Monday 2 February 2015

Teaching Mario to Play with Himself

Mario


When it comes we talk about artificial intelligence, so one of the most challenging sides it to teach computer to how to measure, understand, and react according to situation in the world around us. Actions, which are in the nature of human, can be taught to a robot, but teaching the decision making ability is difficult.

A team of researchers at the University of Tubingen, Germany has experimented and created a project which will change the concept of a real-world robot as AI is on the way to take the different challenges by reaching the Mario to play his own game on computer. Team of researchers has created the video, which will explain that how this system will work in step-by-step manner, but at the high levels the actions and response of Mario’s can be quantified as values.

In the whole process AI seems to start with basic information that how to navigate the world and how he is relating the various objects. The team has also created the tracking pattern for Mario’s curiosity about the rest of the world and how he is focusing on the collection of coins.

AI notes all the events when it encounters enemies and when it queried with a question that what are you thinking about Goomba? So Mario responds that, I don’t know anything. And after few experiments of interactions, Mario learns that how to jump or land on the Goomba and how to know that Goomba is dead. When it is translated back into human words, “If I will perfectly jump on Goomba, so he will die”.

Mario also learns that how to navigate any environment or how to activate question blocks which can grab power ups or how to jump to higher objects to reach any particular locations. AI has absolutely different rule if Mario is small or big because his behavior can vary according to his size or if he will get the mushroom or few fire flowers.

It is clear that AI learns about any particular environment and now Mario has an idea about real world and according to any particular situation he is free to behave or express his expression like; when first time he will jump on Goomba, so he will shout that may be Goomba is dead an later he test this hypothesis on the Goomba of future by comparing the expected result with expected outcome.

In the experiment Mario never use scripted responses, he only responds to syntax with his understanding and vast array of words. Now it’s clear that he can told the things like; “If you will perfectly jump on Goomba than Goomba will die, or he can learn by his own. In whole process he was able to complete syntax.

As a human we have applied same principles of communication and learning millions of times in life, but we have learn them when we were child and teaching something to Mario to jump on Goomba to kill it, it’s really fascinating example of AI.


Google Takes Fiber Strategy to Mobile with Nova



Google_Fiber
In present, Google is in news because of its Fiber network and according to recent reports, fiber Google’s Nova will become the MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) as per Google’s fiber strategy. Google is a company, which has its hands on every service which is essential for regular life like; each and every pie on this planet earth and it ranges from GPS service to automated cars, from Smartphones to other swappable components and from best internet service to Android platforms. It is a well known fact that as a developer Google is the biggest mobile operating systems and it also has its own Smartphones, if you will believe, recent rumors so Google is going to enter into carrier market. According to same rumors, Google has just picked up steam services known as NOVA on the platform of T-Mobile and Sprint infrastructure.

As per reports, Google’s Nova is going to be the MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) and it is third part that uses a carrier’s network for availing their own internet service. Google’s report from Android Police suggests and explains that Google Voice can be the lynchpin of the strategy because it is possible to make the phone calls from Google Voice via data connection or Wi-Fi and it can be the used to make regular calls.

To make the internet plan more attractive, reports are stating that Nova will provide unlimited data, which can do wonder in the market of carriers and it is an obligation of you will make the phone calls through the data connection. Same as other unlimited data plans NOVA will be available for Wi-Fi also.

Fighting over spectrum can be the main reason behind taking the MVNO approach as it is possible that Google can lose battle over spectrum and due to that company can avoid maintaining and building of its own towers in all over the nation which can be big headache for company, apart from all this MVNO approach can be nice option for consumers as well. In normal way, MVNO doesn’t offer contracts, but this time nothing is going to stop Google as it could also be the perfect way for Google to offer its Nexus line of devices on affordable price or subsidy.

Nexus is cheaper than other phones, which are high profile and non-subsidized, as for Nexus 6 $199 is much better than $649 for Nexus 6 in the Google Play store. It could be good for customers because in simple terms it will add the competition into market, if you will be able to get subsidized and unlocked Nexus 6 from Google Play store with their own SIM card, it means AT&T and Verizon can feel motivated to compete on lower prices.

It will be not surprise, if in future Google will control its own provider, it can be both hardware and as well as software distribution. It is expected that Google Fiber will be turning point for internet and phone services provides and customers as well.

Sunday 1 February 2015

Google Reportedly Wants To Sell Wireless Service


Google
Soon the day will come when people will buy Android smartphone not from T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T or Verizon, but only with Google Wireless. As we all know that Google is going to start cell phone service with Android phones, as multiple news portals are reporting same. From past few years Google has been trying to assemble all the pieces, which is necessary to become the mobile provider.

On the records this search giant has already made the maximum number of used software for mobile platform, it designs as well as sells mobile phones online and now it become a Internet service provider (ISP) with its Google Fiber network. Apart from all this it has its own VoIP phone service known as Google Voice that allows users to get a Google phone number for making the call through Hangouts or Gmail over Wi-Fi.

The missing links between all these services are the cell phone towers, and soon you will the Google’s cell phone towers in all over the nation. It is better to establish a wireless network rather than spending billions of dollars, and as per reports Google will carry its all services over T-Mobile's (TMUS) and Sprint (S) networks, but Google officials declined the comments. Google is planning to pay these carriers in $2 only, as per the statement of Macquarie Securities, who is analyst in Kevin Smithen. It means in near future Google is going to provide very affordable services and it can be worry situation for Verizon and AT&T.

We all know that Google is already in competitive field which and now Google is going to land in between the price war of major players. In these price wars big carriers are very happy while small carriers such as; T-Mobile and Sprint are helping the Google to recover their losses. Sprint and T-Mobile are keeping the cautious about this deal and Sprint has worked in usage cap into its contract with major search engine Google, which will allow the wireless companies to renegotiates its deal, if Google is going to signs up for ton of customers, as per the WSJ (Wall Street Journal).

According to Smithen, Google will pay $750 million to Sprint, whereas; $250 million to T-Mobile, which means if Google will choose to break even, so Google have to sell more than $1 billion wireless services in next three years. But if you are thinking that Google will surprise top four wireless carriers, so chances are nil, but existing carriers didn’t want to make the wireless service as commodity.

In present Google is making huge money from Android platform by licensing the different software’s to smartphone makers by driving traffic and usages on their apps and search service. if Google will be able to implement its own strategy successfully, so it will be on the way for Apple to sell its own wireless services with iPhones. But we all know that there are a lot of risk is associated with wireless carriers, if the service will inevitably go down or connections fail so customers will blame Google not T-Mobile or Sprint for the disruptions.

Facebook Adds Amber Alerts for Missing Kids



Amber_Alert
Last week, Facebook announced that it is going to start new effort, which will be helpful to find missing children by incorporating the Amber Alerts into the news feed of Facebook’s 185 million American users. This effort is the launched with the partnership of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and with the help of technology alerts will be sent only those users who will be in targeted search areas. it will be visible on mobile devices and desktop and it will be shareable among users.


According to Facebook officials, Personal details, photographs and other details about missing kids will be included, and the links of National Center's missing-child poster will be included for each case. In 2014, an 11 year girl was safely recovered from an Amber Alert when a motel owner recognized her and her friend had shared on Facebook, said by Facebook's trust and safety manager. According to her relatives it was an amazing word-of-mouth efforts and success, which inspired Facebook to develop technology advanced and more systematic way to help those who want to find missing children with the help of Facebook.

Current statics: 

According to executive director and privacy lawyer of WiredSafety, “Amber Alerts are great initiative and had a long way”. In Canada, Facebook is working with Amber Alerts since 2010, as per Aftab, who is directly involved in the launch of this effort. In past 16 years Amber Alerts have been recovered more than 700 kids, so its clear that now Facebook is going to his effort to save the children’s.

If police will feel that case is good for an Amber Alert, so it will be directed to National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to distribute the news through Facebook for the users of that particular area by law enforcement. Amber Alerts will display all the available information like; photographs and personal details of missing kid, and a license plate number.

The alert will appear in the news feeds, but it will not trigger any phone specific notifications. According, to Facebook officials, a considerable amount of information is essential for case to qualify for an Amber Alert, or else it will not be effective. This is the fact that Amber Alerts are geo-targeted, within the size of limited area, which will determined by enforcement of law and if police suspect that target may headed in those areas.

New trend: 

In present, it’s not an easy thing to forget the sites like; Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram because they are the largest platform on earth, so it could be more effective to use these sites for good cause rather than using the television, radio and newspapers for same reason. According to, President of ofIgnite Social Media, Jim, “Amber Alerts are positive and solid move by Facebook and I like not because they are trying, but in actual they are doing this cause for the benefit of society”. We all know that Facebook love to participate for good cause in public service announcements, even now some of the Facebook users are saying that my smartphone gets Amber Alerts, why not my Twitter and LinkedIn feeds?

Saturday 31 January 2015

FBI: Email Scam Nets $214 Million in 14 Months


Email_Scam
If you will check the spam folder in your e-mail account than you will know that why these e-mails known as spam’s and why your e-mail service provider is dropping these e-mails in spam folder, but in present you can easily find few fraud e-mails (e-mails which make fake promises) in inbox folder. Recently, the nonprofit National White Collar Crime Center and the Internet Crime Complaint Center with a joint effort of FBI release a report on the basis of calculation from Oct 1, 2013 to Dec 1, 2014.

In e-mail scams fake invoices delivered to different business that deals with international suppliers, asking for the payment of millions of dollars by wire transfer. According to recent reports of research team, “The victims love to use wire transfer payments method for money transaction to foreign banks, which can be transferred many times, but they tend to disperse faster”. Most of the American and Asian banks, which are located in Hong Kong or China, are the most preferred commonly reported last destination for more than 80 per cent fraudulent transfers.

Data in reports: 

As per the reports of National White Collar Crime Center and the Internet Crime Complaint Center in an association of FBI, “All of the scams has claimed more than 1,198 US victims and 928 victims in other countries has witness the these kinds of scams and U.S. firms have lost more than $179 million in total. According to FBI, “We believe that the number of victims and the total loss in dollar will continue to increase”.

In general if you will analyze your spam folder, so over there you will find few of the e-mails are promising or taking about reward, job of senior level in premium companies, lucky draw and more. Some of us are lucky because we know that these e-mails are fraud whereas; some of us believe in those e-mails and start to follow their instructions.

In other version of scheme, some of the businesses which work on international level of with international clients and suppliers are contacted through fax, phone, email or post asking for payments. These e-mails are spoofed and they seems like genuine and authentic as they are coming from reliable or legitimate supplier and fax or phone requests also appears authentic and genuine. Whereas; in other version e-mail accounts of high level management executives compromised form criminals for requesting a wire transfer through fake promises regarding to business opportunity and they include the instructions to reply or send funds on urgent basis.

However; the third version of fraud schemes involves the hacking of an employee's e-mail account, which sends the duplicate or fake invoices to suppliers or vendors.

According to task force of FBI, “Now it’s time when vulnerable businesses should avoid using free e-mails for executives or official accounts and they should exercise caution for posting the company information on social media or on public websites. You can also include additional security steps like; or digital signatures and two-step verification process.