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25 Jan 17:42

Lessons for remote work, from professional chess

by Tyler Cowen

During the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional (offline) chess tournaments were prohibited and instead held online. We exploit this unique setting to assess the impact of remote–work policies on the cognitive performance of individuals. Using the artificial intelligence embodied in a powerful chess engine to assess the quality of chess moves and associated errors, we find a statistically and economically significant decrease in performance when an individual competes remotely versus offline in a face-to-face setting. The effect size decreases over time, suggesting an adaptation to the new remote setting.

Here is the Economic Journal paper by Steffen KünnChristian Seel, and Dainis Zegners.  Via tekl.

The post Lessons for remote work, from professional chess appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION.

25 Nov 13:34

Study Finds Users, Not Notifications, Initiate 89% of Smartphone Interactions

by BeauHD
According to a new study published in the journal Computers In Human Behavior, smartphone users initiate 89% of the interactions, with only 11% initiated by a notification. "This is at odds with previous academic literature and news reports which commonly claim that smartphone notifications are ruining your life, ruining productivity, and so on," reports PsychNewsDaily. From the report: "The perceived disruptiveness of smartphones is not mainly driven by external notifications," the study's authors write, "but by an urge of the user to interact with their phone that seems to occur in an almost automatic manner, just as a smoker would light a cigarette." [...] The researchers explain that many users felt compelled to check their phones even when they had switched off notifications. "Seeing this has made me realize that I don't even remember picking it up," one of the subjects said in a subsequent interview with the study's authors. The study also found that the average duration of a smartphone interaction was 64 seconds. About 50% of the interactions were 23 seconds or less. The most common activity users engaged in when using their phones was checking WhatsApp, which accounted for 22% of interactions. [...] The second most common interaction, at 17% of the total, was a "lock screen check," which means briefly unlocking the phone to check for new notifications. In third place was interacting with Instagram (16%). Facebook and Facebook messenger together accounted for 13% of the interactions, e-mail for 6%, web browsing 4%, music 3%, Snapchat 2%, and photos 2%. Phone calls -- these devices are phones, after all -- only comprised about 1% of the interactions. The participants generally considered e-mail notifications the most important. Likewise, they largely considered group chats a "source of distress," and found most group-chat messages unimportant. Smartphone interactions were longer when users were alone versus with others, and were also longer at home versus at work. Likewise, these interactions were shorter when participants received notifications, compared to when they "self-disrupt." This indicates that smartphone use is more purposeful when users receive notifications, and more "distraction-seeking" when they check their phones themselves. The researchers also found that the scrolling features on apps like Instagram and Facebook led to the longest interactions.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

10 Dec 12:34

Mattress Buying Guide

by Joanne Chen
Mattress Buying Guide

Most people shop for mattresses all wrong by focusing on arbitrary measures of firmness level or sleep position, considering only the price point, or simply choosing the materials and technology touted in an ad. But that approach can land you a not-so-comfy mattress you may regret buying. The advice in this guide will show you a better way (hint: focus on comfort and support). It builds on our hundreds of hours of research and sleep testing to help you find a mattress you’ll happily sleep on for years.

22 Oct 18:12

Discovery and PGA Tour team up on GOLFTV streaming service

by Mallory Locklear
Discovery and the PGA Tour have announced a new OTT service called GOLFTV, which will be a hub for golf coverage outside of the US. GOLFTV will offer more than 2,000 hours of live content each year and will cover around 150 tournaments. Down the line...
17 Sep 21:03

19 Things That Make Moving Less Miserable

by Wirecutter Staff
19 Things That Make Moving Less Miserable

The Wirecutter staffers who contributed to this guide have logged more than 150 moves in total, to and from small rentals and multistory houses, across town and across the country, solo and with kids in tow. Each move has presented its own unique challenges, but we’ve come up with 19 accessories, tools, and techniques that have made the process a little less miserable.

02 Jul 11:10

Massive Cache of Law Enforcement Personnel Data Leaked

by martyb

MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for Fnord666

ZDNet Exclusive: Leaked data reveals many police departments are unable to respond in an active shooter situation.

A data breach at a federally funded active shooter training center has exposed the personal data of thousands of US law enforcement officials, ZDNet has learned.

The cache of data contained identifiable information on local and state police officers, and federal agents, who sought out or underwent active shooter response training in the past few years. The backend database powers the website of Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training -- known as ALERRT -- at Texas State University.

The database dates back to April 2017 and was uploaded a year later to a web server, believed to be owned by the organization, with no password protection.

ZDNet obtained a copy of the database, which was first found by a New Zealand-based data breach hunter, who goes by the pseudonym Flash Gordon.

Working with federal agencies like the FBI, the Texas-based organization provides training to law enforcement and civilians around the US in an effort to prevent or disrupt active shooter incidents. Since its inception in 2002, ALERRT has received tens of millions of dollars in funding from the Justice Department, Homeland Security, and several state governments.

[...] The database contained thousands of personal data records, including law enforcement officer's work contact information, with many of the records listing personal email addresses, work addresses, and cell numbers.

[...] tables included requests made by law enforcement reaching out to the organization for help through its web form. In doing so, many officials volunteered highly sensitive information about deficiencies in their jurisdiction, revealing their department's lack of training or capabilities.

[...] One police department openly admitted that it "doesn't have a full-time SWAT team," and is unable to respond to an active shooter situation. An ALERRT staffer responded, saying that the organization "couldn't facilitate his request at this time."

Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/a-massive-cache-of-law-enforcement-personnel-data-has-leaked/


Original Submission

Read more of this story at SoylentNews.

01 Nov 14:44

Chance The Rapper Will Host 'Saturday Night Live' Next Month

Chance The Rapper Will Host 'Saturday Night Live' Next Month

He's not the musical guest though. That's Eminem.

23 Jun 18:37

The New Rocko's Modern Life Special Will Bring Back the Original Cast

by Zach Ezer
Rlodesky5

Look what's coming back?

It looks like even cartoon characters miss the ’90s. Rocko’s Modern Life, cancelled after four seasons in 1996, is set to return with an hour-long special, Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling, and Nickelodeon has brought back the original cast for one more adventure in O-Town.

Read more...

14 Dec 21:24

Pro Wrestler Tweet Gets People Talking About 'Black Excellence' 

by Gita Jackson on Kotaku, shared by Tim Marchman to Deadspin

Last night, the pro wrestler Big E tweeted a picture of himself, Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, Sasha Banks and Rich Swann holding their respective WWE championship belts with the caption, “#BlackExcellence.” While wrestling is staged, having this many black champions at once is still an accomplishment, and marking the occasion with a photo is appropriate. But to some fans the hashtag, and the idea of celebrating something along racial lines, was a problem.

Read more...

07 Jun 13:49

CTA Goes Old School By Rolling Out Throwback Trains And Buses

CTA Goes Old School By Rolling Out Throwback Trains And Buses

CTA's Heritage Fleet will use its vintage vehicles for public events and private charters. 

02 Jun 20:43

What the Hell Is a Giallo Movie, and Why Should You Watch One?

by Cheryl Eddy

Last week, Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn added 1972 giallo film What Have You Done to Solange? to his production company’s list of cult-movie remakes. Deep-cut horror nerds were intrigued by the news. But more casual genre fans wondered: “WTF is a giallo, exactly?” Luckily, we’re here with all the answers.

Read more...

09 Dec 19:50

Veeco completes acquisition of Solid State Equipment Holdings LLC

by sdavis

Veeco Instruments Inc. announced that it has acquired privately held Solid State Equipment Holdings LLC (“SSEC”), based in Horsham, Pennsylvania. SSEC is an innovator in single wafer wet etch, clean and surface preparation equipment targeting high growth segments in advanced packaging, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and compound semiconductor.

“SSEC is a highly successful process equipment company that is a great strategic fit with Veeco,” said John R. Peeler, Veeco’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Their complementary and differentiated ‘soak and spray’ technology delivers single wafer control with the low cost of batch processing. SSEC extends our compound semiconductor and MEMS footprint, and represents a stepping stone to the high-growth advanced packaging market. This is a synergistic transaction that will be immediately accretive and that we expect will drive growth and profitability.”

Demand for higher performance, increased functionality, smaller form factor and lower power consumption in mobile devices, consumer electronics and high performance computing is accelerating advanced packaging technology adoption. Key drivers for this inflection are applications in 3D stacked memory, 3D system-on-chip and MEMS. Increasing shipments in smartphones and wearable electronics with more sophisticated sensing functions further drive growth in the MEMS market. Veeco estimates that its served available markets for advanced packaging, compound semiconductor and MEMS are all growing at double-digit compound annual growth rates.

Herman Itzkowitz, SSEC’s Chief Executive Officer said, “We are excited to join the Veeco team. Veeco is a dynamic market leader in compound semiconductor equipment for LED, power electronics, and wireless devices. Combining resources will enable us to accelerate growth and to pursue market opportunities in advanced packaging and MEMS. In addition, we have significant untapped potential in Asiaand Europe, where Veeco’s impressive sales and service network will provide connectivity to key customers.”

11 Sep 14:47

The semiconductor industry: Out in front, but lagging behind

by sdavis

Capital equipment suppliers must provide advanced analytical systems that leverage data generated by their tools to help their fab customers address the challenges of Big Data and advanced analytics. 

BY TOM MARIANO, Foliage, Burlington, MA 

We live in a highly-connected world. Powerful intelligent devices for personal and home use are pervasive and proliferating at an accel- erated rate and will number in the tens of billions in the years to come. These devices are connected to powerful back-end software creating intelligent systems. The semiconductor industry is a major enabler of these intelligent systems. The industry’s drive to adhere to Moore’s Law has resulted in extremely low-cost memory, tremendous computing power and high-speed connectivity, in packages that are low cost and have low power consumption.

These device-level advances when combined with innovations in information technology such as Cloud computing, Big Data and advanced analytics are at the core of intelligent systems that impact our daily lives. Glancing at my phone right now, I see iTunes, YouTube, LinkedIn and my home and work email—all evidence of Cloud computing. Big Data and advanced analytics are widely used for such things as targeted advertising, insurance and credit underwriting, fraud detection, healthcare research, legal discovery, social network analysis and many other areas that impact our lives. Cities around the world, from Da Nang to Fort Lauderdale are applying technologies such as advanced data and analytical tools, cloud-based services and integrated wireless services to make life easier for everyone.

In the manufacturing industry, there is a parallel revolution also leveraging the same advanced information technologies – intelligent manufacturing. The adoption of robotics and automation in manufacturing is increasing precipitously. The use of 3D printing is exploding. Manufacturing machines are becoming more and more intelligent and warehouse automation is rapidly expanding. Intelligent manufacturing systems are dependent on data—data that is shared and acted upon at all levels.

This is leading to changes on the data side as supply chains are being automatically linked for improved tracking and coordination. Advanced analytics are enabling real-time decision making on the factory floor while tool diagnostics are often happening remotely and sometimes automatically. The semiconductor industry has led other manufacturing sectors in the adoption of highly automated, intelligent manufacturing, but is lagging in the application of new information technologies.

Out in front

The need for smaller feature sizes and more aggressive cleanliness and particle-count metrics is the very nature of the semiconductor industry. The accuracy and precision requirements of this complex micro-fabrication process has always necessitated its isolation from direct human intervention. This necessity to isolate semiconductor wafer processing from humans and the drive to adhere to Moore’s Law has pushed advanced technology into the semiconductor manufacturing process resulting in significant progress in automation and optimization of process and production. Clean processing has driven the proliferation of wafer-handling automation within process tools. Wafer-handling robot arms in vacuum and atmospheric tools are standard today. Meanwhile, Moore’s Law played the primary role in wafer size increases and the automation that is present outside of the process tools.

Starting in the 200mm generation, mini-environments (i.e., SMIF pods) as a means to isolate wafers from particles during inter-tool transport became standard. The standard carrier with twenty-five wafers, and its resulting high weight along with the increased fab throughput demands driven by Moore’s Law, led to the propa- gation of inter-bay automated material handling systems (AMHS). The movement of wafers from one processing bay to the next became automated. This trend continued in the 300mm generation with larger and heavier standard carriers (i.e., FOUPs). And with this generation came standardized intra-bay AMHS. Process tool to process tool delivery of wafers was automated as a result. Fully-automated, chamber-to-chamber automation in the semiconductor industry (at least for front-end processing) is decades ahead of other discrete manufacturing industries. In recent years, there’s been an acceleration of robotics within non-semiconductor sectors, but most of these industries are only scratching the surface compared to the semiconductor industry concerning material handling automation.

The semiconductor manufacturing process has also made major advances in data automation. The manufacture of computer chips is extremely complex requiring hundreds of process steps, each affecting change to the silicon wafers at a microscopic level. Also complicating the process is the need for producing multiple products in the same fab with overlapping, but also divergent process steps. This complexity drove the need and proliferation of manufacturing execution systems (MES) in semiconductor processing. Process tool data connections, so-called tool automation is also commonplace, enabling automatic recipe download and tool configuration, remote control and automated data collection. Advanced Process Control (APC) is widely used to improve yield.

And finally, due to the re-entrant repetitive WIP flow required by wafer processing, sophisticated WIP scheduling and dispatching systems exist to optimize, as much as possible, fab throughput and cycle time in pursuit of Moore’s Law. When it comes to data, semiconductor manufacturing is out in front of other discrete manufacturing industries – by far it seems. In the semi industry, the combination of one hundred percent of processing tools connected and automated with metrology feedback loops via APC is not something you see in other discrete manufacturing sectors.

But lagging behind

Recent actions by several large well-known companies emphasize the escalating trend toward intelligent manufacturing. Apple, moving toward fully automated production lines in the U.S., allocated $11B to robotics and automation technology. General Electric announced a $3B investment in the “Industrial Internet of Things.” Google acquired eight robotics companies in 2013. And, Amazon bought Kiva Systems, a warehouse automation company for $750M. Similar actions echoed by thousands of less well-known companies, albeit predominantly on a smaller scale, are also playing a role in the acceleration of intelligent manufacturing. The semiconductor industry is out in front relative to material handling and data automation. However, massive non-semi investment in intelligent manufacturing information technologies is leaving the semi industry lagging far behind.

The use of Big Data, coupled with advanced analytics in the manufacturing process is another area where the semiconductor industry has a long way to go. The amount of data that is needed to be tracked in semiconductor processing is exploding. As design rules shrink to below 32nm critical dimension today and 14nm in the near future, both feature density and the number of transistors per chip experience significant growth. More features per chip translate to:

  • taking more measurements
  • higher lithography refraction rates resulting in higher error rates
  • exceptions requiring more data to resolve and lower yields meaning more excep- tions per wafer (and wafer layer)

As a result, the retention period for these measurements (e.g., to measure tool drift over time) is increased, and the volume of data to be handled by analytics (across lots and tools over time) is magnified considerably. The delayed, but looming transition to 450mm will create a geometric multiplication of the data handling needs.

The value in this massive amount of rapidly created data is in the insight and decision making that can be derived from the data. Here is where the issues lie. Semiconductor manufacturing takes advantage of APC, and in many ways, this is more advanced than a lot of other industries. However, the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS 2013) emphatically states:

“…a truly comprehensive APC manufacturing strategy is not yet reality, nor is a portfolio of sensors and metrology tools to support complete factory-wide deployment, particularly given the profound changes in materials, processes, and device structures expected for future technology generations. The benefits already realized from APC are driving the development of new sensor technologies and associated control software, which will allow factory-wide comprehensive solutions to be realized in the near future.”

Integrated metrology implementation also presents difficult challenges – metrology tools included as subsystems of process tools. Usually, fabs are designed as a network of tools that each performs one specific function, not multiple functions. This assumption constrains material handling, data flow, MES, etc. Sophisticated, real-time data management and analytics are needed to take advantage of in-situ measurement data with minimal (or zero) impact to tool throughput FIGURE 1 illustrates factory scope and FIGURE 2 shows factory targets as defined by the ITRS.

FIGURE 1. Factory integration scope (Source: ITRS).

FIGURE 1. Factory integration scope (Source: ITRS).

Semi industry Fig 2

FIGURE 2. Factory integration target (Source: ITRS).

Also, in the new “Big Data” section of the ITRS, expected data volumes are shown as “TBD” which is very telling. The units are in Terabytes per day and the possibility that fabs will have to deal with multiples of Petabytes of data is very real. Beyond APC there are other significant data challenges such as traceability to lot and die, test data tracking, predictive tool mainte- nance and Fault Detection and Classification (FDC). The industry is just starting to grapple with how to effectively leverage Big Data and advanced analytics in the semiconductor manufacturing process.

There is a very complex variable interaction problem in semiconductor manufacturing. Going forward, a greater variety of data will be collected at a rapid pace. In many cases, interaction models do not exist today. This will require experimentation and experience to understand interactions in order to derive insight and value from the data. Advanced analytical techniques exist, but determining the right techniques to use for certain decision making will be extremely difficult. Infrastructure and cost are two other issues. The collection, storage and processing of large amounts of data require expensive infrastructure. Support of high data throughput process tool connectivity could require new MES and cell controller architectures. Security is also an issue. Sharing data with capital equipment suppliers and other suppliers will be necessary to derive decision-making value from the data. However this data is highly sensitive and closely guarded by the fab. Similarly, the medical industry is challenged with how to share data aggregated from patient medical records with device makers whose focus is improving patient outcomes in a way that protects patient confidentiality.

Not all the challenges fall solely on the fabs. Capital equipment suppliers have an opportunity to leverage their process and measurement tools to develop solutions to help solve the Big Data, analytics challenges of their customers – the fab operators. Understanding by these suppliers of the environment in which their tools reside will be critical. The system software that runs these tools also becomes more important. The continued development of new process controllers and add-on sensors may require an updated system design paradigm. The data acquisition and management systems of these platforms also need a fresh vision – one that can be implemented in their process and material handling control architectures. Capital equipment suppliers will need to rethink their system design and potentially their business models to leverage the value of the data that their tools can provide.

Conclusion

Semiconductor manufacturing, driven by the need for clean processing and Moore’s Law, leads most other manufacturing sectors in implementing automation and advanced process control. However, large, well-known manufacturing companies outside of semi are making huge investments to progress the use of advanced information technologies in manufacturing because they realize the advantages to be gained. Leveraging technologies capable of handling large amounts of data will provide deeper insights into their manufacturing processes.

The semiconductor industry is poised to take advantage of advanced information technologies. Yes, there is a long way to go and challenges abound. However, the potential value to each fab in addressing key operational metrics such as increased yield, reduced cycle time and increased throughput is significant. The sheer complexity of the interactions of variables in the semiconductor process and the massive amount of data to be collected, stored and analyzed are significant challenges. And, the eventual move to 450mm will compound the huge data volume and velocity issues. I believe that the solution is a collaborative approach – not only fab operators working with software solution providers deploying fab systems, but also in close collaboration with capital equipment suppliers.

Capital equipment suppliers must provide advanced analytical systems that leverage data generated by their tools to help their fab customers address the challenges of Big Data and advanced analytics. It is these companies, who understand best the process data that the equipment can track, interpret and communicate. The semiconductor industry has a long history of fab companies working with their suppliers to further the goals of the industry as a whole (e.g., SEMI standards and other consortia). This effective collaboration model can be used to leverage advanced information technol- ogies for improving the manufacturing process. Semi is lagging, but innovation, drive to success attitude, and organization of the industry will make up the ground quickly.

TOM MARIANO is Executive Vice President and General Manager, Foliage, Burlington, MA

09 Jan 13:46

Don’t Get Defensive: Communication Tips for the Vigilant

by Mark Goulston

When we get defensive, we make it that much harder for our conversational counterparts to hear what we’re saying. We also make it harder to really listen to what *they* have to say. Soon, we’re shadow-boxing, defending ourselves against attacks that aren’t real, and wasting energy — and relationship capital — on damage control instead of solving the problem at hand.

If you get hooked into defensiveness — and most of us do — you probably already know it. It’s likely come up in conversations with your boss or your spouse. And when it did, you probably got defensive about being defensive. After all, it felt like you were being attacked! What else were you supposed to do?

Well, I’ll tell you. It’s a procedure I call “three strikes and you’re in.”

After someone has said something that causes you to arch your back and want to become defensive:

Strike 1 – Think of the first thing you want to say or do and don’t do that. Instead, take a deep breath.  That is because the first thing you want to do is defend yourself against what you perceive as an attack, slight, or offense.

Strike 2 – Think of the second thing you want to say or do and don’t do that, either. Take a second breath.  That is because the second thing you want to do after being attacked is to retaliate.  That is only going to escalate matters.

Strike 3 – Think of the third thing you want to say or do and then do that.  That is because once you get past defending yourself and retaliating, you have a better chance of seeking a solution.

The main reason to stop getting defensive is that it usually triggers the same response in the other person. If instead you look for ways to be more solution-oriented, you will soon find yourself on your way to more cooperation and collaboration.

If you’re struggling with what that non-defensive, non-retaliatory, solution-oriented statement might be, focus on being a “plusser.” A plusser is someone who listens to what the other person says and then builds on it.

One way of plussing is to use the phrase, “Say more about ______.” Think of the words they used that had the most emphasis and invite them to say more about that topic.  You will buy yourself time to think and calm down, let your counterpart feel heard, and disarm a counterpart who has bad intentions. Another way to do it is to say, “If we do that, what would be the next step to keep it going?” or “If we do this, what would be the way to get the most out of it?”

Similarly, you can replace “yes, but” with “yes, and”  As you probably know, when you say, “yes, but” they hear, “Everything up to now was just being polite and should be disregarded; now I’m going to tell you what the real deal is and you better pay attention.” (Isn’t it amazing how “yes, but” can mean so much more?). “Yes, and” validates what has been said — and adds to it.  For example, “Yes, that’s a good point and to make it work even better…” or “Yes, I heard everything you said and help me figure out the way to make sure it gets incorporated…”

If you often find yourself in defensive conversations where you can’t figure out why you’re arguing — if you find yourself frequently saying, “Hey, I think we actually agree here…” — you might be guilty of saying “yes, but” when you actually mean “yes, and.”

But what if the person is genuinely unfairly attacking you? What if they’ve said something you really believe is untrue — you can’t say “yes and,” or “say more about ____” in that case, can you?

In that case, you might try a “controlled confrontation.”  You do this by pausing after they speak for a full count of three in your head.  This will both take the conversation away from escalating and may cause the other person to become nervous.  If they do, that will work in your favor. When you don’t take the bait, they are in unfamiliar territory and this can have a slightly disarming effect.

At that point, look them squarely, calmly, and firmly in the eye and say, “Whoah! Let’s each take a breath here because I am feeling very reactive and I know until I calm down a bit, whatever I say or do now will only make this conversation worse.  And I am not going to do that.”

Then take that breath and say, “Okay, what’s clear to me is that something is frustrating you.  What, in your mind’s eye, would you like me to do to make that frustration go away?  If it’s doable and fair to you and me and everyone it affects and in their best interest, I think I’ll be happy to oblige.  If however it isn’t fair or in everyone’s best interest, I’m going to have a problem going along with it.”

Then be quiet, let them respond and if it doesn’t seem fair and in everyone’s best interest say, “I’m having some difficulty understanding how that will be fair to everyone and in their best interests. Perhaps you can explain otherwise or we can brainstorm on how to make it so.”

By being unflappable and standing up for the principles of fairness, and reason, and mutual best interest, you will be better able to stand up for what’s right — and stand up to them in a way that is neither defensive or provoking.