Emerging Technology : In The News

Philadelphia's first chief data officer comes from Code for America

GovTech Friday, August 10, 2012

GovTech reports on Mark Headd, recently named Philadelphia's first chief data officer.

Headd is not a newcomer to the public sector. According to Headd’s blog, he was the chief policy and budget adviser for Delaware’s Department of Technology and Information. Headd also has served as director of the Delaware Government Information Center and as a technology adviser to former Delaware Gov. Thomas Carper.

Original source: GovTech

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BresslerGroup founder testifies for Apple in $2.5B Samsung suit

Bloomberg BusinessWeek Tuesday, August 07, 2012

Peter Bressler, founder and chairman of award-winning product design firm BresslerGroup and a product design prof at the University of Pennsylvania, testified for Apple in a multi-billion dollar trial against Samsung on Monday, reports Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

Bressler is an expert in “user research, human factors application, manufacturing processes and innovative criteria conflict resolution,” according to his website. His testimony may continue to lay the groundwork for Apple’s infringement claims, which Apple started last week with Scott Forstall, the company’s senior vice president in charge of iPhone and iPad software. He gave jurors the first detailed testimony about one of the patents at issue.

Original source: Bloomberg BusinessWeek

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UPenn inks research and licensing deal with drugmaker Novartis for new cancer treatment

The New York Times Monday, August 06, 2012

The University of Pennsylvania and drug company Novartis have joined forces to commercialize a new cancer-fighting approach that has proven promising in preliminary trials.

The alliance seeks to build on the recent results of an experimental treatment that trains a person’s immune system to kill cancer cells. Scientists at the university announced last year significant results in several patients with advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia who were treated using the new technique, including two who went into complete remission.

Original source: The New York Times

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Society Hill's Fame House helps DJ Shadow break new ground with BitTorrent

GigaOm Monday, July 30, 2012

We reported on Philadelphia-based Fame House's groundbreaking work with DJ Shadow in February. Now CEO Mike Feibach is receiving a heap of attention for helping Shadow become the first artist to make money through BitTorrent, reports GigaOm.

BitTorrent has been partnering with indie musicians and filmmakers for some time to distribute authorized content bundles through its popular uTorrent client. However, this is the first time that the company has struck a revenue sharing agreement with one of those artists. “It’s a really important moment in the history of content distribution,” said Mason.

That sentiment was echoed by Fiebach, who told me that he doesn’t see BitTorrent as a piracy tool. “That’s the wrong way to look at it,” he argued, adding that the technology itself couldn’t be blamed if people use it to pirate content. Instead, it’s a way to get to an audience of millions, he said, adding: “(Shadow) and I just see this as a great opportunity to make history.”

Original source: GigaOm

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New Eagles tickets score with augmented reality features

Mashable Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Mashable reports on the Philadelphia Eagles' new season tickets, which provide a high-tech perk via augmented reality.

The Philadelphia Eagles unveiled this week a new addition to their team app that will add a host of supplementary content for season ticket holders who hover their smartphones over game passes. Each game will feature a different combination of highlights, previews, messages from players and analysis, according to the team. Videos will be able to be played with the tickets in the actual background for an augmented reality effect, or fans can opt to simply watch on fullscreen.

Original source: Mashable

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Philly future: Government as 'an enabler and a platform for innovation'

GreenBiz Tuesday, July 24, 2012

GreenBiz reports on Philadelphia's Chief Innovation Officer Adel Ebeid and his talk to attendees at the GreenBiz Cities 2.0 webcast last week.

The city of brotherly love has published more than 100 datasets since April, when Mayor Michael Nutter issued an executive order requiring city branches to release their once-buried information through an online portal accessible to anyone. The site includes data from nonprofits, universities and businesses, as well as municipal data from maps of enterprise zones to a searchable database of childcare providers.

Original source: GreenBiz

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Philadelphia leaders take to Toronto to share and 'steal'

Yonge Street Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Greater Philadelphia Economy League Executive Director Steve Wray talkes to Flying Kite sister publication Yonge Street about his organization's Greater Philadelphia Leadership Exchange, which visits Toronto this week.

One the focuses of the Economy League is what it means to be a world-class region and what it would take for Greater Philadelphia to attain status as a world-class region. As we select places to go, we look for regions that are world class or striving to be world class. Clearly Toronto has attained the status in the global community as a city and region on the rise, as a global financial capital and as an international city. We thought there were a lot of lessons we could bring back to Philadelphia from Toronto that would serve us well.

Original source: Yonge Street

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Rendell, Daschle call for high-speed rail in Northeast

Politico Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Ed Rendell and Tom Daschle co-author an op-ed in Politico that maintains the Northeast is best-positioned for high-speed rail, which would make possible travel from Washington D.C. to New York City in less than an hour, as the Eighth World Congress on High-Speed Rail was held in Philadelphia last week.

Imagine what these trains would do for the Northeast corridor. Traveling from Washington to New York City (or Baltimore, Philadelphia or Wilmington) in less than an hour, downtown to downtown, would revolutionize business travel, making it easy to travel for a full day of meetings — and still have dinner at home.

In fact, the Northeast corridor is the only region of the U.S. with the ideal conditions for the SCMAGLEV system: high density, a number of large urban areas in relatively close proximity and demonstrated high demand for business, as well as personal, travel.

Original source: Politico

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Philly Startup Weekend winner SeedInvest seeking funding

Triple Pundit Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Recent Philly Startup Weekend winner SeedInvest is included in Triple Pundit's roundup of next-generation crowdfunding platforms.

Founder Ryan Feit said that following their win, he’s had a lot of people from the Philadelphia community reach out to him about investing and is in the process of seeking a round of funding. The site is still in the pre-launch phase but entrepreneurs and business owners can apply for early access.

Original source: Triple Pundit

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TechGirlz, StartUp Corps offering entrepreneurship, technology mentorship for youth

Inc. magazine Monday, July 09, 2012

Inc. magazine touches on Philadelphia's TechGirlz and StartUp Corps, both of which are offering summer programs for young people interested in technology and entrepreneurship.

One such camp, TechGirlz, begins Monday in Philadelphia. The camp, which is a collaboration with DreamIt Ventures and StartUp Corps, will give girls in 6th-8th grades a week of hands-on technology experience as well as a chance to develop business ideas under the mentorship of local entrepreneurs and developers. The goal is to get girls more interested in technology and start-ups early on to change the gender statistics in the IT industry.

Original source: Inc.

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Local duo finds popularity of patents steadily declining among startups

TechCrunch Friday, June 22, 2012

RJ Metrics founder Robert J. Moore and local patent lawyer Leonid Kravets found that only one-third of a sample of 12,404 funded technology companies have applied for patents, a signal that startups are paying less attention to patents, reports TechCrunch.

Arguments about the value of patents have heated up over the past few years. Software patents in particular have come under increasing scrutiny from thought leaders in the start-up ecosystem, yet later-stage companies like Facebook continue to pay huge sums to acquire patent portfolios.

Original source: Tech Crunch

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Philly, a tech scene where you'd never think to look

Fast Company Friday, June 15, 2012

Fast Company cites Philadelphia among 15 tech scenes in places you'd never think to look (although it's really not that unlikely, is it?).

What's changing? Resources, such as coworking spaces, incubators, and investment dollars, are dripping into the area. And perhaps for the first time in recent memory, young people are moving to Philadelphia.

Original source: Fast Company

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Textizen is Philly's answer to narrowing digital divide

Government Technology Monday, June 11, 2012

Government Technology reports on Code For America's work on Textizen, a citizen feedback platform launched last week for Philadelphia.

Neighborhood-specific questions are posed via colorful posters in public places like bus shelters, along with instructions as to how citizens can make their voices heard.

The PCPC is currently seeking input to revise two of the 18 district plans within the city. In the densely populated central district, people can text in views about the city’s recreation sites. Two separate questions are being asked in an effort to gather input that will help direct continued investment in the area, a haven for young families.

Original source: Government Technology

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Philly VC funds investing heavily in water technologies

Environmental Leader Tuesday, June 05, 2012

Philadelphia-based Meidlinger Partners and Conshohocken's Enertech Capital are among those who have invested heavily in water management products, which have raised more than $400 million in equity and debt over the past five years, reports Environmental Leader.

Altela, a US company that uses a highly efficient thermal distillation technology to desalinate and decontaminate wastewater, has raised $10 million to date. Enertech has invested in the company, and it is backed by Yates Petroleum and Merrion Oil and Gas. Altela is focused on fracking operations and has projects underway in the Marcellus Shale. Its technology meets new regulations for clean water discharge and has been validated by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the US Department of Energy.

Original source: Environmental Leader

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Why a Philadelphia cleaning equipment company is on Pinterest

The New York Times Tuesday, June 05, 2012

The New York Times writes about Philadelphia-based Equipment Trade Service Company's interest in Pinterest.

Mr. Schuster, who happens to be the Web manager of a cleaning-equipment business called Equipment Trade Service Company, played around with Pinterest a bit. The next morning he told his boss, David Hart, the company’s owner, that they needed to be there. Mr. Hart got it right away and soon the company, which is based in Philadelphia and has 23 employees, had its own Pinterest presence. “Our customers want to see good product pictures before they pull out that credit card,” he said. “Pinterest is great for that.”

Original source: The New York Times

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