Ken Garen, CPA, Co-Founder and President, UBCC

  Meet ElliQ, the robot who wants to keep Grandma company Steven Zeitchik – March 17, 2022 3:00 AM “ElliQ, good morning.” Meet ElliQ, the robot who wants to keep Grandma company “Good morning, Susan. How did you sleep?" “I slept well, thank you.” “That’s good. Would you like to do some exercise? “Not now. I’m going to church. Maybe later?” “Okay.” Susan Thoren didn’t like blowing off her roommate — and she could have gone for that  SilverSneakers aerobics video  — but she was late to see her pastor. Maybe Susan would hang with ElliQ later, after she took her Shih Tzu, Little One, out for a walk on the lake near the Largo, Fla., retirement community where she lives. Not  during  the walk — as Elli was fond of reminding, she can’t walk; she doesn’t have legs. She’s just an AI in the shape of a lamp. On Tuesday, an Israeli company, Intuition Robotics, commercially released ElliQ after a long beta-use period. Billed as an AI companion for the e...

Facebook Defends Allowing Calls For Russian Death As Kremlin Brands Meta 'Extremist Organization'   BY TYLER DURDEN FRIDAY, MAR 11, 2022 - 01:45 PM   Facebook has responded to a leaked email which revealed that the company  is allowing users in certain countries to  call for the death of Russians  and Russian soldiers . Spokesman Nick Clegg, head of global affairs (and former head of England's Liberal Democrats), says Facebook is simply allowing Ukrainians to express their "resistance and fury at the invading military forces," adding that it does not mean the company tolerates " discrimination, harrassment or violence towards Russians" on its platform . Clegg said the move is a " temporary decision taken in extraordinary and unprecedented circumstances." On Thursday,  Reuters  reported that Facebook "will allow Facebook and Instagram users in some countries to call for violence against Russians and Russian soldiers in the ...

  American Children Losing Motivation And Creativity, Teachers Say   By  Jackson Elliott March 6, 2022   Updated: March 8, 2022   Creativity and enthusiasm define childhood, but American children seem to be losing these gifts, teachers say. American children are less creative and less motivated than past generations. When teachers compare today’s children with their peers from only a few years ago, there’s a clear difference, according to Page Park, an Indiana teacher with 24 years of experience. “They don’t know how to think for themselves, too. I do have a few kids that are really good at problem solving, but not as many. They’re not good at problem solving,” she said. Park said that since she first started teaching, creativity has declined. Students today don’t look for solutions to simple problems. For instance, if a student found he didn’t have a pencil, he wouldn’t ask for a spare, Park said. “I’ve taught most of my career.” Park said. “I’m t...