With or without you ... app

With or Without You - apps

 Groenkloof Nature Reserve, Pretoria South Africa, Dec 2022
This is the technology melody that whispers to me all of the time. Technology is going to rule my world with or without me.  I took this picture last month in South Africa.  I think it is a perfect reflection with  my relationship with technology. We are definitely connected and have grown together over time, we are family.  I started a large portion of my professional career in 1997 at Borders.com.  Some technologies are in different development stages much like a lion pride.  When you are near lions you must proceed with caution, know your surroundings, and be careful not to rudely awake the sleeping giant.
Both Private and Public Sectors are interacting, developing, and investing with apps for employees and their customers.  As the world becomes ever more connected, next generation 5G and 6G promises to fuel a new wave of digital technologies and services that will change the way people live, work, and communicate. I am fortunate that I live in part of the country that has options for Broadband, several Cell data plans, and Starlink.  I live part time in rural Montana, but I have the means to purchase very reliable internet.  My cell service can be a bit patchy, in fact, I have a stretch of 16 miles on the way home that gets zero signal. However, I can still get the satellite radio.  Not all rural areas have this but there is an increased push to ensure rural , tribal, and low economic areas have digital equity.  The gap is slowly closing but some demographics are still behind.
Last month there was much to do about Chat GPT.  I have not tried it but it does make me curious.  Chat GPT – developed by open AI.  The programming is capable of human like conversations even having normal conversations. Open AI. developed a free AI chat bot that can answer anything from basic questions to writing a love song.  It has massive amount of data and creates a response. 

The Play Store on my Android is full of apps like  the Fluid Simulation app.  It allows users to spend time scrolling with colors of liquid even allowing you to add a live wallpaper on your phone.  It is science, entertainment, and a social discussion topic.   It reminds me of when you spill oil on a surface and oozes different colors based on the surface and light.  An app can allow you to turn your phone into the track pad/mouse for your laptop.  And for the military and law enforcement personnel or those that want to play one at home you can use the night eyes app to turn your phone into night vision goggles.  And that is very cool technology. You can take the skills from Call of Duty right into your cell phone in your back yard.  

AI was once for the Computer Scientists but now the average person can learn and master these apps. One can control a buildings HVAC, view you Ring security camera, and control your television with just a few swipes.  Your phone can be your homes central nervous system.  My step dad uses it to see in any stray animals are in the porch during the night.  One of the first things he does in the morning while drinking coffee is to look for activity from the app. Deep down he is looking for some cool animal sighting but it is typically very boring.

Just keep it charged so the apps can perform well. Apps are very sophisticated and sometimes require often updates and significant memory storage.. You can file your taxes, diagnosis the symptoms of a vehicle issue, and order dinner all within just a few minutes.

Today I only want to focus on the good.  Yes good apps. One's that promote something positive or help solve problems.

The use of medical apps amazes me.  Medical Apps

Apps can save lives. You can monitor insulin and blood pressure but I just read a fascinating article that people with behavioral health issues are using.

Amwell launched a new digital  tool that will help in delivering the Cognitive Behavioral Health interventions across the spectrum of the mental illness. The new digital tool will help users get individual determinations and receive the self-guided and coach supported care referred to virtual therapy and psychiatry as needed. (Amwell, https://business.amwell.com/)  This is very empowering for those that need to get the help wherever they find themselves.  If you struggle to with mental health driving to appointment or showing up could be very difficult.  Creating healthy habits like checking in on apps can be a very positive step.

Telehealth practices soared during COVID.  Everyone can agree that what some of the families went through during the periods of isolation were absolutely horrible. Technology was used to fill some of those gaps.  Nothing can ever beat the importance of a physical hug but virtual hugs helped. 

Last week on January 20, 2023 the NASDAQ OMX's News Release Distribution Channel announced that According to the latest research study, the demand of global Virtual Care Market size & share in terms of revenue was valued at USD 2982.40 million in 2021 and it is expected to surpass around USD 6934.54 million mark by 2028, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 15.10% during the forecast period 2022 to 2028.  The business involved in this technology is simply amazing. Businesses must get on board to thrive and survive.

As a huge Anti-Human Trafficking advocate the use of technology and apps is scary. It can be very helpful but one also understands that apps can be used for exploitation.

Human trafficking non-profits use apps to help identify and rescue victims and build cases against criminals. "Human Trafficking is one of the fastest growing criminal enterprises on the earth. In order to put an end to it, we need individuals like these to rise up and use their own talents to help put an end to this horrific plague. Apps can be a great tool that will make a major impact in the fight against human trafficking and exploitation," Operation Underground Railroad  They use technology to fight technology.  

“Scholars who study anti-trafficking efforts are just beginning to catch up to the role that technology can play in consumption-based strategies, in part because many initiatives are relatively recent,11 and perhaps in part because of the transient nature of some of the earliest experiments” (Limoncelli, 2020).

One can only hope that success prevails or at least keeps up with the adversaries.

Farming Apps can help with food insecurities and maximize weather, fertilizer, soil, and feed.

“Smart Farming is a digital farming development effort to produce superior, precise, efficient and sustainable products. The success of this activity requires the support of conducive conditions in the transitional era. One of the supportive conditions is the learning process of digital agriculture for agricultural actors” (Wahyudi et al. 2021, p.1).  Technology is changing agriculture.  Farmers can use apps to prepare and predict harvest outcomes.   They can run their business more efficiently and collaborate with others in the market. 

And no we are not even going to discuss the farmers dating app.

Apps are tools.  Your phone is a virtual Hardware Store, Hospital, and Chapel.  I have to be grateful as it is the future our world and a part of my day to day work. 

References

Limoncelli, Stephanie A. 2020. "There's an App for that? Ethical Consumption in the Fight Against Trafficking for Labour Exploitation." Anti - Trafficking Review (14) (04): 33-46. doi:https://doi.org/10.14197/atr.201220143. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/theres-app-that-ethical-consumption-fight-against/docview/2432563225/se-2.

Wahyudi, D., M. Ubaidilah, D. Ratnawati, W. Sholihah, and T. Tresnawati. 2021. "Development of Mobile-Based Apps Towards Smart Farming Technology in Agro Innovation Park (Tagrinov) Management." IOP Conference Series.Earth and Environmental Science 756 (1) (05). doi:https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/756/1/012059.

Operation Underground Railroad