May 23, 2012

You are here: Home / Archives for Technology

Campaigns use tele-town halls to connect with voters (audio)

December 4, 2011 By

Thousands of Iowans have heard directly from the presidential candidates for up to an hour at a time, over the phone.  

Campaign operatives say it’s inexpensive technology. Using a variety of sources, a call list is developed. A candidate’s staff sets the time for a “telephone town hall meeting” and thousands of numbers are dialed. There’s no travel for either the candidate or the voter.

“It’s kind of a tough time, in the middle of the afternoon, but I appreciate you taking the time,” Mitt Romney said during a tele-town hall on the day before Thanksgiving.

Unless the media is notified, there are no reporters monitoring every word the candidate utters. Plus, the technology allows the campaigns to collect valuable data from the people who are on the call. Participants get these sort of prompts: “Press one on your phone so we can log you as a supporter.”

According to Rick Perry’s campaign staff, 14,000 Iowans joined one of its tele-town halls in late November.

And it’s not just candidates who are hosting these telephone town hall meetings. Groups that hope to shape the campaign debate have held telephone town hall meetings so their members can ask questions directly of the candidates. 

FLS Connect is one of the firms offering “tele-town hall” services. Its website claims to have dialed more than 100,000 numbers for a tele-town hall in 2010, getting more than 20,000 participants listening on the line at the same time. 

Some of Iowa’s congressmen have held massive telephone town hall meetings with constituents. One firm in the business is able to dial 6000 phone numbers in a minute to connect to the conversation, and the cost is about three cents per line connected.

Listen to the AUDIO of Henderson’s report.

Filed Under: News, Politics & Government, Technology Tagged With: ,

Iowans are warned about buying prescription drugs online

November 25, 2011 By

Rural Iowans who have to make a long trek to a drug store might consider buying their prescription medications online, but they’re being warned against it.

Carmen Catizone, executive director of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, says most of those websites are flaunting the law, in addition to selling bogus drugs.

“It’s a $75-billion industry and you really can’t buy medications online without a prescription, legally, but unfortunately, you’re able to do so and you’re able to do so with websites that are operating illegally, are dangerous and are probably selling counterfeit drugs,” Catizone says.

An association study of online drug stores revealed just how crooked most of those businesses have become.

“We looked at over 8,000 websites selling prescription drugs,” Catizone says. “Ninety-six-percent of those websites were fake, rogue or illegal sites that were breaking both federal and state law.”

He says it’s even more disturbing to hear that any type of drug, from diet pills to pain killers, can be purchased online and without a prescription.

Catizone says, “You can order virtually any prescription drug in the world that you want, but the other side of the issue is, if you’re not using a legal, on-site pharmacy or talking to your doctor, the chances of what you are getting being a real med are probably nil and the dangers of using or taking or buying those meds are high and very significant.”

He says counterfeit medication manufacturers have become very skilled at producing convincing products that look like the real thing, but they’re usually made in unsanitary conditions and contain dangerous substances, like rat poison or lead.

Erectile drugs are the most-counterfeited. The study also found one in six Americans bought medications online last year.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Health & Medicine, News, Technology

Sale or lease of state-owned fiber optics network being considered

November 24, 2011 By

It’s possible Governor Branstad may preside over the sale of a controversial state asset he helped create. 

The Iowa Communications Network provides phone, data and video service to schools, public libraries, hospitals and National Guard armories. Critics have long argued it’s unfair state government competition with the private sector.

The legislature voted last spring to seek a fair market appraisal of the system and the head of the network says they’ll begin accepting bids next year to sell or lease the 20-year-old fiber optic lines that make up the network. Governor Branstad approved the creation of the network and Branstad says he wants to make sure any deal protects current network users.

“I don’t think there’s a need to sell,” Branstad says. “It’s really a question of what is the best use for the future and would it be better that it be in the private sector, but the services to the educational entities be guaranteed. I don’t know. Maybe the state can get significant resources out of it that can be used elsewhere.”

The state has invested about a quarter of a billion dollars on the Iowa Communitcations Network, but Branstad says it’s unlikely a company or set of companies would pay that much to acquire the network now. 

“You buy something new and then you sell it 20 years later, you don’t expect that you’re going to get totally what you paid for it,” Branstad says. “…We’re going to look at this and see if this is something that makes sense for the taxpayers of Iowa, makes sense for the people that use the ICN system. I believe that the ICN is a valuable asset. It’s been a great educational tool in our state and we certainly want to make sure, for the future, that it continues to be that.” 

The Iowa Communications Network provides can provide live video links to 700 classrooms around the state. Branstad was governor when the idea for the network was hatched, but Branstad says he’s open to considering all options. 

“You know, this was 20 years ago and we recognize that we need to look to the future and not be blinded by pride of authorship or something like that,” Branstad says.

Branstad would consider allowing private users to subscribe to the broadband service if it doesn’t create unfair competition for other companies that are already providing high-speed service in the area.

Filed Under: News, Politics & Government, Technology Tagged With: , ,

New phone makes it legal to text and drive

October 31, 2011 By

The new iPhone 4S is making it possible for motorists to legally text while driving in Iowa. The Department of Public Safety says Iowa’s ban on texting while driving does not apply to Siri, Apple’s new virtual assistant.

Features like Siri or any of the similar voice-command applications let users tell their phone what to text. Captain Mike Winter is with the Iowa State Patrol.

“We do have a law banning texting while driving, however if you do have a handheld electronic device that’s voice operated and hands-free, which allows you to either write, read or sent a text message without using either hand, you can use that device in your vehicle,” Winter explained.

Motorists so be aware, however, once they pick up the phone to check spelling or dictation, they’re no longer hands-free and in violation of the ban. An exemption to the texting ban notes sending a text message through voice command is allowed, so long as you only touch the phone to turn that feature on and off.

“As long as you’re hands-free, you’re okay,” Winter said. “There’s an exemption in the law which lets you activate or deactivate a feature or function on that kind of device.” Motorists caught texting while driving in Iowa can face a $30 fine, but with court costs added, the full bill could be $100.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, News, Technology Tagged With:

Survey says 37% of Iowans don’t have broadband hook up

October 22, 2011 By

The group called “Connect Iowa” says a survey on broadband access in the state shows 63% of Iowans subscribe to some type of broadband service. Connect Iowa program manager, Amy Kuhlers, says the majority of those who don’t have broadband,66%, are older Iowans.

Kuhler says the largest reason given for not having broadband access was they didn’t feel it was relevant and they didn’t need to have access. Other reasons for not having broadband included not having a way to access it.

She says 16% said they didn’t have a computer, 15% said security was an issue, and 10% said broadband was too complicated to figure out. Kuhler says seven percent simply said broadband was not available in their area. Kuhlers says they will use the survey results to address some of the connection issues.

Kuhlers says they are an outreach and education organization and want to work with communities to address the gaps they have with providing broadband access. Kuhlers says the top reason Iowans gave for using broadband is they realized it was worth the cost.

See more about the survey here: connectiowa.org/research/

Filed Under: Human Interest, News, Technology

UNI looking to intergrate smart phones into the classroom

October 18, 2011 By

Many teachers would prefer their students keep their cell phones at home, but researchers at the University of Northern Iowa are working to integrate smartphones with classroom activities. U.N.I. computer science professor Stephen Hughes is part of a team developing software for the Android phone to be used in the college classroom.

“We’re…really looking at the questions teachers have and the way they interact with students and if we can use this technology to support this,” Hughes explained. Another U.N.I. professor, Ben Schafer, along with Hughes and two students, form the Collective Interaction Research Group (CIRG). They’re hoping to test their smartphone “classroom response system” in an actual classroom yet this year.

Hughes said the goal is to find how the smartphones can be used “collaboratively” in the classroom, rather than just for personal note taking. The system should allow students to use their phones to collectively respond to questions or solve problems posed by the teacher.

“You may have two or three students in the classroom who are (working through) different parts of a shared display, simultaneously, to achieve a certain result…balancing an equation, drawing a line or sketching a solution out,” Hughes said. “We’re looking at some of the ways that collaboration can be fostered through this technology.”

The group was awarded a grant from the Grow Iowa Value Fund to help finance the research.

Filed Under: Education, News, Technology Tagged With:

Biotechnology summit underway in Ankeny

October 17, 2011 By

A two-day summit is underway for Iowans involved in biotechnology. Rachel Hurley, executive director of the Iowa Biotech Association, says the “Partnering for Growth” forum is working to pair up established leaders in the biotech industry with newcomers and students who are eager to learn.

“We have a lot of industry participants and biotech companies within the state who are interested in agricultural research and a lot of university students and associates as well,” Hurley says. “The intent of the program is to partner with the U.S.D.A. Ag Research Service group in developing and commercializing biotech within the state of Iowa.”

She says the forum at the Des Moines Area Community College campus in Ankeny features many of the big names in biotech, like Pioneer, Monsanto, Cargill and Kemin, but it’s also a launching pad for many smaller companies and start-ups. “Really, biotech does encompass a lot of areas from industrial and environmental biotech to animal health, pharmaceutical and the general grain and seed stuff,” she says.

The forum offers large group presentations, smaller panel discussions and one-on-one networking opportunities. Hurley says, “The intention is to create more of a partnering mentality here so it’s not just small companies who are trying to make it on their own but they’re partnering with universities, with governmental agencies to further their research faster and more efficiently so technologies can get commercialized and everyone can benefit.”

The forum runs through Tuesday. Speakers include Governor Branstad, officials from the U.S.D.A., and Debi Durham, head of the Iowa Partnership for Economic Progress.

Filed Under: Business, Technology
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »