Author: Peggy Smedley
With the rise of AI (artificial intelligence), many young workers are now considering a switch from white-collar jobs to blue-collar jobs—or at least that is the most result of a new survey, suggesting Gen Zers are now rethinking where they work. Perhaps this just might be a good opportunity for the construction industry to find the humans they so desperately need to get their projects completed! Intelligent.com has conducted a survey of 1,000 respondents between ages 16 and 26 in the United States. According to the numbers, roughly 48% of respondents plan to work in the white-collar field, 32% plan…
With MWC (Mobile World Congress), hosted by GSMA, kicking off next week in Barcelona, Spain, many are talking about how telecommunications is transforming. We all know the 5G revolution is here—and the feeds and speeds that come along with it are set to change the enterprise across many industries. In fact, CTIA suggests the wireless industry enables 4.5 million jobs and contributes roughly $825 billion each year to the American economy. With 5G, we will see the rise of new applications, with more capacity and lower latency. It also has the ability to provide increased speed in many industries. With…
Peggy Smedley talks about what needs to happen to mitigate cyber risk. She says going forward we will need to increase our ability to detect things and we will need a plan for what we are going to do when a threat happens—because it isn’t a matter of if, it is a matter of when. With threats happening with increasing speed, we need to know the risks that exist out there and we need to be prepared. She also discusses: What happened on Feb. 25, 2022, that changed the trajectory of cyber. A new Dragos report that suggests 2022 saw…
Peggy Smedley and Steve Goetz, VP & partner, telecommunications media & entertainment industry, IBM Consulting, talk about how telecommunications is changing, ahead of Mobile World Congress. He says it is always great to go to Mobile World Congress for so many reasons, and that IBM has a very large presence there. They also discuss: What has changed in the last several years—and what to expect at this year’s show. The importance of the monetization of 5G. How roles and responsibilities are shifting. ibm.com/telecommunications Telecom Strategies for a 5G Future White Paper (2/21/23 – 810) IoT, Internet of Things, Peggy Smedley,…
Peggy Smedley and Katherine Giovannone, founder, MEsquad, talk about her background and how she ended up where she is at today. She says eyewear sales is still very old school—and before COVID she could see this was changing and an inefficient way to do business. Thus, she began designing a customizable kids eyewear collection. They also discuss: How it changed during the pandemic and evolved to direct-to-consumer. How the eyewear is like legos for children. The difference between B2B and direct-to-consumer. mesquad.ca (2/21/23 – 810) IoT, Internet of Things, Peggy Smedley, artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, digital transformation, cybersecurity,…
Is the water from our faucet safe to drink? Maybe. It depends on your public water systems—and how closely they adhere to drinking water quality standards and regulations. Look no further than Flint, Mich., which had a water crisis on its hands back in 2014 after the drinking water was contaminated with lead. The biggest concern of drinking water with too much lead is that it can cause us to be vulnerable to serious health effects and disorders. In fact, we’ve all probably seen the 1993 movie inspired by Erin Brockovich—played by actress Julia Roberts—that highlights the water crisis in…
In the past year, I have had my own experiences with builders and trades, but it is always interesting to hear what is happening on other jobsites around the world—both large and small, commercial, and residential. That is why my interest was piqued when I saw a new report that digs into what is actually transpiring on construction jobsites. The report from Tel Aviv and London-based Buildots—The Numbers Behind Inefficient Construction Practices: A Data-Driven Report—uncovers the true inefficiencies that exist in the multi-trillion-dollar global construction industry. Uncovering the Data This report is unique in that the information was not gathered…
As I have always said, the transition to a carbon-neutral future requires everyone to come to the table to make a difference. We need consumers, businesses, government, academia, and more to recognize the challenges that lie before us and to come together to find solutions. One sector that will have a big role in helping us move to carbon-free energy is utilities. Utilities face interesting market conditions today. The regulatory environment can often either restrict or strongly encourage action to move forward. Still each utility has different priorities, business models, processes, and geographic considerations when moving forward to a carbon-neutral…
Peggy talks about how to keep our loved ones safe on the roads. She says we need to be smarter on our roads, and new efforts from government are a great first step, but there is always so much more than can be done to protect our drivers. She also discusses: The cost of car crashes to our economy and our personal lives—and if we are heading in the right direction. New efforts from the government to improve road safety and advance complete streets that serve all road users. Her thoughts on what needs to happen next with our infrastructure…
Peggy and Brian Sathianathan, co-founder & chief technology officer, iterate.ai, explains what quiet quitting is all about. He says it has been around for a long time, but now it is happening at a larger scale. They also discuss how this all is changing with technology and the recent layoffs at big tech companies. They also discuss: How fast the tech sector was hiring during the pandemic and how it is shrinking now. Four ways managers can engage with remote employees. How models and technologies can give a meaningful answer and make company information better. iterate.ai (2/14/23 – 809) IoT,…