Altiscope performs research, simulation, and analysis on the integration of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) with our airspace. Here are our publicly published documents. TR-001: Understanding UAV Mission Risk This is the first in a series of white papers documenting the process and findings behind Altiscope’s risk framework. Altiscope is collaboratively developing a quantitative risk model…

Tons of small restaurants and fast food establishments are using Square tablets to accept payments. They’re convenient and fast, even automatically emailing you a receipt. But Square snuck something in that has been bugging me for a few years. The compulsory tip. At the end of every transaction, Square prompts…

NBC spent $12 billion for the rights to host the Olympics. Primetime ratings — the ones advertisers pay the most for — are down 17 percent from London. In the coveted 18–49 age bracket, ratings are down 25 percent. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, except… Steve Burke, NBCUniversal’s…

In the US, everyone knows 9/11. In Japan, everyone knows 3/11. The day of the Great Eastern Japan earthquake. More than five years since it hit Ishinomaki with full force, the town is still hurting. Ishinomaki — a town of 150,000 — wasn’t more than a blip in guidebooks before…

Congratulations United, you did it! — The Dreamliner is the most amazing, sophisticated airplane in the world. It is a space-age plane built with carbon fiber, LCD dimming windows, and mood lighting. Yet airlines managed to destroy the experience onboard this modern marvel. I flew the 787–9 for the first time with ANA Business Class —…

I joined the State Department as a Presidential Innovation Fellow just after Hillary Clinton left as Secretary of State. John Kerry was now in the saddle, but my colleagues wanted to tell me stories about Clinton. Hillary came into the State Department and told her staff that she has her…

Explore offbeat Philly instead of the convention tourist trap — The Democrats descended on the city of brotherly love for the 2016 convention. Ahhh, Philadelphia. It’s a direct, gritty, stubborn city filled with love and affection… as long as you’re rooting for our team. After all, our fans famously threw snowballs at Santa while booing him. Classy. …

I know you’re busy. The FBI is all up in there. You’re building a money pit for the largest corporate profit you’ve ever had. And I know, it is a lot of work to create a spaceship with a carbon-fiber dome. There’s a big problem in boomtown though. You know…

I met Mina Guli over Thanksgiving dinner last year. “I’m going to run a bunch of marathons next year,” she says to me nonchalantly. I think to myself, why? She continues, “You’re from California, you know there’s a water crisis, right?” Well yeah, of course, I know about the drought…