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Articles by Mark Hardy
Predictions of Crack Growth Rates, R-Ratio and Overload Effects Based on Smooth Specimen LCF Data and the Moving Plastic Stress Field Ahead of the Crack Tip
You are already at the latest version Previous work has attempted, often within the framework of strip yield-type models, to predict crack growth rates based on the accumulation of fatigue damage ahead of the crack tip as it moves through a structure. This study performs similar calculations using results from plastic 2D plane stress analyses run on a finite element (FE) model containing a sharp semi-circular notch representing an edge crack.
Spirit of Vineyard nominations open
Nominations for the Spirit of the Vineyard Award are now open. This award, given annually, honors those who have volunteered for one or more nonprofit organizations on the Island, and whose work has made a difference to individuals and to the community as a whole. The criteria for selection include selflessness, the range and depth of service performed, the length of volunteer service, and the effect on the quality of life of the individuals who received help and the Island community as a whole.
Walmart Announces Global Launch of Walmart Luminate
The retail landscape is experiencing a significant transformation, driven by evolving consumer behaviors in this increasingly omnichannel world. At Walmart, we understand the value of real-time, consistent and flexible data in deriving smarter insights and more personalized offerings for our customers.
A window into Judaism: My first Passover seder was a learning experience - Jewish Rhode Island
My longstanding interest in religious traditions, particularly those involving food and customs, led to a captivating experience at around this time last year: my first Passover seder. While I possessed some familiarity with Judaism, gleaned from books and academic sources, I soon discovered that the seder would be a true learning experience. After being welcomed and seated, I received a haggadah, a text that I learned would guide our shared reading and the ceremonial use of wine.
Through thick and thin: Why I love Leicester City — The Fosse Way
We achieved the unthinkable, the unimaginable. In a competitive sense at least, we’d reached the pinnacle. Were we a Liverpool or Manchester United, or were we owned by an oil state, then the next steps would have been fairly obvious. To paraphrase the late Brian Clough, we’d want to win it again, but better. But, we’re not. We’re a club that has spent the majority of its existence teetering between the top two divisions and often punching above our weight. By winning the title, we superseded that.
Brands and the Open Metaverse
A month or so ago, it seemed like a new buzzword had inserted itself into the discourse around creativity, technology and data. That word, "metaverse," began to dominate global conversations when Mark Zuckerberg proclaimed it as the future of Facebook and "the next best thing to a teleportation device." To others, however, the metaverse means entirely different things. For crypto-enthusiasts, it's a promising new home for the blockchain economy.
Nexteel paints new future for steel
Contrary to the popular saying, it’s often what’s on the outside that counts when it comes to a building’s structural integrity. A strong foundation is essential but so is a quality finishing product, to ensure a building can last the test of time. Frustrated with the lack of innovation in the painted steel market Nexteel decided to colour outside the lines.
A brain-powered cloud is key to a truly intelligent workspace
We rely on our brains to keep us organised and regulated. That’s why we go to school — to develop our executive functions, our working memories, our mental flexibility, and our self-control. An enterprise works the same way; it needs to be regulated, organised, and in control of its functions. If it isn’t, well, it’s not going to be successful. You’re going to have people doing things in a chaotic way — or unable to do things because they can’t find the right data or apps. It’s just a mess.
How mixed reality can help the brick-and-mortar keep up with Amazon
Amazon may be the biggest threat to brick-and-mortar retailers right now, but it's far from catastrophic: only about 13 percent of all retail activity in the U.S. happens online. In fact, Amazon's moves in recent years toward establishing a presence in the physical world show that it sees brick-and-mortar as a key part of the future of retail.
Grounds for concern
With play provision in decline, it’s time to recognise the importance of outdoor play for all children, writes Mark Hardy Despite the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child stating that children have the right to play, opportunities for outdoor play are dwindling. The Association of Play Industries has uncovered an alarming decline in playground provision across England.
Recharging the energy industry with smart grids, big data and I0T
Recent years have seen a new wave of technology and opportunities hit the energy sector, several of which have been presented by the onset of big data and Internet of Things technology. Ensuring that supply meets the customers’ demand is a key responsibility of the energy industry, however, these smart technologies are changing the way the grid generates, manages, distributes and stores energy.
Smart grids, big data and business intelligence transforming the energy sector
Recent years have seen a new wave of technology and opportunities hit the energy sector, several of which have been presented by the onset of big data and Internet of Things technology. Ensuring that supply meets the customers’ demand is a key responsibility of the energy industry.
Mixed reality's benefits -- and costs -- may surprise us
The last two decades have been marked by a more or less optimistic view of how technology will change our lives. But recently, we’ve also seen studies on the detrimental effects of screens on child development, the new phenomena of device addiction, and the many reports of data breaches. Now, with the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal dominating headlines, we have to collectively start considering the very real threats posed by our digital future.
VR Is Coming to Restaurants: Here’s Why That’s Good News
In an industry with notoriously tight margins, innovations that promise a little financial breathing room are always welcome. Right now, virtual reality is poised to provide exactly that to the restaurant industry. What’s remarkable about VR is that currently available applications exist to improve everything from strategic planning to employee training to customer shopping experience. Here’s an overview of what’s out there for all three.
6 industries on the verge of VR disruption
The last few months have been exciting for those interested in the advancement of virtual reality technology. Two leading headsets (the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive) saw permanent price cuts, following reported sales jumps from the Rift’s temporary price cut this summer. Now, both devices are significantly less expensive than the newest iPhone, meaning that the technology is more accessible than ever to a larger audience, which could help push VR toward center stage for mainstream consumers.
VR Isn’t Just for Gamers in 2018
This guest post is by Mark Hardy, CEO of Chicago-based InContext Solutions, a provider of virtual reality solutions for retailers and CPG manufacturers. It’s not often a technology comes along that has the potential to transform nearly every aspect of our lives. The internet certainly did. The steam engine did. And in 2018, it’s likely that we’ll see the beginning of an era that involves virtual reality as a mainstay in industries from education to retail to medicine to criminal justice. Why now?
How VR Is Transforming Retail Market Research
When we hear about virtual reality in the news, it’s usually a story about consumer-facing applications like video gaming or the ability to shop in a virtual store from the comfort of your couch. But even with this summer’s HTC Vive price cut (following a short-term discount of Facebook’s Oculus Rift), consumers have not yet flocked to using VR headsets as fast as some predicted. But where individuals aren’t seeing value, businesses are.
5 reasons to believe in brick-and-mortar grocery
Ever since online grocery outlets like Amazon, Peapod and Instacart stepped onto the scene, there’s been no shortage of speculation about what’s in store for the future of grocery. Many see Amazon’s recent purchase of Whole Foods as foreshadowing that the industry will soon go completely digital. But the truth is, the acquisition signals quite the opposite. With new investments and emerging technologies sparking a wave of innovation across the industry, grocery is evolving, not disappearing.
An Act Of Kindness
We lost our father on Oct. 15. My sister Crystal Bailey and I worked on funeral arrangements most of the day Oct 17. Cris lives in Dell Rapids, and after a long day told her husband she would stop and get some KFC chicken to bring home for supper. It was around 4:30 in the afternoon and Cris was leaving to go back to Dell Rapids and stopped at Yankton’s KFC for the chicken. She was the only customer there at the time. She ordered a bucket of chicken and paid for it.
Oculus VR Will Not Transform Movies Like Colour and HD
Oculus VR has come a long way in a short time: having first raised $2.4 million via a Kickstarter campaign in 2012, the company then raised an additional $91 million in two venture funding rounds during 2013 before being aquired by Facebook in March 2014 in a cash + stock deal, which at the time was valued at $2 billion. Hurrah to the Oculus VR team! The virtual reality (VR) technology that is being developed by Oculus aims to trick the brain into believing it is somewhere else.
TV broadcasters will one day be kicked off the airwaves: mobile will win
All around us, day by day, the media sector is adjusting to a structural contraction in its cost base. Take newspapers: it is now clear that in developed internet markets the huge costs associated with running a traditional printing press are becoming increasingly hard to justify in the face of dwindling print circulation.
Google Could Provide Its Services Ad-free For One Cent Per Day
Bearing in mind that last year Google accounted for about 44% of all advertising expenditure on the web, then if this is true the implications would be dramatic not just for Google, but all those who are part of the digital advertising economy. But the other part of the reason is more worrying, which is that there might be something fundamentally wrong with Google’s ad-supported monetisation model.
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