MLS Season Pass becomes huge stepping stone

Leah Cooper on June 5, 2023

MLS Season Pass – Soccer has increased in popularity in the United States over the previous decade, owing to World Cup improvements.

Major League Soccer (MLS), the country’s domestic league, has also played a significant part in bringing one of the world’s most popular sports to the attention of Americans.

The MLS Season Pass has been in the works for years, and it will see the sport grow even further in 2023.

The news

The MLS Season Pass studio facility on Park Avenue and 106th Street in Manhattan had not yet been erected two months prior.

The goal was achieved thanks to a cooperation between MLS and Apple that worked under a specific timeframe: February 25, the start of the 2023 MLS season.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber stated during a season-launch event on Wednesday:

“I love this expression: no pressure, no diamonds. If you don’t put yourself to task, then you’re never going to be able to achieve the impossible.”

The ceremony was held in a building that will soon house MLS 360, a new whip-around program that will provide live look-ins, analysis, and conversations for every match.

There are also separate studios for pregame and postgame shows, which start and conclude each match night and use cutting-edge technology, capabilities, and designs.

“It’s been 27 years of waiting for this moment, to see this studio, to see MLS be put on the forefront,” said Taylor Twellman, an MLS Season Pass match analyst.

“I think all of us need to be reminded of how monumental today is and what this season’s going to be because I’ve never seen a studio like this.”

Streaming

The MLS Season Pass is a one-of-a-kind package that offers fans a consistent location to watch the regular season, Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, and Leagues Cup.

Before, games were shown on local or regional television.

They may now watch globally on Apple TV thanks to MLS’s partnership with Apple.

However, the matches will not be unique to Apple because there are still conventional partners that telecast some games, such as:

FOX Sports
TelevisaUnivision (Leagues Cup matches)
TSN
RDS

Schedules for MLS Season Passes have also been altered to around 7:30 p.m. Saturdays and occasionally Wednesdays are local time.

A new age

“Someone shared with me awesome insight, that an MLS executive recently said how baseball was born on the radio, football on TV, and soccer is being born now in the age of digital streaming,” said Jillian Sakovits, one of the MLS Season Pass hosts.

The MLS Season Pass also includes the following figures:

MLS Season Pass broadcaster Maurice Edu
MLS Commissioner Don Garber
Deputy Commissioner Gary Stevenson
MLS Season Pass Broadcaster Taylor Twellman

“We are playing in the global game and we’re not yet the global league that we want to be,” said Garber.

“And what better way to do that than with a global digital partner that is ubiquitous around the world?”

“It’s just starting, and I can tell you what it’s like to have our clubs talk to a player from Argentina or from Brazil or from Croatia or from England and know that you’ll be able to deliver a game directly to one of their fans with the click of a button,” he continued.

“That is perhaps the most exciting part of this new partnership.”

League expansion

For the next season, the MLS has increased its roster to 29 clubs, with St. Louis City SC making their debut.

Don Garber revealed on Wednesday that San Diego and Las Vegas, like they have in previous years, are viable candidates for the 30th franchise.

He also claimed that an announcement will be made by the end of the year, underlining the possibility of expanding beyond 30 clubs.

“I don’t ever say never in Major League Soccer,” said Garber. “There are many other markets that are opportunities for us.”

“Soccer is exploding professionally everywhere on the professional side, on the men’s and women’s side. So we’ll see.”

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Artificial intelligence makes its way into neuroscience with new system development

Edward Anderson on June 5, 2023

Artificial intelligence — While Artificial intelligence has recently gained traction in technology, it is also gaining traction in science.

Artificial intelligence is being researched by scientists from a variety of disciplines.

For example, a peer-reviewed study published in the Monday issue of Nature Neuroscience magazine described how it may be applied to brain activity.

Scientists developed a noninvasive Artificial intelligence system that can convert people’s brain activity into a stream of text, according to the research.

Artificial intelligence & neuroscience

Artificial intelligence can improve neuroscience by improving the efficiency and precision of large-scale neuroscience dataset evaluation.

It has the promise of producing more accurate models of neural systems and processes.

Artificial intelligence can also assist in the development of innovative neurological diagnostic and therapeutic methods.

The system

The system is known as a semantic decoder.

It may be beneficial to persons who have lost their physical ability to communicate as a result of a stroke, paralysis, or other degenerative illnesses.

The technique was developed by academics at the University of Texas in Austin using a transformer model.

The transformer concept is comparable to that of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard.

The most recent study’s participants learned how to utilize an fMRI machine’s decoder by listening to hours of podcasts.

It’s also a larger piece of equipment used to monitor brain activity.

A surgical implant is not required for the semantic decoder.

Benefits

Artificial intelligence may aid neuroscience in establishing techniques for thoughts to become text by using machine learning algorithms to investigate brain activity patterns connected to language processing.

By analyzing patterns of brain activity and then utilizing this information to create corresponding text output, Artificial intelligence systems may distinguish specific words or phrases that a person is thinking about.

This technology has the potential to revolutionize communication for individuals who are unable to speak or type, such as those suffering from severe paralysis or communication issues.

More research is needed, however, to improve these systems’ precision and dependability, as well as take on the ethical and privacy concerns associated with accessing and interpreting people’s thoughts.

Text

The Artificial intelligence system creates a stream of text when people listen to or anticipate hearing a new tale.

Although the text created was not an exact transcription, the researchers wanted it to express key principles or ideas.

According to a recent news release, the trained system produces language that around half of the time closely fits the intended context of the participant’s original thinking.

When a research participant hears the words “I don’t have my driver’s license yet,” their immediate impression is “She hasn’t even begun to learn to drive yet.”

The absence of implants

Alexander Huth, one of the study’s major researchers, stated:

“For a noninvasive method, this is a real leap forward compared to what’s been done before, which is typically single words or short sentences.”

“We’re getting the model to decode continuous language for extended periods of time with complicated ideas.”

The semantic decoder, unlike earlier decoding systems under development, does not require surgical implants, making it noninvasive.

Furthermore, participants aren’t obligated to use only terms from a specified list.

Potential misuse

Concerns regarding the technology’s potential misuse were also addressed by the researchers.

The researchers discovered that decoding only worked when volunteers offered to educate the decoder.

Individuals who did not use the decoder produced results that were incomprehensible.

People who used the decoder but showed resistance produced ineffective results.

“We take very seriously the concerns that it could be used for bad purposes and have worked to avoid that,” said researcher Jerry Tang.

“We want to make sure people only use these types of technologies when they want to and that it helps them.”

An fMRI machine can only be utilized in the laboratory due to the time required.

The findings might be extended to other, more portable brain-imaging methods, such as functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), according to the researchers.

“fNIRS measures where there’s more or less blood flow in the brain at different points in time, which, it turns out, is exactly the same kind of signal that fMRI is measuring,” said Huth.

“So, our exact kind of approach should translate to fNIRS.”

Whale sharks studied with new method that could open up to more research

Claire Peterson on June 5, 2023

Whale sharks — Science and technology are fascinating because they enable us to learn more about topics in which we were previously interested.

Ultrasound was not used for pregnancy testing until the 1950s and 1970s.

Because of comparable breakthroughs, humans can also track the pregnancy of animals, notably cats and dogs.

Recent studies, on the other hand, may have discovered a mechanism to better comprehend whale shark reproduction.

Initial thoughts

Scientists formerly thought that larger spots on the undersides of female whale sharks indicated pregnancy.

However, for the first time, a method for free-swimming animals was used, indicating that it was all skin and muscle.

The humps, like breasts in humans, may constitute a secondary sex feature in adult females, according to researchers in the March 23 edition of Endangered Species Research.

Scientists are looking for new ways to learn more about whale shark reproduction, including underwater “jet packs” and blood testing.

The animal

Whale sharks, or Rhincodon typus, are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Only an estimated 100,000 to 238,000 ocean inhabitants remain, a reduction of more than 50% in the previous 75 years.

Whale sharks have an average length of 12 meters and may attain speeds of up to five kilometers per hour.

Due to the paucity of whale sharks, scientists are perplexed about their reproductive biology.

Biologists gained experience by evaluating the catch of a pregnant female by a commercial fishing boat in 1995.

“Protecting organisms without knowing about their biology is like trying to catch a fly with our eyes closed,” said Okinawa Churashima Foundation fishers biologist Rui Matsumoto.

Okinawa Churashima Foundation conducts research on subtropical animals and plants in order to develop and preserve natural resources in protected areas.

Research

Matsumoto worked with Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium shark expert Kiyomi Murakumo to learn more about whale sharks and how to keep up with them.

The researchers swam alongside the whale sharks, which had scuba tanks with propellers, using underwater jet packs.

The scientists utilized a 17-kilogram suitcase with a waterproof ultrasonography wand to collect blood from the undersides of 22 female whale sharks cruising near the Galápagos Islands.

Prior to the study, the ultrasound wand has never been used on free-swimming animals outside of an aquarium.

The two investigations were difficult, according to Simon Pierce, a whale shark biologist with the Marine Megafauna Foundation.

The Marine Megafauna Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to marine conservation via research.

According to Pierce, the whale shark possesses some of the thickest skin of any animal, measuring more than 30 centimeters thick.

Another problem was that the blood samples may have been contaminated by seawater.

To address this issue, researchers devised a two-syringe method in which the first syringe creates a vacuum while the second syringe draws blood.

Lab tests

The Marine Megafauna Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to marine conservation via research.

According to Pierce, the whale shark possesses some of the thickest skin of any animal, measuring more than 30 centimeters thick.

Another problem was that the blood samples may have been contaminated by seawater.

To address this issue, researchers devised a two-syringe method in which the first syringe creates a vacuum while the second syringe draws blood.

Tech innovations

Researchers have learned more about other vulnerable marine creatures thanks to noninvasive technologies used on whale sharks.

Waterproof ultrasonography wands attached to poles are being used on tiger sharks in places where the predators are drawn in with bait, according to Simon Pierce.

The underwater sample procedure was revolutionary, according to Rachel Graham, the MarAlliance’s creator and a marine conservation specialist.

She is skeptical that wild sea species like faster-swimming sharks or other marine animals will agree to such studies.

“What makes whale sharks fairly unique… is that they move relatively slowly at times, have the ability to remain stationary,” Graham pointed out.

“They tolerate the presence of other animals – such as us – nearby.”

Graham has traveled the world studying sharks.

Using satellite monitoring, the new technique, according to Pierce, may reveal where whale sharks give birth.

Little is known about whale shark pups, such as whether they are born in shallow or deep water, if they are delivered one at a time, and whether moms cluster to give birth.

“Assuming they do have some sort of breeding or pelagic nursery area we can identify… then that obviously goes quite a long way towards conserving the population,” said Pierce.

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Robots prove clinical to restaurant industry this year

Leah Cooper on January 2, 2023

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Robots: The hospitality industry, and restaurants in particular, have adjusted their strategies to incorporate more technology in recent years.

Recently, more AI has been incorporated into restaurants.

For instance, Chipotle Mexican Grill is testing whether robots can make tortilla chips at some of its branches.

Meanwhile, two Sweetgreen locations intend to automate the creation of their salads.

Starbucks wants to upgrade its coffee-brewing equipment to lighten the workload for its baristas.

The progress so far

In 2022, the restaurant industry announced a number of automation initiatives.

Operators scrambled to find solutions for the diminishing staff and growing wages, which led to the decision.

However, efforts have varied during the course of the year.

It will be years before utilizing robots pays off for businesses or replaces employees, according to experts.

David Henkes, the principal of the restaurant industry analysis firm Technomic, said:

“I think there’s a lot of experimentation that is going to lead us somewhere at some point.”

“But we’re still a very labor intensive, labor-driven industry.”

Early struggles

Prior to the pandemic, hiring and retaining workers was a challenge for restaurants.

Those who were laid off looked for other jobs as the pandemic just made the issue more evident.

The National Restaurant Association reports that a shortage of competent workers prevents three-quarters of restaurants from operating at full capacity.

Although restaurant operators increased pay to entice personnel, the rising cost of food also put pressure on profits.

Automation-focused startups presented themselves as the solution, saying that robots are more dependable than burnt-out humans at completing tasks.

They noted that artificial intelligence allows for more precise drive-thru order entry into computers.

Automation

Most of the announcements in 2022 came from Miso Robotics, which secured $108 million in November.

They were valued at $523 million, according to Pitchbook.

The company’s most significant invention is a robot named Flippy.

Flippy may be configured to prepare chicken wings and burgers for a monthly rental fee of $3,000.

White Castle promised to install 100 additional Flippy models while renovating four locations.

A new tortilla chip-making robot named Chippy is now being tested by Chipotle Mexican Grill at a site in California.

Miso’s CEO, Mike Bell, stated:

“The highest value benefit that we bring to a restaurant is not to reduce their expenses, but to allow them to sell more and generate a profit.”

Flippy hasn’t been able to go past the testing phase at Buffalo Wild Wings after operating there for more than a year.

Other progress

One of the privately held startups that Inspire Brands claimed it collaborated with to automate the frying of chicken wings is called Miso.

Startup Picnic Works produces equipment for adding cheese, sauce, and other condiments on top of pizza.

A Domino’s franchise is now testing the technology in Berlin.

As a starting point, Picnic Works charges $3,250 per month to hire out its equipment.

CEO Clayton Wood claims that the subscription makes the technology more affordable for smaller businesses.

According to Pitchbook, Picnic Works raised $13.8 million at a $58.8 million valuation.

Panera Bread has been testing automated ordering using AI technologies.

It also has a temperature and volume tracking Miso system to improve the quality of the coffee.

“Automation is one word, and a lot of people go right to robotics and a robot flipping burgers or making fries,” said Panera Bread chief digital officer George Hanson.

“That is not our focus.”

Even with the advancements, success is not guaranteed.

Beginning in 2020, Zume ceased employing robots to prepare, cook, and deliver food.

Instead, the company focused on food packaging.

Labor

Workers and labor advocates frequently criticize employers for eliminating jobs through the use of robots and automation in the workplace.

Meanwhile, restaurant operators have touted their efforts as a way to improve working conditions and eliminate more challenging tasks.

The process of creating salads will be automated at two new Sweetgreen locations that will be built next year using technology created by the startup Spyce.

The new restaurant model, according to Nic Jammet, co-founder and CCO of Sweetgreen, requires fewer workers for shifts.

Jammet noted that lower turnover rates and more employee satisfaction were secondary advantages.

According to Dalhousie University economist Casey Warman, the industry’s penchant for automation will lead to a permanent drop in the number of workers.

“Once the machines are in place, they’re not going to go backwards, especially if there’s large cost savings,” said Warman.

He continued by saying that the pandemic significantly decreased resistance to automation.

In the early stages of the pandemic, customers were accustomed to grocery store self-checkout lanes and relied on mobile apps to make their food orders.

Ball State University assistant professor Dina Zemke studies consumer perceptions of restaurant automation.

Customers were sick of restaurants’ limited hours and slow service, Zemke noted, because of a labor shortage.

In a third-quarter Technomic study, 22% of the owners of more than 500 restaurants said they were investing in equipment that would eliminate the need for kitchen staff.

19% of households also started using labor-saving technologies for ordering.

Skepticism

Although there are benefits to automation, it is still uncertain whether there will be any cost savings.

McDonald’s tested order-taking technology for drive-thrus years ago after acquiring the AI startup Apprente.

Months after announcing the test, the fast food giant sold the unit to IBM as part of a collaboration to improve the technology.

In over twenty Illinois test branches, the voice-ordering program’s accuracy was only 80%, falling short of the targeted 95% accuracy.

During an earnings call this summer, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski discussed automation.

“The idea of robots and all of those things, while it maybe is great for garnering headlines, it’s not practical in the vast majority of restaurants,” said Kempczinski.

“The economics don’t pencil out. You’re not going to see that as a broad-based solution anytime soon.”

However, the potential for automation in trivial tasks is higher.

White Castle vice president Jamie Richardson asserted that innovations like Coca-Cola Freestyle machines had a bigger impact on sales.

“Sometimes the bigger automation investments we make aren’t as earth shattering,” said Richardson.

Reference:

Why restaurant chains are investing in robots and what it means for workers

FIFA+ Collect, FIFA and Algorand’s NFT platform collaboration leading to the 2022 World Cup

Claire Peterson on September 5, 2022

Recently, football’s global governing body, FIFA, announced that it will launch an NFT platform with football-themed digital collectibles.

The announcement came in time as the 2022 World Cup approaches.

FIFA+ Collect

The FIFA NFT platform will be called FIFA+ Collect and will be launched at the end of this month.

The platform offers affordable, accessible and inclusive NFTs that showcase some of the best moments of this beautiful sport.

Once the World Cup takes place in Qatar at the end of November, moments from the world football tournament will likely be transformed into digital collectibles.

FIFA Commercial Director Romy Gai released a statement stating:

“Just like sports memorabilia and stickers, this is an accessible opportunity for fans around the world to engage with their favorite players, moments, and more on new platforms.”

Blockchain

FIFA+ Collect runs on the Algorand blockchain, a proof-of-stake alternative to Ethereum and Solana.

The Algorand blockchain was developed by MIT professor Silvio Micali.

In May, the Algorand blockchain made FIFA its lead partner in a timely World Cup deal.

The deal covers the Women’s World Cup 2023 and takes it a long way on the FIFA+ Collect platform with momentum.

Blockchain has taken a narrow and more defined approach to partnership agreements, rather than casting a wide net in the hope of reaching an agreement.

Outside of FIFA, sports facilities in the blockchain ecosystem are largely inactive, with limited exposure to transactions involving less physical sports like chess and drone racing.

Algorand

The blockchain platform made headlines earlier this year after acquiring Napster, a digital music sharing service.

It also partnered with LimeWire, one of the first peer-to-peer music sharing services, to launch a music-centric NFT market with songs from Universal Music Group-affiliated artists.

Despite the size of their deal, Algorand will not be alone in Doha.

In early March, Crypto.com announced that it would be the exclusive sponsor of the World Cup.

However, the company could limit its sports partnership program.

Last week, the company reportedly dropped a $495 million sponsorship deal with UEFA, the European Champions League.

More information

Details of the FIFA + Collect collections will be announced as soon as they are released. NFT-like teasers will also be released during the World Cup.

In addition, the NFT platform will also be streamed on FIFA+, the organization’s platform for football news, live matches and original content.

References:

FIFA launches NFT platform on Algorand in run-up to World Cup

FIFA to launch new NFT platform in partnership with Algorand

US government orders Nvidia and AMD to halt exports to China

Edward Anderson on September 5, 2022

Due to their high quality craftsmanship, Nvidia (NVDA) and AMD are two of the leading US chipmakers in the tech industry.

Recently, the US government ordered tech giants to stop selling their technology to China, even though China is one of their major customers.

The reason is that their technology can be used for artificial intelligence.

On Wednesday, the two chipmakers announced that the US government had ordered them to stop exporting high-quality chips to the world’s second-largest economy.

NVIDIA

Nvidia shared a filing motion in which U.S. officials said the decision was made because of a potential risk that the products could be used or diverted to a “military end user.”

The limitation falls on Nvidia’s A100 and upcoming H100 ICs, along with any systems that contain the two chips.

According to the company, the order is effective immediately.

How does this affect sales?

According to the filing, the decision could wipe out $ 400 million in deals for the company.

The numbers were compiled last week by the California-based tech giant as they discussed potential sales in China.

Therefore, their projection may be affected by the new requirement.

Both companies also suffered, with Nvidia shares down 6.6% in after-hour trading on Wednesday. Meanwhile, AMD’s shares fell 3.7%.

Nvidia is currently working with its customers in China to try to “satisfy their planned or future purchases with alternative products and may seek licenses where replacements aren’t sufficient.”

AMD

AMD has also received new requirements from the US Department of Commerce, which will affect the shipment of its MI250 ICs to China.

The company released a statement about another set of components, stating:

“At this time, we do not believe that shipments of MI100 integrated circuits are impacted by the new requirements.”

“We do not currently believe it is a material impact on our business.”

Tensions between the United States and China

The latest order shows how tensions between the US and China are overshadowing the commerce and technology industries, among other things.

However, the two countries recently agreed to review Chinese companies listed in the United States, which has offered a breakthrough in their relationship.

Despite the progress, experts have warned that the deal will only play a minor role in addressing other important issues.

The orders for Nvidia and AMD also extend export bans to Russia.

The two companies said they currently do not sell any products there, as they stopped selling after the invasion of Ukraine earlier in the year.

China responds

News of the decision reached the Chinese authorities, who opposed the decision. State media responded to the United States and said:

“Actions from the United States deviated from the principle of fair competition and violated international economic and trade rules.”

Beijing also released a statement stating:

“The US side should immediately stop its wrongdoing, treat companies from all over the world including China fairly, and do more things that are conducive to the stability of the world economy.”

Meanwhile, the US Department of Commerce responded to his statement.

“We are taking a comprehensive approach to implement additional actions necessary related to technologies, end-uses, and users to protect US national security and forreign policy interests,” said a Commerce Department spokesperson.

“This includes preventing China’s acquisition and use of US technology in the context of its military-civil fusion program to fuel its military modernisation efforts, conduct human rights abuses, and enable other malign activities.”

References:

US chip makers hit by new China export rule

US orders Nvidia and AMD to stop selling AI chips to China

Flytrex: The Drone Delivery Company Making Waves in the Industry

Claire Peterson on August 15, 2022

Flytrex is one of the most innovative delivery providers that has caused a sensation with the use of drones for its services in the United States.

The company is one of many to benefit from the technological innovations of the modern age.

Flytrex

Flytrex was founded in Israel in late 2013, but it wasn’t until 2017 that the company would start its operations.

The first regulatory-approved operational delivery services were offered in Reykjavik, Iceland, where it became a leader in on-demand delivery services via autonomous vehicles.

The company became the first in the world to offer complete end-to-end drone delivery solutions.

Drone capabilities

Flytrex drones can carry packages weighing up to 6.6 lbs or 3 kg.

Flytrex uses an attached delivery box to ensure customers receive their orders as packaged.

Using a fire release mechanism, the parcel is lowered 25m, ensuring quiet and safe delivery – from food and drinks to a dozen eggs.

Drone speed

They are also capable of covering a distance of around 6 air miles.

The drones typically fly at 52 km/h, allowing the company to reach customers in less than five minutes and keep food hot or cold at the destination.

Carbon footprint

Flytrex drones are also autonomous, meaning no one has to fly them.

The drones are fully electric and leave less carbon footprint compared to traditional delivery models.

Flytrex CEO and co-founder Yariv Bash said:

“It’s a lot faster and a lot quieter. We offer a much better solution for the customer and the restaurant. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

Despite its innovative concept, the company has a team of FAA-certified drone operators who oversee each delivery to ensure operations run smoothly. Flytrex app

The Flytrex app allows customers to order food from partner restaurants within the company’s delivery zone.

The app’s services are contactless, so users can order from the comfort of their home.

Flytrex Market

Yariv Bash said the company targets suburban markets as it is economically and strategically feasible to serve those areas.

However, he also discussed the process of obtaining permission from the FAA to fly drones, saying it was easier to protect them in the suburbs than in urban environments.

“This is a very nasty process,” Bash said of the FAA clearance process.

“Only three companies focused on home drone delivery are doing what we’re doing.”

Cities with Flytrex

Flytrex services are available in the following cities:

Granbury, Texas
Holly Springs, North Carolina
Raeford, North Carolina
Fayetteville, North Carolina

References:

Can autonomous technology power the future of restaurants?

Flytrex FAQ

Flytrax LinkedIn

Ark Power Technology (APT) Names Chris Song as New Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Leah Cooper on July 13, 2022

As part of its plans to bolster its workforce and advance its operational processes, Ark Power Technology (APT) has announced its new chief operating officer Chris Song who will resume duties immediately. The astute operational expert will lead the company’s research and development team and oversee the day-to-day operations in the United States.

Ark Power Technology (APT) is a global corporation at the center of advanced battery technology. The company has its main advanced R&D center at the campus of the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. Its units work with different research teams globally to advance component technologies for advanced battery technology. With multiple global patents, its cutting-edge battery technology is one of the most vaunted in the technology space. One of its leading developments is the ARK anode technology, which is a Li-metal anode with a coating layer of Molybdenum DiSulfide (MoS2). This technology combines molybdenum with sulfur to achieve the goal of eliminating or reducing the growth of dendrites on the Li-metals. APT developed this technology because dendrite growth leads to lower energy densities and risk of fires. It has also made this revolutionary innovation a gamechanger in the industry as it works towards more notable innovations.

With Chris Song resuming as the company’s new COO, he looks forward to continuing the current innovative works in the Li-S battery technology and bring to life important developments in the battery technology world. ARK Cathode Technology is another of such innovations that radically increased the energy density and capacity of most batteries, including Li-S batteries. It therefore reduced the effect of “polysulfide shuttling” in the Li-S battery technology. “This is cancer if you will, and we have a very special solution we can help scale this and share with the world,” Chris Song said. “The performance of our proposed Li-S battery technology has been demonstrated to have the specific energy density of above 500 KW/kg over 1,000 cycles of charge and discharge in coin cell format. These results were published and shared with the world in a peer-reviewed well known journal, Nature Nanotechnology, 2018,” he added.

Chris Song’s plan is to continue to steer the company in a direction that enables it to create batteries with lighter and more powerful configurations for different applications in the near future. “Everything we have planned will come to life while we source the materials within the USA. I see massive savings on material costs for made in the USA products. That means more jobs, no more costly imports and energy products with two to three times more energy density at 1/3 to ½ of the weight while being bendable and flexible,” he said. “The world operates on Lithium Ion, which has caused many fires and has its laundry list of reasons why it can be better and at Ark Power Technology, we hope to make battery technology better and safer.”

Over the next few years, Chris Song hopes to see APT become a leading global innovator in advanced battery technology. He also has the vision to put together a team with the technical expertise to change the world with revolutionary technology.

Phoenix Energy Brings Cleaner and Cheaper Energy to Homes

Leah Cooper on November 6, 2020

In recent times, renewable energy has become something of a sensation all across the media. As the world suffers from less safe energy sources, experts work hard to find alternatives to preserve the environment and help people save serious dollars. One of the forefront options has been solar energy, but this technology is often inaccessible and expensive. Phoenix Energy is out to change that for households everywhere.

Phoenix Energy is a leading provider of solar technology for the common home. The company provides solar energy tech to thousands of families every year, making clean, renewable, and cost-effective power available to so many. On average, solar energy has helped many households save thousands of dollars on electric expenditures every year.

A recent report by the Solar Energy Industries Association showed that many large conglomerates were starting to shift toward renewable solar energy. Companies like Amazon, Target, Apple, and Walmart have begun flipping the switch on such initiatives. In total, these large corporations alone have created over seven thousand megawatts of energy across thirty-five thousand facilities across the nation.

Early on, spotting this upward trend, Phoenix Energy founders Justin and Christopher Gordnick would become trailblazers in the solar homes movement. The two brothers have a passion and drive for the world of sales. The elder brother Christ is a US Army veteran with a bachelor of science degree from Ohio University. Upon returning to civilian life, he would jump into a lucrative sales company and invite his brother Justin to join him. Justin quickly skyrocketed to the top. Primarily, Justin was always an entrepreneurial type. Growing up, he would sell newspapers, shovel snow, rake leaves, and move furniture for extra cash.

The brothers would later take the plunge into entrepreneurship and create a company of their own. Thus began the story of Phoenix Energy. The company has stationed headquarters at Hackensack, New Jersey, and services many households in the immediate area and beyond.

Phoenix’s solar tech systems have helped many homes save up to eighty percent on their monthly utility bills. The tech efficiently captures solar power from the sun and stores up the excess in a solar bank to be used at night. In many areas, homes can run on nothing but solar power all day round. On top of saving on monthly expenditures, solar power systems make families eligible for various federal rebates and state incentives that can add up to a tax credit equal to or more than thirty percent of the technology’s cost. Moreover, having a system installed in a home increases a property’s value by over five thousand dollars.

Normally, the cost for the system goes for around forty thousand dollars. But consumers can get the design on a Power Purchase Agreement that significantly lowers the upfront cost. Phoenix Energy also offers a zero down payment with no out of pocket expenses plan to eligible clients.

Phoenix Energy’s operations carry on even today as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Installers and staff come to clients’ homes fully equipped with protective equipment and follow health and safety protocols at all times. When Justin and Christopher aren’t saving the planet with solar-powered technology, they’re keeping frontliners and people safe by procuring PPEs for hospitals and other institutions.

With more and more homes and companies switching to alternative power sources, it’s only a matter of time until this innovation becomes a norm. Moreover, as Phoenix Energy continues to advocate for cleaner and cheaper power, they hope to positively impact the planet and people’s lives through their work.

To learn more about Phoenix Energy, visit their official website.

‘Exclusive Calls’ Helps Give Exclusivity to Business Firms

danielruiz on September 11, 2020

Businesses these days are using every available platform for the promotion of their company and its products. Even though newer strategies like social media and digital marketing techniques are already available, these techniques still fail to give instant responses. As such, companies employing telemarketing and sales development strategies like Exclusive Calls are highly essential to keep any company running smoothly.

Due to demand, Exclusive Calls was founded in 2008 by Mo Amin. Mo worked for a call center technology company that sold dialers to businesses for appointment setting services. He was the Vice President of Business Development at the company. During his term, he would notice that the number one reason for clients canceling their dialer system technology was because their appointment setter disappeared, or things didn’t work out due to lack of skill. Usually, when this happened, the business owner would opt to cancel the dialer system until they found a replacement caller.

Applying what he learned from the grievances of the former call center technology company where he was employed, Mo started his small company on the side. Whenever a client called the dialer company to cancel, he would offer them a trained, dedicated caller to work exclusively for them on the dialer they were already paying for by tapping to his team. Once the transactions picked up, Mo Amin pushed through with his plans of founding Exclusive Calls.

This firm specializes in placing dedicated appointment setters to work on behalf of different businesses. Examples of firms or businesses that the company is currently working with are insurance agents, mortgage brokers, solar companies, contractors, and web development companies, and many more.

What sets Exclusive Calls apart from other telemarketing agencies is its business model. The company assigns a dedicated caller, or team of callers, to a single account, making it a one-on-one transaction with incredible focus to detail for the account. Moreover, the company blocks internet access except for the connection to the phone and CRM system to minimize any distractions for the employees. The company also does not allow the callers to tend to their phones during working hours so as to achieve maximum efficiency.

Exclusive Calls provides a more effective and efficient way to attract outbound callers because they established a foolproof system to unlock the full potential of the trainees and recruits. The callers are in an environment with other competitive personalities to induce maximum supervision and highest output.

The company recruits, trains, and hires appointment setters that will exclusively work for the company using their caller ID. Meanwhile, the executive team behind the company monitors, manages, and coaches the callers on-site. The company also has quality assurance representatives on site. The quality assurance reps barge in on the appointments or call back the interested prospects to confirm the appointments before they are emailed to the client. Lastly, the company has one team leader responsible for handling 12-16 callers and their associated accounts daily, forging personal relationships to enhance leadership.

Exclusive Calls was established to provide trained appointment setters to organizations and business firms who genuinely need it and are wanting to grow their business. The company promises top-notch support and high efficiency at setting appointments. Partnering with Exclusive Calls will ensure that a business will always have a flow of warm prospects.

Check out the company’s website for more information.