Cost of quality (CoQ) is certainly not a new topic. It was first described in 1956 by American quality control expert Armand V. Feigenbaum in a Harvard Business Review article. As you likely already know, CoQ consists of four categories: internal and external failures, and appraisal and prevention activities. It sounds easy to measure, but as you also likely know, it isn’t.

Our Feb. 9, 2018, episode of QDL looked at electronic notes, electronic privacy, smart electronic device, and... wow... have we taken technology too far?

“Study Shows Doctors Record Better Notes After Using Best-Practices Program”

Shortcuts to electronic note taking, such as autofill and copy forward, are doing more harm than good.

It was Groundhog Day last Friday, and fortunately neither Dirk nor I saw our shadows. Early springs for everyone! Take a gander at what we showed you instead:

Disruptive ventures arise from mobile device ubiquity, data-powered AI, and digital platforms that connect buyers and suppliers in new ways. They are reshaping industries such as transportation (e.g., Uber, Lyft, and Didi Chuxing), hospitality (e.g., Airbnb and FlipKey), payment services (e.g., PayPal and TransferWise), and many more.

Iver Anderson and Emma White, metallurgists at Ames Laboratory, like to show off two samples of metal powders encapsulated in custom-made hourglasses to visitors. Dull gray, the powders are barely remarkable in and of themselves, let alone in comparison to each other—until the hourglasses are flipped.

How tall are you? How old? How much do you weigh? Do you care? Is it important to you that the measurements for height, age, and weight are accurate? What about the measurement of the gasoline that you pump into your tank? Is it important that the 12 gallons you pay for are truly 12 gallons?

Biology is becoming increasingly digitized. Researchers use computers to analyze DNA, operate lab equipment and store genetic information. But new capabilities also mean new risks, and biologists remain largely unaware of the potential vulnerabilities that come with digitizing biotechnology.

The emerging field of cyberbiosecurity explores the whole new category of risks that come with the increased use of computers in the life sciences.

Industry 4.0, cyber-physical systems, or the internet of things (IoT): the paradigm shift in the production economy is cheerfully progressing under various names. What they all refer to is the digitalization and networking of production processes and environments. The idea is by no means new. The difference is that there are now technologies that offer a level of precision, speed, and flexibility to a previously unknown degree.

Last Friday’s episode of QDL welcomed the new year with our usual original take on featured editorial content, plus a great Tech Corner. In case you missed it, here’s what we covered: