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.



Wednesday 12 July 2017

iPhone 8 to ditch fingerprint sensor for face scanner, reports say

iPhone 8

iPhone 8 – Refurbished Security System

The upcoming iPhone 8 of Apple would be featuring a refurbished security system wherein the users can unlock the device by utilising their face instead of their fingerprints. The 10th anniversary of iPhones is estimated in having a radical redesign that would comprise of a security system which will scan the faces of the users in order to check who could be using the device.

As per Bloomberg, it is said that the 3D scanning scheme would be replacing the Touch ID as a means of verifying payments, log in to apps as well as in unlocking the phone. It could function at various angles and hence the iPhone has the tendency of getting unlocked by merely looking at it, if the same is flat on the table and also held up right. It has been reported that the scanning system has been designed for the purpose of speed and precision and can scan the face of the user and unlock the device within a few hundred milliseconds.

Since it tends to analyse 3D instead of 2D images, it is likely to be capable of differentiating between a persons’ face and an image of the person. Presently available in Galaxy S8 of Samsung in strengthening the security of the device, Apple could also utilise the eye scanning technology.

Face Scanning Technology

Bloomberg had reported that the face scanning technology could secure more than the Touch ID, first released in 2013 on the iPhone S5 since it tends to draw on more identifiers. Apple has claimed that its fingerprint scanner tends to have only a 1 in 50,000 chance of being unlocked by a stranger’s fingerprint. According to an analyst having reliable track record, Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 8 is said to feature an edge-to-edge OLED screen having the maximum screen-to-body ratio than any smartphone prevailing at the moment.

Apple would probably remove the Home button as well as the Touch ID scanner in order to make provision for the display. Kuo has also predicted that Apple would be releasing three new phones in September, namely the iPhone 8, iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus. The iPhone 8 would be featuring the most vivid redesign among the three, having a 5.2-inch size screen retained in a device which would be the same size as the iPhone 7. Besides that it would also have less colour options and will be available with a glass front with steel edges towards the back.

New Chip Dedicated to Processing Artificial Intelligence

A well-linked Apple blogger, John Gruber had mentioned that the top iPhone could be named as `iPhone Pro’ recommending that the cost could be $1,500 or higher. The remaining two devices would be featuring LCD screens and will be available in sizes of 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch. Like the present iPhone 7, these devices would probably have a Home button together with Touch ID.

It is also said that the three phones would be having a Lightning port together with an embedded USB-C equipped with storage of 64GB or 256GB, if the predictions of Kuo tends to be accurate. Moreover they would be available with a new chip that is dedicated to processing artificial intelligence and the same is being verified presently.

New Tool Offers Snapshots of Neuron Activity


Get to see the neuron activity with a snapshot taking tool

Scientists have always wondered how the human brain works and this has led to various huge budget researches. A number of cognitive processes take place within few seconds or minutes with the help highly efficient and fast paced neuron activity in the brain. It was a dream of the neuroscientists to find some way to capture and study how the neurons works in tandem to successfully perform wide variety of tasks within the shortest amount of time. A team of scientists has just built such tool which is capable of taking snapshots of the neuron activity and this feat is regarded nothing than scientific marvel.

Team behind the development of snapshot tool

A team of researchers from MIT and Stanford University has come up a noble solution to map the activity of the neurons in the brain. They had developed a smart and influential way of labeling the neurons as they turn active which in turn helps in creating a snapshot of the activity in real time. Their approach has been applauded by many as offers new exciting insights into the core functioning of the neurons. It has found to be extremely precise and capable than the currently used cell labeling techniques as it is helps in capturing the activity performed by the neurons over a time, hours or even days.

FLARE is the new age for labelling neuron activity

Researchers developed a technique called FLARE which they demonstrated on the mice to showcase how the neuron activity is mapped by this tool. Herein a red fluorescent protein which is also known as mCherry present in the motor cortex of the mice is turned as they started running on the treadmill. The future prospects of this tool are immense as it can be used for the cell belling in the light-sensitive proteins known as DREADDS. This will in turn allow the neurons to be controlled effectively in the small molecule drugs in future. The best thing about this tool is that its component has the potential to be delivered using the viral vectors which enhances the overall scope of its application.

Understanding the neuron activity using the snapshots by careful labelling is being seen as the first step towards the future where scientists will be able to manipulate multiple set of the neurons. This will allow them to perform specific set of tasks which was impossible for a really long time. An example will help in illustrating this point, using this technology researchers will be able to investigate the way in which brain during quick decision making, they will be able to find the strong emotions associated with it as well as helps I determining the behaviour which will be appropriate for specific situation.

FLARE will be extremely useful in studying as well as treating various diseases in future which even includes the Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists will be able to employ this tool to identify the diseased neuron and treat them specifically so a patient left with the healthy neurons only.

Tuesday 11 July 2017

Intel working on new chips to compete with NVIDIA GPUs

intel

Intel & NVIDIA – Combat for Turf


The battle between Intel and NVIDIA seems to have been locked in new combat for turf which is the booming data centre market and the core of this conflict is the technology which is changing the world- Artificial Intelligence. – AI. The revenue of NVIDIA in the recent quarter ended April 30, had augmented by 48% touching $1.94 billion in comparison to earlier year.

They had received a big revenue crash from its Data centre business that had recorded $409 million revenue in the first quarter of this fiscal, 186% up, year-on-year, due to the exponential increase in the spike in demand for specific type of microprocessor known as Graphic Processing Unit – GPU, prepared by NVIDIA. Most of the huge technology companies such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, IBM as well as Alibaba have installed the best Tesla GPUs of NVIDIA to control their data centres to perform machine learning in analysing data collected from the cloud and gain awareness.

The MD of NVIDIA, Vishal Dhupar, had commented that they had seen the PC era that had been followed by the mobile era and now envisage the emergence of the AI era. Once viewed only as a gaming technology, GPU are now making inroads in data centres driving initiatives around machine learning- ML together with artificial intelligence – AI.

Data Centres – Storehouses of Huge Volumes of Data


Data centres are said to be storehouses of huge volumes of data that tends to connect the compute power of GPUs in order to make sense of huge repository of data. The arrival of GPUs have assisted in redefining the concept of systems designs for several of the high-performance application in the commercial and the non-commercial sectors of the market, according to Rajnish Arora, VP of enterprise Computing Research, IDC. Could it mean that Intel would be losing market share in the data centre space?

Arora had stated that they do not believe that Intel in losing share of the server CPU market to NVIDIA. The numbers evidently determine that Intelseemed to have consolidated its presence and market share in the server market. Presently Intel CPUs power data centres all across the globe and tends to revel in near control accounting for 95.7% of the entire server shipped in 2016.Moreover it is also betting big on AI and has financed greatly in start-ups that have assisted in building AI together with High-Performance Computing –HPC competences in its upcoming chips

Knights Mill/Knights Crest


Intel had bought Altera in 2015, for $16.7 billion, which was a company making programmable devices that could be optimised for AI and ML. It had gone ahead in August and had bought deep learning start-up Nervana Systems to strengthen AI specific solutions. The new chips called `Knights Mill’ will be sold later this year by Intel to address the growing Machine Learning – ML, market.

Moreover it is also working on `Knights Crest’ chips that will manage deep neural networks which is a component of deep learning – DL.A fellow at Intel Labs, Pradeep Dubey had stated that `competition has always been around and they are optimizing their chips for machine learning as well as deep learning applications since this is a big opportunity for them. There are also four new processors which will be released this year’. These products would be competing against NVIDIA GPU in the data centre market.

Can You Hear Me Now?

 

Lombard - Split Second Act from Ear to Brain –

It has been observed that humans as well as animals while trying to be heard over sound tend to raise their voices. It is said to be a split-second act from the ear to the brain for vocalization. The first to measure how fast it tends to occur in bats – 30 milliseconds, are researchers from Johns Hopkins University. This is 10 times quicker than the blink of an eye, a record for audio vocal response.

 Since this deed is known as the Lombard, its effect tends to take place very fast; the researchers were capable of solving a long overdue mystery considering the neural mechanism behind it. Recently in a paper publishing in the journal `Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’, they concluded that it could be a fundamental temporal reflex instead of a deeper, thinking behaviour as presumed earlier, which would be time consuming in processing.

The discoveries shedding light on the foundations of human speech control has also disclosed how species as diverse as fish, animals, and frogs together with humans tend to share the ability to be head over the fight. Co-author Ninad Kothari, a graduate student in Psychological and Brain Sciences at Johns Hopkins stated that scientist have been speculating for a century that, could there be a common auditory process in explaining how this phenomenon occurred in fish to frogs to birds to human species with wildly various hearing systems and they had resolved this question.

Lombard Effect

The new statistics could lead to improved treatment for diseases and the Lombard effect could be intensified like Parkinson’s disease as well as support in building assistive medical devices. Studies conducted on bats, animals which tend to depend on sonar-like echolocation, releasing sounds and listening for echoes in order to sense, track and catch prey, had been carried out by the researchers.

In contrast to humans, where the vocalization tends to be reasonably long and slow, bats seems to be perfect for such sensorimotor study since their extraordinary frequency chirps, unnoticeable to the human ear are said to be quick and accurate enabling the researchers to test the parameters of a mammalian brain.

While tracking an insect moving towards the animal on a tether, the team had trained big brown bats to stay balanced on a platform and while the bat hunted for the insect, the researchers had recorded the vocalization of the bat with an array of 14 microphones. The researchers at time permitted the bat to hunt in silence while at other times they played bursts of interfering white noise at different intensities from a speaker which has been placed in front of the bat.

Brain Monitors Background Noise Continuously

It was observed that the white noise had interfered with the echolocation of the bat and had caused the bat to emit louder and louder chirps not different from two neighbours attempting in making a conversation, first over a lurid radio and then over the clamour of a lawn mower and thereafter over the blast of a passing fire engine.

When the noise had stopped, the bat would also stop shouting, to speak and voice at a more usual level. The researchers capable of creating a computational model for the Lombard effect which tends to be applicable to all vertebrate, reached a conclusion that the brain of a bat or a person or a fish tends to monitor continuously the background noise and is inclined to adjust the vocal levels whenever the need arises.

 At first the auditory system is said to notice the background noise. Then the auditory system measures the level of sound pressure and tends to adjust the vocalization amplitude in order to compensate and when the background noise stops, the sound pressure level dissipates as well as the level of vocalization.

Connection Between Hearing & Vocalizations

The author observed that this complete intricate process tends to take place in only 30 milliseconds. In terms of near-instantaneous brain reactions, they name this reflex as `remarkably short’. Lead author Jinhong Luo, a Johns Hopkins postdoctoral colleague had stated that `typically, we breathe every three to five seconds, our heart beats once per second and eye blinking takes one third of a second.

If we believe that eye blinking is fast, the speed at which an echolocating bat responds to ambient noise is truly shocking – 10 times quicker than we blink our eyes’. Scientists are of the belief that the Lombard effect seems to be much slower, around 150 to 175 milliseconds for humans.

Johns Hopkins professor of Psychological and Brian Sciences and Neuroscience and a co-author, Cynthia Moss commented that their study features echolocating bats as valuable animal models for understanding connections between hearing and vocalizations, including speech control in humans.

 The research has been supported by the national Science foundation IOS-1010193 and IOS-1460149, the Human Frontiers Science Program RGP0040 and LT000279/2016-L, the Office of Naval Research N00014-12-1-0339 and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research FA9550-14-1-0398

Monday 10 July 2017

Watching Cities Grow



Great Resolution Civilian Radar Satellite

Major cities in the world have been increasing and as per the estimates of United Nations, presently half of the population of the world tends to be living in cities. Towards 2050, the figure is expected to mount to two thirds of the population of the world.

 Professor for Signal Processing in Earth Observation at TUM, Xiaoxiang Zhu has informed that this growth has given rise to high demands on building and infrastructure safety since destruction events could threaten thousands of human lives at once. Zhu together with her team had established a method of early detection of probable dangers for instance; subterranean subsidence could cause the collapse of buildings, bridges, tunnels or even dams.

The new system tends to make it possible in noticing and visualizing changes as small as one millimetre each year. Data for the latest urban images tends to come from the German TerraSAR-X satellite which is one of the great resolution civilian radar satellite in the world. Since 2007, the satellite, circulating the earth at an altitude of approximately 500 kilometres tends to send microwave pulses to the earth and collects their echoes. Zhu has explained that at first these measurements were only in a two dimensional image with a resolution of one meter.

Generate Highly Accurate Four-Dimensional City Model

The TUM professor worked in partnership with the German Aerospace Centre – DLR and was also in charge of her own working team. The DLR tends to be in control of the operation and use of the satellite for scientific purposes.

The consequence of the images is restricted by the statistic that reflections from various objects which are at an equivalent distance from the satellite, will layover with each other and this effect tends to decrease the three-dimensional world to a two-dimensional image. Zhu had not only created her own algorithm that tends to make it possible in reconstructing the third and also fourth dimension, but also set a world record at the same time.

 Four dimensional point clouds having a density of three million points for each square kilometre had been reconstructed. This rich recovered information gave rise to generate highly accurate four-dimensional city models.

Radar Measurements to Reconstruct Urban Infrastructure

The trick was that the scientists utilised images taken from slightly various viewpoints. Every eleven days, the satellite tends to fly over the region of interest but its orbit position does not always seem to be precisely the same. The researchers utilise these 250 meter orbital variations in radar tomography to localize each point in three-dimensional space.

This system utilises similar principle used by computer tomography that tends to develop a three-dimensional view of the inner area of the human body. Various radar images taken from different viewpoints have been linked in creating a three-dimensional image. Zhu states that since this system processes only poor resolution in the third dimension, additional compressive sensing system which makes it possible for improving the resolution by 15 times is applied.

Scientists could utilise the radar dimensions to restructure urban organization on the surface of the earth with great accuracy, from TerraSAR-X, for instance the 3D shape of individual buildings. This system has already been utilised in generating highly precise 3D models in Berlin, Paris, Las Vegas and Washington DC.

How to use EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard?

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EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard features multiple wizards


  •  PC data recovery wizard: You can recover the files easily from hard drives, SSDs, or external hard drives from your PCs, laptops, and servers. This wizard can also help you to recover the formatted or lost partition. 
  •  Memory card recovery wizard: You can recover the data quickly from the corrupted or damaged memory card which includes SD card, memory stick, Micro Card, and CF card. 
  •  USB Drive Recovery Wizard: You can recover the files from the flash drive, USB drive, pen drive and other removable storage devices, where the files were lost due to formatting, accidental deletion, or virus attack. 
  •  Other digital device recovery wizard: You can recover the lost data easily from the digital devices like mobile phones, digital camera, music and video player, and iPod where the files were lost due to formatting, hardware crash, deleting and other reasons. 

Now save your data from different crisis

EaseUS Data Recovery Software allows you to restore data from many situations like hard drive corruption, formatting, deletion, and virus attack especially because of malware/ransomware attacks like WannaCry and Petya.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard can recover the files from below situations: 

  •  Formatted drives 
  •  Hard Drive failure 
  •  Accidental Deletion 
  •  System Crash 
  •  Virus Attack 
  •  RAW partition 
  • Partition Loss 
  •  And many more reasons 

Advantages of EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard


  •  You don't need to be experienced to use this wizard; you can easily recover the data just following step by step to recover everything back. So, this wizard is easy and safe wizard to retrieve the files from PCs, laptops, and servers. 
  •  After, you scan the data which needs to be recovered it gives you the clear preview picture about the data which are going to be retrieved, and it will get you the lost files back fast and in good quality. 

How to use the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard? 

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is the great file recovery software, where you can recover the files quickly and securely. You need to follow the below steps:

  •  You need to install this software and then select the location from where you want your files to be recovered. 
  •  Then, click on Scan, and it will show you the set of files which were lost. 
  •  Also, it has the option of deep scan where you can look for more lost files. 
  •  Once the scan is completed, you can preview the results of the scan. 
  •  Then, click on Recover the retrieve the lost files.