ARTICLES

10/4/2018· Telecommunication

Analyst Angle: 5G Introduction Checklist

By: Keith Mallinson

There is plenty of enthusiasm and quite a bit of hype in various quarters about upcoming 5G; but will it be worthwhile for everyone?

9/28/2018· Transportation

Safety Compromises, Part 10: Passenger Assistance -- Standards, Practices and Disincentives

By: Ned Einstein

An industry outsider (say, a juror) might consider the variation in passenger assistance within the public transportation industry alarming. Exploring a single theme like boarding and alighting illustrates the extremes

9/27/2018· Branding - Brand Management

Branding 4.0 and the Age of Hyper Customization

By: Rob Wallace

Brand identity and package design has entered into its 4th generation. And in this next phase, the brand will never again have the same message to the 100 million consumers. It will offer 100 million "on-brand" messages customized to each individual consumer. To trace this progress, its relevant to understand how branding evolved from its onset.

9/13/2018· Accident Prevention & Safety

Children Will Fall At Playgrounds. What Shall We Do To Protect Them? A Multipart Blog Series - Part II: A Brief Summary of Playground Safety Standards

By: Jeffrey Warren and Aron Olson

Welcome to the second part in our multipart blog series examining a young boy's fall and injury at a public playground. If you missed the first part in this series, click www.warrenforensics.com/2017/10/11/children-will-fall-at-playgrounds-what-shall-we-do-to-protect-them-a-multipart-blog-series-part-i/ to read it. In this post, we will highlight some resources that designers of public playgrounds can use to help ensure their designs are reasonably safe.

9/12/2018· Intellectual Property

Development of Innovative New Standards Jeopardised by IEEE Patent Policy

By: Keith Mallinson

In March 2015, IEEE significantly amended its patent policy in what was couched as an "update" but that seeks to significantly revise commitments from parties holding patent claims essential to IEEE standards to license those rights on reasonable and non-discriminatory (RAND) terms. Changes disallow patent holders from receiving any value attributable to the standards, require licensing at the smallest saleable patent practicing unit level, and deny these rights holders entitlement to seek an injunction against an unlicensed implementer until appellate review is exhausted. IEEE’s stated objective was to protect implementers from patent holdup, which was alleged without any substantiation.[1] IEEE is promoting, by reducing technology licensing costs, the short-term interests of certain implementers while undermining standard-essential patent values and the ability of SEP owners to receive adequate compensation, they are entitled to, from licensing their SEPs.

9/5/2018· Transportation

Safety Compromises, Part 9: Rolling Turns and Sharp Turns

By: Ned Einstein

It might seem obvious that a bus driver would know how to properly turn a vehicle with a long wheelbase. Yet it is surprising how many are not taught to. More interesting, bus drivers often do not have the time to.

9/4/2018· Design

Redesigning the Design Industry; "The Next-Generation Consultancy"

By: Rob Wallace

Those of us who run design consultancies embrace change. In fact, we are often our client's primary "change agents". We foresee the emerging need in the ever-evolving market, and mold our clients' brands and experiences to meet that new need.

8/28/2018· Electrical - Electrocution

Testing... Testing... Is This Thing On?

By: Thomas J. Kelly

Many people just take for granted that something is just going to work, and in many cases assume that it will work forever. One such device that does not get enough attention is the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI). Simply put, a GFCI is a protective device that compares the current flowing on the hot and neutral wires of the circuit and will "trip" to disconnect power to the circuit if a small imbalance of current is detected. The imbalance of current is an indication of a dangerous alternate path for the current to flow from a damaged line cord or a fault inside an appliance and constitutes a shock hazard to a person.

8/27/2018· Forensic Psychiatry

Date Rape - a Medicine Cabinet of Assault

By: Dr. Sanjay Adhia

Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault (DFSA) is the use of drugs and/or alcohol by a sexual predator to render a victim incapacitated and unable to fight back against a sexual assault. A side effect of many "Date Rape" or "Club Drugs" is also anterograde amnesia, the inability to recall what happened while drugged, increasing a predator's belief he will "get away with it." Those odds are shifting, but attorneys, Courts and potential victims are better served if they understand some of the drugs used and their impact on mind and body.

8/24/2018· Telecommunication

Better Late Than Never to Do the Right Thing for SEP Owners

By: Keith Mallinson

At last, American authorities are also beginning to do the right thing for owners of standard-essential patents. Under the previous administration of President Barack Obama, America's agencies did the wrong thing by seriously undermining standard-essential patents in various ways. For example, this existentially threatened the independence of Qualcomm, which relies substantially on its patent-licensing business to fund long-term R&D including that in upcoming 5G mobile communications. Thankfully, President Donald Trump's administration has recognised the important need to support, not undermine, the nation's technology innovators, and uphold their patent rights, as enshrined in the US Constitution.