Implantable LEDs Could Block Pain Wirelessly

Micro-LED Device – Block Pain with Touch of a Button

At Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, researchers are making discovery by implanting tiny LEDs beneath the skin in order to display particular areas of the body which tend to hurt. The so-called micro-LEDs that seem to be flexible and compatible with the body of the person can be wirelessly activated to block pain with a touch of a button.

The tiny device is said to represent a development in the emerging field of optogenetics that involves connecting light to control cells. The invention seems to be a small flexible light emitting diode or LED which tends to respond to the neural activity of the brain. Researchers had used lab mice to show how the device could manipulate parts of the brain which recognizes the pain.

The procedure comprises of changing the DNA construct of neurons in the brain that enables them to respond to light. The study to develop circuits in the nervous system and the spinal cord came up when Robert Gereau, director of the Pain Centre at Washington University in St. Louis partnered with John Rogers, professor of materials sciences and engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Soft/Flexible Device Implanted in Person’s Body

The researchers developed the soft, flexible device which could be implanted into a person’s body and theoretically blocks pain signals from the spinal cord or other parts of the body prior to the signals reaching the brain. Taking the pain into consideration could typically be something which tends to draw the attention to an area needing treatment by just turning it off and ignoring the problem may not be an appropriate solution.Hence this technology has been developed as a last resort system of pain relief while the other treatments have not been much successful.

According to Robert W. Gereau IV besides being a director of the Washington University Pain Centre, is also a Professor of Anesthesiology, states that their ultimate goal was to use this technology to treat pain and provide a switch to turn off the pain signals before they tend to reach the brain. The researchers had implanted the micro-LEDs in mice, whose nerve cells were hereditarily adapted to be sensitive to light.

Understand – Sensory Information Process in Spinal Cord

The indication was that on activating the light on these nerve cells it could trigger pain or block it. For research purpose, the medical LED devices were surgically implanted in mice to have light sensitive proteins on some of their nerve cells. In order to assess if this worked or not, the scientists directed the mice through a maze and when they walked through a selected area in the maze, the wireless device lit up and activated the pain pathways of their nerve cells, causing them some discomfort.

However, when the mouse left the area, the light cut off and instantly the mouse learned to avoid the painful part of the maze. The scientists now know that the micro-LED works and will continue to test ways of understanding better on how sensory information is processed in the spinal cord.

Ultimately they desiredto develop a device which could turn off pain totally in human beings. MIT Technology Review reports that researchers are hoping their findings will someday enable the doctors to control how a patient experiences pain and ease discomfort with the precise flip of a switch.

How IT Outsourcing can Benefit Your Small Business

For any small business to succeed whether it sells a product or service online or in a brick and mortar storefront, it needs up-to-the minute IT services to stay ahead of the game. You may require upgrading of hardware and software as well as online security but don’t have the capital to hire a dedicated IT employee. Companies such as Acora and others focus only on giving large or small businesses IT support. A dedicated IT team can customize its service to suit your business objectives, so you can focus on your sales and operations and not worry about your IT support.

The Main Benefits

The most important benefit of IT outsourcing is it allows the company’s managers to focus on customers and operations without splitting their time taking care of IT problems. This can also be solved by hiring a network administrator, but this means another salary and benefits that a small business may not be able to afford. In order to pay for this, the company may have to pass the extra expense on to customers. When a small business outsources its IT, it has a better chance to competitively price its product or service, and it gets top-level IT service that puts it on par with large enterprises.

Any business big or small can save money by outsourcing its IT operations. It is a good way to control capital outlay, especially for start-ups. This frees capital that the managers can funnel into the company.
Technology changes practically overnight and a professional IT service will be able to implement new technology quickly into your business. It has the facilities and expertise because that is its main focus. Experience is much more valuable to you than qualification. It may take weeks or months for an in-house IT employee to learn about the latest advances, and upgrade your operations. A professional will see the latest advances even before they arrive.

There are always risks involved with any business such as government regulations, financial conditions, markets and competition. IT services will assume and manage much of that risk for you because it has specific industry knowledge. This is especially true for security and compliance issues. It will know how to help you avoid risk in your IT operations.

Services IT Professionals Offer

If you sell products or services online, it’s especially important to have up to date security measures. Here are a few things professionals will do for your business:

• Keep your firewall up to date

• Audit your servers and workstations

• Implement PCI security standards and maintain them

• Implement payment structures such credit and debit cards

When due diligence is enacted on your IT operations by a professional IT service provider, the risks that are associated with maintaining credit card numbers, client data and sensitive competitive information will be minimized. Whenever there is software or hardware upgrades, you’ll get the required malware installed immediately, all the time saving money to focus on production or sales staff who directly drive revenue.

Ear and Tongue Sensors Combine to Understand -Silent Speech

Latest Invention - `Silent Speech’ – Magnetic Tongue Control System

Latest inventions can now recognize `silent speech’ by keeping checks on the tongue and ears. On training it to identify suitable phrases, it can enable people who tend to be disabled or work in loud environment, to control quietly the wearable devices.

This new devices depends in part on a magnetic tongue control system which had been earlier designed to aid people with paralysis to drive a power wheelchair through tongue movements. However, the researchers were worried that the technology which depends on a magnetic tongue piercing or a sensor affixed to the tongue could be too disturbing for some of the users.

The Tongue Drive System – TDS is the work of a team under the guidance of Jeonghee Kim at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, US. The system needs users to pierce their tongue with a barbell shaped device. A professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology and technical lead on the wearable computer Google Glass, Thad Starner, had been motivated to attempt ear movements after an appointment with a dentist.

Dentist – Motivated Silent Speech Recognition

The dentist had stuck a finger in Starner’s ear and had asked him to bite down, some quick test for jaw function. As his jaw seemed to move, so also the space in his ears moved. This led him to wonder if he could do silent speech recognition with that experiment.

The subsequent device tends to combine tongue control with earpieces which seems somewhat like headphones and each of it is embedded with a proximity sensor which utilises infrared light to map the changing shape of the ear canal. Various words require various jaw movements, deforming the canal in slightly different ways.

The team had listed 12 phrases which could be essential, for the test, like `I need to use the bathroom’, or `Give me my medicine, please’. People were then recorded, repeating these while wearing the device. With the tongue and ear trackers in, the software could recognize what the wearer was saying, almost 90% of the time. With the use of ear trackers only, the accuracy seemed a bit lower. The researchers expect to build a phrasebook of useful words as well as sentences which could be recognisable from the ear data.

Jaw-emes

A graduate student at Georgia Technology, Abdelkareem Bedri states that they call them `jaw-emes’. Besides this, they have also started looking into other probable uses for the ear data. One experiment with an improved version of the ear trackers had reached 96% accuracy in recognizing simple jaw gestures, like a move from left to right.

These types of gestures would enable the wearer discreetly control the wearable device. Heartbeat monitoring too seems possible and can support the system to verify that it is placed properly in the ears of the wearer.

 Bruce Denby tends to work on silent speech in his lab at the Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris and states that demonstrating that the technology is `industry ready, could be crucialin bringing the technology to the market. He further added that `the true holy grail of silent speech is continuous speech recognition. However, the potential of recognizing even a limited set of phrases is a tremendous boon already for some disabled individuals.

Google Can Reset 75% of Android Phones Remotely

 

Google Can Reset Passcode of Older Versions of Android

The earlier operating software is at risk, namely codenamed Froyo, Ice Cream Sandwich, Gingerbread, Jelly Bean and KitKat. The older versions of Android devices could have their passcode reset by Google, remotely if the court order compels them to enable the authorities to look at the contents. According to a document by the New York District Attorney, it indicates that the phones and tablets running Android software which were released before Lollipop 5.0 seem to be vulnerable to resetting.

Latest software tend to use full disk encryption which means that Google is unable to comply with requests even if it is compelled to do so. Around 75% of Android devices still tend to use a software version which can be accessed remotely with a court order.

The document has mentioned that for some other types of Android devices, Google can reset the passcode when aided with search warrant as well as order instructing them to support law enforcement in removing data from the device. This procedure can be done remotely by Google and enables forensic examiners to view the contents of a device. The latest Android phones have encryption turned off by default, inspite of having the ability.

Automated System Enabling Complainants File

The process of turning it on differs by model though the same can usually be found in the settings menu somewhere. In the meanwhile, for copyright reasons, Google had mentioned that it receives 1,500 requests each minute for removal of specific results from its search engine. Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Google provides an automated system enabling complainants file through an online form.

Every version of the Android operating system tends to have a numerical identifier and a name that has been historically the name of a dessert or candy such as Ice Cream sandwich. Unlike the devices of Apple, Android devices are manufactured by various different manufacturers which are referred to as Original Equipment Manufacturers or OEMs.

Android devices could set up a `pattern unlock’ passcode that is in line connecting at least 4 dots in a 9 dot grid in order to protect the data on their devices. Devices of specific operating systems provide the possibility of locking the device utilising numeric or alphanumeric passcode.

Fingerprint Readers Incorporated in Hardware

Some of the Android devices tend to have fingerprint readers, incorporated in the hardware of the device. However, the fingerprint reader is not assimilated in all Android devices due to the variety of OEMs developed Android devices. Google provide cloud storage in Google Drive as well as other locations and the data could be backed from an Android device, an iPhone, iPad or a computer, to Google’s cloud.

By default, Android devices do not tend to back up to Google cloud storage and hence a user must agree to choose to back up to the cloud where the choice is not a single but a series of choices, one for each kind of data.

Google had opposed the findings of the district attorney. Google’s security lead, Adrian Ludwig, had commented that `Google did not have the ability to facilitate unlocking any device that has been protected with a pin, fingerprint or password irrespective of the device being encrypted or not and for all the versions of Android’.

New Nanoparticle Steals Light, Beams It Stronger

New Nanoparticle - Layers of Unusual Materials

New type of ceramic nanoparticle has been developed by physicist, which is said to be making it easier to track drugs in the body, screen counterfeit money as well as boost the ability of solar cells to capture more energy. The particle which is onion-like is about 50 nanometres wide that is around 1000 times smaller than a human hair or the size of a virus.

Made from layers of unusual materials, its coating is of organic dye, a neodymium shell with a core made of ytterbium and thulium. Combined together, the layers tend to convert invisible near infrared light to blue and ultraviolet – UV light with high proficiency. The capability of changing one type of light to another is known as `up-conversion’ wherein this particle has the potential to do it 100 times more competently than the other particles.

The same is important since such particle can improve many prevailing technologies that tend to utilise dyes, biomarkers or fluorescent tracers. According to Tymish Y. Ohulchanskyy, deputy director University at Buffalo’s Institute, for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics – ILPB, he states that the particle for instance, could be utilised in special inks which could be invisible to the human eye, but tend to glow blue when it is hit by a low-energy laser pulse.

Develops Its Glow during Up-Conversion Procedure

Ohulchanskyy is of the opinion that the particles can be used in ensuring that expensive drugs reach their mark in the body. Presently the same is being done by using bio-imaging, which is a technique that labels cells with markers that shine under ultraviolet light shining from specialized imagers.

However, fluorescent markers could throw the incoming light from the imaging device but the latest nanoparticle does not do so. On the contrary it develops its own glow during the up-conversion procedure.

Ohulchanskyy comments that this feature is such which none of the other materials have displayed. Researchers state that the particle’s dye performs as an antenna, collecting photons from low-energy light sources. Shell of the neodymium handovers the energy to the core, wherein the ytterbium as well as the thulium accumulates the energy of many photons at once, emitting it as a single photon of blue and UV light.

Design Helpful in Overcoming Long-Standing Obstacles

Professor of chemistry at the University of Maryland as well as an expert in nanoparticles, Zhihong Nie, stated that he `was impressed with the new three layer particle. It is an outstanding paper in general. He further added that it is interesting to look at the energy cascade phenomenon and it should not be hard to replicate. He is of the belief that they could be able to scale it up’.

 Guanying Chen, professor of chemistry at Harbin Institute of Technology and ILPB research associate, has commented saying that `by creating special layers which helps in transferring energy efficiently from the surface of the particle to the core, which emits blue and UV light, the design helps in overcoming some of the long-standing obstacles which earlier technologies faced.

The research had been published in the journal – NanoLetters. It was led by researchers at SUNY-Buffalo, the Harbin Institute of Technology in China together with contributions from the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, Tomsk State University in Russia and the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Lenovo's Zuk Z1 is a Cheap Smartphone with More Battery than Bite

The Zuk Z1 – First Smartphone From Lenovo’s Zuk Sub-Brand

The Zuk Z1 is the first smartphone from Lenovo’s Zuk sub-brand which joins the growing list of cheap Android handsets such as the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 and Asus ZenFone 2. The Zuk Z1 had been unveiled in August in China and though there was no planned date of release for US, it is available now in Europe for €319.99.

One could get a 5.5 inch full HD display, 3GB of RAM, 64GB internal storage, 13-megapixel camera with dual SIM support, fingerprint scanner as well as an equally dated Snapdragon 801 processor with that price. This is because like the powerful though cheap Android smartphone, the Zuk Z1 is not much appealing with regards to the design.

The metal chamfered edges are attractively designed and the plastic antenna stripes towards the top and bottom of the phone are somewhat familiar. The Z1 tends to have a rounded bubbly feel of an older phone for instance like a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 of 2012. The sleek plastic back tends to swell slightly as though the battery within seems to be inflating and though not uncomfortable to hold, it lacks the refinement one tends to get from the latest Galaxy and iPhone devices.

Software – Very Appealing

The most appealing aspect of the Z1 is its software which comes loaded with one of Android’s popular variants, Cyanogen OS, meaning that individuals could get more granular control over their device than Google’s regular mobile operating system. One could tweak anything from the shortcuts on the notification drawer, to check for individual apps to hardware button towards the bottom of the device.

Besides this it also bundled with the software like Truecaller, a caller ID service which besides other things, tends to block spam calls, which is useful and can be uninstalled if not needed. The performance of Z1 is perfect for daily usage, swiping around the home screen scrolling through the apps, texting friends and much more.

Though the Snapdragon 2.5 GHz801 processor does not keep up in head-to-head use with the new chips from 2015, there seems to be slight and infrequent impediments at the time of gaming. The 13-megapixel camera is a bit of a disappointment and attempting to capture moving subjects seems difficult as well as well- illuminated indoor shots are not up to the mark. Besides this, Cyanogen OS’s camera app is particularly poorly designed with no easy access to pictures taken.

Z1 – A Capable Phone

The rest of the hardware seems solid though there are some more limitations. For instance the addition of a USB Type-C port seems that one could use reversible cables which tend to work either way up though it makes the old microUSB chargers useless.

The phone does not come bundled with one Type-C cable. Since there is no microSD port or a removable battery, the 64GB storage and 4,100 mAh battery of Z1 would be adequate to satisfy most of the users. The fingerprint scanner seems good though there were a few missed scans. The Z1 overall seems to be a very capable phone.

 It is not a flagship quality, but it is definitely no ship. The Z1 though, with a generic and somewhat swollen design of the handset does not seem right for all hands, its price at least would be suitable for several users.

Samsung Galaxy S7

Samsung Galaxy S7 is expected to debut in less than three months and rumor mills are working overtime to present a final picture of the device specs and features. Samsung is looking forward to improve the popularity of its S series after the lukewarm response to the Galaxy S6. Furthermore launching the S7 during the first quarter of the year will help in making huge sales and almost no threat from the next iPhone. Here is a list of the Samsung Galaxy S7 specs and features, which have emerged in the recent past.

Two designs to debut together

Samsung has established a dual lunch model for itself by the releasing of Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge variant a while back. Similarly it is being expected that Samsung will unveil two designs and models as Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge featuring a curved screen. Samsung Edge will always feature its awe-aspiring curved display design, which has been loved both by the consumers and critics alike.

Qualcomm processor expected to make a comeback

Samsung and Qualcomm relations soured in the recent past and Samsung even went ahead to launch the high end Galaxy S6 variants featuring it own home grown Exynos processors. However Samsung will be using both the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset and its Exynos 8890 processor for the Galaxy S7. Snapdragon will be used in the S7 devices for the India while Snapdragon 820 will be used in the devices manufactured for the China, US and other markets.

MicroSD slot to return in Galaxy S series

Samsung has to bear a huge pressure from the consumers with its strategy to do away with the microSD card slots. There are some credible rumors which points that Samsung is all set to reintroduce the microSD card slots in the Galaxy S7. However, it has not been whether Samsung has ditched the micoSD card slots due to price concerns or technical reasons earlier.

Galaxy S7 Force Touch technology

Samsung has also filed a patent for its own exclusive 3D touch technology. Samsung 3D touch technology is described as a system wherein different voltages will help in getting different options to get selected. For example, a hard press will result in capital letter and a softer press will help in getting lowercase letters while typing.

Better and advanced camera hardware

Samsung Galaxy S series comes under the premium and high end smartphone segment wherein it is necessary to offers top class camera capabilities in the phone. Samsung is looking forward to heighten its upcoming Galaxy S7 camera capabilities by getting hand on the 23MP IMX300 camera, which was used by the Sony in its Xperia Z5 flagship.

Samsung Galaxy S7 to release in February

Samsung has launched the Galaxy S6 at MCW 2015 and Galaxy S5 at MCW 2014. Therefore, it can be easily said that Galaxy S7 will make its debut at MCW 2016, which takes place at the end of the February. It is widely expected that Samsung Galaxy S7 will each to the stores by April first week after the official release in the February.

Blue Origin’s Surprise Rocket Launch and Safe Landing

Blue Origin Launched Un-crewed Rocket in Space & Back on Earth

The Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has announced that his rocket company Blue Origin has launched an un-crewed rocket to the edge of the space prior to landing it back on Earth. The rocket had performed a surprising and a historic rocket launch and landing from their facility in Van Horn, Texas. A video had revealed how the launch vehicle had reached the edge of space before it returned back to Earth in a controlled landing.

In a statement, Bezos had mentioned that `rockets have always been expendable but not anymore. Safely tucked away at their launch site in west Texas is the rarest of beast, a used rocket. Blue Origin’s reusable New Shepard space vehicle had flown a flawless mission, soaring to 329,839 feet and returned through 119-mph high altitude crosswinds making a gentle controlled landing just four and a half feet from the centre of the pad.

Fuel reuse is a game changer and we can’t wait to fuel up and fly again’. The launch vehicle and the firm’s New Shepard capsule had reached an altitude of around 100 kilometres before separating. It had deployed its parachutes, drifting to the rocket while the rocket utilised controlled firings to descend before deploying its landing leg for a successful return.

Reusable Rockets – Important Development for Space Travel

The rocket had travelled significantly, to a height which was officially beyond the boundary space of 100 kilometres high known as the Karman line, making it the first rocket to land successfully after journeying to space.

This is the second surprise test of Blue Origin’s New Shepard capsule and launch vehicle, this year after a launch in April and due to loss of hydraulic pressure it meant that Blue Origin would not recover the rocket for that flight.

This competition has placed the firm in direct competition with SpaceX that had conducted successful ground landings from altitude of 1 kilometre and is now making efforts in landing its Falcon 9 rocket on barges in the sea once they tend to deliver cargo to the International Space Station. Reusable rockets have been viewed as an important development for space travel and it is said that reusable rockets could be bringing down the cost of space flight with the provision of new opportunities.

Blue Origin – Opened Important Space Tourism Avenues

Presently all rockets are expendable which means that new one need to be built for every launch. SpaceX and Blue Origin are making attempt to develop reusable rockets so that the same equipment could be utilised again and again thereby decreasing the cost of going to space. This has opened up important space tourism avenues for Blue Origin.

As for SpaceX, they are more dedicated in getting humans and equipment in orbit. So far, Blue Origin has launched its capsules without a crew, however in the video of the launch, it shows a reproduction of what paying passengers would one day tend to enjoy. The vehicle tends to carry six people who would enjoy four minutes of weightlessness and sight of the Earth from space. Bezos comments that they `are building Blue Origin to seed an enduring human presence in space in order to move beyond this blue planet which is the origin of all that we know’.

Graphene Microphone Could Pick Up Sounds beyond Human Hearing

Graphene Designed Microphone – Amazing Detection Quality

Latest designed microphone of graphene which is 32 times more sensitive than conventional microphones have been invented by researchers which has amazing sound detection qualities. Graphene which is one of the thinnest, lightest, strongest as well as the most conductive materials ever known comprises of a single layer of carbon atoms that are arranged in a honeycomb structure.

Its adaptability enables it to support possibly a wide variety of application in electronics which include flexible displays, wearable and other next-generation electronic devices. Having the strength of some of the present day best microphones, graphene based devices has the potential to detect a range of audible frequencies. As per a paper published by the University of Belgrade in Serbia in the journal 2D materials, the microphone membrane is said to be built by amassing 60 layers, which is a single layer of carbon atoms in hexagonal pattern.

 It substitutes nickel, a traditional material for commercial microphones. Author of the paper, Marko Spasenovic, informed Engineering and Technology magazine that they wanted to show that graphene though a relatively new material has the capability for real world application. Known for its light weight, high mechanical strength as well as flexibility, graphene can be utilised as an acoustic membrane material’.

Development in Infancy Stage

While the development is at its infancy stage, the graphene microphone tends to pick up sounds at 15 decibels level which is higher than the commercial devices at frequencies of up to 11 kHz. A virtual microphone of 300 layers of graphene was then stimulated by the researchers instead of the 60 layered one which they had already built and found that the enhanced version had the potential of picking up sounds at ultrasonic frequencies up to 1 MHz, 50 times greater than the upper limit of human hearing at 20 KHz.

 Due to their research, scientists are of the belief that this is only the beginning for the graphene based microphone. This technology could be utilised to pick up sounds which we presently cannot hear like bats chirping or to converse through materials such as steel that electromagnetic waves are unable to penetrate. Layers of graphene onto nickel foil were grown by the researcher and later the nickel was removed leaving only the graphene behind. Thereafter the graphene sheet was then placed in a conventional microphone where it acted as a diaphragm, a membrane which tends to pick up sound vibrations.

Limiting Aspect of Commercial Graphene Microphone – Cost

Main limiting aspect in the creation of a commercial graphene microphone is the cost and seems to be excessively expensive to manufacture large sheets of graphene. Marko Spasenovic has stated that at this stage, there seems to be several hurdles in making cheap graphene and hence the microphone should be considered more of proof of concept and the industry are working hard in improving graphene production. Ultimately we could have better microphones at lower cost.

 The researchers across the globe are presently attempting to bring down the cost of graphene production. At Manchester University, a £61, National Graphene Institute had been opened in March 2015 where the `wonder material’ was initially isolated. There have been over 11,300 graphene related patents, all over the world. Several applications have been defined for a variety of technologies right from super strong bendy mobile phone screens to quicker computer chips as well as broadband and revolutionary and high performance batteries.

Smartphone Connected to the Best Mobile Network

Mobile Internet use has surged in the last four years to surpass online browsing from personal computers. So it makes sense that modern cyber criminals are turning their attention to mobile malware. Given the risk it poses to the security of your mobile device, you should too.

Mobile malware describes malicious software designed to impact cell phones and tablets. It can take many forms, including spyware, ransomware, adware, and Trojans, which infiltrate mobile devices via their Internet browsers or application stores. IT security firm Sophos says that nearly all mobile malware aims to make money, so cybercriminals aren’t just targeting the devices of mobile users; they’re also targeting their wallets.

But there are ways to keep your mobile device safe, whether it’s a tablet using a Wi-Fi hotspot or a smartphone connected to the T-Mobile network. As this infographic explains, keeping your mobile device and software up-to-date, only installing apps from trusted sources, checking app permission lists, and only clicking on links in secure browsers can minimize the risks of malware infection. Antivirus apps can also protect your device from threats. Despite their effectiveness, it’s troubling to note that, according to research firm IDC, just 5 percent of smartphones and tablets have any kind of antivirus application installed.

Approximately 16 million mobile devices were attacked by mobile malware in 2014, up 75 percent from 2013. We can only guess how many mobile users will become mobile malware victims this year. But there is hope. This informative infographic will help you remove any mobile malware that’s infected your device. Follow the advice in this step-by-step guide carefully to remove the malicious software before it can damage your device and compromise your security. Then make sure to adopt the techniques suggested to keep your mobile device safe and prevent reinfection.

Facebook Scams Spreading Like Wildfire

Facebook Scams Flourishing

Presently three specific Facebook Scams are flourishing and even smart people are falling prey to it. There’s a whimsical deal such as you purchase a $10 holiday gift and sent to one person and you get up to 36 gifts back in return. No one would want to miss out on such types of gifts.

This generous offer has come up, courtesy of something known as the `secret sisters gift exchange’. There seems to be similar post doing the round which is focused on a book exchange for kids, though the basic idea seems the same. The instructions provide details of a classic two-deep pyramid scheme wherein you start by sending a gift to the first secret sister and thereafter you move the second secret sister to the first place. You send the instructions to six other females and the process goes on and on.

 Towards the end, you are promised gifts in a two weeks’ time. You need to stop right there since with each level, more people are needed to keep the thing going. By the time you tend to hit the 11th position, the whole population of the US will have to participate in order to make it work.

Pyramid Schemes - Illegal

At the fourth or the fifth position, the odds of getting a single gift in return after even sending one seems bleak.Moreover, the pyramid schemes are illegal and one may end up being fined or imprisoned since the federal government and several states as per the laws are against these types of schemes.

In order to avoid this type of scam one should be aware that anyone offering large return on any investment would be duping you. You should bear in mind that one cannot get something for nothing even if the idea sounds appealing. Should a person receive a message from a friend on Facebook stating that they have won $30,000 lottery on Facebook, they need to be careful and alert.

If a friend informs that they have won some money and you too can win the same, the best thing to be done is to call or email the person and get the facts from them. Avoid sending money to someone promising to get money or a prize back. This is known as `advanced fee’ scam which never ends well. One should avoid wiring money to anyone since once the money is wired; there is no hope of getting it back.

Hackers Use Friend’s Facebook to Dupe

A similar incident had occurred to a woman in Nevada and to several others around the country. In the case of Nevada, a person by the name Theresa Paddock contacted a woman to inform her that she had won the lottery and to get hold of her money she had to wire $150 for insurance coverage together with other fees.

The woman did so but did not get her winning amount. On the contrary an unknown man began contacting her, trying to extract more money. The same scam occurred in Indiana to a woman who in this case wiredan amount of $850 and was then asked to send more to get an even bigger prize. The hackers had taken over her friends’ Facebook page and utilised their relationship in order to dupe her. The victims in both the cases will, in no way tend to get their money back.

A Row Bot that Loves Dirty Water

Row-bot/Robot Feeds on Rich Organic Matter in Dirty Water

Swimming in the sea or a pool of polluted water could be unsafe though aquatic organism like water boatman would need the nutrients in polluted water to feed on. Researchers at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory – BRL have been motivation by the water beetles and other swimming insects and have developed the Row-bot, a type or a robot which tends to thrive in dirty water.

The Row-bot imitates the way the water boatman move and the way which it tends to feed on rich organic matter in the dirty water in which it swims. The purpose of the Row-bot project is focused to develop an autonomous swimming robot which is capable of operating indefinitely in remote unstructured areas by huntingits energy from the environment. When it tends to get hungry, the Row-bot opens it soft robotic mouth and rows forward to fill its microbial fuel cell – MFC, stomach with nutrient rich dirty water.

Thereafter it tends to close its mouth and the nutrients are gradually digested. The MFC stomach utilises the bio-degradation of organic substanceto generate electricity using bio-inspired mechanisms. When it has been recharged its electrical energy stores, the Row-bot then rows off to another new area for another drink of dirty water.

Row-bot – Environmental Clean-up Operation of Contaminants

The Row-bot had been developed at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory in collaboration between the University of Bristol and UWE Bristol by PhD student, Hemma Philamore together with her PhD supervisors, Professor Jonathan Rossiter from the University of Bristol’s Department of Engineering Mathematics and Professor Ioannis Ieropoulos from the Bristol Bio-Energy Centre at the University of the West of England. Professor of Robotics at the University of Bristol and BRL, Jonathan Rossiter informed that the work shows a vital step in the progress of autonomous robots with the potential of long-term self-power. Several of the robots tend to need re-charging or refuelling and often need human assistance.

A PhD student, Hemma Philamore stated that they anticipate Row-bot to be used in environmental clean-up operations of contaminants like oil spills as well as harmful algal bloom and also in long term autonomous environmental monitoring of harmful environments, for instance those which were hit by natural as well as man-made disasters.

Combination of Two Systems – Bio-Inspired Energy Source/Bio-Inspired Actuation

The sample robot combines two systems namely a bio-inspired energy source and bio-inspired actuation. While the first subsystem portrays the power generations potential of the robot, the second duplicate system begins the refuelling process, moving the robot with an energy needed which is less than the energy that is generated by the first system.

 This has been achieved by feeding of the chemical energy contained in its surrounding liquid to support microbial metabolism within the MFC.Imitating the water boatman’s mechanism of feeding that works on a broad beaklike mouth to sweep in the liquid as well as suspended particulate matter, the Row-bot tends to feed its MFC stomach on opening and closing the mouth life orifice at each end of the MFC by bending of a flexible acetate envelope structure.

On utilising both of these systems, the robot tends to be totally independent in the water with the provision of enough energy available in the liquid.

YouTube Translation Tools Aim to Globalise Content

YouTubes – Set of Tools to Translate Titles/Description of Videos

In an attempt of expanding its global reach, YouTube had recentlyannounced a set of latest tools in order to translate the titles and the descriptions of its massive trove of videos in multiple languages. YouTube has estimated that over 80% of its videos are viewed outside the United States and over 60% of YouTube channels’ views are from outside the country of its origin.

However, according to Vladimir Vuskovic, product manager for YouTube Globalisation, numerous videos that may have been significant to viewers have not been viewed since the search process has been limited to a single language.

Vuskovic state that YouTube, with its new tools, provides the potential for titles as well as description of the videos on its site to be displayed in multiple languages that helps with the discovery of content. YouTube has been offering three new services and those who tend to make videos could translate their titles and description together with the subtitles for videos which contain them into 76 languages inclusive of French, Spanish and Mandarin. Besides this vendors who provide translation services to Google Play developers could do the translation which according to YouTube includes translation into 57 languages.

Translation Through Crowdsourcing

YouTube has stated that it would permit viewers to do the translating through crowdsourcing wherein it would screen various answers in determining the precise translation. It informed that it potentially enabled translation into any language. Video Partnerships Manager at Vice, Jordan DeBor states that the new features have the capabilities to change fundamentally the way Vice tends to distribute its YouTube content on a global scale.

 By eliminating the language barrier YouTube offers the opportunity of building new audience in local markets expanding from its existing ones’. With the support of more than 20,000 volunteer translators, TED, an important YouTube partner has experimented with crowd-sourced translations through thousands of video in over hundred languages.

They had joined the new translation tools pilot a few months back and have combined translated caption with translated titles with description for video in 11 languages for the first time.This gave rise to major growth in localized watch-time and the channel’s localized watch-time increased from 20% to 35% generally and in some cases up to 60%.

Options Important for Emerging Artists/Brands

Kristin Windbigler, Director of TED’s Open Translation Project mentioned that for over five years they have been working to remove the barrier of language from TED’s mission in extending ideas all over the world. YouTube, as one of the most important partners has pushed the boundaries in making the videos accessible as well as discoverable for viewers across the globe.

According to the company, the website Vice, in a test, translated videos in Spanish and Portuguese and observed viewing time had increase over 100%. TED director of global distribution, Deron Triff, stated that the company uploaded around 60,000 translated videos on YouTube on a single day in June, with provision of access to viewers speaking Farsi, Turkish, Russian and Vietnamese beside various other languages.

Triff has mentioned that for small associations like TED, YouTube develops an on-ramp for them to the parts of the world where they would be unable to set up relationships. A social media specialist at Digipendent Media, Daniel Aguayo mentioned that the option seems important for emerging artists as well as brands though a major steps also towards growing YouTube’s general audience.

The Computer That Knows what you are Thinking

Emotion Reading Computers

We as humans have the advantage of masking our innermost feelings whenever the need arises. However, there could be a change now since the computers have been enhanced with not only at recognising faces but also in comprehending what could an individual be thinking in fact. Daniel McDuff has been working ona project where he has been creating emotion reading computers, at the Massachusetts Institute.

 This could ultimately lead to machines which may have emotional intelligence or even everyday objects that have the potential to empathise with our moods, like a mirror that knows how one may be feeling about the way you look, a fridge which could offer food that may match one’s state of mind or a car which may recognises when they are stressed.

The method adopted by Dr McDuff has been progressing through a basic webcam which tends to detect a range of different facial movement from frowning to smiling. It then translates into seven of the most normally recognised emotional states namely, sadness, amusement, surprise, fear, joy, disgust and contempt.

The computer learns from a large database of four million video from volunteers as well as paid-for market researchers, in different emotional states and the procedures are regularly updated as well as tested against real world situations

Integrate Voice Analysis& Other Means of Physical Well being

The next step is to integrate the voice analysis and other means of physical wellbeing like the heart rate and the hand gestures. So far the data has revealed that there are huge differences in emotional responses among men and women and in the various age groups and demographics.

Dr McDuff informed BBC that there are significant differences in various countries in the way people tend to express themselves. He further added that `in collectivist cultures where the family group seems more important, people are expressive in small groups while in more individualistic cultures namely Western Europe, the stress is on building relationships with strangers and people get more positive around people who they are less familiar with’.

Besides this, he also observed that when people tend to mask their real feelings, the computer is capable in recognizing subtle difference. He states that if they are frustrated, they will often smile, however, that smile would be different from the smile when one is genuinely amused.

For Online Education

Another field which the system could be utilised is for the purpose of online education where it could provide advice to tutors on how students seem to be managing and understanding the work. The system which Dr McDuff together with his team has been researching had been tested with the BBC’s audience measurement group offering perceptions to the response to different shows.

 He revealed that among those tested was a prime time comedy show which went down differently with the different demographics, ethnicities and ages. He now intends to use the technology for mental health in partnership with Affectiva, a MIT by-product for which he is the research director.

He states that it could be scary to imagine that someone could measure one’s emotions without the person realising it and hence it could be important to think about the social impact of such technology. It is essential that everyone actively decides to share their data.

 Affective computing seems to be a growing area and companies like Creative Virtual are creating tools for customer service technology which enables a computer to tell the difference between a customer who seems to be upset and the one who is not.

Study-Words can Deceive, But Tone of Voice Cannot

Computer System Can Predict – Improved/Worsened Relationship

New Computer system can now predict if you and your spouse would be having an improved or worsened relationship centred on the tone of voice which one may use while speaking to each other with an accuracy of almost 79%. The system, in fact had done a better job of predicting marital success of couples with serious matrimonial issues than description of the therapy sessions that were provided by relationship experts which were reported in a study on September 6, 2015, in Proceedings of Interspeech.

Hundreds of conversations from more than one hundred couples have been recorded by researchers that were taken at the time of marriage therapy session over two years and later tracked their marital status for five years.

Led by Shrikanth Narayanan and Panayiotis Georgiou of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, an interdisciplinary team, together with doctoral student Md Nasir and collaborator Brian Baucom of University of Utah, created a system which broke the recordings into acoustic features utilising speech-processing technique. These comprised of pitch, intensity, `jitter’ as well as shimmer besides several other things like tracking warbles in the voice which could specify moments of high emotion.

Voice Acoustic Features

Nasir mentioned that `what one says is not the only that tends to matter, it is very essential how it is said. The study confirms that it holds for a relationship of couple also’. The voice acoustic features takentogether provided the team’s program, a substitute for the subject’s communicative state and the changes to the state over the course of an individual therapy as well as across therapy sessions.

Significantly, the features were not scrutinized in isolation but the effect of one partner on the other and longitudinally over various therapy sessions was considered. Narayanan commented that it was not around studying the emotions but it was about studying the effect of what the partners says on one’s emotions.

Georgiou stated that looking at one instance on the behaviour of a couple limits their observational power. But observing at numerous points of time and looking at both individuals as well as the dynamics of dyad could be helpful in identifying courses of their relationship. At times it could for the best or at times they could be heading towards deterioration of relationship.

Behavioural Codes – Positive - Acceptance/Negative – Blame

Controlling of such method is to aid in identifying how domain experts could advise couples in a better manner in improving relationships, according to Georgiou. Baucom on his part commented that psychological practitioners as well as researchers have known for long that the way partners tend to talk and discuss issues has important implication with regards to the health of their relationships.

 But the absence of efficient and reliable tools for measuring important elements in those conversations seems to be a major impediment in their widespread clinical use. The findings signified a main step forward in making objective measurement of behaviour practical as well as feasible for couple therapists. Once it was modified, the program was later tested against behavioural analysis made by human experts who had studied the couples, behavioural codes namely, the positive qualities such as acceptance or negative qualities like blame.

Moreover the team also observed that studying voice directly instead of the expert created behavioural codes provided a much accurate sight on the future of the couple. Thereafter utilising behavioural signal procedure, a framework to understand human behavioural computationally, the team intends to use language, for instance spoken words and nonverbal information like body language in cultivating the prediction of how effective would the treatment be.

Yahoo Stops Some Users Accessing Emails in Ad-Blockers Row

Yahoo – Stopped Users from Accessing Emails, Using Ad-Blocking Software

Yahoo has confirmed that it has stopped some of it customers from accessing their email if they tend to be using ad-blocking software in their browser. Some of the users in the US had reported that Yahoo mail had been displaying message requesting them to disable their ad-blocker prior to accessing their inbox.

A Yahoo spokesperson has commented that `at Yahoo, they are constantly developing and testing new product experiences. Members from an ad-blocking forum had informed that they had managed to evade the limit already. It is said that ad-blocking has turned out to be controversial and the technology companies have responded in various ways.

Apple had updated its mobile operating system iOS, in September to enable third party ad-blocker to be installed though they did not remove Apple’s own ads that serve up in apps. On the other hand Google introduced a paid subscription version of YouTube enabling viewers to remove ads for a monthly fee, on the video streaming site.

Ad-blocking advocates state that disabling advertisements could increase the battery life of smartphone as well as reduce the usage of mobile data. It could also avert users from being tracked by advertisers online as well as protect devices from malware which could be served up when an advertising network tends to get compromised.

Test – A New Product Experience

Yahoo had acknowledged adverts on its homepage in 2014 that it had been infected with malware for four days. However, the company presently tends to rely on advertising to earn revenue from its Yahoo Mail service that is available for use, free of cost.

Yahoo has not disclosed how long the test would be running or if it would ultimately roll out the new feature to its Yahoo Mail users. It was observed that they were unable to access Yahoo Mail through Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox when the browser had installed the ad-blocking extension. As per BBC, Yahoo states that it is progressing the testing which is a new product experience focused for users in the U.S.

Though it is unknown how many users tend to get affected by this test, Yahoo has informed that this test will be running for a small number of Yahoo Mail users in the USA. Few users of USA had reported that a message in Yahoo Mail has asked them to turn off their ad blocker in order to access their inbox.

Users Barred from Viewing the Site

A member on an ad-blocking forum had informed that they have found a way of bypassing the restriction of Yahoo and in September, internet users trying to access the Washington Post’s website on using the software noticed that they were barred from viewing the site and were navigated to a subscription page and requested to enter their email address in order to unlock the content they intended to read.

This is about a significant discussion regarding customer choice; controls and the level of ads which customers tend to receive. This change was met with contempt by the users most of whom were keen to stop utilising the service and accepting its services however does not mean that users need to agree to the statement – Yahoo may include advertisements and these advertisements seems necessary for Yahoo to deliver the Yahoo Services.

You Can Now Use Android Apps without Downloading Them

Google – Use Apps without Download

Google is experimenting with tech that enables you to use apps without downloading them. It was Google’s plan of keeping its crown with regards to mobile search. Earlier searching for the Web would be sitting in front of a desktop computer and editing words in the search box at Google.com.

But now, with the enhancement in technology, individual open a smartphones app, instead of going to Google. However Google intends to change it and the Mountain View, California, company desires to extend its search dominance to smartphones by offering an option of using apps without the need of downloading them to your phone.

Should a user search for a product for instance hotel room by utilising Google’s app on a smartphone powered by the company’s Android software, it displays the search results from across the web as usual. However there would also be some details from apps like Hotel Tonight, the San Francisco-based app for booking last minute rooms. If the button is tapped, Google displays the app and the user could book a room, even though the same is not installed on their phone.

Streaming Video to Phone via Internet

For those who have been waiting for a long length of time between tapping `install’ and then able to open an app on the phone, it seems thrilling. The trick is that the company has been streaming a video to your phone via the Internet while the apps run in a computer several miles away.Presently Google is only capable of doing that with nine apps namely Hotel Tonight, Daily Horoscope, My Horoscope, New York Subway, Weather, Visual Anatomy Free, Useful Knots, restaurant finder Gormey and national parks guide Chimani. Lead engineer for Google’s mobile search and app indexing team, Rajan Patel commented that they feel like it is their role to ensure they have answers, in mobile often which are in apps.

This move for consumers would mean cutting out time and the trouble it involves in downloading an app and then installing it on the phone. One could utilise an app without the need of it occupying space on the device.For Google it could be revolution of making mobile app less applicable, keeping the search giant at the top for smartphone users. Though Google’s desktop search engine seems to be the most successful in the world, it is not as unattainable on Smartphones.

Deep Linking Technology

However, this is not the only option Google is making attempts in trying to enhance mobilesearch. Google, in April had altered the way of organizing all websites, ranking those which show better on smartphones and the company had been working in making information from within the apps much more searchable on Google. This technology is known as deep linking.

The company had also informed that it has now over 100 billion links to information from apps. Due to the technology which it had acquired last year from a start-up known as Agawi, Google also has the capability of streaming these apps. Google is not actually giving access to the app, technically.

According to a spokeswoman, it seems like one is in the program, though the company is in fact streaming you a high-resolution video which can be tapped and scrolled just as a normal app. The difference between an installed app and the Google version is that a banner runs through the bottom of the screen which says `App streamed by Google.

Google has mentioned that the new app feature would ultimately come to Apple’s iPhones though has refrained to say when it would come up.

The World's Most Powerful Supercomputer

Tianhe-2 Supercomputer of China – World’s Most Powerful System

According to a biannual Top500 list of supercomputers, Tianhe-2 supercomputer of China has maintained its place as the most powerful system in the world for the sixth consecutive time. The Top500 list is considered to be one of the most authoritative rankings of the world’s supercomputers and has been compiled on the basis of the performance of the machines on the Linpack benchmark by experts from Germany and the US.

Tiahne-2 also known as the Milky Way-2 having a performance of 33.86 petaflops per second –Pflop/s had been invented by China’s National University of Defence Technology and organized at the National Supercomputer Centre in Guangzhou. It has held the title since June 2013.

According to the official media report, the Chinese system is said to be around twice as fast as the next on the list, Titan of the US Department of Energy that has a performance of 17.59 Pflop/s. In the latest edition of the closely watched list, no changes have come up regarding the ranking of the world’s top 5 supercomputers since June 2013.

China – Great Leap to 109 Systems

As per professor of the University of Tennessee and editor of the report, Jack Dongarra stated in an email to state-run Xinhua news agency that the top five computers are very expensive and powerful and it would take another year before a new system tends to enter the top five.From July 2015’s list some of the substantial changes to this list is the sharp decline in the number of systems in the US now at 201. It has been reported that in July, this is down from 231 and seems to be the lowest number of systems that have been connected in the US since the list had begun in 1993.

 In comparison, China had made a great leap to 109 systems. Dongarra had stated that China received a big enhancement from Sugon, Lenovo and Inspur. The large number of submissions had come from Sugon. As per the Top500 statement, Sugon had outdone IBM in the system category with 49 systems and Lenovo that had acquired IBM’s x86 server business last year had 25 systems in the list, up from three systems on the list of July 2015. Besides this, some systems which were earlier listed as IBM have now been labelled as IBM/Lenovo and Lenovo/IBM.

China Carving Bigger Share as Manufacturer

The third vendor from China, Inspur, now has about 15 systems on the list. The statement mentioned that China is carving out a bigger share as a manufacturer of great performance computer together with manifold Chinese manufacturers being very active in this arena.

Overall HP tends to lead the list with 156 systems followed by Cray with 69 systems with China’s Sugan with 49 systems. However, US intend to ultimately lead the world in supercomputer. Last fall IBM, had indicated that it would develop two new supercomputers named Summit and Sierra, for the Energy Department which would be still more powerful than China’s Tianhe-2 supercomputer but the same would not be ready till 2017.

President Obama had signed an executive order calling for the U.S. in July to develop the world’s most powerful supercomputer under the National Strategic Computing Initiative. The Energy Department as well as the National Science Foundation would be leading the push. There seems to be no deadline for the supercomputer’s completion though initiative members are expected to give yearly updates on its progress for the next five years.

Microsoft Presses Pause on Tool for Porting Android Apps to Windows 10

Microsoft to Introduce Project Astoria Tool

Microsoft intends to introduce a tool in bringing about apps that were initially written for Android to its own Windows 10. Project Astoria, the tool, had been created to inspire programmers who wrote apps for devices, driven by Google’s mobile software to bring these apps to Microsoft’s latest operating system. Windows is the foundation software for most of the PCs.

However Microsoft had been struggling to extend it to phone as well as tablets where the software of Apple and Google tends to dominate. As for Microsoft, it seems that the progress on the tool is not going as planned and the company has refrained from commenting if Astoria has been cancelled or that it would still be released.

According to Microsoft spokeswomen it was said that they are committed in offering developers several options in bringing their apps to the Windows Platform and the Astoria bridge is not yet ready. But other tools tend to provide great options for the developers. It is important for Microsoft that Windows 10 is successful after its predecessor. Windows 8 was extensively rejected.

Astoria – Deliver Set of Patterns/Concrete Setup

A deep and broad selection of Windows 10 app could be essential for success in order that users could fulfil their requirements for communication, work and entertainment and Microsoft could extend Window’s financial success.

The earlier smartphone software of Microsoft had fought to obtain traction partially owing to an absence of apps when compared to Apple’s iOS as well as Google’s Android. Astoria was intended to be the principal part of the plan in drawing important app developers to Windows. Project Astoria tends to deliver a set of patterns and a concrete setup in creating and consuming data services by utilising web technologies.


Data has been increasingly available in the web and the production of new data driven applications like mashups evidently specifies that the availability of standalone data independent of user interface is altering the way systems tend to be built as well as the way data can be leveraged.

The future of Astoria could be doubtful, but Microsoft has released two of its related tools, namely `Islandwood’, which enables developers to bring apps for Apple’s iOS software to Windows 10 and `Westminister’, that does the same for apps created for the Web.

An Emulator/Softer Layer

The company has mentioned that Microsoft also intends to release a similar tool, to bring the older-style Windows app to Windows 10. According to the Windows Central blogs it is said that some clues hinted at fading interest for Astoria and the project’s forum died down in September with the questions of developers remaining unanswered by Microsoft.

 Moreover, Microsoft uncovered Astoria out of latest test versions of Windows 10 for the mobile devices. In Microsoft’s world, programmers could write their apps for Windows 10 in the first place, directly. The foremost issue of Astoria is that it is efficiently an emulator, a softer layer which enables programs written for one software basis run on another. However emulation means that an app’s styling does not seem to fit well in the new environment or take benefit of its features.

Microsoft had stated that `developers could write apps which run on all Windows 10 devices and take advantage of native Windows features and that they are grateful to the feedback for the development community and are looking forward to support them as they tend to develop apps for Windows 10’.

Snapdragon 820 will Change Smartphones in 2016

Qualcomm’s New Snapdragon 820 – Fastest Performance Chip

Qualcommhas been leading the smartphone processor manufacturer for several years and the company has played an important role in altering the façade of the industry. Recently Qualcomm had launched the new Snapdragon 820 and its high end smartphone processor is evidently the fastest performance chip ever developed. After a full year of instabilities for the company, this new sort of processor has all new designs in delivering the performance leap which Android enthusiast would prefer.

Though the Snapdragon 810 was initially capable, the 820 have benefits which could ease some of the anxieties that any enthusiast has. Foremost is that the chip has a new custom architecture and abandons the `off-the-shelf’ cores of the 810. Moreover, it has adequate power saving and task off-loading features which Qualcomm tends to extend battery life as well as performance.

The processor of Qualcomm’s new 64-bit Kryo cores on-board, which is a custom-design is said to be holistically integrated with the rest of the SoC in order to give the best in heterogeneous computing.Besides this the Kryo cores tends to reach clock-speeds of 2.2 GHz and the CPU offers twice the peak performance of the Snapdragon 810 with twice the battery efficiency also, according to Qualcomm.

Hexagon Digital Signal Processor – Offload Tasks/Less Power

The latest CPU is being developed based on the latest 14nm FinFET process and should prove to be advantageous over larger process size such as those in most of the 2015 flagship chipsets. Qualcomm is ensuring that the Snapdragon 820 is capable of handling tasks professionally through intelligent task distribution and their new Symphony System Manager certifies that you can run the right task on the appropriate processor.

 However, though some SoCs limit such system management to only CPU cores. Symphony could handle the complete SoC in different alignments to locate the competent variation of load allocation. According to Qualcomm, specialized cores are selected to get the task done as fast as possible. With their updated Hexagon 680 DSP in place, together with battery savings it could be more encouraging that earlier. The Hexagon Digital Signal Processor tends to offload tasks which could be done quickly on this processing unit, consuming less power than the CPU.

New Image Technology – Enhanced Adaptive Brightness/Reduced Noise

It will be assigned with sensor processing tasks and as a low power island just like the other devices provided earlier. With a sensor assisted processor together with their new image processing technology it would bring about efficiency in the field of smartphone practise which could be quite substantial drainers. Regarding the image technology, the Snapdragon 820 claims the capability of intelligently categorizing objects in images, or images in various classifications based on the context.

Its Spectra Image Sensor Processor – 14-bit dual-ISP, attached with Snapdragon Scene Detect, tends to achieve deep learning technology in improvement as it learns with more data. Qualcomm states that their technology could provide enhanced adaptive brightness together with reduced noise.

Besides this, one may also perceive drops in HDR as well as motion artifacts. Overall, the Snapdragon 820 seems to be a fanciful chip and is claimed that it passes the thermal requirements from OEMs. As they have smartly called their new design `Kyro’ – wherein `Cyro’ is defined as involving cold, they not only need to live up to their promises but also to the name.

Three Entrepreneurial Strategies That Can Facilitate Professional Success

One of the most deeply satisfying experiences an individual can have is the sense of maintaining both personal and professional success. Being an entrepreneur is an effective way to attain this type of experience because it allows you to generate wealth and build a business in a manner that is conducive to your personal values and preferences. However, many entrepreneurs find that they are unable to get their business ventures off the ground due to a lack of information or resources. Nevertheless, using some or all of the following strategies can help you attain the professional success you're looking for:

1. Get Into Multi-Level Marketing.

Multi-level marketing is an entrepreneurial strategy that you can employ to attain professional success. The basic business schema involves you selling one or several products and services. You will generate income based on your sales. Additionally, you'll recruit business partners who will also sell the company's products and services. You'll receive a percentage of their sales. As you start looking for the ideal multi-level marketing company to work with, consider the professionals of ACN Inc. This company has extensive industry experience and a passion for helping people realize their professional dreams.

2. Networking.

If you're serious about being successful as an entrepreneur, networking is a must. To ensure that you optimize your sphere of influence and enhance your conversion rates, you need to constantly be coming in contact with new people. There are numerous networking events you can attend to realize this objective, some of which include career fairs, conferences, and lectures.

3. Investing.

Another strategy that you should consider as you seek to realize your entrepreneurial vision is investing. Investing is a great way to generate passive income, and you can use the money you create to support your budding business. Many people don't take time to look into investment opportunities because they aren't familiar with this facet of finance. Yet by simply hiring a reputable investor, you can attain the information and professional assistance necessary to make sound, perpetually profitable investing decisions.

Conclusion 

When you're ready to attain a high level of entrepreneurial success, it's important to find and implement proven business principles that will help you attain the great results you want. To really get your company moving forward, consider implementing one or all three of the helpful business strategies you see outlined above. After a while, you'll likely find that your entrepreneurial dreams start coming true!

Chrome for Android vulnerability Discovered by Researcher

Chinese Researcher Discovered Susceptibilities in Android Operating System

Google, over the past few months had been busy crushing security susceptibilities in its prevalent Android mobile operating system, though several tends to remain undiscovered and some could be easily misused. Guang Gong, a Chinese researcher from Qihoo 360, demonstrated at MobilPwn2Own at the PacSec conference in Tokyo on how an Android device running the latest version of the operating system could be hijacked by exploiting JavaScript v8 vulnerability through Chrome browser.

 Gong observed JavaScript v8 susceptibility in Chrome for Android enabled him to install a random application on the affected device, a BMX Bike game in this case, without the need of user interaction. Dragos Ruiu, PacSec organizer had explained in a Google+ post. V8 is Google’s open source JavaScript engine and V8 is written in C++, used in Google Chrome which is the open source browser from Google.

Google security engineer on site had received the bug. Spotpedia had informed that `a Google engineer instantly got in touch with Gong after his presentation and rumours were on that the Chrome team had already got it fixed. Gong had commented on 9to5Google that the exploit was created by someone whose job was to find vulnerabilities and not a hacker with malicious intentions.

Vulnerability in JavaScript Engine in Chrome

As long as Chrome is utilised in navigating to a malicious site an attacker has set up, the device could be infected.This was demonstrated on a Google Project Fi Nexus 6 operating the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow build with all applications updated. The vulnerability was also demonstrated by the researcher which could provide an attacker with total control of the device and success of the exploitation does not need chaining in multiple susceptibilities.

Ruiu informs that this particular shot exploit had been exposed after three months of work, though the exact details on the security flaw had not been publicly known. The exploit had been tested on other devices too and worked on all of them, according to Ruiu.Considering that the vulnerability is in the JavaScript engine in Chrome, it is said to affect the entire Android version with the new version of the browser which is installed. Ruiu had announced through Twitter that the details on the vulnerability had been handed over to Chrome engineer at the conference.

Series of Critical Android Vulnerabilities Observed

However, unfortunately for Gong, his presentation at the conference did not gain him an immediate reward for his efforts though probably Google would reward him for the discovery of the vulnerability, since the company has a bug bounty program set up for Chrome and Chrome OS. According to The Register, Ruiu would fly Gong to the CanSecWest security conference next year.

Google would most probably handle this vulnerability soon, even though the details on the exploit have not been made public so far. A series of critical Android vulnerabilities have been discovered by security researchers this year comprising of the Stagefright flaw which has affected almost a billion devices and a Stagefright2issue alleged to have affected devices running all Android version, began with the initial release.

Zano Mini-Drone Project Shut Down by Torquing

Zano Mini-Drone Shut Down

The Zano mini-drone project, one of Europe’s most successful Kickstarter has been shut down by the company. Torquing Group had released a report to supporters of the project stating that it had decided to pursue a `creditors’ voluntary liquidation. The said project is said to be in distress inspite of raising over £2m. According to a message sent by Torquing, the creditors would be contacted by abankruptcyexpert.

The message states that on exploring all options known and after seeking professional advice, they have made the difficult decision to pursue a creditor’s voluntary liquidation. They have been greatly disappointed with the result of the Zano project and would like to take the opportunity of thanking all who supported them during the difficult period, particularly the loyal employees, whose commitment had exceeded all expectations.

Thousands of individuals who had invested in the project through Kickstarter would not be receiving the device for which they had paid to support.According to a comment left on a Zano forum, Ivan Reedman, chief executive of Torquing had resigned recently owing to personal health issues and conflicting differences. This was followed by another hitch in June when Torquing had missed a deadline in distributing drones to supporters waiting for the product.

Europe’s Most Successful Kickstarter Campaign Collapse

Zano drones were in production already and were created to be controlled through a smartphone app. Moreover, the device would also be capable of following users as they moved around outdoors but the function was not working completely when BBC had visited Torquing in August.

One of the supporters had informed BBC that he had invested around £164 in November 2014, in Zano and till a few weeks ago they had been receiving emails stating that the first 7,000 Zanos were almost ready to be dispatched.

He further commented that it was unfortunate to see Europe’s most successful Kickstarter campaign collapse so dramatically, especially when it was nearing shipping. Sandro Ruch another supporter informed that he had invested a couple of hundred dollars and was disappointed with Torquing’s communication with supporters of the project in recent months. He informed BBC that it was the main thing and the main point which was upsetting was that it was a question of investor expectation management.

Social Networks – New Met with Dismay by Supporters

The news was met with dismay by the supporters on social networks and one supporter had written on the Zano Facebook page that he wanted his money back. User on the Kickstarter page for the project had added that being furious seems to be an understatement.

 It was expected to arrive in June and it is now almost six months later that the decision has come up. In one of the statement, Kickstarter had stated that creators on Kickstarter have a remarkable track record though there are no guarantees that a project would work out.

If a developer is unable to complete a project as pledged, their contract with supporters need them to bring the project to the best possible conclusion as mentioned in the Terms of Use. Torquing refrained from responding to request for their comment.

Facebook Launches Notify News App

Notify – Released By Facebook – News/Entertainment Stories

An app for iPhone usersknown as Notify has been released by Facebook that tends to collect news and entertainment stories in one regularly updated feed. Among the 70 organisation that would be providing stories to the app are CNN, Fox News and the Washington Post.

Those who intend to install the app can choose their own mix of sources which will post notification their feed. This competes openly with Twitter’s Moments and Apple’s News services that produce feeds of breaking stories. Facebook has mentioned in a blogpost that the feed of stories can be adapted on choosing from the various categories which comprise of movies, sport, music, news and celebrities.

Besides these, there are also categories for daily meditation exercises together with Getty picture library portraying iconic images from the same day in history. Presently the Notify service is only made available to iPhone users with Facebook account in the United States.

 It has not been mentioned by Facebook as to when or if the service is likely to be extended to the other areas of the world or other operating systems. Notification with regards to new articles had been seen on the lock screen of an iPhone and can be shard from that display.

Facebook – Jumping Off Point in the Digital Lives

Managing director of Analyst Company, Midia Research, Mark Mulligan, stated that the move made sense since Facebook had become the `jumping off point in the digital lives and the better a job it could do of this, the better it locks users in’.

He adds that it has seen standout success with spinning out Messenger and recognises that more touch points could develop with its users; the more it could create greater loyalty. Notify comes soon after Facebook had unveiled its Instant Articles service in May. This ought to hasten up delivery of off-site content by hosting it in its individual data centres.

Articles which have been featured on the service are from BuzzFeed, National Geographicand the New York Times besides six other media organisations. Initially, Instant Articles is available only on iPhones but a test of Android version has already started.

A rival company which is identical known as the Accelerated Mobile Pages – AMP initiative had been launched by Google and several other web firms in October. The AMP tends to store slimmed down copies of stories from dozens of news organisation to permit them to load quickly on portable devices.

Useful to Publishers/Readers

Facebook, in its official blog post had described its stations of notifications for 11 paragraphs prior to mentioning that `if you want to see more’ than the sentence or two on your lock screen, you could tap the notification to load it (around eight seconds) inside an in-app browser or one could just sit back and rely on this evolving medium to get updates.

It is likely that Notify seems like an experiment and Facebook would be utilising what it learns to inform the way it tends to build notifications in the Flagship Facebook app. Moreover, it would also be more useful to publishers and readers to enable users to subscribe to push notification from brands within Facebook of different levels of granularity.

This would help to separate those who desire to see everything from a publisher and from those who only prefer top stories and breaking news. Notify would perhaps help Facebook there. Meanwhile, should the user be in need of more push notifications on the phone, there are several publishers who would be ready to oblige.

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