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Good news for travellers with a long layover in Shanghai: you don’t need a visa to head out of the airport and get a taste of the city. Indeed, you can stay in China visa-free for up to 72 hours. Follow Culture Trip’s guide to Shanghai in 24 hours, and you may end up having the best day of your whole trip right here.There are two international airports in Shanghai, but chances are you’ll be flying into Pudong (PVG). It’s a world-class airport, but since it’s located far from the city centre, visitors will need to find a way of getting there. They can take a taxi or bus into town, but nothing quite typifies Shanghai like the Maglev train service, which runs daily until 9.30pm from PVG to the Longyang Rd metro station at speeds up to 268 mph (431 kph). There’s nothing like the feeling of darting past goat farms and shanty suburbs on a giant levitation tube. It puts Shanghai’s rapid development into perspective and preps you for what to expect from the rest of the city.To get more news about Shanghai scenic spots, you can visit shine news official website.
The Bund may be the humdrum for people who live in Shanghai, but for travellers, it’s one of the first things you must do when entering the city. On the left bank of the waterfront promenade are old European-style buildings from Shanghai’s colonial days, and on the right are the skyscrapers that have come to represent Shanghai on postcards and stamps around the world. If you want the best views of both, grab a drink from upscale rooftop bar Flair on the Pudong side of the Huangpu River. Located at the top of the Ritz-Carlton Shanghai Pudong, Flair is so close to the Pearl Tower that patrons can nearly reach out and touch it.
After you’ve taken all your pictures at Flair, hop on Shanghai Metro Line 2 to East Nanjing Rd. This pedestrian street was the heart of the city during Shanghai’s colonial days and is now a major shopping and dining area full of tourists and local people alike. It’s worth seeing for the neon lights alone, and the skyline from the ground up is spectacular in itself. For RMB5 (US$0.75), you can take a little train down the street, in case you want to snap some photos without a walking incident. Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street runs from the Bund to People’s Square, where you’ll want to end up for some quality museum hopping. However, be aware that this highly concentrated area has been known to have scammers and petty thieves.
Throughout Shanghai’s history, People’s Square has been a nucleus of culture and activity. Due to its centrality and proximity to the Bund, the area draws tourists from all over the world to its hectic streets. People’s Square is packed with amazing and cheap local restaurants and street food stalls, parks, museums, and more.
For a quintessential People’s Square experience, check out the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center. This six-storey building located on People’s Avenue provides visitors with a detailed look at the evolution of one of the world’s most dynamic cities. It’s hard to predict what Shanghai will do next, but perhaps this museum will give you a clue.
You can’t come to Shanghai without experiencing its culinary wonders. From penny-priced street food to budget-blowing Michelin-star restaurants, Shanghai is a foodie paradise. Conveniently, some of the city’s best local eats are scattered around People’s Square, so no need to go far to eat well.
Pop into Jia Jia Tang Bao for a taste of Shanghai’s signature dish, the xiao long bao. Perhaps the most famous purveyors of xiao long bao in Shanghai, Jia Jia Tang Bao is little more than a hole in the wall, but it is an institution in the city. Lines are long and closing times, arbitrary; however, the chefs here have mastered the traditional pork filling and even offer crab-roe-stuffed bao. If street food is more your thing, head over to the southern end of Yunnan Road, where there’s everything from halal kebabs to Shanghainese noodles.
Top-selling NFL jerseys
With the offseason in full swing, NFL jerseys are selling as fast as ever. We’ve seen the Russell Wilson trade spark a jersey-buying frenzy in Denver, but that’s merely the tip of the iceberg. There’s a lot more player movement that will surely lead to empty shelves wherever football memorabilia is sold.To get more news about cheap nfl jerseys from china free shipping, you can visit custom-nfljersey.com official website.
From August 1-September 7, Buffalo Bills star quarterback Josh Allen had the top-selling jersey. But now that the regular season is complete, he has slipped out of the top ten.
While the playoffs were still underway, Fanatics revealed the top-selling NFL jerseys throughout the season, which included some interesting names featured in the top-10 of most popular jersey sales.
The No. 1 overall pick in 2020, Joe Burrow looks like an immediate superstar, having brought the Cincinnati Bengals all the way to the Super Bowl. For anyone wanting a jersey they can be proud to wear for the next 10 years, Burrow is a good buy.
It might be the biggest, most surprising defensive pickup of the offseason, but the Buffalo Bills are doing everything they can to bring the first Super Bowl to Bills Mafia. Signing Von Miller to a massive contract is the latest example. Get ready to see Von Miller No. 40 jerseys all over Buffalo. They should prove tough enough to jump through a few tables when tailgating.
The dream pairing will actually happen. After being teammates at Fresno State, Davante Adams will finally get a chance to catch passes from him at the pro level with the Raiders. His jersey is sure to skyrocket up this list after a few more days once everyone gets around to purchasing their new Raiders gear.
Landing one of the most prized pickups in 2022 free agency, the Chargers got a lockdown CB1 with the signing of J.C. Jackson. In desperate need of improving their defense, Jackson’s jersey is selling like hotcakes.
The Las Vegas Raiders are having a phenomenal season after reaching the playoffs in 2021. In addition to reuniting Davante Adams with his college buddy in Derek Carr, they’ve also added an elite pass-rusher by the name of Chandler Jones. Raiders fans can’t wait to get their hands on one of the hottest NFL jerseys around.
As the expected heir apparent to Ben Roethlisberger, the Pittsburgh Steelers have landed on Mitchell Trubisky to take the keys to their offense. We’ll see whether he receives any extra competition other than Mason Rudolph or Dwayne Haskins, but for now, he’s penciled in as the Steelers starter in 2022.
Finally finding a new No. 1 wide receiver, the Cleveland Browns can’t wait to see how their new-look offense looks with Amari Cooper catching passes from Deshaun Watson. For now, they’ll have to settle on buying their NFL jerseys.
The Washington Commanders have a quarterback of whom they can throw their full support behind. While the Colts couldn’t wait to unload Carson Wentz to another team, Commanders fans are jubilated to have a new QB in town.
Chargers fans are thrilled with their newest offseason pickup, landing Khalil Mack in a trade. Get used to seeing thousands of No. 52 Mack NFL jerseys in powder blue. Returning to the AFC West, where he once rose to fame, expect the best version of Mack in 2022.
To say that Denver Broncos fans are excited about landing a franchise quarterback would be a massive understatement. Not even Tom Brady’s unretirement can top Russell Wilson jersey sales, as the former Super Bowl champion has the top-selling uniform of all NFL jerseys right now.
Tom Brady isn’t just one of the greatest of all time – GOAT, if you will – on the football field. HIs jersey outsold every other NFL player in more states than anyone else, according to new data.To get more news about customized nfl jerseys cost, you can visit custom-nfljersey.com official website.
Lids, a clothing and hat retailer, recently released a map showing the top-selling NFL player jersey in each state. Brady, the recently-retired quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was far and away the most popular, topping out the list in 18 states. That includes two – Michigan and Indiana – that have their own NFL teams.
Brady was most popular in Florida, unsurprisingly, as well as states in New England, the Midwest, and West, plus Alaska and Hawaii.Close behind Brady was Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, whose jersey was most popular in Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas. Two other quarterbacks – Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson and Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott – were each top sellers in three separate states.
It wasn’t just quarterbacks that were top sellers, either. In 10 states, jerseys belonging to other offensive players were most desirable. In Minnesota, for example, Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen was the top-selling jersey at Lids.
NFL fans in one state, in particular, were taken aback by the top player jersey sold on their turf. Wisconsin, home to the Green Bay Packers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers, had its rival team’s quarterback, Justin Fields of the Bears, as the top-selling jersey.It isn’t all heartbreak for the Cheesehead State though. In a second map, Lids revealed the top-selling team jerseys in each state. In most cases, like Wisconsin, the home team won out. Brady’s Buccaneers outsold other teams in eight states, beating out the home team in Indiana and into New England.
Nine teams didn’t make the cut, including the Super Bowl-bound Los Angeles Rams, the now-Washington Commanders, and the Indianapolis Colts.
Shady brokerage with no regulation. This is how we’d describe AlpsMarkets broker after the research we’ve done. There is not a single good thing to say about this company.To get more news about mirollex, you can visit wikifx.com official website.
Speaking of Alps Markets regulation, we’ve determined it does not exist. The broker represents itself as a home of over 200,000 traders. However, to have this number of clients, you cannot be anonymous.
Every legit broker needs to be transparent and give their traders all the necessary information – the company owner, location, regulation, and minimum deposit. However, according to our AlpsMarkets reviews, this broker does not provide any of those. We did not want to leave our job half done. Since the broker does not give any information about the location or the owner, most likely, it’s based offshore. In offshore countries, regulatory bodies tend to look over shady companies like the one we speak about.
We’ve checked several regulatory registers – FSC, VFSC, FSA looking for the answer is Alps Markets regulated. Since we could not find the company anywhere, now we can safely say the broker is unregulated and not legit.Since the broker is highly shady and unregulated, we wondered if any regulator noticed its activities. We found two reports coming from Czech National Bank, CNB, and a Polish regulator, KNF.
Both of these regulators warn citizens against trading the name AlpsMarkets and state that those defrauded will have a hard time returning funds since we’re dealing with a bogus operation.According to AlpsMarkets reviews from Trustpilot and other reputable websites, the broker is rated as poor. Why? Because it does not allow withdrawals and uses its platform to defraud clients.
Since we couldn’t find the regulation, we’ve checked the Alps Markets trading platform. We wanted to see if there is possibly something that can attract 200,000 traders. The broker is offering only a web trader and a mobile trader, and you cannot access any of those before opening an account and making a deposit.
Since we are not willing to deposit with an unregulated company, we could not gather much data on the trading platform. All we could see on the website is that the maximum leverage this broker provides is 1:500.
Like many unregulated brokers, this one puts your money at too high risk as well. Be aware of the AlpsMarkets scam and stay away from unregulated brokers like Global CTB or Profit Trade. It will save your money, nerves and time!Another question without an answer. Nowhere on the website of this anonymous broker, we couldn’t find the information on which assets you can trade. Since we couldn’t access the platform as well, we are leaving this as a question mark.
The same thing stands for Alps Markets minimum deposit. If you check the FAQ section, you will see that you need to speak to customer support in order to get the answer.
Like many scam brokers, this one evaluates your financial situation first and then gives you the amount to deposit. Yet, most likely, after this deposit, you will face withdrawal issues, like many other clients that published AlpsMarkets reviews.According to warnings and AlpsMarkets reviews, we can conclude the broker operates in the EU, mostly countries such as the UK, Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, and Denmark. Also, we’ve found some of the reviews from Australia.
When it comes to prohibited areas, the broker lists only the USA, along “with some other entities” that remain unnamed.According to our knowledge, the main difference is in a spread that starts getting better by having a Silver account (we do not see what’s better) and the level of expertise your financial adviser has. For the Basic account, there’s no adviser at all, while having a Gold account connects you with a VIP adviser. Yet, since AlpsMarkets regulation is highly questionable, so is the advisers’ true expertise.
Based on everything we’ve seen, the AlpsMarkets trading scam has reached the level of no Demo account and no minimum deposit listed. If you want to check the offer, get ready for a call from some sort of support that will tell you the minimum (particularly made up for you.)
Once you try to withdraw your funds from the AlpsMarkets platform, you will be declined. Many clients stated they submitted withdrawal requests an endless number of times and each time had been denied under different excuses. Sometimes, they didn’t provide enough documents. Sometimes, the broker needs time to process such a request.
When it comes to money management there are an abundance of investing theories that can be put into practice. The old rule of thumb is that investors should hold a mixture of equities and bonds typically in the ratio of 60:40. Younger investors may want a higher weighting of equities in their portfolios as they can afford to take greater risks. Then, the closer one gets to retirement, there should be a gradual shift towards bonds which are generally considered to be less volatile than equities over time. This strategy has worked out well over the past seventy years or so. But will it continue to provide a decent income in retirement? There are many experienced investors who worry that it won't. And who can blame them when both bonds and many global stock indices are trading around all-time highs, and offering precious few opportunities to buy on dips?To get more news about samtradefx, you can visit wikifx.com official website.
Changing emphasis
When it comes to constructing a traditional portfolio, managers often concentrate on specific countries, or sectors, that they feel could outperform. Ten to fifteen years ago, many funds were recommending overexposure to Brazil, Russia, India, and China, known as the BRICs. A few years later and growth stocks were the order of the day. And they still are as a small group of US tech giants, namely Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, Tesla, and Facebook, continue to dominate and outperform the rest of the market. But experience shows us that what may have worked well in the past may not do as well in the future. Consequently, money managers are on the constant look-out for alternative ways to construct a portfolio. This is where thematic investing comes in. But what is it?
Structural trends
Thematic investing doesn't confine itself by concentrating exposure to a particular country or sector. Instead, it seeks to identify long-term structural trends which could have a transformative effect on global economies. These trends tend to be most powerful where new innovations prove to be highly disruptive and thereby provide significant growth potential. Current opportunities can be found in technologies that look likely to frame our future world. Such areas include robotics, alternative energy, battery technology, fintech, future mobility, autonomous technology, cybersecurity, infrastructure, education, and healthcare, including key societal changes such as ageing and our response to it. As these trends develop, they become increasingly important drivers of earnings and equity returns.
Investors traditionally have limited exposure to these themes as part of a portfolio's growth allocation. But thematic investing allows for specific themes to be more precisely targeted. While this can result in a riskier portfolio as the holdings will be concentrated around that specific theme, they are becoming increasingly popular. Funds in thematic schemes have more than tripled to $595 billion from $174 billion three years ago. For some, that suggests that new money is going to be too late to the party. Yet many portfolio managers still consider thematic investing to be in its early stages.
Constructing a thematic portfolio
The big issue for a manager of a thematic fund is how to construct a portfolio. Do you keep it as diverse as possible, thereby reducing your risk should a certain trend fail to pan out? Or do you focus on a specific theme, thereby increasing your profit potential should you pick a winner, but also boosting your risk? Obviously, the skill, or luck, is in identifying which technologies will triumph over others and become the dominant force. For instance, solar, wind, geothermal and tidal power are all alternative energies that have the potential to replace fossil fuels completely in the future. Some thematic investors would put together a portfolio that includes companies operating in all these sectors. Others may look to concentrate in a particular field. Obviously, the less diverse the portfolio, the higher the risk. But the returns will also be much larger by successfully backing one technology over another. Consequently, there's the obvious temptation to back a single industry within the overall theme. But what if that doesn't work out? What if all these alternative energies get swept aside, or even just marginalised, by breakthroughs in other technologies, such nuclear fusion?
Stock picking?
Typically, there could be many companies working towards the same objective, but in different ways. Not all will thrive, or even survive. Therefore, it is vital to carry out your own research and find out as much as possible about the management, as well as the corporate financials. This may sound like something an individual investor may be able to do themselves. After all, what's the difference from share picking? But the truth is that many of these new technologies are being worked on by young companies that have not gone public. This can make it quite difficult to investigate them thoroughly. It also makes it particularly difficult to invest in them. For the best opportunities you need to get exposure to private markets. A thematic fund can do this while most private investors can't. But make sure you think laterally as well. After all, it could be that there are publicly quoted companies that have direct exposure to particular thematic trends. For instance, consider businesses that provide vital equipment and infrastructure to these companies. This could be a safer alternative particularly if the provider covers several different sectors.
Global trading platform S.A.M. Trade today unveils a new logo, mission, and identity to reflect the platform's transformation since its founding in 2015.To get more news about cointrader, you can visit wikifx.com official website.
"S.A.M.," as showcased in the brand new logo, stands for Synergy, Adaptability and Motivation, and represents the guiding principles behind the platform's success. Synergy, as the platform's cross-business teams' effective communication and teamwork has allowed it to leverage its diversity to create a unified organisation greater than the sum of its parts. Adaptability, as the platform has kept pace with the changing times. Last but not least, Motivation, as the platform's purpose to grow, as individuals and as a team, has empowered its team of like-minded, determined professionals to continue to enable clients' success as well as each other's success.
In addition to that, S.A.M. Trade reaffirms its strong commitment to its clients in this rebrand with its new mission, "A Brokerage That Makes Your Priorities Ours". Being traders themselves, the founders and partners of S.A.M. Trade understand the importance of safe, easy and low-cost access to financial markets for its users.
Chief Executive Officer of S.A.M. Trade, Mr Sam Goh said, "We are very excited to unveil our new refreshed visual and platform identity. This marks a significant milestone for S.A.M. Trade, with our new identity signifying the successes that S.A.M. Trade has achieved over the last few years, through continuously developing and innovating our technology and suite of services. Synergy, Adaptability, and Motivation will continue to drive S.A.M. Trade onward, as we strive to serve our clients with ever-better seamless trading experiences."
The rebrand of S.A.M. Trade follows several new developments by the platform to enhance its product offerings and brand presence globally. This includes SamAideTM, which provides robust fund security for traders. The platform's signature technology, CopySamTM that allows its clients to trade like top traders, also won "Best Forex Copy Trading Platform - Asia" at the Global Forex Awards 2021. In addition, S.A.M. Trade has also strengthened its brand with its strategic expansion into the wider European market, having signed sponsorships with two football clubs, Cardiff City FC and Valencia Club de Fútbol.
Next World of Warcraft expansion leaks
Historically, World of Warcraft expansions are released every two years, so after 2020’s Shadowlands players are due for another big story DLC this year – however, disruption from the pandemic and the lawsuit over alleged discrimination and harassment at Activision Blizzard may put back the new expansion to 2023.To get more news about Buy WoW WLK Items, you can visit lootwow.com official website.
We’ll likely find out the World of Warcraft: Dragonflight release date on April 19 for the proper reveal, but the game’s website (via Wowhead) accidentally leaked the first details of the expansion. The source code was recently updated to show “WoW Dragonflight” Base, Heroic, and Epic pre-purchases – suggesting multiple tiers for the expansion, much like Shadowlands got.Most of these point to a new URL, which, of course, is currently inactive. Wowhead also spotted that several dragon-related items were datamined earlier this year, including a pet and what seems to be a Green Dragon mount. It’s speculated that these could be bonuses for the Epic or Heroic edition of the Dragonflight expansion. We’ll find out for sure in a couple of weeks.
From military to sci-fi to fantasy, from MMOs to block-builders to card battlers, it turns out that zero can buy you quite a lot in the F2P game world – and that some classics are available at the steepest possible discount. From cultural phenomenons like Fortnite, to all-time classics like Team Fortress 2, there are good games for free that suit literally every type of PC player.
To get started in your journey to playing the top free PC games for 2022, you need just look at this very extensive list we’ve put together. Finding these free download PC games reminded us just how far the world has come; you really can get triple-A quality games without spending a penny. Here are the best free games on PC, in no particular order!
You don’t have to find a group of like-minded aviation enthusiasts on a message board and join their virtual squadron to enjoy War Thunder. You don’t have to choose between realism or accessibility, either. You just download it, and then you’re flying – or driving, or shooting, or even both at the same time. This massively-multiplayer WW2 combat game effortlessly encompasses all of the explosions and excitement that planes and tanks are capable of generating. Not sure where to start? Our War Thunder tips will help point your tank’s cannon in the right direction. If you’re looking for war games that put you in the thick of it then War Thunder is for you.
You can now play one of the best-known mobile RPGs for free on PC. Raid’s turn-based combat and squad management require some strategic thinking, even from veterans of the genre. The game features over 300 heroes for you to collect, each with their own stats and unique abilities, meaning you’ll have to tweak and optimise your squad to make the most of your characters’ strengths. You can also take the fight online by either teaming up with other players in co-op, err, raids, or defeating their squad in battle to gain valuable rewards.
If you like the idea of World of Tanks but the battlefields just are not wet enough, then you need World of Warships. Introducing the navy to the concept of deathmatch, the controls are simple and welcoming, but allow for interesting tactics. World of Warships is more fun than Total War’s pondering naval engagements, definitely more approachable than Silent Hunter, and far, far deeper than the Pirates games. Surprisingly deep, if you’ll excuse the submariner humour. The World of Warships esports scene is also far more exciting than it has any right to be.
This Battlefield-esque tactical shooter prides itself on its historical accuracy, providing you with era-appropriate weapons and equipment as you lead your squad of AI soldiers through some of the most famous campaigns of WWII.
As in War Thunder (developer Gaijin’s F2P hit), you’ll also have access to a range of aircraft, tanks, and vehicles to help you on your way to victory, which are unlocked through the distinct skill sets of each of your squad members.
World of Warcraft prepares for the future as 9.2 launches
World of Warcraft‘s new big patch, 9.2 — Shadows of Eternity, launched today. This is the last chapter for the Shadowlands expansion, and it represents something of a crossroads (or maybe bridge) for Blizzard.To get more news about Buy WoW Gold Classic, you can visit lootwow.com official website.
The MMO and its team have been through hectic times. Accusations of workplace problems and investigations into those issues surfaced last year. In January, Microsoft shocked the world by announcing its plan to purchase World of Warcraft’s parent company, Activision Blizzard.Even outside all of that madness, World of Warcraft has been dealing with an increasingly discontent fanbase. Many players disliked Shadowlands’ story and its over-reliance on convoluted progression systems. Blizzard has been taking steps to win fans back, including making plans to finally allow players from the two games opposing factions — Alliance and Horde — to play together.
I had a chance to talk with World of Warcraft game director Ion Hazzikostas and senior level designer Sara Wons. We discussed what’s new in today’s update, as well as what’s coming in the MMO’s future.Ion Hazzikostas: First off, we’re adding a ton of new content. But in a lot of ways it’s carrying forward the philosophies that we pivoted to, in many cases, in 9.1.5 in response to player feedback over the course of Shadowlands. Building a whole new ecosystem, a whole new piece of content from the ground up with those in mind. As players are experiencing the thrilling conclusion to Shadowlands, as we’re going to this mysterious amazing high concept land of Zereth Mortis, and taking the fight to the Jailer, going through the raid and the dungeons, throughout that process we’ve asked ourselves on the system side, what are the things, traditionally, that are going to be pain points two or three months down the line?
We’re bringing back class sets. How will players feel two months into the patch when they want to switch characters or their friends are coming back and they feel like they’re behind with no way to catch up on getting their set pieces? Okay, let’s add a system, the sort of thing we previously patched in down the line, from the start. We have this creation catalyst that players will be able to unlock using currency a couple months in to target and specifically accelerate their acquisition of set pieces, build their own sets in a deterministic, non-RNG way. We’ve made most of our unlocks account-wide, whether it’s flying in the zone or access to content. In general, just trying to get ahead of what we have been hearing from players in recent years and taking those lessons to heart and building them into the content from the ground up.
Sara Wons: Zereth Mortis is an opportunity for us to dig even deeper into the crazy universe that we’ve already seen with Shadowlands, but then really take it to the next level. We were intrigued by the idea of keeping this place mysterious, while also giving some breadcrumbs and things for players to figure out. We dove into, who were the Progenitors? How would they have functioned? How would they have built anything here? We ended up focusing on the building blocks of the universe and sacred geometry. You’ll see that woven into the landscape here, in the denizens, in the creatures. That’s one thing that we focused in on, that recurring theme of this sacred geometry, as well as mystery and things to explore.
Hazzikostas: I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily a core change. It’s more trying to support parallel paths of progression and different play styles, recognizing that there are a bunch of folks who love outdoor world gameplay. That’s what they do, their entire endgame. We hadn’t necessarily served them as well as dungeon players or competitive PvP players or raiders in the past. We wanted to take steps toward changing that. We set up a system that has a lot of depth, a lot of deep understanding of the zone, thoroughly integrated into the zone’s mechanics, as something for those explorers to really delve into.
But we understand, and we certainly heard loud and clear from the community, that if we put power that will increase your damage in a dungeon or damage in a raid behind a system, it now becomes mandatory, whether that’s gameplay you enjoy or not. And so having this as something that is, for hardcore power gamers, optional, but still deep in something they can take at their own pace, it’s something we’re trying to do to offer a range of options without pressuring people to play the game in a way they’d rather not.
Robots are learning to think like humans
In a lab at the University of Washington, robots are playing air hockey.Or they’re solving Rubik’s Cubes, mastering chess or painting the next Mona Lisa with a single laser beam.To get more news about Robots on Demand, you can visit glprobotics.com official website.
As the robots play, the researchers who built them are learning more about how they work, how they think and where they have room to grow, said Xu Chen, one of those researchers and an associate professor of mechanical engineering at UW.
“From a robot’s viewpoint, artificial intelligence is getting more and more mature,” Chen said, referring to the software and algorithms that help a robot take in its surroundings and make decisions. “But if we want a full-scale robot to be able to think very quickly and cleverly, and then be able to do things in the physical space, I don’t think we’re there yet.”The games are a way to get one step closer to taking the robots out of the air hockey arena and into the workforce, asking machines to shoulder tasks like lifting and moving heavy boxes for hours at a time. Robots are already working in warehouses, helping Amazon and Walmart customers get their orders faster, but e-commerce and retail leaders want them to do more. The jobs have already been assigned but some of the technology still needs to catch up.
In Chen’s lab, the games can fill in some of those gaps, mirroring how a robot might operate in an ever-changing workplace. The laser painting is a scaled-down version of a 3D printer, which can be used to test and manufacture parts for the aerospace industry. Watching an air hockey puck fly down the table helps researchers understand how to “clean” the data the machine is processing from the environment around it.
Already, there’s growing demand for that type of technology. The market for automated solutions for warehouses — solutions that range from conveyor belts to robotic arms to autonomous carts that ferry packages around a facility without direction from a human — could reach $51 billion by 2030, based on an estimate from ABI Research, a New York-based firm that studies technology.
In a warehouse, automation and robotics can help businesses speed up operations. That can be good for a company’s bottom line but hard for workers, who push to keep pace with the machines. Concerns about that desire for speed are, in part, driving a growing union swell, particularly at Amazon warehouses, seen as one of the fastest e-commerce leaders.
“The acceleration of technology in all kinds of workplaces in new ways is actually a whole new set of reasons for people to get together and form a union,” said Jim Stanford, an economist and director of the Centre for Future Work, a progressive economic research firm.
“I’m not surprised that technology is a factor in what would motivate workers to want a union,” added Lisa Kresge, who studies the intersection of tech and work at the University of California, Berkeley. “Because it’s increasingly a factor that’s affecting their lives.”Venture capital interest in automation saw a spike starting in 2016, when investors handed off more than $2 billion to companies working on automated solutions. In the first half of last year, investors had pledged $1.4 billion to the industry, according to data from research firm Crunchbase.
“There’s a lot of tasks that need to be solved,” said Jeff Burnstein, president of the Association for Advancing Automation. “One of the exciting things now is companies are popping up who are only focusing on specific areas.”Autonomous robots at Amazon sites covered more than 1 billion miles last year, moving packages alongside human co-workers. When a bin arrives at a worker’s stowing station, a software system will shine a light on spots to avoid, helping to calculate the most efficient way to fit items in and around one another. An algorithm later determines — and delivers — the right amount of tape needed to seal up each order.
Amazon says its robots allowed the company to store 40% more inventory in its fulfillment centers. With the product easily on hand, it can shorten the time between when a customer orders, and when the package arrives at their doorstep.
How Smart Locks and Bluetooth Work to Keep Your Home Safe
Guest blog by Ralph Goodman, the lead writer on all things locks and security over at the Lock Blog. The Lock Blog is a great resource to learn about keys, locks, safety, and locksmith services. They offer tips, advice and how-to’s for consumers, locksmiths, and security professionals. For more information about United Locksmith, follow them on social media on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.To get more news about electronic safe lock, you can visit securamsys.com official website.
In part one of this how-to series, we covered how home automation is impacting the future of home security and provided some background information about Bluetooth? technology. Now, let’s continue.
Years from now, people are going to look back and view smart locks and home automation as a key part of history, and there is no doubt that Bluetooth will be a huge part of those conversations, just as it is now.
There are many questions that people raise when it comes to smart locks and their use of Bluetooth. Is it safe enough? Will anyone with Bluetooth? capabilities on their phone be able to walk right into my home? Will I be hacked? Each and every one of those questions is supremely valid and they have been addressed by Bluetooth and many smart lock manufacturers.
Every device that has Bluetooth capabilities benefits from the security practices Bluetooth devices have in place. Bluetooth security has standards that authenticate, authorize, encrypt, and keep your data private. This is done in order to make sure that unauthorized persons do not have access to your devices. Bluetooth also encrypts the data that is transferred between paired devices to make it much more difficult for anyone to get a hold of your private information.
It wouldn’t be much help if someone with a Bluetooth enabled device was able to open your door simply by being there, would it? Smart locks are paired with a primary device, which in most cases is a smartphone. Once your smartphone has been set up as a primary device, your lock can only be operated (unless you use a physical key) from your phone and from whomever you grant access to (in the form of temporary keys or additional users).
For further clarification, let us take a look at the Kwikset Kevo. The Kevo is one of the leading smart lock brands that utilize Bluetooth. When homeowners are installing the Kwikset Kevo, the lock has to be paired with the homeowner’s smartphone via the Kevo app. A back section of the lock is removed and the programming button is pressed in order for the lock to be made visible. This is done to allow the lock to communicate with your phone and establish it as the primary device. Once the primary device has been established, the lock will only respond to that device and any other devices that are added to that network through the Kevo app.
The same concept applies to other smart locks, like the August Smart Lock for example. Once the lock has been installed in the door, homeowners will have to download the August App, enable their Bluetooth connectivity, and scan the lock with their phones in order to pair the devices together. Once the lock has been connected to a primary device, it cannot be paired to another device without authorization from the primary device.
Security and convenience need to be balanced and well thought through when it comes to devices that concern our homes and our information. Smart locks manufacturers and developers have looked at ways to provide both, bringing the highest levels of trusted security while also giving you the ability to provide one-off key access with limitations to allow visiting family members or a housekeeper to access your house without you being there but only when you allow it.
The security features of Bluetooth, coupled with the additional security features that these smart locks have, work to keep you safe. This is done mainly by designating the primary devices that are allowed to exchange data with your lock and other smart devices.