Welcome back to another edition of Weekend Reading, where you’ll get stories on how the Internet of Things has transformed both the petroleum supply chain and nurses’ daily routines, the origins of #GivingTuesday and the first annual Biofabricate conference.
The Internet of Things plays a big role in improving efficiency of the petroleum supply chain and in the care of patients at hospitals. Enhanced by IoT, Rockwell Automation is bringing its vision for the connected enterprise to life by building new forms of intelligence to keep the petroleum supply chain operating smoothly 24 hours a day, from some of the world’s most remote areas. At Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital in central France, an intelligent system securely connects hundreds of medical devices and data from multiple existing systems into a single, secure Windows-based interface for monitoring patient data, such as vital signs and medications. This gives nurses more time with patients.
#GivingTuesday, an idea hatched in New York three years ago, went global this year. Microsoft will match donations on the site, up to $350,000, to create opportunities for young people around the world across a full spectrum of technology education.
At the first annual Biofabricate conference, the Microsoft Research Visiting Artist who created a wedding dress made of fungus is presenting an amulet designed to help fight cancer, an example of a process called biofabrication. At its most basic level, biofabrication is about manipulating the tiny computational engines that exist within living cells, and using them to either generate new behaviors at the cellular level, or to generate materials with desired properties.
Kim Kardashian dethroned Beyoncé as the most searched-for person on Bing this year. The Bing team attributed this crowning achievement to Kardashian’s Vogue cover, her over-the-top wedding to Kanye West and her photos that “broke the Internet.”
Microsoft is again partnering with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to create its annual Santa Tracker website. It has been redesigned with a new set of games, improved performance and an optimized mobile experience, in addition to using Bing Maps to track Santa. Also, Windows Phone users can track Santa using Cortana, who is getting her information straight from NORAD’s advanced systems to ensure to the most accurate, up-to-date data.
If you’re looking for bargains in music, games and apps, there were plenty to choose from this week. You can find savings of at least 50 percent off Windows and Windows Phone apps and games through the Red Stripe Deals. With Music Deals for this week, you can get Mary J. Blige’s “The London Sessions” for 99 cents and a bevy of soundtracks for under $1.99. There are also 50 free albums that you can call your own by just downloading. Also check out the App of the Week, “FarmVille 2: Country Escape.”
This week on our global adventure to find people who #DoMore on the Microsoft Instagram page, we met acclaimed graffiti artist Allison Hueman. Follow us on Instagram to hear her story and meet more people like her.
Thanks for checking out this edition of Weekend Reading. Keep warm and enjoy the lead up into the year-end holidays!
Posted by Athima Chansanchai
Microsoft News Center Staff