Stephanie J.

I had the privilege and pleasure of being able to present an Ecosystem keynote at PASS/PostgresConf Seattle this past week: Profit is the reward not the goal. It is probably my most well received presentation and I have been speaking for 30 years. Hopefully we will have the recording available soon but here is a tip: Are you a resource or an asset? Now look up the definitions of both of those. #leadership, #resource, #asset, #humanfirst, #payitforward

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[CNBC] From 'Fortnite' to 'Hogwarts Legacy': One university fuels Utah's $2 billion video game industry - Utah's video game industry has surged over 230% in a decade, bringing in more than $2.3 billion in revenue last year. - The University of Utah's top-ranked video game program supplies industry-ready graduates, supporting local growth and innovation. - University of Utah graduates helped create top-grossing games such as "Hogwarts Legacy" and "Fortnite," strengthening Utah's reputation as a gaming hub through strong ties with local studios.

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Had a great time this morning at AWE discussing the future of XR and the AI Act! And thanks to my fellow panelists Cai Felip, Iveta Lohovska, Chad Wollen, and our savvy moderator Andrea Bravo, PhD. Takeaways for XR developers: 1. Know your risk level—understand how your AI system is classified. 2. Manage risk—start thinking about mitigation strategies early. 3. Be honest with yourselves—especially when dealing with sensitive data like biometrics. 4. Ensure human oversight when needed—keep proper documentation in place. 5. And maybe the most important: don’t be afraid to be proactive with regulators. They’ll likely welcome that kind of approach. There are no silly questions. Developers like to create amazing stuff, and can’t be expected to think about the ethics of every innovation. But they can be expected to look for support, engage with industry trade associations and regulators, and ask if they have shadows of a doubt. Favorite soundbites: Iveta highlighting the potential of high-risk AI in healthcare, Chad speaking about regulatory sandboxes and the EU’s social and political approach, and Cai stressing the importance of taking compliance seriously from day one. As for me, I think we should all be glad to have a framework that provides for clarity and predictability to developers. And maybe a word of caution: we probably don’t want a future where AI interfaces in headsets decide what people we love see, play with, or who they interact with. Thanks again to Sonya Haskins for the opportunity to chair the track as well. Got to know a bit about Johan Walters and Sam Field, and his cool video bringing AR to Google Maps.

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Blockchain interoperability can not be the responsibility of a single project, it needs to be an industry-wide effort, argues Temujin Louie. https://lnkd.in/gfXQQeVd

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Save your spot! Today is the LAST DAY for EARLY BIRD Tickets to our #SeattleAIWeek event "Designing AI Enabled Products and Services" at SURF Incubator. We'll have networking over wine & cheese and I'll be presenting. If you're and AI designer, builder, founder, investor, or otherwise enthusiast or simply curious, join me and the folks at SURF. Here are some questions to ponder: 💡 What will the User Experience of AI applications look like? 💡 How does it look like now and where is it going? 💡 How do we make sure we're carrying proven methods and principles we've learned in deterministic systems forward into probabilistic interfaces and build on top of them rather than taking a step back by ignoring them? AI is here to stay and the companies who succeed past the hype will be the ones that understand their customers and solve real-world problems. https://lu.ma/0weyg4sr #Startups #UXforAI #AI #UX #Seattle

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Lately, I've been reviewing past projects in buried folders dug up from old drives and finding posts I wrote seemingly a lifetime ago. This one in particular has struck me as a pretty spot-on analysis on the product adoption curve of Bitcoin as I was working on refining my pitch for the now defunct Fluyo remittance service. It's funny how naïve I sound that the price of the leading cryptocurrency had broken $9,000 USD for each BTC during that heady November of 2017, given all that's happened since. Seven years on, as Bitcoin makes another run and begins scratching the $70,000 USD mark, many of the fundamental properties that have made cryptocurrencies so resilient remain at play. The concepts of decentralized networks and smart contracts have been super charged by artificial intelligence, coalescing around an ethos that values user privacy more than the increasingly outdated paradigm of Web2. Web3, as this new amalgamation of technologies and user values is now known, is upon us. I'm excited to find ways to contribute to this new, rapidly evolving ecosystem, using the skills I've developed in designing all kinds of experiences on the web. The tech we use has changed so much, but our motivation to shape it more neatly to our present moment continues unabated. Let's go! 🚀

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🚨 PLUGIN.FM SEASON 3 IS HERE — and I'm kicking things off as the first guest! 🤓 In the premiere episode, I sit down with Patrick Rauland to unpack something I’m deeply passionate about: Why lack of specificity and authenticity is ruining most marketing efforts. Here’s what we dive into: ❌ Why generic, surface-level messaging no longer works in today ✅ How being clear and authentic builds trust and drives growth 🔍 Real strategies for refining your marketing to connect with the right audience As someone who’s spent over a decade in B2B SaaS marketing, I’ve seen how these principles can transform a software business. Whether you’re struggling to stand out or looking for ways to resonate more with your audience, this episode will deliver practical, no-fluff insights you can put to work immediately. 🎧 Tune in this Wednesday, January 15th — let’s get real about what’s holding your marketing back and how to fix it. Here’s a quick teaser to give you a taste. Let me know what you think in the comments! #pluginfm #marketing #SaaS #WordPress #authenticity #specificity #podcast

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ROI is making it RAIN!!! (aka incremental revenue) No Seattle jokes please;) We are working with large scale publishers in News, Sports, Entertainment, Health, Travel, and Autos verticals. High volume, high frequency. STOP READIG NOW if you are not interested or incentivized by incremental revenue. Now that we have dropped nonrevenue incented/operation types, let's talk about increasing revenue. If you are selling 100% of your supply you are in a rare, probably non-optimized group. Most publisher do not and should not fill more than 75% of supply directly. Using the bottom 25% to leverage floors higher, increasing bids/ecpm. ROI allows publishers the opportunity to efficiently monetize 100% of their supply. Accomplishing this by selling unfilled outside of the direct adstack in a secondary auction or post-bid strategy. We will deliver real time market data on supply value, allowing publishers to understand supply value and flooring. Selling and optimizing your unsold is a simple and import part of a balanced programmatic strategy. ROI is the only company that is doing this and has been doing this from the beginning of programmatic. Let's talk, let's drive incremental rev!

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We had the opportunity to host David Williams from Meta at Utah Valley University and meet with our #XR student cohort. This took place in the secretive XR Skunk Works Lab. We thank David for taking time to review the amazing #VR work being done across four specific projects: Forensics CSI Simulation: A first phase prototype of a one-of-a-kind and highly specialized learning simulation for the #Forensics program. The implementation will engage students in specific evidence gathering procedures and train them for actual field experiences. A focus on industry leading hand-gesture realism is a hallmark of this creative challenge. (META Funded Project) Scott M. Smith Engineering Building VR Tour: A real-time VR experience using Autodesk #REVIT BIM assets integrated into Epic Games #UnrealEngine to demonstrate the cost-saving utility of architectural pre-visualization before build time. We thank VCBO Architecture for their assistance. (Dean Kelly Flanagan - CET Funded project) Beit Lehi Israel–Archaeology VR Experience: A conceptual VR simulation/adventure experience designed to inspire youth to consider a career in the modern archaeology career path...think Indiana Jones using #LiDAR #photogrammetry #drones #AI and other cutting-edge technologies to uncover artifacts of ancient origins across a working archaeology site. A worn fedora-style hat, leather jacket, and a whip is included. (Wheatley Family Foundation Funded Project) Might 5 Utah National Park Adventure: A conceptual project designed around youth, multiplayer experiences, and total immersion in U.S. National Parks–Zion National Park, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, and Arches come alive in #Quest3 headsets. Students have been working directly with National Park Service rangers the last six months to gather over 60 VR nodes of trails, hundreds of #HDR photos, and even #SpatialAudio, to capture the essence of being on location! (META Funded Project)

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Let's state the obvious in a way that almost seems original. In the California Gold Rush, it wasn't always the miners who struck it rich. Rather, it was the folks selling them the picks and pans! The AI boom feels a bit similar. Businesses scrambling to keep up in search of their nugget of AI success are turning to a new kind of gold prospector - consulting firms with a plan (and a hefty hourly rate!). Our Venn diagrams are better than yours. Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey, KPMG...these are names that have been around for ages. From snazzy studies and reports to grandiose business models and revenue ideas, consulting firms are often the first wizards that businesses turn to. AI is no different. In fact, the management consulting industry is experiencing a post-pandemic boom, with sales expected to reach $392.2 billion this year, a healthy 2% increase from last year due in large part to generative AI. Put a different way, many of the AI companies these consultants follow and track are in all likelihood barely generating enough revenue to cover their office lunches. Like Planters, the guidance and results can be a mixed bag. These consulting firms charge boatloads of money. Consulting firms are tackling the AI revolution on multiple fronts. Some are helping companies navigate the regulatory landscape as regions like the EU implement AI laws. Others are designing AI-powered customer support systems, while still others are building safeguards to prevent errors in AI applications. With that said, the track record of these firms can be pretty dicey especially if you use their calculators to gauge ROI. Irony is the universe's way of reminding you that you should have planned better. In choosing to work with a consulting firm, businesses should focus on doing their due diligence to prevent an expensive engagement into a costly one. While relevant expertise is a given, seasoned consultants are likely more able to provide the perspective and guidance than younger, inexperienced ones. The last thing you want to hear is a barely out-of-college consultant starting off a sentence with "Throughout my career..." Sorry, that's simply not credible regardless of how charming or creative their ideas are. Creative is good, sustainable is better. And be willing to push back. Consulting firms will always lead with their most expensive, yet not always the most useful programs, so do your research and get smart about AI before engaging. Yes, your business may be looking at them for guidance, but it doesn't mean you have to be like a deer in headlights https://lnkd.in/gaV5HGBr #managementconsulting #business #artificialintelligence #generativeai #technology #leadership #trends

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“In the chambers of the Nebraska State Legislature, where accuracy and accessibility of public discourse are paramount, a quiet change has taken place through Legislative Bill 254. This legislation catalyzed the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered technology that seamlessly integrates closed captioning and real-time translation services for legislative hearings. Achieving an unprecedented 99% accuracy rate, the system has transformed a traditionally resource-intensive process into an efficient, automated solution.” I thank TV Technology for their editorial expertise and for publishing my article. Their pairing of the article with a non-AI-generated photo of the legislature floor adds a valuable layer of authenticity to the piece. I extend my thanks to Brandon Metzler and Jayne Scofield from the Nebraska State Legislature, Wayne Farenga from AI-Media, and my team led by Mark Weakly. Our collaborative efforts ensured the timely implementation of closed captioning provisions outlined in Legislative Bill 254, ahead of schedule. I've witnessed firsthand the profound impact of AI on our field. This article explores the relationship between humans and machines through the lens of media ecology. “In this new era, success will likely belong to those who can effectively collaborate with AI systems while maintaining a strong creative vision and understanding of human storytelling. As we move forward, the goal should be to use AI as a means to expand the possibilities of television as a medium for human expression and connection. The true potential of AI in content production may lie not in its ability to replicate or replace human creativity, but in its capacity to augment and inspire it, opening new avenues for storytelling and artistic expression.” The article is linked here at https://lnkd.in/gurUu-zC

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