Month: July 2023

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Technology

Berlin tech firms be part of forces to plant timber once you journey by practice

Berlin tech companies join forces to plant trees when you travel by train

German multi-modal travel unicorn Omio has teamed up with compatriot search engine Ecosia to create a tree-planting rail travel booking tool. It means users will be able to search and book train journeys through Ecosia’s website, powered by an API-integration with Omio’s travel platform. 

The booking platform will automatically pop up via a simple query search for trains, or for destinations where train travel is possible, say London to Paris. It will be available in 15 countries: the UK, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Nordics, North America and Canada, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Ukraine.

The intention behind the new tool being rolled out this month is two-fold. Firstly, to make sustainable rail options more visible as an alternative to air travel. Secondly, all the commission Ecosia receives from successful bookings will go directly toward the search engine’s green initiatives. 

Note that this is not a form of offsetting, meaning that it is not intended to “cancel out” any carbon emissions produced by your journey (a popular but, let’s face it, greenwashing tool employed by airlines during the booking process).  

Providers accessible through the new tool include Amtrak in the United States, LNER, GWR, Avanti in the UK, SNCF in France, OBB in Austria and Eurostar. 

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Born from the Berlin startup scene

In the land of internet searches, where one company is so synonymous with the activity that it has become a verb, you’d be forgiven for not having heard of Ecosia. However, the platform does see 20 million users globally every month. 

Founded in 2009 by Christian Kroll, the tech company dedicates 100% of its profits to planet-friendly initiatives. These include having planted over 175 million trees all over the world, in collaboration with local communities.

The company, the first to become an accredited B Corp in Germany in 2014, has also supported regenerative agriculture projects, and invested into renewable energy. 

“Our users want choice over how they travel, and they want to travel sustainably — that’s evident in the sheer volume of searches we’re seeing each month on Ecosia,” said the company’s Chief Product Officer Michael Metcalf. 

“If a healthy proportion of the two million searches made for train journeys on Ecosia each month translate into bookings, this will allow us to invest in our other environmental initiatives pushing back against the climate emergency,” he continued.  

Fellow Berliner Omio was first introduced as GoEuro in 2013 by founder Naren Shaam. Today, the multi-modal platform issues travel tickets across 37 countries, in 21 different languages, and 26 different currencies, for 1000+ travel transportation providers. 

Following a growth of 100% up until 2019, Omio experienced a couple of incredibly tough years during the pandemic where 98% of the company’s revenue basically evaporated overnight. However, almost exactly a year ago, Omio announced a Series E funding of $80mn (approx. €72mn) to take its total funding up to $480mn (€434mn).

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Health

AWS pronounces generative AI software to save lots of medical doctors time on paperwork

AWS announces generative AI tool to save doctors time on paperwork

Attendees walk through an expo hall during Amazon Web Services’ Reinvent conference at the Venetian in Las Vegas on Nov. 29, 2022.

Noah Berger | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images

Amazon Web Services on Wednesday announced a new service for health-care software providers called AWS HealthScribe, which uses generative artificial intelligence and speech recognition to automatically draft clinical documentation.

The service aims to save health-care workers time using AI-generated transcripts and summaries of patient visits, which can then be entered into the electronic health record system. AWS HealthScribe can also extract notable medical terms, medications and other key details, according to the company, and physicians can double-check each line of generated text with the original transcript.

Clinical documentation is a major pain point for doctors and nurses. A study funded by the American Medical Association in 2016 found that for every hour a physician spent with a patient, they spent an additional two hours on administrative work. The study said physicians also tend to spend an additional one to two hours doing clerical work outside of working hours, which many in the industry refer to as “pajama time.”

As a result, several companies like Microsoft’s Nuance Communications, and now AWS, have been working to build solutions to reduce this administrative burden.

“It is clear that generative AI has the power to transform the health-care and life sciences industry in many ways,” Swami Sivasubramanian, AWS’s vice president of database, analytics and machine-learning services said at during a keynote speech at AWS Summit New York Wednesday.

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Microsoft’s Nuance announced its generative clinical notes application, DAX Express, in March. Similar to AWS HealthScribe, Dax Express automatically generates a draft of a clinical note within seconds after a patient visit. It can record a conversation between a doctor and a patient in real time and create a note using a combination of existing AI and OpenAI’s newest model, GPT-4.

With both services, physicians can review the AI-generated notes before entering them into the electronic health record system.

AWS HealthScribe is powered by Amazon Bedrock, which is the company’s service for building generative AI applications. AWS said Wednesday that AWS HealthScribe is compliant with HIPAA and does not retain any customer information. Customers can also choose where they would like to store their clinical documentation.

The cost of the service will vary, as AWS HealthScribe is available on a pay-as-you-go basis, according to a company blog post. Customers will be charged based on the seconds of audio processed per month.

Several organizations are already using HealthScribe, according to AWS, including the software company 3M Health Information Systems. Detlef Koll, 3M’s vice president of global R&D, said the company has been working with AWS since this past fall to introduce the technology responsibly, ideally without causing disruptions in documentation quality. 

Koll said the technology is “excellent,” in his experience, and that the tool will not function as decision support or change the care that patients receive.

“Technology is an enabler for a solution, it’s not the solution,” Koll told CNBC in an interview Wednesday. 

The initial use cases for AWS HealthScribe were geared toward general medicine and orthopedics specialties, according to an AWS company release. The technology is available in a limited private preview capacity starting Wednesday, and Tehsin Syed, general manager of health AI at AWS, said the company plans to work closely with its customers to determine plans for expanding access. 

“We update the underlying technology based on the feedback that we’re getting,” Syed told CNBC. He added, “From an adoption perspective, I think there’s a lot of interest, and we want to be very careful about making sure it’s going to work at scale in the right way.” 

Categories
Science

One Yr of JWST. Final Recap

One Year of JWST. Ultimate Recap

It’s already been one year of operations for James Webb. We accumulated all the major scientific results, all the amazing images and spectra, all the important discoveries and controversies. Enjoy the ultimate recap of JWST’s first year.

It was full of events. There hardly is any other mission that generated so many news stories in such a short period of time. So, here’s a structured look-back at all the major things that came out from JWST.

If you weren’t following all of them in real-time, this is a great way to catch up with the most powerful space telescope in human history.

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If you are a regular viewer of Space Bites and a Newsletter subscriber, it’s still great to have a retrospective of all the things that came from Webb. So, I’m sure you’ll also enjoy it.

James Webb is already set for Cycle 2. Let’s hope there will be many more recaps like this one in the future.

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Entertainment

We Ranked All of Sandra Bullock’s Rom-Coms

We Ranked All of Sandra Bullock's Rom-Coms

All hail the queen. 

Remember when Sandra Bullock finally returned to the rom-com genre for the first time since 2009’s All About Steve in The Lost City, which paired her with Channing Tatum for an adventurous romp in the jungle? What a gift that was to us mere mortals. 

In that film, Bullock plays dissatisfied romance novelist Loretta Sage, who is kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire convinced the setting of her books—ahem, the titular lost city—is real. Naturally, Tatum plays Alan, her series’ dimwitted cover model who decides to play IRL hero to save her. You know where this is going.

Yes, it is as over-the-top and ridiculous as it sounds. And yet, thanks to the palpable chemistry between its leading couple, genuinely funny dialogue and some scene-stealing supporting performances from Daniel Radcliffe, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Brad Pitt (ever heard of him?), The Lost City is an all-too-rare treasure in today’s pop culture climate: A romantic comedy fronted by bonafide movie stars.

Categories
Sport

Jaylen Brown, Celtics conform to file 5-year, $303.7M supermax extension

Jaylen Brown, Celtics agree to record 5-year, $303.7M supermax extension

Jul 25, 2023, 11:04 AM ET

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown has agreed to sign the richest deal in NBA history — a five-year supermax extension worth up to $303.7 million, his agent, Jason Glushon, told ESPN on Tuesday.

Brown and Glushon met with Celtics management and ownership Sunday evening in Boston, finalizing the remaining elements of the historic deal that keeps the two-time All-Star under contract through the 2028-29 season.

Brown’s deal exceeds two-time MVP Nikola Jokic’s $276 million extension with the Denver Nuggets, an increase based on the rise in the salary cap and league revenue. Brown, 26, took a physical Monday in Boston to solidify the deal.

Brown became eligible for the five-year supermax extension with the Celtics upon earning second-team All-NBA honors in 2022-23. Brown and teammate Jayson Tatum, who is eligible for a supermax extension next summer, constitute one of the NBA’s most productive duos and are cornerstones of the Celtics’ championship contender.

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Brown averaged career bests of 26.6 points and 49% shooting last season. He will make $31.8 million next season in the final year of his previous deal.

Brown is slated to make $52.3 million when the contract kicks in during the 2024-25 season and $69.1 million in 2028-29, the final year of the deal. He is not eligible for a no-trade clause because he signed an extension.

Tatum and Brown combined for 56.7 points per game last season, the fourth-most by a duo since the 1976-77 merger, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. They both also scored 30 points in 10 games, a feat only Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant have accomplished in the past 30 seasons. Brown progressed as a shot creator last season with 54% of his made shots unassisted — a career-high 1.15 points per direct drive, according to Second Spectrum.

The Celtics have made the playoffs in each of Brown’s seven NBA seasons, including the NBA Finals in 2022 and three Eastern Conference finals trips. Boston drafted the former UC-Berkeley star with the third overall pick in 2016.

Off the court, Brown is a businessman, fashion aficionado and mentor for countless kids, as well as a philanthropist in Boston and internationally. He currently serves as vice president of the National Basketball Players Association.

The Atlanta native recently attended Paris Fashion Week and spoke at Variety’s Sports and Entertainment Summit about off-court success. He has been generating partnerships that build bridges to enable youth of color access to equal education and leadership opportunities through his 7uice Foundation.

Brown is currently hosting his third annual Bridge Program in Boston for 100 Boston public school students. He plans to also go to Kenya this offseason to speak with and mentor over 200 local students. Brown was also among 20 NBA players who took part in the NBPA’s “The Sanctuary,” a performance retreat for players hosted in Andalucía, Spain.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Bobby Marks contributed to this report.

Categories
Health

Biden psychological well being care push targets insurers

Biden mental health care push targets insurers

A young woman sits on a couch with her therapist.

Sdi Productions | E+ | Getty Images

The Biden administration plans to crack down on health insurance plans that discriminate against people who need mental health care and substance abuse treatment.

A proposed rule published Tuesday by the Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury departments aims to push health insurers to comply with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act.

That law, which was passed in 2008, requires insurance plans that cover mental health care and substance abuse treatment to offer the same level of coverage for these services as they do for other illnesses.

White House domestic policy advisor Neera Tanden told reporters in a call Monday that too many insurers are evading the law and making it difficult for patients to access mental health care.

Insurance plans often do not provide enough therapists in network, which forces patients to seek care out of network and pay more. Patients also often have to get permission from their insurer to seek treatment or have their claims denied leaving them with the bill.

“This has meant millions of people who have insurance are paying out of pocket when they shouldn’t have to,” Tanden said.

More than 1 in 5 adults in the U.S., or 58 million people, live with a mental illness, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

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The proposed rule would require insurance plans to evaluate how their coverage policies impact patients’ access to mental health and substance abuse treatment, Tanden said.

Insurers would be required to take action if they are not in compliance with the law, she said. This could include adding more therapists to the insurance network if patients are seeking care out of network too often, Tanden said.

The proposed rule will undergo a 60-day public comment period before it is finalized.

The health insurance industry’s lobby group AHIP in a statement Tuesday attributed the challenges patients face in accessing mental health care to a shortage of clinicians. Kristine Grow, a spokesperson for AHIP, said the industry has been working to expand access through telehealth, new technologies and integrating mental and physical health.

Grow said AHIP believes that everyone should have access to mental health care that is on par with physical health. AHIP is evaluating the Biden administration’s proposed rule, she said.

A survey published in July of nearly 2,800 patients found that people with insurance face more challenges accessing mental health services than other types of medical care.

Nearly 40% of people enrolled in insurance through their employer had to seek more costly mental health care or substance abuse treatment out of network, according to the survey conducted by the research institute NORC. By comparison, 15% of people seeking physical health care went out of network.

More than 50% of patients reported that their insurance denied coverage three or more times for mental health or substance abuse services, compared with 33% who reported the same for physical health care.

And nearly 60% of those surveyed who sought mental health care or substance abuse treatment did not receive any care in at least one instance.

Categories
Science

The Naive Push for Dynamic Pricing in Grocery Shops • Watts Up With That?

Gute Klimanachrichten für 2022, die Ihnen die MSM nicht gesagt haben

There is a well-known adage that says, “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” This aphorism rings particularly true when reading the latest study from UC San Diego’s Rady School of Management, suggesting that dynamic pricing – a mechanism of pricing that applies an algorithm to determine when grocery stores should discount perishables – could prevent food waste more effectively than organic waste bans.

The assumption is almost laughable. Academics, with no hands-on experience in the retail grocery sector, are essentially declaring that they possess superior insights than seasoned grocery professionals about minimizing food waste. This presumption is both ludicrous and unfounded.

There’s an implied naivety in the belief that discounting food nearing expiration is a novel concept. This practice has been an established method used by grocery stores for decades. If it were as simple as applying an algorithm to determine when and how much to discount perishable goods, grocers would have a much easier time managing their inventory.

It’s clear that the authors of this study, in their ivory towers, are out of touch with the realities of grocery store operation. They fail to account for variables such as storage conditions, product handling, and consumer behavior, which often play significant roles in the viability of perishable goods.

The assertion that fewer than 25% of U.S. grocery retailers offer dynamic pricing is misleading. Most grocers employ a variety of strategies to reduce waste, including pricing strategies. They typically utilize a combination of markdowns, promotional sales, donations to food banks, and composting.

The study author, Robert Sanders, acknowledges that grocery retailers generate high waste because it’s profitable. This may seem counterintuitive, but it underscores the complexities of grocery retail management. If a store fails to meet customer demand due to understocking, it risks losing more in sales than it would save in reducing waste.

Furthermore, the touted 21% reduction in waste through dynamic pricing does not account for the cost of implementing such a pricing system. The necessary investment in technology, training, and the administrative costs of monitoring such a system on a real-time basis are often substantial.

Sanders also suggests that dynamic pricing could make healthy food more affordable. However, he disregards the fact that the increased complexity and cost of implementing dynamic pricing could potentially increase the cost of food for consumers, negating any supposed savings.

It’s critical to note that the real-world practice of grocery retailing is far more intricate than a mere academic exercise. Studies such as these do not remotely reflect the practical realities of grocery retail management.

News release: Dynamic Pricing Superior to Organic Waste Bans in Preventing Climate Change

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Technology

Why upskilling alternatives needs to be on the prime of each job seeker’s record

Why upskilling opportunities should be at the top of every job seeker's list

The tech sector is in the midst of what has been dubbed a “double disruption” as it grapples with the economic fallout of a two-year pandemic while also grappling with the rapid advancement of AI.

What it means for workers is simple: according to the World Economic Forum, half of us will need to retrain in the next five years.

That’s not as daunting as it sounds. In a dynamic job market, upskilling is a core concern, and many employers promote in-house skills programs as part of their employee incentive packages. The Penny Has Dropped: Retaining the best talent in the age of AI means helping them improve themselves.

Employee training to increase employee retention is preferable to turnover and costly recruitment campaigns in the long run. When it comes to talent, paying to get better at the job has now become synonymous with stock options, remote work and diversity policies.

Further qualification for handling AI

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Of course, artificial intelligence has thrown down a gauntlet to workers and their employers. In March, a Goldman Sachs study predicted that generative AI has the potential to replace up to 300 million jobs.

While advanced automation has shrunk a large number of technical jobs, it has also increased the need for skills that machines simply cannot handle. According to the WEF report “Future of Jobs”, there will be a massive shift in the division of labor between humans and machines by 2025.

Ikea’s recent effort to align its workforce using AI is proof that upskilling can help solve the division of labor problem. The company is offloading most of its routine customer service requests to Billie — an AI bot named after its best-selling bookshelf — and freeing its human employees to focus on soft skills and creative work, such as remote indoor consulting. The company claims that AI has not reduced the number of its employees so far.

Plan your new career path

The path to further qualification is varied and the choice is large. Some global companies have dedicated in-house training services, while others also pay their employees to seek outside help with learning.

Not all learning and development is formal. There are numerous informal, non-accredited courses (many of them app-based) and can take your contribution from good to great. While these are easily accessible, for the most part they require some level of self-assessment.

Employees in very specific roles are more attracted to learning opportunities with measurable milestones and manager feedback. This represents the duty of companies to listen to their workers and design programs that meet their needs and promise to support them, even if it results in a career advancement. Training courses with no end in sight do little to increase employee retention.

Where to focus your learning efforts

Finding an employer willing to invest in your professional development is one thing; Choosing the area in which you want to expand your skills is another matter. The WEF Jobs Report has identified the top 10 work skills of tomorrow, while human resource development firm Zavvy has compiled a broader, more comprehensive list of Europe’s hottest skills.

Python, machine learning, and data management top the list as these skills work well with AI. Business also requires softer skills such as human resources and leadership, while technology has renewed focus on user experience and design and product.

In the near future, the ideal candidate for a job in technology will not only have technical skills, but also equally strong soft skills and a healthy growth mentality. Critical thinking and problem solving are considered top human skills.

Are you ready to find an employer with excellent retraining and upskilling programs? The House of Talent Job Board has thousands of job vacancies in companies that offer extensive learning and development opportunities like the three listed below.

Production Engineer (SRE), Third Republic, UK/remote

At Third Republic, the Senior DevOps Engineer is not only an expert in software engineering, but also in SRE, cloud, CI/CD and system design. Their main goals are to improve efficiency and strive for operational excellence. You’ll also ensure your team follows deployment, monitoring, availability, and service delivery best practices. In addition to a variety of employee incentives, Third Republic also runs its own boot camp for further training/qualification. Apply to House of Talent Jobs for this fully remote opportunity.

Senior Technical Program Manager/Scrum Master, Mastercard, Dublin

The Senior Technical Program Manager (Scrum Master) at Mastercard works closely with product owners, solution architects and development teams to deliver deliverables for the company’s fraud prevention platform. You will organize the processes leading to the building of best-in-class anti-fraud solutions and should have knowledge of Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Agile Scrum and XP principles as well as relevant soft skills. Building a trusting, collaborative and transparent environment for the team is just as important as your technical skills. And if career advancement is your goal, employees are encouraged to satisfy their curiosity through industry-leading content from Mastercard’s Learning Academies and open new doors at Unlocked, an opportunity to make a difference and mentor. Apply now for this unique role on the House of Talent Jobs Board.

Lead SAP Developer for Industry X Accenture, Dresden

Accenture’s employee incentive portfolio includes access to extensive soft skills training and further qualification in accordance with the latest technology requirements. The company is now hiring a senior SAP developer for automated warehouse systems as part of a team specializing in SAP production and logistics. Your focus is on solution architecture and you will lead a Dresden-based development team to ensure excellent quality assurance. You should be able to communicate well in both German and English and be an expert in SAP/EWM. Apply now for this position at House of Talent Jobs.

Don’t settle for stagnation in your skills. Future-proof your career with an employer who is investing in your skills now

Categories
Entertainment

Quavo amongst passengers current throughout a Miami yacht theft

Quavo among passengers present during a Miami yacht robbery

Quavo was reportedly present at an armed robbery of a yacht in Miami on Sunday night. According to Page Six, Miami-Dade Police have identified two suspects in connection with the alleged crime.

RELATED: Who is Erica Fontaine? Turner Quavo spotted at Usher’s concert (video)

Details of the alleged incident

According to police, the incident began after two men were reportedly told their time at the yacht charter company was “up.” The men allegedly became “very aggressive” towards the boat’s captain and crew.

In addition, they demanded a refund and reportedly began making “verbal threats” to the team on board.

The yacht’s captain claimed one of the men told him he was going to “kill” him and even threatened to “throw him off the boat”.

In addition, the suspect is said to have pulled the captain’s wallet and phone from his pocket. According to Local10, the wallet contained about $3,500.

Quavo’s connection to the alleged robbery reportedly remains unclear

The outlet reports the men have since been identified as Cornell A. Whitfield, 39, and Anteneh A. Workeneh, 32. However, her connection to Quavo and the rapper’s involvement in the alleged crime remain unclear.

Despite this, Miami-Dade authorities ultimately arrested “several men,” including Quavo, upon arriving at the boat’s location.

“Suddenly a police boat came to the front. People were raising their hands, so we were wondering what’s going on,” Terence Quek, a Miami viewer, told Local10. “It was kind of an ambush from both sides and that’s — it was a crazy scene, that can’t lie.”

Additionally, a source present during the men’s detention said the rapper was seen “with his hands tied behind his back.”

According to the anonymous source, authorities eventually let the “Greatness” rapper go.

“[Police] permit [Quavo] Later, he and his entourage drove off in those big black SUVs with blacked-out windows… [and a] Bunch of women.”

In addition, the outlet reported that there were no arrests in connection with the robbery due to “conflicting statements.” Furthermore, all those arrested were “released” by the authorities and left the area “without incident”.

In addition, it was revealed that no surveillance cameras were able to record the incident. Despite this, Local10 reports that the investigation into the robbery will remain “ongoing.”

Categories
Sport

Attorneys – Tyreek Hill of the Dolphins reaches a settlement within the incident

Lawyers - Tyreek Hill of the Dolphins reaches a settlement in the incident

Jul 24, 2023 4:18pm ET

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill has reached a settlement with the other party involved in an incident at a Miami Beach marina last month, attorneys for both sides announced Monday.

“The parties to the incident that occurred on June 18, 2023 at the Haulover Marina involving Tyreek Hill have settled their differences,” Evan Feldman, attorney for a Kelley Fleet Inc. employee, and Julius Collins, Hill’s attorney, said in a joint statement to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

According to Miami-based WPLG-TV, Hill reportedly punched a marina employee during an “argument” this Sunday. Andy Slater, a Miami sports radio show host, reported Hill punched the clerk in the back of the head, but said the person declined to press charges at the time.

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The incident was investigated by the Miami-Dade Police Department, but no charges were filed against Hill.

The Dolphins issued a statement through a spokesman last month acknowledging the reported incident.

Hill, a seven-team Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro, is entering his second season with the Dolphins after spending the first six of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The experienced Dolphins players are expected to report for training camp on Tuesday.

Information provided by ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques was used in this report.