President Joe Biden should appoint a federal chief data officer, showing that open data policies and data capabilities are a priority, BSA|The Software Alliance wrote Friday in a letter with CTA and several other associations. The Center for Data Innovation, Information Technology Industry Council, Internet Association, R Street Institute, Software & Information Industry Association, TechNet and U.S. Chamber Technology Engagement Center signed. They asked Biden to fully implement the Open, Public, Electronic and Necessary Government Data Act. The chief data officer should lead the federal chief data officer council, they said. The White House didn’t comment.
The ProSource Lighting Technology and Learning Center in Dallas will feature lighting from Aispire, a new lighting brand from WAC Lighting geared to custom integrators, said the buying group Tuesday. Aispire products include a Class 2 remote power supply for low-voltage lights; Aurora full visible spectrum color-tuning LEDs with color-correcting optical technology; Atmosphere tunable white fixtures that mimic the natural light of the sun; Astro dim-to-warm lighting that recreates the incandescent dimming curve; and Strut architectural lighting. Margins tend to be lower in lighting, David Warfel, founding designer of Light Can Help You, who's heading up the lighting center, told us this month (see 2103010035). Manufacturers are working on lines just for the ProSource channel that will help bolster margins, he said.
Tech scored innovation awards at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) held virtually last month, KBIS owner Emerald announced Thursday. Kohler’s Moxie Showerhead + Wireless Speaker, with Amazon Alexa voice control, received a silver bath award. The portable speaker, with sound by Harman Kardon, can be tuned to the acoustics of the bathroom. Task Lighting won a gold award for tunable white LED technology that allows users to adjust light from dim to light using a wireless remote, app or voice. Flo by Moen scored a silver for a smart sump pump monitor that continuously monitors a pump and alerts homeowners to potential failures. An LG single-unit laundry solution, with built-in intelligence, won a silver award.
An early bird discount is available through April 30 for exhibitors that want to book space at CE China Sept. 16-18 in Guangzhou, said the show’s IFA producers Friday. Changhong, Cuori, Galanz, Konka, Vatti and Whirlpool signed booth contracts, IFA said. “CE China connects global leading brands with Chinese and Pan-Asia retailers in the most vibrant consumer market.” The show opens nine days after IFA finishes its Sept. 3-7 run in Berlin.
The Wireless Infrastructure Association said the Wi-Fi Alliance will partner with the group at WIA’s Connectivity Expo conference, Aug. 3-6 in Boston. The alliance will offer a keynote update on Wi-Fi 6 and the 6 GHz band.
The Recording Academy will partner with the Berklee College of Music and Arizona State University to launch a study into women’s representation “spanning all sectors of the music industry,” said the organizations Friday. Building on previous research, the study's main goals will be to “further establish a baseline analysis” on female representation, plus “learn more about the available talent pool of women in music, and set priorities around music creators and aspects of mentorship,” they said. Data collected will be used to generate “actionable items and solutions” to promote “diversity, equity and inclusion,” they said.
IFA 2021 promoters barely waited for the promotional hype to subside for the rival CES before trumpeting their Sept. 3-7 Berlin event as “the world's most significant trade show for consumer tech and home electronics.” Organizers are “overwhelmed by the extremely strong commitment” of the show’s exhibitors, said IFA Executive Director Jens Heithecker Tuesday. “This demonstrates the high interest of the industry in presenting their innovations to IFA's global media community live in Berlin. Together with our international retail partners, we want to prepare the recovery and rebound for the time after the lockdown.” Tuesday’s announcement featured testimonials from 17 companies that signed on as IFA 2021 exhibitors.
CTA CEO Gary Shapiro urged Congress to certify the results of the presidential election, in which states certified that President-elect Joe Biden won 306 electoral votes to President Donald Trump’s 232. At least a dozen Republican senators and up to 100 House GOP members are expected to challenge those results when Congress convenes Wednesday to certify the election. They aren’t expected to prevail since Trump backers failed in their legal challenges to overturn the results. “The people have spoken, and the states have certified their results,” Shapiro said Tuesday. “After a year of global upheaval and a vitriolic election cycle, the country needs to come together to continue to heal and search for solutions. We applaud those who will stand for moving our country forward tomorrow by certifying the presidential election.”
Thursday is the last day to access content from November’s SMPTE 2020 virtual conference, emailed the society Wednesday. Participants who complete the conference evaluation survey can qualify to win a $100 Amazon gift card, it said. Though the virtual meeting rooms within the exhibit booths are disabled, there’s still time to visit exhibitors, watch their videos, download resources and leave a message in the chat, it said.
ProSource is offering members a sponsored package of human resources support through the ThinkHR platform, and the McQuaig Institute candidate assessment solution, as a benefit to help members save time and money, emailed the buying group Tuesday. “Human resources responsibilities and compliance can seem daunting" for many ProSource members, said Jessica Paskon, ProSource vice president-finance and operations. The ThinkHR training and development platform covers a range of relevant topics for employers and employees “encouraging cohesion and engagement,” she said. The McQuaig solution helps members hire based on fit, taking the cost of uncertainty and bias out of the hiring process, ProSource said.