Will drone technology “transform the way we live and work” or prove to be an intrusive, security-filled hurdle to overcome? The Competitive Enterprise Institute is betting on the former, with its new report warning of federal regulations that could get in the way of substantial progress.
Also see Rebecca Patrick’s APEX Award-winning 2014 BizVoice article on drones and their potential business impact.
The BizVoice® magazine team doesn’t spend a great deal of time or resources entering competitions each year. Validation comes via feedback from regular readers and others interested in the publication. But it is good every once in a while to see how some of your best work matches up against other professionals.
For work completed in 2014, two contests were entered and six awards were earned – two in the national APEX program and four from the Indiana Society of Professional Journalists. That brings the total to 75 awards in 16 years.
APEX
• Rebecca Patrick: Feature Writing, Award of Excellence, Poised to Benefit: Drones Expected to Produce Major Indiana Impact, July-August 2014
• Tony Spataro: Design & Illustrations – Best Redesigns, Award of Excellence, BizVoice® (new look debuted in January-February 2014)
Patrick, Charlee Beasor and Tom Schuman earned writing honors from Indiana SPJ for topics ranging from education and sports to business and politics. Full details are on the BizVoice web site.
As BizVoice editor, I have the privilege of working with a talented team. I congratulate them on their continued outstanding efforts and encourage readers to check out the past work online and in future issues of the magazine.
Drones were our BizVoice magazine cover story a few months back. Check out Rebecca Patrick’s interesting article.
A brief update, courtesy of The New York Times.
For the most part, flying a drone is legal for recreational purposes, as long as operators follow a few guidelines, like staying below 400 feet. Declining prices — a four-rotor model with a mounted camera can cost as little as $500 — have attracted more buyers. Teal Group, an aerospace research firm, estimates the global civilian drone market to be worth $450 million this year, up 45% from last year.
As the price of drones has fallen and sales have risen, the machines have emerged as central characters in stunts from the puckish to the criminal. In recent months, drone pilots have tried to smuggle contraband into prisons and disrupt sporting events at stadiums. Animal rights groups have turned to drones to stalk hunters as the hunters stalk wildlife. And in France, more than a dozen illegal flights over nuclear power plants have unnerved the authorities.
More from The Times.
Today, we’re unveiling our July/August edition of BizVoice magazine.
And the headline is actually a joking nod to our cover story about drones… assuming they make some sort of buzzing sound as they fly. If they don’t, well, let’s just ignore it and move on.
This issue covers a gamut of topics. Here are a few of the top stories (but you can view the full edition via our interactive online version):