decision more quickly than previously.

Here are four tips for retailers so they are can be present and relevant and win the I-want-to-buy moments.

Winning with group terms: shoes vs. sneakers

Shoppers say a whole lot with all the words they use. They may call a product one thing when searching for information, and another when they’re ready to buy.

Case in point: Considering Google data, we discovered that searches for “women’s shoes” are most closely connected with searches associated with sneaker culture: sneaker brands, release dates, custom kicks, and sneaker communities. Searches for “women’s sneakers“, we found, had a greater association with footwear retailers.

How people search in these I-want-to-know and I-want-to-buy minutes may also be influenced by where they are. We discovered that searches for “shoes” were highly concentrated at the Tri-State Area around New York, while searches for “sneakers,” were more evenly spread across the U.S. and had a higher-than-average concentration in the South.

Shoe shopping is moving to mobile

In their intent-driven micro-moments, people are increasingly turning to their smartphones to immediately take action. When they are curious about the launch date for the most current Nike Huaraches, for example, prospective buyers are pulling out their phones to get the info. In actuality, in September 2015, there were more than 3X more mobile searches compared to tablet and computer searches for “Nike Huaraches”

Online video plays a major role in a shoe’s ‘cool factor’

People today want to see the item before they see it in stores. Whether its unboxing videos on of hot new products, or sports highlights with celebrity athletes sporting custom kicks to producer hype reels, shoe videos are driving interest for countless shoppers and enthusiasts. On YouTube, there are over 80,000 “sneaker pickup” movies where sneaker heads discuss the killer kicks they have scored. The popularity of the genre of movies is up 72 percent YoY, and perspectives of product-review videos overall have increased by 50 percent.

Even less-than-legit shoes can induce category curiosity, albeit in a snarky way. This summer’s wildly popular “What are those?” meme began as a joke: Someone posted a brief video questioning the coolness of somebody else’s shoes, finishing with a fast pan down to the subject’s footwear as the jokester shouted his now-infamous question. The video quickly turned into a pop-culture phenomenon, garnering countless views on YouTube and then going viral across a number of different online platforms. As well as many knock-off videos which have gotten countless views themselves.

The path can extend past a buy

Call them what you will, there is a certain pride in the possession of shoes or sneakers. We see this in the after-purchase search history of buyers that hope to maintain their footwear appearing deadstock–that is, never worn.

Based on Google data, search curiosity about cleaning shoes was up 1.5x this August (YoY), and six of the top ten concerns people had about sneakers were associated with cleaning. While branded material addressing this question remains scarce (hint hint), dozens of user-generated videos posted by people are filling the gaps. Several have topped 100K views on YouTube, and a handful are nearing 1M.

Such after-purchase video micro-moments are often-untapped chances for shoe brands and merchants. Searches related to “how to” on YouTube are growing 70 percent YoY.

New opportunities in the purchasing procedure

Retailers who know these micro-moments can better connect with shoppers and drive sales. Below are a few ways you can be there and be relevant in their I-want-to-buy minutes.

How do people look for your product? As we saw with “shoes” vs. “sneakers,” it is dependent upon their intent. On your search campaigns, bid on the conditions most relevant to your offering and goals.

What are people shopping for right now? Keep up with regional and real-time trends. With this intel, a shoe marketer could see that hunts for strappy heels are spiking from the northeast, research on what’s causing the spike, and do it to boost inventory, start promotions, or craft smart creative during a trend.

What videos are people watching about your product? When it comes to shoes, unboxing videos, sports highlights, product-hype reels, as well as memes are effective way of connecting consumer to brand, so be sure to be there with articles and advertisements when those views happen.

What questions are people asking about your products? Before, during, and after the purchase, questions come up. Produce and promote content that could provide answers and win the respect of present and future clients.

The past few years have delivered a technological renaissance in footwear. Nike’s Hyperadapt 1.0 made Back II The Future’s self-lacing sneakers a reality. Adidas’ Futurecraft 4D crafted the most comfortable shoe we have ever seen using 3D printing and. Not being outdone, Reebok’s very own Liquid Factory used 3D printing as well to create its own intricate and visually stunning designs prior to the company debuted a totally recyclable — and entirely unique — apparel line dubbed Cotton + Corn.

So where do you get a pair? Well, that is the tricky part.

Technology might be making men and women’s shoes smarter and trendier but it is also, ironically, keeping them off your toes. However fashionable or modern you believe that your shoes are, it’s unlikely you have worn anything like them. The “Future of Sneakers” has largely yielded overpriced, under produced notion shoes that the ordinary person won’t ever have a chance to lace up – many are just sitting in glass showcases rather than actually being worn. Here is what’s holding them back, and why we may not have to put up with it indefinitely.

Where are those?

Reebok released just 300 pairs of the Liquid Factory shoes in 2016, and has yet to formally announce plans for a re-release. At this time, its position as a one-and-done seems necessarily set in stone.

Nike followed a similar route with the Hyperadapt 1.0, first placing them available in December of 2016 and supplying an unspecified quantity. The footwear giant then placed them back out there in September of the year — yet again in large quantities — and capped off the re-release with no voiced plan of making them widely accessible.

Reebok’s Cotton and Corn shoes are the rarest of the bunch — those do not even have a whiff of a release date to their title. So, what gives?

Sneaker companies know these theories generate hype, but they have not put quite as much thought into how to really produce them. The battles of Adidas’ 3D-printed shoe — the 3D Runner — reveal the issue precisely. Adidas 3D-printed and sold several hundred pairs of these shoes in December of 2016, a complete year after unveiling the Futurecraft 3D, the business’s first 3D-printed shoe.

This limited number of shoes were mostly due to the 3D printing technologies Adidas utilised, which only allowed the manufacturer to construct six midsoles in a time — and took a staggering eight to ten hours merely to 3D print those six midsoles. That translates to a few dozen produced daily; it doesn’t require a business major to know that is not exactly conducive to mass production.

3D printing and other new small manufacturing techniques can make it easier for these organisations to crank out a couple of components for collectors, but they do not translate at all to the factories where the actual work gets done. Until all these brands devise a way to create a pair of next-gen shoes as fast and as cheap as, say, a pair of Jordan’s, you won’t find lots of people donning this sort of footwear in the streets.

Mo’ money, fewer sneakers

Costs for these shoes reflect their rarity. While shoemakers do have a history of jacking up costs however small its manufacturing costs are — let’s not forget the often-expensive resale market, either — this current run of tech-forward footwear is in a league of its own. Therefore, while Nike’s intended price of $720 for your Hyperadapt 1.0 is almost laughable, it is logical. After all, new technologies are rarely cheap.

Adidas has not priced its Futurecraft 4D shoes yet, but a recent Reuters report warns of a looming “unspecified premium cost” on the horizon.

As frustrating as these high costs are, they reflect actual costs of adding technologies. Nike’s Hyperadapt features built-in detectors to detect foot pressure, an integrated engine, and also needs a two-amp mobile battery charger — all so that you won’t need to bend down to physically lace up them. Add to that the regular rubber, leather, vinyl, and foam, and no wonder that the cost is exorbitantly high.

Future hopes

The path forward for shoes is not entirely bleak — there is still plenty of hope for a future that fits in your toes. Like OLED televisions, the technology in these shoes begins expensive, but it is getting cheaper all the time.

In May 2016, Hewlett-Packard introduced the HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing Option, which HP currently uses to assist Nike create 3D-printed men and women’s sneakers. HP promises its new 3D printing machines may print shoe parts almost ten times faster, and at half the cost than traditional 3D printing procedures.

Adidas is also refining production practices such as the Futurecraft 4D, intent on making it cheaper. The business hopes to sell 5,000 pairs this season, but plans to launch a whopping 100,000 pairs next year. The catalyst for its 20-fold growth in manufacturing rests with Carbon, the firm pioneering an innovative 3D-printing process called “digital lighting synthesis” to fabricate components of the shoe. Though Carbon currently prints a midsole within an hour and a half, the company hopes to decrease that time to as low as 20 minutes.

Be patient. These improvements will eventually trickle down to futuristic footwear you are able to afford. Like flat-screen TVs and smartphones, some day we will all be able to manage shoe technology that most of us can only dream about now. So, while some currently have limited release, are wildly overpriced or simply sitting in a glass showcase on display – in time they will be accessible for the average individual.

Whether you are an active individual needing a fitness companion or a tech-savvy individual who finds classic watches lacking in function, odds are the business’s gear lineup has something that just might suit you. It’s the newest member in the show, and I spent a few weeks in its business to find out whether it’s worth the $300 asking price.

The Samsung Gear Sport stocks plenty of layout DNA with the Gear S3 and the Gear S2. Said briefly, it’s a trendy piece. The black version is minimalist in nature and does not draw attention, but there is also a flashier blue version made to stand out. Constructed of glass and metal, with a plastic bottom, the watch is big enough to be comfortable to use and also to accommodate a reasonably sized battery, but lacks the chunkiness and the rugged look of this Gear S3 Frontier. And I would say it suits me well, whether I am exercising in my sporty reversible singlet or just going about my day in basketball shirts, the watch is very trendy look for anyone.

From the box, the Gear Sport includes a stretchy rubber strap that’s comfy and grippy, held with a classic and dependable metal clasp at the end. The strap is removable, and a conventional 20mm ring can fit in its place. You could wind up replacing yours sooner or later because the stock one on mine is already showing signs of wear around the edges. Water resistance is present on the Gear Sport device. The device is resistant down to 50 meters and can be worn during swimming exercises. Even salt water should not do it any harm, although rinsing it with fresh water after going for a dip in the sea is pretty much mandatory. The Samsung Gear Sport has a 1.2-inch round touchscreen display, which is bigger than the one on a 38mm Apple Watch, yet somewhat smaller than the one on a Gear S3 Frontier. It has a resolution of 360 by 360 pixels and is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 scratch-resistant glass.

Technicalities aside, the display on the Gear Sport is fairly excellent. It’s bright enough to be perfectly legible on a sunny day, but it won’t burn your retinas at night as it becomes dimmer automatically when appropriate. It’s colours are vibrant, graphics are sharp, and text is easy to read, and full-colour is always-on as a display option, permitting you to leave the screen lit constantly. Whilst testing the device, I used the Samsung Gear Sport together with a Galaxy Note 8. Pairing was straightforward and simple; as soon as I powered the smartwatch, the telephone automatically detected its presence, and a tap after the procedure was underway. The Gear Sport is also compatible with non-Samsung Android devices, as well as with newer iPhones, though as expected, you will have the smoothest experience if you are a Galaxy user.

So far as navigation and design go, the applications on the Gear Sport is not much different than what you’d find on a Gear S3 or a Gear S2. The watch wakes up automatically once you consider it, displaying the watch face of your choice. Admittedly, this gesture isn’t guaranteed to work every time, but failures are infrequent. Something that’s new is the extra support for Spotify listening and the choice to store monitors offline on the watch itself. Basically, this permits you to leave your phone behind and set a Bluetooth headset directly to the Gear Sport whenever you need to listen to music while exercising. So that is exactly what we did, and it worked like a charm, with no connection interruptions occurring during our testing. The 40 songs that I stored took up about 150MB, meaning that approximately 500 tracks could fit on the watch’s internal memory.

By default, the Gear Sport is set to monitor activity automatically, so when it finds that you have been walking intensely for a while, this will be recorded and saved as exercise. But of course, you can begin a workout manually by selecting an exercise preset: Running, biking, swimming, crunches, jumping jacks, to name a few. In these situations, the Gear Sport performs well, presenting a comprehensive log of your exercise as soon as you’re done. While the Samsung Gear Sport connects to a smartphone Via Bluetooth, in addition, this new technology also includes its own Wi-Fi radio, and if it gets outdoors of your phone’s range, it is going to try connecting to a Wi-Fi system so that you still get your notifications. Samsung Pay is also enabled on the wearable, but while it works on contactless Payment terminals, there is no support for ones with all the old-school magnetic strip technology.

There are many things to like about the Samsung Gear Sport. It is good looking, fast, responsive, and has an excellent display. It lasts between charges, and it is durable enough to withstand some seriously harsh exercises. On top of this, the addition of Spotify with offline listening support is more than welcome.

Ara Mahdessian and Vahe Kuzoyan are considering your own future. They have to. The future of pipes, HVAC and electrical contractors are their future too. The way contractors get work are shifting and if contractors do not adjust to that change, they’re in danger of being locked out of their marketplace.

Mahdessian is the co-founder and CEO of both ServiceTitan and Kuzoyan is the co-founder and president of ServiceTitan. Section of the Armenian community in Glendale, their dads were both builders and the two have known each other for several years. Their dads were subject to each of the slings and arrows which have always struck builders and the every day emergency plumber, and Mahdessian and Kuzoyan got into support management applications to help them.

Their product worked, and they began selling applications to other contractors. Ten decades ago were the olden days of software, so Mahdessian and Kuzoyan needed to go to a builder’s office and physically install the software on his host. Each of ServiceTitan’s applications is now on the cloud.

ServiceTitan functions 1,500 of “the most prosperous builders in the nation”. Mahdessian’s firm was successful because the clients told them exactly what they wanted to be able to operate a contracting company. Mahdessian explained that every company in the world has a process automation platform such as Salesforce.com, but contractors did not.

What’s ServiceTitan?

ServiceTitan is a portable, cloud-based field control solution designed specially for HVAC, plumbing, and electric home services companies. The machine flaunts a strong feature set which includes dispatch, scheduling, invoicing, revenue and much more. The ServiceTitan alternative gives users monitoring skills to help them track their advertising ROI and conversion. These capabilities permit them to connect each call they get and follow its procedure to find out whether it will become a completed sale or a missed chance.

ServiceTitan also acts as a portable option for technicians, allowing them to supply customers with visual sale demonstrations within the area and facilitate the processing of bills and credit cards without using newspaper. Other features include custom coverage, telephone recording, and dashboards which may be employed to trace and enable technicians in the area.

Review of ServiceTitan Benefits

ServiceTitan supplies both mobile and online solutions for companies, irrespective of size and kind within the service market. Mobile compatibility empowers users to have quick and immediate access to the machine remotely via a mobile-optimized website and on their own Android or iOS cellular program. ServiceTitan is created and designed to assist service businesses achieve three chief objectives, specifically: to enhance sales; deliver high class expertise for many of their clients, and to also streamline operations.

The machine is constructed with resources which were created to provide customers a strong visual sales expertise, that consequently, significantly enhances an organization’s conversion rates in addition to job averages. Tracking capabilities give users the visibility they have to realize how office employees approach their present customers and prospects and the way they turn every call in to appointments. ServiceTitan also provides powerful reporting programs and information evaluation of each advertising effort, permitting them to create more leads and efficiently identify opportunities.

Together with ServiceTitan, both office staff and field employees can see all customer info (service background, gear and more) whenever they predict. This operation permits, for example, an architectural timbers business to make smarter business decisions and devise workable strategies to provide top class support, resulting in very positive customer experience and client retention after each appointment.

ServiceTitan streamlines operations by just implementing business best practices in each service expertise to enhance results – for example, procedures involved in gas repair and installations must be precisely applicable to each household where ServiceTitan solves any possible information gap for. With all info available and available in real time, users have a very clear image of their enterprise and the best way to push their business towards achievement.

Review of ServiceTitan Features

• Track sales performance
• Measure advertising campaigns
• Monitor call booking functionality
• Remove paperwork
• Training library
• Pre-launch review
• Data import
• Certification app
• Personalized Q&A
• Best practices appointment

ServiceTitan Ranking

ServiceTitan is among the top 100 Undertaking Management Software Solutions. ServiceTitan can also be recorded in the subcategories: Field Service Management (FSM) Software.

Enterprises have unique needs and prerequisites and no software alternative can be just right in a situation like this. It’s useless to attempt to discover an excellent off-the-shelf software program that meets all of your company needs in the construction, glue laminated timber production and trades industry. The smart thing to do is to accommodate the machine for your particular needs, staff member ability levels, funding, and other components. For all these reasons, don’t hesitate to put money into well-publicized trendy systems. Although these might be widely utilized, they might not be the perfect match for your individual needs. Do your homework, explore each short-listed stage in detail, browse a few ServiceTitan testimonials, talk to the seller for clarifications, and eventually settle for the item that supplies what you require.

These days, every development team says that they are on board with agile testing methods. The agile methods have been proven to deliver great results with regard to worker productivity, development speed, team collaboration, and defect reduction. Developers want to highlight the fact that they use agile techniques, however, not all managers live up to their word of using agile automated testing and so on. The managers who would like do develop a better understanding of how well they are doing with their agile testing or would like to get ideas on different ways to improve, should ask themselves the following questions and be truly honest in their answers.

How does test management factor into agile?
Software project leaders will want to know how to become the manager of an agile development team. This is a very simple question, although it has quite a complicated answer. Ben Williams and Tom Roden had an interview with InfoQ, and they said how agile methods do not have a conventional management structure, instead, they are mostly driven and directed by the testers themselves. This means that the testing team is sharing the responsibility, which makes the individual testers communicate on a more regular basis between each other. In failing to do so, things will not be moving and the necessary milestones will not be met.

What is the true role of the agile testing manager?
Both Williams and Roden made it clear that software testing has changed in the age of agile. However, where does this leave the team leaders who are used to performing tasks as a manager and playing a leading role? There are still a number of things that these managers can aim for after making the transition to agile. “Our view is that this sort of role works across many teams, championing, curating and coaching testing as a function, whilst instilling a mindset and toolkit of practices and techniques.” This means that instead of being a taskmaster, you are more of a business coach and advisor. You turn into an educator and you must be very supportive. Some will think that this is a reduction of their responsibility, but that isn’t the case. The concept of agile techniques may be new to a lot of team members and so they will be in need of advice, one-on-one coaching, and support constantly.

How do managers prepare for a shift to agile software testing?
Knowledge is power. Before you start to transition to agile, the managers need to take the time to learn as much as they possibly can about it so they are more educated. To discover the weak spots, there needs to be a close analysis on the existing processes in the current approach of software testing which will allow a more targeted game plane to be created for the transition. “Finding the activities where teams still need support and specialist knowledge and enabling them to learn and develop those skills, including cloud computing security will be how the most successful test managers evolve into more useful organizational change agents and enablers.” When transitioning to agile, every team will be taking a different route, but if they keep these points in mind, they will all be prepared to take on the challenge that lies ahead and to develop and approach that really works.