Facebook suspended the account of an analytics firm for exploiting user data.

Social media giant, Facebook, has banned analytics firms, Strategic Communication Laboratories and its political arm, Cambridge Analytica, for failing to follow its code of policies regarding the handling personal data. The crime is so severe as it can be considered among the largest abuses of personal the history of the US.

According to several media outlets, Facebook refused to admit that the ban was the result of a data breach. Facebook VP and Deputy General Counsel, Paul Grewal, said that the reports of such a breach were “completely false”.

Cambridge Analytica is said to have obtained the data from Dr. Aleksandr Kogan, who developed an app called “thisisyourdigitallife”, which sold as a personality test and was downloaded by about 270 thousand people. By downloading this app, the users would give permission for the app’s developers to access information regarding their location and their Facebook content preferences, and other information.

Through this app, the firm reportedly gathered information on 50 million people by going through the friends of those users as well, none of whom granted permission to access or use their data.

Kogan initially obtained the information of 270 thousand users legitimately and in accordance with Facebook’s rules. However, when he shared that data with a third party, in this case, Cambridge Analytica, he violated those rules.

“By passing information on to a third party, including SCL/ Cambridge Analytica and Christopher Wylie of Eunoia Technologies, he violated our platform policies,” Grewal wrote.

According to the VP, the company had also requested that Kogan and all parties he had given the data destroy the public information.

However, Facebook received reports last week that not all of the data had been destroyed as promised. While the social media giant has not yet verified these claims, it has chosen to suspend SCL/Cambridge Analytica as well as Kogan from the platform while it investigates these accusations.

Image Source: Pexels

Mobile apps are no longer meant to just help people during their everyday chores. Most of them are now for fun and relaxation. Like this recent one from Google Arts and Culture that lets you take a selfie and then compares it with millions of painting or sculptures from museums. This is how you end up with your art doppelganger looking back at you from a painting. So, if someone ever wondered if somewhere in this world someone painted or sculpted a figure that looks like you, this is your chance to find it.

In order to match you with your art twin, the app uses image recognition. After finding someone in its art collection that looks most like you, it presents the two portraits side by side, along with a percentage match. After that, you are free to share your long lost sibling on social media platforms. But you should be prepared to face the ironies of people who will surely not see the resemblance between the art-you and the real you. Sometimes, they may be right because the app doesn’t always find a perfect match in the art world.

Finding your sibling from the art world

It’s interesting that this app is currently only available for the United States. Also, if we were to compare it with anything, it looks just like the app version of this recent article. It showed people going into museums and posing with art pieces that looked like them. In the article, almost all the people I the art pieces resembled the real folks standing in front of them. Unfortunately, this is not always the case with this app.

Still, it’s funny to see your painted or sculpted doppelganger and not have it look like something out of a horror movie. This app is so popular that even celebrities tried it and shred their results.

All kinds of things happening here

A post shared by Pete Wentz (@petewentz) on Jan 14, 2018 at 7:27am PST

Image source: flickr

Google is celebrating the 107th anniversary of Chandra through a new Doodle on Oct. 19.

Google decided to celebrate the 107^th anniversary of the birth of Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar with a new Doodle. More commonly referred to simply as Chandra, he is the first astrophysicist to win the Nobel Prize and the father of the evolution of stars theory.

Chandra is Getting Celebrated with an Astronomically-Themed Doodle

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, who was born on October 19, 1910, was considered to have been a child prodigy. He is known, among many others, for developing and publishing his theory regarding the evolution of stars before the age of 20.

Chandra, as he is more commonly referred, is famous and the source of the Chandrasekhar limit. This is considered as being one of the most important accomplishments of the astrophysicist.

In itself, the limit contributes and is still being used for trying to understand the birth and evolution of stars.

The Chandrasekhar limit explains that, if a star has a mass lighter than 1.4 times that of the Sun, it will eventually become a “white dwarf”. If a star has a mass heavier than 1.4 times, a white dwarf can continue expanding and condensing, eventually evolving into a black hole or even in a supernova explosion.

This theory wasn’t really popular at the time, with Sir Arthur Eddington, who was one of the leading astrophysicists at the time. However, the theory became widely accepted and still used and discussed to this day.

In 1983, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics, together with William A. Fowler, “for his theoretical studies of the physical processes of importance to the structure and evolution of the stars”.

As Google points out in its blog post about the Doodle, the American-Indian astrophysicist received “astronomical” honors. These include the Royal Astronomical Society’s gold medal and the US National Academy of Science’s Draper Medal or the National Medal of Science.

“Today we honor the original starman whose universal theories propel current space research and modern astronomy on their ambitious missions.”

Image Source: Wikimedia

Google Photos can now recognize pets just as it does with people.

Google Photos users should now find it easier to look back at the photos of their furry friends and see how much they’ve grown. They will do so as Photos has just announced that it should now be capable of detecting pets, just as it already is distinguishing people.

Just as with individuals, this new service will start grouping photos of one or more pets, without the need for additional filters.

Google Photos, Pet-Friendly but Still in the Works

Google Photos’ latest update started rolling out on Monday, October 16 and should be available or go live soon in most countries where Google offers its services.

This latest feature works similarly to the facial recognition-based people sorting. Photos of pets should start showing in a separate label, alongside those of people. Just as with these latter, users can label them by name, which will make it even easier to search for your dog when you also have a cat, for example.

Thanks to these labels, users will find it easier to take a look back at their furry friends and their evolution and growth, without having to use general tags such as “cat” or “dog” when searching for them.

Grouping all the photos of your pet in a single place also makes it easier to create albums or even movies with them. Google Photos will even help them create a photo book.

This is generated in a similar way to the “pawesome videos” that started appearing in May.  Users can make a movie or a picture book of their pets by simply selecting their favorite photos, followed by just a few more clicks. Photos also already comes with six pet-inspired songs that can be chosen either when creating a new movie or if the user doesn’t like the soundtrack of the Google-created video.

In general, users can also search for a specific dog or cat breed by tying in their name or using the corresponding emoji, if it exists.

Image Source: Pixabay

A team of scientists developed a new type of soft artificial muscle useful in robotics.

Scientists have developed a new type of artificial muscle that is softer and does not rely on external equipment. According to reports, this new, 3D printed invention can lift up to 1,000 its own weight or three times as more as a natural muscle. It also boasts of a strain density or expansion per gram fifteen times higher than that of this latter.

This Latest Soft Artificial Muscle, Another Step Towards Lifelike Robots

Columbia University School Of Engineering and Applied Science researchers are behind this latest technology. Their artificial muscle is composed of a silicone rubber matrix, one that is peppered with ethanol microbubbles.

The material gets electrically actuated through the use of a low-power charge that is administered via a small, resistive wire. This new type of synthetic muscle also doesn’t require external compressors or equipment.

Generally, this latter help regulate pressure in hydraulic or pneumatic inflation. However, such components take up a lot of space. They are also a hurdle in the design of smaller or autonomous machines.

Hod Lipson, the mechanical engineering professor and study lead points out that science has been making “great strides” in the development of robotic minds. However, he also underlines the fact that robot bodies are still fairly “primitive”.

“This is a big piece of the puzzle and, like biology, the new actuator can be shaped and reshaped a thousand ways. We’ve overcome one of the final barriers to making lifelike robots,” continued Lipson.

The newly created soft artificial muscle could be a step forward and a significant component in the field of soft material robotics. This segment has been reporting significant advancements and breakthroughs. However, there are still ‘plenty’ of movements which rigid robots are still unable to replicate.

Grasping and manipulation are considered actions that require a certain level of finesse. Thanks to the new synthetic muscle, robots might soon have a gentler touch when picking up things, one that does not damage them.

Such machines might come to be of assistance in medical context, for example, state researchers. The artificial muscle might also come to be considered useful elements in next-generation prosthetics, point out scientists.

A study paper was released in the journal Nature Communications. 

Image Source: FreeGreatPicture

Apple announced the official release date of its new macOS High Sierra.

Apple held its latest iPhone Event 2017 on September 12, Tuesday, after which it updated its webpage with the newest information about more than just its smartphones. The company announced the official release date of its macOS High Sierra operating system, although it did not release any additional details besides this.

However, it did reveal some further information on the operating system it has been working on, for example, the tvOS, and watchOS.

macOS High Sierra to Become Officially Available in September

According to the latest statement from Apple, the macOS High Sierra will be released for general use on September 25. This new macOS version was first presented back in June, at the WWDC developer conference.

Apple writes that “New technologies at the heart of the system make your Mac more reliable, capable, and responsive – and lay the foundation for future innovations”.

This operating system will reportedly ‘re-architecture’ the way in which the user data is stored and should also improve the quality of its video streaming. In turn, this latter should unleash the full potential of this OS’s graphics processors. In general, High Sierra will look to introduce new core technologies meant to improve the Mac’s most important functions.

The system changes also mean some alterations to the system’s basic apps. For example, the Photos one will be receiving some new features intended to keep it up to date and running. Some of these will be the introduction of more editing tools, new filtering options, as well as the possibility to reorganize the toolbar.

Safari users might be pleased to find out that a new feature in its settings will let them block videos on the web from auto-playing. SSD users will be getting a new file system, and the fact that the Mail app will be compressing messages are just some of the changes which will come with the macOS High Sierra.

High Sierra will follow the usual updates path in the sense that it will be a free upgrade, and will become available in the Mac App Store. This new version will also be introducing ‘the latest security updates’.

Apple presents High Sierra as “It’s macOS at its highest level yet”.

Image Source: FreeGreatPicture

Scientists are testing a new cooling system which uses radiative sky cooling.

Scientists are currently testing a new cooling system which requires no electricity and which can reportedly reduce the temperature inside a two-story building located in a desert climate by over 20 percent. This new system makes use and functions thanks to radiative sky cooling.

The New Cooling System was Las Vegas-like Climate Conditions

Stanford University researchers are behind this latest experiment. Systems based on radiative sky cooling involve the dispersal of infrared thermal energy captured by rooftop panels. These are directed towards the atmosphere and the outer space, and help produce internal temperatures that are lower than those of the surrounding air.

Although the physics behind this method has been recognized for years, it was considered that the energy exchange it produces could only be used on dry and clear nights.

However, this latest study reports the creation of “fluid cooling panels that harness radiative sky cooling to cool fluids below the air temperature with zero evaporative losses, and use almost no electricity”.

According to reports, the study team noted, as they were building prototypes, that the panels were capable of cooling the water that flowed through them. Its temperatures could be reduced up to 5 degrees below those of the external ambient ones.

The team then used modeling, which showed that installing such panels downstream of the condenser of large air conditioning systems could reduce the internal temperatures by 21 percent. This was tested for Las Vegas-like climate conditions.

The panels of this cooling system are also quite easy to make. They make use of acrylic walls, insulation, and polystyrene cover. A plate heat exchanger is also utilized, as the water flows through it.

The panels can radiate and reflect the infrared radiation into the atmosphere and further as it uses them as remote heat sinks. This also solves the problem of waste heat generated by condensers.

Details on the tests and the cooling system itself were released in a paper in the journal Nature Energy. An accompanying editorial from the University of Technology, Sydney researchers, was published alongside it.

Image Source:FreeGreatPicture

Oshi Agabi recently presented a device which can reportedly smell explosives.

Oshi Agabi, the founder of a Nigerian start-up, invented a chip which can smell explosives and possibly even cancer cells, according to reports. The device is called Koniku Kore and was recently unveiled during the TEDGlobal conference held in Tanzania.

The Small Device’s Ability to Smell Explosives is Based on Biochemistry

Oshi Agabi went on to offer further details about his invention and the elements which inspired him in its creation. He grew up in a Nigeria, in Lagos’s suburb of Surulere but is now based in Silicon Valley.

Agabi presented the Koniku Kore as being the first device to fuse into a silicon chip live neurons coming from mice stem cells.

According to the inventor, “We merged synthetic neurobiology with traditional silicon technology with the goal of fixing urgent real world problems.”

Agabi considers that this device could one day revolutionize airport security. This was presented as coming to a degree that travelers could even directly “walk from their car to the aircraft.”

The device is based on the fact that explosives have and leave smells and particles which can be sniffed out. Thanks to this silicon chip, these could be smelled without being in the direct line of sight or even contact.

The device can be used to scan people or baggage at “a place of your own choosing”.

It was suggested that this device might also be capable of sniffing out disease, not unlikely the way in which dogs are already doing it. It can do so thanks to its sensory system, which can reportedly be replicated on this chip.

The start-up founded by Agabi also has one very set and declared role, that of building a brain. Still, the company is looking at a more urgent problem right now, that of security.
In the Nigerian Yoruba language, Koniku means “immortal”.

Image Source: VIMEO

The iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle have now officially reached their end.

Apple officially confirmed what some are calling the ‘end of an era’. The apple brand announced its decision to discontinue two versions of one its first most successful products, the iPod. Starting July 2017, the iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle will no longer receive updates, and official “Learn More” or “Buy” links will lead to unavailable URLs.

iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle Have Reached the End of Their Line

The iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle were the last two Apple iPod versions which lacked connectivity and were still officially available for sale. The first ever iPod, the iconic iPod Classic, was discontinued back in 2014.

According to media reports, Apple has quite quietly taken down the websites for both these iPod versions. Searching for them will return results and offer official information on them. However, clicking on the company’s Learn More or even on the Buy will lead to pages whose URLs are no longer available.

An Apple spokesperson has confirmed, in the meantime, that the products have met their end. Some point out that, for quite some time, Apple maintained that the iPod Touch, iPhone, and even iPad would eventually come to replace them.

“Today, we are simplifying our iPod lineup with two models of iPod touch now with double the capacity starting at just $199 and we are discontinuing the iPod shuffle and iPod nano,” the spokesperson is reported as having said in the statement.

iPod Nano’s and Shuffle’s ending also coincided with an update to the iPod Touch. This will now come with new storage options, with a 32GB version and another 128GB one. The 128GB iPod Touch will cost $299.

However, the iPod Touch will also see a discontinue themselves as its 16GB, and 64GB versions will no longer be available either.

Interested users will likely still be able to buy iPod Nano, iPod Shuffle, and the now defunct iPod Touch versions at authorized sellers and online in the limit of the available stocks.

Neither the iPod Shuffle nor the Nano versions saw any significant updates over the past years, possibly just new color options.

Image Source: Wikimedia