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Facebook is looking to extend its reach with a new acquisition. Photo: Reuters
Facebook has acquired a company that makes voice recognition technology for wearable devices and internet-connected appliances, the latest sign of its ambition to extend its reach beyond computers and smartphones.
Facebook said it acquired wit.ai on Monday, without providing a price for the deal. The 18-month old company, based in Palo Alto, California, makes software that can understand spoken words as well as written text phrased in "natural language".
A Facebook representative declined to provide details on how Facebook planned to use the technology or with which group within Facebook the wit.ai team would work.
Wit.ai turns speech into data.
The deal comes as technology companies are racing to bring internet connectivity to a new crop of devices, from watches to washing machines. Voice recognition, the technology that helps power services such as Apple's Siri, is considered a key building block for the new devices to earn mainstream consumer appeal.
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Facebook, the world's largest Internet social network, with 1.3 billion users, is increasingly looking beyond the PCs, tablets and smartphones currently used to access its service. In March, it acquired virtual reality headset maker Oculus VR for $US2 billion.
The deal for wit.ai is likely to have been significantly smaller. Wit.ai announced in October that it had raised $US3 million in a funding round led by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.
Reuters
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Facebook acquires voice recognition firm wit.ai
Weathersfield The assistance of 18 area fire departments, from both sides of the Connecticut River, at a fire Friday night on South Mountain Road and Route 131 helped firefighters contain the flames to the farmhouse where it started, Ascutneys fire chief said Saturday.
The home, estimated to be at least 200 years old, was a total loss, but additions to the house were saved. There were no injuries.
I needed a large amount of water because I didnt want to lose the garage, barn and the ell (that were) connected to the house, Ascutney Volunteer Fire Department Chief Darrin Spaulding said of the number of departments called to assist. One of those buildings was filled with hay. We used every tanker and pumped a pond dry.
The line of tanker trucks, red lights flashing, stretched westward along Route 131 on Friday night for as far as one could see. Spaulding said their water capacity ranged from 1,200 to 1,800 gallons on the smaller trucks to 3,000 to 4,000 gallons on the larger ones.
Some of the crews told me they dumped as many as six times, said Spaulding.
To fight the fire, Spaulding said, they used a ladder truck pumping 800 gallons a minute and two smaller hoses on the ground throwing 500 to 600 gallons a minute.
While an exact cause has not been determined, Spaulding said he was leaning toward the woodstove and chimney area. He said the fire burned through the left side of the house where the stove was located.
The fire was called under control at 11:50 p.m. At about 1 a.m., a portion of the second floor on the right side of the two-story home gave way and collapsed onto the floor below.
No one was home when the fire started. Spaulding estimated that it was going for a good hour before the first call came in at 9:30. It eventually went to five alarms and the last crews did not leave the scene until 11:30 Saturday morning, Spaulding said.
Departments responded from as far away as Westminster to the south, Ludlow to the west, Hartford to the north and Newport to the east, Spaulding said.
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Weathersfield Home a Loss Following Five-Alarm Fire, but Attached Structures Preserved
100 NW 1st Avenue Delray Beach, FL 33444
It may not matter whether folks are lighting up to smoke with a match or electronically indoors in Delray Beach.
Tuesday, commissioners will consider giving preliminary approval to a new rule that would ban the use of e-cigarettes where smoking regular cigarettes is already prohibited.
E-cigarettes come in all sizes, shapes and colors. But they all dispense nicotine through a vapor, which city officials say can potentially expose nonsmokers to the addictive substance.
The proposal would extend the ban on tobacco smoking under the Florida Clean Indoor Air Act to electronic cigarettes. The ban states it would also echo the American Heart Association's new guidelines, which include e-cigarettes in smoke-free air laws.
That means smokers can't use electronic cigarettes in enclosed indoor workplaces. The proposal doesn't prohibit e-cigarettes in private residences, retail tobacco shops, designated smoking guest rooms, stand-alone bars or places where medical or scientific research takes place.
Those who violate the rule would be subject to a fine, arrest or both. If tentatively approved, the rule would be up for public hearing and a final vote on Jan. 20.
Several commissioners asked Delray's legal team to come up with an ordinance to address the growing use of e-cigarettes around town.
Commissioner Adam Frankel said folks eating and shopping in Delray establishments shouldn't have to be subjected to the odor or smoke that e-cigarettes emit.
"The smoke from e-cigarettes and vapes is the same as cigarette smoke," Frankel said. "People don't expect to have the effect of second-hand smoke whether it comes from a cigarettes or an e-cigarette. Those in the city have the expectation of breathing clean air at indoor locations."
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Delray considers proposal banning indoor use of electronic cigarettes
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ION Audio, a leader in lifestyle consumer electronics, unveils Sound Shine, a pair of wireless LED light bulb speakers with app control, at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Booth #11640.
Sound Shine turns any two standard light bulb sockets into a stereo pair of powerful wireless speakers, streaming music wirelessly from any Bluetooth music player or smartphone. Each Sound Shine speaker can be used independently to deliver rich, room-filling sound with your favorite tunes, or they can be wirelessly linked together (up to 30 feet apart) to provide a true stereo experience. Sound Shine is perfect for kitchens, bedrooms, densanywhere you want convenient, wireless music and soft, effective lighting.
Sound Shine uses LED lighting technology, giving it an estimated lifespan of 25,000 hoursmore than 20 years in normal use! Theyre ideal for any lighting application that use standard light bulb threads, Each Sound Shine is highly efficient, providing soft, white illumination equivalent to a 60-watt light bulb.
The real fun comes from the accompanying free mobile app for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets that allows you to control the dimming, sound volume, trigger on and off for lighting and music and gives you total control of your media playback. All this makes Sound Shine a fun and practical DIY solutionsimple and affordablefor lighting and music in any room.
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Sound Shine makes it easy for anyone to install a sophisticated, automated sound and lighting system in minutes, without getting involved with an expensive, elaborate custom project. Simplicity is what customers want, above all, said Wendy Fortin, Product Manager for ION Audio. Were giving people control of multiple functions with one app and integrating powerful stereo sound with a truly value-packed speaker/lighting combination.
Sound Shine is powered by simply screwing it into a standard light bulb socket, making it a snap to install.
Sound Shine will begin shipping in March 2015 with MSRP of $129.99 for the pair. It will be showcased for the first time at CES 2015. For more information on ION, please visit http://www.ionaudio.com or follow on Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter.
About ION Audio ION Audio, a leader in lifestyle consumer electronics, has revolutionized indoor and outdoor sound and lighting to create the best consumer entertainment experience. For more than a decade, ION has been transforming consumer entertainment to deliver a wide range of diverse audio, video, conversion and musical products, balancing innovative form and function to deliver sound experiences. For more information visit http://www.ionaudio.com.
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ION Launches Smart Home App to Control New Sound Shine Wireless Speaker Bulbs at CES 2015
2014 Laid Bare: Part 4 // Featuring Asking Alexandria, Architects, Lower Than Atlantis + More!
In the fourth and final part of our year in review video series, Asking Alexandria, A Day To Remember, Architects, Pierce The Veil and loads more look to the...
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2014 Laid Bare: Part 4 // Featuring Asking Alexandria, Architects, Lower Than Atlantis + More! - Video
By Joe Ridge for MailOnline
Published: 10:07 EST, 5 January 2015 | Updated: 11:26 EST, 5 January 2015
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The architects who designed Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium and Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena are looking at ways to increase the capacity of Stamford Bridge towards 60,000.
According to the Architects' Journal, Herzog & de Meuron are working with Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands to potentially design a revamp of Chelsea's 41,837-seater stadium to satisfy demand for tickets at the Premier League leaders' home.
Chelsea, who have previously looked in to building a new stadium at Earls Court, White City and Battersea Power Station, announced in June they had commissioned a study into how Stamford Bridge can be expanded.
Chelsea are looking in to ways to expand their 41,837-capacity Stamford Bridge stadium
Chelsea had previously looked in to moving to Battersea Power Station (above)
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Chelsea consult architects who designed Bird's Nest and Allianz Arena over plans to make Stamford Bridge bigger
Elizabeth Chu Richter, FAIA, CEO of Richter Architects in Corpus Christi, Texas, has begun her term as the 91st president of The American Institute of Architects (AIA). The announcement was made during a ceremony on December 12, 2014, at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.
Richter is the fourth woman to serve as AIA national president since the organization was founded in 1857, and she succeeds Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA, as president. This is the first time in history that two consecutive presidents of AIA are women.
Richter was born in Nanjing, China, but grew up in Hong Kong and Dallas. In 1974, she received her Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin. In 2001, she was awarded a national Young Architects Award from AIA for her community-sensitive designs and her role in spreading awareness of both regional and urban issues. She also ran a public radio series, The Shape of Texas, from 1998 to 2011.
She was promoted to the AIA College of Fellows in 2005 in recognition for her contributions to the profession and to society. In 2007, she served as President of the Texas of Society of Architects and most recently served as a regional director for Texas on the AIAs National Board of Directors.
As architects, we use our creativity to serve societyto make our communities better places to live. Through our profession and our lifes work, each of us has shaped and re-shaped the ever-changing narrative that is America in both humble and spectacular ways, says Richter. We have created harmony where there was none. We have shown we can see what is not yet there. We have shown we have the courage to grow, to change, and to renew ourselves.
Photo by William J Stewart Photography
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Elizabeth Chu Richter, FAIA, Begins AIA Presidency
County Judge Veronica Escobar, left to right, along with commissioners David Stout and Andrew Haggerty, listen to city Rep. Carl Robinson during Monday's meeting of the El Paso County Commissioners Court. Newly elected commissioners Stout and Haggerty took part in their first meeting. (Victor Calzada / El Paso Times)
The El Paso County Commissioners Court on Monday voted unanimously to initiate contract negotiations with Carl Daniel Architects to complete the troubled Sportspark project.
If a contract is reached, Carl Daniel Architects will oversee the pending construction at the 45-acre Sportspark, 1780 N. Zaragoza. Renovation of the sports complex was supposed to be completed in August 2013, but construction and legal problems with the former contractor and architect stalled the project.
Carl Daniel Architects was selected over ARTchitecture, another company that applied for the job that has built area schools and other city projects.
Kennie Dawning, the county's purchasing agent, said Carl Daniel Architects, a local company, is uniquely qualified to provide the service to the county because Steve Franco, who the company is proposing as the project manager, was the project manager for the original Sportspark built in 1986.
"He has all the records, drawings as a reference point, and any other documents from the original construction," she said.
Carl Daniel Architects was a project manager for the 16-acre Sunland Park Sports Complex, which is similar to the Sportspark, Dawning said. Franco also designed the El Paso County Community College athletic field for baseball and softball, she added.
Franco attended Monday's meeting and told the Commissioners Court that his firm is ready to start negotiations Tuesday. County officials and Franco are expected to take a tour of the facility Tuesday as well.
"I know this is a very important project, not only for the county, but for the community as well," he said. "I'm very close to the project and we would like to go ahead and see it completed."
Downing said that by the end of January her department should be able to present a proposed contract to the Commissioners Court for approval.
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El Paso County Commissioners Court votes to begin contract negotiations to complete Sportspark project
The 2010 and 2011 earthquakes have prompted a rethink on the way the architectural and engineering professions work together.
The Royal Commission report following the earthquakes says architects and engineers need to collaborate more effectively, right from the concept stages of the building project, University of Canterburys architect-in-residence Tim Nees says.
The best way to effect change on a long-term basis is to raise understanding and awareness within the tertiary education sector, he says. The University of Canterbury is taking the lead by initiating this change with the appointment of Nees as its architect-in-residence within the College of Engineering, it is developing a masters in architectural engineering programme and it has established the Ada Rutherford professorship in architectural engineering.
"We now have a great opportunity to establish strong relationships across the engineering and architecture disciplines and promote a culture of collaboration," Nees says.
"Broadening undergraduate and graduate engineers exposure to architecture and architects, to drawing and design as well as analysis and computation, will produce a new generation of structural engineers able to contribute to design collaborators with architects and other construction industry professionals.
"There is never one ready solution to a building design. Design is a reiterative process. The more complex the project is, more expert contributors are needed to define and interpret the requirements and more iterations and changes may be necessary to refine the design.
"A common complaint is that there is never enough time and not enough budget in the fee structure to work in this manner. Professional rigidity can counter the ability to satisfy all the demands of a project. This is because nine times out of 10 sufficient information is not gathered or shared early enough in the design process.
"If architects and engineers and other building consultants can come together to share information before any design assumptions are made, an appropriate design concept will emerge more quickly, one that will require less redesign and less refinement. Time spent upfront leads to efficiencies at every subsequent stage.
"Communication is key. Collaboration requires open communication. Creative communication is a give and take process. It requires a good understanding of each others professional language to build a working team. For engineers to be taught the language of architecture, how the creative design process works, and the way architects think, will open the door to effective collaboration.
"This, in turn, must lead to better outcomes for New Zealand society - better and safer buildings, a richer built environment, more efficient design and delivery processes, greater professional satisfaction. Collaboration will improve the quality of New Zealands commercial and public buildings and housing. When structural requirements are more seamlessly knitted into the building design, the opportunity to improve cost ratios and employ sustainable resources is enhanced. Appropriate design leads to gains in spatial character, no matter what a clients building budget may be. Building functionality and performance will improve. Individual wellbeing will also therefore improve."
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Canterbury Uni launch architectural engineering professorship