#73 (TECH) “How technology is being used at the World Cup” — Is newer technology making electric vehicles less reliable? Your EV’s fastest chargers are now visible on Google Maps. The FCC orders broadband providers to post “nutrition labels”.
- First up – How technology is being used at the World Cup.
- Our second story – Is newer technology making electric vehicles less reliable?
- Our third story – Your EV’s fastest chargers are now visible on Google Maps.
- For our fourth and final story – The FCC orders broadband providers to post “nutrition labels”.
BONUS EPISODES Patreon: ✨www.patreon.com/latinamericaneo✨
👉Website: www.latinamericaneo.org
👉Instagram: @latinamericaneo
🛍 Merch:https://latinamericaneo.org/shop
🔗LISTEN EN ESPAÑOL: https://anchor.fm/latinamericaneoes
What is going on everyone? I’m your host Kevin Muñoz. This is the LEO podcast tech episode, where we discuss all things tech.
Technology is advancing at a quicker rate than ever before, so if you’re like me, and you’re just trying to stay on top of the latest tech, here are four stories for you!
First up – If you’ve been following the world cup you may or may not have noticed all the sophisticated technology that is being used right in front of our eyes: from the soccer balls being kicked around to the thousands of cameras tracking fans’ and players’ nearly every move.
For our second story – Is newer technology making electric vehicles less reliable? According to recent consumer reports rankings, electric vehicles are among the least reliable cars and trucks in the automotive industry today.
For our third story – Google recently announced that new filtering options will show up when you search for “EV charging stations” proving that Google Maps just keeps getting better and better.
And For our fourth and final story – Hidden fees and unexpected rate hikes have become an expected part of Americans’ internet, cable, and phone bills, but the FCC just passed a rule that may make this a lot less common.
It’s all happening right now, on the LEO Podcast so stay tuned!
And if you’re listening to this episode on the day that it’s released, then that means today is Monday, November 28th. And if you want early access to episodes and bonus content, then head on over to our patreon.com/latinamericaneo and become part of our Palomitas community!
But if you’re not a patron yet, no worries! You can still enjoy this episode. It’s packed with great content.
So, sit back, relax, and enjoy!
Article 1: This World Cup is wired and fueled by AI
For our first story, For this World Cup officials are relying heavily on sophisticated tools to control almost every aspect of the game.
Here’s a look at the innovations being used.
The official match ball made by Adidas isn’t just any regular match ball. This match ball has motion sensors inside. The sensors will report precise location data on the ball 500 times per second, according to the company, helping referees make more precise calls.
The sensor-filled ball was road-tested at several soccer tournaments leading up to the main event, including the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup, and according to Adidas, it did not affect player performance.
The ball will be used in all of the tournament’s 64 matches and will feed information back to a data nerve center, which officials can use to track statistics and monitor gameplay.
Next, is of course the Video Assistant Referees otherwise known as VAR.
Everyone from fans to players on the field always complains about the calls. But in this tournament, officials will try to minimize the controversy by using video assistant referees, which use algorithms and data points to help on-field referees make accurate calls.
You might recall this from the 2018 World Cup where it was being tested, but since then this technology has gotten some enhancements.
The system will rely on tracking cameras mounted underneath stadium roofs to track the sensor-filled ball and up to 29 data points on each player’s body, at 50 times per second, according to FIFA officials.
The data points tracking players’ limbs and ball location will be fed into an artificial intelligence system, helping referees make accurate calls on penalties, and who’s offside.
An automated alert will then ping match officials inside a video operation room, who will then validate the decision before informing the referee.
Next is Stadium cooling. The heat has always been an ongoing issue. And although it’s not scorching summer temperatures, temperatures in Qatar could get stiflingly hot during the next month.
For this reason, officials are relying on an advanced cooling system. According to FIFA, it is designed by a Qatari professor, Saud Abdulaziz Abdul Ghani, who is often called “Dr. Cool”. The way it works is air is drawn into pipes and vents in the stadium, cooled, filtered, and pushed out again. It will create a cool bubble inside the stadium, where sensors will help regulate temperatures according to game officials.
They do this using insulation and a tech-fueled method called “spot cooling” – which allows cooling to take place only where people are. And if you’re wondering what the temperatures will be kept at well it looks like the sweet spot that they concluded is keeping the stadium between 64 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lastly, according to Qatari officials, command and control centers in Qatar are relying on more than 15,000 cameras to track people’s movements throughout the games.
The cameras are spread among all eight stadiums. Lusail Stadium, which holds more than 80 thousand people and where the final match will be held, facial recognition technology will be used to track fans, which rightfully generated concerns over privacy.
In addition, algorithms will be used to try to prevent stampedes in the stadium, like the one at a soccer match in Indonesia recently that killed more than 130 people.
According to the command-and-control team, they will be able to forecast crowd patterns using algorithms that rely on several data points, including ticket sales, and places where people enter.
Also, interestingly enough The Alan Turing Institute in Britain has created an algorithm to predict which team is most likely to win the World Cup.
Their algorithm is based on a previous one they used called AIrsenal, which they developed in 2018 to play Fantasy Premier League.
They relied on a data set from GitHub, a website for sharing and collaborating on computer code, which tracked the results of every international soccer match since 1872. Their model then gave more weight to World Cup matches and games played recently.
They ended up running this model 100 thousand times and these were the results.
Brazil won the tournament in roughly 25 percent of the simulations; Belgium came out the victor roughly 18 percent of the time, and Argentina came out on top at a little under 15 percent.
What are your thoughts on these results? Was the team that you predicted to win the world cup mentioned or not? or are you on the side like me that thinks it’s impossible to predict who’s going to win with all the factors that go into this tournament? For example what if a key player gets injured or red carded? Let me know by visiting my website latinamericaneo.org and leaving me a voicemail I would love to hear from you and feature it on the podcast as well!
Article 2: Electric vehicles are less reliable because of newer technologies, Consumer Reports finds
For our second story… Is newer technology making electric vehicles less reliable? According to recent consumer reports rankings, electric vehicles are among the least reliable cars and trucks in the automotive industry today.
According to consumer reports, when compared with hybrid and gas-powered cars and trucks, electric vehicles powered entirely by batteries were the worst-performing segment, aside from traditional full-size pickup trucks.
There’s no doubt that there’s been a big spike in the production of electric vehicles and with that also comes reliability issues since companies have not had time to iron out those issues that impact reliability.
Not to mention that those buying electric vehicles are usually tech-loving early adopters, and so automakers also pack the models with a host of other features essentially using EVs as a technological testbed for whatever new tech they want to try out, which could also lead to problems.
In an effort to try and reduce air pollution from transportation, state and federal incentives and new environmental regulations have encouraged even more adoption of fully electric cars in and outside of the U.S.
Even though it is true according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, that charging a hybrid or fully electric vehicle can cause pollution at the power plant, total emissions from driving the cars are still lower than from gasoline-powered cars. Electric vehicles can also become “greener” over time as power supplies from clean or renewable resources like nuclear, solar, and wind increases.
Topping the list of electric vehicles from the report was the Kia EV6, which was considerably above average. And at the bottom of the EV reliability rankings was the electric Hyundai Kona.
Interestingly enough Unlike all-electric vehicles, hybrid cars and trucks were among the most reliable in the study. This apparently is because many hybrids, like the Toyota Prius, have been on the market for years, so automakers have been able to work out the problems they’ve encountered.
Topping this year’s reliability list for brands were Toyota, Lexus, BMW, Mazda, and Honda — all ranking above average reliability. Seven of the top 10 most reliable brands were from Japanese and Korean automakers. Lincoln is the only domestic brand in this year’s top 10 rankings.
As for Tesla as an overall brand, Tesla moved up four spots in the reliability rankings compared with last year but remained below average. Other brands with lower-than-average reliability included Chevrolet, GMC, Volkswagen, Jeep, and Mercedes-Benz.
However, Tesla owners continue to report problems with body hardware, paint and trim in their vehicles across all models. Take Tesla’s high-end sedan, the Model S, which had steering and suspension troubles, and the Model S and Model Y crossover utility vehicles both continue to have issues with air conditioning and heating system.
The company’s entry-level sedan, the Model 3, was the only Tesla with an average reliability ranking, while the Model S and Model Y ranked below average.
It’s also important to note that Consumer Reports did not rate the reliability of driver assistance systems such as Tesla’s Autopilot in its analysis.
[middle of episode ad break]
Don’t go anywhere we’ll be right back after this quick break
Article 3: Google Maps now shows you the fastest chargers for your EV
For our third story… To help cut short your charging stop, Google recently announced that new filtering options will show up when you search for “EV charging stations” proving that Google Maps just keeps getting better and better. They are also launching their new search with live view for pedestrians in limited places and expanding its wheelchair-accessible layer internationally.
According to Google, it’s also possible to filter for stations compatible with your charging plug only. All the options will be available on Android and iOS everywhere in the world where there are EV charging stations.
Meanwhile, Search with Live View is launching after it was first announced in September. And as the name suggests, the new feature lives inside Live View, which allows you to navigate more easily by overlaying your route in an AR live view of the world around you using your phone’s camera.
Search with Live View offers a shortcut to this mode in the search bar, and it allows you to search for key nearby places within Live View. You can find nearby apparel, ATMs, cafés, restaurants, and more, and then easily navigate to these on foot. The feature will come to London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, San Francisco, and Tokyo in the coming weeks on both Android and iOS.
After years of collecting data on wheelchair-accessible venues, Google has also rolled out its accessible places layer worldwide. It can be turned on in Google Maps’ settings. Once that’s done, businesses will either be displayed as wheelchair accessible or as inaccessible. Google also continues encouraging users to mark businesses as wheelchair friendly as they come across them, which is the data the company uses to display this layer of information.
With these new changes in mind, Google Maps just keeps getting better. If you don’t spot them in your app just yet, make sure you’re on the latest version. Otherwise, you might just need to be patient, as Google is rolling them out in stages.
Article 4: FCC orders ISPs to show broadband ‘nutrition labels’ with all fees and limits
For our fourth and final story!.. The FCC ordered Internet Service Providers to show broadband “nutrition labels” with all fees and limits.
What this means is that broadband providers will now have to “prominently” display a “nutrition label” with all fees, catches, and caps clearly stated for any plan you’re considering.
Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel stated the following “our rules will require that broadband nutrition labels are fully displayed when a consumer is making a purchasing decision. That means consumers will have simple, easy-to-read facts about price, speed, data allowances, and other aspects of high-speed internet service up front,”
And yes if you’re curious these labels look similar to the food labels we are all familiar with. The labels must be completely standard, machine-readable, and displayed on the main purchasing pages that providers have online. This means that they can’t be buried in multiple clicks or reduced to a link or icon that a consumer might miss. They also must be easily available on request after someone signs up.
The label will include vital statistics that you will need to know about your potential internet connection like monthly price and contract length, whether that price will change after a certain period and what it will change to, a complete list of monthly and one-time fees, and early termination fees, whether the company participates in the Affordable Connectivity program and link to check if one qualifies, “typical” download and upload speeds, and latency, data cap, and price beyond that cap, links to network management and privacy policies.
With all providers clearly posting these in the same format anyone is able to compare labels as if you were comparing two brands of cereal and decide which one is right for them. Not because of the flashy advertising or misleading promo price, but because they can see the right numbers are higher or lower than the competition.
Now you might have heard this idea bouncing around for a while and never went anywhere, but what finally made it possible was the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. It will still be a bit before these will be required by law, though: an FCC spokesperson explained that the rules must first be reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget, after which they will be published in the federal register, and from that point, broadband providers will have six months to comply, or a year if they’re on the small side.
In my opinion, I think these are some great steps taken in the right direction and we have to keep in mind that these labels themselves may change over time, just like nutrition labels do. More and better information will find a place on the labels depending on what the FCC hears from customers and the industry.
THE END
That’s all for today on the LEO podcast. I’m Kevin Muñoz and as always feel free to send me a voicemail through my website latinamerianeo.org simply click the purple “send voicemail” popup and record your thoughts or any interesting topic that you’d like to see covered and I might just feature it on the next episode!
and for those of you on Patreon, I’ll see you there.
Otherwise, I’ll see you all in next week’s episode!
Sources:
Article 1:
This World Cup is wired and fueled by AI
Article 2:
Electric vehicles are less reliable because of newer technologies, Consumer Reports finds
Article 3:
Google Maps now shows you the fastest chargers for your EV
Article 4:
FCC orders ISPs to show broadband ‘nutrition labels’ with all fees and limits
