Monday 31 July 2017

Ways To Improve The Readability Of Technical Code And Avoid Falling Into Debt

There are multiple types of technical debt available, and each comes with some handy solutions. Depending on the type of core problem condition, the solutions are going to vary accordingly. One of the biggest types has to be associated with poor readability. There are loads of codes, which are written around for 5, 10 or even for 20 years. And those are to be maintained at a continuous rate and changed throughout the chosen time. The size of code, with growth, will try to make maintenance harder with passing time. It is important to make code readable, which is easier for changing or modifying later.

Ways to improve readability

There are multiple ways, which can help you to improve readability. It is important for you to know more about the ways, which can help in this segment and offer you with great response now. For the right step, you can even check on taking help from another set of eyes. Team members are likely to have developers, who will read the code. That will ensure that everyone can understand it well, and that will not help in creating any problem later. If other members can read your code, then other developers will be able to do the same.

Try following other norms

Apart from following the option of letting others read your code, there are some other ways available to maintain readability and improve the same. You can even try to break it in the best manner possible for easy readability. You are always invited to break codes into virtual modules for help. To work on that, it is mandatory to know the points. And to know the points, you can visit here for better response. For breaking the virtual modules, you can use comments, which can explain the intention of developers. It will help people to know more about next code piece too.

Check on the common issues

There are so many other ways and steps to perform to get readability of code checked and present you with long lasting responses. You can always choose to work on common codes for help. It is mandatory for you to use common and well-known practices for the codes. That will help the future developers to work comfortably on reading code. It can work wonder for your code and can prevent technical debt from hampering the condition of your firm, as well. Loads of options are waiting for your help now.

Avoid keeping secrets

You are asked to avoid keeping secrets, while working on technical codes. You are always asked to use some intention revealing names, associated with methods, variables and even classes to some of the self-document services. These are some of the important points to follow, while trying to improve the readability of the code and avoid falling into technical debt. So, the next time you face any of these problems, you know just the right steps to take for impeccable help. If you need any help, experts are more than happy to offer you with the same too.

Climbing Stairs Just Got Easier with Energy-Recycling Steps

 Energy-Recycling Steps

Scientists make it easier to climb stairs with new age energy recycling steps

If you have trouble walking up and down stairs then researchers from Georgia Tech has a device meant just for you. They had been successful at making the world’s first energy recycling stairs which has the unique features of storing as well as returning the energy to the users while moving up and down the stairs. The working of this device is quite simple and right to the point which makes it easier for anyone to make use of it.

It has been found that this spring loaded stairs results in saving energy by 26 percent while going up or down the stairs. When some goes up using this device then it releases the stored energy and in the process it makes it 39 percent easier for the subject to move up the stairs. It also remains soft on the knees and seriously limits the amount of energy which is usually wasted while using the conventional stair cases. The best thing about this device is that it can be easily placed on the existing stairs without the need of even installing it permanently.

How this stairs works? 


The working of this energy recycling device has been defined by Karen Liu, an associate professor AT Georgia Tech. She explains that normal walking usually results dissipating energy with each heel strike which can be easily store and utilized in the ascent using this device. In order to achieve this functionality each stair is made up of springs which are equipped with pressure sensors. When a user walks downstairs the steps sinks and lock in a certain position which helps in storing the generated energy and when someone walks upstairs then this stored energy is released. Researchers are going to publish their findings in the journal called Public Library of Science PLOS ONE.

A simple idea with wider future application of Energy Recycling

 

The idea behind this device came to Liu when she attended a conference and got to see a unique ankle brace which effectively works on the basis on storing and releasing the energy. Secondly she also saw her 72 year old mother having grave walking difficulty and problems associated with climbing the steps. Thereon she got the idea of creating smart stairs rather than the sneakers.

Her device is extremely low cost which means wider number of people suffering from the knee and walking issues will be able to buy it. This energy recycling stairs can be easily installed in the home which isn’t possible when it comes to having stair lifts or elevators at home.

It is also believed that this device will allow users to maintain their mobility by allowing them to keep walking and moving around even through injury and it will eventually help in elevating the quality of life in the long run. When it comes to application this energy recycling stairs can act as the temporary stars at home, hospitals or old age homes where older people or people recovering from surgery are spending their time.


Sunday 30 July 2017

Multiple Attributes And Basic Forms Of Technical Debt

When it comes to development cycle, there are multiple places, where you are likely to come across technical debt. It might create some problems in near future for the product, which you have been developing for so long. For tackle such problems with technical debt, it is important to know more about the things, which are associated with technical debt first. Later, you have to learn more about the steps, which will help you to identify such debt related options and ways to address the presence in system. These points are likely to act in your favor and offer you with impressive a rewarding help now for sure.

Comprises of multiple attributes: 

Technical debt is known to have multiple attributes. Each comes with its own sets of symptoms, which can be stated as signals for increasing level of current tech debt in system.The first one to talk to has to be implementation debt. This type of attribute helps in manifesting itself as proper code duplication. It can further talk about code smells and static forms of tool rules. Another one to follow has to be architectural and design debt. It can be seen through design rule and design small violations.

Other types of attributes: 

Test debt is another form of attribute covering the technical debt segment. This might be due to lack of tests, or can be a result of inadequate coverage. It can further be a result of improper tests in the current code base. Another type of attribute to work on has to be documentation debt. Here, you will come across multiple results like lack of documentation or even poor documentation to name a few. It can also be stated to confirm documentation, which is entirely out of date. For other details, you have to be aware of the values and features revolving around technical debt.

Multiple forms of debts: 

The points, which have already been mentioned, are some tell-take signs that technical debt is associated with the base of the code. However, there are multiple other forms of debt, which can be well-presented in such scenario. These debts largely vary in why and how the development team is incurring the term, which states technical debt. Working on these points is always a great option to learn more about the packages available in this sector. If you want to know more about the solutions, then you can log online for better and rewarding help now.

Going for the basic types: 

You will be able to solve technical debt, if you know more about basic types. For that, you can check online to learn the details. The first one has to be strategic debt. It is incurred for strategic purposes and debt is taken on long term. You can even get along with tactical debt, which is known for procuring quick gains and meant to be paid within a short period.Inadvertent debt is taken not knowingly due to lack of skill of developers and awareness on ways technical debt is well-incurred. Another one is incremental debt, which is continuous form of inadvertent debt.

There are many people in today’s time who are struggling with debt issues and are not finding a way to get out of it. Nor they are able to manage it well so that they can live a peaceful life. For such people debt consolidation loans are doing well as they are much effective. You can go for them and can make your life easy and stress free. Check them out and learn about them well before going for them.

Neural Networks Model Audience Reactions to Movies

reactions

Deep learning software models the audience reactions to the movies

Blockbusters and tentpole movies have become a mega event not just for the fans but also for the studios. A huge amount of money is stake when movie are released but for some time now movies are failing to get desired results as per the expectations of studio executives.

Engineers at the Disney Research had developed a new deep learning software which makes effective use of the neural networks to map and access the viewers’ facial expressions to the movies. This particular software is result of collaboration between Disney Research and researchers from the Caltech and Simon Fraser University.

This new age deep learning software will arm studios with the knowledge of how movies are going to perform on box office through utilizing a newly developed algorithm called factorized variational auto encoders (FVAEs).

How it works?

This software makes use of the deep learning to translate the images of highly complex objects automatically. These objects can be anything from the human face, forests, trees to moving objects and this software essentially turns their images into sets of numerical data through a process called encoding or latent representation.

Thereby they were able to understand how human react to the movies by understanding how much they are smiling or how worries they were in a particular scene and so on. In next stage these neural networks are fed with the metadata which helps in bringing better understanding of the audience responses.

Researchers are all set to showcase their findings to the world at the upcoming event called IEE Conference ion Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition in July.

Futures prospects and application of this new software

Research team has performed extensive testing of this software to make the best use of the neural networks to unlock how human perceive movies in real life. This software was applied in more than 150 showings of nine blockbusters ranging from The Jungles Book, Big Hero 6 to Stars Wars: The Force Awakens.

In the 400 seater cinema hall researchers made use of four infrared cameras to make out the audience face reactions in the dark. The result of these testing provided highly astonishing findings with the help of some 16 million individual facial images captured by the cameras.


Lead researcher has stressed the amount of data collected by the software is too much for a person to comprehend on its own. The FVAEs effectively understood the nueral networks and brought some of the greatest finding for the researchers. It helped in understanding how audience reacted to certain scenes and how movie making can be enhanced to strike cord with audience hot points.

This software will not be just limited to study the audience reaction to the movies but it can also find application in analyzing varied things or places like forest wherein it can state how trees responds to different climatic and environmental changes. Later on this very finding can be utilized in creating animated simulation of the flora all around us with precision.

Saturday 29 July 2017

‘CopyCat’ Malware Infected 14 Million Google Android Devices

“CopyCat”, a harmful software campaign, affected millions of devices that run on the Android operating system by Google. In this defect, more than a million dollars were brought in through false and fake advertising and app installations, as stated by the researchers at the Israeli cybersecurity firm Check Point Software Technologies.

This operation peaked during April and May 2016. It infected about 14 million devices and raked in about $1.5 million in just a matter of two months. The outbreak seemed to have spread to devices through third party app stores and phishing attacks, instead of the official Google play app.

A mobile security researcher at Check Point named Daniel Padon informed Fortune that his team conveyed the operation to Google in March almost immediately after discovering it. By that time Google had controlled much of the problem.

When CopyCat infection was rampant everywhere, the malware got hold of “root” control for about 8 million devices and used that authority to supply more than 100 million fake ads and install 4.9 million apps on various devices, garnering considerable amount of revenues for cybercriminals. The malware was able to do this with the help of a few exploits to gain access to security holes in Android versions 5 and earlier and then later by taking over the "Zygote" which is a part of Android systems that handle app launches.

Check Point researchers stated that is this first malware discovered that utilises this technique. They also noted that this tactic was first used by Triada which was a money-stealing malware. Researchers have in fact traced the CopyCat operation back to a 3-year-old ad-tech start-up that was based in Guangzhou, China called MobiSummer. The infrastructure, remote services and code signatures were shared by the malware operators and the start-up, as told by the researchers, although they were not sure whether the company acted on this deliberately or unconsciously.

The CopyCat malware mainly harmed devices in Southeast Asia, countries such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh although about 280,000 people in the United States were also impacted when it was at its peak. Researchers also observed that the adware deliberately avoided pursuing China-based users, thus deducing that the culprits might have been based there itself and functioned this way to avoid being caught by the local authorities.

Aaron Stein who is a Google spokesperson, stated that the company has been keeping an eye out for any variant of the CopyCat malware for the last few years. He also added that a security feature made official by the company in May called Google Play Protect that scrutinizes and abolishes harmful apps from devices, was now able to immunize phones against these attacks even if they are functioning on an earlier version of Android.

Stein also said that CopyCat is modified version of a larger malware family that they have been on the lookout since 2015. Every time a new variant makes an appearance, they upgrade their detection systems to safeguard their users. Play Protect defends users from the family of malware and any apps that were carrying the CopyCat malware have not been circulated via Play, Stein said. This tactic of fake advertising has become a profitable way for offenders to make some cash online, examples are the “Hummingbird” ad fraud scam which helped fraudsters make $300,000 per month and the most recent one being “Methbot” which robbed up to $5 million a day.

Friday 28 July 2017

Your Phone Is Your Most Vulnerable Gadget. Protect It Now

Phone

Smartphones – Gold Mine of Data/Secret/Password


Often we tend to be very cautious in safeguarding our homes and cars, putting in much effort for the security of the same. However we tend to overlook the fact that the smartphones which is our constant companion and a device with sensitive details could also be tampered.

No smartphone can be unhackable and all are not so permeable. Several of the companies have been working on designing devices which would make it difficult to peer into it. Smartphones are said to be gold mine of data, secrets and passwords, all on the one side of a four digit passcode or a fingerprint scan locks which could be picked by anyone with easy utilising the right tools.

General Manager of mobile solutions at BlackBerry, Alex Thurber had commented that `if the entire United States government wants to hack your phone, they are going to get in’. Some start-up firms like Sirin Labs who had designed a phone known as Solarin, have been utilising chip-level 256-bit AED encryption – translation: intelligence agency-grade puzzlement, as a precaution against breaches. The Solarin tends to have a switch in order to trigger a `secure zone’ that kills all features with the exception of the encrypted phone calls and texting.

Real Challenge – Super-Secure Smartphones


Blackphone of Silent Circle seems to have the same feature known as Spaces which enables the user to keep their personal life isolated from their work life, detached from their surveillance. Another company – Turing Robotic Industries has been functioning with big-name safety dealers in preinstalling defensive software which would be making Android phones less penetrable.

The Boeing Black which is a hyper secure smartphone designed for the defense group is said to use virtual-desktop software which tends to keep all the data of the devices on a dissimilar machine to avoid someone getting into Black and find nothing there. Moreover the phone also tends to have a self-destruct routine which gets activated should someone attempt to crack it open.

 CEO of Turing Robotic Industries, Syl Chao stated that the real challenge is in making supersecure smartphones adequately cool for customers to have them. He further added that `people tend to care about security, but they also have a lot on their mind and don’t want to think about security.

Smartphones/Apps Updated


It is essential to keep one’s phone and apps updated since Google, Apple together with the app developers tend to release new code regularly as they seem to play futile game against exploits. Moreover one should also be aware of what your phone tends to be doing. There are some devices such as the Blackphone which can convey which apps are utilising which sensors and radios.

 Should the user be on another Android handset, apps such as DCentral I tend to do something identical but not so meticulously. Besides this, there are some simple tips of not clicking the sketchy link, of never handing your phone to a stranger and refrain from being in public hot spots. If one makes it hard for the attacker they may simply move on and your data can be saved from getting into the wrong hands.

Google Blocks Lets You Make Gorgeous Low-Poly VR Art

Google Blocks Latest Virtual Reality App


The latest virtual reality app by Google called Google Blocks allows users to make colourful 3D models in Virtual Reality or VR and has recently been available for free on the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. It is supposed to be spontaneous enough for beginners to use, but at the same time it is fully featured to help make artistic models, similar to the ones Google has gathered in a gallery that is online. Users are able to export objects and can view them online itself, or can also place them in 3D scenes both inside and outside virtual reality. Visitors are also able to spin objects around to generate animated GIFs that can be downloaded, on Google’s site.

Blocks is a recent one of the many design tools that work inside VR. It is on the same lines as Oculus’ sculpting app Medium and corresponds to Google’s popular Tilt Brush 3D painting tool. You can also use both of these together as you have the ability to export art from both Tilt Brush and Blocks. However, the art style appearance is very different. On one hand Tilt Brush gives the delusion of sculpting with paint and light whereas Blocks lets you create low-poly art in a colourful style that is used by Google in its Daydream VR interface.

Sadly for Google Daydream users, Blocks is at present restricted to only high-end headsets, which have complicated hand controls and let you move around creations. But this may not always be the case as Google is now making available all-in-one Daydream headsets that could compete with the Rift and Vive’s feature set.




Virtual Reality creators envisage a future in which users can build fantastic environments with beautiful objects in it. But in order to do that, these objects have to be created by somebody and for this a basic knowledge of 3D modelling software is needed. Google, through its design tool Blocks, seems to have found a solution to this setback.

With the help of Blocks, Google aims to give the freedom to its users to use VR and create, share and modify 3D objects promptly and without any hassle. At present, the time it takes to build a 3D object is so tiresome and it is near to impossible to achieve it.

What Google Blocks creators have done is learn about the textures and lighting and just use the most fundamental colours and shapes to see how far one can get. The user interface of Blocks depends on the motion-sensing controllers of the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift. Unfortunately, it is not available for mobile users at present.

Blocks may appear to be less proficient than Oculus’ own VR sculpting app, Medium, which is powerful, but because of its minimalism it is more user-friendly. Intricately detailed objects have low-poly aesthetics which maintains high visual consistency as well as performance.

A lower count of polygon enables the 3D objects created in Blocks to run on not only powerful VR headsets such as Vive and Rift but also on low-cost, phone-enabled assembles like Google’s Daydream View or Samsung’s Gear VR. Google Blocks is therefore a fun tool to use and like Tilt Brush a brilliant introduction to VR.

Tuesday 25 July 2017

Teachers 'Google' Tech Solutions

Google teach Teachers
Image Credit: The Valdosta Daily Times

Google started to teach Tech things to the Teachers

Digital education is the key to success! With a permanent "future workplace" in many european countries, Google wants to build a first solid foundation for its worldwide education initiative and started to teach primarily to teachers. And also the tech giant is planning to provide the permanent “Future Workshops” in many countries. As an initiative, it started to teach the tech things to 250 teachers througout Lowndes County, Valdosta. They have been given training for three days, to learn a lot things about Google App. And also this tech giant has awarded certificates to 60 teachers who were done well.

A Google partner named AppsEvents offered certified faculties from across United States to teach them to make use of Google's Free Software suite. The speciality of this suite is that offers more interactive classroom experience for their students. The teachers are well trained to use Google Classrooms, YouTube Playlists as well as Google Forms.

USA Director of AppsEvents Allison Mollica said that nearly 60 million students and teachers got well trained to use Google Apps of Education. She also added that the students who are having the expertise in coding, they will definitely get a job. The students who volunteered in the events Brandon Booker, Cameron Jackson, Carlos Torres, Benny Zhang and Samuel Sandwell has been awarded a free extemporaneous training session in coding smartphone apps during the event.

Google wants to further the digital education in many countries. And the news flare around the net that it has initiated its first permanent training center in Munich. Together with its partners, the company is now offering free training courses on numerous digital topics. Digital education is the key to making everyone fit for change and keeping people internationally competitive. AppsEvents Director, Allison Mollica said, “ We also see ourselves responsible and want to be part of the solution."

 

Google wants to reach 2 Billion people


In the future workshop, important digital skills will be taught for professionals and non-professionals. The program includes both learning contents for occupational benefit and a range of courses for schools. Such long-term future workshops are also planned to start in many countries. Time training is scheduled to take place in all the federal states. By 2020, Google plans to reach a total of two Billion people.

For further vocational training, Google is working together with the respective volunteers, which also integrates the program into its own initiative. In addition to workshops on online marketing or web analysis, special courses are planned for non-profit organizations as well as for journalists. The future workshop is an ideal complement to meet the enormous need for know-how in the company.

Calliope mini microcontroller board, developed especially for programming learning under third graders, is also part of the offer for students. The hand-held device in the shape of a six-pointed star was the result of an initiative sponsored by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Equipped with a number of sensors, the Calliope mini can be programmed on a PC or via an app. Google has already supported the project according to own data with 1.1 million euros.

Monday 24 July 2017

Magnetic Hoverboard to Expandable Autonomous Bus

Design Innovative Project - Magnetic Hoverboard -


A magnetic hoverboard may seem like a vehicle coming from a science fiction blockbuster where a particular tire company is of the belief that the futuristic devices would probably tend to be a reality. The company in question – Hankook Tires had publicized the most pioneering plans from its design innovation project. The winning designs is said to comprise of a magnetic hoverhoard together with an expandable autonomous bus. The Vice Chairman and CEO Mr Seung Hwa Suh, associated with Hankook

Tires had stated that the Style Insight forum to be kept at Hankook Technodome is actually meaningful wheeere one would see fine works of young developers of the future tire creativity at the new and state-of-the-art R&D centre – Hankook Technodome. In all 34 works had been submitted included in Hankook Tires’ Style Insight Forum with five who tend to win.

The company hopes to create further collaborations utilising the long term leaders in collaboration with the technology leadership of Hankook Tires with the Style Insight Forum. The up-and-coming designs comprises of a magnetic hoverboard together with an expandable autonomous coach. The first winner had been the `Flexup’, which is a sole wheel that tends to move freely even on the stairs.

Mayfloat/Flexup/Autobine


The wheel is said to expand and contract through a standard of allocated treads, enabling the free flow in moving around corners by utilising a titling system which seems to be akin to skiing and tends to go up and down the stairs. The `Magfloat’ design tends to resemble a skateboard but rather than utilising wheels, it is said to use a magnetic field extension together with a rotation standard.

This tends to permit the user in the free movement at speed of around 12mph – 20 km/h. The `Mayfloat’ and `Flexup’,creativity are the outcome of a discussion between the creative and the realistic alternatives to the future driving together with design and technology linked to urban landscape wherein these ideas took the shape of a whole new driving experience.

 `Autobine’ is said to be the third winning device which is an autonomous bus concept wherein the main frame is said to expand and contract. Moreover, the tires on the bus in inclined to attach and detach automatically as per the number of the passengers in it.

Winner -` iPlay’


Then we have the `Shiftrac’ which is said to be a wheel that has been particularly developed for the police cars. The tire of this enables the car to make rapid lane changes and tends to turn corners with ease, via a skating standard that thrusts the wheels outwards.

The Shiftrac tires could be utilised by police cars while on car chases to make sure these people do not have the need to slow down as well as while taking sharp bends. The ultimate winner in the design competition of Hankook was the `iPlay’ which is said to be the one-man device having two enormous wheels. The vehicle is said to accomplish the optimum performance even at very high speed and has the tendency of changing the wheel angle in order to take bends without losing speed.

Though the designs are at the moment only perceptions, they tend to provide insights into what the future has in store for vehicle together with design of wheel.

Saturday 22 July 2017

Mac Mini: Features, Specifications, for Apple’s Affordable Desktop Computer

Mac Mini

Mac mini: Apple’s affordable desktop computer

The Mac Mini is Apple's most cost-effective product. However, one often wishes for more possibilities with the equipment. Apple's Mini Mac is a full-fledged computer that can handle most tasks, but there are often special features that Apple can not satisfy, depending on the application. A good example is the basic version of the Mac Mini with 2.5 GHz Core i5 CPU. There is just a basic configuration with 500 gigabytes of hard disk and four gigabytes of memory. The memory can be upgraded itself very easily, but if you need more disk space or even a super-fast SSD want to use, must take the Quadcore model and much deeper into the pocket.

The prices for the Mac Mini start at 499 euros for a i5 processor with 1.4 GHz and two cores as well as 4 GB of memory and a 500 GB hard drive. The price list ends with a Mac mini with i7 CPU and 3 GHz, 16 GB RAM and a SSD with 1 TByte for 2,330 euro. Apple also offers its smallest computer with a FusionDrive for 2 TByte.

The interface is quite generous, so there are two Thunderbolt 2 ports, four USB 3.0 ports, one HDMI port, one SDXC memory card slot, one Gigabit Ethernet port and one audio port, as well as Bluetooth 4.0 and WLAN 802.11ac.

Even in the latest Mac mini-generation, Apple puts on an Intel Core i5. This is now clocking at 2.6 GHz and scores the best in two of our benchmark tests. In addition, the 8 GB memory is particularly noticeable. Many other manufacturers still use 4 GB of RAM on their devices.

It hurts hardly that the working memory of the Mac mini can not be extended. For everyday tasks in the office and multimedia area, the Mini-PC is enough.

The integrated HDD hard drive with 1 TByte ensures sufficient storage space. In addition, the Apple Mac mini has four USB 3.0 ports, two Thunderbolt ports and one SD card, reader. Connect a screen using HDMI. For access to the Internet, a LAN port and WLAN-ac are available. In addition, Apple's OS X 10.10 operating system is preinstalled. Owners of the predecessor model will, however, miss the integrated speakers.

While equipment and performance are convincing, the hardware upgrade mainly affects the energy efficiency. In the test, the Mac Mini consumes 55.3 watts under full load - for a mini PC much too much. In addition, the operating noise is clearly perceptible. All in all, the current Mac mini generation is a good and necessary step forward, but it brings some new problems with it.

Apple Mac mini (MGEN2D / A):

For owners of the previous model of 2015, the Apple Mac mini (MGEM2D / A), an upgrade to the new generation is hardly worthwhile. For all others, the older model is a good and favorable alternative. The equipment is the same as the smaller hard disk (500 GB) with the current Mac Mini identical. Although you have to make some cuts in performance, power consumption and operating noise are much lower. In addition, the Mac Mini 2015 costs around 200 euros less than the current model.

Friday 21 July 2017

Google Antes Up Its Own Cloud Migration Appliance

Google Cloud

Google is bringing its own data transfer appliance for cloud migration


When we talk about the cloud migration hen the toughest challenge to overcome is to ensure reliable and consistent migration methodology. Moving databases and data centers are not an easy game even for the proficient administrators. This is faced by almost all the major companies and new start-ups when they are trying to build new application or make use of new data residing in the cloud. Data migration between two points is always seen as tough egg to break due higher costs and huge time consumption this is where cloud vendors come into the play.

Remedy for data to cloud migration problem


The problem faced in the cloud migration is quite incomprehensible even with modern technologies at disposable. If a person has 10 Gbps connection then transferring petabyte of data from any data center will consume as many as 12 days to put it on the cloud. In the old golden days companies used to Sneakernet in the sky wherein a pile of data is loaded on a secure disk and it is shipped off to any of their cloud vendor. Microsoft Azure made use of this system for quite some time before a new system came into being called Snowball and this method is also used by the Amazon AWS. This doesn’t mean that sending secure disks to the cloud vendor has become obsolete.

Google is moving into the enterprise cloud migration business


The tech giant is getting into the enterprise cloud business on a serious note but quite specifically in the migration appliance space. In this end of the business the consumer arc is very similar to online shopping portal. User goes online, orders the device and this particular device is made available for definite set of time after which they have to send it back to the provider.

Cloud migration market is buzzing with immense order in the one petabyte category therefore Google is introducing two models with size of 100 and 480TBytes. On other hand its competitors Amazon tends to work in lower end of the spectrum with 3 models with data size of 50, 80 and 100 TBytes units. Amazon is way ahead in the field of data transfer and it has developed a number of solutions for high end data migration with Amazon Snowmobile wherein it brings a 12 wheeler 45-foot container for transferring 100 PBytes of data.

Pricing will be a key to grab a piece of the cloud migration market


Google is mainly focusing on cornering market for the petabyte cloud migration. Therefore it has brought on par pricing with Snowball for the smaller 100 TByte units and in order to make migration appliance more appealing to the users by keeping it 35% below the rival offerings. When it comes to design Google is going for plug-in based form and function while Amazon brings self-standing units.

However Google has revealed many details of its devices, service offerings, capabilities and benefits but it seems like it is eagerly looking forward to give stiff competition to market leaders namely Amazon and Microsoft Azure.

First Tesla Model 3 Electric Car Rolling Off Production Line

Tesla Model 3

Tesla Model 3 Electric Car


The much anticipated first lower-cost Tesla Model 3 electric car would eventually be rolling off the assembly line for the public, awaiting a `concluding checkout’. Its new owner, Tesla chief executive, Elon Musk had recently tweeted that `Production Unit 1 of Model 3 has now been built and will go through the last checkout, when he unveiled the image of a real Model 3.

The one-man marketing machine who had also taken on a huge, high profile battery project in Australia and runs a privateer space company Space X had shared some images of the Model 3. Tesla is said to be working on a restricted production run of the Model 3 electric car and the first 30 new cars are estimated to be delivered to consumers by July 28.

In numerous Twitter posts, Musk has mentioned that the California-based company would be producing 100 cars by August and over 1,500 in September. It seems that they could reach a target of 20,000 Model 3 cars per month in December. A European launch is anticipated at a later date but Tesla had estimated a delivery of vehicles for new reservations would be taking a year or longer.

 

Attain Highest Safety Ratings



Model 3 is considered to be a most important step for Tesla and would come up at a price of around $35,000 in the US which is less than half the cost of its Model S saloon car. It tends to attain 215 miles (346 km) of range for each charge though will be available for as little as $27,500 with a $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles. It has been created to attain the highest safety ratings in each classification.

Its design is said to match that of a pre-production car which had been on display last year, before the Tesla Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada. Tesla is said to hold a party for the handing over of the first 30 Models 3s to US customers on 28th July just as it had done for launches of the Model S as well as Model X in the past inclusive of the launch of the Model S in London in June 2014.

The Model 3 is considered to be the third model in the present range from the company which comprises of Model s and Model X, a crossover SUV which had been delivered to the customer nearly 18 months later than scheduled.

First Mass-Market Vehicle


The limiting of options of Tesla for the Model 3 to choice of colour as well as wheels had been made in an attempt to hurry on the manufacturing and reduce the production problem it had undergone in the past with an over-complicated list of choices for its Model X. Musk expects that the Model 3 would be the first mass-market vehicle of Tesla that would put strain on its prevailing support system together with dealerships of which there seems to be few in contrast to normal rivals like General Motors that had built over 10m cars during the same time when in 2015, Tesla had produced around 84,000 cars.

Thursday 20 July 2017

Mono-Live Gadget Review: Philips Hue Wellness and Wellner lamp

Philips Hue

Wellness & Wellner - Latest Tabletop Offers


some years now. The company’s two latest tabletop offers come from the Wellness and Wellner and both come with White Ambiance LED bulbs that can imitate a variety of natural daylight colour temperature which are meant to assist you in waking up, to relax, concentrate as well as to fall asleep.

 In the case of Hue light, the installation is mostly a three-step procedure. You could screw in the bulb, control up the Hue bridge which is sold separately, then download the Philips Hue app, pairing it with the bridge and bulbs.

 The entire procedure tends to take only a few minutes. You will note that while both lamps tend to come with the A19 White Ambience bulbs, one would need to own or purchase a $60 Hue bridge should the user prefer to control the lights with the app.

 A week was spent on utilising Wellness and Wellner as dedicated bedside table and desktop lamps and since they were aimed at well-being, they were thought to help you get out of bed in the morning, concentrate during the day and thereafter relax and fall asleep at night which was preferred to place them in setting where one could test these claims.

Customizable Lighting - Enjoyable


On setting up the `wake up’ and `go to sleep’ schedules, in the Hue app, both lamps were added to Apple’s HomeKit as well as Amazon’s Alexa and the week was spent on experimenting with light. One would not need to spend winter in Anchorage or suffer from S.A.D. for the light to play a role on your feelings. As daytime animals we tend to depend on precise forces as well as wavelengths of light to indication when one ought to sleep, or when to wake up and when to get about with the business.

Screw up your normal daily rhythm and you will mess with your metabolism, memory, and alertness. The precise effects light tends to have on humans is yet being researched on various fa̤ades though customizable lighting is said to be still enjoyable with or without the medical assistances. Phillips Wellner and Wellness desk lamps are said to be similar to f.lux Рfor real life.

 With regards to the design, both the lamps tend to be inoffensive and unremarkable which could be least partially intentional. They tend to resemble luminous gumdrops which though somewhat weird tend to be much better at blending in to various decors than Philip’s retro-futuristic Hue Beyond and Phoenix lamps.

Establish `Wake-Up’/`Go To Sleep’ Routines


The frosty glass covering both the lamps have done a remarkable job of distributing the light evenly and the Ambience LED lumen output - ~800 Im is adequately bright to light up the larger rooms also. With regards to particular tricks, there seems to be nothing here which the present Hue users are not accustomed to. Once the lamps have been set up, there seems to be no worry utilising Siri and Alexa in turning them on and off and to call up precise scenes.

Moreover, the Hue app also enables the user to establish `wake up’ and `go to sleep’ routines to have the lamp to fade in or out, steadily at particular times. One could also opt to only have them pop on and off immediately at certain brightness and colour temperature. Having the Wellness lamp steadily illuminating the bedroom in the morning offers a pleasant way of waking up an individual though it does not seem to be as operational as a smartphone alarm.

The user has the ability of adjusting the lights from a warm 2200K to a harsh blue-white 6500K. It had been experimented with the upper limit which is said to be related with Hue scenes such as `concentrate’ and `energize’ in the Wellner office but was found discordant in spite of the time of the day.

Hue Lights – Compatible with More Physical Smart Switches


The deeper `read’ and `relax’ scenes seemed to be much better for working, which is left to be seen if the same is more productive. There seems to be some things regarding both the Wellness and Wellers which were irrational. The fact is that these are smart lamps though it seems like beautiful conspicuous mistake in neglecting a basic on/off switch for both.

It was also desired that overall, Hue lights would be compatible with more physical smart switches. One is mostly stuck with own dimmer and light switch of Hue if one needs a physical, non-screen and non-voice based way of controlling the lighting.

 It tends to be wonderful in having more of these affordable and less retro-futuristic, desk lamp choices to make from Philips, though it is suspected that most of the individuals interested in the lamps would yet attempt to save $70 and go in to purchase a White ambience LED bulb to be utilised with the prevailing lamps.

Wednesday 19 July 2017

Wearable Device Reveals Consumer Emotions

Emotions Recorded by the Latest Wearable Devices


We change with time but the special ones always remain locked in our hearts forever. The Homo sapiens experience a wide range of emotions with regards to human feelings, products, belongings and the list can go on. The recent updates reveal that the wearable device reveals the emotions of the consumer and this is really a wonderful thing. All thanks to the start-up new stress sensor tracks users’ insentient responses to products and experiences.

The shopaholics can get moved on by the items they purchase either from the retail shop or from online. The children show various kinds of reactions based on the products. They can be overjoyed or extremely bored while they are on a new course of learning something new. The wearable device which are considered to be stress sensors has the capability to point out the accurate time or situation when people show unknowingly spontaneous responses. The credit goes to the startup which has figured after deep research how these reactions evolve from the human world.

The Emotions


The companies or the corporate are very stone hearted and they won’t be able to figure out the exact emotion of the clients or the customers. If they try to be user friendly or to be more specific clients friendly there is a lot to work upon in trying to understand the emotions of the clients. The room for change or improvisation is never less and you just to have to work hard a bit more in order to pitch yourself there.

The startup mPAth has worked really hard where the researchers and the developers have been able to figure out how these devices works. They have been also able to dive really deep into the education system of the primary in order to encourage the infants to learn more for a successful road.

The Device


The MOXO sensor which has been invented by one of the renowned professors of the MIT along with other researchers matches a smart watch. When you wear it, the sensors present on it will be able to sense your skin condition as there is change in electrical change across the body and the skin. There is a physiological arousal and a reflex change occurs in nervous system activity.

If there are spikes, it indicates stress and frustration or even extreme boredom. The mPath has designed a new way to understand the emotions which they have termed as “emotyping”. The process basically involves the combination of the sensors where there are cameras to help you out.

The Study


The wearable device is good and is surely going to surprise in terms of many factors. Really science has been incredible in terms of invention. The current emphasis is how to make this wearable device more impactful in an efficient manner. Well, the trend is changing for the tech products as now they have started dealing with emotions. The digital market will be on high demand after the release.

Tuesday 18 July 2017

How to Keep the Fight for Net Neutrality Going

NET NEUTRALITY- The Burning Scenario at Present

The hell broke loose in the media with regards to the net neutrality and we the common multitude are still waiting for the final verdict for this course of action. All the corporate organizations are trying their best to get the verdict on the internet rules from the FCC. The initiative could bring a great impact in terms of net neutrality. If the rules are rolled over, then the service providers will be able to do anything on their own wish.

They can even the block the contents for the clients if they wish to. The speed, streaming, and everything related to the net will depend on the internet service providers. They may increase the charges for the internet pack at their own will. The Telcos could make use their power in order to smoothen the competitive market by supplying their individual content and also provide some sort of illegal advantages.

The protest was mandatory in order to restore the balance of the net neutrality rules. In return this will help to support an open forum of internet. Staging protests or writing to the FCC is not enough to bring this under control.

THE CHALLENGES

One can pen down the issues and head to the FCC in order to support the net neutrality. You need to write down your own thoughts about how the issue may impact your business or personal purposes for both your family and yourself. It is always recommended that the representatives make their statement for this.

You may get in touch with the representatives and proceed with your write ups or opinions. They are bound to hear from you and about your opinion which can make a huge difference on this digital world. If you are living in the state of the House Committee, then it would be easy for you to get in touch with them.

Often it is believed that the best solution comes when we meet with the persons face to face and that is how the things are sorted out. So, in order to deliver the message into their ears, it is better to meet them in personal.

After you have checked the schedule, you can fix a meeting or even end up calling them up. If your call gets unanswered, you can leave a voice mail after you have recorded your message. Later when they are available they may answer your queries.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

It is up to the local leaders or politicians who can make a big difference on this platform. Previously, the mayors had held a strong position for the protection of the net neutrality scenarios. The more actions, the better it is for the whole community.

Still the scene is not clear what will happen with the current breaking scenario. The Congress is still unsure about the verdict. The best thing is to keep up with the latest news in order to stay updated what is happening in world

What Should You Look For In A Software Company?

Business owners who are interested in making their companies extraordinarily successful should tap into the power of using cutting edge software. Doing so can expedite the completion of daily tasks while also limiting employee frustrations that result from the ongoing use of outdated equipment. When it's time for you to start shopping for software, you need to make sure that you're making purchases from a top notch company. To ensure that you can, take the time to ensure that the company you select has most or all of the following attributes:

  1. Experience In The Software Industry.

    One attribute you should be looking for when you're ready to find the ideal software business is industry experience. The companies that have been successfully operating for a decade or longer can typically be counted on to offer you the top notch, cutting edge software products and services that keep your business moving forward. Generally, you can learn how long a software company has been in operation by visiting their website. If you cannot find the information via internet, call the company and ask to speak directly to a customer service representative.

  2. Multiple Applications.

    Another attribute that you should seek out in a software company is multiple applications. This attribute is immensely important because it will empower you to ensure that your software contains a wide range of business-building features that can help you and your employees get more done in less time. Companies such as Navori are pleased to offer a wide range of applications, some of which include:
    • Digital Displays
    • Content triggering
    • Elevator displays
    • Digital Menu Boards
    • Information display systems
    • KPI and dashboards
    • Interactive Digital Signage
    • Meeting Room Displays
    • LED Displays
    • Storefront window displays
    • Message & social media boards
    • Tablet and Mobile
    • Video walls & multi-display
    • Touch Display
    • Wayfinding


  3. Stellar Online Reviews.

    If you're really serious about finding the ideal software company, it's immensely important to take a look at their online reviews. Ideally, you want to select a software company whose customers are constantly giving glowing reports about the quality of their products and services. If you find a software company that almost always receives positive reviews from clients, it's safe to say that they'll provide you with the cutting edge services and goods that you deserve. However, learning that a software company consistently receives negative or neutral reviews is a big red flag.


  4. Top Notch Customer Service.

    The best software companies will almost always offer great customer service. This is the case for many reasons, one of which is that they know customers who are treated with courtesy and respect are more likely to become lifelong, loyal clients. Remember that while buying products from a company that offers excellent goods is great, you also want to ensure that you will be treated with dignity throughout the shopping process. You can typically learn whether a company offers excellent customer service by reading through a wide range of online reviews. You can also call the company and speak with one of its representatives to determine what level of customer service they offer.


  5. Online Products And Services.

    One final attribute that you should look for in a software company is online products and services. Taking this step will help ensure that you can buy goods for your company without leaving your home or office. Also note that being able to obtain online services can expedite your process of attaining answers to questions that you have about the business's products. 
Don't Delay:

Find The Right Software Company Today! If you're ready to start investing in software for your company, now is the time to find the ideal company. To ensure that you can locate the perfect software company, use the information and advice provided for you in this quick reference guide. Doing so will increase the likelihood that you can find the ideal retailer!

Terrifying LeakerLocker Ransomware Can Send Your Most Embarrassing Private Photos to Friends

Ransomware

New ransomware threat found- notorious for sending embarrassing photos to all friends


Ransomware threat doesn’t seem to end any soon. Security experts have found a new one which is notoriously designed to find the private photos of the victims and send it across all their contacts present in the address book. This particular threat has been discovered by a team of experts at the renowned cyber security firm McAfee and this virus has been named as LeakerLocker. This virus has the ability to lockdown the phone and threatens the victim of sending out the private images to all the numbers or addresses present on the phone.

£39 ransom for saving ‘grace’

Like any other ransomware this also has a similar modus operand wherein victim’s phone is locked and a ransom is asked for. In this case users are threatened with sending out the embarrassing photos unless the victim is willing to pay £38 to save his or her modesty. Most of the victims are most likely to pay the token amount in order to save them from humiliation but this is resulting in attackers laughing to the bank.

Earlier ransomware threats

Just a few months back a worldwide ransomware attack was launched which was called WannaCry and this virus is also the same one. WannaCry went on to bring the NHS right to its knees while quite recently McAfee security experts found a virus on the Google Play store which doesn’t really went all the way to encrypting the files but it was still evil in its working. This virus was found in two apps present on the Google Play Store namely “Booster & Cleaner Pro” and “Wallpapers Blur HD”.

However LeakerLocker kept itself below the security experts radar by settling with a really modest ransom. However it did go ahead with making a backup of the phone’s sensitive data and threatened to leak it all to the user’s contacts unless it demands are met which was just £38.

How bad is LeakerLocker?


Any phone infected with the LeakerLocker showcases a ransom threat on the screen which states that all the data present on the device would be sent out to ever person present in the phone contact list and email contact list. Victims are required to pay a modest ransom amount of $50 if they wish to abort this action. It even suggests that there is no other way of deleting the data from the device but it can be done through paying the ransom. If any victim tries to harm the phone or power off the device then it wouldn’t mean that the threat is avoided rather attackers has very smartly backed up all the data in cloud from where it can be sent to the copies email and contact list of the victim.

Security experts at McAfee has clarified that the claims in the form of threats made by this ransomware is not completely true. This virus is not capable enough to access, read or leak every data present in the phone device. But it is banking on the fear of private photos leaking onto every known person of the victim is enough to get $50 ransom easily out of the victims.

Monday 17 July 2017

Darknet : Your Guide to the Badlands of the Internet

Darknet

Darknet – Totally Diverse Being


If there tends to be something peculiar going on online, then the same could be taking place on the darknet such as hacked login details, cybersecurity exploits put up for hire and much more. In 2013, Target had been hacked and details of customer card had turned up on darknet marketplaces. Hackers had also attempted to do the same with login credential of Yahoo as well as details of O2 phone network customers in the UK.

One will find cybercriminals also selling security exploits. With the growth of bitcoin, the currency of choice on the darknet and unidentified payments seems to be much easier than before. A news enquiry in Australia had recently discovered that an unidentified darknet user had offered up access to the Medicare records of `any Australian’ for only 0.0089 bitcoin - $22, AU$30, £18. Europol has mentioned that the darknet together with the other peer-to-peer networks are yet the `main platform’ for the purpose of sharing child abuse material.

For users using Chrome or Safari to get online, the darknet is said to be a totally diverse being and how could it be diverse from the `surface web’ which we are aware of? What is it that users need to be aware of in advance should one intend to wade in?

`Darknet’ Not Same as `Deep Web’


We need to know that the darknet is not the same as the `deep web’, which is referred to any area of the internet which is not noticeable by search engine. However that does not mean that is suspicious and there are several other sites one would visit in their daily browsing which may fall in this classification. When a user tends to log in to internet banking, they are navigated to a particular location online and one that is not assisted in Google results.

The same could go for various pages which may tend to pop up in webmail services such as Gmail or educational databases on a university network. It seems to be complex in estimating presently how big the deep web could be though the generally cited research, (from 2001) has placed the deep web at 400 to 500 times the size of the `surface web’.

It is said that if the surface web could be the tip of the iceberg and the deep web, of what lies below the water, then the darknet would be what one would find deep in the blackest water beneath. The darknet itself is the network while the dark web the content which is served up on these networks.


Hidden Crime Bazaars


According to researcher Brian Krebs, it is here that one would find a type of open market which tends to pursue their trade in illegal wares, the hidden crime bazaars which can only be accessed through special software that obscures one’s true location online.

Last month the UN had observed that though the drug trafficking over the darknet seems to be comparatively uncertain, drug transaction has increased by 50% annually from September 2013 to January 2016. Moreover in early 2016, Loretta Lynch the then-US Attorney General had cautioned that some gun sales had been shifting to the dark web in order to stay beyond the reach of regulations.

 Here the main key is secrecy and whistle-blowers, activists together with political insurgents definitely tend to a valid reason to obscure their online location and post secrecy on the deep web as well as the darknet, though that level of secrecy has also been sought by the criminals.

Precise Software/Devoted Browser


This does not seem to be a matter of issues to `darknet.com’ and to spy one would need precise software together with a devoted browser. Most probably the Tor software and its dedicated Tor Browser are the most famous of these but there are other comprising of I2P and Freenet.

By utilising software initially called The Onion Router, Tor tends to secure traffic by routing it via a network of secure relays which anonymize traffic. These relays are said to be run by volunteers all over the world who donate their server bandwidth. Considering it as a network of safe house, one travels through underground tunnels which run along the line of the street above and tend to pop out where you desire safe houses donated by fellow network users.

However with links on the darknet, it is usually only alphanumeric stings of gibberish and could be very difficult to know what you’re getting. It is significant to recall that Tor is not illegal software, only as torrenting software, does not do anything illegal till one tends to use the same in sharing pirated movies.

Tor states that plenty of `normal people’ tend to use its service together with citizen journalists, whistle-blowers, law enforcement agencies and as per Human Rights Watch, Chinese dissidents. As per the estimates of Tor only around 4% of traffic over its network is for hidden services and the rest is people accessing regular internet sites with greater secrecy.

Saturday 15 July 2017

Ultra-Thin Camera Creates Images Without Lenses

Ultra-Thin Camera chip

Ultra-Thin Optical Phased Array


Cameras, those on the traditional side inclusive of the thinnest ones on cell phones cannot be really flat owing to their optics and lenses tend to need a definite shape and size for functioning. Engineers at Caltech have established a latest strategy Camera with out lens which tends to substitute the lenses with an ultra-thin optical phased array – OPA. The OPA is said to computationally do what lenses tend to do utilising huge pieces of glass, manipulating incoming light in order to capture an image. Lenses are said to have a curve which is inclined to bend the path of incoming light focusing it onto a piece of film or an image sensor in the case of digital cameras. The OPA tends to have a huge array of light receivers and each tend to individually add a tightly controlled time delay or phase shift to the light it seems to receive, thus permitting the camera to selectively view in various directions as well as focus on various things. Ali Hajimiri, Bren professor of Electrical Engineering and medical Engineering in the Division of Engineering and Applied Science at Caltech and the principal investigator of a paper defining the new camera had commented that like most of the other thing in life here, timing is everything.

Fish-Eye to Telephoto Lens


With the new system one can selectively view in a desired direction and at very small part of the image before you at any given point of time by controlling the timing with femto-second, quadrillionth of a second, precision. The paper had been presented at the Optical Society of America’s – OSA Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics – CLEO which had been published online in March 2017 by the OSA in the OSA Technical Digest.

Hajimiri had stated that they had generated a single thin layer of assimilated silicon photonics which tends to follow the lens and sensor of a digital camera thereby reducing the thickness as well as the cost of digital cameras. It tends to imitate a regular lens though can switch from a fish-eye to a telephoto lens promptly with only a simple alteration in the way the array tends to receive light. Phased arrays utilised in wireless communications and radar are said to be an assembly of distinct transmitters which all seem to send out same signal as waves.

These waves interfere with each other constructively and destructively, amplifying the signal in one direction though cancels it out elsewhere. Consequently an array can develop a firmly engrossed beam of signal that can be directed in various directions by staggering the timing of transmission that has developed at various points all over the array.

One-Dimensional Version of Camera


An identical source had been used in reverse, in optical phased array receiver that is the basis for the new camera. The light waves which are received by individual element all over the array, cancel each other from every direction with the exception of one.

 The waves amplify each other in that direction in order to create a directed `gaze’ which can be electronically organized. Graduate student Reza Fatemi lead author of the OSA paper commented that what the camera does is same as looking through a thin straw and scanning it across the field of view. An image can be formed at an extremely quick speed on controlling the light rather than moving a mechanical object.

The team of Hajimiri had rolled out a one-dimensional version of the camera, last year which had the potential of detecting images in a line such as it acted like a lensless barcode reader though with no mechanically moving parts. The progress this year was to build the first two dimensional array with the proficiency of creating a full image.

The first 2D lensless camera tends to have an array composed of only 64 light receivers in a 8 x 8 grid and the resulting image is said to have low resolution. However this system has a tendency of representing a proof of concept for fundamental rethinking of camera technology according to Hajimiri and his colleagues.

Designing Chips – Higher Resolution/Sensitivity


Graduate student Behrooz Abiri, co-author of the OSA paper had stated that the application seems endless and even in present days’ smartphones, the camera is said to be the component which limits how thin ones’ phone could get.

This technology, once scaled could make lenses and thick cameras out-dated. It could also have consequences of astronomy by permitting ultra-light, ultra-thin massive flat telescopes on ground as well as in space.

Hajimiri informed that the ability in controlling all the optical properties of a camera electronically utilising a paper-thin layer of low-cost silicon photonic without the need of any mechanical movement, lenses or mirrors gives way to a new world of imagers which could look like wallpaper, blind or also wearable fabric. The team would work next on topping up the camera by designing chips which would enable much bigger receivers with higher resolution and sensitivity.

Friday 14 July 2017

Hybrid Driving-Flying Robots Could Go Beyond the Flying Car

Flying Robots – Significant Application in the Future


According to a latest study, groups of flying robot, whether they tend to be swooping in delivering packages or identifying victims in disaster zones, seems to have a range of significant applications in the future. The robots have the tendency to switch from driving to flying without colliding with each other and can also provide assistance beyond the traditionally flying car notion of sci-fi knowledge, as per the study.

The capability of flying as well as walking is mutual in nature, for instance several birds; insects together with other animals tend to do both the functions. Robots having the same flexibility have a tendency to fly over obstructions on the ground or drive under directly above obstacles.

However, according to study lead author Brandon Araki, a roboticist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory together with his colleagues had stated in their new study that, presently, robots which tend to be good at a mode of transportation are generally bad at others.

Robot - `Flying Monkey’


Formerly the researchers had established a robot known as the `flying monkey’, which could run as well as fly and also clasp items. The researchers however had to program the paths which the flying monkey would take, which meant that it could not find safe routes on its own.

These researchers have now created flying cars which tend to fly and also drive through a simulated city-like setting which seems to have parking spots, no-fly zones and landing pads. Besides, the researchers had stated that these drones are inclined to move independently without bumping into each other. Araki had informed Live Science that their vehicles can find their own safe paths.

The scientists had taken eight four-rotor `quadcopter’ drones and had placed two small motors with wheels towards the bottom of each drone, in order to make them skilful for driving. In models, the robots could fly for about 295 feet – 90 meters or drive for 826 feet - 252 meters before the draining of their batteries. It was said that the roboticists established systems which ensured that the robots refrained from colliding with one another.

Driving – Efficient than Flying


All the drones had successfully navigated from a starting point to the ending point on collision-free path in tests conducted in a miniature town using daily materials like pieces of fabrics for roads and cardboard boxes for buildings.

According to the researches, with the addition of the driving device to individual drone gave rise to extra weight as well as slightly reduced battery life, reducing the maximum distance which the drone could fly by around 14%. Moreover, they also observed that driving seemed to be more effective than flying, compensating somewhat small loss in competence to flying owing to the extra weight.

Araki had commented that `the most important implication of the research was that vehicles which combine flying and driving have the potential to be both much more efficient as well as useful than vehicles which can only drive or only fly’. The scientists had warned that fleets of automated flying taxies are probably not coming anytime shortly.

He stated that their present system of drones certainly is not adequately tough to really carry people at the moment. Still these experiments with quadcopters help explore several ideas linked to flying cars.

How to Protect Your Computer with Free Software

These free programs protect your computer

Viruses, trojans or data pioneers: Computers are constantly exposed to attacks. Antivirus programs promise remedy. Stubborn pests often require more intensive treatment.

It can happen that viruses, trojans or other malicious programs can get into your system. As a rule, any malicious software that reports your antivirus software should be removed with the application.

Stubborn pests often require more intensive treatment. In these cases, use free tools that are specialized in the thorough removal of malware. "Computer Image" shows the best programs with which you can free your PC from any kind of malware.

A good antivirus program as a basic protection is mandatory to protect the PC from threats. It does not always have to be expensive security suites, even if they are fully protected. But also free software makes the PC safer.

The important thing is a combination of program packages since individual software solutions do not always eliminate all problems. For example, there is often no firewall included in antivirus freeware.
Earlier, malware reached so often by infected e-mail attachments to the PC. This species of data is less common today, but it has not yet died out.

Scanners and firewalls do not allow viruses

Often, infected codes hide in web pages. Interferences in the browser are files on the PCs and cause damage. Here an anti-virus program helps with real-time detection. Such software will immediately alert you as soon as it detects suspicious files on your PC.

In addition, you should install a firewall. These programs monitor network movements and prevent malicious software from reaching your computer via the Internet or local network. The following overview shows which free programs make your PC safer.

However, viruses, trojans, or other malicious programs can still get into your system. As a rule, any malicious software that reports your antivirus software should be removed with the application. Encryption tools, password manager and more

In order to prevent pests from reaching your PC, you should prevent them and use an anti-virus program. It is recommended to use additional security programs: TrueCrypt, for example, encrypts confidential data and prevents third parties from accessing it. KeePass 2 maintains logging data securely in protected areas.

Anonymity programs such as Hotspot Shield give your PC a different IP address, preventing websites from identifying you. Data shredders like DBAN turn your data so secure that even professionals can not restore them.

And with Avast Browser Cleanup, you can remove unintended, sometimes even harmful, toolbars from your browser. With which free programs you completely protect your PC, "Computer Bild" shows in the photo-stretch.

Real-time scanners and firewalls

A protected PC is primarily an anti-virus software and a firewall. With a special web protection, anti-virus programs also ensure that your browser does not even call up websites that are infected. Firewalls prevent hacker attacks and prevent your programs from sending data unwittingly to the Internet.

Important: You should choose an antivirus and firewall program and not use multiple programs in parallel. Failure to do so could cause problems such as PC crashes.

Vivo announces its X9s and X9s Plus phones

X9s & X9s Plus – Bigger Batteries/Wider Bodies


Two new smartphones have been debuted by Chinese phone maker Vivo in China recently namely X9s and X9s Plus. Both the phones are said to be a bit upgraded versions of the earlier X9 devices. The X9s Plus will be introduced on sale from July 8 when the registration for the X9s will be debuted on July 14 and the same will be going on sale beginning from July 20.

The X9s and X9s Plus would be launched in three colour options namely Rose Gold, Matte Black and Gold. The updated model comprises of bigger batteries, little wider bodies and tends to run Android Nougat. Similar to the older version they tend to have dual selfie cameras and their specs have not altered much. However one can expect the following from the X9s Plus which comes at a price of 2,998 Yuan or around $440:

  •  Android Nougat 
  •  4,015mAh battery 
  •  5.85-inch Full HD AMOLED display 
  •  Front fingerprint sensor 
  •  16-megapixel rear-facing camera, 20-megapixel/50megapixel front-facing cameras 
  •  4GB of RAM, 64GB storage

Vivo - 5th Most Popular Smartphone Maker


The regular X9s tends to have same specs though has a smaller display and battery. Moreover it also comprises of a dual selfie cameras which Vivo tends to be utilising in creating a background blurring effect. Other companies have also been experimenting with dual selfie cameras. Companies like LG, Oppo and Alcatel tend to have built dual front-facing cameras in their devices though they usually tend to utilise them in capturing wider shots.

Vivo according to an analyst firm is said to be the fifth most popular smartphone maker in the world having most of its market focused in India and China. The company is attempting to gain recognition through sponsorship like the next two World Cup, and it won’t be surprising to hear more regarding Vivo. The Vivo X9s boasts of 5.5-inch FHD 1080p AMOLED display where the Plus variant has a large 5.85-inch FHD 1080p AMOLED display. Both the smartphones are said to have narrow bezels together with a fingerprint sensor which is embedded in their home button towards the front area.

Employs – Octa-Core Snapdragon


The Vivo X9s tends to employ an octa-core Snapdragon 652 processor,below the hood and the Vivo X9s Plus tends to have an octa-core Snapdragon 653 processor. Both of these processors are supported by 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage space.

 While running on Android 7.1 Nougat, these phones are said to be topped with Funtouch OS 3.1 and the imaging features comprises of a 16MP main camera with LED flash together with PDAF as well as a dual camera setup towards the front. This comprises of a 20MP main sensor together with soft LED flash and a 5MP subordinate sensor.

From the connectivity point of view, the Vivo smartphone are said to be equipped with 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS as well as a dual SIM support. The Vivo X9s is said to be controlled by a 3320mAh battery while the X9s Plus is powered by a 4015mAh battery and both the batteries tend to support fast charging also.

Thursday 13 July 2017

Someone Made a Working Six Speed Gearbox Out of Lego

Lego and the Gear Box

Lego never fails to surprise people with its frequent new building creativity. They are the most renowned name in terms of its excellence. Whenever we are reminded of those explicit cars enfolded in amazing bricks made of plastics we are filled with exuberance. They never let us down, but now they are back with a different take our expectation to a different level.

Dgustafsson 13 is the new development made in the arena of building by none other than Lego. Some of its features are gaerboc with 6 speed, numerous positive caster angle with front axle, parts of scania, scania cabs bendy suspension parts with rear axle, motorized parts simply usable technical parts and elevator parts.

These parts all together make this machine a remarkable bus. There are several buses available in the market, but this one turns out to be the best of its time. Lego has again taken the notches high by the introduction of these explicit machine which is the most technologically bus of all times. This city bus is the one, which is equipped with best possible equipments to give safety measures and an unhindered journey to its passengers.

Lego with the involvement of gears bestowed with six speeds is the best is what makes this city bus extraordinary. It makes the bus work almost like a real thing. This newly introduced transmission is a new thing, which makes Dgustafsson 13, the most synchronized model of all times with not even an inch of compromise in terms of gears and makes it the best version of the city buses available.

The motor associated with it is the best of all times. The motor is a much developed version of motor available, which helps in stabilizing synchronization. Lego has always something new to offer to its people.

The kit that Dgustafsson 13 it isn’t the official one and when you go into the detailing of Dgustafsson 13, it is then when you are made aware of the Lego technicalities and its development and once you get acquainted with its kit then you understand that how developed Lego is in terms of technicalities. The more you get to know Lego the more updated version of technology you are acquainted with. The technology that Lego offers is not that difficult to build all you need is dedication and the interest to transform technology to a different level.

By looking at Lego Kit, you understand how you can revolutionize the level of gear boxes. It is not that difficult a proper mindset with an enhanced knowledge can make things happen. Once you see the Lego gear box you understand what it is. Lego is the most heard name because it never fails to surprise people with its updated version of all times.

Lego knows the art of taking machine to a different level and the instructions it posts online helps people to develop such kind of techniques to fed into their machines. Lego is here to revolutionize the era of machines.