Category: Technology

State Department Trolling Social Media for Terrorist Activity

The boom of social media has provided millions of people will real time ways to communicate with one another. With the explosion of smartphones and mobile devices, users are more connected than ever before, and more than 6 billion people worldwide own a mobile device.

The fact that 1.8 billion people use social media globally should be cause for an international celebration of worldwide media success, but in recent years, it is becoming a glaring concern, particularly for Homeland Security and national defense sectors.

Twitter and Facebook are increasingly being utilized by the U.S. State Department to reach out to potential jihadists to dissuade them from joining Islamic extremists. Various extremists have taken to the social media waves to appeal to global citizens, asking them to join in their efforts. These posts often include propaganda photographs and gruesome images of fellow combatants wounded or killed in battle.

The Syrian war has taken center stage of late, with extremists reaching out expatriates and the larger diaspora of Muslims who may be sympathetic to the Syrian cause. A recent study showed that of the 11,000 Western Muslims who have joined rebels in Syria, roughly a quarter of them were recruited by radical Western supporters who used social media to further their plight. These fanatics recently lured a British teenager into the country using Twitter, who silently left the U.K. to join the fight. While he was killed shortly after reaching Syria, other convert extremists have tweeted missing the luxuries of home back in the U.K.

In California, social media patrolling helped to quell fears of an individual terrorist within U.S. borders last month. Nicolas Teausant, a 20-year-old college student, used his Facebook, Tumblr, and Google + accounts to post phrases and pictures that caught the attention of online users and local authorities. He publicized his conversion to Islam, and his continued search for the “The Mujahid’s Handbook,” a guide to becoming a “lone wolf terrorist,” according to the FBI.

Teausant is only one potential terrorist in a long line of online suspects that the FBI has traced. He and hundreds of other radical social media users have been detained and questioned by the FBI, leaving some people questioning the actual threat these boisterous extremist-supporters pose to the nation. Teausant did not have any formal ties to jihadists in Syria, and was caught in an FBI sting operation, trying to cross the border into Canada.

Even with these doubts, the FBI is not taking any chances. Coordinator of the State Department’s Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, Alberto Fernandez claims that the social media push helps combat the propaganda barrage of terrorist regimes, like Al Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Al-Zawahiri has publicly announced that he uses media as a call to arms for Muslims around the world.

While there have been no clear markers as to the success of social media communications in reducing extremist converts, or ending America’s “War on Terror,” Twitter, Facebook, Google +, YouTube, and other social outlets will likely be an important part of tracing potential threats to the nation as jihadists continue sharing their beliefs and feelings using these media channels.

Eye Care Specialists Now Fitting Patients with Lenses for Google Glass

Since the Google Glass Explorer program first rolled out, participants have complained about the lack of prescription eyewear available for their face-mounted computers. Thankfully for these users, Google announced early last month that it will finally begin offering new options for prescription eyeglass wearers in a move that’s designed to make their face-mounted computers more fashionable, appealing, and–above all–consumer friendly before its mainstream release.

Each pair of frames from the Titanium line will cost $225 each. There are four choices available, which are called: Bold, Thin, Curve, and Split. Though the exterior of the frames is gray, users have a choice of four accent colors for their frames’ interior.

Google also offers three sunglass options at $150 each, which is fairly important considering the fact that UV rays can cause cataracts, macular degeneration, and even vision loss. The three sunglass styles are called: Classic, Active, and Edge.

Google made eye doctors a particularly important part of the Titanium line’s rollout, according to Dr. Stephen Bolick, founder of Eye Care Associates and one of the select few who’s allowed to fit users for prescription pairs of Google Glass. “From our perspective, anyone who wears prescription glasses, you’ll need to have your prescription lenses mounted on the frame to see the display,” he said.

The Glass hardware itself isn’t a prescription lens, and merely attaches to the frames, offering users the ability to take pictures, update social media, and project information like directions, sports scores, or e-mails on a small display. The hardware’s last update was back in October, when Google wanted to make sure that it could properly attach to the new Titanium frames.

Right now, the hardware still makes Glass users stand out. However, the future may bring a more subtle design to Google Glass, which would allow users to be invisible to the untrained eye. Of course, Glass could also offer hardware that’s more distinct, giving users the choice between subtle or obvious looks.

Regardless of the direction that Google Glass takes in the future, offering prescription lenses was definitely a smart move. It’s more important to focus on the current iteration of Glass and how the public will receive it. Google Glass spokesperson Chris Dale said, “I think you need to give the technology a chance to breathe and evolve.”

Breakthrough in Breast Cancer Diagnosis Could Reduce Number of Misdiagnoses

On Sunday, March 30, physicians and engineers at Dartmouth College released new findings for a technique that combines MRI with optical scanning to more accurately locate breast cancer tumors, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader.

Physicians at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center and engineers from Dartmouth College’s Thayer School of Engineering worked to develop a new, simpler method of breast-conserving surgery for women whose breast cancer is too small to be felt, the Union Leader reported.

Breast cancer continues to be a major health concern. It has been on the rise since the 1970s — and since 2000, rates have increased at an increasing rate every year.

This new method of breast cancer tumor detection is “similar to a car’s GPS,” the Norris Cotton Cancer Center said in a release. “The uploaded maps would be the MRI, and the optical scan provides the ‘you are here’ arrow for the surgeon. This more accurate picture of the tumor location and its edges allows for a more precise surgical excision.”

Ideally, this method could also be used in a diagnostic manner to prevent the misdiagnosis of breast cancer. Misdiagnoses are a major problem — according to a National Institutes of Health study, women who begin having regular mammograms at age 40 have a higher than 61% chance of being falsely diagnosed with breast cancer.

Unfortunately, there is no foolproof way to prevent breast cancer. However, with regular screenings and proper diagnoses, breast cancer can be detected in its earliest stages and lives can be saved. A March 26 Reuters article also says that one’s risk for breast cancer decreases significantly when a healthy lifestyle is adopted early in life.

U.S. requires new cars to have backup cameras

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced on Monday that all the automakers will be required to fix a camera at the back of the vehicle by 2018. The long awaited rule has finally been enforced. It is said that all new cars, minivans, small trucks, buses and SUVs will need to have rear visibility technology in the vehicles.

Previously, there was no rule that asked automakers to include these systems.  The agency said that there are 210 reported deaths every year due to none availability of cameras at the back of the vehicles and this move has been initiated to save the lives of people.

NHTSA further said that rear cameras will save about 59 and 69 deaths a year and it will be necessary for automakers to install these systems in all new vehicles from 2018. On the other hand, transportation secretary Anthony Foxx said that “It is our prime responsibility to ensure safety and we are committed to save lives of our children”. He added that as a father I feel how tragic the situation would be when a father unintentionally hits his child. Today’s rule will surely reduce the number of such incidents.

NHTSA said that we expect cost of this system as $140 per new vehicle and it is not too much expensive. Besides, those manufacturers which had already included the systems in their new vehicles have applauded the rule.

Last but not the least, the Auto Alliance said to NHTSA that it should allow automakers to replace the side mirrors with digital cameras as this is necessary for broader side vision.

 

 

uBeam Looks to Bring Wireless Charging to the Mainstream

Nikola Tesla, famed inventor and rival of Thomas Edison, discovered wireless power as far bas as the 1890s, but we’re still tethered to outlets over a century later.

This is why a new start-up called uBeam has generated a lot of excitement and attracted the attention of high profile investors. Two recent college grads have hopes to liberate our devices from the hassle of cabled charging by utilizing wireless electricity. Though the company missed its self-imposed deadline, founder Meredith Perry recently teased on Twitter that they’ll launch a product in the near future.

Perry and Nora Dweck founded uBeam in 2011 after they forgot their laptops’ chargers at the wrong. The experience inspired them to develop a product that would be like “WiFi for power,” using ultrasonic waves to transmit power over the air.

There are two different kinds of wireless power. Inductive charging, which is what charges your electric toothbrush as it sits in its dock, requires both the receiver and the transmitter to have physical contact. Wireless power based on magnetic resonance, though, would theoretically allow for long range transmissions. Think of a power cloud–the moment you’d walk into it, the devices on your person would begin charging.

The seemingly magical latter option is what uBeam hopes to bring to the market.

uBeam isn’t the only company to tap into the idea of wireless charging through magnetic resonance, either. Another new start-up called WiTricity has also demonstrated their prototypes that can power devices from approximately a meter away.

Part of what makes this technology so exciting is that it offers more than a convenient way to charge cell phones. Imagine having an entire kitchen’s worth of appliances all powered wirelessly. Think about all the space and hassle that would save on a large scale. Plus, it could also make homes safer, as it reduces the chance of electric fires from faulty wiring.

One potential caveats of uBeam’s and similar competitors’ products may be a steep price tag. Looking back, the Zenith “Space Command” TV remote control, which was the first wireless TV remote that worked well, significantly increased the price of televisions.

That being said, consumers weren’t deterred, and over 9 million ultrasonic remotes were sold. As history shows, consumers may be willing to pay the higher price of the uBeam. Michael Arrington of CrunchFund, after watching a demonstration of uBeam, said it’s “the closest to magic I’ve seen in a long time.”

If you can go 10 minutes without touching your phone, Giorgio Armani will fund a day of water for a child in need

Are you going to switch off your smart phone for 10 minutes? UNICEF has announced a new project named as “Tap Project”. This project has been designed to help the child who is in dire need of clean water.

Actually this project has been sponsored by Giorgio Armani and the company has promised to pay enough money to  UNICEF for providing clean water to a needy child.

To begin with this move, all cell phone users have to navigate their cell phones to UNICEF Tap Project and switch it off for 10 minutes.  In case, if you happen to use your cell phone during this time period, the site accessed to your accelerometer, will ask you to put it down to continue.

unicefTherefore, if you wish to help a child who is in need of clean water, put your cell phone off and spend your time on other things to help the fund.

Save All Around by Powering Your Computer Down

Keeping your computer at sleeping mode may be convenient for you but keeping it for more than 20 minutes may cause it more harm than good. Actually, sleeping mode is specially designed to keep your computer partially off. But, there are many chips inside the mother board that keep on functioning during the period of sleeping mode. Exactly, it does not only affect the performance of your computer but also affects its overall functionality.

Experts hold the opinion that each time you put your computer on sleeping mode causes you “500 volts” electricity bill in a year and it must not be taken so likely. They suggest that before going away from your computer must keep it fully shut down otherwise there are chances to get your computer heated and internally damaged.

Apart from this, it has been researched that “you can shut down your computer 15 to 20 times a day and this can be consistently done for more than 7 years”.

Lastly, it is highly recommended that do not keep your computer on standby or sleeping mode for more than 20 minutes and try to shut down whenever you go out of your home.

 

The best way to remove malware

Antivirus software is generally installed to protect computers from viruses but sometimes it creates more troubles than the virus itself. No doubt, if you are expert and well versed with the antivirus functioning, you may not need to run the malware abilities of your product but most of the time people are arrested with serious malware problems.

To help you out, AV Comparatives has recently conducted a test on 11 malware samples and released its results. The tests were carried on Torjon, ransomware, backdoors and worms. Each of these infections was instilled in the window 7 and rebooted the system. Afterwards, the updated version of antivirus was installed and put on run.

The scores of the test had been awarded on the basis of malware removing capability and execution of work. As per the results of this test, Kaspersky stood first in the test. It secured 98 points followed by Bitdefender that scored 97. The top third position was secured by Avira with the score of 92.

Technically speaking, not a single product had received full score on normal window running and could not complete infections removing process. Though, Kaspersky came closer but it was also demanding for rescue disk to remove the 11th infection. Besides, it has been observed in the test that “ransomeware” was very difficult to remove and all the products failed to wipe it out.

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America’s Top 10 overpaid Interns

The wages offered to internees are growing with a good pace. Most of the companies in the United States pay slightly more to internees than the permanent employees. It has been surveyed by the career web portal Glassdoor that “the average wage being offered to internees is ranging from $2,400 and $3,100 a month and it accounts for $28,000 to $37,200 annual salary”. Besides the lowest internship wage has been recorded as $1,250 a month.
The survey claims the highest interns payers are the technology companies and Amazon falls at the 11th number with the total annual salary offer $67,572.

Here goes the list of top 10 American Interns:
1. Palantir: $84,144
2. VMware: $83,592
3. Twitter: $81,492
4. LinkedIn: $75,840
5. Facebook: $74,556
6. Microsoft: $73,656
7. eBay: $73,656
8. Exxon Mobil: $71,664
9. Google: $71,628
10. Apple: $68,676

Inevitably, the above mentioned companies pay handsome salary to their internees and the demand of internships in technology sector is speedily growing.

Bill Gates says Control Alt Delete was the biggest mistake

The Microsoft founder Bill Gates says that “it was the biggest mistake to make control alt delete key”. The triple key should been much easier but IBM key designer asked us to make it more tricky. He adds “we could have made a single key having the same function that is of the triple key but our keyword designer prevented us in the regard”.

He made this confession in the questions and answers session of Harvard fund raising campaign and said “Our focus was at the software side not at the hardware side and we had achieved remarkable success though”.
Actually, the control alt delete key is generally pressed in the notebooks or desktop computers to lock the screen or access to control panel and it involves two hands which may cause sudden reboot of the system. On the other hand, the key maker Engineer David Bradley said that it was supposed to be a shortcut during the course of development.

It goes without saying, Bill Gates had received an honorary degree from Harvard in the 2007 and since then he has been actively working for fund raising campaigns. Furthermore, he said that “it was we, who increased the Mac users for Apple and Steve Jobs and I were friendly competitors in the market.

Last but not the least, during the questions and answer sessions Bill Gates came up with a big variety of topics and shared everything pertaining to his person life, philanthropic nature, and his relationship with the apple. In simple words, he recalled his pleasant moments of past.

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