The upcoming United Nations summit on sustainable development is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to set the world on a durable track that guarantees a decent standard of living for everyone today without compromising the needs of future generations, a top UN official says.

Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, told a conference on Saturday at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, that so-called connection technologies – such as the Internet, mobile telephones and text messages – can play a critical role in building a more sustainable future.

The conference, jointly organized by the US Department of State and Stanford University, broughtTogether we can leverage the transformational power of connection technologies to build a fairer, more sustainable and prosperous world for all. together more than 400 global policymakers, development practitioners and technology innovators and was aimed at exploring how to advance sustainable development in health, environment, agriculture and other fields.

Panel sessions examined the innovation culture, and the role of governments and civil society, in fostering innovation.

The three-day conference is being held ahead of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), which is slated to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June.

Mr. Zukang, who is also Secretary-General of Rio+20, pointed out that there were six billion mobile devices worldwide, and 1.2 billion mobile Web users. In 2011, seven trillion mobile phone texts were sent around the globe. By the year 2015, 183 billion smart phone applications are expected to be downloaded.

“These benefits have been vast and profound… connection technologies have enhanced productivity by putting information at our fingertips. They help overcome disadvantages, contributing to social equity. Thanks to these tools, many more groups now enjoy access to essential information, knowledge and services.”

He said connection technologies help complement and enhance traditional education, serving as teaching aids and making it possible to access free textbooks, digital and e-publications.

“My department has projected the world population to reach nine billion by 2050. The resources of our planet will not increase during this span. If we want a future where there is economic growth, equity, social inclusiveness, and environmental sustainability… connection technologies will be critical. We owe our young people, and our children, a hopeful future, a future we all want.”

He called on delegates to advance the sustainable development agenda, through a big push in information and connection technologies. He also urged them to develop and bring new voluntary initiatives to Rio+20.

“I look forward to continued global leadership by the United States in advancing sustainable development. Together we can leverage the transformational power of connection technologies to build a fairer, more sustainable and prosperous world for all,” said Mr. Zukang.

Mr. Zukang said there was a great need to address the digital divide. Experience on the ground strongly suggests that there is a tremendous yearning among the poor – not only for ICTs per se – but also for what ICTs can make possible.

“We must give ICTs the status of basic infrastructure, similar to energy or water. The donor community should review their development policies in the same vein.”

There’s no foolproof way to know the future for Synchronoss Technologies or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen — and before your stock craters as a result.

A cloudy crystal ball

In this series, we use accounts receivable and days sales outstanding to judge a company’s current health and future prospects. It’s an important step in separating the pretenders from the market’s best stocks. Alone, AR — the amount of money owed the company — and DSO — the number of days’ worth of sales owed to the company — don’t tell you much. However, by considering the trends in AR and DSO, you can sometimes get a window onto the future.

Sometimes, problems with AR or DSO simply indicate a change in the business (like an acquisition), or lax collections. However, AR that grows more quickly than revenue, or ballooning DSO, can also suggest a desperate company that’s trying to boost sales by giving its customers overly generous payment terms. Alternately, it can indicate that the company sprinted to book a load of sales at the end of the quarter, like used-car dealers on the 29th of the month. (Sometimes, companies do both.)

Why might an upstanding firm like Synchronoss Technologies do this? For the same reason any other company might: to make the numbers. Investors don’t like revenue shortfalls, and employees don’t like reporting them to their superiors.

Is Synchronoss Technologies sending any potential warning signs? Take a look at the chart below, which plots revenue growth against AR growth, and DSO:

Source: SP Capital IQ. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. FQ = fiscal quarter.

The standard way to calculate DSO uses average accounts receivable. I prefer to look at end-of-quarter receivables, but I’ve plotted both above.

Watching the trends

When that red line (AR growth) crosses above the green line (revenue growth), I know I need to consult the filings. Similarly, a spike in the blue bars indicates a trend worth worrying about. Synchronoss Technologies’s latest average DSO stands at 71.6 days, and the end-of-quarter figure is 70.6 days. Differences in business models can generate variations in DSO, and business needs can require occasional fluctuations, but all things being equal, I like to see this figure stay steady. So, let’s get back to our original question: Based on DSO and sales, does Synchronoss Technologies look like it might miss it numbers in the next quarter or two?

I don’t think so. AR and DSO look healthy. For the last fully reported fiscal quarter, Synchronoss Technologies’ year-over-year revenue grew 33.3%, and its AR grew 17.2%. That looks OK. End-of-quarter DSO decreased 12.0% from the prior-year quarter. It was down 9.0% versus the prior quarter. Still, I’m no fortuneteller, and these are just numbers. Investors putting their money on the line always need to dig into the filings for the root causes and draw their own conclusions.

What now?

I use this kind of analysis to figure out which investments I need to watch more closely as I hunt the market’s best returns. However, some investors actively seek out companies on the wrong side of AR trends in order to sell them short, profiting when they eventually fall. Which way would you play this one? Let us know in the comments below, or keep up with the stocks mentioned in this article by tracking them in our free watchlist service, My Watchlist.

• Add Synchronoss Technologies to My Watchlist.

Retailer pairs ad that features ground-breaking tech pioneers with a unique mobile phone offer to tout its influence in the mobile technology space

MINNEAPOLIS (Feb. 5, 2012) – Tonight Best Buy (NYSE: BBY – News) is using the world`s biggest stage to celebrate mobile technology by using true tech pioneers to assert its growing influence in the mobile phone business. The campaign kicks off with Best Buy`s second appearance in the Big Game as well as a special week-long offer for anyone looking to upgrade to a new phone at Best Buy in 2012

Best Buy`s commercial reveals 10 technology innovators who have changed the way we use our phones and culminates with Best Buy`s own contribution to the process. From iconic apps like Words With Friends, to innovations we can`t live without like SMS messaging, Best Buy is putting a name and face to these unsung, yet amazing rock stars of mobile technology whose inventions impact billions of people around the world every day.  Each of these innovators also is featured in longer-form videos that premiere online tonight and are available for viewing at (http://www.youtube.com/bestbuy).

“Consumers give us credit for being a technology brand that helps people get the most out of their devices,” said Drew Panayiotou, senior vice president of U.S. marketing at Best Buy.  “Showcasing innovators like Philippe Kahn, who created the camera phone, and Jim McKelvey, who introduced the notion of mobile payments, first in our ad and then in longer-form media made sense.  It allows these inventors to move from tonight`s spot to a format where they can share more about technology and how it might impact all of us in the future.”

To coincide with the mobile-centric ad, any customer who registers and then upgrades to a new mobile phone at Best Buy by Dec. 31, 2012 will receive a $50 Best Buy gift card.

The offer is simple:

• Step One: Consumers register their phone number at www.bestbuy.com/phonefreedom by Feb. 12, 2012
• Step Two: Consumers activate the registered phone number with the purchase of a new mobile phone with a two-year agreement at Best Buy or BestBuy.com any time before Dec. 31, 2012
• Step Three: Upon purchase and activation, customers will receive their $50 Best Buy gift card

There is no obligation once a phone number is registered. Customers must register their phone number online between Sunday, Feb. 5 and Sunday, Feb. 12 to qualify.

“We are thrilled to have a stage as significant as the Big Game to showcase all that Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile have to offer,” said Shawn Score, president of Best Buy Mobile. “We have spent the last five years building and improving the mobile phone buying experience in our stores, and we are confident in our ability to deliver a world-class experience that features any carrier, any phone, any plan combined with unbiased advice.”         

The $50 gift card offer is valid on Verizon, ATT, Sprint and T-Mobile phones activated with a new two-year agreement at Best Buy or online at BestBuy.com (excluding T-Mobile activations requiring a deposit).  Once signed up, consumers will have until the end of the 2012 calendar year to purchase a new mobile phone at Best Buy and receive their gift card. If they don`t activate a phone within that time period, the gift card offer simply goes away.  For full terms and conditions, visit www.bestbuy.com/phonefreedom.  Not valid in Puerto Rico.

Best Buy`s Big Game spot was created by agency CP+B and directed by Wayne McClammy. It was shot in 6 locations in 3 countries. The innovators featured in the spot include:

Philippe Kahn – created the camera phone and MotionX

Philippe Kahn is a technology innovator and entrepreneur who has founded four successful technology companies. Kahn is married to Sonia Lee, who he co-founded Fullpower/MotionX LightSurf and Starfish Software with. They have a daughter Sophie whose memorable camera-phone first pictures dates her birth to June 11th, 1997. Together, Lee and Kahn run an environmental charity, the Lee-Kahn Foundation.

While at LightSurf Technologies, Kahn developed one of the first camera phones. His team at LightSurf built the first end-to end solution for picture messaging, and was the first to share pictures instantly on public networks. LightSurf`s core technology, the LightSurf 6 Open Standards MMS Platform, allows users to capture, view, annotate and share multimedia messages with any handset or e-mail address. It was the first commercially deployed inter-carrier MMS solution in North America, with over 400 million media messages shared on Sprint`s network. In 2005, LightSurf was acquired by VeriSign. 

Ray Kurzweil – invented text-to-speech

Kurzweil was the principal developer of the first CCD flatbed scanner, the first omni-font optical character recognition, the first print-to-speech reading machine for the blind, the first text-to-speech synthesizer, the first music synthesizer capable of re-creating the grand piano and other orchestral instruments, and the first commercially marketed large-vocabulary speech recognition. Ray has written four nationally best-selling books. His latest book, The Singularity Is Near, was a New York Times bestseller, and has been the #1 book on Amazon in both science and philosophy. He was awarded the National Medal of Technology, has received 19 honorary doctorates, and received awards from three U.S. presidents. KurzweilAI.net, his website on future technology, had more than 2.3 million unique visitors in 2011.

Text-to-speech is utilized on mobile devices by enabling the reading of information for a visually challenged person, or it may be used to augment the reading of a text message or email. It is often used with voice recognition to answer questions.

Neil Papworth – sent the first SMS message

Papworth is currently a software architect at Tekelec in Montreal. A graduate of Thames Valley University, he has been involved in product architecture and software engineering at technology companies for over 20 years. 

Papworth is credited with sending the first SMS text message. While working with Sema Group in Newbury, England at age 22, Papworth sent his historic greeting to Richard Jarvis of Vodafone, during a Christmas party. Since cell phones were not yet designed to type out and send individual letters of the alphabet, Papworth sent “Merry Christmas” from a computer keyboard. It took some time for cellphones to evolve into send/receive capability.

Paul David Bettner – created Words With Friends

Paul and David Bettner are the brothers behind Words With Friends, the word building game that has taken the world by storm by challenging players to create the highest-scoring words on a game board while playing against another opponent – friend or random.  They first launched Chess With Friends in November, 2008 followed by Words With Friends in July, 2009.  Paul is now Vice President and General Manager of Zynga With Friends based in McKinney, Texas, where David is Studio Director.

Words With Friends is a part of the `With Friends` franchise, which has grown to four games and continues to connect players with their friends, family and even random opponents through its in-game chat and triple letter words. Available on Facebook, Android devices, iPad, iPhone and iPodtouch, Words With Friends continues to hover at the top of the App Store charts and is currently the number three game on Facebook by DAU according to Appdata.com.

Kevin Systrom – creator of Instagram

After graduating from Stanford in 2006, Systrom spent two years at Google where he worked on Gmail and Google Reader. In 2010, he launched Instagram.

Instagram is a free photo sharing application that allows users to take photos, apply a filter, and share it on the service or variety of other social networking services. It was launched in Apple`s App store in October 2010, and by December it had one million registered users.

Jim McKelvey – created Square Mobile Pay

Jim McKelvey is co-founder of Square, a mobile payment platform. A renowned glass blower, he was trying to sell one of his pieces over the phone to a woman in Panama, and lost his sale because he could not accept American Express. He founded Square in 2009 as a way to prevent small business from not being able to accept certain payment cards.

Square was the first mobile payment system for smartphones. The miniature, square shaped, thumb-sized slot plugs into any Android or iPhone/iPad device and allows users to securely swipe credit cards and process instant payment. Instead of charging up to 5 percent of the gross sale like most machines, Square charges a fixed 2.75 percent. McKelvey built the prototype card-readers as Dorsey worked on the software. By the end of 2009, Square had over 100,000 customers, today it has over a million.

Chris Barton and Avery Wang – helped create Shazam

Chris Barton and Avery Wang were two of Shazam`s four founders (Philip Inghelbrecht and Dhiraj Mukherjee being the other two). Chris Barton had the original idea for Shazam and sought out “the smartest guy he could find” to build his vision.  Avery Wang was that guy.  He became the principal inventor of Shazam`s recognition algorithms and is still Chief Scientist at Shazam. Barton is currently employed at Dropbox and serves as a Shazam Board observer. 

Shazam`s roots are in music, enabling people to identify, buy and share music discoveries through an acoustic fingerprint algorithm.  This amazing service began even before there were smartphones by delivering a text result to UK fans that dialed 2580 and held their phone towards the music.  Today, Shazam connects more than 175 million people, in over 200 countries and 30 languages to the music, TV and brands they love.  Shazam works with music labels, TV program producers and broadcasters, as well as every major mobile platform and carrier, making it the world`s leading media discovery company – and one of the most popular apps in the market (106)

Shazam is the world`s leading media discovery company with more than 175 million people in 200 countries and adding another 1.5 million new users each week.  Shazam is the best way for people to discover, explore, buy, and share, music, TV shows and branded content.

For further information about Shazam Entertainment visit www.shazam.com and @ShazamNews or follow us on Facebook.  For daily music updates follow the Shazam Blog and @Shazam.

Additional information on all of the innovators featured can be found at http://www.youtube.com/bestbuy.

Best Buy Mobile brings consumers the choice of any carrier, any phone, any plan with lots of unbiased advice at the more than 1,100 Best Buy stores and 279 Best Buy Mobile specialty stores. In addition, it offers an array of services aimed at improving customers` experience, including Walk Out Working, Upgrade Checker, Happy 24 and a full array of accessories for customers to protect and personalize their device.

About Best Buy Mobile

Best Buy Mobile was founded in 2006 with a goal of changing the way consumers shop for and purchase mobile phones in America. Today, Best Buy Mobile is in every Best Buy store and also has 279 Best Buy Mobile specialty stores around the country. Best Mobile features one of the largest selections of carriers, handsets and accessories available anywhere. Employees undergo at least 80 hours of intensive training, as well as continuing education on mobile phone technology and trends to help customers get the most of their mobile phones. For more information about Best Buy Mobile visit www.bestbuy.com/mobile or www.bestbuymobile.com.

About Best Buy Co., Inc.

Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY – News) is a leading multi-channel global retailer and developer of technology products and services. Every day our employees – 180,000 strong – are committed to helping deliver the technology solutions that enable easy access to people, knowledge, ideas and fun. We are keenly aware of our role and impact on the world, and we are committed to developing and implementing business strategies that bring sustainable technology solutions to our consumers and communities. For information about Best Buy, visit www.bby.com and to shop at Best Buy, visit www.bestbuy.com.

Media Contact: Paula Baldwin

Director, Best Buy Public Relations

(612) 291-6126 or Paula.Baldwin@bestbuy.com

The owner of this announcement warrants that:
(i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and
(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the
information contained therein.

Source: Best Buy PR via Thomson Reuters ONE
HUG#1582739

Technology companies like making futuristic concept videos. Though we’d prefer to see them pour their resources into making the most amazing products that they can today, it’s always fun to see talented videographers’ concepts of what future devices could look like. Many companies have been known to produce these imagination-inspiring clips, including Corning, Microsoft, and even Apple (back in the 80?s).

One of the most famous of those conceptual videos, Corning’s A Day Made of Glass, was released about a year ago. The company has now issued a sequel. It continues along the same lines as the original, so be prepared for touchscreens everywhere. Everything from transparent tablets to touchscreen bathroom mirrors are covered. There’s even a wall-sized multitouch classroom “chalkboard.”

All of that sounds a lot like the original, but one of the biggest additions to A Day Made of Glass 2 is the use of augmented reality. In one of the most memorable scenes, children are visiting a national park, and enjoy watching augmented dinosaurs roaming around them. They even hold up their tablets to scan a footprint, and discover the breed of deer that left it.

Another big addition to Corning’s follow-up is the use of 3D mid-air projections. Of all of the technologies used in the video, this is probably the one that we’re the farthest away from. If we do ever get to the point when we can project high-res images in empty space, then Corning has some great practical uses in mind. At one point in the vid, a doctor gets a real-time projected scan of a patient’s brain while he lies on the table. The doc simply flicks the scan into the air and it hovers over the table for further examination.

Of course we can hire talented artists to cook up anything we can dream of, and then say “look — it’s the future!” The technology of 30 years from now will make what we’re using today look primitive, but we have no way of knowing exactly what it will look like. Corning wants it to all be glass, Microsoft wants it to all be Metro, and any future videos we see will also be reflections of the companies’ ideals.

You can see the original A Day Made of Glass from 2011 below:

With the presidential election upon us this year, I have been thinking a bit more than usual about our country’s future. Although I am interested in a range of issues regarding where America is headed, I am mostly interested in the approach the next president will take regarding America and technology. Technology will only become more integrated into our lives and, most importantly, as an essential part of America’s infrastructure.

Get Them While They’re Young

If you’ve seen the stats about where America ranks in terms of education, it’s a sad tale of decline. Our educational infrastructure is ranked 23rd in the world and seems like it declines even more every passing year. I saw some recent statistics from OnlineEducation.net concerning developed nations around the world, and the youth of our nation rank 25th in math and 21st in science. Around 1.2 million high schoolers drop out every year, which equals about one student every 26 seconds. I believe technology can help America get on track to trend upward in these stats rather than continually declining.

(MORE: Why the Technology Industry’s Greatest Years Are Still Ahead)

One of the most exciting things of late is Apple’s major push to get iPads into classrooms. The release of iBooks Author makes it relatively easy to create next-generation textbooks, and educational resources like these will hopefully lead to an unprecedented amount of innovation around how technology is used to foster learning in ways not possible with analog mediums.

As much as I believe the iPad and tablets in general present one of the most exciting advancements for education in some time, integrating them successfully will not be easy. For this to work, the system has to change and we need to begin to think more creatively about how we educate our youth.

One of the most important and fundamental principles that has been acknowledged over the past 20 years is that not everyone learns the same way. My eight-year-old, for example, has no problem learning through repetition and busy work. For her, the system works. There are, of course, ways the system can develop and be more effective even for her learning style but the point is that the system works.

For my youngest, who is now seven, the system does not work. She learns through interaction and engagement, she needs more hands-on work filled with examples, and more importantly (just like me), she learns through trial and error most effectively. She gets frustrated with the current system’s processes, but that doesn’t change the fact that she is hungry to learn. She simply needs better tools. That’s where tablets come in.

(MORE: No Turning Back: Tablets and the Era of Touch Computing)

I have been a proponent of using the iPad and a number of great educational apps and resources in my kids’ own educational development. My key takeaway with regards to technology and education is that technology must be used as a tool to help educators. It’s a part of the educational process, but not the process in and of itself. What I means is that we can’t assume that we can just hand kids these tools and walk away, expecting them to learn.

The technology itself won’t teach them. Tablets are remarkable new tools in educators’ toolboxes and they need to be integrated as such. If we believe that technology is key to our future, then making sure kids grow up with sufficient exposure will be key.

Of course, making technology affordable is also critical. I hope to see more government subsidization programs that can help offset costs and fast track technologies like tablets and other interactive learning tools into our educational institutions. That’s something I would gladly put my tax dollars toward.

article continues on next page…

Being bullish on the auto industry can be frustrating at times. I have often pointed out the various key developments for the industry that insinuate growth, and I am almost always surprised when the industry trades lower. The auto industry consists of volatile stocks that have the ability to trade with significant loss or large gains in a short period of time. The reason being concerns over global growth and the sustainability of high sales, high costs, Europe, and the uncertainty surrounding the future sources of better fuel-efficiency. The concerns surrounding the auto market are endless as investors are constantly reminded of the issues that plagued the industry just a few years prior during the recession. Therefore, I was honored and truly excited about Seeking Alpha granting me the possibility to interview Ford Motor Company (F) CEO Alan Mulally and looked forward to him answering some of the investor concerns.

Seeking Alpha gave me the opportunity to speak with Mulally, following earnings, with the goal of clarifying some of the issues that have kept confidence low despite incredible sales. The interview consisted of Mark Bern (K202), and Seeking Alpha editors Yigal Grayeff and Yosef Levenstein. We spoke about a variety of issues and I was very impressed by Mulally’s willingness to speak and answer questions. Of course, there were some areas that he was hesitant to discuss, but for the most part he gave very detailed, precise, and informative answers to all of our questions. In fact, I was a bit surprised by some of his answers including his comment about first owning a Chevrolet. I believe his excitement regarding the company along with his answers to be honest and legit. So now that the interview is complete, I will spend this time to reflect on what I believe were the key points and areas of concern.

The first area that I want to discuss is the vehicles, because after all, it’s the vehicles that ultimately decide the fate of Ford. If you’ve ever read one of my articles that cover the auto industry then you know that I have always preferred General Motors (GM). I just recently changed my position and now own shares of Ford, but I have always driven a GM vehicle, because I’ve always liked the style and performance of the vehicles. However, one of the first statements that I made to Alan was that I just recently purchased my wife a Ford Focus. She had wanted to buy a new car but when my wife called and told me it was a Focus I was less than enthusiastic. I wasn’t shocked because it was a Ford, but the Ford Focus has always been known for lacking style. Yet like I told Alan, I think I drive it more today then my wife because of the incredible changes that Ford has made to its units.

Ford has completely changed its identity, and the conversion of hardcore GM buyers like myself is just another example. Mulally spoke about this fact quite often, and gave me the belief that his goal at this point is to just sell as many Ford units as possible, and worry about the profits later. Ford appears to be a company that is driven by total sales, which is evident by his very high guidance for total vehicles sold, higher than analysts expect. I asked him specifically about technology and what will be driving the company into the future; because a real concern has been Ford’s ability to maintain these high sales, in which he basically spoke about diversity and consumers having choices along with better fuel-efficiency.

Obviously fuel-efficiency is another great concern among investors, because some believe that the high gas prices in 2008 and 2009 led to the downfall of the auto industry, since its vehicles were not built with fuel-efficiency in mind. Mulally gave good insight into what he expects from future technology to provide better fuel-efficiency. He gave both short and long-term trends which include the focus on electric vehicles and more models that incorporate both gasoline and electricity, probably similar to the Sonic. However, long-term, Mulally spoke about various biofuel alternatives, hydrogen vehicles, and natural gas which means that he may not believe in the long-term efficiency of electric vehicles, or that maybe he believes the trend will not last. I tend to agree, because although electric vehicles do aid in fuel-efficiency we live in a society that is time efficient, and the consumer may not welcome the idea of having to charge a vehicle to maximize a full tank of gasoline.

The interview as a whole was informative and I only wished that we had more time to speak with Mulally. The three points that I really wanted to cover were: the future of fuel-efficiency, the company’s bottom line, and the idea of lowering guidance to a level that can be reached regardless of economic events. As I’ve already stated, I believe that Mulally provided solid feedback to my questions regarding the future of gasoline and alternative fuel. However, I was not impressed by his avoidance of questions regarding the company’s bottom line and lowering guidance.

I asked Mulally a question about lowering guidance because of commodities being high and European turmoil that continues to exist. And although he reiterated and admitted that harsh economic conditions did affect earnings, he would only speak on future margins that he expects to increase and believes that growth rates in the Asia-Pacific region are much more sustainable. He mentioned the industry forecast of 13.5 – 14.5 million units sold in the U.S., and 14 -15 million units in Europe. With that being said, he believed that the company’s goals are appropriate and plans to utilize the One Ford plan.

As an investor I do wish that Ford would just lower its guidance and have one bad day so that it could exceed expectations and create more optimism among investors. Investors expect sales to be high and for the company’s growth to continue. However, I don’t believe investors are sold on the notion of its margins improving by such a large level, or that the company can meet such high bottom line expectations. Yet Mulally was somewhat dismissive on this one issue, which is so important to investors.

But, like I said, the interview as a whole was a good experience and allowed me to experience the optimism and excitement of Mulally. Over the years I have interviewed and spoken with several CEOs and I can honestly say that Mulally’s optimism is contagious and it’s obvious that he truly believes what he is selling and that it’s not an attempt to affect the company’s stock.

Mulally has been instrumental in the emergence of Ford over the last few years, and I hope that he plans to stay at Ford for a very long-time. This question was also asked, and might I add, it was answered by him saying, “I am absolutely honored to be serving Ford and I have no plans to change that.” I feel that’s a good note to end a great conversation, and I hope you enjoyed the interview and that it gives you better insight into the future of Ford which I believe is looking quite bullish.

Below are links to the other articles in this series:

• For the interview transcript click here.
• For Marn Bern’s (K202) article click here.
• For Yigal Grayeff’s article click here.

Disclosure: I am long F

Economists tell us that computers are replacing people, and software is eating our work. This is different. This is a story about computers hiring people.

Viorel Sima/Shutterstock

Imagine a scenario where your next job interview isn’t face-to-face, but face-to-screen. There are no questions about your former work experience and office habits. There’s simply a computer game. If you win, you get the job. If you lose, game over.
 

They’re called “employment simulations,” and they’re gaining popularity among high-tech firms that are seeking data from prospective employees that you can’t get from sit-down interviews.

Today’s hiring technologies go way beyond basic online personality assessments or the use of business intelligence solutions to mine information from a resume database. In a typical employment simulation, candidates participate in online “video games” that leverage simulation software to determine how well candidates perform in actual job situations. In some cases, these simulations take the form of virtual contests featuring open enrollments and winner-take-all access to vocational opportunities.
 

For example, TopstepTrader, a Chicago firm that recruits and develops talent for the futures trading industry, is currently sponsoring an event that immerses would-be traders in an intensive, simulated trading environment.
 

Contest participants invest imaginary dollars in the futures market over a two-week timeframe. At the end of the two weeks, the contestant (or applicant) with the highest account balance and trading skills will be given the opportunity to invest $150,000 in the futures market and have a chance to earn their livelihood as a professional trader.
 

Experts are quick to point out that employment simulations and similar computer-based hiring techniques are not tests. Instead of grading applicants’ answers to questions, these technologies completely immerse the individual in the employment activity in order to more accurately measure the applicant’s ability to perform the job.
 

Dr. Charles Handler, President and Founder of Rocket-Hire.com, points out that many of today’s technologies represent old hiring concepts that have been resurrected and adapted to the modern workplace. “Simulations were originally used in industrial and manufacturing companies to evaluate the person’s ability to perform specific job functions,” he said. “For example, the employer might ask applicants to manually assemble a simple product in a certain amount of time. If the applicants performed poorly, they probably didn’t possess the physical strength or dexterity to succeed in the job. But if they performed well, they were hired.”
 

TAKING THE HUMAN OUT OF HUMAN RESOURCES

On the surface, the idea of computers and technology playing a central role in the hiring process sounds a little bit like Huxley’s brave new world run amok. But hiring techniques that rely on technology in decision-making have been proven to deliver important benefits for both employers and job seekers.
 

From an employer perspective, computer-based hiring processes are a more realistic predictor of on-the-job success. Employment simulations and other technology-driven approaches minimize blind spots in the hiring process, giving employers visibility into the applicant’s real world performance potential before unleashing the individual on the company’s customers or operating systems.
 

As it turns out, the traditional hiring process is also extremely inefficient. Employment simulators target efficiency improvements by providing maximum information in much shorter periods of time.
 

According to Joseph T. Sefcik, Jr., President of Employment Technologies Corporation, and the pioneer and leading developer of employment simulations, “Robust employment simulations can deliver two to three times more information than traditional hiring processes, and hiring accuracy levels that can be as much as four times greater than other testing approaches.”
 

For job seekers, employment simulations and computer-based hiring models level the playing field, minimizing the risk of being overlooked for a position simply because another candidate had the inside track with hiring managers or other decision-makers.
 

Since technology-based hiring decisions are focused on performance, all applicants have the same opportunity – even applicants who come from nontraditional backgrounds or career paths.
 

THE DOWNSIDE OF HIRING WITH SOFTWARE

Despite the potential advantages for employers and job seekers, employment simulators and other computer-based hiring models have some drawbacks. Like any technology, the effectiveness of employment simulations is limited to the quality of the software and its accessibility to users. Even small programming or accessibility snafus can have dire consequences, leading companies to hire individuals who may not be qualified to perform at high levels.
 

Cutting people out of the hiring process might mitigate our biases, but it also mitigates the human touch of hiring. There are disagreements within the development community about whether or not employment simulations can result in hires who lack the personality traits or social skills to be successful in an actual work environment. Skeptics express concern that in some cases, applicants who perform well in the virtual space are less effective when they are forced to interact with peers in the workplace.
 

So although the use of computer-centric hiring models is increasing, it’s likely that employers will hedge their computer-centered hiring bets and rely on an integrated approach that includes at least some traditional hiring elements.

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As an author, Michio Kaku is like Walt Disney with a Ph.D., patiently leading his charges from one amazing place to the next; Kaku’s Disneyland is the future. To paraphrase from the old Disney television show theme: The world is a carousel of wonder. Kaku — eminent scientist and professor, co-author of string field theory — possesses that same sense of awe and joy of discovery that made Disney such an icon.

While Disney recruited the best and the brightest to help him forge entertainment using science, “Physics of the Future” uses entertainment to explain science. The ideas expounded upon can be daunting for the layman, but Kaku’s gift is his unerring ability to render the obtuse concrete. There may be a reader to two who may complain that the material is somehow “dumbed down,” but I would argue that those readers have likely researched the subject matter thoroughly already. Besides, there is a vast difference between diluting the material for the easily distracted, and presenting a topic succinctly and clearly; Kaku does the latter.

We begin our journey with the story of the computer, the existence of which was the stuff of fantasy at the turn of the 20th century. The computer as we know it today, in fact, was virtually unthinkable even half a century ago. Moore’s law states that computer power doubles roughly every 18 months. As chips and their attendant uses become less and less expensive, they begin to appear in more and more places; so many places, and in such numbers, that we cease to realize they are even there. The author quotes novelist Max Frisch: “Technology [is] the knack of so arranging the world that we don’t have to experience it.” As such, computer technology will continue to blend seamlessly into the fabric of our lives; the predicted future of eyeglasses and contact lenses is astonishing, and gets more so as each iteration begets further advances.

The chapter on artificial intelligence does an admirable job explaining intelligence and consciousness as it relates to constructs: If you’ve seen too many Hollywood movies and expect your toaster to one day rear back and demand respect, you will find many of your worries eased.

If the U.S. economy is to successfully navigate its current perilous course, attention must move from the baggage of the past to the opportunities and challenges of the future. Nothing symbolizes that better than the comparison of Europe’s ongoing economic morass with China’s relentless growth.

Our friends at McVean Trading consistently produce one of the most insightful newsletters on global economic trends. They’ve been generous to share their recent analysis of the global trading shifts that have led to China’s current export dominance. We’ve reprinted the article in full on the Capital Matters website. The article includes a interesting analysis of inflation trends in China, but the most important takeaway is that the Chinese surge is not an isolated event, but a continuum of trends that began almost forty years ago, first with Japan’s export boom, then with the Korean, Malaysian and Taiwanese Miracles and more recently with the strength of the Chinese manufacturing economy. These are all part of a global movement to equalization of economic opportunity.

Far from dragging down the American economy, China’s boom is better viewed as the extension of trends that started more than 200 years ago when Samuel Slater (unfortunately no relation) memorized the technology developed in England for mechanization of the textile industry and brought it to the U.S. Andrew Jackson gave Slater credit as being the “Father of the American Industrial Revolution.” Of course today the shoe is on the other foot and Slater would more likely be branded as an intellectual property pirate than as a hero.

Over time the seat of textile manufacturing moved from New England to the American South and eventually on to China. It would be hard to argue that over the longer term New York or Boston has suffered as a result of the shift in their regional economies from strength in clothing and textile manufacturing to their current positions as global powerhouses in finance education and RD. To me the takeaway is that England, far from being weakened by the shift in manufacturing jobs to its former colony in the Americas, was able to cement its position as the superpower of its day. It took advantage of these developments by investing heavily in the U.S. and continuing to build its dominance as the global trade leader of its era. A quick spin around London circa 2012 certainly does not lead to the conclusion that the U.K. fell into irreversible decline because of America’s growing prosperity.

The U.S. is now in an analogous situation. The rise of Asian manufacturing has certainly hurt many individual Americans, but overall the U.S. has been far more prosperous than it would have been without access to low cost imports. In many of the more advanced technology industries, U.S. manufacturers have maintained their dominance, a feat that would not have been possible in the absence of access to lower cost “imported” labor. With the current political focus on “protecting American jobs”, one of the most critical questions the country faces is whether we can maintain a consensus that enables the most innovative American firms to continue to access the resources they will need to compete on a global basis.

We’re in the midst of the strongest economic boom the world has ever witnessed. For clear evidence how pervasive this trend has become, take a look at the glittering new capital of Kazakhstan, one of the most remote corners of the world. The National Geographic just published a great pictorial that you can download here. We should not be threatened by the increasing prosperity of the world at large.

There are two take-aways in this for investors. First, continued inflation in China and other parts of the developing world will have implications for U.S. importers, including retailers such as Wal-Mart (WMT), which could see their cost of goods rise significantly, as well many high tech manufacturing firms such as HP (HPQ) that depend on Asian labor for component part production. Additionally investors should carefully watch the rhetoric in this year’s political campaigns. If the current talk about jobs, jobs, jobs turn in a protectionist direction, that will paradoxically not bode well for major U.S. manufacturers that depend on imported intermediate components for their finished goods. For many parts, particularly high tech components, the supply chains simply do not exist in the U.S. and protectionist legislation that impedes the importing of these parts or raises their costs will have direct negative impact on U.S. firms that depend on Asian supply chains for these components.

Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

CORNING, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

Several innovations from Corning Incorporated’s (NYSE: GLW – News) new business
portfolio have the opportunity for growth and could become significant
revenue generators for the company, Wendell
P. Weeks, chairman, chief executive officer and president, will tell
investors today at the company’s annual
investor meeting beginning at 9 a.m. in New York.

Weeks will open the meeting by acknowledging the challenges the company
is facing in 2012: lower LCD glass prices; higher corporate tax rates;
and declining equity earnings, which have combined to lower Corning’s
profitability. However, he will remind investors that “despite these
challenges, Corning plans to grow profits along our way to achieving our
goal of $10 billion in sales.” Last week, the company announced record
2011 sales of $7.9 billion.

Vision of the future

Weeks will recall for investors that a year ago the company shared a
vision of the future through a video, “A
Day Made of Glass.” The video portrayed “a mobile world, a visual
world, a world of intuitive interfaces, a world requiring massive
bandwidth, and a world of life-enhancing technologies,” Weeks will say.
“We are excited about this world, because it’s a world that depends on
highly engineered specialty glass and fiber optic technology.”

Weeks also will unveil Corning’s newest video, “A Day Made of Glass 2,”
which demonstrates even more ways that Corning’s specialty glass is
helping enable a world of communication and connection. Both videos will
be available for viewing at www.corning.com
later today.

Innovative opportunities

To illustrate how Corning’s latest innovations are helping to bring this
vision of the future to life, Weeks will demonstrate Corning^®
Gorilla^® Glass 2 in a live product-durability test, noting
that the company has further improved the product attributes by reducing
the glass thickness by 20% while maintaining its industry-leading damage
resistance.

Additionally, Weeks will discuss several ways the company is providing
glass innovations to enable high-performance displays. He will
demonstrate Corning’s
Lotus™ Glass and show work that the company is doing on ultra-slim
flexible glass. Corning’s patented fusion glass manufacturing
process should allow the company to produce slim, flexible glass that is
five times thinner than standard display glass. It also has the
potential to revolutionize the way displays are manufactured by allowing
device makers to move from batch manufacturing to a continuous
roll-to-roll process.

“Ultra-slim glass creates the opportunity to manufacture devices using
the same techniques as plastic films, while providing all the advantages
of glass in terms of transparency, encapsulation, and high-temperature
tolerance,” Weeks will explain. “This unlocks the opportunity for some
very exciting displays.”

Weeks also will tell investors that Corning continues to innovate its
optical fiber and connectivity solutions to meet the ever-increasing
bandwidth demand driven by consumer electronics applications. “Our new
mobile access wireless solutions are assuring five-bar coverage, an
ability to flex capacity allocation, and reduced installation time and
cost.” At the same time, Corning continues improving optical
connectivity with faster, lighter, smaller, and lower-energy-consumption
device-to-device connectivity solutions for the home.

Finally, he plans to highlight an innovation that combines Corning’s
expertise in biochemistry, specialty glass, and surface technology.
“Corning is developing a glass that kills drug-resistant bacteria and
viruses,” Weeks will explain. “The product is in the early stages, but
it’s something we’re very excited about. This is an area that has a very
real chance of becoming one of our exciting new growth opportunities.”

Path to $10 billion in sales

James
B. Flaws, vice chairman and chief financial officer, will say, “As a
company, we are approaching a lower level of profitability driven by LCD
glass price declines. We expect these to moderate as glass capacity and
demand come into balance. Our plan is to march up from this level with
increased sales and profits, reaching $10 billion in sales in 2014.”

He plans to point out that while Corning LCD glass sales are likely to
be flat through 2014, the business will remain highly profitable and
continue to generate large amounts of cash. “We are confident we can
maintain a healthy gross margin in the display business with a robust
cost-reduction program, including bringing price declines in line with
manufacturing costs and reduced capital expenses. Future glass-volume
growth will come from an accelerated display-replacement cycle and
advanced glass technologies, bringing thinner displays to the market,”
he will remark.

“We now expect the Telecommunications,
Specialty
Materials, Environmental
Technologies, and Life
Sciences business segments to be the primary drivers of increased
sales and profits going forward,” Flaws will add. Advances in the areas
of fiber-to-the-home installations, enterprise network (data centers)
solutions, optical fiber sales, and wireless applications, all are
expected to contribute to Corning’s Telecommunications segment growth,
which could see sales approaching $3 billion in a few years.

Corning’s Gorilla Glass sales, contained in the Specialty Materials
segment, are expected to grow “materially” through 2014, led primarily
by consumer electronic devices and potentially from industries outside
this market, such as automotive, appliance, and architectural
applications. Life Sciences sales are forecasted to nearly double to $1
billion as part of the company’s growth plan. And tighter global
environmental emissions regulations will help drive Corning’s
Environmental Technologies segment to $1.4 billion in sales by 2014. New
businesses could contribute an additional $400 million to Corning’s path
to $10 billion.

“We are addressing a number of challenges as we work to achieve these
goals,” Flaws will point out. “But we have a solid balance sheet. We are
committed to managing costs and to investing in future technologies that
should lead to new market opportunities.”

“As the past has taught us, our path to achieve these goals is unlikely
to be smooth. But by remaining nimble and focused, we believe we can
achieve our $10 billion sales goal by 2014,” Flaws will tell investors.

Conference Broadcast Information

Corning’s annual investor meeting will be held on Friday, Feb. 3 at
Cipriani, located at 110 E. 42nd Street, New York. Corning’s products
and technologies will be on display from 8 until 9 a.m. and from 11 a.m.
until 12 p.m. Corning will make the presentation at its annual investor
conference available to the public through a video
and audio webcast and telephone access. The broadcast will begin at
9 a.m. EST. The dial-in number is (800) 230-1093 (U.S.) or (612)
332-0634 (international). The password is 2012 IR Meeting. The leader is
Ken Sofio. A replay of the call will be available at 1 p.m. EST and will
run through midnight EST on Friday, Feb. 17, 2012. To access the replay,
dial (800) 475-6701 (U.S.) or (320) 365-3844 (international). The access
code is 234927. The audio webcast will be archived for one year
following the call.

Presentation of Information in this News Release

Non-GAAP financial measures are not in accordance with, or an
alternative to, GAAP. Corning’s non-GAAP net income and EPS measures
exclude restructuring, impairment and other charges and adjustments to
prior estimates for such charges. Additionally, the company’s non-GAAP
measures exclude adjustments to asbestos settlement reserves, gains and
losses arising from debt retirements, charges or credits arising from
adjustments to the valuation allowance against deferred tax assets,
equity method charges resulting from impairments of equity method
investments or restructuring, impairment or other charges taken by
equity method companies and gains from discontinued operations. The
company believes presenting non-GAAP net income and EPS measures is
helpful to analyze financial performance without the impact of unusual
items that may obscure trends in the company’s underlying performance.
Reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures can be found on the company’s
Web site by going to www.corning.com/investor_relations
and clicking Financial Reports on the left. Reconciliation also
accompanies this news release.

Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” (within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995), which
are based on current expectations and assumptions about Corning’s
financial results and business operations, that involve substantial
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially. These risks and uncertainties include: the effect of global
political, economic and business conditions; conditions in the financial
and credit markets; currency fluctuations; tax rates; product demand and
industry capacity; competition; reliance on a concentrated customer
base; manufacturing efficiencies; cost reductions; availability of
critical components and materials; new product commercialization;
pricing fluctuations and changes in the mix of sales between premium and
non-premium products; new plant start-up or restructuring costs;
possible disruption in commercial activities due to terrorist activity,
armed conflict, political or financial instability, natural disasters,
adverse weather conditions, or major health concerns; adequacy of
insurance; equity company activities; acquisition and divestiture
activities; the level of excess or obsolete inventory; the rate of
technology change; the ability to enforce patents; product and
components performance issues; retention of key personnel; stock price
fluctuations; and adverse litigation or regulatory developments. These
and other risk factors are detailed in Corning’s filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak
only as of the day that they are made, and Corning undertakes no
obligation to update them in light of new information or future events.

About Corning Incorporated

Corning Incorporated (www.corning.com)
is the world leader in specialty glass and ceramics. Drawing on more
than 160 years of materials science and process engineering knowledge,
Corning creates and makes keystone components that enable
high-technology systems for consumer electronics, mobile emissions
control, telecommunications and life sciences. Our products include
glass substrates for LCD televisions, computer monitors and laptops;
ceramic substrates and filters for mobile emission control systems;
optical fiber, cable, hardware equipment for telecommunications
networks; optical biosensors for drug discovery; and other advanced
optics and specialty glass solutions for a number of industries
including semiconductor, aerospace, defense, astronomy, and metrology.

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