Once again the VA has failed to be there for its customers, our Veterans. The Department was set to begin the new Electronic Health Records system this week. Instead they have decided that they are only 80 percent of the way there and that healthcare providers in the VA system need more training to have a better roll out of the new system.

“The VA inked a $10 billion contract with Cerner in May 2018 for a 10 year rollout of an EHR system it’s co-developing with the Defense Department.” says the article. Congress has also stated that it wants a slow and proper roll-out of the system. For a Department known for having it’s patients kill itself in the parking lots of it’s facilities, due to lack of care, sooner-then-later might need to be a priority.

This isn’t the first delay in service from the Department. They have consistently assured lawmakers that they are on track only to change their minds at the last minute. The question to ask here is what is being done with the $10 billion to create this system? It is time for the VA and it’s contractors to start hiring competent healthcare and information technology specialists to create the system needed? According to the VA themselves there is a shortage of 45,000 employees, https://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=5104

To put that into context, that is the entire student body at FSU or the entirety of the Coast Guard, a military service worth of employees not being hired and needs unmet.

The VA has been behind the curve on this since they first annouced implementing this in 2017. The VA needs to be able to hire professional employees, then get the training and implementation of the new software done, maybe then they can regain some of the trust lost with its Veterans.

https://www.modernhealthcare.com/information-technology/va-delays-cerner-ehr-go-live-due-slower-build-time

Being a social media manager is a lot more than simply managing accounts. As a social media manager you are tasked with being the voice of the company or brand. You are the the acting social representation of the company. You give the potential audience a feel for what your brand is, and you bring back the loyal audience who loves the brand o much. Through social media you will be creating content, interacting with the audience and put together campaigns to keep the online presence alive. If this job might interest you check this link out for more information!

President Donald Trump has a federal budget of $4.8 trillion for the fiscal year ending in September 2021. This budget will include $2 Billion dedicated to Artificial Intelligence over the next two years. This is in the official White House plan placing emphasis on the importance of artificial intelligence in our economy.

China wants to establish itself as the worlds primary AI center within the next decade. This dedication of funds is a response to this fierce rivalry with China, almost like the nuclear arms race, except it is essentially Artificial Intelligence race. This race for Artificial Intelligence dominance is as U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios, stated “the country is facing a global power competition for AI.” It is now a head to head race for AI dominance in the economy.

The proposal budget will also focus spending for AI as well as to increased spending on quantum computing which will go hand in hand with Artificial Intelligence. The budget also proposes $50 million in AI and quantum education and job training initiatives. The United States is on its way to beat China in the global AI race. AI is entering the economy full force, it is time to prepare yourself.

https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/internet-censorship-report-2020/

In this 2020 report, ExpressVPN examines how social media and internet censorship varies from country to country all over the world. As many people know, many authoritarian governments like to use social media censorship and internet censorship to prevent citizens from having access to certain information, to stop citizens from organizing protests or riots, and to prevent citizens from challenging the government’s power.

According to this report, countries such as Cuba and Haiti have very little access to the internet at all. Not only that, but many countries in the Middle East implement strict internet and social media censorship policies during times of riots and protests. Interestingly enough, some countries don’t allow its citizens to have access to certain social media platforms at all. For example, this report found that Facebook, Telegram, Twitter, and TikTok are not available in Iran whereas Instagram is. Additionally, all foreign social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are banned in China except LinkedIn. I wonder why the Chinese government allows its citizens to use LinkedIn but not any other social media platform?

Overall, I am happy to know that so many countries across the globe allowing its citizens to have access to social media and the internet. While there is still a long way to go to ensure that everyone in the world has equal access to the internet and social media, I truly believe that this will come about in the next decade or so.

Being 2019 biggest song of the year “Old Town Road” ‘s fame didn’t just form over night, it was formulated. Lil Nas X wasn’t just born over night, many people leading up the the familiarly of the song didn’t know much about him until they heard it on the radio. Lil Nas X started his fame doing short comedy sketches on facebook, this then grew into his internet fame on twitter then to posting his songs on youtube. He then released Old town road, when it wasnt hitting the numbers they wanted, Nas X took it to tik tok, a fast paced growing social media app, and tagged it with #YeeHaw. This took off all on its own. the craze was there for the content. Tik Tok successfully made OLD TOWn Road number 1 in less than a year. its amazing what social media can do.

While social meida has helped Lil Nas grow it has somewhat hurt smaller electric artist who are trying to get their name in. the article goes into depths about smaller artist arent getting bookings because the people with better social media followings are being contacted more. Now this isnt a huge problem but it is limiting new artists on venues and festivals. This is one of the downfalls of the rise of social media, smaller artist aren’t getting their chance without the help of someone bigger shouting them out.

From artificial intelligence to connected TV to virtual reality, technology is quickly enhancing the ad-tech industry as new technologies are developed. These advancements in the tech industry allow advertisers to efficiently optimize their Adtech to provide the most effective solutions in terms ad-targeting, data, programmatic, and more. When it comes to providing the best solutions, advertisers leverage technology to reach target audiences. For instance, the ads you see when you’re watching a show on Hulu are because of connected TV. This benefits brands when they are trying to promote a product or service to a certain audience. New technologies are a yes, and you can read more about it here!

 

 

Read more here:

Say you’re in the position where you’re considering whether to use social media to market your business or use search engine marketing to market your business. There is no clear “winner” or “better option” but you should weigh the benefits of each based on what you are trying to achieve. Social media marketing is useful when trying to reach an audience who is “not there to look at your ads” but rather there to experience a creative message. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is more so based on psychographics (search query, location and behavior) so in this case they aren’t reliant on demographics or interest. Unlike Social Media Marketing, in SEM you know what your market is interested in but you don’t know their attributes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2020/02/10/when-to-use-social-media-and-when-to-use-search-engine-marketing/#4ea4713030cd

ARM, a large semiconductor company, has recently developed a new set of microchips capable of implementing AI within machines that don’t require cloud services or an internet connection to allow AI and machine learning to use within the device. The aim of ARM isn’t to put these chips into phones or computers, but rather for the IoT, or the Internet of Things. Currently, AI can be used for very basic tasks within embedded devices such as keyword detection, though the aim for these microchips is to allow for more advanced AI tasks such as object recognition. With the ability to use AI within smaller devices not meant to act like a computer, we can begin to reimagine what smart devices should be and how they should assist us within our lives.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/10/21130800/arm-new-edge-ai-chips-processing-npu-cortex-m55-u55-iot

Kim Komando, America’s Digital Goddess^®, is one of America’s most successful radio hosts and web entrepreneurs.

In this article, she writes a Q&A giving privacy tips for social media users. Social media has taken over the past years. Facebook, youtube and instagram are the most popular platforms and with that comes many privacy issues. Throughout the article, she is answering some of her most asked questions about whether or not other people on social media can see what you do on your own profile. For example, if you look up someone on facebook or LinkedIn, will they know? the answer for facebook is no because it doesn’t track that. On the other hand, LinkedIN is designed to help employers and workers connect so if you have a free account, it tells you the five people who visited your page but if you have a premium account, it can tell you who visited your page in the last 90 days so in other words, yes it notifies a person if you look them up. These are one of the many privacy question she answers. Read more below!

https://www.tulsaworld.com/business/kim-komando-q-a-privacy-tips-for-social-media-users/article_9d8fd7e0-f0ea-5a07-bbb5-62efc24a5708.html

Having a smart home makes some day-to-day tasks quicker and easier. Unfortunately, it can also make some things, like security, a little more vulnerable. Before becoming a smart home owner it would be best to be educated on all things “smart”. Where to start? The Internet of Things (IoT)! Become familiar with this subject before bringing any potentially dangerous devices into your home.
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/internet-of-things-what-is-explained-iot