Tony Pecora joined the Managed Solution team as Technical Account Manager on November 23, 2015. Tony started working in the managed services provider (MSP) space seven years ago and never looked back. He has experience working for larger companies including schools, Cardinal Health, Houghton Mifflin, etc. but prefers life in the MSP world because he loves the comradery and the ability to wear "multiple hats," while being able to make significant changes in a client's business.
Tony's favorite job before MSP life was tutoring at his first alma matter, Mira Costa College - he even still keeps in touch with the tutoring coordinator. Tony tutored introductory English, Physics, and a range in Mathematics from Pre-Algebra through Calculus III.
Tony grew up in Virginia and moved to San Diego when he was fifteen. After eighteen years in SoCal he moved to San Francisco but plans on moving back to wonderful San Diego in a month. Tony is an active person and enjoys softball, the gym, the shooting range and paddle-boarding. He's been on several competitive softball teams but says he stays away from tournaments because of the attitudes a lot of people bring.
Tony exploring the outdoors at Valencia Peak
Along with several co-workers at MS, Tony is a motorcycle rider and has strong preferences for.. and against food. Tony says he's not a picky eater, but he can't stand bacon, cheese, salt, cilantro, or any kind of salad dressing, although he recently made peace with sesame vinaigrette. He's never had coffee and isn't a fan of caffeine so doesn't think he's missing out. He does say there is no such thing as too much garlic, or sugar, or BBQ anything (sauce, meat, BBQs, etc.)!
We're excited to have Tony on board, please join us in welcoming him to the Managed Solution team!
At Managed Solution, we strive to be the best technology based company by investing in our top assets; our people - CAREERS
Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates Join Forces To Invest in Clean Energy Technology
By Catherine Shu (@catherineshu) as written on techcrunch.com
The founders of Facebook and Microsoft are teaming up to solve climate change. Mark Zuckerberg announced today that he and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have launched the Breakthrough Energy Coalition with Bill Gates to invest in zero-carbon energy technology around the world. The organization’s membership roster includes some of the most prolific names in technology, including Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, Jack Ma, and Masayoshi Son.
The news was timed to coincide with the U.N. Climate Control Conference, which will take place in Paris this week. During the event, Gates and U.S. President Barack Obama are expected to unveil a significant new initiative called Mission Innovation, which will work with governments to double public investments in energy research over the next five years.
According to the Washington Post, the 19 countries that have already joined Mission Innovation will increase their annual spending on clean-energy research and development to $20 billion by 2020.
Mission Innovation and the Breakthrough Energy Coalition are separate programs, but will work closely together in countries that have committed to reducing carbon emissions.
On its website, the Breakthrough Energy Coalition explains that its goal is to cover gaps in government funding in countries by commercializing the most promising and scalable ideas to come out of public research institutions. It will take a flexible attitude toward investments, providing early-stage to Series A funding in several sectors, including electricity generation and storage, transportation, industrial use, agriculture, and energy system efficiency.
Featured Image: Romolo Tavani/Shutterstock
Source: http://techcrunch.com
With 22 years of experience working in the IT industry, Brian Lacey joined the Managed Solution team as the Director of Technical Services on Monday, November 16, 2015. He started his career as a Tier 1 service desk analyst for a company responsible for providing support to NAPA auto part dealers. From there, Brian had roles such as lead programmer, project manager, implementation lead, and subject matter expert. Brian comes to Managed Solution from Accenture where he spent the last 13 years managing application outsourcing contracts and staff responsible for delivering the service.
Brian was born and raised in a small town near Peoria, IL. He attended college and spent the first 16 years of his career in Illinois as well. In 2009, Brian jumped at the opportunity to transfer within his company to manage an application outsourcing contract with a client based in San Diego, CA.
Brian is married with two small children and one dog. His son is four and his daughter is two, which keeps him entertained as well as on his toes constantly. His dog, Harley, is an escape artist as he somehow finds a way to break free from any type of containment which includes opening doors.
When Brian isn't in the office he enjoys spending time with his family and watching and participating in sports. Brian is a die-hard Chicago Cubs, Bulls and Bears fan. He also enjoys learning about investing and monitoring the stock market but as of now he seems to be good at only losing money.
Brian has had the opportunity to travel extensively. His favorite places he's visited are Australia and Argentina and the most interesting was India. Another fun fact about Brian, he has a twin brother who also lives in San Diego.
Please join me in welcoming Brian Lacey to the Managed Solution team!
At Managed Solution, we strive to be the best technology based company by investing in our top assets; our people - CAREERS
From Microsoft to HP, most tech companies are expected to offer pretty huge sales for their products. Ahead of the official announcement, HP’s Black Friday sales have been revealed. The tech giant will be offering up to 50% sale storewide in this year’s Black Friday. The company will be offering sales for its Windows 10 laptops, all-in-ones and even computer accessories.
HP Home & Home Office is the online portal through which personal or business technology consumers can find popular HP products like laptops, desktop PCs, printers, ink and toner. Find coupon codes and hot deals on HP products right here all year round, and watch for Black Friday sale announcements for even lower prices on the products you need. HP will be offering up to 50% Off storewide for their Black Friday sale!
Check out the company’s Black Friday sales on this website.
Civic Tech Brings Power And Positivity To The People Via
By Stacy Donohue (@StacyDon) as written on Techcrunch.com
People have long had a complicated relationship with their governments — a tension that often is exacerbated by government policies and processes that cannot keep pace with today’s on-demand culture.
It doesn’t have to be like this. The tech community — especially those working in civic tech — know this to be true. From enabling crowdfunding campaigns to revamping entire cities’ tech infrastructure, civic tech empowers people to turn challenges and frustrations with government into opportunities for a new business, a new career or a new voice.
With the growing interest and support from the investment community, there has never been a better time to jump in to the civic tech movement.
The momentum is truly a tribute to those who have championed civic tech for years, including Jake Brewer, the senior policy advisor to U.S. Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith who died in a bicycle accident during a cancer charity ride. As President Obama noted, Jake “dedicated his life to empowering people and making government work better for them,” and his legacy will certainly help propel forward the civic tech movement for generations to come.
Here are three ways those in and out of Silicon Valley can help create positive change in the relationship between the governing and the governed.
Make It Personal
Civic tech entrepreneurs look at pain points as fuel for change. In fact, some of the best civic tech businesses have been born out of the challenges their founders faced.
Take Dan Brillman, an Air Force pilot who grew increasingly concerned as his military friends struggled with the difficult process to search for services and programs available for veterans. Brillman, fellow veteran Taylor Justice and military supporter Andrew Price didn’t wait for the government to come up with a solution. They took matters into their own hands and started Unite US, a free online platform that connects military members, veterans and their families to resources both in their local communities and at the national level.
Similarly, Rose Broome of HandUp created her company after coming across a homeless woman on a cold San Francisco night. Her realization and frustration that there was no sustainable way to help that woman led her to found HandUp. The site and its initiatives such as Homeless Outreach Day enable donors to connect directly with those in need in their communities, helping provide them with everything from funds for basic necessities to medical procedures to college tuition.
These are just two examples of how personal frustrations with government can translate into innovative businesses and offer entrepreneurs the chance to bring communities closer together.
Take A New Career Step
Civic tech is reshaping the resumes of Silicon Valley veterans, new tech talent and those preparing to graduate and enter the workforce. These individuals see the tech deficits in government as career opportunities and the chance to do meaningful work that improves the lives of millions of Americans.
Within the last year, Megan Smith and Alex Macgillivray left tech titans Google and Twitter, respectively, for top positions at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Minerva Tantoco, New York City’s first-ever chief technology officer (CTO), joined Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration after more than 25 years in the private sector. Peter Marx, now Los Angeles’ CTO, was once at Qualcomm Labs and Mattel. Today, he uses his background as an engineer, producer and technical director to drive innovative initiatives such as Los Angeles’ partnership with the popular traffic app Waze.
Civic tech can play an important role in empowering people to take action.
Opportunities to do meaningful work in this intersection are only increasing. President Obama recently announced that the Presidential Innovation Fellowships program — an experimental program to bring tech talent into federal government for “tours of duty” to enable innovation and best technical practices — will now become a permanent part of government.
Rethinking how your tech background could be applied in government could lead to a purpose-driven career trajectory that you never imagined.
Become An Active User — And Citizen
While the civic tech movement is inspiring many people to start businesses or use their skills to serve in government, there are also easy ways for everyone to make a difference in their communities.
You can invest in city infrastructure projects instead of waiting for tax dollars to trickle down through platforms such as Citizinvestor and Neighborly. For example, you can fund a new bike rack downtown or new trash cans for a park, improving your community at an on-demand pace.
Platforms such as SeeClickFix allow individuals to report and track unresolved potholes, graffiti, broken streetlights and vandalized playgrounds, putting a transparent spotlight on government responsiveness. An estimated 25,000 issues were addressed in September alone through this civic tech platform, fostering collaboration with other residents, local government, partner organizations and media.
From long lines at the DMV to ineffective procurement processes, our 21st century challenges with government shape many Americans’ negative perceptions. But for those in the civic tech community, these challenges are an opportunity to give back and make a meaningful difference in our society.
Technology is not the solution to every problem, to be sure. But in an era marked by political pessimism and ever-increasing frustration with government, civic tech can play an important role in empowering people to take action — as entrepreneurs, as public officials and as engaged citizens.
Source: http://techcrunch.com/2015/11/14/civic-tech-brings-power-and-positivity-to-the-people/?ncid=tcdaily
GoPro brings us inside some of the biggest barrels in Tahiti with new Facebook 360-Degree Video: a step towards even more immersive experiences
Facebook released 360-degree video support in September and it is now available on iPhones and other iOS devices, allowing users to get a full 360 immersive experience by moving their camera around.
On Nov. 12, GoPro launched its new spherical content shot with its proprietary six-camera spherical rig announced earlier this year. The video features Anthony Walsh and Matahi Drollet as they bring us inside some of the biggest barrels Tahiti has to offer in full 360-degrees.
The first two GoPro 360-videos featured Ronnie Renner FMX doing some wicked dune jumping in Idaho and skiers Julia Mancuso and Chris Davenport sliding down the slopes of Chile.
"This opens new ways of sharing experiences and makes you feel like you're part of what you're watching. It's a step towards even more immersive experiences," said Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. "We think people will share a lot more 360 content in the future, especially as technology makes it easier to record it themselves," he wrote in a new Facebook post.
"People can discover these immersive 360 videos right in News Feed on web, iOS, and Android, where viewers can choose what angle they want to see it from," GoPro explained. Check out GoPro's new 360-degree video on Facebook.
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