Tuesday 11 April 2017

Innovative Software Convert Wi Fi Data into Energy Savings

UBC
The advancement of technology had begun since the arrival of human kind of Earth’s sphere. From the invention of knifes and spears to the creation of computers and tablets, man has managed to come a long way. It is a known fact that this technological advancement has been exceptionally brilliant in the past two centuries. Every day scientists around the world are striving to create something newer that is not only mind boggling but will also be useful to mankind.

High quality air with reduced energy consumption 

Recently in the University of British Columbia in Canada, a group of dedicated engineers have derived a way by which they could use Wi-Fi to establish number of building residents. By determining the number, they can easily adjust the ventilation through which they would be able to save energy without compromising on the air quality. Stefan Storey who holds a PhD in environmental studies and resource management and masters in mechanical engineering from UBC is leading the project. He remarked that thousands of tablets, laptops, and Smartphone are connected everyday to Wi-Fi through UBC. The Bridge Software incognito calculates the total number of Wi-Fi connected devices in every room. This anonymously calculated number is then passed on to the head building control system of UBC, which then regulates airflow through the buildings, in real time.

Based on this resident count, the control system can manage the airflow, ramping it for a crowded lecture, or bringing it down in other times. Storey collaborated with UBC for testing the effectiveness of this new technology at one of the busiest places, Irving K Barber Learning Centre, which is attended by thousands of staffs and students. It not only resulted in increased occupant comfort and goof air quality but also reduced energy expenditure by five perfect in 12 months.

Increased thermal comfort at a reduced rate 


UBC’s managing director, David Woodson remarked that this system can save over $100,000 in energy costs every year and would also assist the university in reducing greenhouse gas emission. UBC is considering this system to be the future of managing and better handling of energy consumption. The test conducted at the learning centre was highly successful and seeing the results of this ordeal, UBC is all set to install the technology in 8 to 10 more buildings within 5 months. Woodson also stated that this software uses Wi-Fi network, to reduce the disruption and lower the costs while offering thermal comfort and providing good air quality. He also stated that UBC Wi-Fi user’s private information is completely secured and protected as per the rules of Canadian privacy legislation.

Storey believes that this project emphasizes the prospective advantages of using Wi-Fi network to create smart buildings. With the support from UBC he also co founded Sensible Building Science, a company that helps staff entrepreneurs, faculty, alumni and students to lead their way through, from a basic idea to the market. Storey’s patent innovation is being set up at campuses around B.C. UBC is extremely happy about the success of this project and is thus is planning to expand their system to 10 more campuses.

Monday 10 April 2017

‘Machine Folk’ Music Shows the Creative Side of Artificial Intelligence

Magenta
Folk music is seen a direct link which connects us to our past and helping in cementing the cultural bond. When it comes to Artificial Intelligence it doesn’t possess any cultural heritage, bond or traditions but can we help Artificial Intelligence in building those attributes which defines the human intelligence at some levels. Over the years AI has grown by leap and bounds as it has been able to defeat the brightest human minds at Chess and even demonstrated breath-taking wordplay skills but can it create music or show us the creative side.

Artificial Intelligence on the rise

Researchers are trying to unlock the creative side of the Artificial Intelligence for quite some time. In 2016 a AI has been able to produce a piece of musical theatre which was premiered in the London. The effort is given towards broadening the boundaries of the creative research through new evolved AI techniques and utilizing the larger collection of the data. The Artificial Intelligence written musical piece has been a result of a thorough analysis of hundreds of other successful musicals.

Some of the prominent Artificial Intelligence project which aims towards bringing art and music out of the AI includes Sony’s Flow Machines, Google’s Magenta project and some projects under the British startup called Judedeck.

During the current study researchers has made use of the state of the art Artificial Intelligence techniques in order to educate Ai about the musical practice in the Celtic folk tradition. Traditional folk music was reduced into the form of music notation using ABC. In this method the music is denoted using the text characters as a rough guide for the musicians. Researchers have been successful in training the Artificial Intelligence for using as many as 23,000 ABC transcription of the folk music. This particular feat of transcription this amount of folk music was made possible with the active contribution of the people on the ‘the session.org’. During recent workshop researchers has asked the folk musician musicians to perform some of the songs composed by the machines.

The culmination of the artificial compositions and the human melodies

This particular Artificial Intelligence is trained to look at a single ABC symbol and predict what will come next and this helps in generating new tunes which appears to be like original compositions due to the use of existing patterns and structures. So far researchers have generated as many as 100,000 new folk tunes using Ai which is a remarkable feat in itself.

The structure of the folk music composed by the AI has two repeated part of similar eight-bar length and they complement each other quite musically. Secondly AI had also shown a great ability of repeating and varying the musical patterns which has always been the key characteristic of the Celtic music. AI has been able to understand as well learn all the rules set for the Celtic folk song compositions on its own though carefully analysing the patterns in the fed data within a very short time.

Nanoscopic Golden Springs Could Unravel Twisted Molecules

chirality
Molecular vibration is one of the known phenomena in the world of physics. Twisting of molecules is usually observed, while the present atoms of any molecule have periodic motion. In fact, many of the molecules are found to get twisted in a variety of ways. On the basis of their pattern of twisting, they are present in the right or left handed position. Such type of twisting is known as chirality. Recently, some scientists have determined that twisted molecules may be discovered with the help of nanoscopic golden colored springs.

Scientists from the University of Bath have collected gold spring-like coils in their experiment. They are more than five thousand times thinner, in compared to our hair strands. Another component, used by these researchers is the laser, which has allowed them to identify some twisted molecules. All these trials will perhaps bring about an improvement in the design of pharmaceutical matter, nanorobotics and telecommunications. Thus, the coils assist in knowing much data on chiral molecules. However, it is important to have a good idea on chirality and how it alters the behavior of molecules in any place, including our own body.

Chirality- What it is about?

The term, chirality has been extracted from a specific Greek word, which is related to a chiral object. Any system or object is considered as chiral, while it is distinguished from some mirror or reflective image. Chiral molecules consist of a carbon-based atom along with 4 non-identical components.

With the use of laser system, the researchers are able to work on all chiral molecules. This light becomes twisted at the time of travelling. However, their research turns out to be much tricky, while the molecular amount is much small. At this point, the tiny golden springs are much useful. Their design allows the lights to become twisted. It may also adjust to molecules in a better way. Thus, it becomes quite simple to make out the microscopic amounts.

Enhancement of pharmaceuticals through the use of nanoscopic springs-

There are some springs, which are much smaller in size, and the researchers have analyzed their effectiveness. They want to know whether these springs are able to increase the interactions of chiral particles and light. The research is based on the method for converting color. This process is called as the Second Harmonic Generation.

If a spring performs better, more amounts of red colored lights are transformed into the blue ones. From the experiment, the researchers have understood that there’re high potentials in their springs. However, the expected performance depends on the angle towards which they are directed. The system works as kaleidoscope, which involves deformation. The scientists want to reduce this distortion. And this is achievable only with the optimization of springs or in other words, chiral nanostructures.

A very close observation may lead to a development of purity and design of many pharmaceuticals. According to a member of the scientists’ team, it also helps in controlling motion of miniaturize elements in the future.

Friday 7 April 2017

Google Gives Parents Greater Powers

wsj

Google’s New Family Link Software

Wilson Rothman, WSJ personal technology editor explained on Lunch Break with Tanya Rivero that Alphabet Inc’s Google had revealed an unparalleled set of parental controls, with the beta launch of Family Link, while enabling children below the age of 13 to sign for content-restricted accounts.

Parents seems to be losing control with their children and tablets, phone as well as iPods have been pushing our kids in a digital black hole enabling less visibility in their social activities and their pastimes. Google’s new Family Link software is a relief for parents in keeping their kids under control in this digital world.

The arrival of Family Link corresponds with a change to the policy of Google on child accounts. Children below 13 years can now have them provided they are set up through the Family Link which has been authorized by a parent.

It is said to be the most inclusive set of parent tools for the internet, the greatest features which Amazon as well as Apple have provided with services of Google which is that we get this remarkable functionality by providing a little more personal information and this time it is data about the online activities of our children.

Experience Use of Android Based Device

With the Family Link account a child is capable of experiencing the use of an Android based device and the test case, a Nexus 5X in a manner which tends to look adequately like the phone of Mom or Dad’s though tends to keep the child protected from some trouble of adulthood in Google search, Chrome browser, Google Play store together with YouTube app.

Harmless search that seems to yield filtered, child-sanitized web as well as image search consequences could be through default. Google has also mentioned that search effects could, for the first time, cater to children but that would be difficult to tell. The amazing thing is for parents in the form of remote access.

Moreover, Family Link also tends to provide parents with an administrative app which they could utilise in locating the device of their child onmany ring it in case of losing in couch cushions, remotely adjust account and device settings or also do a factory-reset if the phone is lost.

Set Up Time Restrictions/Off-limits Hours

Moreover parents could also set up time restrictions and off-limits hours and see the time spent on several app by their children. As the beta version of the Family Link tends to go public individuals could request to try it though their devices need to be running Nougat which is the updated version of Android.

Google has informed that by the end of the year, it would be working with earlier versions. The company also believes in releasing a parental control app for iPhones. It is essential to know how many parental control systems are available before one decides to purchase it. They are not just built into popular devices led by Apple and Amazon but are also sold as services by third party.

Apple is said to have control both local and remote dispersed around the operating system of its iOS. The restriction unit in the setting of iOS enables the user to set a passcode in locking down from Siri and FaceTime to iTunes albums together with the feared in-app procurements

Thursday 6 April 2017

Twitter Finally Ditches Handles from Its 140 Character Limit

twitter
When one thinks of Twitter the character limit comes into the mind first because users have to express their thought within the set limits. Over the years the use of images, gifs, quotes and links has started to lower the limit of characters left to express one’s thoughts. Twitter is finally taking a stand to bring more opportunity for the users to make the best use of the character limit.

Twitter has launched a limited testing on the iOS platform to see how the new change in the character limit will perform with the audience. But from today onwards Twitter will allow users to mentions other people handle in their replies but it won’t be counted. Users will get a greyed-out line appearing right at the top of the tweet indicating “Replying to [username]’.

The current change made in the character limit is a part of plan announced by Twitter in May 2016 wherein it will slowly allow users to get more of their tweet in varied interesting ways. Twitter is struggling against other major social media platform and it is earnestly looking forward to attract more users to its network.

The Introduction of the Chronological timeline

In the February of this year Twitter brought the entirely chronological timelines for Twitter in a bid help users in catching up with the latest tweets from their favourite users. But as of today only two per cent of the total users have made the shift to this new feature. Twitter is aggressively making changes to the age-old features of its platform to bring something new and exciting for its users. Given the fact that Twitter is going through a stagnant growth period and falling stock prices the sudden changes in the character limit can be seen as a welcome addition.

List of Changes Brought in the Tweeting activity

When a person is using attachment in the tweets which may include either images, photos, videos, GIFs, polls or even quote tweets then it won’t be counted towards the 140 character limit. Secondly a new retweet button will be enabled on the user’s profile to ensure they can tweet their own tweets or people tweet as well share or unlove any older tweet with ease and simplicity. Replying has always been a tedious task in the Twitter but form now on users will get some respite the Twitter handles will not be counted as the character limit.

A number of times we have different Twitter handles mentioned right in the replies and it counts. But rpm now on that wouldn’t be the case rather Twitter handles will appear in greyed-out right at the top of the tweets which label stating ‘Replying to [username]’.

Twitter gives a solemn goodbye to the ‘@’ tweeting culture which has emerged in the recent past. Users were most likely to tag a username right at the beginning of their tweet to get the attention of the concerned person using ‘@’. But from now onwards replies to such tweet will only be seen by the sender or by the followers and simply by the person who is specifically replying to that tweet.