Technology

Itthe &90s, and pilot fish is doing some work for a small law firm where the senior partner considers that newfangled internet to be nothing but trouble. And that is the root of the firmproblem with printing, which is very slow.

The firm has a couple of large laser printers, and the IT consultant who preceded fish in this gig had rigged things with parallel port switches and extenders so that everyone could get to them. It would often take 30 seconds to a minute to print a page. Ita kludge of a solution that baffles fish: Why would an IT professional do such a thing, especially when the printers have Jetdirect cards already installed in them?

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IBM this week launched a new supply chain service based on its blockchain platform and open-source software from recently-acquired Red Hat that allows developers and third-party apps to integrate legacy corporate data systems onto a distributed ledger.

Through the use of open APIs, the new Sterling Supply Chain Suite allows distributors, manufacturers and retailers to integrate their own data and networks & as well as those of their suppliers & onto a Hyperledger-based blockchain to track and trace products and parts. Among the data that can be integrated are IoT sensor systems for real-time shipment position location.

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During an event at the United Nations Delegates Dining Room in New York City, IBM unveiled the winners to its annual Call for Code Global Challenge. The competition, which is targeted at computing solutions for global problems, crowned five winners, ranging from first responders to health care info.

Prometeo took the top price for its Watson-based AI solution targeted at firefighters. The team, which is lead by a 33-year firefighting veteran, has developed a tool designed to monitor health and safety in the industry, both long term and in real-time. The Spanish startup developed a smartphone-sized device that straps onto the wearerarm to gauge things like temperature, smoke and humidity.

&If the color signal is green, the health of the firefighter is okay,& cofounder Salomé Valero explains on IBMsite. &But if the color signal is yellow or red, the command center must do something. They must take immediate action in order to rescue or remove the firefighter from the fire.&

The team is working to roll out the device for testing in Spain, but is currently seeking funding for the project. The $200,000 prize from IBM ought to help out a bit.

The second place price went to India/China/US-based Sparrow, which has developed a platform for addressing physical and psychological health during natural disasters. U.C.L.A. team, Rove scored third place with a similar concept.

Call for Code is a five year program that aims to hand out $30 million for teams addressing widespread societal issues.