Technology – Hampton Roads Weekly

May172023 by Web PublisherNo Comments

We Are All Prompt Engineers: Cultivating Skills in AI/Language, to Keep Up in the Race

Technology

By Gerry White Our society is moving faster than ever, and at the rate technology is advancing, it looks like it will only continue to speed up. With artificial intelligence now at everyone's fingertips, we should prepare to move and grow with society as it changes. To do so, there are new skills to cultivate which allow us to set the pace, or at least keep up. So, as we delve into this world of artificial intelligence (AI), we discover various facets of AI that contribute to our use of these sophisticated systems. One such integral component is "prompt engineering". It is a method used to communicate effectively with AI, especially large language models like the GPT series from OpenAI. It involves crafting specific instructions, or prompts, to guide AI responses in a de...

May12023 by Web PublisherNo Comments

Virginia Beach, A New Technology Hub

Technology

by Ryan McCreadie The global COVID-19 pandemic took the world by storm, and many people and businesses became casualties of this unrelenting virus. Regions of the country such as Virginia Beach that typically have thriving tourism saw their numbers drastically lower this year. Like most beach cities, Virginia Beach depends upon tourism as its primary revenue driver. Like their sister cities, they felt the pressure this past summer as popular tourist attractions remained at minimal capacity or closed entirely. The suddenness forced city representatives to reevaluate and rethink the region’s future economic stability as a top priority. Over the past ten months, as the area was ground to a halt, the city of Virginia Beach, Mayor Bobby Dyer, and his team have been meeting with ven...

Apr22023 by Web PublisherNo Comments

Tech Talk-Vote Mobile

Politics, Technology

Vote Mobile Over 200 million people have access to mobile devices in the United States. Still, only approximately 150 million people voted in our presidential election. This needs to change. We now have the technology to put the power of the vote in the hands of every United States citizen who is of age. The more people we have involved in our governmental elections, the more representative and democratic our government will truly be: of the people, by the people, for the people Voting is a crucial piece of our democracy. It has been from the very beginning when representatives from the original 13 colonies voted to declare our independence from England. We also encoded this right in our founding documents with the individuals and representatives both voting. These rights have slowly but ...

Jan102023 by Web PublisherNo Comments

Classroom of the Future

Technology

Classroom of the Future is here at ECPI University ECPI Introduces Most Advanced Virtual Reality Teaching Tools Available The future is now! Most certainly, it’s an old cliché, but it takes on fresh meaning when viewed through the eyes of students at ECPI University. Always seeking to embrace the latest in teaching technology, ECPI is once again proving that it’s a leader in higher education. Earlier this year, ECPI University began phasing in new technologies which are part of its initiative, Classroom of the Future. Within its Colleges of Nursing and Health Science, it introduced the Anatomage Table, the world’s first virtual dissection table, the most technologically advanced 3D anatomy visualization systems for anatomy and physiology education. The Anatomage Table is the o...

Feb102022 by Web PublisherNo Comments

Virtual Reality

Technology

Virtual Reality (VR) is a buzzword that is everywhere today, whether in the gaming and movie worlds of entertainment or in the practical would of industry. Still, this is a term that we have heard since the first 3D movies from the 1950’s, and it has come in and out of vogue since then. Recently, however, VR has made a resurgence and is positioned to truly change the way we perceive our information and the world itself. But, what is virtual reality, and where did it come from? Here is how it works. We have two eyes that see what is in front of us from two slightly different points of view. This small difference is what gives us depth perception. Our brains take these two images, run them through an algorithm, and then allow us to perceive depth, or 3 dimensions. W...

May222020 by Web PublisherNo Comments

Tech Talk: NEW AUGMENTED REALITY TOUR ENHANCES ZOO EXPERIENCE

Technology

The Virginia Zoo is unveiling a new technology that will take Zoo visitors on an immersive tour to meet and learn more about its animal residents. The Zoo’s Augmented Reality Tour is a collaboration with Life Preserve and ECPI University. The tour features 12 stops around the Zoo and provides a learning adventure about the animals, their counterparts in the wild, conservation efforts for the species, and even behind-the-scenes footage. photo by Virginia Zoo “We are excited to partner with Life Preserve and ECPI and leverage technology to further enhance our visitor experience,” said Education Manager, Michelle Lewis. “This exciting tour provides guests with an insider’s look into our animals. Photos and videos allow visitors to explore and discover even if...

Jul102019 by Web PublisherNo Comments

Pull Up A Chair!

Technology

Pull Up A Chair! The ECPI University Rams Hearthstone Team Hosts Another Fireside Gathering Fireside Gathering events are a tradition for those who play Hearthstone, a strategy card game based off the World of Warcraft lore. The event brings gamers of all ages and skill levels together to face each other in one-on-one matches, square off in Tavern Brawls, and enjoy each other’s company. ECPI University’s Rams Hearthstone team’s Firesides have also featured Hearthstone-themed food created by Culinary Institute of Virginia students and exciting raffle prizes, such as Hearthstone-themed accessories and books. But the best part of the events is meeting new players and getting a chance to connect with others who love debating the best meta deck and finding that perfect momen...

Mar302019 by Web PublisherNo Comments

What Is Augmented/Mixed Reality?

Technology

Just about everyone has heard the term Augmented Reality (AR) in the tech news lately. Whether it be something like an augmented Google map, the game everyone went crazy over, Pokemon Go, or Apple’s AR integrations in the new iPhones, Augmented Reality is coming soon to most all our mobile devices. Well great, but what is it, and how do we employ it for something useful? Augmented Reality Display Augmented Reality is a mixture of virtual reality and the camera on your phone. It simply puts images over your camera view, so you can see images overlaid on the picture. These pictures, or assets, can be anything from images and videos to 3D models and animations. Where VR puts you in a virtual environment in which you can interact with all the various assets, AR mixes the “real rea...