Todd Joseph's Profile

This was a very well written post and clearly points out the shortfalls of the US prison system. The value of a dollar invested in rehabilitation and education for inmates seems to far exceed the cost of reincarnation down the line as you’ve pointed out. Unfortunately the short-sightedness of many US lawmakers makes this sensible investment near impossible. I like the concept of shifting to digital education to reduce the costs of administering these educational programs. However, until the general problem of overcrowding in prisons is addressed, I fear these types of programs will not be long-lived. Attempts to reduce the overall incarcerations are necessary – legislation to reduce the number of non-violent crime incarcerations would certainly help.

Very interesting topic. I’m wondering if this investment in AV does anything to stop Uber from ‘burning billions’ as you mentioned was currently their biggest issue. While I can definitely envision a future with driverless cars and trucks that can drastically increase operational efficiencies, I fear that there is a long road ahead before this becomes a reality. Federal regulation is certainly a concern, but I also see challenges at the state level, and inconsistencies in inter-state law becoming an issue even between two states that endorse the technology. What I think would be a much better short-term direction for Uber to take would be to address the underutilization in the shipping industry with their existing technology platform. Are the long-haul trucks at full capacity (let-alone driven at capacity)? What if Uber used an UberPool-type platform to match manufacturers shipping routes and product-types? This would benefit individual manufacturers can through reduced shipping costs while the trucking companies would benefit from an increased capacity utilization.

Very interesting article Brad. When we think about IoT we often think about the software associate with it, and how tech giants such as Apple, Google, and Amazon are embedding AI platforms in their technology to function with internet enabled technology. They seem to be focused on having the best AI interface while sometimes ignoring the additional competitive advantage can actually come from the hardware employed. Skyworks could benefit from either keeping their technology vendor neutral and expanding their reach as you suggest, or also by partnering with the tech giants to develop technology that works with the Apple platform (or only Samsung, Amazon, or Google etc.). That way, as the IoT, Skyworks can help these companies protect their monopolies by selling the company specific hardware to third-party IoT manufacturers.

Great article Tuyee! This is a very interesting use of new digital technology to address a long-standing issue in the developing world. Logistics and infrastructure seem to be taken for granted in the developed world yet they pose such a challenge for emerging countries. However, mPharma seems to be one example of how these nations can leverage the ubiquity of cellular phones and other digital technology to overcome the existing challenges. I was also shocked to see the statistics on per capita income which represents a whole other set of challenges in reducing the disease burden in Africa.

Nice post! Seems like Macy’s is in need of quite a turnaround. As you mention, one worry is the declining appeal of the brick and mortar shopping experience to the millennial generation. An added benefit of the RFID could be the shopping experience itself. What if they incorporated automatic checkout i.e. a customer scans his items with his smartphone Macy’s app instead of relying sales person? If they could overcome the other logistical challenges, the novelty of the new shopping experience would certainly be a draw for the tech-enabled millennial generation, and RFID could have an even bigger impact on Macy’s logistics. Either way it sounds like Macy’s is ready to step up to the plate and use digitization to augment its brick and mortar stores rather than detract from them – great article!

Great post! I’ll need to visit Venice before it goes completely under…In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, a similar project was proposed to protect the New York City coastline from tidal flooding due to storm surge. There were obviously both proponents and critics, but they each could have something to learn from the MOSE example if it eventually is constructed. Unfortunately, it may take another disaster to garner the support needed for these types of massive infrastructure projects. I fear that people may have short memories and when this is actually brought to the drawing board it will not gain enough support. This may even be true for the MOSE project in Venice – unless a clear disaster (loss of historic artifacts, buildings, etc.) occurs, it may be difficult for this project to surface to air.

Great article! This issue is going to enter the mainstream more and more as the sustainability aspect of the tuna fishing industry starts to hit the worldwide tuna market. Some friends of mine that are a bit more conscientious about this issue have already begun boycotting the tuna industry due to some of the issues with sustainability. It seems that the move towards complete farming solutions is one that could appeal to these types of customers while the market price of wild-caught tuna should hopefully suppress the demand that Will L refers to.

Smells like Tesla’s spirit could get us out of this mess. I know that they are looking into fuel cells for solar energy storage as well. I’d be curious to see what other battery technology they are pursuing both in terms of design and material composition. As others have mentioned, there are multitudes of other battery technologies. In the pacemaker and defibrillator industry, battery design is critical, not only in terms of amp-hours/size or weight, but in predictability of battery depletion. Products need to be engineered so as to alert the patients and physicians in some way before the battery completely dies (and potentially the patient). I imagine Tesla faces additional, perhaps less obvious, design challenges that may limit the type/composition of battery they produce. Whatever route they choose, I agree with your assessment of the steps that should be taken to ensure the raw materials are sourced in a credible and sustainable way. Only then will they achieve Nirvana!

Great post! I love that you were able to slip in the positive steps that your Austrian counterpart in California has taken! Unfortunately, the power that lobbyists have in DC is both pervasive and formidable, and can only be overcome through legislation, which is ironically influenced by the lobbyists themselves. While both the Dems and GOP are influenced heavily by lobbying organizations, the problem that the Republican party specifically seems to have is that they received support from many of the socially irresponsible lobbying parties – i.e. the NRA, Oil & Gas, Tobacco, etc.. They’ve made a name for themselves as the party that supports industries that are perceived to have little regard for human life or the environment. While, the Republican base may support this ideology as well, the independents and those at the center of the aisle are less tolerant of this. If the GOP wants to gain ground with those voters they’ll need to handle issues like climate change more skillfully so as not to marginalize these voters by catering solely to industry’s interests.

Nice post, Samar. Another interesting attempt to address this issue is being doing by the US based company, Intrexon (XON). One of the divisions within Intrexon has the technology to genetically engineer the microorganisms that produce the methane to instead produce CO2, water, and biofuel (the molecular compositions are similar). I wonder how much of the 37% of human induced methane coming from livestock is related to burping as opposed to the decomposing manure. Instead of engineering the microbiome of the cattle (or other livestock) and making sure it is still safe, would it be as effective or more to address the decomposing feces? Once again, there’s power in poop!!