TOM is a non-profit organization that hosts Makeathons to inspire people with tech abilities to help people with disabilities who are challenged in their everyday lives. The Makeathons are 72-hour events that are held to meet a ?call for challenge? and a ?call for talent? and are planned months in advance. Organised and run by volunteers, the Makeathons use open source design and coding to create new, customised and practical solutions, that are a direct response to personal needs. www.tomglobal.org
Most manufacturers of drink coasters and placemats refuse small orders because the product cost to the end user is far too high, however Activeways developed a new way to produce small runs of bar coasters and table placemats economically. You just email them your favourite photos and they'll quote to copy them on quality timber. I loved the idea and had small quantities of many photos made into coasters of our kids growing up which we use often for family dinners. Activeways is now owned by Thre3 Australia.
Last year Rio Tinto, the multinational miner with head offices in Australia and the UK, rolled out fully automated driverless truck fleets at two of its iron ore mines in the Pilbara Western Australia, in what it said was a world first. Recently a convoy of self-driving trucks drove across Europe and arrived at the Port of Rotterdam. While robot replacement of human labour is still being discussed, it's already happening with driverless trucks. With labor representing an estimated 75 percent of trucking costs the cost savings are potentially huge. While drivers are restricted by law from driving more than set hours per day without a break, a driverless truck can drive nearly 24 hours per day. It's been estimated that the technology could double the output of a transportation network at 25 percent of the cost. And the savings become even more significant fuel efficiency gains are included. In times of low growth these productivity gains are particularly significant.
Tech:NYC aims to be the leading voice of NY's fast-growing, entrepreneurial high-tech industry. It represents the city's high-tech sector as well as government, media and civic institutions involved in business and public policy forums with an interest in the sector. Its primary goal is to continue to attract tech talent and jobs to NYC and it's modelled on a similar NFP representing the tech sector in San Francisco. It advocates for policies that underscore a regulatory environment supporting the growth of technology companies and technology talent in NYC. In the past few months issues they have considered include a data breach bill, local drone regulation, how to handle ride-sharing and home-sharing services, and how to treat contract employees. www.technyc.org
Springboard Enterprises Australia (SBE Australia) announced the 10 business leaders who will take part in its fourth annual Accelerator program designed exclusively for women entrepreneurs. The 2016 program features women from a broad range of professional and industry backgrounds across the technology sector, united in their ambition to expand into international markets. Participants in the 2016 SBE Accelerator program are: Renee Welsh - Booking Boss; Catherine Resnick - Kinchip Systems; Jenny O'Neill - EpiSoft; Anne Moore - PlanDo; Julie Bray - Konnective; Kimberley Turner - Aerosafe; Tania Walter - Observr; Lucy Lloyd - Mentorloop; Tori Bowman - Social.Folio and Michelle Ridgway - Victus Health
