AM signals: snail mail, ‘Big Bang Data,’ end of the stethoscope?

The Consumer Electronics Show convenes in Las Vegas this week and has a problem, reports Don Clark in the Wall Street Journal: “It has simply gotten too big, overwhelming the convention halls, hotels and taxi fleets of Las Vegas,” he writes. “But organizers…believe they can address that issue without curbing the enthusiasm of a widening set of participants.” Security is clearly a factor, and organizers have implemented onerous new baggage restrictions and body-screening requirements.

Is the traditional stethoscope on the way out after a two-century history? According to Lenny Bernstein in the Washington Post, “…this ubiquitous tool of the medical profession is at the center of debate over how medicine should be practiced.” He adds, “The widespread use of echocardiograms and the development of pocket-size ultrasound devices are raising questions about why doctors and others continue to sling earphones and rubber tubing around their necks.”

The exhibition “Big Bang Data,” running through February 28 at Somerset House in London, explores the volume, variety, and velocity of data being produced as well as methods for storing, accessing, and analyzing it. Richard Beales at Reuters reviews the exhibit, which highlights data’s value and vulnerabilities. With regard to the latter, he notes that visitors to iknowwhereyourcatlives.com have been prompted to update their privacy settings. Beales writes, “Overall, ‘Big Bang Data’ is timely, original, engaging, and—in parts—alarming, as it probably should be.” He concludes, “Company boards charged with making the most of data as well as protecting it could do worse than plan a field trip.”

Which is more impressive—snail mail or e-mail? Zeynep Tufekci, an assistant professor at the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina, seems plenty impressed with snail mail. In the New York Times, she writes about a recent visit to a post office: “In line, I thought fondly of the year I came to this country from Turkey as an adult and discovered the magic of reliable mail service. Dependable infrastructure is magical not simply because it works, but also because it allows innovation to thrive, including much of the Internet-based economy that has grown in the past decade.” Also, read an earlier post on Tufekci’s take on the “era of cheating software.”

Samsung Electronics’ 2016 smart TV line-up will be IoT-ready, reports Robert Briel at Broadband TV News. The TVs will work with the companys SmartThings IoT hub technology—allowing each TV to act as a controller for a smart home.