Category: Technology

Virtual Reality Will Change the Way Juries View Evidence

A recent article available at www.digitaltrends.com describes how virtual reality may soon allow jurors to explore crime scenes as they actually appeared.  In the article, Dr. Mehzeb Chowdhury, a researcher in forensic science and criminal investigations at Durham University in the U.K.m describes his MABMAT robotic imaging system as capable of capturing every detail of an …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2016/09/virtual-reality-will-change-the-way-juries-view-evidence/

Excel Default Settings Can Cause Significant Analysis Errors

A recent study published in the scientific journal Genome Biology describes a concerning error rate in genetic studies caused by default settings in the commonly used spreadsheet software Microsoft Excel.  The default cell formatting option in Excel will inadvertently convert gene symbols to dates and floating-point numbers. Examples include: gene symbol SEPT2 (Septin 2) is converted by …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2016/08/excel-default-settings-can-cause-significant-analysis-errors/

IT’s Seat at the Table is Creating Massive Change in the Mid-Market

The evolving prominence of IT’s voice in major strategic decisions is helping companies in the mid-market (defined as annual revenues of $100 million – $1 billion) to embrace emerging technology at an unprecedented pace.  A recent study by Deloitte, in partnership with market research firm OnResearch, examined these trends. The CTOs, CIOs and IT Department …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2016/08/its-seat-at-the-table-is-creating-massive-change-in-the-mid-market/

DWP audit finds LA lost hundreds of millions

A recent audit of DWP billings following problems with its new billing system revealed that over $680 million was lost due to faulty billings.  The massive revenue impact is further exacerbated by the fact that the system cost $70 million to originally implement, followed by over $40 million spent so far on efforts to address …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2015/03/dwp-audit-finds-la-lost-hundreds-of-millions/

Mathematical Rule Uncovers Several Hundred Thousand Dollar Fraud

An article recently published in the Wall Street Journal details how “the law of first digits”, also known as Benford’s Law, can uncover fraud. Benford’s Law, named after a 20th century American physicist, states that in nearly all real-world distributions of numbers the frequency of ones, twos, threes, and so on, in the first digit …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2015/01/mathematical-rule-uncovers-several-hundred-thousand-dollar-fraud/

New Rules For Patent Royalties?

Royalty arrangements within patent licenses have long been constrained by an almost 50 year old Supreme Court decision in Brulotte v. Thys Co that prevents collection of royalties after a patent has expired. The Justices have now agreed to revisit the precedent set by that often-criticized ruling in a current case, Kimble v. Marvel Enterprises, …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2014/12/new-rules-for-patent-royalties/

The Multi-Faceted Explanation Behind the Current Drop in Gasoline Prices Across the US

With the national average for ’87 octane descending below $3 a gallon, American drivers are paying less at the pump than they have since the beginning of the Great Recession (in terms of seasonality price, the current average is the lowest since 2009, in terms of absolute pricing, an average gallon of gas hasn’t been …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2014/11/the-multi-faceted-explanation-behind-the-current-drop-in-gasoline-prices-across-the-us/

Internal Audit’s Top Priorities Include Social Media

Protiviti’s 2014 Internal Audit Capabilities and Needs Survey Report queried more than 600 internal audit professionals about the social media risks that threaten their businesses.  The five largest are: Financial loss Interrupted business continuity Loss of intellectual property Loss of employee productivity Viruses and malware However, despite this awareness of the risks, many companies are still not adequately …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2014/03/internal-audits-top-priorities-include-social-media/

Protecting Their Candy

King is the game developer responsible for the hugely popular online game “Candy Crush Saga”.  Recently it was awarded trademark protection on the word “candy”.  According to a recent article in the LA Times, competitors are complaining that such a common word was granted protection as some have begun to get cease and desist notices. …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2014/01/protecting-their-candy/

Federal Judge Certifies Class in Silicon Valley’s Antitrust Suit

Last week on Thursday, US District Judge Lucy Koh approved a class of employees in a class action lawsuit brought against some of Silicon Valley’s most recognized companies concerning their hiring practices. The lawsuit involving Apple, Intel, Google, Adobe, Pixar, Lucasfilm, and Intuit, alleges that the companies engaged in an “overarching conspiracy” and formed secret …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2013/10/federal-judge-certifies-class-in-silicon-valleys-antitrust-suit/