2020 – The Year in Review (Part 1)
The following article is a summary of all of the blog articles that appeared on Wally Boston during the first half of 2020. This article is part 1 of a two-part series.
Artificial Intelligence Is Everywhere – Will You Be Prepared?
As an avid follower of information technology trends, I have read hundreds of articles and several dozen books about artificial intelligence (A.I.) over the past six years. A few of the books have been reviewed on this blog beginning in 2014 (see Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era, The Future of the Professions: How Technology Will Transform the Work of Human Experts, RISE OF THE ROBOTS: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future, The Glass Cage: Automation and Us, and Review of The Second Machine Age: Work, Process, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee). Recently, two items triggered my Spidey sense (a term coined by Marvel Comics for the ability of superhero Spiderman to sense when something was about to happen).
Keeping Up With Technology, As Observed Through CPA Continuing Education
More than 40 years ago, I started working at Price Waterhouse (now PricewaterhouseCoopers, or PwC). Even though I was on the consulting track, I was encouraged to sit for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam and become a licensed CPA. Having this license, along with an MBA, boosted my career and I subsequently served as CFO at five different companies over the years.
Renovating Older Buildings, Revitalizing Communities
In a recent article about preserving historic building, Julianne Couch explains how renovating existing structures in towns and cities can revitalize the community. The article reminded me of our experience at American Public University System (APUS).
The Devil is in the Details
The Wall Street Journal wrote this week, Japan Rethinks Higher Education in Skills Push, Aug. 2, 2015 about Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s funding proposal for Japanese universities, noting that liberal arts would be pushed back in favor of business or vocational programs. The prime minister asked that the 86 nationally-funded universities submit restructuring proposals that either focused on achieving global leadership in scientific research or on vocational training.
Nurturing the Entrepreneurial Spirit
By Joe Rice, Director, Eastern Panhandle Technology Innovation Center
The spirit of entrepreneurship doesn’t go away after you launch your company. In fact, many entrepreneurs consider themselves “serial entrepreneurs” as they seek the thrill and excitement of starting a new company. These serial entrepreneurs gather much more satisfaction in starting companies than they do in running them.