Introducing the New Firefox Quantum Web Browser with Double Speed

Amazingly faster performance with lower RAM usage is the key highlight of Firefox’s Quantum Browser

 
Once the web browser world was ruled by the Internet Explorer then came the Google Chrome which simply established itself as the numero uno with no major threats. Firefox is waging the war to dethrone the Chrome from the top position and to regain its dominance in the arena but it wouldn’t be a cake walk. Firefox is lying just at the bottom of the major popular web browsers by amounting just 9.1 market share and running right below the Microsoft Edge and Safari browser. Mozilla is looking forward to change its fortune with the launch new improved and faster Firefox Quantum browser.
Quantum translates into a fast browser

The Firefox Quantum browser comes with a built-in technology running on the 64 bit but at the same time it makes use of 30 per cent lesser RAM than other conventional browsers. In this way Firefox is competing right against the Chrome by offering better performance by lesser utilization of the map but this isn’t being communicated with the target audience with a massive PR strategy.

Firefox has went with a major overhaul for its browser by improvising not just the user interface but also the browser engines which power the search results. The new engine powering the Firefox Quantum browser comes has the ability to work in parallel manner which make sit amazingly faster than the earlier version of the web-browser due to the user of the latest Servo engine. Mozilla has even stated that this Servo engine will be able to offer support for the Mixed Reality features and functionalities which are expected to be next big thing in the technology world.
 

Bigger change for better browsing

 
This new browser has also lowered the user interface gradients to bring better visibility to the users. Microsoft Edge browser made a bad decision getting rid of the gradients which made it extremely difficult to navigate through the browser but that aren’t the case with Firefox’s browser. On the benchmark test this browser glides like a charm and comes with better numbers than all the browsers in the competition. The Speedometer benchmark gave this browser a score of mighty 70 compared to the 45 which the pre-Quantum Firefox browser came up with. Using the JetStream benchmark tests everyone was surprised with the 151 score achieved by the Firefox Quantum when compared to the Google Chrome’s 144 score.

All the benchmark testing and normal day-to-day usage suggests that this Firefox browser is way faster and snappier than other browser available in the market. Firefox has fixed all the bugs related to performance as well as responsiveness to enhance the overall user experience. Quantum browser certainly appears to be a major upgrade over the earlier version of the Firefox and it is right step towards bringing better browsing experience to the users. Now it all depends on the users whether they adopt the Firefox Quantum browser to increase its market share and give a stiff completion to the omnipotent domination of the Google Chrome.

AI Image Recognition Fooled By Single Pixel Change

Adversarial Model Images

According to research, computers can be misled into thinking that an image of a taxi can be a dog by only altering one pixel. These limits developed from the methods that Japanese function in tricking the extensively utilised AI-based image recognition system.

Several of the other scientists tend to now develop `adversarial’ model images to reveal the fragility of some kinds of recognition software. Experts have cautioned that there is no quick and easy means of fixing image recognition system of stopping them from being duped in this manner.

Su Jiawei together with colleagues at Kyushu University, in their research had made small alterations to plenty of the images which were then analysed by extensively utilised AI-based image recognition systems. All the systems that had been tested had been based on a kind of AI known as deep neural networks.

These systems usually tend to learn on being trained with plenty of various examples for the purpose of providing them with an intellect of how objects such as dogs and taxis tend to vary. It was observed by the researchers that altering one pixel in about 74% of the test images made the neural nets mistakenly label what they saw.

Designed – Pixel Based Attacks

A variety of pixel based attacks had been designed by Japanese researchers which had caught all the state-of-the-art image recognitions system that had been investigated. Mr Su from Kyushu leading the research had commented that as far as they were aware there was no data-set or network which is more robust than others.

 Several other research groups all over the world have been now developing `adversarial examples’ which tend to reveal the flaw of these systems according to Anish Athalye from the Massachusetts institute of Technology – MIT who has been dealing with this issue. A specimen made by Mr Athalye together with his team is a 3D printed turtle that one image classification system insists on labelling a rifle.

He informed BBC that more and more real world schemes have begun to incorporate neural networks and tends to be huge concern which these schemes could be possible to destabilize or attack utilising adversarial examples. He stated that though there had been no instances of malicious attacks in real life, the fact that these apparently smart schemes could be deceived with ease was a matter of concern.

Methods of Resisting Adversarial Exploitation

Web giants comprising of Facebook, Amazon as well as Google seems to be known for investigating methods of resisting adversarial exploitation. He stated that it is not some strange `corner case’ and it has been shown in their work that one can have a single object which steadily fools a network over viewpoints, even in the physical world.

He further added that the machine learning community do not tend to comprehend completely what seems to be going on with adversarial examples or why they seem to exist. Learning system established on neural network tends to involve creating links between large numbers of nodes such as nerve cells in a brain.

Analysis involves the network creating plenty of decision regarding what it tends to see and every decision should lead the network nearer to the accurate answer.

Google Introducing Certified Kubernetes

Since its launch three years back, Kubernetes has gained a lot of popularity over the years, with many vendors even developing their own offerings. What makes the Kubernetes software so successful is that it is programmed to run anywhere and its consistency.

There are roughly 60 new Kubernetes platforms and distributions out there.
 

What is a Kubernetes Certification program?

 
One of the main concerns to users of the Kubernetes program is that it should be consistent and reliable anywhere and at any time. This issue is compounded with the fact that there are many vendors out there who are now offering Kubernetes, so consistency over platforms does become a major concern for any client.

In order to address this issue, the Cloud Native Computing Foundation or more commonly known as CNCF in partnership with the Kubernetes community, have recently introduced the beta version of Kubernetes conformance certification program.
 

The Kubernetes Certification Program:

 

With this certificate in mind, vendors are able to reassure their clients that the software they are using conform to standards and will be reliable in any of the platforms they use it on.

Besides conforming to standards, the Kubernetes certification also gives users confidence of a high level of common functionality of the Kubernetes software over all platforms.

Basically clients can be sure that their software will work as expected.

 

How to get the Kubernetes conformation Certificate?

 
Cloud Native Computing Foundation in partnership with the Kubernetes community are requesting all Kubernetes vendors to run the conformance test and then send the results to the CNCF for review and to give the certificate.

All vendors that have been tested and certified during the beta version of the program will have their names published when the actual version of the program is released.

 

Changes to the Kubernetes certificate:

 
Kubernetes certification standards will receive updates as and when there are software developments to the Kubernetes program itself.

This is done in order to ensure that the updated version of the Kubernetes software conforms to updated standards and a new certificate will be issued in effect.

Every vendor has to get recertified each year in order to provide their clients with the reassurance that not only are they getting a software that complies with uniform standards but is also updated with all the latest and newest in the Kubernetes software.

Once the vendors have their certification in hand they will be able to display the Kubernetes certified logo on all marketing and packaging material.
 

Advantages of Kubernetes Certification:

 
One of the main advantages with a Kubernetes certificate is that there will be smoother flow of data between cloud environments and local operations. The workload can also be split over multiple platforms.
Another advantage is that there will be consistent updates and access to support resources and community software.

BankBot Android Malware Sneaks into the Google Play Store

BankBot: Google’s little Sneak

A malware known for stealing people’s bank details by posing as a legitimate bank’s web page has struck hundreds of users yet again.

The malware was spotted on the Google play store in April of this year, with a recurrence in September and then finally it has come around again in November. Each of these times the Bank Bot nuisance has been removed by the Google team.

What essentially is BankBot?

BankBot is malware that first made its appearance in the Google Play store in April of this year. Posing as a legitimate app it fools users into downloading it. BankBot then asks for permission to SMS, bank and other details, all the while appearing to be a legitimate process of downloading the app.

Finally BankBot poses as a bank page when any payment has to be made. This bank page appears as an overlay to the actual one. BankBot even has access to an individual’s SMS app to take care of dual authentication processes which is required for some banks.

Why was it so easy for users to get fooled?

Users of Google’s Play store downloaded a seemingly genuine app known as Crypto Currency Market Prices. This app appears to be the front of the malware. Having a proper appearance and containing all the details it promised to have, it was very easy for users to get fooled by the app.

By having a working app, users were easily taken in by its appearance to doubt any foul practice. Had it been an app which appeared to be full of spam or one that didn’t work well or could not be opened, it would have given users an idea of what the app really was about.

The second point to note was that the malware was removed twice by the Google team with the security protocols being renewed and updated and in spite of all this BankBot found its way back into the system.

Updates to BankBot:

Since its first appearance in April, the BankBot malware has under gone a series of updates. These updates include code obfusication and the ability to bypass Android’s accessibility services.

This coupled with the fact that it was able to penetrate Google’s security protocol is an added way in which the malware has developed over the span of 7 months.

Users affected by BankBot:

The crypto currency app containing the malware was removed from the Google Play store but not before hundreds of users downloaded it to their mobile devices.

As far as Google is concerned, its 1.4 million were safe from the attack. It is unsure how many users were affected when the malware first arrived on the scene in April of this year.

Google Play store is full of apps that can cause serious damage to an individual’s device or in this case to their bank account. It is therefore important to keep an eye out on what you’re downloading. This is not the first time Google has become embroiled in the malware found on its Play store, recently there was news that a fake Whatsapp app was doing the rounds on the Google Play store.

Why Google is Reading Your Google Docs

Most of the users of the online word processing service by Google, known as Google Docs, were in for a surprise on Tuesday when their documents faced a block as a result of violating the policies. Many users were reported saying they lost access to either their wedding vows or academic researches, for example, receiving notifications saying that their documents had violated the terms of service of Google Docs. This error was reported by dozens of users on the product forums of Google.
While Google acted quickly and put the blame on an erroneous update that locked its users out of their own documents by mistake, the whole incident disclosed what many people did not notice, that Google is scrutinising the apparently personal files stored in Google Docs.

While Google was under pressure to keep a better watch on the kind of videos that were being uploaded on YouTube, deleting content that was illegal from its search results and better monitoring of its advertising network, hardly few people were aware that Google Docs was also being watched. Google Docs is not only used by people for their day-to-day works but also by many businesses across the globe with possibly classified information. Rachael Bale, a journalist at National Geographic, wrote that she found this kind of monitoring creepy. Another user, Kelly O’Mara, who is writer, stated that people really need to take into consideration how much information they have been feeding into Google Docs.

While hardly few will actually read it, the terms of service of Google Drive forbid spam, hate or violent speech, pornography, the spread of private information, etc. Only shared files are subjected to these rules, so the files that are kept private are apparently an exception.

A spokesman for Google stated that Docs and other files in Google Drive are regulated by an algorithm that keeps a watch on the abuse of its policies and if they are found to supposedly be a violation then it automatically blocks those files. Unlike a few systems, where the supposed matter is escalated to a moderator, here there is no human evaluation involved.

The spokesman also said that the primary reason its algorithm scans the files is for the prevention of computer viruses or spam from spreading. It is not clear if Google’s algorithm is utilised to keep a check on pornography or other types of misuse, or if the policy is equally applied to work as well as personal accounts.

After many users were locked out of their vital documents, the company stated that they made a code push that mistakenly marked a small percentage of Google Docs as abusive, which resulted in those documents getting blocked automatically. They also mentioned that a fix was already in place and all users will soon regain full access to their private docs. They issued an apology for the disruption while maintaining that their main focus is user safety.

While Google provides free of charge access to its “G Suite” of programs to its corporate users, Google Docs is available to consumers for free same as Gmail, Maps and its other services. Its company privacy policy mentions that it collects information from Google Docs along with other services, but it is not clarified whether this information is used for adverts.

A New Set of Eyes in Your Home: Cherry Home

There are a range of high security cameras out there, this one is a little different in monitoring your house. Cherry home made by Cherry labs, a startup company is the latest in AI technology. Besides this gadget being the eyes in your house it also senses your every movement and the layout of the room that it is in.

The cherry home cam can even identify you wherever you are in your home. The Cherry home sensors are able to detect your eye color, proportions of your body and even hair color. This gadget can do all this and more with its processor and sensors.

This gadget can also sense your laugh, scream and squeals and analyses them to see whether there is any danger. The info is then passed onto to an app that can be installed on any smartphone. The cherry home cam can also dial 911 in case of an emergency.

With the latest in AI technology, this gadget is able to triangulate the room it is in and give real time data to an app on your smartphone. So an individual can see all that is happening in the room that they are monitoring.

The gadget also notifies you in case there is an incident such as a person falling down. It is able to discern an individual’s laughter and scream when they are in danger.

Right now the Cherry home cam can do all these things but the startup company has also promised more in the future. According to the company, the Cherry cam will be able to sync in with your smart home and turn on lights when you need them. Another feature of cherry cam that is in the pipeline could be a breakthrough in what a security cam can do. The Cherry labs is reportedly in talks with pharmaceutical companies in trying to get the Cherry cam to identify when a person is in the process of getting a stroke and then to dial 911 or emergency services.

The gadget is packed with a binocular camera, infrared sensor for night time monitoring, an altimeter, a compass and an accelerometer. So how does this thing actually work? The cam sends data to a central processor with a high end PC to analyze all the data. It connects to other cameras in the house through a mesh WiFi network. It only connects to the cloud when it needs to transfer data to an app on your smartphone.

This Gadget also comes with a coin sized battery that is recharged by the processor cherry cam houses. There are also two batteries that are spares in the camera.

Now for the most important question at what price can a consumer get the incredible Cherry cam? The prices of the Cherry cam are not so conducive to buying them. A starter pack is available for 900$, a camera in this range would include 2 sensors and a processor while a pack of 4 sensors would cost you 1200$.

Resonance Audio: Multi Platform Spatial Audio at Scale

Sound is a part of the world around us, without it or the ability to hear it we feel an emotional disconnect with the world. The way we experience things and the world around us is all dependent on our senses and how we perceive it.

Google’s new product Resonance Audio brings 3D sound to our ears just from using headphones. This venture opens up new possibilities for VR, AR and 360- degree videos.

When we listen to music from our phones or any other device we always hear sound as it is, meaning no account is taken of the distance between sounds, the directionality, frequency of sounds or the way we are facing some sounds. But with Resonance Audio we will be able to establish distances between sounds and more. Basically it means that we would feel as if we were in the same place the sounds are transmitting from.
 
What is Resonance Audio?
 
Resonance Audio is a tool that brings 3D sound to our ears in other words it is a tool that gives us the feeling of being in the exact location the sound is transmitting from. It can be used over all platforms and is said to be even compatible with IOS, android and Linux.
 
What brought about Resonance Audio?
 
Resonance Audio was initially thought of for VR, AR and 360-degree video. In VR, bringing realistic sounds to the platform was difficult as it put a lot of pressure on the hardware and the results were never up to the mark. With Resonance Audio, there are no problems on hardware and it can still deliver performance in the interactive environments.
 
How is Resonance Audio made?
 
Resonance Audio uses Ambisonics technique to create the realistic 3D sound Quality. What this technique really does is to bring in sounds coming from all directions while at the same time taking account of their frequency, distance, space, the individual’s position with respect to the sound and timing of the sounds. You can then hear all this from your headphones. It basically performs the analysis of the brain in discerning and analyzing sounds.

Ambisonics brings in sound from all directions without compromising on quality.
 
How is Resonance Audio different from 3D Spatialization?
 
Resonance Audio is different from 3D Spatialization in the sense that it not only takes in to account the directionality of sounds but also their frequency, distance, position of the individual in relation to the sound and more. 3D spatialization takes in to account only the different directions in which sounds come.

Resonance Audio is likely to be a game changer for musicians, software developers, gamers, music enthusiasts and more. Its ability to be used across all platforms from IOS, Android and Linux also gives it an additional quality. If it really proves to be as processor friendly as Google claims and is really capable of providing quality 3D sounds to users, It could mean its wider adoption in all systems and technologies.

 

DeformWear: Deformation Input on Tiny Wearable Devices

We have all seen various smart- somethings entering the market whether it be a smart watch or virtual glasses or wireless headphones, they all have one thing in common. They require an app on a smart phone or tab or some other device with not only WiFi connectivity but also a Bluetooth connection.
Using such devices at times therefore can be a handful while inputing all data into a phone or some other device. The world of science now brings DeformWear. DeformWear can be thought of as a tiny device the size of a pea that allows you to toggle data onto your gadget.

How was DeformWear made? 

Scientists felt the need for a tiny device that could be used fast and discreetly to handle devices when gadgets such as the Apple watch came out. Their screens were so small that using the device made it impractical for many people. So DeformWear was born. It is a gadget no less than the size of a pea that can be moved in all directions, pressed, pinched, pushed right, left, down and up.

How DeformWear was thought of: 

Researchers at Saarland University tested smart phone gestures with the use of a person’s skin and found that many of them pinched and pushed to the side to access smart phone apps. This study combined with sensors that were initially thought of for robots led to the creation of a body carried device the DeformWear.

Functioning of DeformWear: 

DeformWear has a diameter of 10 millimeters and can be handled just like a balloon but minus the bursting part. DeformWear comes with a sensor that then allows an individual to maneuver it in all directions.

Testing of DeformWear: 

DeformWear was made into a charm, bracelet and ring. The device was then tested on multiple people for different applications while using a smart watch and virtual glasses discreetly and fast. Later on it was used on smart televisions and to play music all without the need to look at the screen. The results from the testing of DeformWear were all found to be successful. DeformWear uses the fine motor functioning of fingers along with push and press functioning to give desired results.

Researchers at Saarland University hope to use this device quickly and discreetly when handling devices with no screen or when the device has too small a screen. With the introduction of DeformWear, the world can be ready for even smaller gadgets which can be handled with DeformWear. Also with the development of DeformWear, there may also be different ways in which the device can be worn. At present it is tested only as a charm, bracelet and ring.

The Motorola RAZR Flip Phone is BACK and Renamed as Binatone Blade

THE PROTOTYPE OF MOTOROLA RAZR FLIP PHONE WILL MAKE YOU WONDERSTRUCK

The digital world or the world of cellular technology are always on the news. Well, Binatone firm is trying to take us to the older days but with an improvisation this time. They are planning to bring a spectacular and upgraded version of the Motorola RAZR flip phone which would be termed as Blade. Already there has been images of the prototype that is going under some modifications. One tech journalist supposed to have got that phone in eBay though it is an earlier version. The images were shared by him and many other thoughts related to the phone.

THE ICONIC MODEL

The gorgeous black phone is designed to give a stiff competition to the other tech giants like the Samsung or iPhone. The recent reports have stated that the current generation teens are now going for the old-fashioned phones as they want to take a break from the social media which has hooked them to the screen only and no physical conversation with the people nearby. The price that was revealed by the tech journalist is only 22.95 euro. The model was up for sale for the testing purpose and he was lucky enough to grab the offer. The Motorola Motorola RAZR flip phone was a craze when the iconic phone was launched way back in the year 2003 and the price was a too high at that time. The price used to range close to the 800 euros.

THE MANUFACTURING

The Motorola RAZR flip phone was built a string and determined engineers who used to work overtime in order to bring glory for the company. They used in a secret manner and all they did this without the knowledge of the managers. This certainly changed the phase of the iconic and the prestigious company. It is reported that there are three variations in terms of the colours which are red, black and rose gold. The -Motorola RAZR flip phone was a huge success at that times with the global stars also going for it. The new one has stuck to the original design with some gorgeous finish and colour designs.
THE SPECIFICATIONS
The Motorola RAZR flip phone was sold more than 100 million units and it was one of the top phones at that time. The phone was a metal one where as the new Blade is a plastic finish. The latest one has not got that satisfactory snap of the earlier version. The keys are fine in the new Binatone Blade. If the weight is taken into comparison, then the new Blade is much lighter weighing only 67g. It is very slim and comes with 2 SIM card slots. There is an inbuilt music player and much sophisticated softwares as compared to the previous ones. The phone is small and light which is very easy to handle and carry. The slim feature will look even cooler when you hold it in your hands.

5 Benefits of Asset Tracking for Facility Management

Asset tracking is a flexible management strategy that should be implemented by business for effective facility management and outcomes. Enterprises that invest in asset tracking of their portable and fixed asset record higher returns compared to enterprises that don’t. Apart from improved asset management, asset tracking simplifies the tedious monitoring process and ensures proper and timely allocation of assets during the firm operations

Here are 5 benefits a firm enjoys through asset tracking for improved and effective facility management.

1. Asset Location

Developments in asset tracking software have enabled accessing of real-time information on the location of the specific assets. These assets could be in the firm premises or in transits. A delivery company access to the location of a certain asset can note if it arrived at the required destination and enables record keeping for future reference. Asset location has been a major factor to the growth of freight investments. One can order cargo, delivery services, and shipment services online and track the movement of the freight.

One should consider the best tracking software that provides a wide range tracking coverage for different assets. A good example is when you Track your assets with TrackAbout Software, you are able to select from their wide tracking services on different assets. These assets range from delicate gas cylinders and medical equipment to containers and tools.

2. Timely Replacement/Fix Decisions

Asset tracking enables setting of specific performance limits in different used assets in the farm. It tracks and gives warning signals to the operators when facility operational limits are exceeded. The warning signals enable timely replacement of assets or fixing the assets to their normal operational status. These prevent asset destruction hence continuity in performance. A good example is monitoring oil leakage in transits vehicles. A warning signal will be generated and the driver will respond by the timely fixing of the problem to prevent later severe repercussions. Through early warning services, one will never be surprised by machinery breakdown. It gives the manager the advantage of being a step ahead.

3. Detailed report on equipment performance

Equipment performance information is simply acquired through effective equipment tracking. Equipment performance is a major factor in why facility management is important. Through the easily accessible history records available on the website, the management of a business can easily identify incidents where equipment faced downtime, determine the root cause, and apply the necessary resolutions. This ensures improved future performance hence saves money and time.

4. Improved Purchasing Decisions

Through proper evaluation of asset tracking reports, a firm will be well informed on their immediate and future purchases. When the tracking report reveals worn out parts of equipment, the management will carry out an early purchase of relevant spare parts. This will give the management ample time to get the best spare parts instead of panic purchases and impulse buying.

5. Accuracy in Repair

Asset tracking reviles the specific part of a building or a machine that requires repair for continual in functionality. It enables the management to get the right equipment and the right contractors to repair the issue. These save time as the contractors know the specific focal area.

In conclusion, asset tracking plays a major role in ensuring proper facility management. The 5 major benefits derived from asset tracking include; asset location, timely decision making in fixing and replacement of facilities, a detailed report on equipment performance record, improved purchasing decisions, and accuracy in repair.

Nintendo Switch Version 4.0 Update

Nintendo Switch Update:

Users keen on purchasing the Nintendo Switch would find this update useful. Recently the Version 4.0 of the operating system of the console had gone live and along with it included surplus of important new features, fan have been coming since the release of Nintendo.

1. Record Clips of Games

Earlier there was a possibility of capturing in-game screenshots though the latest update would permit users to record video clips from their experience. On holding the button beneath the directional pad of the Switch, the device is capable of capturing the last 30 seconds of the play in an editable video.

2. Transfer Data Between Consoles

If the user has been sharing a Nintendo Switch with someone and tends to have their own console, there is a possibility of transferring and save data to the new device. Nintendo explained that transferring user information and save data, enables one to move the user profile together with its associated save data as well as Nintendo eShop purchased from one Nintendo Switch console to another. Data can be moved one user at a time which means that one can pick and opt which user’s data one would prefer to move and which one needs to be retained on the source console. The overall procedure can be accomplished with 10 easy guidelines which have been provided at the site of Nintendo.

3. Pre-Order/Pre-Load Games

The waiting period for a video game to come out and over it the longer waiting period for it to load on to your system before one could get to play can be very daunting. Taking into consideration the frustration due to it, Nintendo has made it possible to prepay and pre-load games much ahead of its release. Take for instance the game of Super Mario odyssey. The game was scheduled for release on October 27 but if one intends purchasing it from the online eShop of Nintendo before its release it can be downloaded and ready to play the minute it tends to go on sale to the public.

4. Amazing New User Icons

Every user would desire the skill to further modify their profile and the latest update has been providing several more opportunities. Users now have the option of selecting from 12 new Super Mario odyssey as well as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild icons for their user profile. Though it is only a small change, additional options would always be welcome.

5. Provision for Wireless USB Headsets

Some of the Reddit users have observed that the update tends to come with a provision for USB devices though it might not be a feature which has not been listed on the official list of alterations. All that one needs to do is to just plug the dongle of the device in the Switch dock and one would observe a new volume slider which will only function when the console is docked. There is a possibility of utilising the feature when the Switch is handheld by plugging the receiver in a USB-C adaptor.

Watch YouTube TV with a New App for Your Big Screen

YouTube TV: New App for Big Screen

In the next few days Youtube TV will come to Xbox One, a new television service with which Google has been trying for a few months to compete against others such as Netflix or Amazon Prime. At the moment the bet of Youtube TV had focused on mobile devices and the use of Chromecast, however now the service will expand to more platforms through their corresponding applications, such as smart TV or Xbox One.

At the beginning of this year we echoed the arrival of YouTube TV, a bet of the internet giant for television programs. But for a bet for and for television to prosper, the logical thing is that it does not focus on mobile devices.

Finally, YouTube TV has presented an application for smart televisions, specifically for Android TV, with what you can use it in TV Boxes and televisions that have such a system. And within a few weeks you can enjoy it on more sites, such as Xbox One, Apple TV, Roku devices and Samsung, Sony and LG TVs.

The Youtube TV offer is focused on cable television channels such as ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, AMC, ESPN, Disney Channel, Fox News or Bravo. To this must be added the inclusion of musical and sports events, or the possibility of accessing movies and television series. Its price is $ 35 per month, and allows access to up to 6 devices at a time. The negative note for now is that it seems that the service will not be available in some European companies, but hopefully it will arrive soon, as little by little other similar ones are doing, such as Netflix, HBO (from which we continue to wait for the Xbox application One, by the way) or Amazon Prime.

When you reboot the application you will go back to the place where you left it. In case you want to see new things, there is a menu with three categories: Home, library and "live" in three tabs within the new application.

The YouTube Home page focuses on five content shelves, customized for each user taking into account their playback history and the programs they have recorded to their DVR in the cloud. Regarding sporting events, YouTube TV allows the selection of certain teams, which will make sports events of your favorite colors prioritized.

In the YouTube Home tab we will also have recommendations on all the contents and summaries of those programs that we have begun to visualize but that for some reason we have not finished seeing them.

The YouTube"live" tab shows a traditional list of channels that are currently broadcasting and the content they offer. You can scroll to the right to see what will be broadcast next and record the programs you want.

The YouTube library tab will save those broadcasts that you have recorded as programs, movies, sports, etc. You can also search for films by specific actors, shows similar to those you usually attend, etc.

Finally, next to the launch of the YouTube TV application, its interface and some features will be renewed to offer an experience more akin to the new platforms for which it will be oriented. And the truth is that it seems a very complete platform in terms of multimedia content and features. It remains to be seen when the service is also available in our region and if its price can compete with others.
If you have never tried YouTube TV (I have not done it yet), the company offers seven free trial days.

Can We Teach Robots Ethics?

Artificial Intelligence – Outperforming Humans

 
Artificial intelligence is outperforming human in various fields from driverless car to `carebots’ machine which are entering the dominion of right and wrong. Would an autonomous vehicle select the lives of its passenger over pedestrians? The challenges of artificial intelligence are not only technical but moral and tend to raise queries on what it could mean to be human. As we progress ahead with time with strong network of Internet of Things where several things will have the capabilities of supporting us in our everyday undertakings, there would be instances where these very things would begin to select for us. We are not used to the notion of machines indulging in ethical decision, however the day they will do this by themselves, is not very long. David Edmonds, of BBC asks how they would be taught to do the right thing. Here the example of driverless car is utilised which are projects to be integrated on the highways towards the next years with the potential of resolving trolley problem. Two kids tend to run across the street and there is no time to stop and brake it to a halt. The car is faced with the option of swerving left which could cause it to collide into the oncoming traffic from the opposite end.
 

Robots …. Could Cause Destruction

 
What options would the car tend to make and considering the element the car would opt for gives us thought for speculation on what type of ethics should be programmed in the car? How should the value of the life of the driver be compared to the passenger in the other cars? Or would the buyer make a choice on a car which is prepared to sacrifice its driver to spare the lives of the pedestrians? With every choice is the consequence that tends to raise the query on where does the error lie, could it be on the technology, manufacturer, firm or the driver in the car. Another example is the utilisation of autonomous weapons wherein this brings up the pros and cons on the topic. The obvious con with regards to cons is that robots should not be permitted, since they could cause destruction. We are not used to the notion of machine making ethical decision though it is said that when they tend to do the same by themselves is not far off. In the present scenario, this seems to be an urgent query.
 

Robots – Care for Elderly/Disabled

 
Self-driving cars have covered up millions of miles on road by indulging in autonomous decision which could affect the safety of others using the road. Serving robots for the purpose of providing care for the elderly as well as disabled have been developed by roboticist in Japan, Europe and the United States. A robot caretaker launched in 2015 dubbed as `Robear’ tends to be adequately strong to lift frail patients from their beds and if they can do that they could also be capable of crushing them. The US Army since 2000 had deployed thousands of robots with machine guns each of which had the potential of locating targets and focusing on them without the support of human contribution. Autonomous weapons, like driverless cars, are not science fiction and are weapons which tend to operate without the support of humans.

Material Could Bring Optical Communication Onto Silicon Chips

Soon silicon chips will feature optical communication with the discovery of a new material

With each passing year computing performance has advanced significantly and if we take decades into the equation then you will be astonished at the rate of advancement. Computing performance boost has been achieved through squeezing more number of transistors within a relatively tighter space on the microchips. Now scientists have been able to develop such ultrathin films placed on the semiconductor making optical communication possible on the microchips.
 

The ‘interconnect bottleneck’ in optical communication

 
The downsizing of the microchips over the years had led to signal leakage between the different components which eventually results in slower communication between them. This delay in communication has been termed as ‘interconnect bottleneck’ which has emerged as a major issue in the high-speed computing systems.

One of the best ways to eliminate the interconnect bottleneck in microchip is to make use of light to allow communication between different parts. Using wires for communication is simply out of the question but even using light isn’t a simple or easy way as silicon used to make chip doesn’t’ happen to emit light easily.
 

Finding a new material to emit light

 
Researchers have found a light emitter as well as detector which can help in bringing optical communication by integrating it in the silicon CMOS chips. A new device has been built from a common semiconductor material, molybdenum ditelluride, which belongs to a new revolution group of materials called two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides.

The best thing about this material is that it can be stacked right top of the silicon wafers which wasn’t the case earlier. This 2D molybdenum ditelluride is such a remarkable ultra-thin material that it can be easily attached with any material without much hassle. A major difficulty faced by the scientists while looking for materials to integrate with the silicon semiconductors is that most of materials happen to emit light in the visible range. And silicon is notorious for absorbing the light emitted at such wavelengths. While molybdenum ditelluride happens to emit light in the infrared range which can’t be absorbed by the silicon and thereby it helps in enabling the optical communication on the microchip.

 

Future prospects of this new discovery in optical communication

 
Researchers have stepped their efforts towards finding other materials which can also be used for the chip based optical communication in future. Currently most of the telecommunication system operates mainly using the light having the wavelength of 1.3 or 1.5 micrometers. The good thing here is that molybdenum ditelluride happens to emit light at 1.1 micrometer which is suitable for usage in the silicon chips found specifically in the computers but unsuitable when it comes to usage in the telecommunications systems.

Therefore researchers are again looking for a new material which can help initiating the optical communication the telecommunication systems. Currently they are exploring another ultra-thin material known as black phosphorus which has the potential to emit light through altering the different layers used in the process. This research has been published in the science journal called Nature Nanotechnology.

Google Photos Now Recognizes Your Pets

Google Photos Now Recognizes Your Pets

Google Photos now automatically recognizes pets and knows their names

Google has a new feature for its Google Photos app. The app recognizes the faces of your friends and family members and automatically groups them into groups.

Corresponding was now also for your pets retrofitted!

If you open the app after the update, Google Photos generally asks you if you want to give a name for the animal photos found just like the person recognition. Now, Google Photos recognizes your pet's face. Images that Google recognizes the animal can then be found through the Google Search. It has only been possible to search directly for people or certain animals, now we can also search for the name of our pet.

With this innovation, Google Photos scores with a number of pet lovers: Google Photos now also creates their own albums for your pets. The innovation is to be available promptly to all users. As a result of these extensions, creating albums, slideshows, or movies with your pets photos becomes easier. The assistant included in the Google Photos app also takes into account the extended possibilities and prepares video animations for the four-legged friends, provided the material is adequate. Already for some time now Google Photos has the possibility to search specifically for dog or cat breeds if it must be also by entering Emojis.

The automatic tagging according to terms such as "dog" or "cat" is an old hat and is dominated by Google's photo app as well as by Apple photos. However, a face recognition for pets is a novelty. Google Photos offers the like now and sorts the dogs and cats that you have clicked together with recognized human faces in the extended section "People and Pets", where you can also name the new albums.

Animal update for the "Google Photos" app: From now on, not only people but also the four-legged householders with their own label are displayed in the gallery overview. Thus the search for the pictures of the hairy favorites is clearly simplified.

What did Mr. Schnuffmann look like when he was still sitting small and tender in the basket before he became that grown-up Giant Schnauzer? Where are the pictures showing Kitty Cat after her walk around the neighborhood? If you search for the photos of your hairy favorites in the "Google Photos", you had to type "dog" or "cat" into the search field or cross the gallery.

With the new update in the latest app version 3.7.0, the management of the animal photos is much easier, a contribution to the Google blog reveals. To the galleries of the friends, which are also provided with the names of the depicted on request, now also galleries of the four-, eight- or how many-also-always-beers join. Are separated from each other under their own label. These albums can also be named.

The software also recognizes the breed of the animals. So if you're looking specifically for a poodle, you can enter this in the Google Photos search field. Already all Poodle pictures are displayed. Also new: the label "People & Pets", which lists the pictures of the owners and their favorites together.
Also the recently introduced search by dog or cat Emoji is possible, as well as the creation of a video by Google Assistant. How this might look, Google shows in this small sample clip:

Novel Circuit Design Boosts Wearable Thermoelectric Generators

With Wearable Thermoelectric Generators, a continuous monitoring of the vital data is possible for athletes and patients. The difficulty is to supply the devices with power permanently. The Wearable Thermoelectric Generators with 40 mW of continuous power, which is worn along with the regular clothes, solves the problem.

Supported by Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) and by PepsiCo, Inc., this research has paved a way to better understand the electronic and optical properties of polymer-based materials. A team of researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology, under the leadership of Professor Shannon Yee, has developed a Wearable Thermoelectric Generators that is both light and flexible and uses the body's heat to generate electrical energy. The thermal generators were applied both to organic and inorganic substrates. However, the polymer variant achieves a significantly lower output power. The performance of the inorganic variant, on the other hand, was satisfactory, but the prototypes were rigid, comparatively heavy and therefore not usable.

The team of Georgia Institute of Technology around Professor Shannon Yee has now developed a Wearable Thermoelectric Generators method in which a p-type and n-type materials are each presented in a pasty form and on a fabric to be printed. The pastes penetrate through the meshes of the fabric and form a layer of Wearable Thermoelectric Generators about one hundred micrometers thick. As a result, several hundred thermoelectrically active points are formed in the combination of p- and n-conducting material on a specific surface of the fabric.

The structure of this Wearable Thermoelectric Generators is stable; it does not require additional ceramic substrates that absorb a large portion of the available thermal energy. Here, the fabric itself serves as the upper and lower substrate of the generator between which the inorganic thermoelectrically active materials are introduced; the Wearable Thermoelectric Generators are also flexible. In particular, the weight of the Wearable Thermoelectric Generators in comparison with other systems could be substantially reduced: to about 0.13 g / cm 2. A 10 x 10 cm² Wearable Thermoelectric Generators designed for the power supply of a "smart fabric" produces an output power of 40 mW from the temperature difference between the skin of the wearer and the environment. 

Pay with Google and Speed Through Checkout

Now shop easily on Android by using ‘Pay with Google’

If you love shopping online or offline shopping then dealing with cash will be a thing of past with availability of more and more mobile based payment options. Mobile based payment systems saw a surge in last couple of year with the launch of Apple Pay, Android Pay & Samsung Pay which brought the cashless future into reality. This was enabled by the launch and availability of the near-field communications in the modern smartphones. Google has announced that it will be launching very own way of paying on mobile devices with the ‘Pay With Google’ option. This will allows users to make use of their card to purchase any product or service using the application like Google Play, Chrome, Android Pay or Youtube.
 

Now pay easily on your Android devices

 
The ‘Pay With Google’ option will help in bringing together all the saved payment option within a single interface and it can be done by the app makers and retailers by implementing very few lines of code. Google has made use of the Google Payment API which made its debut during the I/O developer conference in May to give final shape and power the new payment method.

The aim behind ‘Pay with Google’ is to make the checkout process speedier for the users so that it can help in increasing the conversions for the retailers. This has been made possible by the tapping into any payment card of customer present in the file on Google rather than saving them onto the Android Pay specifically. This feature will also make it simpler for the users to shop on their Android devices using the Google powerful digital assistant called Google Assistant.
 

Google Wallet was Google’s first attempt

 
This isn’t the first time Google has forayed to make extensive use of the NFC-based systems. Just a while ago we had Google Wallet which was released in September 2011. Using the Google Wallet users were to make purchase online or even in the store as well as it can be used for sending money to the family and friends. During the initial phase this service found huge popularity and it was touted to leave the Apple Pay way behind in the adoption and active usage but sadly it didn’t happened.
 

A new era of and easy mobile transactions

 
During the launch Google official stated that facilitating payments will become a key capability for the user’s Google account through implementation of ‘Pay With Google’. This option will enable the users all across the globe to pay using their Google devices regardless of the device, platform or interface. Using the ‘Pay with Google’ feature at the checkout users will be presented with a list of payments cards already saved in their Google account. Users are simply required to give a click on the card they wish to use and Google will work towards sending the information right to the merchant along with the shipping address to facilitate the transaction instantaneously. More than 40 different payment providers had already partnered with Google to make the integration simple task for the merchants who wish to make use of this new feature.

Google Bug Bounty: Google Will Pay Hackers Who Find Flaws in Top Android Apps

Google’s new Security Reward Program

Google takes a lot of steps to ensure the security of their platforms. One such measure is the bug bounty reward program taken by Google. It involves the rewarding of persons who find faults or bugs in apps operating on Google play.

Google is closely collaborating with Hacker One, a company that rewards hackers for identifying bugs in a program and android apps to create a Google security reward program. This trademark initiative is said to help app developers and users alike. It will also improve the entire google play platform.

Bug bounty works like this, a hacker can identify bugs or an issue with a particular app and send a report pertaining to the issue to the developer of the app, the developer then resolves the issue/issues and then the hacker is free to contact the google play reward program.

The hacker can also work closely with the app developer to rectify the issue. The hacker can claim the bug bounty reward only once the issue is fixed. Hackers can get a bug bounty reward of up to 1000$.

There are various rules governing the bug bounty reward program. All hacker have to report vulnerabilities to the developers first. The developer should have resolved the issue before a hacker can request a bug bounty reward. If the developer does not respond to the bug report or does not show any inclination to fix the problem, the hacker does not get the bug bounty reward.

A detailed report has to be submitted along with meeting all of googles required criteria. Any issue that causes multiple problems in a program is only eligible for one bug bounty reward. If more than one hacker identifies an issue only the first report will be eligible for a bug bounty reward.

This program is right now available for only certain specific apps. Basically everyone knows that there are many apps on the play store and not all of them are up to a certain quality standard. In order to avoid giving bug bounty rewards to those apps that are sub- standard and contain a lot of bugs, google has introduced this program to only a few apps at present. Alibaba, dropbox, headspace, line,snapchat and tinder are the few apps that are included in the bug bounty reward program. As of now only these apps have opted into google’s bug bounty reward security program. In time a lot more apps mayopt in to the bug bounty rewards program.

Hackers will also be given information about the developer of the app so that they can interact directly with the developer in resolving the issue. Right now only google has reserved the right to reward hackers according to pre specified vulnerability criteria and only once the criteria has been met, only then will a hacker be rewarded. All bugs have to be resolved with a developer within 90 days to qualify for a bug bounty reward. Google has used the bug bounty program in order to improve the overall quality of apps and the google play platform.

Take Two for Samsung's Troubled Bixby Assistant

The next phase of Samsung Bixby is competitive AI market

Artificial Intelligence is seen as the new frontier which ought to be explored by every major tech firm in order to boost its array of products and services. Apple is already in the game, so is true for Microsoft, Google and Amazon and they had almost aced it then Samsung comes to the party and it fails miserably. Bixby assistant made its debut on the Samsung elite Galaxy S line-up with dedicated button. The major issue for it overcome is the presence of Google Assistant on the Android OS which simply removes the need of having another budding AI within a smartphone.

 

The failure of the Samsung in the first phase

 
Bixby assistant has a rough and trouble beginning since its launch with the Samsung Galaxy S8 where it was touted as next best feature to be present on the flagship device. Sadly this AI wasn’t even ready to take on the challenges of the English-speaking world therefore Korean giant Samsung has to disable it altogether. This saw the departure of the Bixby from the premium Galaxy device and a physical button was left in its wake to remind users of the Samsung debacle.
 

Bixby came back with new energy and promise

 
Last year’s recall of the Note 7 due to battery failure was nothing less a nightmare for the Samsung and this year’s failure of Bixby was another nail in its coffin. However Samsung engineer took the challenge of improving upon ten shortcoming of the Bixby assistant in a record time and they brought the Bixby 2.0 at the Samsung’s Developer’s Conference in Sans Francisco. It is worth noting that this time around Samsung has simply rebuilt the Bixby from the ground and this time around they are hopeful of making a genuine progress with their AI technology.
 

Samsung aims to conquer the AI market

 
Samsung has hired Dag Killatus who had earlier created the Viv assistant which got acquired by Samsung just a year ago and even before this he was core-member of the team which went on ti develop Siri. Samsung is a dominant player in the smartphone market with having over 23 percent of the market share which can help it in pushing and popularizing its personal assistant without much hassle.

Apart from the smartphones Samsung has planned to push Bixby assistant to the refrigerators and a number of other homely electronic devices as they can benefit immensely from voice-based controls rater than the user interface. Samsung is going all out to make the Bixby a better competitor in the crowded personal assistant by bringing Bixby more devices and it will also be opining it up for the third party-developers to boost its functionality and features.

As stated earlier Samsung Bixby Assistant will be competing against the Google Assistant majorly as it comes bundled on the Android OS. It is very unlikely that users will be keeping two different assistant on the same device but Samsung is keeping its finger crossed.

Google Advance Protection, for Those Who Need It Most

Google Advance protection: Secured Login Procedure

A much more secured login procedure for users who tend to be at high risk of online attacks has been designed by Google wherein the latest Google Advance protection feature is directed on defence against phishing, fraudulent access and accidental sharing of accounts.

This feature has been hosted for users keeping in mind journalist who would require safeguarding their sources or campaign staffers at the time of election. Google Advance protection program would be utilising Security Keys that tend to be small USB or wireless devices which would be essential in signing into accounts. According to Google they seem to be the most secured type of two-step verification, utilising public key cryptography together with digital signatures for confirmation on the identity of the user.

Google has stated that the security keys could be complex and could be utilised for users who do not mind taking them around, utilising the Chrome browsers on desktop and Google apps, since the keys would not function with the mail, calendar together with the contact apps of iPhone. Alphabets’ Google had mentioned that it would be rolling out this program to offer stronger mail security for users like government officials, political activists besides journalists who may be the object by refined hackers.

Google Advance protection with Physical USB Security Keys

Google users would have the advantage of choosing in to security settings focused on protecting Gmail, YouTube data and Google Drive from phishing attacks.Google Advance protection features comprises of physical USB security keys for connecting to a desktop computer before every login for the purpose of identifying the user.

Mobile logins would need a Bluetooth wireless device. Google Advance protection users would have their data confined from access by any of the non-Google third-party applications like the Apple iOS mail client aapl or Microsoft Outlook msft. The program is said to comprise of a much more laborious as well as detailed account recovery procedure in order to avert fraudulent access by the hackers who may tend to obtain access by playing that they have been locked out.

Users, who tend to be part of Google Advance protection, would have extra steps put in order, at the time of account recovery comprising of extra reviews together with request on why a user seemed to have lost access to their account. Moreover Google Advance protection feature tends to automatically restrict full access to Gmail as Google Drive for particular apps.

Google Advance protection: Upgrade Two-Factor Authentication Tool

As of now, Google Advance protection would be made available for consumers of Google Accounts and in order to offer comparable protection on G Suite Accounts, G suite admins would look into Security Key Enforcement together with OAuth apps whitelisting.

Earlier this year, Google had mentioned that it intends to upgrade its two-factor authentication tool after numerous high-profile hacks inclusive of the Gmail account of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta in 2016. U.S. Intelligence agencies believed that those hacks comprising of a breach of John Podesta’s personal Gmail account had been done by Russian as part of a broader cyber campaign to assist Donald Trump, to win the White House.

Google has stated that it would update the security of accounts on a continuous basis which has been signed up for the program and the same is made available to users having a regular account. While Google had earlier supported the utilisation of security keys for two-factor authentication, Google Advance protection users would not be having backup log-in system available should they lose their keys other than the fuller account recovery procedure. Google has not specified what the recovery practice would involve.

The Uses of Captured CO2

We’ve all heard of CO2, it is the gas that we breathe out. We also may have heard that CO2 emissions are a major concern to the atmosphere and us at large. So what do we do to control this progression into our ultimate destruction?

Recently scientists have found ways by which CO2 can be captured and transformed into something that is useful and not harmful. By this I mean that now those harmful CO2 emissions that we so dread, can now be mixed with other materials thereby making it not only more stronger but also and most importantly it will also reduce the CO2 emissions in the atmosphere.

They say that we as humanity should never sleep on the problem of pollution, well with this solution we can control CO2 emissions by actually sleeping. This may sound that I have taken a trip down the crazy lane but by sleeping you can actually control CO2 emissions. But let me tell you how. Scientists have now come up with a technology that is fitted into your pillow that allows the CO2 breathed out by us to be captured into our pillows thereby reducing the CO2 emissions in the air.

It is not only in pillows that can capture CO2 emissions but also other everyday items such as the soles of our shoes, the spines of our books or even the concrete of our buildings and roads are all made of or can contain our CO2 emissions.

So how can all this be done we might ask ourselves. Well CO2 which is a technically unreactive gas can be made to react with petrochemical raw materials which are used in making a lot of plastics. In this new form CO2 can account for upto 50% of the materials used to make up plastics. Also while using CO2 in this way, the CO2 emissions not only get used but also the resulting CO2 from the process also gets absorbed by the process. The resultant materials are also found to be alot stronger than if CO2 were not used.

Other companies are now using CO2 emissions to make jet fuel and diesel through carbon engineering . While somewhere else CO2 emissions are being captured and used in making soda ash which is an important ingredient in making fertilizer, dyes and synthetic detergents.

Scientists claim that through this process, by the year end the process would have reduced CO2 emissions by 3.5 million tonnes in the atmosphere which is like taking 2 million cars off the road.

But of course all the captured CO2 is very small compared to the actual amount that it is in the air and that could, nay will potentially harm us. Scientists have discovered that CO2 emissions account for 12 to 14 gigatonnes of toxic waste emissions a year. That is roughly 12 to 14 billion tonnes a year.
We burn a burn a lot of fossil fuels a year to provide for gas, coal and oil and all this adds to the CO2 emissions in the air among other undesirable gases. Although through the process of capturing CO2 emissions we are reducing it in the atmosphere, the process is used only in a very small scale and therefore is very expensive.

SWIFT Says Hackers Still Targeting Bank Messaging System

The $81 million heist that was carried out from the Bangladesh Bank in February was done by attackers who hacked into the bank’s SWIFT software. They were able to steal the money by hacking into the software to transfer the money. The attackers were also able to cover up their tracks in a very effective manner.

The attacker, based in Bangladesh, was able to develop a malware which was highly sophisticated and could interact with the local SWIFT software in his vicinity.

SWIFT is a cooperative of 3,000 organizations, based in Belgium. It provides a platform to transfer funds internationally. SWIFT is in the know, that there exists a malware that can reduce the financial institutions systems abilities that can cause various fraudulent transactions on their local systems. They are however saying that this malware is not capable of hacking into their network or causing extreme damage as far as their messaging services are concerned. This is contrary to the reports, which suggest otherwise.

In case of any hacking to the SWIFT software can cause transfer of funds from the victim’s account to the attackers account. As seen in the Bangladesh Bank case, there were 30 SWIFT transactions on FEB 5th, for a withdrawal of $ 1 billion from the US Federal Reserve in New York using the SWIFT bank code. Only $ 81 million could be transferred and the balance $ 6.9 million was still retrievable.

The malware used in the Bangladesh Bank SWIFT software was specially designed with a complete know how of the SWIFT Alliance Access software and excellent malware coding abilities.

The malware used by the attacker was not only used to change the SWIFT transactions, but also to hide any of the changes made, since all the transfers that take place are sent by the SWIFT’s software to a printer. When the transactions are printed out, the officials of banking sector can notice any fraudulent transactions and take action immediately. They can thus prevent any malafide transactions from taking place. The malware used in this case intercepted the SWIFT messages and the altered manipulated copies of such messages were printed. In this way they were able to cover up their fraudulent transactions. The malware used, seems to be a wider attack toolkit, allowing the attacker to send forged instructions for payment and also cover up his tracks. This gave the attacker ample amount of time to carry out the transactions and enabling multiple transactions without being detected.

SWIFT is coming out with a software to counteract such related attacks, including alteration in the database records. The customers on their part are encouraged to keep all their IT systems up to date in order to prevent the attackers from hacking into any loopholes in their local security systems.

A spokesperson has advised their customers to keep an eye on any anomalies seen in their local database records whereby helping the customers to keep their accounts secure. The most vital is to adopt adequate security measures and safeguard their systems.

The authorities warn that the malware and the various related tools can be a threat for SWIFT customers. They can be configured easily and likely to cause similar attacks in future. A worrying aspect is how the attackers sent these transactions, the malware used in the systems and who are the people behind this scam.

NASA Contracts with BWXT Nuclear Energy to Advance Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Technology

NASA wants to reach Mars with nuclear power

How powerful does a space rocket have to get to Mars? Apparently, rather more than the more modern we have. This is what NASA thinks, which has reopened the door to Advance Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Technology whose possibilities in space exploration seemed forgotten: nuclear fusion.

Nuclear power propulsion is a fairly popular idea in science fiction. NASA has already done some experiments with it in the 1970s, although the risks of using it outweighed the benefits. Instead, he sent Apollo missions to the Moon with conventional fuel, much less powerful and efficient. The tests will take place at the Nevada National Security Site near Las Vegas. Its ultimate goal is to provide enough energy on the surface of the Red Planet for the production of fuel, habitats and other equipment, when humans settle there.

The last time NASA tested a fission reactor was during the 1960s Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power (SNAP) program, which developed two types of nuclear power systems. The first system - thermoelectric generators of radioisotopes, or RTGs - takes advantage of the heat released from the natural decomposition of a radioactive element, such as plutonium. RTGs have fueled dozens of space probes over the years, including the explorer Curiosity currently exploring Mars.

The second technology developed under SNAP was an atom division fission reactor. SNAP-10A was the first - and so far, only - US nuclear power plant to operate in space. Launched on April 3, 1965, the SNAP-10A operated for 43 days, producing 500 watts of electrical power, before an unrelated equipment failure ended the show. The spacecraft remains in Earth orbit.

Russia has been much more active developing and flying spacecraft powered by small fission reactors, Radar Ocean Reconnaissance including 30 Satellites, or RORSAT, which flew between 1967 and 1988, and increased power TOPAZ systems. TOPAZ is an acronym for Thermionic Experiment with Conversion in Active Zone.

However, if the agency wants to meet its goal of sending a manned mission to Mars, it must get a whole rabbit out of the hat. It needs an energy source that will shorten the journey to the red planet for several months, thus reducing the exposure of astronauts and spacecraft to space radiation. The options are not too many, so they have ended up turning a blind eye to nuclear power.

To investigate whether it is possible to equip Advance Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Technology by testing such a motor in a manned spacecraft, NASA has awarded a contract worth 18 million to BWXT, a company specializing in generating atomic energy. His challenge is to create an atomic engine powerful enough to go and return to Mars without risking - at least not too much - the life of astronauts.

On the previous occasion they encountered a seemingly insurmountable problem: for an engine of this type to work, it should be heated to more than 2,000 degrees centigrade, a fairly high temperature that can cause an explosion.

The dilemma is there: if we want to explore the Solar System we need a better source of energy for our rockets. Otherwise, they will never be able to go beyond Mars with the greatest possible risks.