Emerging tech harnessed to improve the world

1 hr.

This is an excerpt from Hybrid Reality, a new e-book by Ayesha and Parag Khanna.

The word ?technology? combines the Greek tekhne and logos, symbolizing that technology, like language, is as intrinsic to the human condition as speech. Language, though, does not stand alone; it is part of a larger cultural system. Hence the German word Technik, which denotes not only technologies themselves, but also the skills and processes surrounding them. A century ago, leading Western philosophers appreciated the promise and peril of mass industrialization technologies. Oswald Spengler?s Der Mensch und die Technik: Beitrag zu einer Philosophie des Lebens (1931) proposed to integrate technology into a philosophy of life, arguing that Technik is a process that unites our economic, political, educational and cultural systems. The American sociologist Lewis Mumford, in his Technics and Civilization (1934), emphasized that technology must be more than just objects seen as ends in themselves (monotechnics); it must be a collection of ideas and methods that improve society (polytechnics). Technik unites the scientific and mechanical dimensions of technology (determinism) with a necessary concern for its effect on humans and society (constructivism). Technik, then, is the technological quotient of civilization.

Whereas geotechnology is about power, Technik is about adaptability. We live and die by our Technik, the capacity to harness emerging technologies to improve our circumstances. How does our culture deal with the distribution of technology? Can we devise strategies to maximize the upside of technology while minimizing the downside? Instead of West vs. East and democracies vs. dictatorships, actors ranging from cities to diasporas to corporations to cloud communities will compete and collaborate to attain Technik.

Science-fiction author William Gibson?s famous quip that the future is already here but unevenly distributed is the quintessential encapsulation of the fact that we differ in our stages of Technik. In a world of such diverse political forms??? ?democracies, monarchies, authoritarian states?? ?the ?war of ideas? will never be won. Instead, we will increasingly differentiate societies on the basis not of their regime type or income, but of their capacity to harness technology. Societies that continuously upgrade their Technik will thrive.

When standards of living are so perpetually threatened by technological shifts, shouldn?t Technik be a factor in evaluating societal stability? The contrast between the U.N.?s Human Development Index (HDI) and the reigning obsession with per capita GDP illustrates just how important it is to develop a more neutral, long-term-focused metric for progress. Many wealthy societies have low human-development scores (e.g., Arab petro-states), while China?s score is rising quickly even as its per capita income remains modest. We should layer on technology-focused criteria as well, such as the World Economic Forum?s Network Readiness Index (NRI), which assesses the quality of individual access, government regulation and business investment along more than 50 indicators. Not surprisingly, Sweden, Singapore and Finland are at the top, but interestingly, technocratic China scores higher than democratic India, and India higher than Italy. Good Technik requires a combination of the attributes that deliver high human development, economic growth, political inclusiveness and technology preparedness.

Which societies display the best Technik today? Given the high proportion of Asian leadership with science, engineering and math backgrounds, and their countries? export-led growth creating sizable surpluses, it is no surprise that first Japan, and then Korea and China, have invested so heavily in infrastructure to catch up with?? and potentially surpass????the West.

Japan?s technology obsession and idiosyncratic social traits make it a fascinating case study of the early Hybrid Age. Japan already has 38 of the top 50 cities ranked by speed of Internet connection. Its resilience as a society is demonstrated by its ability to rebound from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, keeping supply chains intact and rebuilding coastal communities. More broadly, Japanese society has embraced robots to such an extent that it seems to prefer a man-machine hybrid civilization to an ethnically mixed one. Robots are increasingly employed in building homes, caring for the elderly and even entertaining the masses???witness Hatsune Miku?s sold-out holographic concerts.

But there are costs to such a rapid embrace of robots: Males unable to meet traditional expectations become alienated and retreat into Internet addiction and virtual companionship, accelerating a decline in the birthrate. If any country becomes the first to feature human and robot citizens fruitfully co-creating a new hybrid culture, it is likely to be Japan?? but it needs to make sure there are enough humans there to enjoy it.

Singapore, once a colonial swamp governed from India, is today a seamlessly efficient cosmopolitan world capital of finance and, increasingly, innovation. Indeed, the lack of natural resources has made it an innovator in the most (un)expected areas, from fuel refining to water desalination. Now its Biopolis and Fusionopolis complexes aim to capture the edge in life sciences and immersive media. Peter Schwartz likes to call Singapore ?the best-run company in the world,? and indeed it is the leading role model in city-state Technik for entities from Abu Dhabi to Moscow to Kuala Lumpur. It must, however, evolve its political and educational systems to ensure that its own people are innovating in addition to all the talent it imports.

Finland, the so-called ?open-source nation,? is a leading Western example of Technik. Finland?s sophisticated population has embraced the digital life and pioneered mobile technology (Nokia) and an open-source operating system (Linux). In Helsinki, mobile phones are as much for banking and street navigation as for communication. In no other country does one so strongly feel that a mobile phone is part of one?s identity. It cannot be the weather that has earned the country the second position worldwide in the United Nations World Happiness Report.

Israel presents another example of rising Technik. Not only has it made major investments in biotechnology and other strategic sectors, but for several years its chief scientist gave out nonrecourse loans to more than 4,000 startups. Rwanda, Mongolia and many other nations are seeking to copy Israel?s blueprint as the ?startup nation.? Technology will long outlast the United States as Israel?s key ally.

Even a country still as overwhelmingly poor as India can elevate its Technik. Its mobile-phone penetration rate is skyrocketing, a biometric national identity card scheme is gradually delivering rights and services to hundreds of millions of previously disenfranchised citizens, digital kiosks in dusty villages are spreading access to information and education, and a sophisticated Right to Information Act requires publishing all laws on the Internet. Parts of India such as its tech hub, Bangalore, represent the leap from an agricultural to a service economy in a single generation.

The United States is home to some of the key pioneers of Technik, whose innovations help society adapt to the future?? yet it struggles to keep first-mover advantage over their innovations. Semiautonomous government agencies such as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have invented technologies?? from the World Wide Web to robotic exoskeletons????that eventually gained widespread application. However, the U.S. share of global R&D, like global GDP, has fallen to around 20 percent, and since not enough of those funds are devoted to commercialization initiatives, the United States sometimes has to buy things it invented a decade ago from competitors abroad. Fortunately for America, it is still home to most of the world?s ?silicon superpowers?: IBM, Google, Cisco, Apple, Microsoft and more. Those companies? hardware and software platforms are the foundation for almost endless innovation by diverse users worldwide, a contribution no Europeans or Asians can match. Technik is big business: Led by American ingenuity, we are entering the age of the $1 trillion corporation?? ?and the first to cross the mark probably won?t be one of the usual suspects but a manufacturer of 3-D printers that allow anyone to turn virtual designs into physical objects.

IBM is perhaps the leading example of how firms themselves should perpetually seek to upgrade their Technik. Having spun off its hardware production divisions over the past decade, IBM now invests in artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, clean energy and devices for high-tech health care. As a globally integrated enterprise with almost 500,000 employees worldwide (including 100,000 in India alone), it is also a de facto leader in spreading Technik to other societies. For its part, Apple exhibits the clever trait of creativity with control, bringing large swaths of humanity into its exclusive orbit of products and interfaces. Its $100 billion in cash outstrips the GDP of more than 100 individual countries. Apple products are undeniably one of America?s most coveted exports.

Even companies in traditional sectors can demonstrate enormous staying power and Technik by diversifying businesses, exploring new markets and hedging risk. For example, super-major oil companies such as BP and Chevron are among the leading investors in clean energy, and Coca-Cola and McDonald?s own a growing share of the health food sector. Large players constantly ?spin in? dynamic newcomers, incorporating their innovations and modifying their business models to stay on top.

The struggle to attain Technik could become the new global class struggle: those whose wages and quality of life benefit from technology versus those perpetually lagging behind prevailing standards. In the new global class struggle, there would be no clear geographic boundaries such as North and South, since the disparities of Technik exist?? ?and could widen????both across and within nations and cities. Technik is therefore a quality we must all strive for: whether as individuals, companies, communities, cities or countries.

More from FastCompany:

  1. What the most successful people do before breakfast
  2. Untangling the web of poverty, obesity and food
  3. Are you ready for your 'shark tank' moment?

michael madsen spring forward day light savings day light savings daylight saving time 2012 grapes of wrath silent house

Negotiators closing in on student loan deal

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Congressional bargainers appeared to be closing in on a compromise that would head off a July 1 doubling of interest rates on federal loans to 7.4 million college students and end an election-year battle between President Barack Obama and Congress.

Senate aides from both parties said Friday the two sides were moving toward a deal on how to pay the measure's $6 billion price tag, the chief source of partisan conflict.

The goal is to push legislation through Congress next week so the current 3.4 percent interest rate on subsidized Stafford loans can be preserved for another year. A 2007 law gradually reduced interest rates on the loans but required them to balloon back to 6.8 percent this July 1 in a cost-saving maneuver.

On another front, the two sides were also close to an agreement to overhaul federal transportation programs, according to House and Senate aides from both parties. Negotiations were expected to continue through the weekend, with votes expected next week on either a major transportation bill or an extension of current programs, said the aides, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the talks.

Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address there was "no excuse for inaction."

"Right now, we are seven days away from thousands of American workers having to walk off the job because Congress hasn't passed a transportation bill. We are eight days away from nearly seven and a half million students seeing their loan rates double because Congress hasn't acted to stop it," Obama said. "This makes no sense."

For weeks, Obama has ridiculed Republicans for not moving quickly to prevent student loan interest rates from doubling, a stance that Democrats have hoped will boost his support among young voters who broadly backed him in the 2008 election. With college costs and student debt growing steadily, the issue ties directly into concerns about the economy and jobs that polls show dominate voters' worries.

Though some rank-and-file GOP lawmakers have opposed letting the government set the rates, Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney and GOP congressional leaders have backed the one-year extension. The remaining dispute has been over how to pay for it.

Republicans have accused Obama of creating a phony issue and drawing out the battle in an attempt to reap political points. In late May, they proposed several options to pay for the measure, all of which were culled from budget savings Obama himself had proposed in the past, but they said the White House was ignoring them.

"Even though the White House refuses to respond to our bipartisan approach, Senate Democrats are finally working with us, and a solution is within reach ? despite the president's failure to act," said Don Stewart, spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

The talks have involved aides to McConnell and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. Democrats said the White House has been kept abreast of the talks, while Republicans said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has been kept informed but hasn't participated in the negotiations.

According to Democratic aides, negotiators are approaching a deal to cover the bill's costs by charging companies more to insure pensions and changing rules so companies take fewer tax deductions for their pension contributions. Reid proposed both of those ideas this month.

They said additional money would come from a list of options McConnell has offered, probably one to limit federal subsidies of undergraduates' loans to six years. The government does not begin charging interest on Stafford loans until after students graduate, which can take longer than six years.

"While we're not there, we're well down the road. I think we can get something done," Reid told reporters Thursday. He said McConnell and Boehner "are compromising just as we are and hope we can get something done."

If allowed to double, the higher 6.8 percent rate would apply only to new subsidized Stafford loans for undergraduates approved starting on July 1 and would not affect existing loans.

According to the Education Department, 7.4 million students are expected to get new Stafford loans in the year beginning July 1, with each borrowing an average $4,226. A doubling of interest rates would add about $1,000 to the costs of the average loan, which students typically pay off over 10 or more years.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York said last month that student loan debt grew this year to $904 billion, even as other types of consumer debt were falling.

___

Associated Press writer Joan Lowy contributed to this report.

taraji p. henson irs shuttle discovery biggest loser bonnie raitt internal revenue service intc

Rangers recovering 1 of their own after fatal fall

SEATTLE (AP) ? The family of a Mount Rainier National Park ranger who died while helping rescue four climbers both grieved and celebrated his life Friday, as authorities faced the grim task of recovering the body of one of their own.

Nick Hall, 33, slid more than 3,000 feet to his death Thursday as he was helping evacuate climbers from a crevasse by helicopter near the summit of the 14,411-foot mountain.

Hall, a four-year veteran of the park's climbing program, came from a family of EMTs who aided soldiers in Iraq and car crash victims in his small hometown of Patten, Maine. He was not married and had no children.

His father, Carter Hall, recalled his son as a loner when he was a child, but flourished in high school through a shared love of the wilderness.

"For good and bad, it was my influence of the outdoors," Hall told The Associated Press in a call from his Maine home, his voice breaking.

A Chinook helicopter from Joint Base Lewis-McChord removed three of the four climbers from Waco, Texas, and rangers stayed overnight with the fourth person. Poor weather complicated rescue and recovery efforts Friday, with snow falling above 10,000 feet, the level where Hall landed after the slide.

The remaining climber and four rangers started down the mountain early Friday and should be able to walk out unaided, but park officials still hoped a helicopter would be able to pick her up and also recover Hall's body, park spokesman Kevin Bacher said.

Visibility remained poor Friday afternoon, but rangers were hoping for a break to allow a flight, said spokeswoman Brandi Stewart.

The park withheld the names of the Texas climbers until their families were notified.

They had reached the summit and were on their way down, roped together, when two women fell into the crevasse on Emmons Glacier. Two men were able to stop the group, and one called for help by cellphone.

Rangers and the helicopter responded to the site at the 13,700-foot level. A helicopter airlifted the three to Madigan Army Medical Center at the military base near Tacoma, where they were hospitalized in fair condition Friday, said spokesman Jay Ebbeson.

The climbers were bruised with possible broken bones, Bacher said.

Hall had helped put three climbers into the helicopter when he fell. The park is investigating exactly how he fell, Bacher said.

"We don't want what happened to Nick to happen again," he said. "There's no urgency today; nobody's life is at risk today. Let's take it slow and make sure nobody else is hurt."

"We're a very small team and particularly the climbing team ? basically 15 people under the climbing foreman," said Bacher, who also is a ranger. "And they work very close together and train close together and depend on each other for their lives and become very close."

Hall's family said they were proud of his involvement in mountain rescues, and hoped that his death will draw attention to the profession's dangers.

Hall's father is a volunteer firefighter and EMT in Patten, and his older brother, Aaron, served in the National Guard as an EMT in Iraq. Aaron Hall celebrated his birthday on the day his brother died on the mountain.

Nick Hall had worked as an avalanche forecaster at Yellowstone National Park and as an emergency medical responder for the ski patrol at Washington's Stevens Pass Ski Area, his father said.

When he spoke to him about risks, Carter Hall said, his son responded that dying by heart attack "was also a risk in life."

Hall was the second Mount Rainier National Park ranger to die this year. Margaret Anderson was fatally shot on New Year's Day as she tried to stop a suspect in a Seattle shooting who drove through a tire-chain checkpoint. Benjamin Colton Barnes, 24, was found dead the next day in the snow.

Rescuers are still looking for four other people ? two climbers and two campers ? who disappeared on the mountain in January. "We're keeping our eyes out for them as the snow melts out," Bacher said.

About 10,000 climbers attempt to reach the summit of the volcano about 85 miles southeast of Seattle each year and about half make it, he said.

___

Dininny contributed to this story from Yakima, Wash.

how to cook a turkey yorkshire pudding larry the cable guy miracle on 34th street santa tracker monkey bread letter from santa

Older Americans reporting fewer vision problems

[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

bengals vs texans nfl playoffs cincinnati bengals bengals the stand josh mcdaniels cotton bowl

Investors lukewarm on latest Fed move

Stocks saw no pickup from Bernanke's announcements today.

By Joshua Freed,?The Associated Press / June 20, 2012

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange as a news conference by US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is broadcast on a screen, on June 20.

Brendan McDermid/Reuters

Enlarge

It's going to take more than low interest rates to fire up investors.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "off"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

The Federal Reserve's latest plan to help the economy failed to impress Wall Street on Wednesday. Stocks finished slightly lower for the day, and not much better than they were before the Fed announcement.

The Fed said it would keep its "Operation Twist" program going through the end of the year rather than let it expire at the end of this month. It aims to keep long-term interest rates low by selling the Fed's short-term U.S. government debt and buying long-term debt.

RECOMMENDED:?Recession in America? 10 questions assessing the threat.

Economists have pointed out that long-term interest rates are already near record lows, and that consumers and businesses who aren't borrowing today won't necessarily borrow tomorrow just because it's a little cheaper.

The Fed also sharply lowered its outlook for U.S. economic growth. Chairman Ben Bernanke said the economy would grow no more than 2.4 percent this year, down from an April forecast of no more than 2.9 percent.

"What the markets really don't like was he ratcheted down growth sharply," said Doug Cote, chief market strategist at ING Investment Management.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 12.94 points, or a tenth of a percent, at 12,824.39. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 2.29 points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,355.69. The Nasdaq composite index rose 0.69 points, a fraction of a percent, to 2,930.45.

Indexes dipped right after the Fed's announcement came out at 12:30 p.m., then quickly went back to where they were. It was the latest knee-jerk response to news headlines in a stock market that has been buffeted in recent weeks by fears that Europe's 17-nation currency union could rupture.

"It's obvious we're still in a trader's market, and it's a market that is still responding to news events, including the Fed, almost hour by hour, if not minute by minute," said Quincy Krosby, a market strategist with Prudential Financial.

Stocks spent most of the morning lower. Some of the same weakness being addressed by the Fed has forced Procter & Gamble Co. to reign in recent price increases as people cut back on spending. P&G is the world's largest consumer products company, and sales of its Tide detergent and Duracell batteries, among other things, are a good window into the economy.

P&G predicted continued slow growth in developed markets and slower growth in China, and cut estimates for fourth-quarter revenue and income. The stock dropped $1.83, 2.9 percent, to $60.39, making it the biggest decliner in the Dow Jones industrial average.

Next week, new figures on personal income and consumer sentiment will be released. The reports could signal more retrenchment by the U.S. consumer.

Actuant Corp., which makes industrial products, fell 94 cents, or 3.4 percent to $26.51 after predicting "uneven end market demand, notably in Europe and China." The company predicted revenue for its current and next fiscal years will be less than analysts had been expecting.

Adobe Systems dropped 90 cents, or 2.7 percent, to $31.99. The software maker, whose products include Adobe Reader and Photoshop, issued a profit forecast late Tuesday that was weaker that analysts were expecting. Its income for the latest quarter fell 2 percent on higher expenses.

La-Z-Boy plunged almost 13 percent after earnings came in far below what analysts were expecting. The stock lost $1.66 to close at $11.47.

Markets in Europe rose and the euro strengthened against the dollar. Benchmark stock indexes rose 0.5 percent in Germany, 0.6 percent in Britain and 2.1 percent in Italy.

Borrowing costs fell in Europe, too. Yields on government bonds in Spain and Italy fell, a signal that investors are less worried about the finances of those two countries.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose to 1.63 percent from 1.62 percent the day before as investors moved money out of low-risk assets.

Randy Warren, chief investment officer for Warren Financial Service, lamented the focus on the Fed, saying investors should be thinking about where to put their money considering Europe's problems and a weak euro. He favors American companies who mostly do business in the U.S.

"There's plenty to choose from for investors," he said. "They just have to think more than five minutes ahead."

RECOMMENDED:?Recession in America? 10 questions assessing the threat.

unclaimed money godspell media matters hana mountain lion taylor momsen xbox live update

Researchers report high suicide rates among young Indians

[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

miss america 2012 hgtv dream home patriots vs broncos contraband denver vs new england denver broncos vs new england patriots cruise ship sinking

G5 Reputation Manager Launching at the 2012 NAA Education ...

New Software Application Will Go Live with Approximately 100,000 Units

Bend, OR? June 20, 2012

Company News

  • ?G5, the leading provider of Digital Experience Management (DXM) software and services for the Multifamily industry, today announced its plan to launch G5 Reputation Manager at the 2012 NAA Education Conference & Exposition at the Boston Convention Center on June 28.
  • G5 Reputation Manager is the newest product offering from its next-generation DXM Platform. Launched in April 2012, the G5 DXM Platform includes five product suites that enable properties to create, deliver, measure, and optimize amazing experiences at every digital touchpoint.
  • G5 Reputation Manager helps apartment properties monitor, analyze, respond, solicit, and proactively manage the online conversation across multiple channels through tracking, insight reports, reputation scoring, and actionable next steps for improving online reputation.
  • After extensive beta testing, G5 Reputation Manager is going live with approximately 100,000 units, making it one of the most successful product launches in G5?s history.
  • ?G5 engineers worked around the clock to ensure that the product works seamlessly with Google+ Local, which was just released on May 30.

Market Perspective

  • Search has become more social, and online conversations (including reviews) play a pivotal role in the consumer?s digital decision-making process. 92% of Internet users read product reviews and 89% say that reviews influence their purchasing decision (eTailing Group).
  • Consumer reviews are 12 times more trusted than descriptions that come from the business or manufacturer (eMarketer).

Product Details

  • Reputation Score ? Objectively rates and benchmarks a property?s online reputation beyond just total ratings and reviews, providing apartment owners, operators and marketers with greater visibility into their online reputation
  • Continuous Monitoring of Review and Social Media Sites ? Provides apartment properties with market insight that helps them identify operational issues at the property level
  • Review Reporting & Analysis ? Online reputation reports and analysis help properties identify, track, and manage incidents that require a timely response ? including new leads
  • Dashboard View ? Allows properties to see critical information about their online reputation in a single view, helping them know where they need to focus
  • Email Alerts ? Provides timely notification of every review, good or bad
  • New Resident Recruiting ? Proactive assistance in placing the right resident in the right property by helping apartment marketers carefully select who they reach out to
  • Review Response Management & Best Practices ? Provides properties with the tools they need to know when and how to respond to reviews with a single, consistent voice
  • Workflow Management ? Ensures that no reviews fall through the cracks or go without a response
  • Review Solicitation ? Identifies property advocates and solicits reviews to boost online reputation

Commentary

  • ?Review and social media sites have become critical to the online decision-making process, making online reputation one of our clients? most pressing business concerns,? said Dan Hobin, co-founder and CEO of G5. ?G5 Reputation Manager addresses those concerns by equipping properties with the information and tools they need to take back ownership of the online conversation. We?re committed to ongoing development of powerful, innovative tools like this to help our clients nimbly address the evolving digital landscape.?
  • ?The results from our national study, ?Getting Inside the Head of Today?s Online Renter,? showed how critical it is to manage the resident experience and one?s online reputation,? said Doug Miller, president and founder of StatisFacts. ?Ratings sites have become a very important source category used in the shopping and decision-making process.? As it relates to multifamily, this has been validated by the number of apartment shoppers who say they use ratings sites.? If you?re not proactively monitoring your reputation on these sites, you risk losing control of what others are saying about your brand.?
  • ?G5 Reputation Manager is arguably the most advanced and dynamic tool in the reputation management market today,? said Josh McDonald, director of marketing at Holland Residential. ??The comprehensive functionality of the service not only allows insight into the timely notification of online ratings and discussions, but also provides a reputation score based on review activity. It provides the ability to allocate actions to users with the necessary guidance and best practices of customer service follow-up.?

About G5


G5 is the leading provider of Digital Experience Management (DXM) software and services in the Multifamily industry. The G5 DXM Platform enables owners and operators to put the right resident in the right property to maximize NOI. G5 helps thousands of properties turn residents into brand advocates by delivering amazing experiences at every digital touchpoint. As brand advocacy grows, so does demand?allowing properties to raise rents and revenue without adversely affecting occupancy.

Founded in 2005, G5 was recently named one of the fastest growing private US companies by Inc. Magazine (3rd consecutive year), one of North America?s fastest growing technology companies by Deloitte (2nd consecutive year), and Oregon?s 6th fastest growing private company of 2011 by Portland Business Journal. The Bend, Oregon-based company is backed by private equity investor Volition Capital. For more information, please visit GetG5.com or follow our blog at GetG5.com/blog.
Media Contact:

Amanda Patterson

541.306.3389

amanda.patterson@GetG5.com

?

###

?

-->

azerbaijan ryan howard ps i love you ray charles cheney heart transplant weather san diego unitarian

Endangered Languages Project: Google Wants To Save 3,000 Languages Under Threat (Thanks Partly To Google)

Endangered Languages Project Google, along with other major forces of our dot-com times, has played a huge part in making English the lingua franca of the Internet, but today brings news of an effort it's making to counterbalance that, at least a little. It is kicking off the Endangered Languages Project, a site for interested groups and individuals to share?research and collaborate on projects to help preserve languages that are under threat in the modern age, with the aim to document some 3,000 languages -- half of all the world's languages -- "on the verge of extinction," Google's Clara Rivera Rodriguez and Jason Rissman?write in a blog post today. Google says the new site will contain a number of tools and resources to help keep some of those alive: there will be high-quality recordings of people speaking the languages, copies of historical manuscripts, e-learning options, and even niche-language social networking opportunities, in addition to research and other documentation.

brandon lloyd celtic thunder fabrice muamba collapse prometheus trailer patrice oneal shamrock slainte