Month: March 2020

Consumer Electronics, IOT, Smart Home

Quibi arrives next week

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Are you ready for Quibi?

What’s a Quibi? It is a new streaming video service for $5 per month (or $7 for no ads). But it’s not just another streaming service. This one is available only for your smartphone, enables you to choose the camera angle you wish to watch, and is owned and produced by celebrities, and offers programming that is no longer than 10 minutes, and packed with screen stars. The service has already produced a healthy number of episodes and will have 175 original shows in year one. Despite the pandemic, the service will launch next week.  CNET

dis-rup-shun: I was on the fence about Quibi, but given the current appetite for entertainment, I think that Quibi is the luckiest company on the planet. There is no better time or circumstance than now to launch a very specialized video service that will give people a lot to talk about. Those that don’t understand the talk will be forced to subscribe to be a part of the new normal. Just look at the impact on our online lives that Netflix’ Tiger King is having, then imagine all the talk is about something that only costs another $5 per month. Quibi will be thanking the coronavirus.

Air pollution is down – way down

The European Space Agency satellites have noted a significant decrease in air pollution. Significant visual changes are seen over Wuhan, a factory city, and Italy’s Po Valley, where the Alps block smog from industrial centers around Milan. The pandemic shutdown is providing scientists with a glimpse of what a reduced pollution future will look like and where it will change the atmosphere most. Wired

dis-rup-shun: If we are tallying up wins from coronavirus, we can credit the atmosphere as a winner.

Microsoft is a coronavirus winner

Use of Microsoft’s cloud services, including Teams and Skype video conferencing applications has skyrocketed. Teams use in Italy for a one month period was up 775%. On the news of the company’s strong performance, the stock was up 7%. CNBC

dis-rup-shun: Let’s face it, the Internet is what is keeping our economy open during the pandemic. If our internet infrastructure collapsed, then we would devolve into a 1980s-like experience, with a bunch of smart devices that are computing islands. The companies that are keeping our lives together are the companies that make the devices, software, services and telecom infrastructure. Unless the company is involved in point of sale computing, the IT sector should be thriving in this time, and thank goodness for companies that make great, reliable products.

Free Zoom backgrounds

Need a less messy home office for your constant Zoom calls? A number of graphics providers have made backgrounds available for free — some animated. Sites are Unsplash, Canva, Modsy, and choices include PeeWee’s Playhouse, a confused John Travolta, and many others. The Verge

dis-rup-shun: It is nice to see that ingenuity is alive and well, jumping on the meteoric rise of Zoom and providing razors to go along with the free blade of Zoom conferences. Expect to see a list of video conferencing accessories, including software, devices, stands and microphones. We are an adaptive people.

 

Consumer Electronics, IOT, Smart Home

Fitness trackers show activity crisis

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Fitness tracker data shows less movement, more sleep, with telehealth intentions

Evidation Health conducted a study of 160,000 U.S. citizens including 68,000 with fitness trackers and watches from Apple, Fitbit and Garmin. The data reveals that quarantined people are 39% to 50% less active than prior to quarantine, and time asleep has increased by 10% to 20%. Most notable, however, is that people’s willingness and future plans to visit doctors via telehealth has risen to 30% from 19% pre-pandemic. CNBC

dis-rup-shun: The pandemic will accelerate the telemedicine industry (as it has the video conferencing industry) by three to five years, as the crisis is proving the efficacy of remote care to doctors, payers and patients. This sea change would have taken years in ordinary times, but when the crisis abates, telehealth will be a standard tool in care portfolios and will serve to trim escalating care costs.

14 apps to combat cabin fever

Wired offers some great alternatives to madness, as people strive to pass the long days of living mostly indoors:

Calm — a meditation and relaxation coach.

Headspace — another meditation and relaxation coach.

Libby — an electronic library card enables check out of books and videos.

Noisli — emulates a multitude of ordinary sounds.

Brain.fm — musical accompaniments to accelerate a desired state of mind.

JustWatch — a guide to finding and starting whatever programs are online on a streaming service.

Google Duo — another video chat app.

House Party — a party-like video chat app.

Peloton — a fitness app for people without the bike.

Aaptiv — a fitness training app with online coaches.

Design Home — an interior design app.

Minecraft — a virtual world app that can include others.

Nuzzel — an app for curating news based on what your contacts are reading.

YouTube — a good place to get lost watching things you never imagined.

dis-rup-shun:  I recommend Simone Giertz, aka Queen of Shitty Robots, on YouTube. This is fascinating entertainment, especially considering that Simone does this for a living.

UAE citizens appeal to government to allow use of WhatsApp and Skype

The UAE prohibits use of free communications apps, requiring its citizens to use government telecommunications infrastructure. Last week the government allowed temporary use of Zoom, Skype for Business and Google Hangouts, but has not allowed WhatsApp, Facetime or regular Skype. Citizens are calling for support of all major communications apps as they seek to connect with relatives around the world. CNBC

dis-rup-shun: Just as the Berlin Wall was torn down after a few crosstown communications were allowed in 1989, the UAE’s stranglehold on communications policies could quickly slip away with frequent use of internet conferencing. If it happens, the good people of UAE can thank a global crisis for gaining what most of the rest of world considers to be innate internet freedoms. Another potential Coronavirus winner.

Polaroid instant film camera reborn

In a long and strange trip, the functionality that made the Polaroid camera a hot item in the 60s and 70s has been reunited with the brand name, and the instant film camera is re-born. The Polaroid Now camera costs about $100 and, based on film costs, each picture costs about $2. TechCrunch

dis-rup-shun: What is the demand for a bulky but fun camera which provides instant printed, color photos in the online age? Perhaps this throwback to the time when processing ordinary film took a week and Polaroid owners whipped out pictures in minutes will strike nostalgic chords. It is hard to imagine, however, that this technology will go beyond a very small niche. Polaroid marketers should work to make these instant photos unusually artsy in an effort to create a fad and hope it has legs.

 

Consumer Electronics, IOT, Smart Home

Shared innovations fighting medical supply shortages

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Public private cooperation yield 3D printed ventilator extender

Prisma Health is a company that, based on an idea from an ER doctor, created a simple three way valve that enables one ventilator to serve four patients. The device can be quickly created with a 3D printer and was approved for use under an FDA Emergency Use Authorization rule. TechCrunch

dis-rup-shun: It is exciting to see innovation, flexibility and generosity abound, as great ideas are being rushed to the field while, at the same time, acts of generosity are always growing. The pandemic will ultimately good for healthcare as new innovations including telehealth and telecare, technology concepts that have been ready for prime time for several years, but blocked by the healthcare establishment, are now being implemented.

British vacuum makers Dyson and GTech to the rescue

Two well-known British vacuum cleaner companies, Dyson and GTech have quickly switched production from household appliances to ventilators, using inexpensive and quick to produce parts. TechCrunch

dis-rup-shun: If you have seen the movie Apollo 13, you will recall when a group of engineers were placed in a conference room with a bag full of objects that the astronauts had available in their capsule. They were given about 24 hours to construct a lifesaving solution. The good people at the vacuum companies have tackled a similar challenge.

Ford manufacturing face shields based on open source design

Lennon Rodgers, director of the Engineering Design Innovation Lab at University of Wisconsin-Madison, answered the call from a local hospital, requesting that the lab create face shields, as the hospital could not get adequate supply. Rodgers, with the help of local designers and his M.D. wife, developed a prototype and posted it on the web as an open source design. Ford, along with other companies, used the design to fabricate what it expects will be 75,000 units this week. Wired

dis-rup-shun: Speed and agility. Two things critical to slow the global pandemic. Thanks to the instantaneous and global availability of information via the Internet, many parties can react quickly and take action. As soon as a Coronavirus vaccine is developed, it must be an open source solution that drug manufacturers worldwide can produce rapidly.

Slack announces integration with Teams

In an interesting move, Slack has announced interoperability with Microsoft Teams. In the wake of coronavirus, Microsoft has revealed that some 44 million people are using the product daily. Microsoft is bundling the product in its Office suite, making it a tough competitor for Slack. CNBC

dis-rup-shun: Slack was there first, but just like Netscape, will discover that Microsoft’s installed base receiving Teams will likely bury a standalone utility product. Slack’s move to inter connect with Teams is a good one, and may keep Slack fans from having to follow IT departments that mandate corporate use of Teams in the future, but the execs at Slack won’t be sleeping well for the foreseeable future.

Consumer Electronics, IOT, Smart Home

Amazon gives and takes away

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Amazon essential items policy is killing retailers

Many small retailers have built their businesses using Amazon as their only channel to market. Thousands now find that Amazon will not accept or ship their products for weeks, given its “essentials only” policy to deal with the pandemic. While retailers understand the need for the policy, they must quickly find alternative channels such as Walmart.com through which to sell products. Wired

dis-rup-shun: Amazon, for many small businesses, does all the heavy lifting in terms of sales and distribution. Their policies — be they the order that products appear on a web page, or when shipments are de-prioritized — are a reminder of the need for diversification in most all things: suppliers, customers, lenders, and investors.

Facebook Portal a pandemic winner

Facebook’s Portal is a web conferencing device built for families and friends to watch TV together and enjoy video chatting. The devices were discounted by journalists and serious tech fans when they were announced just prior to holiday season in 2019. Facebook’s privacy problems were seen as a barrier to acceptance of the device. Now, the simplicity of the device is making it a favorite of consumers. Facebook Portal TV is now sold out. CNBC

dis-rup-shun: My how circumstances can change things. The simplicity of Portal TV and its fun features is well aligned with a literally captive market that is hungry for human connection. Call Facebook lucky or prophetic, but Portal is turning out to be a visionary product.

Amber smart circuit breaker a home electrical game changer

Amber Solutions, a Silicon Valley startup, has developed a semiconductor that manages electricity. The product, when placed in a circuit breaker, can sense and manage changes in current, power surges, shorts, and enables both remote control of circuits as well as reporting of energy usage. Amber Solutions

dis-rup-shun: The implications for smart circuits include the ability to control all devices in the home with a single app or single skill. The app could easily enable different scenarios such as conservation mode, vacation mode, security mode, and could detect problems with appliances, such as HVAC systems, long before they gave out. The question is how Amber will win over the circuit breaker giants such as Eaton, ABB, Leviton, Square D and others.

Apple releases new laptop like iPad

iPads continue to look and feel more like light, thin, touchscreen-capable laptops, and the latest release from Apple even claims to be a replacement for a laptop. The new iPad Pro is more powerful, supports a stylus, supports a mouse or trackpad, has new camera technology and LIDAR support. LIDAR technology enables augmented reality — the ability to superimpose dynamic images on top of photos. You need to watch the full Apple video to appreciate the potential. Apple.com

dis-rup-shun: It seems more and more people are using iPads as their daily computing device. The question Apple has to ask is if pushing the iPad as laptop cannibalizes more PC sales or MacBook sales. Given that there are more PC laptops in the world, the math would likely reveal that the new product wins over more PC users in volume. Nonetheless, Apple has, many times, shown that there is room for a new class of device, and getting more people to use iPads as their “travel computer” may not reduce sales of full strength MacBooks. Time will tell.

Consumer Electronics, IOT, Smart Home

Is the Internet pandemic-proof?

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Will the pandemic crash the Internet?

Verizon reports that voice usage on its network was up 25% the week of March 12th, and total web traffic was up 22%. Usage of streaming media services was up 12%, VPN usage jumped 30% and online gaming spiked up 75% while social media remained stable. So far, the Internet appears sturdy and robust, despite the claims by a few analysts who believe the infrastructure will not be able to handle more traffic. CNET

dis-rup-shun: The internet has performed beautifully under the strain of WFH and School from Home (SFH), by informal accounts. The service providers, often bashed for a litany of issues, should be commended for building robust, stable, and scalable networks that are, quite frankly, the most important resource, other than food and water, for the continuous functioning of our shelter-in-place society. Perhaps we can look at all of those government mystery fees on our bills with a little less disdain.

covidnearyou.org site built in one week by volunteers

Covidnearyou.org created a website to help people map where the virus has been confirmed, helping close the gap of inadequate testing facilities and capabilities. The site was the idea of Rem Ramaswami, the head of product at Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs when he and his wife felt sick. Rem knew he could not build the site without help, so he gathered the support of friends who work for Apple, Amazon, MongoDB, CloudFlare, Alphabet and other tech firms. Together, working through the nights, they built the site in about seven days. CNBC

dis-rup-shun: Community spirit, innovation and creativity will enable our culture to soar despite the current hurdles. Expect to see a number of impressive collaborative efforts bringing people together to do good. We learned from 9-11 that hard times bring out the best in people, and some great stories are already circulating.

Oura ring may help detect illness early

Our bodies send signals before we become ill, but we don’t often have ways of detecting the warning signs. Oura makes a ring that is a sensor that detects changes in temperature and sleep patterns and may be able to detect changes that signal illness, like coronavirus. Oura is working with UCSF to outfit 2,000 healthcare professionals to determine the effectiveness of the rings. TechCrunch

dis-rup-shun: Collecting and building large sets of data is critical for applying data analytics and AI, and is difficult to do given HIPPA regulations that ensure privacy. Wise tech firms, like Google, have been able to collect data sets through partnerships with hospitals and academic institutions. Commercial and academic partnerships will build the empirical evidence required to lead healthcare providers and payers to adopt new technologies for the betterment of our care systems.

Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp enjoy surge

It’s not just Zoom and Microsoft Teams that are enjoying unprecedented volume. Facebook products Messenger and Instagram Live usage have doubled over last year in certain regions, especially Italy. CNET

dis-rup-shun: Socializing over the internet works. It is definitely not as good as being in someone’s presence, but it enables people to make eye contact and see each other’s faces and feel the warmth of their presence. Video chats will keep the fabric of our culture intact until it is safe to high five, shake hands, hug and kiss.

 

Consumer Electronics, IOT, Smart Home

Race virtually against pro car drivers

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Pro race drivers competing against gamers

With the cancellation of Formula One, NASCAR and Indy Car races, professional drivers are competing against themselves and against gamers in online SIM races. Esports events are featuring virtual races with familiar professional drivers. TheVerge

dis-rup-shun: Online gaming technology levels the playing field — driving skills and all athletic skills, for that matter, do not necessarily translate to dominance in video games — making the mixture of professionals and amateurs even more interesting. The NBA and MLB will benefit greatly by keeping fans engaged through Esports events, keeping the most enthusiastic well engaged. A number of pro sports owners also own Esports teams and facilities, and the current crisis will encourage further diversification into video franchises.

Car dropped from tower onto trampoline

Why? Because it was a challenge. A former NASA and Apple engineer and a band of video bloggers do what no one has done before — drop a car 121 feet onto a specially designed, industrial strength trampoline. This 15 minutes and 45 second video is well worth all the time you will waste watching it — not only because we are all fascinated by the immutable laws of physics acting on objects under severe distress, but because the reactions of the brilliant and well-funded pranksters strikes a cord of joy and adrenaline that takes us back. Wired

dis-rup-shun: In these times of utterly unbelievable and distressing news, this fifteen minutes will transport you back to the time when sheer amazement and joy can be found by doing totally crazy stuff. Watch it!

FluSense system detects public illness

Researchers at UMass Ahmerst are developing a system that measures the number of coughs detecting in public places. It uses thermal sensors to estimate the number of people in the room, then computes something along the lines of coughs per capita and frequency of coughs to measure relative changes of health in public areas. TechCrunch

dis-rup-shun: Collecting health data from those who have not yet identified themselves as sick, by going to a doctor or hospital, could lead to insights about the onset of flu before healthcare resources are aware, or needed. As the system does not identify individuals, it does not compromise privacy, but could lead to better predictors of public health.

Bidet attachments ease the need to horde toilet paper

Europeans aren’t queuing up at the market for a run on toilet paper because in many European homes, the bidet has long been a permanent fixture. Bidet attachments can retrofit nearly any toilet for $20, $80 and up, providing a cleansing that nearly eliminates the need for paper. Running a supply line to a hot water source, however can be a bit complicated. CNET

dis-rup-shun: While the coronavirus may leave a permanent mark on traditional ways we educate our college students and how we use expensive office real estate, it is not likely to permanently change the way Americans go to the bathroom. Bidets, for reasons unknown, have not been popular in the U.S., but now there are even better reasons to try an inexpensive attachment which could lead to graduation to a Kohler bidet model that includes a light, a heater, and Bluetooth connectivity.

 

Consumer Electronics, IOT, Smart Home

Improving your webcam look

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How to look good on a webcam

Life is now enjoyed via web conference, and looking good on a webcam requires a few tricks.

  1. Elevate the computer to be at eye level, else your audience is looking up your nose.
  2. Look into the camera, not the screen. The lack of eye contact is noticeable.
  3. Get a good microphone. The one on your laptop stinks.
  4. Create better lighting by changing the tone on your monitor. Go to settings and choose a warmer hue than monitor blue.
  5. Don’t sit in front of a window — you will be a silhouette.
  6. Choose a good background. This can be performed with software in some video conferencing apps, or by moving to a good spot.  CNET

dis-rup-shun: Face it, you aren’t going anywhere for at least a few weeks — especially if you live in California.  Your chance to make a first or second or nth impression is right here in your home office and you might as well amuse yourself and your coworkers by stepping up your web conferencing game.

Microsoft Teams reaches 44 million users 

As stated above, life is now about web conferencing. All the providers are seeing massive increases in usage, and Microsoft Teams, a very full featured remote work application that incorporates video chat, screen sharing, and instant messaging is enjoying more than double the usage over its 20 million figure last November. CNBC

dis-rup-shun: The bulk of online humanity is now trying out a video conferencing platform, but most may not realize that Teams is both a video conference platform and a virtually work space. Microsoft took some lemons from the abysmal Skype product and made lemonade, and except for some hard to find control features, the product is delightful. Slack will have to step up given that Teams is bundled in Microsoft Office suites. Just ask the good people at Netscape what bundling means.

Pornhub does its part for Europeans

Adult content website Pornhub has extended premium memberships for free for a month to the good people of Italy, France and Spain. The company saw dramatic spikes in viewership after the offer. CNBC

dis-rup-shun: Well, as we tell children at birthdays, it’s the spirit that counts.

PS5 versus XBox X Series

CNET tries to fill in the missing blanks to determine which new console will be better. Both will be well powered with AMD processors, will have faster memory units and offer backwards compatibility for existing games software. Sony is expected to offer a fairly different controller, and Microsoft is expected to reduce latency via software on its controller. Both are using different architectural approaches to accomplish better performance, but the question of what games will be available on the new devices lingers.

dis-rup-shun: It’s the content, of course, that makes the device! Both companies have kept game titles well concealed, with a few titles known for XBox. Even one totally awesome game on a new platform will sell many, many units.

 

Consumer Electronics, IOT, Smart Home

Security owners want more smart home

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Smart home security systems owners want more

In a recent study conducted at Interpret Research, owners of smart home security systems indicated a significantly higher intention of purchasing smart home products than people without security systems, suggesting that systems dealers and manufacturers have an interested market, ready for upgrades and add-ons. Interpret

dis-rup-shun: The smart home industry is waiting to understand if smart home product purchasers are more or less inclined to purchase integrated systems, like smart home security systems, after they purchase one or two smart home products. The Interpret study suggests that security systems providers are fueling growth of more products. Next month the company will publish data indicating how important device interoperability is to smart product buyers.

Playstation 5 unveiled

Sony, in a live webinar, unveiled the latest Playstation — number 5. The high-powered console is based on an eight-core AMD CPU and GPU, with SSD storage, haptic feedback and adaptive triggers based on the games being played and what you are doing in the game. The device promises to offer a premium experience. TechCrunch

dis-rup-shun: These are interesting times for the console makers, and the pandemic and subsequent quarantine may help the console makers, as occasional players will be reminded of the hours of fun and community received by playing on the console. With mobile and cloud-based options eating away at the core of the consoles’ markets, the devices have to deliver an even better experience but still remain priced in the sweet spot of the mass market. It looks like both Sony and Microsoft will deliver on a powerful experience and will get the game content community engaged in another console generation. What happens beyond this generation is harder to predict, as console alternatives continue to get better and offer more titles.

The best video games to play in quarantine

Whatever your preferred genre, there is a multiplayer version of the game you choose which will enable you to meet new people and feel like you are not stuck at home. Some favorites covered by Wired include, Final Fantasy XIV, Don’t Starve Together, Jackbox, Overwatch, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s Warzone, Stardew Valley, World of Warcraft Classic.

dis-rup-shun: Contact starved quarantine-ees will have to find solace in online communities. The volume of video conference calls must have increased 10 fold or more in the past week, teaching even the skeptics that video calling from home is almost as good as being in an office. Watch productivity spike for home workers (who don’t have children home schooling simultaneously).

Lots of work-from-home newbies are setting up big monitors

If you are perfecting your home office for a long WFH stint, here are some good guidelines to purchasing and connecting a larger monitor to your laptop. If you have a new laptop, you will find that you no longer have standard USB or HDMI ports, as new machines have all gone to the tiny USB-C connector, requiring an adapter or port replicator to be purchased with a new monitor. CNBC

dis-rup-shun: Once home workers perfect their setup, it will be difficult to return to the office for more than an occasional team meeting. Will the demand on office space be less after the pandemic as workers want less from their office space and are more willing to be “hotelers” and share space?

 

Consumer Electronics, IOT, Smart Home

Amazon on hiring tear

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Amazon to hire 100,000 immediately

Amazon has been overwhelmed with orders, especially for consumer staples. Given the potentially long duration of the pandemic, door-to-door delivery may become vital for many who are unable or afraid to shop at stores. The company is beefing up its delivery system, including drivers and warehouse workers, and is encouraging people displaced from the restaurant industry to apply. CNBC

dis-rup-shun: Amazon is another silver lining company, one that will prosper during the global pandemic. While the global supply chain is being disrupted and is affecting Amazon, its delivery business will continue to boom and its grocery delivery business may finally get the push it needed to become a household habit. The tech giants do appear to be going the extra mile, using their strong cash positions to assist displaced employees and contribute to the great good.

Bill Gates says good bye to Microsoft

Gates, founder of Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen (now deceased), has retired from Microsoft’s board of directors. He has also retired from the board of Berkshire Hathaway, in order to spend more time managing the philanthropies of the Gates Foundation. Gates stated that Microsoft has never been in better hands. CNBC

dis-rup-shun: It is a heart-warming story to see Bill, who, along with a handful of visionaries including Steve Jobs, changed the world. Some of the greatest tech companies that helped change the world, including IBM, HP, EDS, Xerox, Sun Microsystems and even Cisco have lost their way and are either gone or struggling. Gates and Steve Jobs have both moved on, but the leaders that are now at the helm have found new markets and kept the market innovation at the forefront. Now that “Neutron” Jack Welch has passed away, Gates could be the next senior statesman-management sage, showing today’s leaders how to be great.

Remember movie theaters?

The theater industry just had its worst weekend at the box office in two decades. Several major releases were postponed, but theaters remained open, which may not be the case in subsequent weekends. The damage was total revenues of $55 million, an amount that is often earned by a single film in one weekend. Wired

dis-rup-shun: Not wanting to pile on the doom and gloom, we must consider that life after the pandemic will be different. Streaming movie experiences keep keeping better, with better content, better video quality, better user interfaces, and better pricing. Theaters will always be special places to go to get away, to have the one-of-a-kind popcorn buckets, and to take a date when its not yet appropriate to invite a date to your home. But will the pandemic finish off the several week exclusive window that new theaters enjoy before new releases are streamed to home TVs? If so, it will be hard to go back, and movie theaters will lose one big differentiating advantage.

Still don’t have AirPods?

If you are one of the few people who didn’t receive AirPods for the holidays, and if you are determined not to give Apple any more of your money, check out this review of the best wireless ear pods. Sennheiser, Jabra, Sony, Samsung, Anker, and others, all have a place in the top choices. CNET

dis-rup-shun: It is impressive that the consumer electronics industry keeps inventing new must have products. There are a few of us who haven’t yet decided that ear pods are “must haves,” but eventually even the laggards are buyers.

Consumer Electronics, IOT, Smart Home

Working from home? Upgrade your Wi-Fi

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Upgrading home Wi-Fi now that you are WFH

Millions of people have been barred from the office and are not working from home. With home Wi-Fi now critical to both work and play, there are some easy ways to improve the reliability. Replace your cable or telco router, relocate your router, add a Wi-Fi signal booster, use power line networking to transmit data over through your  electrical outlets, or try using a wired network. Wired

dis-rup-shun: Networking equipment products should be enjoying a significant sales increase as the nation and world retreat to home offices and strive to maintain a semi-normal routine. Corporations will quickly learn that businesses, for the most part, will run quite smoothly with remote workers. The current pandemic may ultimately reduce demand for office space as corporations realize that the work force can be highly productive without the added costs of offices.

Xbox Live service goes down on Sunday

Xbox Live’s service was out for two hours on Sunday. The company has not yet reported if the outage was the result of heavy usage, but it was restored by Sunday evening. The Verge

dis-rup-shun: It’s Spring Break and the ski resorts are closed, air travel is discouraged and everyone is encouraged to stay home… and play games. The Internet providers will be tested in the next weeks as people connect virtually and play games, stream movies, and video conference while working from home. Computer peripherals and accessories, including printer cartridges and paper will be hot quarantine items.

Everbridge emergency management software surges with the pandemic

Everbridge, a public company based outside of Boston, was founded after 9/11 to help companies monitor, manage and communicate in a disaster. The company’s software has been important in tracking coronavirus outbreaks and enabling companies to communicate with employees and customers. The company recently signed a $25 million, 5 year contract with the state of California. The company’s shares are trading at 17 times earnings, well above its average of 11 times. CNBC

dis-rup-shun: As the world braces for economic crisis, finding the winners during bad times will be interesting. Everbridge has a good business model, as natural disasters are a given, and are predicted to be coming more frequently thanks to climate change.