Techstination

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  The Coronavirus and all of its social and economic consequences have been difficult for many grown ups to come to grips with.  But think how tough it is for kids.  At St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,  Chief of Psychosocial Services Dr. Valerie Crabtree, is offering online help for parents in talking to their children about what is going on…

“I think it’s important to keep in mind that children are very observant  they know that their lives aren’t the same now.  That they’re not going to daycare or school or playing sports.  And so even if we don’t say out loud to them that something’s going on, they know that something’s going on.”

And it can help to talk.  www.together.stjude.org has a number of resources available…including a coloring book that helps explain the Coronavirus to five to year olds.

You can find us at Techstination.com.  I’m Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  Most of us have been doing a lot less driving these days…but some trips are often necessary.   Autotrader is out with some tips on keeping your vehicle sanitized….and is providing other valuable information for car owners and buyers.  Executive Editor Brian Moody…says disinfecting is a good idea if you are transporting infants, the elderly…who have carried someone who is ill…

“Be careful…you can use anti bacterial wipes and that kind of stuff …be careful about the bleach based things.”

That could cause damage over time.  Autotrader also has Dealer Home Service  that can help with car shopping.  And about servicing…

“Servicing of vehicles is considered an essential service for the most part and your service provider or your dealership will find a way to do it so that you feel safe.”

Even picking up and dropping off vehicles and wiping them down as well.

You can find us at Techstination.com.  I’m Fred Fishkin.

Engineering better bee keeping & honey harvesting: Flow Hive CEO Cedar Anderson chats with Techstination.

Techstination Week is a compilation of this week's Techstination Reports with tech journalist and host Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  With so many people… having to cope with increasing amounts of loneliness…researchers are looking what lessons can be learned about human interaction with CIMON2.  You see, CIMON2 is the latest generation robot…being used aboard the International Space Station.  It uses AI…yep, it’s IBM’s Watson again….and can detect emotions and language tones.  CIMON expert Dr. Judith Buchheim of the University of Munich…

“We have designed CIMON to be a crew member…to assist crew in their daily activities and also to reduce workload and to bring a little bit of fun.  And our idea is to reduce stress.”

IBM’s Heather Fraser says non-invasive sensors are being used today along with AI to transform home care for the elderly…with lessons being learned from CIMON and it is really just the start.

You can find us at Techstination.com.  I’m Fred Fishkin.

Designing a better room Air Conditioner: the Midea U.   Product Marketing Director Rodrigo Teixeira chats with Techstination.

IBM Recognizes Top Women Leaders in Artificial Intelligence: IBM's Ritika Gunnar in Techstination interview.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  Austere… a relative newcomer to the consumer electronics accessories maker business…is at it again…bringing high end designs to everything from HDMI cables to power strips.  That has been the mission of founder and CEO Deena Ghazarian…who points out that many consumers aren’t aware that surge protectors have a finite lifespan…

“So there’s two things you need to look for in a surge protector.  Number one,  you want to find the most amount of joules as possible.  So our two different line ups have a three thousand joule and four thousand joule backing to them.  Three thousand joules probably lasts you five to seven years, depending on where you live and four thousand joules will last about eight to ten years.”

Take a look at the line and the impressive design at www.austere.com where the company’s screen cleaning kit…Clean and Protect…has become a big seller as well.

You can find us at Techstination.com.  I’m Fred Fishkin.

Engineering clothing that stays fresh with less washing: HerCleon Founder Wen Muenyi chats with Techstination.