Broadband is to be beamed to every corner of the earth from space

/in , /by

The internet is for everyone

As part of a project launched by Airbus and OneWeb more than 2000 satellites will be launched into space in an attempt to provide every school in the world with an internet connection.

The launch will happen in April next year and will aim to get 600 satellites into space by 2022.

The satellites will be built in Toulouse and Florida, this is the only project of its kind to date and will revolutionise the education system in countries that had previously lacked in this resource.

Coffee under threat

/in , /by

There could be a caffeine shortage

Climate change could push up the price of our beloved addiction coffee, prices might rise as the temperature does.

The price of coffee is likely to go up as the land where the coffee is farmed might not be suitable for the coffee to grow.

Ethiopia is the birthplace and the biggest exporter of Arabica coffee beans, but according to a report in Nature Plants today, the production of the bean could be under threat unless action is taken.

Basically we are drinking a lot more coffee than we are producing and so far the manufacturer’s have enough coffee saved up from previous years to continue to drink it as normal – which means we’ve avoided a price hike or a shortage altogether.

However the long term outlook is causing greater cause for concern. Scientists from London’s Kew Gardens have said that if action is taken, a coffee shortage could be avoided – 2 possible solutions are: the relocation of coffee-growing areas and forest conservation.

A combination of the two could avoid a coffee shortage, therefore avoiding the human population having a major meltdown due a lack of their caffeine fix!  

How smart will AI become?

/in , /by

Andrew Ng has likened Artificial Intelligence to be as important to us as electricity in the years to come, as crazy as that sounds, our ancestors probably thought the same as electricity.

Our work life will be different and AI will be far more competitive than any human, it will require us to sharpen up our mental skills!

Whilst experts believe that we will still be required to do jobs that are very important and carry a lot of weight to it, just because robots/AI don’t have the same emotional attachment/engagement than that of a human. Whilst the challenge for us would be because we as humans like to seek confirmation and things that confirm what we think of ourselves. Thus holding us back. To over come this would require us to take the things w take for granted like thinking and listening to a new level.

Thus in time, our definition of “smart” (good grades) will begin to change. Smart will become the people who make the least amount of mistakes in life.

AI is incredible in that sense as we cannot do things quicker/recall information/produce alternative occurrences of an event than a super computer or any time of AI, it’s just too good.

A new definition of smart will promote a new way of thinking, it won’t be what you know, but it will be how good your skills are. Quantity of knowledge replaced by quality. Thus, in turn, forcing us to get better at cognitive and emotional skills. Adjusting after mistakes, learn emotional intelligence, letting go of the ego. Making us perceive reality a lot easier and not what we want it to be. Embracing what it means to be human, in turn, living alongside smart technology.

 

UK hacker exploits online bank loophole to steal £100,000

/in , /by

A UK hacker has been jailed for stealing almost £100,000 from a bank by exploiting a bug in the bank’s online banking system

A young man from the UK , James Ejankowski, defrauded a bank group of more than £99,000 in December 2016 – he spent the money on a Range Rover, a BMW and… tattoos for his face.

He lied to his family saying he’s won the money on a scratch card, but in reality he had found a loophole in the system; Ejankowski, discovered that if he used the Clydesdale Bank’s online banking software to transfer theoretical funds between his current account and his savings account between midnight and 01:00, the transaction would work and the bank would not find out.

Four weeks after he began stealing the funds, he turned himself in to the police on Boxing Day and made a full admission of guilt, saying he only had £40 left.

The bank has so far been able to recover £34,000 and Ejankowski has been sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment for fraud.

The Baggizmo Wiseward is more than a wallet

/in /by

Baggizmo wallet houses lots of gadgetry

The wallet has a perfectly flat folder design, built in motion sensor and even a UV light built in so you can test currency for authenticity.

It’s also available in multiple colours and has several features including a customisable internal LED light.

The wallet was originally called Wiseward and featured on Kickstarter – it raised an impressive $18,000.

When used with the app specially built for the wallet you can use find a lost wallet by geolocation, proximity detection, fall detection, detection of the wallet’s position in the room and the sound alarm signaling that the wallet has been lost or stolen.

If you’re prone to losing your wallet – this might be a sound investment!

You can pre-order one here

 

 

How technology is giving hope to millions of African children who have never been to school.

/in , /by

Kakuma Refugee Secondary School, which gives hope for the future.

The Instant Network Schools programme, which is part of ongoing initiatives by the Vodafone Foundation are expanding to help more than five million children in sub-Saharan Africa who are marginalised and excluded from traditional education.

The Foundation supplies devices, data and tablet-based teaching programs and online education across Kenya and Somalia as well as other African countries and is working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to provide both primary and high school education to children in refugee camps.

Beyond the educational programme in the camps, children and teachers will now be provided with access to online learning materials with zero data charges to encourage maximum use of the online lessons through a new Instant Schools for Africa initiative.

How much is your data worth on the dark web?

/in , /by

How much is your information worth on the dark web?

Well the folks from keeper security let us know!

Spotify account £2.20
Hulu account £2.20
Netflix £0.80 – £2.40
Paypal £1.20
Social Security Number £0.80
Drivers license £16.00
Credit card £6.40 – £17.60
Email address and password £0.60 – £1.80
Medical record from a large scale attack £1.20 – £8.00
Complete medical record – up to £800

 

How Hackers Make Money Infographic

How Hackers Make Money Infographic

 

Other killer insights include:

In 2016 someone’s identity was stolen every 2 seconds, with 70% of people paying to unlock their device.  £860 is the average cost of unlocking an infected device, with hackers on average making £32.60/hr hacking into encrypted databases.

Google Deepmind extends Stream App to Musgrove Park

/in , /by

Google’s DeepMind implemented it’s Streams health app to Musgrove Park Hospital in Somerset.

Streams helps medical professionals spot signs of kidney failure but was controversial when it rolled out at Royal Free Hospital in London. As it sought access to 1.6million patient records.

According to the BBC there is no opt-out for patients who don’t want to share their personal data, with DeepMind keen to reiterate that no data is shared with it’s parent firm.

DeepMind is Google’s AI arm and development of the app didn’t involve any AI, DeepMind has a health division and are keen to explore ways in which it can be used within the NHS

Streams has been seen in a positive light by medical professionals but questions raised if the NHS should’ve shared data with Google.

Musgrove Park Hospital plans to hold workshops/open days with both the staff and the public to see how the app works and refused to rule out if it could be used in the future to detect health conditions.

To listen to the guys chatting about this please click here!

Nike: Race yourself

/in , /by

Nike has built an LED Running track which allows you to race yourself!

Based in the Philippines it takes up an entire block, thanks to a shoe sensor which tracks a runner, the first lap is recorded and then on the second lap appears on the wall as the runners very own ‘avatar’, with up to 30 runners allowed to race at one time.

Check the video of it in action below:

To listen to the guys chatting about this please click here!

WoeBot

/in , /by

WoeBot a chatbot available only on Facebook Messenger is a therapeutic chatbot designed and created by a team of Stanford psychologists and AI experts and doesn’t show any personal information publically via the newsfeed.

A session with WoeBot is free for 14 sessions, then you can either pay weekly ($12), Monthly ($39) or annually ($312)

Silicon Valley is developing chatbots to help cure and treat mental disorders like depression, with studies already showing hope that therapy via a chatbot may work.

During a trial at Stanford, students aged 18-28 showed reductions in anxiety and depression when they used the Woebot for 2 weeks.

As many of those suffering from anxiety or depression cannot afford to see a therapist and pay for prescribed medications it is here where Woebot steps in and where Silicon Valley hope will help cure many of those who have the mental disorder.

Woebot is conversational and is appropriate for those aged 18 and older, if you’re younger you need a parents permission to sign up for it.

It can track moods, which are displayed weekly via graphs, looking for patterns that are out of the norm, learning its user via the amount of conversations they have. Woebot also has the ability ability to teach via cognitive behavioural therapy. (A structured talk therapy which normally lasts a few sessions)

To try Woebot please click here!

To listen to the guys chatting about Woebot please click here!