By Harvey R. Levenson, Ph. D., Professor Emeritus, Cal Poly

Introduction
The matter of gender equity and diversity in the printing industry has been the focus of some vigorous debate for quite some time. However, it has re-emerged in earnest most recently when an industry association, the Benjamin Franklin Honor Society (BFHS) denied membership to a list of women candidates nominated for their contributions to industry growth and professional development, yet allegedly equally qualified men were accepted into the Society.

Harnessing Digital Technology for Next-Level Customer Centred Retailing

On 30 January 2019, IT News Africa will host Digital Retail Forum 2019 at the Hilton Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa.

The new Hall 12 was officially opened today at a ceremony attended by some 2,000 invited guests from the realms of politics, business and media on the Frankfurt exhibition grounds. The building was constructed over a two-year period and is the cornerstone of the open area development in the western section of the Messe Frankfurt exhibition grounds.

To mark the official opening of the new Hall 12, the installation Flying to Peace by Munich designer Ingo Maurer was unveiled to the public in the hall’s North Foyer and set in motion.

Toray, headquartered in Prostějov, Czech Republic, joins the city in welcoming the International Tennis Federation (ITF) back for the 2018 World Cup Junior Tennis Finals for boys and girls under 14. This is the world’s most prestigious ITF youth event and attracts the best national teams for boys and girls in this category. It is a world-class youth event that first came to Prostějov in 1999 after holding the event in Japan for eight years. The ITF has trusted the Prostějov tennis courts since then as an ideal location for the final World Cup tournament.

By Andy Marken

This year’s NAB (National Association of Broadcasting) show was healthier, more interesting and more technology driven than ever.

The big (good) news for them was that ATSC 3.0 – the next generation of broadcast standard that will benefit viewers, broadcasters, manufacturers – is real!

By Andy Marken

On my office wall I have two images Picasso’s Don Quixote de la Mancha and the unofficial military public information crest, “Last to Know … First to Go.”

It’s tough getting the entire corporate team moving in the same direction and doing/saying the same thing when you are:
- Constantly tilting windmills to slay dragons
- Not certain if the team is going in the same direction as part of a parade or someone is intent on running others out of town

By Andy Marken

O.K., I admit it… VR (virtual reality) is going to be big in a few years.

After experiencing The Martian at SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers) and hearing from friends at Sundance about the lines of folks waiting patiently to put on the gear for the dozen or so films.

Then there was the drill-down VR session at HPA (Hollywood Post Alliance) Tech Retreat.

It’s safe to say that the industry is taking VR film work seriously.

By Andy Marken

Last year, I found myself diving with an SAR (search and rescue) officer and somehow the subject of retirement came up.
His response was, “Not for a long, long time.”

By Andy Marken

Not long ago, "The New York Times" ran a rant that social media was having a negative effect on quality journalism.

When Dan Gilmore, former tech writer for the "San Jose Mercury News", first advanced the idea of citizen journalism as the web and social media was beginning to sprout. It sounded great at the time.

By Andy Marken

It's somewhat ironic that a 20-year Navy veteran would retire in the frozen tundra of Wisconsin and spend most of his free time around flying machines. But John Ross is a master of anomalies.

By Andy Marken

Just Show Up – Trade show, conference and convention activities require more than just rolling up, opening your stand and picking off customers. The best results come from planning, establishing objectives, analysis and understanding what worked/what didn't.