Starlink’s biggest issue is not going to be its technology. Its success will come down to trust of its leadership of which there is very little in the population as a whole.
SpaceX details Starlink-for-phones plan, launching in 2024 | Ars Technica
Category: Technology
I delayed applying for an Apple Card until recently when Apple introduced their savings account with 4.15% APY paid monthly but accrues daily.
The features of the Wallet app for Apple Card are outstanding! It is easy to keep track of your spending and has a visual indicator of the categories with the most spending. Most importantly, it is easy to pay your balance daily if you so desire.
Apple should consider creating some sort of WalletKit or API so other banks can make it so easy to really control credit card spending. The Apple Card already has great features that differentiate it from other cards. Consumers will continue to use it even if other banks are able to enhance their user experience with an enhanced Wallet app.
Web iMessages for iCloud+
Hey Apple! I have a great idea for you.
Why not make iMessages available on the web as part of iCloud+? There is even a spot just waiting there on the iCloud site for the iMessages icon. The assumption that iOS, iPadOS, and macOS users will always have access to an internet connection on their device is short-sighted and flawed.
It is important for people to stay in contact wherever they are on whatever device they are using. Why limit access when it is really not necessary?
NPR quits Twitter after being falsely labeled as ‘state-affiliated media’
This is something NPR had to do. When Musk first took over Twitter, I questioned whether or not it made any business sense for another business to use it – whether or not a business could trust the platform. I would wager that NPR and PBS are only the beginning.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Has Massive Potential for Banking
Let’s set the stage. You are a risk executive at a large commercial bank, and you receive a news alert that Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank are going into receivership.
You immediately turn to the device at your desk or in your hand or on your wrist and ask it to create data visualizations in Power BI showing your bank’s commitment and outstanding balance exposure to those two banks in relation to your overall portfolio.
You then ask it to embed those visualizations in a PowerPoint presentation with your notes from the meeting that just ended with other senior executives at the bank. You also ask it to write an executive summary, attach your presentation, and create and send an email with the two outputs to the executive team.
Knowing that you and the team will need more details, you then ask Microsoft Excel to create spreadsheets with information like which borrowers are impacted, what are the commitment details for facilities in the top 10 impacted industries, and what are the outstanding loan balances by loan officer and risk rating.
With the additional details in hand and the executive team on the same page, you ask Microsoft Teams to schedule a high-priority meeting with heads of each business unit that appeared in the Excel output to bring the wider team into the loop.
Today, this kind of response would take many hours and more likely several days to organize and complete, but if the promise of Microsoft 365 Copilot holds true, all of this could be done in minutes. Talk about a game-changer!
Of course, for all of this to work, the information you use to train the AI models must be well-defined in the context of your business. Each data point must have a business definition that is specific and unique, and these definitions need to be accessible to the models.
This is where I see one of the biggest challenges for making data from online transaction processing systems available to AI modeling tools. In my experience, very few systems have consistent naming conventions and certainly do not include detailed business definitions within the product’s metadata. Without those business definitions, it is difficult enough for a human to understand the data they query from a system. How can we expect anything more from a AI model? This change in system design should begin immediately to take advantage of what looks to be an incredible shift in the way we are able to work.
This former Microsoft Office programmer could not be more excited about what we are going to be able to do with Copilot. Let’s go!
I’ve always been fascinated by Jony Ive. No matter what you create, there is a lesson to be learned from his approach to design.
There is a great article in the latest issue of WSJ. Magazine about Mr. Ive that is absolutely worth the read or 18 minute listen.
Want to know why Musk’s Twitter is likely to be an unwelcoming place for most long-time Twitter users? Just look at the people that are most excited about the takeover. They are some of the most hateful and hurtful people in public-facing positions. Until there is something better, I’m sticking with my own blog.
Bluesky’s AT Protocol looks like an interesting concept and potentially a social media protocol that can be used across platforms. Imagine if Meta applications, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. all used the same foundation. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to move data and migrate from one platform to another?
Pandora’s True Value
Pandora’s stock has been getting rocked lately with Apple Music and Spotify making it awfully hard to compete. When you can play practically any song on demand, “radio” seems too slow and out of touch. The idea of Internet radio is likely over at this point, but that does not mean Pandora has no value. In fact, the opposite is true. Pandora’s value is not in its ability to play music. The value is in its predictive engine. That is what it needs to license to others. No one can come close to its accuracy. Imagine Apple Music’s For You section with predictions from Pandora’s engine. People would play more new music bringing in revenue for Apple Music and lesser known artists. It is a win-win situation.