Bee Behaviour Mapped By Tiny Trackers

The new tracking device

Ecologists have now come up with a new and improved tracking device in order to monitor bee behaviour. The new device can cover upto a range of 2.5 meters (8.2ft) unlike the previous devise used which had a restricted range of reach to 1 centimetre (0.4 inch).

As per Dr Mark O’Neill this new device has been created from off-the shelf technology and it is ideally based on equipment used to track pallets in warehouse. This tracker comprises of a specially designed aerial and a standard radio frequency identification also commonly known as RFID which as per Dr Mark O’Neill is much thinner and lighter than the previously used models to track small insects. This allows Dr O’Neill to widen the range. Readers which are connected to Raspberry Pi Computers pick up the signals from the kit and log the readings.

The technical director from Newcastle-based tech firm Tumbling Dice who is also the engineer is trying to patent the invention. He said that he wanted to make a lot smaller optimised aerial components and the first stage was to make raw pre-production tags utilising components that could be easily purchased.

He added by saying that he felt like he was doing a surgery while soldering them at his desk and he has made 50 of these as of now. As per Dr O’Neill a worker bee on an average spends 20 minutes on forage time which eventually would work around 1km which is equivalent to 0.6 miles on the forage time.

Specimens used: 

This device has been fitted only the worker bees which do not mate. As per Dr Mark O’Neill most worker bees die of old age and the attrition field of these bees are very low. He also added that if any animal ate one of these worker bees then there would be a tracker in its stomach. He said that that the minute trackers are just 8mm which is 0.3 inches high and 4.8 which is 1.9 inches in width and take 5 to 10 minutes to attach to the bees with superglue. These bees are chilled to make them passive first before they are fitted with the device.

Also being concerned about the bees, Dr Mark O’Neill informed British Broad Casting (BBC) that he only hopes that the trackers which weigh less than the bees are attached to the centre of gravity which apparently would not affect their flight and also would be attached to the bees for their expected life span of three months. While commenting the same Dr Mark O’Neill also acknowledges that these bees make a lot of noise.

A restoration ecologist from Kew Gardens, Dr Sarah Barlow was a part of testing these trackers which is yet to be named. She informed that these are all a huge leap forward in radio technology and as of now there is no one with a decent medium to long range tag yet which is suitable for flying on small insects. She added that this new leap forward will help scientists to track bees in the landscape.

‘Nano-Earthquakes’ Result in Faster Electronic Components

Scientists from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology are working towards rocking the world of electronics. According to researchers Dr. Sumeet Walia as well as Dr. Amgad Rezk, the main key to connect the power of 2D materials lies under the Nano-earthquakes. They added that they have been able to find that the sound waves, if properly controlled will be able to influence the electronic properties of 2D materials such as graphene.

What are these earthquakes? 

The earthquakes as being referred by the researcher are no way linked with the actual earthquakes creating havoc around the world. But they are referring this to so called SAWs, which are surface acoustic waves, with the ability to circulate through a material. The researcher used this material as a source of photoluminescence rather than a semiconductor.

They took a layer which was coupled with several atoms to a substrate to understand the behaviour of SAWs rippling across the surface of the material. According to the experiment conducted by the researchers, they have utilized molybdenum disulfide, which is a quasi-2D material, with the ability to act as a semiconductor just like silicon.

The team was further able to modulate the electronic properties of the 2D material by controlling the intensity as well as direction of the ripples throughout the experiment. This research shed critical light on the relationship existing between the electronic performance of the molybdenum disulfide layer and the nano-quakes. Researchers found that with the increase in the intensity of the ripples, there was an increase in the photoluminescence property of the 2D material. More number of ripples led to the emitting of light from the layer.

What is the use of this technology? 

Scientists believe that the sound waves starts acting like the carriers of electrons and there by dragging them throughout the surface of the material as they are circulating. This is the main reason for change in the electronic property of the material. This ensures that the electrical conductance of the material is constantly increased till the time system is active.

The researchers believe that this technology will have lot of uses in the near future in terms of 2D materials, mainly towards the opto-eletric applications. A simple example is the camera quality in the Smartphone. The cameras of the Smartphones are often criticized for their low quality and poor adaptation to the dark due their small sensor size. Just image having a smartphone having a sensor made out of the 2D material which will increase the sensitivity of the lenses in the darkness by using the sound waves in the camera module. The manipulation of the sound as well as the 2D materials can certainly lead to an improvement in the solar panels as well.

As per the RMIT research team, increasing desirability of 2D materials has made this technology very strong and robust. They added that once the acoustic vibrations were stopped during the experiment, the molybdenum disulfide layer of the material regained its unique electronic state and no damage was seen in the material.

Discover Asteroids for NASA with This Free App

Now everybody will be able to help NASA by identifying new asteroids for them. Asteroid tracker desktop software has been released by the space agency today at the southwest today. This software has been released in collaboration with the Planetary Resources, which is an asteroid mining company. This conjunction happened through an online competition.

The new Asteroid Tracker Software: 

Reports suggest that this software has the ability to run on any standards PC and MAC. The software will be able to capture images from a telescope and in turn run it through an algorithm and thereby determine as to why some of the celestial bodies are on par and consistent with the asteroid behaviour.

Asteroid Data Hunter App: 

The Data Hunter app enabled with the Asteroid tracker software can be easily installed on any MAC computer or personal computer. The Online competition, which resulted in the development of the new app, was ended in December. This hunter app, however, requires the astronomers to have a little experience about the astronomy to operate it efficiently. Any original images captured from this new app can be reported out to Minor Planet Centre for further confirmation. This app can be downloaded on Topcoder.

The New Algorithm: 

The space agency claims that this new algorithm has been their biggest achievement. The agency reported that compared to the previous version, this new algorithm has the capacity to spot 15% more asteroids in the asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter. Another advantage of the algorithm is not only limited to the identification of asteroids in the space, but it can also endeavour to match these asteroids with the NEOs (near-Earth objects). Any amateur astronomer by means of this new app will be able to examine images which have been taken from the telescopes. These amateur astronomers can also send any of these images which match with the asteroid to be considered as part of the NASA database.

Benefits of the new algorithm: 

NASA seems to have been struggling with the increasing number of NEOs swirling around the earth and this new algorithm can be quite useful for handling this complicated situation. Through this efficient algorithm, the space agency will be able to track down possible asteroids which can be threatening to our Earth. Through this new app and contribution of astronomers, the agency will be able to sort out possible candidates for future missions related to asteroids.

NASA has been very much interested in locating space rocks that can be harmful to Earth from a very long time. The space agency is also hopeful of redirecting an asteroid and further placing it in moon’s orbit. This is expected to happen in the next few decades, post which the agency is hoping to send astronauts to further study this space. They are planning to carry out this process by means of Orion spacecraft as well as the space launch system. The space agency understands that there is immense mineral wealth in a single asteroid.

Scientists Precisely Control Gold-Coated Nanoparticles with Lasers

Undeniably humans will quite soon be considered as nano-particles making them the very first life-size nanotechnology, which has been built from the scratch. Now human seems to be looking forward to return a favour pertaining to this aspect by developing a nano-scale machinery from top to down. Even though the technological world is still waiting for this dream to become a reality, looks like a less glamorous micro and nano particle technology seems to be stealing all the limelight. Although there are many kinds of particles that are used for creating finely separated spheres and powders, gold has become come out as winner in terms of being the premier element mainly due to its properties related to opto-electronics.

Reports suggest that researchers from Munich have been able to use this, currently named as ‘plasmonic gold’ to create what they claimed to be is a micro-scale photonic elevator. They stated that a lot of experiments can be done by hitting out flecks of gold through various rays of energy. These beams of energy include fluorescence, precision thermal control, and movements in 2D plane however the researchers also added that this photonic elevator is however in control of their third axis.

The Plasmon: 

An oscillation of free electrons has been termed as the Plasmon. The electron density inside the electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths can couple with the plasmonic nano-particles making it larger than the particle itself. Researchers have been trying to find out as to what differentiates these particles created by the Plasmon over the surface of any interface unique in terms of their absorbance as well as scattering properties. The Plasmon derives these properties from their shape and sizes. In simple terms, the interaction of the Plasmon with the different radiation as well light is not only dependent on their elements but they are also affected by the geometry as well as the relative positioning of other particles inside them.

Lasertrap is one such device which has been able to capture the essence of the nano-particles technology. Using this device along with different kinds of microscope will allow anyone to feel the nano. The researcher created the so called magic by coating the half of the silica beads with a thermally collected gold vapour. They stated that due to this asymmetric gold coating, the Plasmon started showcasing scattering effects by orienting the particles inside the axis of the laser light. Using the gold coating has allowed the researchers to use the benefits of opto-genetics, without the need of any real genetics.

This is the kind of technology which is being anticipated by the scientists of the National Brain initiative to research the entire brain. The gold coating and its associated effects can be highly beneficial for conducting local calibrations and to collect feedback. Emergence of these electromagnetic technologies means using the same hardware with minimum changes and getting the best possible stimulation, images, therapeutic treatments. At the end, any equipment enabled with this technology will be the dream of any neuronaut.

Gamers Targeted By Ransomware Virus

A computer virus has been targeting the gamers around the world. The virus has the ability to stop the gamers from playing out their favourite games unless they are ready to pay a ransom for the same. Once a machine gets infected by the virus, this cruel program has the ability to seek out the saved games and other important files on the user’s computer and go ahead with encrypting the data. Reports suggest that in order for a user or the gamer’s to unlock any of their encrypted files, they will have to be ready to pay nearly $500 (£340) in Bitcoins. This malware has the ability to target nearly 40 separate games which include World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, World of Tanks, and Minecraft.

Dark world of the web and cash: 

This malicious program is very much similar to that off the widely distributed Cryptolocker Ransomware. It is the same Cryptolocker Ransomware which has been able to target thousands of people around the world in the last few years. However post the analysis of this malicious program called as Teslacrypt, it was revealed that it bears no resemblance or code share with Cryptolocker. Reports suggest that this program seems to have been created by a totally different cybercrime group.

According to the Vadim Kotov, a researcher from the security firm Bromium, the malicious file was targeting people by means of a website which has been already compromised by the creators. This site consists of a Wordpress blog that is unintentionally hosting a file that is making use of drawbacks in the Flash for infecting the potential visitors.

What happens when a machine gets infected? 

According to Kotov, post the infection of the machine, this malware has the ability to check out nearly 185 different file extensions in the user’s system. This malware, particularly looks out for files which are linked with popular video games and online services. These games need not belong to the top listing games on the web. He further added that the Teslacrypt malware, has the ability to store the files of the gamers which includes their maps, profiles, and saved games. He also added that gamers will only end up being disappointed if they try to uninstall any game downloaded through any online service. He further added that it is not possible for the user to restore any of their required data post re-installing the game file as well.

So what happens next? 

Once the user’s files have been targeted and encrypted by this malware, they will get a pop up message indicating that they have been targeted and they have only a few days to make the payment in order to retrieve their data. Reports suggest that the victim might end up paying between $500 to $1,000 Bitcoms in PaypalMy Cash payment cards. The Teslacrypt virus directs the potential victims to send their payment details to a designated address on the Tor anonymous browsing network. Although there are works in progress to crack the encryption system of the virus, user can resort to backups of the files in the meantime.

Youtube May Launch Subscription Video Service, Will Offer Ad-Free Streaming

According to some of the reports, it is believed that YouTube might be considering to opt for a subscription for their original contents. Reports published on the Verge indicate that the company is exploring the idea of launching its own subscription based VOD service. This is mainly due to the sudden boom in the world of technology wherein video streaming has been able to replace the conventional televisions and radios. Reports also suggest that the company is planning to rope in its YouTube stars for developing videos under their original banner.

What is the service all about? 

The new service is expected to be completely ad free towards the videos which have been created under the company’s original banner. The increase in the market competition and competitors like Vessel, Hulu among others, this move seems to be a push force for the company to innovate to stay in the competition. One of the most important benefits that can be expected by the company is the amount of profits it can generate for their video creators through the paid subscription.

The company even though started nearly a decade ago has been able to break out of their traditional means of offering videos to the customers. Reports suggest that the company has been facing a lot of difficulty in terms of generating revenues and unable to attract viewers due to greater than before use of ad-blocker programs.

Recent changes made by YouTube: 

The company has recently added complete support for 360-degree videos that have come to aid of the users who are used to a tremendous amount of video sharing and habituated to virtual-reality headsets. Reports suggest that Google has been working with some of the popular companies like Giroptic’s 360cam, Kodak’s SP360 and Bublcam among others, that are into making of the 360-degree movies and this collaboration will help YouTube to play these videos made their cameras. As if now this feature is expected to available on only certain devices, which includes iPad, iPhone among others.

What is the benefit for the company? 

The company always had the aim of making the conventional television outdated in the near future and looks like through this new project, they might soon be able to achieve their aim. Apart from the current project, the company also has many other projects in the pipeline. The rumor about the current project was spread from an unnamed executive at YouTube, who is currently working with the company for developing and producing video content.

Reports also suggest that the company is looking forward to create an original series, which is on the similar lines as that of Netflix. If the company is able to release this service, it will be similar as that of YouTube Music Key. The YouTube Music Key provides users access to ad free videos apart from free streaming of music from Google play music. The user is expected to be charged around $10 every month for using the service.

Apple's Researchkit Could Be Gold Mine for Hackers

Earlier this week, Researchkit was announced by Apple. This is an open source framework which will allow the health and medical researchers to gather data via iPhone apps. Apple has confirmed that the Researchkit will be available from the month of April. The Researchkit has already been used for developing apps for monitoring asthma patients and to conduct studies on breast cancer survivors, Parkinson's disease and cardiovascular health.

According to the reports of Sagentia, due to the increasing demand of remote patient-monitoring, nearly 26 billion people can be expected to use health-related apps by 2017 worldwide. Danielle Levitas, a group VP at IDC opines that the healthcare-related market will get boosted by Wearable devices. Apple can be expected to be working on something hardware related which will depict their various healthcare partnerships. Market researchers suggest that Apple should move beyond focusing on fitness and increase the reach of the wearable devices to health and lifestyle.

Global reach: 

Researchers will be able to contribute towards activity modules like gait and memory testing, which are part of the framework. They have the option of sharing their data with the global community. Even though the Researchkit is currently available in app stores for US, the company will be rolling the same worldwide in other countries soon.

Limitations: 

The apps which will be developed based on the Researchkit will be applicable to only those who have access to iPhone, which is not possible for everyone around the world. Apart from this not all the iPhone users will be comfortable in monitoring their health apart from sharing the data to a third party. Even though a massive amount of health data can be collected through this but the collection process cannot be deemed completely reliable.

Security Issues: 

According to Apple even though the data collection through Researchkit will not be at risk but security can be a major concern. Since the mobile security in general is poor, intelligence agencies and law enforcement have little qualm about conducting any surveillance on the mobile devices around the world. For example CIA has been working from years to crack the iOS security.

Meanwhile there has been so many instances of iOS hacking making it very less secure. On the other hand even smartphones are not secure since they require broadcasting personal information with the developers of apps. Researchkit might ask to access to an iPhone's microphone, GPS sensors to monitor patients.

According to the ABI Research, at the moment healthcare sector is not fully prepared for any new cyber-age. With the increasing number of cases pertaining to identity theft and fraud, the value of the personal health information becomes 10 times the value of a user’s finances. Millions of health records have been reported missing from the personal health information.

Despite this the health care industry spends a very less amount towards the cyber-security. The best way to secure data is not collect any data and if the data has been collected, then the user should encrypt the data and ensure the safety of the key.

The New and Powerful Nvidia GPU to Be Supported By Asus

On Thursday, Nvidia launched the latest of its GTX 900s series of mobile GPUs, GTX 960m and GTX 950m. These have been designed to evolve and make the gaming laptop as futuristic as well as future-proof as possible. Asus had recently unveiled GX501 which is one of the machines that has incorporated the latest Nvidia tech already. According to the reports the new GPUs comprises of gaming-enhancing features as Shadow-Play, Battery-Boost, and Optimus.

Shadow-Play can track the achievements and capture the videos, Battery-Boost will prolong the play time by managing battery consumption and the Optimus will optimize laptops for battery life and performance. Although Asus is not ready to reveal more about the specifications of GX501, they have hinted that the GTX 960m card will be bounded with worthy hardware. Reports suggest that the GX501 will have the option of a resolution of 3840 x 2160 or even standard HD apart from option of a 4K display. Asus has improvised the cooling system of their gaming laptops for stealthier performance.

Nvidia's Win: 

Before freezing on its plans for the GX501, Asus was reported to be keeping a watchful eye on the processor competition in the market. Even though long-awaited Broadwell chips have been announced by Intel, but still they are in the initial phase and haven’t been able to reach to their maximum potential as if now. The market also saw AMD which basically struggled to compete with both Intel and Nvidia in the GPU wars. According to senior gaming analyst at Jon Peddie Research, Ted Pollack, this doesn’t mean that AMD is giving up and the game is still not over. AMD does have compelling option for some of the consumers.

Prospect of Gaming Laptops: 

According to Mike Schramm, manager of qualitative insights at EEDAR, even though there has been constant rise in the mobile gaming machines, smartphones, tablets, laptops in general are still flourishing. He further added that there is not crossing between the worlds of mobile gaming and laptop gaming. Most of the gamers rely on laptops for playing desktop-style PC games. He further pointed out the today gamers are ready to pay more for high-end laptops to play AAA titles, which are the big budget games and give a totally new experience from mobile gaming. Players might chose tablets for enjoying Monument Valley but go for laptop to play League of Legends.

According to Tim Coulling, senior analyst at Canalys, the market is open for both for PCs and laptops as this is mainly due to gaming and productivity. Hardware manufacturers are leaning towards gaming due to the changing environment. The current market is showing a decline in the sales price making it difficult for the vendors like Asus to make money in the desktop and notebook market. Coulling adds that even though at the lower end prices might be dropping but still PCs will continue to have their own place in every home, especially due to the keyboard and mouse.

Battery Life Can Be Improved By Using Glass Coated Sulfur Particles

Even though the battery capacity of the Lithium-ion batteries have been holding us back, these batteries have still managed to take us a long ways in tablets, phones as well as cars over the years. The drawbacks of these batteries have prompted the scientists to look out for alternate methods but nothing has been working out until now. There has been significant amount of curiosity from the people in the lithium-sulfur batteries in the last couple of years and a recent breakthrough experiment conducted by the Bourns College of Engineering at the University of California, Riverside can make these batteries the next big obsession. All it took was a simple glass of the experiment.

Lithium-ion batteries and Lithium-sulfur batteries: 

The traditional Lithium-ion batteries have become a part of different types of models of phones and technologies, mainly as they have considerable amount of energy density as well as comparatively long life. Before these batteries can fail, the user can recharge it for a few hundred times. Apart from this, there is no effect on the memory as it was seen with nickel-metal hydride and older nickel cadmium rechargeable. The lithium-sulfur battery falls short in terms of them being dirty and not because of any memory effects.

Compared to the conventional lithium-ion battery, a new lithium-sulfur battery has ten times more of energy density. Just image a huge Android phone with 30,000mAh of juice unlike the usual 3,000mAh, now this is something to be excited about. The current lithium-sulfur technology has indicated a drop as the lithium and sulfur reaction products starts to clog the works. These products (lithium polysulfides) dissolve in the electrolyte solution and get stuck to the electrodes. This process decreases the overall capacity and there is no solution to reverse this process.

According to the UC Riverside team, this “polysulfide shuttling” process can be prevented by using the nano-scale sulfur beads inside the cathode and coating of the battery with the SiO2. SiO2 is also known as glass. The thickness of the silica sheath is measured in nanometers (Tens). This sheath should not be too thick as it can interfere in the function of the battery. On the other hand, it cannot be too thin as it can lead to the rupturing of the glass layer and further lead to the formation of lithium polysulfides and lead to the structure damage.

Researchers found that coating the glass with the sulfur was able to give substantial improvements in durability however; it was still prone to rupturing. They found that this issue can be addressed by incorporating graphene oxide (mrGO) in the cathode, which added stability apart from making the nanoparticles less prone to rupture. They are however still unable to develop the kind of stability one can find in a commercial lithium-sulfur battery. With batteries becoming non-removable in phones and other devices, it is important that they last for few years. This experiment marks an evolution in the battery.

How to Turn Your Smartphone into an Authentication Tool

Encap – An Alternative to SIM Based ID Solution 

For the purpose of online banking, users need to identify themselves and hence the password and Pin has been allotted to each user while indulging in online banking activity. Online banking prompts users in identifying themselves correctly and hence most of the banks begin with a password and PIN and also demands some kind of extra info into a key fob or a card reader.

In the present scenario, millions of customers have been using the digital banking service most of them through their mobiles. As per a recent study by Encap, it could cost $ 202,000 to make onetime password hardware though it could be reduced to $9,000 on switching to a software based solution.This trend was spotted by Encap and in 2006, two DnB Norway bank employees planned to form Encap as an alternative to SIM based ID solution.

 They build a system instead which used the mobile phone to identify the users and presently the company has around ten partners in Europe and branching out across the US. The issue is that, these authentication solutions had been created for enterprise wherein an enterprise grade technology is done to support around 15,000 users which now needs to be increased to hundreds of millions.

Solution Based on Three Things 

The difference with regards to the solution is based on three things - `something you have’, `something you know’ and `someone you are’.Encap captured the identity of a device, enabling customers to use it as `something they have’, which runs on any device irrespective of it being an Android or Apple and is independent from operators SIM cards.

It is then covered with a password or a PIN which is `something you know’. Biometric could also be used which is natively available on the device for instance, Touch ID which is `something you are’. It is much easier to operate, wherein on switching from fobs to Encap, the clients eradicate the customer support service, the no. of the phone calls on authentication that goes down to around five for every 10,000 users.

Rather than providing an app, the provision of API is also made available wherein customers could build in an app which means that customer could do anything needed within the app and would not be compelled to leave it to do any security functions.

Authentication – Security – App-Defender

Besides authentication, it is also related to security wherein a component known as app-defender is a security layer which protects the app against any malware. It is presumed that the application could be running in a hostile environment and should the malware make attempts to intrude or inject itself, it is shutdown like a barrier.

Encap also seems to be a digital signature and to change the device into a legal writing pen to sign documents, one would have to venture out in order to purchase expensive SIM based solutions. This can be replaced with a software component which enables user in generating cryptography keys directly on to their smartphones as well as tablets.

Consumers keen on using financial services could bank on Encap which is unique and helps users to protect themselves from security breaches and malicious hackers.

Hamburg Residents Take Revenge on Late-Night Revelers With Urine-Repellent Paint

New High Tech Paints on Late-Night Revellers

An area in German city of Hamburg which is well-known for its nightlife at St Pauli’s nightclub district,has their locals gearing up with a new high tech paints on late-night revellers who tend to urinate on public buildings. The problem of what is known as the `wild urinator’ or `Widlpinker’, is an obsession in Germany and they have been fighting back against the drunken revellers who tend to relieve themselves on street corners.

 These group of locals have come up with a solution that can send the spray bouncing right back on them, by modifying the area’s walls to `pee back’ on them.The matter has been taken up by a local interest group who has applied the special water repellent paint which is also utilised in shipbuilding process, on two especially frequented buildings in the vicinity of the renowned nightclub district area near the port.

 This was with the aim of deterring the `Wildpinkler’ as they are so called by the Germans. The attention of around 181,000 viewers was drawn when a video was posted on YouTube on its first day where Julia Staron who has organised the group, is portrayed putting up signs in German as well as in English which say `Hier nicht pinkeln! Wir pinkeln zurueck’ – Do not pee here! We pee back!

Paint Job – Direct Message to Perpetrators 

She has informed Reuters that the paint job sends a direct message back to the perpetrators that their wild urinating on the wall is not welcome and the paint protects the building as well as the residents and most importantly, it sends a signal that this behaviour is not on’. A neighbourhood association began repainting the walls along the popular Reeperhahn street with a water repellent paint and the offending urine then tends to bounce back off the wall and on to the shoes of the perpetrator.

The said paint is considered to be pretty expensive and according to Staron it could cost about 500 euros to paint a six square meter surface – 65 sq. feet, though it would be worth the effort which is already having a positive effect on newly protected walls all over. She further states that `on comparing the work involved for daily cleaning of the mess and the awful smell as well as all the collateral damage involved, it has definitely been well worth it’.

Effective Idea – Prevailing Problem

Staron has also informed that her community group had come up with this notion on realizing that conventional method were not being very effective in this situation. She relates that they had tried to analyse the issue and come up with some solution and were interested especially in bringing about an effective idea which would be suitable with regards to this prevailing problem at St. Paulis’ famous red light and nightclub location.

For a long time public urination has been illegal though it could be some sort of illegal which makes one to do it more often at any public spot without any penalty imposed. Locals living near nightclubs in this popular location of St. Pauli’s neighbourhood have now invested in water resistant paint to resolve this issue that when the pee hits the paint, it apparently will splash back and the reveller would then have to walk around with urine all over them which would cause embarrassment for the crime committed by them.

Meet Randall Munroe Who Answers the Ungoogleable Questions

How much physical storage space is needed to store all the data of Google? 

May be you think that it is stupid question rather than excellent, but it’s totally depends on your mind and thinking process. But if you will search this question on Google, so you will find that this question is ungoogleable as there is no specific answer for this. But Randall Munroe, who is man behind popular web comic xkcd take a stand to answer ridiculous questions.

He started with well known datacenters of Google and look for the bills of power and building plan tp estimate the standard area data storage, which could be same in new centers he found. But it’s bit difficult to find out on Google, especially then when Google didn’t want. Well Google still posts its spending reports and recruitment ads in all over the world and still there are few people who love to take the photos of data centers and when they do that, so conveniently they have GPS data embedded and this is the favorite of Randall in recent times. According to Randall, he could search for more data because “Google is very strict about organizational stuff related to companies information”. Like; to order a pizza in city where Google have data centers and later asking them from where tech people order their pizzas and it can be help full to estimate the total number of employees, he says.

According to one of the physicist and one-time NASA roboticist, these calculations are pretty straightforward when he worked on his blog; what if he will regularly answers these types of question? This idea comes in his mind five years ago when in mid-physics lecture he thought that may be interesting equation written on blackboard is not interesting. But his students do care about his blog when recently Randall published his favorite question “what if answers online, for a million of people who still visit his blog xkcd regularly to fix their geeky humor.

The more he added that I wonder that what will happen if we will swim round a nuclear reactor’s waste cooling pool, where you will get the lower dose of radiations that could have both positive or negative effects. And if you will duck your head 5 to 10 feet from the waste level so in lower surface there will be no more radiation. So according to this theory, water above nuclear waste would be the lowest radiation in the world.

But while backing to original question, what is the punch card and it will equivalent to how much data of Google? Well Randall estimated that it will about 10 exabytes or it could be 5 exabytes more for offline storage, which is 3 times more than all words which a single human can spoke ever. A single punch card can contain 80 characters and you can fit maximum 2000 cards in a box which means you need to cover whole area of New England in the US (area which covers 6 states) by punch cards.

Sandisk Crammed 200GB into a Fingernail Sized MicroSD Card

It’s unbelievable, to store too much information such as; videos, images and important files in too small space, but it’s not possible as SanDisk announced world's first 200GB microSD card at Mobile World Conference. In present we all need more space on our device and due to that most of the time we prefer to use cloud-based synchronization and storage services such as; Apple iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive to make the backup of photos and videos and also to transfer them from smartphones or tablets to a personal computer.

There' is no such things to store too much information in too small space and this is why SanDisk, which is one of the world's leading and most popular storage manufacturer launch its premium 200GB Ultra microSD XC UHS-I card whereas; before one year company was released its earth-shattering 128GB microSD card. Its 200GB microSD card is the highest capacity microSD card with 56 per cent more storage than the 128GB microSD card.

This card is able to transfer more than, 200 photos in a minute with up limit of 90 megabytes per second whereas; it can hold 20 hours of full HD (1080p) resolution videos. These 200GB microSD cards probably have more storage space than you laptop and also more than your tablet or phone. When it comes to storage capacity, so SanDisk 200GB microSD card has more storage than 13-inch MacBook Air and all the other Windows ultrabooks. It has more storage than the best capacity of iPad Air 2 and iPhone.

According to officials of SanDisk, “Our 200GB microSD card is designed for premium line of Android-based smartphones and tablets and we all know that these two devices have a microSD card slot to increase the storage capacity of device. It is expected this high capacity card will be great for those who love to capture their life movements in huge 4K-resolution or to store 4K-resolution videos as most of the high-end Android devices are supporting 4K-resolution videos and it will be another reason to capture the precious movements of life.

The good news is that it comes with temperature, shock, water, magnet and X-ray resistant capacity with an SD card adapter. If you have SanDisk's Memory Zone app on your Android device, so it will automatically transfer the photos and videos to the microSD card when storage will get tight on a smartphone or tablet. This card is perfect for dash-cams and home security systems as it has high-endurance capacity for lots of video recording. SanDisk’s 200GB microSD is designed to handle extreme temperatures and as well as low temperature freezing winters.

If your device has a capacity to take SDXC microSD card of 128GB, be positive because it can support the new one too. If you are planning to own 200GB microSD card, so you need to pay $399.99 and it will be available by the end of second quarter of 2014. It will come with two-year warranty, which will be available in the Europe, South Korea and US.

Zero Knowledge Proof

Zero Knowledge Proof- Protocol of Interactive Inputs

A zero knowledge proof, in cryptography is a system in which one prover or a party has the capability of proving to another party, that a given statement is true without the need of imparting any information besides the fact that the statement is true.

In other words, very informally, it means that a zero knowledge proof protocol enables a party known as a prover in convincing the verifier or the other party, with conviction that the statement is true, without revealing any information about his knowledge.

In the case of zero knowledge proofs of knowledge, the requirement of the protocol is interactive input from the verifier in the form of challenge or challenges like the responses from the prover which could convince the verifier only if the statement tends to be true, where the prover does not seem to have claimed knowledge which is clear in the case since the verifier could then record the execution of the protocol and also replay it to another party.

Zero Knowledge Concepts Proposed in 1980

If this tends to get accepted by the other party as proof, then the replaying party is aware of the secret information, it could mean that the protocol has leaked knowledge and it is not zero knowledge or it could be spurious which means it leads to a party accepting another party’s proof of knowledge and who does not have the actual possession of it.

The conception of `zero knowledge’ was proposed in 1980s by MIT researchers Shafi Goldwasser, Silvio Micali and Charles Rackoff who worked on problems that were connected to interactive proof system, a theoretical system wherein first party known as prover exchanged messages with second party known as verifier in order to convince the verifier on some mathematical statement as the truth,The specific concern raised was about the leakage of information.

 In the simple sense, zero knowledge proofs are evidence which yield nothing other than the validity of the assertion which is, a verifier has proof that gains conviction with regards tothe validity of the assertion and this is expressed by stating that anything which is feasibly computable from the point of zero knowledge proof could also be feasibly computable from the assertion point of view.

Basic Definitions/ Properties 

Some of the basic definition on variants comprise of universal and black-box simulations, consideration of auxiliary inputs, the level of similarity needed of the stimulation and restricting attention to honest verifiers. It is also a known fact, that zero knowledge proofs prevail for any NP-sets, if one way functions tend to exist resulting in a powerful tool in the design of cryptographic protocols since it compelsparties to behave as per a predetermined protocol which is, the protocol requires the parties to have zero knowledge proofs on the accuracy of their secret based activity without the need of any revelations. Three properties need to be fulfilled in the case of zero knowledge proof which is –

Completeness – When the statement is true, the honest verifier, the one who follows protocol in a proper manner, will be convinced of the fact by the honest prover.

Soundness – When the statement tends to be false, no cheating prover should convince the honest verifier stating that it is true, with the exception of some small probability.

Lastly, Zero knowledge – When the statement seems to be true, no cheating verifier gets to learn anything besides the fact and is formalized by showing that a cheating verifier has some simulate which provides only the statement to be proved could produce a transcript which is similar to an interaction between the honest prover and the cheating verifier

“Shopping cart” Patent Beaten by Newegg Comes Back To Court, Loses Again

Now patent troll will not get any more money from Victoria's Secret, Avon or others. During last congress, one of the patent reforms comes in spotlight and this patent was the patent of “online shopping cart”. In Congressional hearings the issue comes in spotlight, but till that time the shopping cart patent was dead as its owner, Soverain Software was beaten by Newegg, which is one of the retailers. Newegg won an appellate ruling while validating its patents and by throwing out more than $2.5 million jury verdict against it.

This ruling wiped out the biggest win of Soverain, which was the verdict against Victoria's Secret and Avon in 2011 and for that companies have ordered to pay almost more than $18 million with a "running royalty" of about 1 per cent to infringing the same patents over again.

Most of the apparel companies have been able to coast on the same legal platform with the win of Newegg, whereas; on the other side instead of admitting a defeat, Soverain have hired more law firms to file the appeal by Avon and Victoria's Secret. Before some days, a panel of judges in U.S. Court overturned the win of Soverain and re-affirmed the final decision that now "shopping cart" patent and its other patent for e-commerce, were invalid.

In general, whenever a patent-holder loses, then because of longstanding legal rules they wouldn't proceed with outstanding appeals to prevent the other parties from re-litigating the same case in different courts. However Soverain argued on the issue and stated that these rules shouldn’t apply as; Soverain hadn’t a full and fair opportunity to litigate the issue in courts.

It is true that East Texas jury has found that it is in the favor of Soverain's, but they didn’t address the issue that whether patents were obvious or not? But Soverain itself stopped the East Texas jury from considering the issue. The company, who was holding the patent, filed a complaint by arguing that its patents were non-obvious and it’s a matter of law, so the decision of district court will be final. But Newegg raise the issue again and apparently it was great surprise of win for Soverain.


Soverain stated that it would have raised certain different or additional arguments for appeal if it had known that these particular courts might reverse the district court on invalidity rather than only granting a new trial. Soverain argued that its shopping cart patent was special because it used to identify the product, whereas; the concept of product identifiers weren’t present in CompuServe Mall’s prior art technology, which knocked out Soverain's patent.

But the referred court noted that Soverain didn’t talk about the fact of product identifiers in Newegg case and this can be the reason for Soverain loss. However, Avon declined any official comment whereas; Victoria's Secret didn't respond immediately. A spokesperson from Soverain told Ars, that we respectively disagree with the court’s decision and do not feel that it was justice.

5 Simple Tips to Avoid Getting Scammed In 2015

Criminals and computer hackers in all over the world are active; they are working round the clock to steal your personal information as well as money. There is nothing which you can do, but with few simple precautions you can reduce the risk because life in digital age doesn’t come with undo button and your small mistake can crook your Social Security number.

• Use credit cards for online shopping: 

A credit card provides you better fraud protection than debit card and net banking as credit cards follow the different federal rules. If you are using credit cards, so you can dispute an unauthorized charge and later credit card company have to take charge off your bill after doing the investigation, which is not possible if you are using debit card. You can also dispute the charges of a credit card if the merchandise doesn’t arrive or if you have got the defective material. Whereas; some people afraid to use a credit card for online shopping, but this is for what credit card are meant to be. If there is any kind of problem, so it’s a job of credit card companies to deal with it.


• Protect your personal information:

Hacker have variety of tools and techniques to get your account numbers and passwords such as; bogus emails designed to look like authentic e-mails from banks, key-loggers, phishing and more. There are always reasons why they need your personal information, but you shouldn’t forget that your Social Security number is the key to your tension free life because a hacker can use it to steal money or your personal identity. Social Security numbers are essential for financial and medical records, so it is recommended to guard it.


• Never download unknown attachment or click on suspicious links:

It’s easy to click on a certain link which is in text mail or on social media post, but it is recommended to never open such links which are calming as shipping invoice or some other document calming certain lucky draw. Fraudsters are ready to count on your curiosity and your instant response can end-up with an installation of malicious software onto computers and smartphones.


• Take your time:

Never make your purchase in rush as it can lead you towards fraud. Never fall in love with “buy-now-or-else because sometimes hackers use this trick to compromise your financial details. So before taking any final check-out makes sure you are doing shopping or purchase from authentic platform.



•  Don’t be fooled by e-mails of free prize or free merchandise or money back guarantees: 

Never pay for playing in contest, which claims billion of dollars in prize. If the contest is authentic, so you don’t have to buy anything or pay any amount of money to get your prize. Free is good, but nothing comes in free especially when you are living in this meaning full world. The initial product may be free, but the other attached products can end your purchase with heavy bills and this is the technique through which most of the e-commerce companies are making a real profit. 

 

 

 

Microsoft Says Its New Computer Vision System Can Outperform Humans

Recently, the researchers of Microsoft claims in published paper that their team has developed the world’s first computer machine, which is capable to outperform humans on certain popular benchmark. According to estimation of experts, humans can identify or classify images at ImageNet dataset and in this process the error rate will be 5.1 per cent, whereas; in recent published paper team of researchers indicated that due to deep-learning based system, successfully they have achieved an error rate of 4.94 per cent, which is little less than human error rate.

Microsoft’s paper was published in less than a month after Baidu’s paper. It is well known thing that Baidu is most famous search engine in China as Google is ban in China. Baidu published its paper indicating its record-setting system that claimed an error rate of 5.98 per cent with the help of homemade supercomputing architecture. The performance was based on the competition on ImageNet, which belongs from the team of Google researchers, who have also built a deep learning system with an error rate of 6.66 in 2014.

The paper of Microsoft states, “As per our knowledge, we are the first who have published instance of surpassing humans with the help of visual recognition challenge, whereas; on the native side, our algorithms are still making mistakes in certain cases which are not so difficult for humans, especially then when it requires a high-level knowledge or context understanding”.

Whereas; our all algorithms have given a superior result with this specific dataset, which does not indicate that machine’s vision can outperforms the human vision on object recognition in general. At the end of research, we believe that our results are showcasing the tremendous potential of system algorithms to match the performance level with human for certain visual recognition tasks.

According to Jian Sun, who is researcher in Microsoft, the difference is plainer English in a blog post of Microsoft; “Humans can easily make the difference between a sheep and a cow or between other things whereas; computers are not perfect in these simple tasks. However, when it comes to differentiate between breeds of sheep’s than here outperform humans and it proves that computer can be trained to look at the certain details such as; size, shape, texture, and context of the image to identify the difference that can’t be observed by humans.

As human or researcher if you have curiosity to learn how deep learning works, why in these days it’s a hot area, how it can be used in commercial applications, then you should attend the Structure Data conference of Microsoft at New York between March 18 and 19. Speakers will be machine learning and deep learning experts from Microsoft, Facebook, Hampton Creek, Yahoo, Spotify, NASA and Stanford as well as also from startups such as; Enlitic, MetaMind, Blue River Technology and TeraDeep. Later in Structure Intelligence conference, which will be organized between Sept. 22 and 23 in San Francisco, we will dive even deeper into artificial intelligence, says spokesperson from Microsoft

Microsoft Will Support Biometric Password-Killers on Windows 10

Support Window 10 with FIDO

It was recently revealed by Microsoft at the Stanford Cybersecurity Summit, that the company wouldbe supporting Window 10 with the next version of the Fast Identification Online – FIDO spec enabling devices to work with plenty of third party biometric readers and also provide easy framework for any hardware developers wanting to build extra security in a laptop or a phone.

This could mean that companies designing useful things such as fingerprint readers as well as iris scanners could now rest assured with the thought that their technology will now work with an upgraded version of the most popular desktop operating system and users would probably be in a position to log in to Outlook with fingerprint or an eyes-can with this new development.

With regards to the prevailing fingerprint readers, FIDO has been designed to replace passwords completely by a faster and much more localized authentication system and unlike the traditional biometric security methods, FIDO could completely replace passwords and is designed in such a way that no biometric data gets leaked online with everything inclusive of the authentication done locally offline.

Designed to Protect Biometric Information

Biometric authentication is utilised in computer science for the purpose of identification as well as access control and is also used as identity of individuals in groups which are under surveillance. FIDO which has been designed as an open standard has been supported by some of the largest companies in banking and tech which include Microsoft, PayPal, Google and Bank of America where the system is created for the purpose of protecting biometric information through a zero knowledge proof, authenticating fingerprints or eye scans locally with any exposure to the web at large.

Dustin Ingall of Microsoft has commented in a blog post accompanying the announcement that moving beyond the password was `one of the top priorities for them at Microsoft’.He has also commented that `the current Technical Preview build enables a number of enterprise scenarios and it showcases their integration with Windows 10 sign in, Azure Active Directory and access to major SaaS services such as Office 365 Exchange Online, Salesforce, Citrix, Box, Concur, to mention a few’.

Window 10 – Big Release for Microsoft

Window 10 would also be including Active Directory integration for on-premise scenarios and Microsoft Account integration for consumer Microsoft services like Outlook.com, OneDrive and much more. Specification of version 1.0 had been released in January with companies such as Yubico making hardware with the use of FIDO in order to log into Google account.

Window 10 support is tied to the 2.0 release where Microsoft has been making its contribution in design inputs. Windows 10 being a big release for Microsoft, great efforts is being done with the OS that has already received positive feedback and is presently in the technical preview stage of development.

Even at the technical preview stage, Microsoft lays claims that Windows Insiders running one of the latest build of the Windows 10 technical preview could test the embedded FIDO 2.0 specification. With the OS comprising of several new features, Microsoft is making headway in more addition with its announcement of Window 10 supporting the next version of FIDO spec.

Scientists Track Parasites with Satellites

Satellite Data to Combat Parasitic Diseases 

Latest reports is that scientists are now developing a system of using satellite data to combat parasitic diseases such as malaria, hydatids and worms and this new project is an example of progress in the field of disease research, wherein updated tools like spatial statics are rendering support to developers in bringing together the earth observations as well as disease data in order to analyse and foreseen the pattern of disease.

We find several types of parasites; organisms which tend to live in a host and cause diseases in humans. While some parasitic diseases could be treated easily, there are others which are not easily treated such as malaria. Several of the parasitic diseases are mostly found in the tropics as well as in subtropics, where the burden tends to fall on the under developed countries affecting hundreds of millions of people annually.

At a recent AAAS Annual Meeting in San Jose, CA, professor and a leader of the new project at the Australian National University in Canberra, Archie Clements, informed delegates, on how a system like the one they were working on could be helpful for developing countries to target scarce resources to the greatest effect. Professor Clements is also a director of the University’s Research School of Population Health.

Geographical Information System – GIS 

Professor Clements states that some diseases could be highly sensitive to their environment especially parasitic diseases and with remote sensing; one can identify the areas where diseases could spread. He, together with his colleagues is on the project of developing a method of combining satellite data with health data in a computerized geographical information system – GIS. The purpose of utilising the GIS is that decision maker could locate the high risk location quickly and check for sufficient resources for these areas.

The satellite data comprises of information about the climate as well as land conditions like the temperature, vegetation, rainfall and land usage. Moreover, the team is also gathering on the knowledge of entomologist, software developers, epidemiologist, social scientists as well as health policy specialists in order to ensure that the GIS data is rich and useful to the maximum. He further explains that `the result is maps which are accessible to countries with limited capacity in managing disease data, tailored to their local needs’.

Meaningful Impact on the World 

The new system has been tried is areas like Bhutan, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands to track malaria and the team is now on the lookout for sponsorship in order to support them in applying the system, to larger countries. They are striving in the development of the GIS to predict worms as well as hydatids which is a kind of tapeworm that could be transmitted by dogs coming in contact with sheep in China, Philippines and the other countries in the of Asia Pacific countries.Prof. Clements is of the opinion that the research could help authorities in the developing countries to fight against parasitic diseases and by taking up this research they are provided with an opportunity in having a meaningful impact on the world thereby saving the lives of many.

Hacker Ring Stole $1B from Banks in 30 Countries, Says Report

Again a hacker group has stolen more than $1 billion from different banks in all over the world and till now it is one of the biggest banking breaches, as per the reports of cyber-security firm.

According to Kaspersky Lab, which is one of the Russian security companies, “One of the hackers ring is active from last quarter of 2013 and they have infiltrated more than 100 different banks in 30 countries, including four banks in Canada.

They are using phishing schemes and other techniques to gain access banks computer and after that they lurk form one month to two month, to learn the banks' systems and in taking the screen shots or video of employees using their computers, the report says. As soon hackers become familiar with the banks' operations than they use their knowledge to steal money without raising any kind of suspicious activity, by setting up their fake accounts and transferring a lot of cash into them or programming ATMs to dispense money at their choice of time and more, according to Kaspersky.

This report was prepared to present in a security conference at Cancun, Mexico, but it was first reported by The New York Times.

It seems that hackers limit their theft $10 million before moving to another bank and this is why their fraud was not detected earlier, Vicente Diaz, Principal security researcher of Kaspersky said to The Associated Press in a telephone interview. These attacks were unusual because this time hackers target the banks rather than targeting any individual customers.

It seems that their goal is financial gain rather than espionage, Diaz said. This time hackers are not interested in any kind of personal information, they are only interested in financial gain. These hackers are flexible and quite aggressive as well because they have special tool for doing whatever they want to do. The most targeted countries are the U.S., Germany, Russia, Ukraine and China as attackers are expanding throughout Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe, Kaspersky says.

One of the bank lost more than $7.3 million through ATM fraud, whereas; in another case one of the financial institution lost $10 million because attackers exploit the bank’s online banking platform. Till now the name of banks are not clear and still Kaspersky is working with law-enforcement agencies to investigate these attacks.

These days, White House is putting a lot of focus on cyber-security due to many data breaches in national security agencies and companies, which are ranging from mass retailers to financial institutions such as; Home Depot and Target to Sony Pictures Entertainment and other insurance companies.

Now U.S. administration wants Congress to replace the all existing patchwork of national and state laws by giving a 30 days’ notice to companies that consumer’s personal information has been compromised. “As a officials at this point of time we cannot disclose the actions of individuals, but we believe that our officials are taking an appropriate actions to prevent these attacks and minimize any effects on customers”, one of the national security agency of U.S. said in a statement.

Gene-Altered Apples Get U.S. Approval

U.S. government has approved the commercial planting of Apples, which are genetically engineered to develop the resistant against turning brown, when bruised or sliced. The researcher of Okanagan Specialty Fruits said that it seems that non-browning feature will be popular among both consumers and food service companies as it has ability to make sliced apples more appealing than normal apple.

But many other executives in the apple industry stated that we are worry that the biotech apples are safe to eat or not or will consumers accept it or not? They also express their concern that exports of apples from other countries will like genetically modified foods or not?

The Department of Agriculture, which is responsible for the approval of genetically engineered apples said, that they have considered these issues, however this approval was based on whether; a genetically modified crop poses a threat to other plants or not and the Department of Agriculture confirmed that these apples posed no such risk.

These Arctic apples will be available in the Golden Delicious and Granny Smith varieties as they are genetically engineered with a technique to suppress the production of an enzyme, which causes browning when cells in the apple get injured from slice. The non-browning effect is not comes in existence by putting genes from another species into the apple’s DNA, which is widely used method with most of the genetically altered crops.

In this process, apple’s own genes are manipulated in a way to turn down the browning mechanism. Before that in November 2014, the Agriculture Department has approved a genetically engineered potato, which was developed by the J.R. Simplot Company, which has used similar technique to prevent browning. Now apple will join the community of other genetically modified fruits and vegetables such as; sweet corn and papaya.

A representative of the Agriculture Department said that it will take a time to analyze the issues and all comments, which we have received as in two different public comment periods we have received more than 175,000 comments and it is clear indication that majority have opposed the approval.

While majority in the apple industry had opposed the approval as some of them are saying that they will work to ensure that customers and clients know most apples are not modified and when modified apple’s comes in market so they will be safe. This approval was unusual in Okanagan, which is in Summerland, British Columbia. Most of the genetically modified crops are developed through large chemical and seed companies such as; DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto.

It is expected that Arctic apples will be available in few years because trees have to first be planted and then they will get mature enough to bear fruit. In a recent conversation with press Mr. Carter said that in this spring four growers will plant a total of 20,000 trees within the covering of 20 acres or more and it is expected that by fall of 2016, from 5,000 to 10,000 pounds of apples would come in market, which will be great amount to provide samples to food service companies and for other potential buyers, whereas; in stores product will reach in very small amount.

Accessory Lens for Google Glass Invented

Latest Invention – Google Lens

The latest invention which has been developed by Wichita State University professor Jibo He and Barbara Chaparro who worked with graduate student Long Wang on the project known as Google Lens, have found ways to be more creative and innovative on inventing a device which could have positive development in the medical field in the future.

The device has been invented which can be attached to the Google Glass wearable computer and gives the user an enlarged image. The device seems to be an accessory lens; a wearable product which uses voice control to enable users to check information easily when their hands tend to be busy and the information is displayed in Google Glass see through head mounted display with its built-in camera enabling video sharing as well as remote conference.

The Google Glass responds to voice commands and has a tiny screen with a camera which is placed to a glass-like frame but the display seems to have one setback wherein its webcam has a narrow field of vision of 54.8 degrees horizontally by 43.5 vertically with limitation to its use in some applications. The attachment of Google lens enables the user to capture an enlarge vision of 109.8 degrees horizontally and 57.8 vertically.

The Importance of Expanding Google Glass view

Several professionals have the need to use Google Glass for many things like surgery and medical training to usability research as well as flying an aircraft. Most of the hospitals which include Wesley Medical Centre in Wichita and the Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston are developing Google Glass applications in order to enhance their medical services, new doctor training and surgery.

It is said that `the object needed to broadcast may be out of the field of view of Google glass and despite all of its remarkable features, Google Glass has some limitations in its hardware and Google lens solves the problem’. The device includes a holder which is attached to the lens of the frame of Google Glass where the lens that is fixed into the accessory has the capabilities of being changed with ease. Moreover, the accessory lens is helpful in the bottleneck of Google Glass camera improving and expanding Google Glass’ application in professional areas.

Patent Files for Google Lens – Awaiting Approval

Both Jibo along with Chaparro has applied for a U.S. patent for Google Lens and are waiting for its approval. They are both part of Wichita State University psychology department where Chaparro is the director of WS’s Software Usability Research Laboratory studying human-computer interaction and working with industry on software design and usability.

Jibo He on the other hand was among the first Google glass Explorers in 2013 and through the Explorer program, was granted by Google, programmers and researchers early access to the Google Glass device prior to going on sale to the general public and though it is not available to the general public, some businesses like hospitals having been using Google Glass.

Initial research related to whether it would be safe to drive while interacting with Google Glass and later on studied how Glass could be used in detecting when the driver was fatigued.

Google's Vint Cerf Warns of 'digital Dark Age'

In recent interview with Pallab Ghosh, Google's Vint Cerf warns about 'digital Dark Age'. Vint Cerf, who is a Vice-president of Google, says that he is worry about all the images and documents, which we have saved on our computers or on other devices because in future we can eventually lost them. He believes that it could occur as software and hardware become obsolete.

Vint Cerf fears that in future our generations will have very little or no record about 21st Century, if we will face digital Dark Age scenario. He made his comment at science conference in San Jose, where he arrived in a three-piece suit, for annual meeting of American Association for the Advancement of Science. We all know that he is an iconic figure, who love to define that how data packets moves in all over internet and he is the only Google employee who love to wear tie and suit.

Now his main focus is to solve this new problem of digital Dark Age, which is threatens to eradicate our past or history. Our memories, our life, our happiness, our sorrows and cherished family photographs now exist as bits of information on our hard drives or in cloud. But change is the law of nature and so technology moves on and we can lose them while accelerating the digital revolution.

What is Digital Dark Age? 

In report, Pallab Ghosh from BBC told that “I worry as Mr. Cerf told me that in near future you and I can experience the things like this because old formats of documents, which we have created in present they may not be readable in future when latest versions will come in existence and we all know that software’s backwards compatibility is not guaranteed.

And due to that in the presence of archives of digital content, we will not be able to scratch or use it as we may not know what it is. While promoting the idea to preserve each and every piece of software, technology and hardware he said that with the help of this idea we will be able to overcome from this issue and we can store them in the form of digital or in servers over could as things happens in a museum. If this idea of Mr. Cerf, will work, so our memories could be accessible for upcoming generations.

The recommended solution is to take an X-ray snapshot of the operating system, application, and content together with the detailed description of the machine, which runs on and able to preserve that for long periods such as; 100 to 200 years.

And these digital snapshots will be helpful to recreate the past in the future. There will be companies in future who will provide these services and therefore I suggested to Mr Cerf that how companies will exist for hundreds of years and because of that we cannot guarantee that both personal and human history would be safeguarded in the long run.

But Vint Cerf replied that we are trying to capture X-ray snapshot and they will be transportable from one place to another and so it will be easy to move them from Google cloud to some other cloud or move it into a machine.