Ready to up your Instagram game? Use Stories

You don’t have to be a business or a brand to use Instagram effectively.  But here are a few tips to catapult your Insta Stories to a whole new level.

First off, Stories are images (photos or 15-sec videos) that once posted ‘disappear’ from view on your account 24 hours later.  Of course, ‘disappear’ is relative.  Stories can be highlighted to keep them accessible to your followers.

You can add text, GIFS, filters, mentions, stickers and a myriad of other overlays to your photos and videos to increase interest in your content.  You can even draw or handwrite over your story post.
Instagram is always adding features to Stories to keep us interested and engaged.  Some of the best features include polls and share posts to Stories.

To get started with Stories, click on Your Story with the plus sign in the top left side of your Instagram app.  To get started quickly, just press the big circle.  To get deeper into the feature set, keep reading.

You can control many Story settings by clicking on the gear icon on the upper left corner.
At the bottom of the screen are several options, so many that you need to swipe left just to see the full menu of options available.

The first square in the lower left is our camera roll.  Tap here to see the last 24 hours worth of videos and photos on your device.  To the right of that square is a lightning bolt trapped in a  circle, these are your standard light/flash settings.  Hit up the two arrows to the right of the Record button to switch to/from selfie view.  Then feel free to add filters and effects by tapping the cute face with two plus marks icon.  This will launch a new menu with more options, enough to make your head spin.

Below all of that is another menu.  This menu includes Type for text-based posts, Live to ‘cast’ your content in real time, the ever popular Boomerang and additional features like Superzoom, Focus, Rewind and Handsfree.

Once you’ve created your original content, you can post to Your Story or just share with Close Friends.

Wait, we are not finished yet.  You can then swipe up for stickers, graphics, GIFs, sliders and polls.  Sliders and polls are a great way for your followers to interact with your posts in addition to liking and messaging, which are additional features.

Then, let’s not forget that you can share Instagram posts to your story.  You can share your own timeline posts or shout out to another Instagrammer by sharing their post to your account.  To do this, click on the paper aeroplane at the bottom of the post you wish to share.

Instagram archives your Stories by default, so you can always have access to them which is really helpful if you wish to highlight your post so that all your followers can view all time.  These highlights come up on circles just above your timeline photos.  Feel free to highlight individual stories and group stories into collections.

And imagine, all of this related to but one feature of Instagram - Stories.  Go forth and tell your story on IG.

Decoding Cryptocurrencies

By now, you’ve probably heard of Bitcoin which means you’re on the spectrum ranging from heavily invested to totally spooked.

If you’re closer to spooked, allow me to share some simple facts.



Bitcoin is the first decentralized, unregulated, most popular, most valuable, cryptocurrency, sometimes call digital currency.  Bitcoin is the first, but far from the only cryptocurrency.  Other popular cryptocurrencies include Namecoin and Dogecoin (commonly referred to as ALT coins).

Unlike traditional currency, cryptocurrencies rely on cryptography and blockchains.  Even kids in primary school use basic cryptography to pass secret notes to each other in class.  However,  blockchain is a term more familiar to hardcore coders than casual internet users.  In this case, a blockchain is a distributed network of verifiable, updated, encrypted and synchronized ledgers.

Blockchains are maintained by “miners” who receive a reward and/or transaction fee for updating, maintaining, verifying the blockchain.  There are a fixed number of bitcoin, 21 million to be exact.  And “mining” bitcoin requires an increasing amount of time and computing power.

Cryptocurrencies are virtually impossible to counterfeit, hack, duplicate or accidentally “double spend”.  It’s these remarkable features that help bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to retain their value.

The trifecta of features including anonymity, security and potential reward combine to make cryptocurrencies very attractive to criminals, failed Governments and legitimate investors.

Are you ready to jump in and invest?  Well then, you’ll need some money (which kinda goes without saying) and you will also need to set up a “wallet” on an “exchange” such as Coinbase.  It also goes without saying that you should always backup your data including your private and public key.

We can thank Satoshi Nakamoto for the invention of bitcoin back in 2008.  I’d like to tell you who Nakamoto is, but no one really knows.  We don’t know if Nakamoto is a person or a group.  Like bitcoin itself, the Nakamoto’s true identity is secure and anonymous.

Tech4Life airs every Wednesday morning on @RJR94FM at 8:15 AM

Tapping Into the Future Today

Young people are predisposed to technology, they seem to just have a knack.  True.  But they still need guidance to truly harness their abilities.

Enter TAP.  The Technology Advancement Programme referred to as TAP, will screen, select, train and in effect, employ, 1,000 young adults in ICT (Information and Communications Technology). 1,000!

The yearlong programme will take the participants through an intensive syllabus in the classroom and through to real-world, hands-on training in the work world.

Ministry Project

The Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology, through the Universal Service Fund (USF), has a mandate to “Support information and communications technology programmes that specifically target venerable groups including youth and disabled persons”.  The TAP programme brilliantly addresses this mandate in several ways.

First, TAP is open to unattached youth between the ages of 18 and 35 residing in all 14 parishes.  Second, no prior ICT skills are necessary as the robust programme is designed to train participants at all educational levels; that means that beginners, intermediates and experts will all be accommodated.  Third, the programme provides a stipend for participants to remove any possible barriers to participation.

Then, most importantly, upon completion of TAP, the graduates will be well equipped to become tech entrepreneurs or seek gainful employment in the private or public sector.  Further, the programme also features placement services for participants placing them based on their competence, interests and the needs of the host organization in the areas of ICT Research, Data Analysis and Digitization.

Launch Event

At the launch event, the Minister of Science, Energy and Technology, Dr The Hon. Andrew Wheatley noted that in effect, TAP prepares these young people to be active and successful participants in our knowledge-based digital society.  It’s no secret that the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) is committed to ushering the island into the forefront of what some refer to as the fourth industrial revolution.

Technology is not isolated.  It touches everything!!  All industries, including Agriculture, Manufacturing, Education and Health among many others, all benefit from technology.  The reality is that there is no option; technology is necessary for all industries.

As the Minister noted, TAP will empower the population to truly harness the opportunities presented by technology.

The comprehensive programme will be rolled out islandwide with the assistance of the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU).  CMU President, Prof Fitz Pinnock attended the launch to show his support for the programme.  Also in attendance were Mrs Hillary Alexander, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology, Mr Robert Lawrence, Board Chairman of the USF and USF CEO Suzette Buchanan.

The TAP programme kicks off in January 2018.

Watch the full launch.

Digital Dangers: Ransomware

Ransomware is, in effect, a monetized version of malware.  Ransomware is malicious software designed to extort money from its victims.  Ransomware takes control of victim data and threatens to publish or purge pending payment.

The rise and spread of ransomware are of concern globally and locally.  Recent reports of WannaCry, Petya and NotPetya, amongst others, wreaking havoc on international systems are becoming more frequent.

Earlier this year, SchoolManagerJa, a cloud based grade administration tool for local educational institutions, found its data externally encrypted, thereby blocking their access.  The hackers demanded the handsome sum of US$5,000.00 for the release of the data.

Neither SchoolManagerJa nor the 14 schools affected paid the ransom.  In a Gleaner report, SchoolManagerJa owner Michael Dingwall commented, “I can't pay them. Even if I should pay them, it's almost certain they would not unscramble it [the data] because what they did is a crime. All I would be doing if I pay them is contribute to a crime to help them to do this to other people, and, perhaps, to come back and do it to me in the future.”

Many other local cases remain unreported.

Ransomware is disseminated in various ways with phishing and click bait being common ways malware can infect systems and exploit security holes, like outdated and vulnerable operating systems (OS), to launch its destructive capacities.

Hackers often request payment in Bit Coin, a hard to trace crypto-currency.  Security experts advise victims not to pay ransom for data because there is no guarantee of recovery.  Further, each payment provides encouragement to hackers to deploy ever improving ransomware efforts.

There is no foolproof way to shield your system from a ransomware attack, but by following these seven steps, you increase your odds of keeping your data safe.

Tip 1: Schedule and run frequent security checks

Tip 2: Install or update to the latest OS, software and security updates and patches

Tip 3: Update and run anti-virus and anti-malware software frequently

Tip 4: Encrypt and frequently back up sensitive data

Tip 5: Create a unique username and password for every account and change regularly

Tip 6:  Clear cloud based messaging app conversations

Tip 7: Beware of public Wi-Fi; use a VPN, private browser and a firewall for maximum protection

RJR's Tech4Life airs on @RJR94FM every Wednesday at 8:15 am

6 Easy Steps to Slash Your Smartphone Bill

Smartphones are great!!

They keep us connected in a myriad of ways.  They provide us with hours of entertainment.  In some cases, they control our homes and keep us fit.  It seems like there is very little a smartphone can’t do, including saving you money!

The price of convenience can be very high.   Call charges.  Data overages.  Feature-rich contracts.  They all come at a cost.  But that cost is manageable by taking a few simple steps to tame your smartphone bill.

Step 1:  Chose the Right Plan

Bundled minutes and data.  Free weekends and nights.  CUGs (Closed User Groups) and other options are only good if they apply to you.  Scrutinise your bill regularly and update your plan periodically as your usage habits change.

There is no point in paying for features that you don’t use or underutilise.  Compare your plan to other plans offered by your telecom or to plans offered by other telecoms.  After all, thanks to number portability no one is trapped by a service provider.

Step 2: Consider Alternatives

Is it a smartphone, right?  So, it’s connected.  Some of us have already moved away from traditional cellular calls (you can go ahead and laugh if you remember life before cellular), while others are still waiting to hop on the VOIP (voice over internet protocol) bandwagon.

But VOIP, video conferencing and messaging are all great alternatives to phone calls.  There is a plethora of apps that offer some, or all, of these options in one neat package.  Most notably is WhatsApp.  This nearly ubiquitous app offers text messaging, file sharing, voice calling and video calling on an encrypted platform for free.  Only data charges apply if no Wi-Fi.

Concerns about call quality are diminishing fast as the technology evolves.

Step 3: Tame Data Use

So, sure.  I just said VOIP is a great option, but care is still needed in data management.

Generally, VOIP options don’t consume that much data, but every bit and byte can add up.  Especially if you’re not managing your data use correctly.

You should disable background refresh on most (if not all) apps, delete unnecessary apps and close apps that you’re not using.  Apps can really drain your data and rack up expenses quickly and overages cost real money.

The trade off to save money by cutting data use in favour of Wi-Fi is not absolute, especially when dealing with sensitive data.  Don’t jump onto any old hotspot just because it's free.  Make sure it's safe before your browse; especially when visiting banking and email sites.

Step 4: Plan You Roam

If you thought your smartphone bill was high, try taking it on a trip overseas!

Roaming charges can put you in the poorhouse.  Make sure that you have the right roaming plan.  That’s a plan customised to the region you are visiting and your call, text and data needs.

Are you planning a long trip or a short trip?  Going on vacay or on business?  Is there reliable Wi-Fi in the hotel and other destinations on your itinerary? Do you need access to your VPN?  Your answers to these questions will help determine if you can find a cost-effective plan or if you need to get a local SIM.

Step 5: Don’t Roam Overboard

In principle, data is cheaper than calling.  That principle does not necessarily apply.

Before you head out to the airport, turn off data roaming for all non-essential apps to reduce the temptation to “just check” (this tip helps with my Amazon addiction) and consider if you must post to Instagram (or similar social media apps) in real time or if posting from the free hotel lobby Wi-Fi in the evening is just as good.

Save even more money: download maps for the destination and enjoy free access to GPS navigation for your trip.

Step 6: Ditch Voicemail

Seriously?  You still have voicemail?  That’s so 90’s.  Get rid of it.  There is no need to pay for calls you are not even receiving; especially when roaming.

Vigilance is the key to enjoying both the convenience and the cost of owning a smartphone.

How to Spot Fake News

Sadly, fake news is not new; it’s just topical.

The internet has morphed what we once knew as propaganda into what we now call fake news by reducing the cost, time and possible litigation related to creating and disseminating intentionally deceptive, biased or blurred truth stories.  Wow; that was a lot to say.  Fake news is, after all, a complicated affair.

For this discussion, I am not including deliberate and obvious satire like The Onion, but rather the divisive, intentionally misleading and potentially destructive lies masquerading as genuine news.  

The growing problem of fake news proliferation is exacerbated by “the filter bubble”.  Popular (social) media sites often employ algorithms to retain visitor interest by prominently posting content we like and burying posts we don’t.  We are therefore responsible for our own “truth filter”.

We must employ our own “truth filter” and halt the spread of fake news.  Excuses like, “I’m just passing it on as I get it” and "I'm not sure its true but sharing anyway," are just plain irresponsible.

The potential consequences are just too high.  The well-cited story of the 2016 shooting up of the Comet Ping Ping pizzeria by a 28-year-old North Carolina man who was “self-investigating” a bogus news story about Hillary Clinton running a child sex abuse ring out of the location, is an excellent example of the real dangers of fake news.

More recently and closer to home, images of a woman’s body being cut open allegedly as part of a local organ theft ring were circulated widely via WhatsApp leading to wild conspiracy theories and fear.  As it turns out, the video was taken from a 2014 autopsy video causing much distress to the young lady’s family.  

Let us not be a party to these kinds of atrocities.  Let’s spot and stop fake news!

Read Past the Headline

Headlines, by their very nature, are designed to draw us in.  So too, the first paragraph is written to entice us to read further.  If we stop there, we may not have the information necessary to effectively analyse the article.  Often the body has little or nothing to do with the headline, has a disclaimer, has poor grammar indicating the information is not credible or has obvious clues the story is false.

Confirm Source, Date and Time

Some fake news sites try to fool us into believing the site is legitimate with official-sounding titles, copy cat URLs and look-alike pages.  Check the source of the material very carefully.  Take a moment to read the “About Us”.  If the language is over the top, absent or poorly written, then the source is possibly not credible.

Take a good look at the dateline of the story and other date references.  Some fake news stories and old stories or old content which have been regurgitated to appear “new”.

Questions Links, Sources, Quotes and Photos

Real journalists include citations, attribution and relevant images to enhance their stories.  Fake news writers avoid citations; they don’t have credible sources, and they steal and reuse unrelated pictures to make their points.  Be on the watch for these indicators.

Links to reference material litter real news stories.  Follow the links used to support a story and make an evaluation if they are relevant.  Look closely at the sources quoted, if any, in a story.  Do a quick internet search of their name and title to determine if they have the requisite authority to make the statement or if their quote (or a similar quote) appears on trustworthy news sites.  Finally, be sure that the image is related to the story and not just a picture transplanted from another place and time on the web page.  Google offers a reverse image search to inform if the picture has been used elsewhere on the internet.

Determine Bias

Lots of websites have declared biases; some do not.  But we need to know what we are dealing with.  Peruse the site a news story appears on to see if there is an agenda they seem to be promoting and then, take the information presented with a tablespoon of salt.

Seek Corroboration

Before you take the first link as gospel, take a moment to find out if other news organisations are reporting the same news.  Get the facts before you spread what's false!

If ever in doubt, visit the RJR News Centre for consistently credible news.

Sources

• The Telegraph UK
• Wikipedia
• Huffington Post
• Pizzagate
• Jamaica Gleaner
• How Stuff Works
• Sunday Morning Herald

Social Stardom In a Real Sense

Event organizers Corve DaCosta and Shane Bennett

The irony is, it took a social media event for me to meet a social media star.

Thanks to Digital Media Week Jamaica #DMWJamaica, I was able to meet in person and physically mingle with a few social media stars that I follow or converse with regularly.

#DMWJamaica is an “unconference” that seeks to share social success stories and highlight Jamaicans excelling in the social media space.  The four-day series of events included a panel discussion at the trendy ATL Showroom on Tuesday, June 29, 2016.

RJR’s own Krystal Tomlinson, a star in her own right across multimedia media formats, hosted the panel on The New Rules of Social Stardom.  The group of experts included “certified student” @OneRomone, multi-tasker @NicoleMcLarenCampbell, fitness and nutrition expert @IAMKimilaMcDonald and transformational coach @PatriceJWhite.

#DMW Panelists Kimila McDonald, Nicole McLaren-Campbell,  Romone Robinson, Krystal Tomlinson (Host) and Patrice White.

Real is often overused these days, but “real” is exactly how the conversation is best described.  The presenters were revealing and raw while sharing their personal experiences, challenges, and successes.  Here's an interesting point, their least favourite platform: Snapchat.

The panel was preceded by an eye-opening keynote by Dr. Anissa Holmes of Jamaica Cosmetic Dental Services.  The audience who clearly had a preference for Instagram (IG) was schooled in benefits of Facebook.  Dr. Holmes opening discussed her methodology and impressive returns on her investment in the platform.

Dr. Anissa Holmes

She clearly illustrated the power and potential of the world’s most successful social media network and provided tips on how others good navigate the platform for their own success.  Notable, she said, “You have to have your business right first!”  Social media can’t make a business better, more efficient, or more appealing.  Start with a good business model and then leverage social media to draw attention, engagement and profits to that model.

#DMWJamaica continues with a Women in Digital Tech charity event this evening at the Courtyard by Marriott.  Congrats to @CorveDaCosta, @iamsgb and the team for a stellar event.

Tech4Life airs on @RJR94FM.com every Wednesday morning at 8:15 am.

T4L: Pass On Passive Passwords

Advisory: Change all your critical account passwords (email, bank, social media) immediately and often.

I agree, it is troublesome to come up with complex and unique passwords for every online account or service (in my case, 82 and counting), but I believe (from anecdotal experience only thank God) that it is less troublesome than having your data, PC, money and or identity stolen, held at ransom, revealed or deleted.

The Problem
So, here is the background, way back (in tech terms at least) in 2012, there was a data breach.  LinkedIn, Tumblr, MySpace (remember them?) and other sites were hacked, releasing some 117 million login details including passwords into the wild.  I can’t say why the data remained underground so long; I can say, however, that the data is available for sale and is being sold to some bad people (yup, that is a technical term).

This affects you (and me), if you haven’t changed your password in a couple of years or if you re-use passwords across different platforms.  The hackers are, right this minute, using the data to attack your accounts.  And, they have succeeded.  High profile celeb accounts like Mark Zuckerberg's were among those compromised this week.  Think about it, he’s one of the world’s greatest programmers, and he was hacked.  Still feel you’re immune?

The Option
You can check if you've been compromised at: haveibeenpwned.com, but personally, I’m busy.  So, I’d rather skip this step, assume all old passwords have been compromised and set new ones.  Even “the leader of the free world” resets his nuclear launch codes periodically, why can’t you reset a few passwords?

So real is the threat, that several sites forced subscribers to reset their passwords to gain access.  They completely denied access with old passwords.  Why not take their lead and take a moment to reset all your passwords.

The Solution
Before you start to complain about the brain power required to compute and mentally store scores of unique passwords, consider a password manager.  Check out cross-platform options like 1Password and LastPass.  Apple ecosystem dwellers can rely on Keychain.  Trust me, this is not the time to skimp; pay for the best service you can afford and enjoy convenient features and options.

While you're at it, going through all your accounts individually and setting up UNIQUE passwords for EACH account, why not take another moment to enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on every account that supports it.  Recently Google made 2FA simpler and other will follow suit, but that is for another post.

The combination of strong, unique passwords and 2FA is , currently, the best protection against hacking.

Tech4Life airs every Wednesday morning at 8:15 am on @RJR94FM

T4L: Long Time Expected (LTE)

At long last, Jamaica has LTE.  Well, Jamaican cities at least.

Digicel rolled out its LTE (Long Term Evolution) network (June 9, 2016).  Billed as up to 10 times faster than 4G, Digicel customers are now able to access LTE speeds in the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporate Area and Montego Bay.

© www.Jamaica-Gleaner.com

LTE is already commonplace in first world countries like the US and the UK.  It is also commonplace in some Digicel markets around the region.  Digicel even sells LTE enabled phones!  But it’s delayed introduction is due to … well, that depends on who you ask.

Digicel’s official response given at the pre-launch event in their super cool video conferencing room (more on that in another piece) was spectrum.  Digicel only recently acquired the 700 MHz spectrum required to provide LTE; by recently I mean April of last year.  They then spent US$50 million dollars to deploy LTE across Jamaica (but only available across the cities for now) as a part of their “Network for the Future” commitment.  In a release, the company noted that “the 700 MHz band - globally recognized as the best spectrum for deploying the technology because of its superior in-building coverage and wider signal reach when compared to similar frequencies”.

The on-site speed tests were truly impressive with up and (wait for it) down speeds exceeding 20 Mbps with up speeds approaching 40 Mbps.  I can’t wait to see how that translates in the real world when 1.4 million smartphone users jump on the network.  Notably, Digicel Jamaica CEO David Butler promised that Digicel will not throttle speeds.

Others speculated (openly) that the timing of the introduction had more to do with competition (read: Caricel).  FLOW has also announced plans to roll out nationwide LTE.  But for now, their LTE offering appears limited to Carlton.

But, back to Digicel.  Despite my best efforts, I wasn’t able to pin down Butler to a specific timeline for the island-wide coverage, though before the end of the year would be a safe bet.  No news yet on plans for the existing 4G network which powers several Digicel branded modems like the MiFi and CPE models, to the potential new LTE modems.

Anyway, enough about the politics and technicality.  Widely available LTE means that us data hogging, tech savvy Jamaicans can join our first world counterparts in enjoying all the trappings of social media, video streaming, live video casting, real-time ultra-fast gameplay and countless other distractions that our mobile gadgets and gizmos provide.

Apps like Periscope may explode as Jamaicans live cast football matches and dances.  Netflix need not be limited to WiFi making it practical to watch a movie while sitting in traffic on a bus.  What of Digicel Play and 1SpotMedia?  You can now watch the news on our handset without buffering.  In the city at least.

I say you, and not we, because, despite my best efforts, I wasn’t able to activate LTE on my business phone.  Sure, Digicel is offering lots of prepaid and postpaid packages to suit various lifestyles, but I’ve got to wait for my rep to complete the activation.

Not to worry. I can’t wait to get on LTE, and as soon as I am live, I’m likely to be buried in my phone.

Tech4Life airs on @RJR94FM every Wednesday morning at 8:15 AM

T4L: Hybrid Hit Home

The three-day spectacle was an assault on the senses.  Everywhere you turned, there was something to look at, hear, touch or taste at the clearly successful Jamaica Expo.

The tiny but tallawah Amber Connect device was great.  The potentially transformational JUTC Smarter Card was encouraging.  But, Kelly Tomlin’s personal car parked perched on a platform the centre of the arena for the JPS booth was, without a doubt, the most ogle-worthy display at Expo.

Yes, her personal car.  A shiny Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV hybrid ramped yup the previously muted discussion on the viability and practically of electrics cars on local roadways.

By all reviews and Tomlin’s own, the car is more than adequate to the task of navigating our notorious potholes and hilly interior.  The 2L 16 valve in-line 4-cylinder engine pushes the SUV from zero to 62 mph in a comfortable 11 seconds.

The vehicle charges overnight in a special outlet which, I am told, is easy to install.  JPS has indicated that they plan to roll out changing stations across the Corporate Area (and perhaps to major towns).  But, really, charging stations are moot for this hybrid that can self-charge on gas.

On a full charge, you can expect to drive upwards of 32.5 miles.  For me, that’s more than enough to go to and from work or for errand runs on a Saturday.  Respectable.  You can also expect 148 MPG.  148 MPG with today’s gas prices means that you’ll spend more on the concert ticket than the gas for your next trip to MoBay!

Tomlin joined a handful of drivers who didn’t wait for government incentives to bring in her environmentally friendly car.  Are you ready to join in?

Tech4Life airs every Wednesday morning at 8:15 am on @RJR94FM.

T4L: No Cash? Get Smart-er

The Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) offered its own impressive showing with a booth to pitch its “Smarter Card”.

The Smarter Card is a cashless payment system for public buses, much like the Metro Card used in the US subway systems.  The standard sized plastic card is embedded with an NFC chip which keeps the cardholders basic data and payment history.  The card is “topped up” at designated areas, including the “pop up top up” station at Expo Jamaica.  The topped up card is then tapped on the validator located in the bus to effect payment for the bus fare.  Simple.  Elegant.  Yet not fully adopted.

At the Expo and elsewhere, the public has free access to the JUTC Smarter Card; that means that all money “credited” the card immediately reflects on the account, in full.  As an additional incentive, Smarter Card users get Magna Rewards benefits when they tap.  Yet, still, not fully adopted.

Though the JUTC has attempted a cashless transit system many times, commuters are not warming to the idea as quickly as they would like.  The benefits of the system, like similar systems used all over the world, are too numerous to list here.  The limitations of the system, however, are not.

I can’t wait to see the system expand to offer convenient online and ATM top up like Highway 2000 East West Tags or mobile provider credit.  The top-up locations, though growing, are still limited resulting in long lines at some locations.  Bulk top - facilitating employers to deploy benefits and transport allowances directly to cardholders - is another feature that could boost adoption.

The Smarter Card is a great initiative; let’s hope it lives  up to its potential sooner rather than later.

Tech4Life airs every Wednesday at 8:15 am on @RJR94FM

T4L: Amber Lit Up Expo Jamaica

AMB 365

If there were a Best In Show Award - Technology category and the immensely successful Expo Jamaica, Amber Connect would have won, hands down!

It was a small booth, tucked away in a corner.  You could have missed it.  Thankfully, I did not.

On show was Amber Connect’s Vehicle Tracker - little but Talawah.

So, like many other trackers, the devices (they have a range), track several vehicle metrics, including movement to provide security, enhance fuel efficiency and, quite frankly, rack up “cool” points with friends and family.

Once installed, you can track your car via the cross-platform app or web portal in real time.  Listen close, ‘cause this is important.  Amber’s real time is not every 15 minutes; Amber’s real time is every five seconds via an on-board data connection.  The one-year subscription included in the one-time installation fee translates to no monthly charges.

Amber can monitor fuel efficiency (or lack thereof) and provide actual mileage costs.  It can create safe zones for kids, employees or even for family members borrowing the car.  It offers remote shut off to cut off thieves (or rogue family members) in their tracks and remote start, an uncommon feature in similar systems.  Get speed alerts or device tamper alerts right from the unit to your mobile device or send a collision alarm to prescribed contacts in case of an accident.

The ultra-discrete device is not visible from the battery making it even harder to detect and harder to disable or remove.  The best part is, your reduced insurance premiums may just cover the full cost of the installation.  With that, Amber just got a green light.









Tech4Life airs every Wednesday morning at 8:15 am on @RJR94FM

T4L: Why not have a Chat with a Bot

Are you ready to have a conversation with …. An algorithm?  Here come the chat bots.

So, a chatbot is a computer programme designed to simulate conversations with human users.  The term, chat bot, is actually short for chat robot which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to learn from conversations.

Chatbots offer an easy interface with technology for many users.  For some, it can be like the difference between calling Customer Service versus learning code.

Tay, one of the most notorious chatbots released into the wild, had a short lifespan when Microsoft introduced her on Twitter last March.  In a matter of hours, Tay learned from her human conversations.  It was conversely a technological success and a moral failure.  Internet trolls hurled negative, derogatory, fascist, racist and abusive comments at “her”, effectively teaching her to be a hate monger.  Did I mention this happened in just a few hours?

Hoping for greater success on an artificially limited space, Facebook has launched an API for Messenger to facilitate chatbots.  The likely outcome, companies, and brands will develop their own chatbots to interact with Messenger’s 900 million users.  Order flowers, send gifts or get an “opinion” on a prospective purchase from a human sounding robot on an artificial conversational tool.

The future is now.

Tech4Life airs every Wednesday morning at 8:15 am on @RJR94FM

T4L: WhatsApp Introduces Encryption

Yup, arguably the most popular messaging platform in the word just launched end to end encryption.  So, whether you’re chatting about your plans to attack a killer sandwich or to blow up an exam, your instant messages are protected, as of, well, now.

End to end data encryption is certainly not new.  Less popular but more secure apps like Telegram have been offering the feature for a long time.  But, the Facebook-owned Whatsapp has about a billion, with a ‘b’,  users around the globe making this announcement significant.  Note too; the feature is not optional.  I repeat, it is not optional.

Encryption is turned on by default, for everyone who uses the app.  Whatsapp has no access to the data in conversations and cannot be compelled by any government body or agency to turn over your conversation data.

Unlike email encryption systems, Whatsapp provides a separate, new, unique encryption key for every new conversation.  The key itself is verifiable between users, adding to the level of security offered.

Of course, the feature is useless as a privacy tool if you leave your phone lying around unlocked, but short of that, you can rest assured neither the government or your neighbour can access your Whatsapp messages.  Happy texting!

Tech4Life airs every Wednesday morning at 8:15 on @RJR94FM

IG Panic

So, Instagram (IG) announced that it was experimenting with changing its timeline.  Instead of the reverse chronological order we’ve all become accustomed to, they now want to tweak the algorithm to show the “most relevant posts” first.

Sound familiar?  Well, it should.  Facebook, the largest social media platform in the world, tweaked its timeline back in 2009 to ditch the chronological model for an “interest and tastes” model designed to ensure that you’re not bored by a bunch of random posts (from say, the errant cousin you can’t unfriend because their family) and leave the platform.

The detail of the algorithm is a closely guarded trade secret, but presumably, they take your likes, shares, comments and several other factors into account to make a guess about what you want to see and what you don’t.

Despite MUCH initial rebellion, the modified timeline was eventually accepted by the near 1.6 billion users.  So successful was the final roll out of Facebook’s modified algorithm, microblogging site Twitter attempted their own tweak earlier this year.

If unlike me, you’re following 10 accounts on Twitter, you probably won’t have a problem.  But, the more accounts you follow, the more tweets are going to fill your timeline, the more likely that you’re going to miss some tweets during your periodic social media check in.

Twitter introduced “While You Were Away” a collection of tweets it determined are most interesting to you based on your previous favorites, re-posts, mentions and the like (no pun intended).

On Monday, March 28, IG users were flooded with “Turn On Notification” posts imploring them to guarantee no missed posts from their favorite accounts.  Celebrities, like John Mayr, issued statements appealing to IG to abandon their new policy.  The thing is, it's not policy.  It is an experiment.  IG never announced that it was actually changing its initial reverse chronological timeline.

Still, mark my words, a change is coming.  And we better jump on board.

As social networks get more popular and by extension more crowded, we need ways to filter out content that is just not relevant.  Algorithms do the heavily lifting aka filtering.  If you think you can manage to do the digital social media filtering on your own and still have a physical social life, by all means try.  IG will likely make the algorithm optional for its 400 million users.

Either way, there is no need to panic … unless of course, you have no data/wifi.

Tech4Life airs every Wednesday morning on @RJR94FM.

Converting Cartoon Cash to Hard Currency

Musicians need to beware.  Animators may be Jamaica’s next big cultural export.

KingstOOn is the catalyst for a revolution.  Following the inaugural staging of the animation expo in 2013, UWI, UTech and even HEART joined Edna Manley in offering courses in animation in anticipation of the animation boom likely to impact Jamaica’s creative sector.

Potential Markets

Hon Julian Robinson, MP

Rhetoric aside, Jamaica is well poised to tap into the multi-billion dollar global animation market.  The country has strong relationships with the larger markets like the UK and Japan, and well suited to tap the largest market of them all, the USA.  “Because of our proximity to North America, we are seen as a good fit,” explained Former State Minister in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Julian Robinson, MP.

He explained that our proximity is not limited to geographic factors.  Jamaicans have a strong appreciation and understanding of North American culture.   Our population speaks the language (and in some cases the ‘twang’), we have a creative mass and have a strong education foundation.

The tertiary education community, recognizing the potential, has moved quickly to provide courses designed to harness the natural creativity of the population at various levels.  The Government backed HEART Trust NTA, the prestigious University of the West Indies and other notable institutions have followed the lead of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in introducing animation courses.

Market Opportunities

The immediate potential lies in the outsourcing of animation projects to local studios and freelancers.  This is a common practice.  “There are a number of studios who have gotten contracts to do the development of animation content,” Robinson further highlighted.  To put it simply, Disney may call up a Jamaican animator and say, “Hey, we have a sequence we need to you do as a piece of a big project.”  The Jamaican sits in his office in Kingston; animates the sequence based on the instructions given; and sends the clip via the internet for inclusion in the overall project.

"Cha-ching!”  Revenues flow directly into Jamaican coffers.

There is also tremendous potential for revenue from immigration.  In this scenario, locally trained (for less than their US counterparts) animators move to the US to work and repatriate funds to loved ones on the rock.

“Cha-ching!”  Revenues flow into Jamaica.

The most lucrative, but arguably hardest to achieve opportunity, is the export of local creative content from an influential culture recognized and copied all over the world.

“Cha-ching!” Revenues flow into Jamaica.

Market Catalyst

This is the climate in which the second staging of the KINGSTOON animation festival takes place.  The multitude of activities, screenings, workshops, lectures, presentations and booths fall within three tracks: Learn. Earn. Display.

Tech4Life airs every Wednesday morning at 8:15 on RJR94FM.

All Access Pass via UWI Research Days App

The vast campus of the esteemed University of the West Indies (UWI) will play host to the institution’s annual Research Days expo.  If you are like me, you get lost every time you step on campus!  And this multi-day, multi-location expo featuring over 140 activities is enough to make my mental compass spin.

I need not worry however, because the bright folks at Caribbean’s leading tertiary learning centre have provided an app, for just that.

The UWI Research Days app for Android devices provides a plethora of features to help navigate the event slated for February 17 - 19 both literally and virtually.  The built-in map feature highlights the exact location of each of the events with real-time GPS tracking to guide you through the gates to the attraction.

For me, that alone makes the app an essential tool.  But, there’s more, as they say.

Howard Edwards, Shane Richards & Javon Davis

All the various presentations, symposiums, demonstrations, tours, lectures, launches and a variety of other activities are included in the app’s calendar complete with insightful information.  Armed this info, you can browse through the offerings, identify the activities that most appeal to you and pin them or add them to the native calendar on your mobile device with just a few taps.  Real-time reminders and alters, paired with the already mentioned map feature mean that you can be on time  and in place for every activity.

Howard Edwards, Shane Richards and Javon Davis from the Faculty of Science and Technology, the team behind the app, even had the foresight to make the app self-contained, so once downloaded, no wifi means no problem.

Screen Shots of UWI Research Days App

Taking it even further, since many of the activities happen simultaneously the app can help you be in multiple places at once, thanks to a virtual tour feature.

The app is as powerful as the event is seeks to capture, yet its free for download in the Google Play Store.  Get it long before the official opening of UWI Research Days on Wednesday, February 17 at 2 PM to plot your course through the expo.

About UWI Research Days

The three-day exposition will aim to directly show the public how the research impacts different aspects of everyday life. Therefore, the theme has been examined under the headings of; Law, Governance and Society; Pharmaceuticals, Nutraceuticals and Well Being; Supporting Industries, Institutions and Infrastructure; Developing Human Resources; Tertiary Industries and Primary Industries.

Under the theme “Driving Development through Research and Innovation”, UWI Research Days 2016 at the UWI Mona Campus will feature other practical ways in which the University is using its research to aid in development and create solutions to everyday problems. The exposition, scheduled for February 17 – 19 will allow investors, policy-makers and stakeholders in the public and private sectors to explore practical solutions to real world challenges, developed through Mona research.