Naveen Jain on Science and Technology

The Hits Keep Coming: Why Nobody Is Winning With This Unnecessary Football Violence

Naveen Jain — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 22:46:06 +0000

It is time to treat our brains with the respect and care they deserve. They are equally as important as any other vital organ, and they are significantly easier to injure. And yet, we seem to worry more about our hearts and lungs, which are generally better protected.

Like millions of football fans around the world, I was outraged when I learned that at least one NFL team conducted a years-long “bounty” program that rewarded players for inflicting injury on opposing team members. Since the scandal first hit, we have learned more about how pervasive the culture of violence was in the New Orleans Saints’ locker room and front office.

A new audio recording of former New Orleans Saints Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams’ final 2012 pre-game speech to players reveals the magnitude and specific nature of the program. “We need to decide on how many times we can beat [San Francisco 49ers running back] Frank Gore’s head,” he says. “We’ve got to do everything we can in the world to make sure we kill Frank Gore’s head. We want him running sideways. We want his head sideways.” Williams also directed his players to test the toughness of Arizona State receiver Kyle Williams, who was playing for the first time since suffering a concussion on December 24^th.

These players are our sons and daughters; they are our friends and family. I am convinced that the problem is more widespread and systemic than on one NFL team – that it is rooted in the foundation of sports beginning with our children. We teach them to win at any cost, which often comes at the expense of their vital organs and their long-term quality of life.

If we look at the history of human culture, we find that 2,000 years ago we had gladiators that wanted to hit and inflict pain on each other for sport. They wanted to see blood. It is in our primal instinct to kill and be killed, driven by that savagery of violence.

I like to think our society has changed and improved over the millennia since then. We do not tolerate violence on such magnanimous public display, but we have let it slip deeper into competitive sports. Our job as parents, youth coaches and community leaders is to reverse this awful trend.

Why are we sending our children in to play a sport that has the potential to cause traumatic brain injury without demanding change? As parents, we have to recognize that this is not only an issue for brain-injury experts and doctors to solve. Nor is it simply an issue about altering the game of football with sensible rule changes.

We have to go out in our communities and create a movement with a powerful, decisive message. Excessive violence in football, or any sport, will not be tolerated. Our children and professional athletes are suffering concussions during the course of a game at alarming rates. There is nothing fun or enriching about a game that leads to long-term traumatic brain injuries.

Football is part of the American spirit; a part of the culture that we cherish. But very few acknowledge how many children and adults are sustaining traumatic brain injuries as a result of this sport. Indeed, so many of us seem to forget that nobody is really winning when a player is hit so hard that they see stars, receive a concussion, are paralyzed or suffer a traumatic brain injury.

It is time for us to redefine the meaning of winning in American football.

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Today the Tricorder, Next the Digital Doctor

Naveen Jain — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 21:17:05 +0000

I admit, I’ve been fairly quiet about the Digital Doctor recently, but something has made me take notice of how close we are to making portable healthcare a reality: Peter Jansen’s Tricorder Project. Dr. Jansen has created handheld devices capable of sensing in different modalities, not unlike their namesake device from the science fiction series. As if that weren’t enough, the entire project is open source. Anyone that’s been paying attention to my ideas regarding the form and function of the Digital Doctor platform would understand why I’m so excited. Dr. Jansen’s Tricorders, while not equipped with the sensors to provide the diagnostic capabilities the Digital Doctor would need, bring us countless steps closer to this tool becoming a reality. It’s the perfect example of how a creative scientific mind can take existing technologies and innovate them to create a tool that is both capable and accessible. I can already imagine the countless inventors and innovators that will follow his lead and build off of Dr. Jansen’s existing devices to create Tricorders with a myriad of sensor combinations. I, for one, am very excited by this technology and predict that very soon my dream of a Digital Doctor system will be a reality. When it does, we will look back at these Tricorders as the time when science fiction and science fact became one in a small, open source package. The year is 2012, but from the looks of it, the 23rd century that Gene Roddenberry imagined isn’t very far off.

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Not Just Musical Robots

Naveen Jain — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 22:53:09 +0000

One of the most amusing things I’ve seen recently has been the video of UPenn’s quadrotors playing the James Bond theme. Watching this video, I can’t help but be reminded of a swarm of cartoon bees, all working together to bring pollen back to the hive and make honey. As funny a picture as that is, it points directly at the work that GRASP lab at UPenn is doing. Actually, this display is a representation of the diversity of the projects they’re working on, the power of innovation, and the extreme importance of STEM education. This is really something to think about. This style of quadrotor will have many applications in the future. Already, quadrotors are used for many military and civilian purposes, but being able to have them work in unison as a system offers possibilities that were out of reach even 5 years ago. This is one possible step toward the type of automated production systems we will need when we successfully colonize the moon or even as something more local like part of the delivery process for the Digital Doctor project I’ve set up a prize for. What we can’t lose sight of while we look to the future these innovations represent is that they would never have been possible without a good education in STEM fields. This research in biologically inspired autonomous robotics all comes from ideas and imagination, which, in turn, comes from the minds of scientists. Who are these scientists? Well, at one time or another they were students interested in STEM fields. For future innovation, we need to have people with great ideas to drive the process of research and development. If we want developments as exciting as the equipment Q was giving James in the movies, we have to ensure that students of today get the support they need to become the imaginative researchers of tomorrow.

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Harnessing Big Data to Improve Healthcare

Naveen Jain — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:06:14 +0000

One of the top ten medical breakthroughs expected in 2012 is Harnessing Big Data to Improve Healthcare.

As Trustee of the Board at X PRIZE Foundation, I am focused on finding entrepreneurial solutions to address the global challenges in education, poverty, agriculture, health, and clean water. With so much data in the world of cyberspace, it only makes sense that we begin to innovate and make use of it in the medical field.

That’s why I jump-started Digital Doctor, an incentive-based prize challenge that will improve access to better healthcare through artificial intelligence. The idea is to get Digital Doctor medical diagnosis technology on an Android tablet in places where there is no medical care. It could be used by someone to diagnose the most-common diseases. It could impact billions of lives and allow people to build a business around the diagnosing ailments in remote areas.

If we apply entrepreneurship to the medical field, the opportunities and benefits are endless. We can mine medical data to curb medical mistakes, decrease unnecessary treatments, lower healthcare costs and bring treatment to the poorest in world who don’t have proper access to healthcare.

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3D Printers and The Disappearance of Economies of Scale

Naveen Jain — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 20:40:42 +0000

One of the biggest hurdles an entrepreneur faces when considering entering the marketplace is whether production of the product can be scaled to be accessible to the largest amount of consumers. There are lots of factors when considering scalability, many of those being production costs. For example, time of manufacture, materials, and labor all contribute to the inherent costs of entering the market. All those costs considered, it’s easy to see why many would-be entrepreneurs are hesitant to move forward with their ideas. But with costs for both equipment and materials decreasing, 3D printers are becoming more accessible than ever before, and hold the key to removing the barriers that stop entrepreneurs from bringing their ideas to market. Also known as “additive” manufacturing, 3D printing deposits layers of 3D ‘ink’ in thin layers until an object appears. This process allows for faster prototyping and versioning while using less raw material. By reducing material waste and the need for a sizable labor force, costs can be lowered to a point where entrepreneurs no longer have to produce vast quantities to recoup their costs. What this means is that entrepreneurs can bring products that have gone through more versioning and refinement to market at lower cost faster. And that is the promise of 3D printing. Much in the same way that the advent of computers changed modes and scales of production, 3D printing will bring about change in the what, how, and who of the marketplace. As technology improves and costs of entry decrease, an environment develops where more individuals have access to becoming producers. In turn, it is inevitable that through competition better products will be available at lower costs to consumers, which widens the circle of those who are able to take part in the marketplace. As this cycle can only continue, it brings the market in to range for more people across the globe, making 3D printing a truly democratic technology.

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A New Definition of Personal Identity and Power

Naveen Jain — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 00:54:21 +0000

This is such an exciting time to be alive. The emergence of social media tools has given each of us the power to become a global brand. Never before has technology put so much global reach into our personal grasp. The rise of the social consumer is converging amidst tremendous societal changes that directly impact the information and content available about each of us online. We have become our own brands in today’s world and that requires each of us to create and manage our online personal identities.

It is remarkable to think how much our personal power has grown thanks to innovations in technology and the role of social media. Back when I was 25, working at a top software company, my personal power was limited to whatever ability I had to make an impact at the office or in a meeting. I was making patent filings by mail – and while I believed I was at the epicenter of innovation and change, I had a lot to learn I would come to find out.

Now when I look at social technology and the creator economy that’s emerging as a result, I am fascinated by the new heights we are reaching in personal identity and personal power.

Almost everyone is participating in or consuming one social forum or another. Blogs, social games, online video, Facebook, Twitter and even voting on top entertainment like “American Idol” are making all of us active creators in an increasingly social world.

This newfound personal power combined with the reach of social technology has become a change agent that impacts millions of lives. What I find amazing is that social media is not just being used as a reporting tool, but rather a conduit to foster actual positive social change. Great innovations are coming from social media and I am thrilled by the advancements that are affecting positive change in the world.

This is why I’m on a mission to give individuals the knowledge and insights they need to take back control of their personal online brands. The power to control one’s online personal identity, or as I call it “Odentity,” is going through a rapid transformation that presents new challenges – and opportunities. If you are not managing your online personal identity, someone else can and will.

In every walk of life – from personal to professional – it is critical for people to manage their reputations to land the best jobs, engage with potential partners and present themselves well to new friends and associates. As individuals are given greater control of how they are presented online, the balance of power shifts greatly in their favor.

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Why Your Child Won’t Be a Scientist (and What You Can Do About It)

Naveen Jain — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:48:54 +0000

Credit: niu.edu

Research shows low numbers of youth who are engaged in the sciences and the need for increased attention to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education. With the release of a report from the Department of Commerce announcing that STEM jobs grew at three times the rate of non-STEM jobs, and offer higher pay, the fact that there is such a low interest in STEM is an interesting conundrum. If STEM careers are high-paying, and more available, why aren’t we creating more scientists?

According to an urban education expert, here are five major reasons for why youth are not likely to have careers in the STEM disciplines, and what we can do about it:

1) We have instilled the phrase “I’m not good at math or science” into a new generation.
2) Science is taught in a way that is opposite to what it truly is.
3) Science has lost the “cool factor” and kids have no “science heroes.”
4) We don’t focus on current issues in the discipline.
5) Good grades in science will not make you a scientist.
Read the full article here.

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Young Entrepreneur’s New Take on the Credit Card

Naveen Jain — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:09:18 +0000

An Iowa startup called Dwolla has come up with an innovative new way to deal with online payments that sidesteps credit cards completely. The 28 year old who started the company has no finance background, yet his little operation is moving about $350 million per year. In the founder’s words, “Ultimately we’re trying to build the next Visa, not the next PayPal. We’re building a human network based on how we think the future of payments will work. The current model needs to be blown up.”

Read the interview with the founder here.

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The Moon As We Know It

Naveen Jain — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:18:13 +0000

credit: Roscosmos

As our closest cosmic neighbor, and the Earth’s only natural satellite, the moon has long been a symbol of mystery and intrigue. Spacecraft have been studying the moon for nearly 50 years, and lunar exploration has been an important benchmark in our nation’s history. But, there is still much to learn, and many more questions to answer. Currently, NASA’s only active mission at the moon is the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which launched in June 2009. From Space.com, this slideshow gives us a look at the moon as we know it : click here for slideshow.

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Study Shows Brain Gene Activity Changes Throughout Life

Naveen Jain — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:23:39 +0000

By charting the brain’s genetic activity from before birth to old age, studies reveal that the brain continually remodels itself in predictable ways throughout life. In addition to uncovering details of how the brain grows and ages, the results may help scientists better understand what goes awry in brain disorders such as schizophrenia and autism. What’s more, the differences in gene behavior between male and female brains were greatest at early stages of development.