fbpx
Connect with us

Community

Oklahoma prison inmates to begin receiving computer tablets

Published

 on

Oklahoma Inmates Computer Tablets

Inmates at an Oklahoma prison began receiving special computer tablets this week, as part of a Department of Corrections plan to provide secure tablets to everyone incarcerated in state prisons.

The devices, specially designed by prisons communications company Securus Technologies, will include free content such as prison policies, access to a law library, some books and educational and self-help materials. Inmates can also pay to receive music, movies, games and television programs, as well as to send and receive messages, including video messages, to and from their families. The tablets do not have unrestricted access to the internet.

Usually, inmates wanting to receive educational or vocational training must be escorted to a classroom or program location. But inmates can now receive those services directly on the tablet, said Mike Carpenter, chief of technical services and operations at the Corrections Department.

“The education and programming, that’s huge for us,” Carpenter said.

On Tuesday, North Fork Correctional Center inmate Byron Robinson, who has been incarcerated since 2005 — the same year YouTube was founded — said the tablet was totally new to him.

“I’ve never even touched one of these things until today,” Robinson said. “It’s mindboggling, really, how much this thing can do.”

Similar programs allowing inmates to access secure tablets have been rolled out in other states, including Arizona, Connecticut and Utah, but Oklahoma is one of the first in the nation to combine the company’s latest tablet and operating system.

In Pinal County, Arizona, officials started distributing tablets to inmates at the state’s third-largest jail in 2019, said Matt Hedrick, deputy chief of the detention center.

“It has been phenomenal,” Hedrick said.

Besides helping to keep inmates pacified, Hedrick said the jail scans incoming letters and photographs to an inmate’s tablet, reducing the chance for contraband to come into the facility and allowing inmates to have access to more personal photographs.

“Before you had rules on how many photos they could have in their cell, how many magazines,” he said. “Now that doesn’t happen. They can have as many as they want.”

There are some drawbacks to providing inmates with tablets. According to a 2019 report from the Prison Policy Initiative, the “free” tablets frequently charge users above-market prices for services. Oklahoma’s contract with the company allows a 25-cent charge for emails and 75 cents for outbound video messages. Music can cost up to $1.99 per song or $14.99 per album, while the cost for one television episode can range from $1.70 to $2.28.

Some 21,000 inmates are currently incarcerated by the state, making the plan potentially very lucrative for Securus.

The Department of Corrections also benefits financially from the arrangement, receiving $3.5 million annually from the communications company for the first five years of the contract, and $3.75 million for the next five years.

“Our recent analysis of these contracts suggests that they actually put the interests of incarcerated people last, prioritizing cost savings and the provider’s bottom line,” the report said.

Sierra Kiplinger, who was released from prison in April, said that while inmates are excited about the new technology, she expressed concern about how much inmates have to pay to utilize the services.

” The phone calls for Securus are ridiculously high, and so I’m assuming if the phone calls are high, this is going to be even higher,” she said.

State Rep. Justin Humphrey, chairman of the House Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee, said that while he supports the program, he believes public perception could be a problem.

“I don’t think the public is going to like it when they see we’re giving all these inmates tablets and they say, ‘My kid can’t get a tablet at school,’ Humphrey said.


OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — By SEAN MURPHY Associated Press.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Community

Is Technology a Good Career Path to Support the Digital Future?

Published

 on

is technology a good career path

Looking at societies nowadays, you will see that almost everything we do on a daily basis, be it for personal, educational, or even career purposes, is heavily intertwined with technology. This innovative approach to dealing with almost all life aspects can be simply achieved from the tranquility of any intelligent device at our disposal. The extensive reliance on these devices has put us in awe of the endless possibilities technology can deliver to humanity. Technological innovations are no longer confined to entertainment limitations, such as social media, communication, or even transportation. The extensive incorporation of technology is re-shaping how societies and communities function, shifting the dynamic to make technology a way of living instead of a means of entertainment. A tech career is now considered one of the best career paths as the world, as a whole, takes a technological shift with the global embrace of digital transformation. So, is technology a good career path?

Is Tech Worth Getting Into?

The tech industry has been on exponential growth, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is expected to maintain its rise in the years to come. Almost every company is embracing the digital transformation wave, increasing economies’ reliance on the tech industry. And with this widespread reliance comes a more considerable responsibility for the tech industry to meet expectations. This means providing the proper support for the driving force behind technology adoption and advancement by increasing the demand for specific tech-related jobs and supporting individuals seeking such career endeavors.

Since its emergence, technology has maintained a fast development, and with the hasty adoption of digital means, it will maintain its growth. Nowadays, various technologies are considered the pillars that will help shape countries’ economic growth. From cloud computing, AI and machine learning to blockchain and much more, technology has become a key pillar in almost all sectors, such as finance, engineering, manufacturing, health, and others. 

From there, it is only rational to conclude that technology will drive the need for a more expanded tech career path. In 2018, it was recorded that the need for an AI-based workforce doubled since 2015, with the openings increasing by an estimate of 119 percent.

The need to further encourage innovations and critical thinkers will drive economic sectors’ growth and, in return, answer to the 21st Century’s accumulating financial problems. And for that to come to fruition, pursuing a career path in some of the leading global technologies such as data science, AI, and even software development will be vital in reconceptualizing the tech industry.

Why is Tech a Good Career Path?

There are many reasons to consider when asking the question, is technology a good career path? First and foremost, when pursuing the option of a tech-focused career path, one must understand why entering the tech industry could hold a wide range of benefits to the pursuer.

Even though the pandemic played a fundamental role in extending the need for the tech industry, this need will indefinitely linger on. Even though the volume of tech positions plummeted during the pandemic, some of the world’s most influential and prominent economies shifted their hiring strategies toward tech graduates. This hiring drive is expected to linger till 2030 to accommodate the global shift towards adopting more innovative approaches such as cloud storage, as well in support of implementing sustainable strategies worldwide.

The shift following the pandemic, accredited to the heightened fixation on accelerating digital transformation, will further increase the demand for specific technology jobs, intensifying the demand for such positions. This means in the future, almost any traditional profession will be replaced with the digital or tech-associated one to meet the digital needs of the market.

This will lead to a wide variety of career opportunities in numerous industries, such as a programmer in health, education, transportation, communication, financial services, and even retail.

What are the Benefits of Having a Career in Technology?

As the tech industry is rapidly evolving and manifesting into a colossus of opportunities, its deliverance of progressive career prospects holds notable personal significance for individuals seeking to enter the field. Companies are transforming their frameworks to keep up with the technological aspect of the future of work. And to those planning to join the tech market soon, the industry holds diversified opportunities as long as they are willing to accommodate the industry’s instantaneous change to obtain its big rewards while competing with new and rising talents.

Choosing the right career path in the tech industry is pivotal as it will adequately direct the person to their future with a high-paying salary. There is money to be made when working in the tech industry, given that the industry itself generates a hefty capital to invest in its innovations and projects.

For most tech jobs, experience is associated with money. The more a person attains knowledge and expertise in their tech career, the higher the salary will be. Some of these careers focus on machine learning, AI, and developing data models.

Another beneficial factor lies in understanding the importance of the job you are seeking within the industry. It is no surprise that technology is one of the pillars shaping the modernization of the world’s revolutionizing advancement. For instance, careers focusing on AI are in high demand, as the sector is expansively growing year-over-year, primarily since machine learning provides deep profundity for other sectors to leverage its endless possibilities, such as energy, management, retail, marketing, software development, and more.

Closing Thoughts

A career in technology is worth the effort and time invested in it. But, unless the pursuer of such a path is genuinely interested and intrigued by its possibilities and ready to face its challenges, this may not be the right path to pursue. A career in technology is based on a passion for technology and innovations. It can be endorsed with the willingness to learn new technologies and develop the right mentality to find the right solutions for complicated problems that have not existed. While there are many pros and cons to working in the tech industry, saying “is technology a good career path?” might come off as relatively vague and generalized. The main question should be, what career path within the tech industry do I want to seek, and is that direction suitable for my career needs.


Inside Telecom provides you with an extensive list of content covering all aspects of the Tech industry. Keep an eye on our Community section to stay informed and updated with our daily articles.   

Continue Reading

Community

How Did India Benefit from Western Technology?

Published

 on

How Did India Benefit from Western Technology?

Over the past few years, India immensely benefited from Western technologies in various aspects. For a country with a relatively fractured economy, technology swooped in to simplify and accelerate mass production for an extensively increased population, allowing them to improve their production of raw materials, typically traded in global economies. Adopting western technology in India is becoming a significant factor driving the country’s economy and achieving its economic growth goals. In this piece, So, how did India benefit from western technology?

Science and Technology in India

The history of science and technology in India emerged when the country was under the influence of the British regime that lasted almost 150 years. Science and technology in India flourished the country as it accounts for some of the most prominent scientists and mathematicians, which in return, with time, delivered the famous Indian numeral system creating today’s mathematics, and modern accounting, and made computer technology a plausible future.

Yet, India flourishing in terms of its scientific and technological development was heavily influenced by British colonialism, as the colonial experience was solemnly based on imposing a certain level of control on Indian territory and resources. British colonialism did not leave room for Indian knowledge and expertise to flourish, limiting accessibility to proper education and scientific opportunities that would’ve contributed to the country’s independent economic growth.

India’s experiment with socialism and colonialism that lasted almost four decades brought on local innovation based on domestic innovations. This halted India’s economic growth until the 1900s. During that time, companies were nothing but modest small enterprises taking over small projects with primary technologies that lacked a supportive capital efficiency.

Throughout that period emerged the era of pre-liberalized India, where foreign technologies were not accessible, mainly driven by the lack of the needed resources to support economic growth. This led to what is today known as India’s path of ”techno-nationalism” where the country finally reached a level of self-reliance in terms of developing its own technologies for both public and governmental sectors, such as nuclear, defense, energy, and much more.

What Technological Advancements did the British Bring to India?

British colonialism heavily affected India’s technological adoption in terms of textile technologies. The country’s vague influence by the imposed colonialism can be attributed to India’s organizational and institutional environments where most of the development was mainly associated with the mercantile families with almost no knowledge or expertise-based in managing modern tech. The lack of interest in technological development derived from the fact that such families focused on financial dealings; therefore, the British were in charge of the country’s technological development.

At the time, critical technologies such as the railways, electric telegraph, and steamer were some of India’s most significant alterations, creating the pillars for the country’s growth in the 21st Century. These big technologies attracted the attention of some of the most renowned scholars, which positively affected the fundamental fabric of societies, revolutionizing today’s day-to-day lives.

Such technologies enticed further awareness from important figures that could contribute to the country’s economic growth than those relatively smaller technologies. While weaving looms, spinning wheels, rice hullers, bicycles, steel pens, and even typewriters did endorse India’s modernization, it did so slowly, unlike the overspread of significant technologies.

India’s Western Culture

As a secular country, where people have the utmost freedom to practice whatever ancient religion they choose, the country’s extended its embrace of the westernized culture established by British colonialism. As one of the richest cultures in the world, the country’s history dating back to several thousands of years, was abruptly changed throughout time due to the conquest of European power intertwined with the British rule of Indian territories.

The westernization of the Indian societal culture created westernized subcultural patterns in a minority of Indian territories which later on branched out to emerge as a newly synthesized western Indian culture.

The westernization of India brought forth the establishment of new economic, political, and cultural branches in the country’s societal ecosystem. And with the country’s open mindset and attitude toward scientific discoveries and emerging technologies, scientific and technological means were no longer a symbol of British colonialism but rather a means to consolidate their ruling.

How did India Benefit from Western Technology?

The establishment of British technologies in Indian territories introduced a new world to an ancient culture through an imperialistic establishment in the country. The introduction of big western technologies during that period birthed a remarkable development in the country’s infrastructure, creating diversified job opportunities branching into various sectors.

India’s adoption of western technologies played a fundamental role in hastening the country’s independence from the imposed ruling. Numerous technologies associated with industries, factories, mines, and ammunition centers rose, supporting the country’s future freedom while creating a suitable base for a robust relationship with the western world, notably Europe and the U.S.

Such relationships account for India’s current arms and ammunition power, in addition to its technological and internet growth, resulting in some of the most prominent companies in the world setting operations in the country, such as Big Tech giants Google and Amazon.

Summary

The answer as to how did India benefit from western technologies lies in the the introduction of a capital-intensive and labor-saving technology in a country that holds significant symbolism concerning the direction of its economic growth. India’s beneficiating of the western technologies brought forth endless opportunities for a once colonized country and faced persistent challenges when seeking its independence. Technology plays a remarkable role in directing India on that path. Now, India is considered the new Silicon Valley as it has established a robust technology-based economy.


 Inside Telecom provides you with an extensive list of content covering all aspects of the tech industry. Keep an eye on our Technology section to stay informed and up-to-date with our daily articles.

Continue Reading

Community

What are the Top Sustainable Cities of the Future?

Published

 on

Urbanization has been taking over worldwide for the past few decades, with people moving to cities planning to be sustainable cities of the future. 

The UN-Habitat estimates that since 2009, over three million people have moved into cities every week. Urban areas have been attractive destinations for migrants hoping to find a higher standard of living and better jobs. 

The UN has dedicated a sustainable development goal (SDG) to slow down human-induced climate change. While migrants contribute significantly to the economies of cities, increasing populations introduce problems of distribution of resources, congestion, and increased pressure on waste management healthcare, infrastructure, and education. 

It is estimated that by 2050, 70 percent of the world’s population will live in cities, making the concept of sustainable cities an efficient resolution to the growing population. 

Sustainable Cities with a Cleaner Future 

Sustainable cities with a cleaner future have a role in the urbanization movement to enhance residents’ lives by focusing on futuristic and environmental initiatives. The aim is to have eco-friendly cities focusing on restricting CO2 gas emissions in the air, employing renewable energy sources, or conveying awareness of ecological issues.  

Considering that outdoor pollution kills around three million lives yearly, mostly in cities, it is evident that urbanization can increase the environmental effect on towns. Many cities worldwide have redesigned their city planning strategies and started with initiatives to target these issues directly. 

Arcadis, a leading global design and consultancy firm for natural and built assets, created a list of 100 sustainable cities worldwide that have contributed to projects and initiatives to resolve urbanization’s effects on the environment. 

According to Arcadis’s Index, examples of innovative, sustainable cities of the future and one of the sustainable cities in the world are: 

Zurich  

Taking first place with a total score of 87.9 percent. Zurich started many projects that ranked its first place, such as their long-term goal to become a 2000-watt society by 2050. 

Another project was the Green City Zurich project, which seeks to maintain and improve all green spaces. These challenging goals are achievable when the government gives investment funds, focuses on renewable sources and energy efficiency, and increases the public’s awareness of sustainability. 

Sydney  

Also, one of the most sustainable cities that had considerable impact on battling climate change for their residents is Sydney. Coming out in the top 10, Sydney started the Sustainable Sydney 2030 initiative to reduce the city’s carbon emissions by 70 percent.  

This plan will help the residents because breathing air quality will improve and restore dying ecosystems. In addition, Sydney pictures a Smart City for the future to enhance public transportation, bring its citizens together and make the city more sustainable. 

Copenhagen and Rome 

On another note, the most eco-friendly city in the world is Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen which has been voted the most eco-friendly city many times because of its dedication to creating green ways of living and sustainability. Biking is the most fashionable means of transportation in this town, and it strives to have half of its people cycling to work or school this year. 

Politicians, city planners, and other organizations developed initiatives and sustainability projects for cities; however, many ideas have been embedded in the public. For example, ranking seven in Arcadis, Rome began the Participate 3- Year Project that allows citizens to contribute to potential solutions for urban problems. Sustainable and innovative solutions like this will enable the public to engage in the transformation of their cities and develop practical answers. 

Sustainable cities and communities are a great way to combat urbanization issues; Smart Cities improve the quality of life through better communication technologies and efficiency of urban operations while enveloping sustainable cities’ core values. 

Smart Cities and Related IoT Projects 

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) which is vigorously contributing to transforming Dubai into the most innovative city globally. DEWA developed a broad strategy to implement smart electricity and water infrastructure to support this objective; it is called a “Smart Grid.” 

It will deliver state-of-the-art components and includes automated decision-making and interoperability across the entire water and electricity network. DEWA’s Smart Grid Programme, with investments totaling $1.9 billion, supports the vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the most innovative and happiest city in the world. 

The program is a critical element of DEWA’s strategy to develop an advanced infrastructure. It sustains the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Emissions Strategy 2050 to deliver 100 percent of the energy production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050. 

Summary  

The concept of sustainable cities is pivotal to having more people live in those cities that will be less polluted than before. This process will guarantee the “sustainable” move of the people to cities without reconsidering moving out the fact that they will feel comfortable staying there. For example, renewable energy industries continue to reach unprecedented growth worldwide. For that reason, not only cities are becoming ecofriendly but different communities and industries around the world, taking the world to another aspect. 


Inside Telecom provides you with an extensive list of content covering all aspects of the Tech industry. Keep an eye on our Technology news  section to stay informed and updated with our daily articles.   

Continue Reading

Trending