Monthly Archives: May 2015

The Future of Self-Driving Cars

Stock photo of a young man clasping his hands near the steering wheel of a self-driving car.The Future of Self-Driving Cars

I own a sports car that requires all of my attention while driving. I love driving it but from time to time I think about what it will be like to drive (or ride in) a self-driving car. According to a recent article, at least two automakers are only five years away from production of self-driving cars. I think I would be bored, but I can see the advantages of being able to get caught up on work or sleep or enjoying a good book during commutes. It would be like having your own chauffeur. I was curious as to what the future holds, so I did some research.

Computers vs. Humans

In the article mentioned above, self-driving cars have been in 11 accidents in the last six years and Google claims its cars were not at fault in any of them. Perhaps the future of self-driving automobiles lies in providing transportation for people who do not drive well or choose not to drive. When it comes to driving, do you trust a computer or a 17-year-old?

The Future Is Now

The early components of self-driving cars are already available. Adaptive or autonomous cruise control is an option on several foreign and domestic vehicles. This technology typically uses radar to sense the distance between you and the car ahead of you. It will then actively brake or accelerate to maintain a safe distance between the two vehicles. Unfortunately, it is less effective in rain, fog, or snow.

Acura’s Lane Keeping Assist System uses a camera mounted between the rearview mirror and the windshield to track whether you are staying in your lane. If you veer outside the lines, then the car will warn you and also apply light torque to the steering to guide you back into the lane. In theory you can drive without hands on the wheel, but a dashboard warning will appear if you do it for very long. If you signal for a legitimate turn or lane change, then the system will assume that you are in control and not try to nudge you back to center.

Crash avoidance systems are also available now. Other technology exists, but needs to be integrated and perfected before going into mass production.

Thoughts

Google’s self-driving cars are set to hit the streets this summer in neighborhoods around the Mountain View, CA campus. Self-driving cars are on the near horizon, but there are social and legal issues to deal with. For example, should laws be different for self-driving vehicles? In the event of a traffic infraction who is responsible, the car or the driver/rider? How can a self-driven car help certain segments of the population? I will explore these questions in future blog posts.

Author Kelly BrownAbout Kelly Brown

Kelly Brown is an IT professional and assistant professor of practice for the UO Applied Information Management Master’s Degree Program. He writes about IT and business topics that keep him up at night.

Travel Tech: How Do I Pay for My Croissant in Paris?

Credit card on wheels with a straw hat.Summer vacations allow us to unwind, see new things, and even meet new people. As you plan your vacation, it is important to think how you are going to pay for it. With more Americans traveling overseas, you’ll need to plan for currency exchange and whether your credit cards will work in a foreign country. This post will sort out the facts of foreign travel and will hopefully prepare you for a stress-free vacation.

Foreign Exchange

I have traveled to various countries and continents around the world and my approach to money has changed dramatically. Years ago I used to go to my local bank and get all of the cash I thought I needed, in the local currency. If I were to visit multiple countries I would have to estimate the cash needed for each country. Before the Euro, I had to carry marks, pounds, and francs at the same time. If I ran out before I left the country, then I had to navigate the local currency exchange (often with a hefty fee) or the local banking system. This system was clumsy at best.

The Miracle of ATMs

The first time I used an ATM in a foreign country was in a dark alley in Dublin. I was totally amazed when the screen flashed my name and asked me the nature of my transaction. I knew then that technology was totally awesome. I was in a foreign country far from home, yet the machine knew who I was and gave me money in local currency after determining I had that money in my account. The system, the networking, and the applications all had to work together to make this magic. That was the last time I visited a currency exchange at my bank, the airport, or a train station. I was hooked.

Who Carries Cash?

Fast-forward to today and I rarely carry cash. With the worldwide network of credit card and debit card receiving terminals there is no need to carry large sums of cash. I usually get enough cash at the foreign airport ATM to pay the taxi driver and for small purchases, but outside of that I rely on my credit and debit cards. For foreign travel though, that brings up the question of whether the American issued credit card will work. Possibly not.

Chip and PIN vs. Chip and Signature vs. Magnetic Swipe

Many countries, including those in Europe and Asia, adhere to the EMV (Europay, Mastercard, Visa) standard of electronic transactions. This requires a chip and PIN type card, but many still accept chip and signature and possibly, but not necessarily, the old magnetic swipe cards. A chip and PIN system requires a PIN number to unlock the information embedded in the card. A chip and signature terminal can decode the information on the chip but does not ask for a PIN number and requires a live signature instead. The magnetic swipe has the user information embedded on the magnetic strip and requires a swipe and a signature. The newer cards being issued in America generally are the chip and signature variety. While it is a step in the right direction towards EMV standards, it is only a half measure and may not always work abroad. Consider the situation of needing to purchase a train ticket from a kiosk in Vienna in the middle of the night. That kiosk has no way to collect your signature so you could be spending a cold night in the station while waiting for the ticket office to open in the morning.

What About RFID?

One of the concerns about travel is rogue Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) scanners. Some credit cards have embedded RFID with credit card information. All U.S. passports since 2007 also have an embedded RFID chip. To be clear, this is not the same thing as the chip in a chip and PIN or chip and signature card. Popular RFID credit cards are Visa PayWave, MasterCard PayPass, American Express ExpressPay, and Discover Zip, and they generally carry a symbol of four wavy lines. You will find the same chip in many electronic lock systems. The advantage of these is that you can bump the card against or near the transaction scanner without having to remove it from your wallet. The disadvantage is that others with a scanner close enough to you, generally two feet, can also read and copy your information. There are a lot of solutions for blocking that data collection, from special wallets to Tyvek and aluminum card sleeves. My favorite is the homemade duct tape wallet with built in RFID block (tin foil). Before you invest in anything, make sure that your card even has an RFID embedded chip. I believe that with the advent of electronic pay systems such as Apple Pay and Android Pay, these cards will fade from use, as will the security concerns.

Thoughts

These are some things to think about as you plan your travels this summer. The world is a big place but it is becoming smaller through technology. Just when you think you may be in unchartered territory you will be surprised, as I was years ago when I walked into the terminal at the Frankfurt airport and was greeted by a big sign that said “American Express Welcomes You To Frankfurt.” They obviously got there before me.

I hope you will share your travel experiences this summer and any tips that you have to make the process uneventful so that you can fully enjoy the experience.

Author Kelly BrownAbout Kelly Brown

Kelly Brown is an IT professional and assistant professor of practice for the UO Applied Information Management Master’s Degree Program. He writes about IT and business topics that keep him up at night.

Spring Cleaning That Dirty Data

Photo of pulling a squeegee across a soapy window on a sunny day.I am in spring cleaning mode this week and plenty of projects around the house need attention. Now that the sun is out, I can see how dirty my windows really are. In addition to physical cleaning, I am also trying to clean up my files and data and I would encourage you to do the same. As January is for resolutions, the arrival of spring is a good tickler for cleaning.

Big Data

There is a lot of talk about big data and the potential for new insights through careful analysis. What we don’t talk about enough is the fact that these brilliant insights will not be possible unless we organize and cleanse the data that we have. The biggest problems are missing data, inaccurate data, and redundant data. Until we clean up these problems the results of our analyses will continue to be flawed.

If you work with customer records, medical records, financial records or other critical data, you should be scrubbing constantly. For the rest of us, we should provide a good annual cleaning, at a minimum. It really all comes down to trust. Do I trust the results I am getting and do I trust the underlying data? If not, it is time to clean.

Missing Data

Information professionals say “garbage in, garbage out.” This is especially applicable to missing data. For example, a form prompts customers to supply their name, address, city, state, and zip code. If some customers fail to provide their zip code, you could never sort with accuracy on that field. If you wanted to send out advertising to a select geographic location based on zip code, you could not. Your data for this task is incomplete and useless. Maintaining strict rules on incoming data can alleviate this problem.

Inaccurate Data

Inaccurate data is even worse than missing data. With missing data, you can see where you have holes even if you cannot sort on that information. With inaccurate data, you could be happily marching down the yellow brick road and not know how bad your results are. You may not even know the extent of the problem. The key to accurate data is to put filters in place so the data is analyzed for accuracy, correct values, and values in the correct field.

Redundant Data

Another problem is redundant data. This can come from poor version control or not replacing old values or information with newer values. As an example, think about your personal digital photo storage. How many times have you stored the same photo? If you are anything like me, you have a copy on your phone, your computer, possibly your tablet, and one or two memory cards. The good news is, if you ever had a device failure then you have plenty of backup sources, but the bad news is you have created redundant data or images. With the introduction of cloud computing, we should be able to synch everything to the cloud and have one clean filtered copy of everything. Unfortunately, there seems to be some lingering trust issues with the cloud, but hopefully we can get beyond that.

Thoughts

Big data can get out of control quickly without well thought out strategies for input, organization, and cleansing. This year, as part of your spring cleaning, identify those areas where you have dirty data and vow to get them under control before it controls you.

Do you have any advice for cleaning big data and keeping it clean? Are there any products that have worked well for you? Cleaning data is harder than cleaning windows but the results can be just as bright.

Author Kelly BrownAbout Kelly Brown

Kelly Brown is an IT professional and assistant professor of practice for the UO Applied Information Management Master’s Degree Program. He writes about IT and business topics that keep him up at night.

Courage in the Face of Change

Man leaps across a precipice in the mountains at sunset.I have been thinking about all of the students who are about to graduate and the new students who will begin the AIM Program in June. Graduates may be moving into the job market or starting a postgraduate program, but there are still many unknowns. New students may be embarking on their first graduate experience or their first online course. It takes courage to start that first step and to follow through on the commitment. This blog post is dedicated to those courageous souls facing new adventures.

Definition

Courage is defined on Dictionary.com as “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear.” I am not sure that having courage means you have no fear. Instead, I think it is a managed fear. Think back to the last time you ventured into the unknown. What pushed you into that new venture? Was it to alleviate discomfort in your current situation? Were you seeking a reward? Or were you curious as to what the new experience would bring? The first time I skydived, there was definitely some fear involved, but there was also curiosity. In my case, the curiosity outweighed the fear.

Examples of Courage

One of the finest examples of courage I can think of is military service. These men and women face the unknown just by reporting for duty. They then face ongoing challenges if they are deployed to foreign lands to defend our freedom and security. They are not alone, but they courageously face the unknown despite their fears. I honor them for that courage.

Another example of courage is young people who move away from home and the towns they grew up in to better themselves through education or employment. It takes courage to build a new life. It gets easier as they continue to encounter new experiences, but that initial move can be daunting.

Change Takes Courage

I have come to understand that change takes courage, whether it be changing jobs, entering a new academic program, taking on new volunteer responsibilities, or changing a lifestyle. The pain of your current situation could make changing easier but it still takes courage to take the first step toward (hopefully) a better future.

Thoughts

I hope that you will take a moment this week to recognize someone who is facing a change with courage. Whether they are a new graduate or someone starting a new venture, congratulate them and wish them well as they confidently step forward.

Author Kelly BrownAbout Kelly Brown

Kelly Brown is an IT professional and assistant professor of practice for the UO Applied Information Management Master’s Degree Program. He writes about IT and business topics that keep him up at night.