Mind Bending Technology and Magic

Prepare to have your mind bent into places you didn’t think possible!

Have you ever thought about how technology has made us, in some ways, numb to its remarkable potential? Think about it, when was the last time you were stopped in wonder by new innovations in technology?

Yet, when we first try out something like virtual reality or think back to the first days of cinema, we remember that there are experiences that technology allows that are like no other

These are the final words from the remarkable video we are sharing with you today; a performance unlike any other we have seen, and one that pushes the boundaries of technology, magic, and art.

After watching this video of a live production (meaning there was no post-production involved) of Box by Bot & Dolly, you will understand the completely transformative power technology and magic can have on how we perceive the world.

Saving the Rainforest with Old Cell Phones

Rainforest Connection could be saving the rainforest with old cell phones!

Rainforests have some of the most complicated soundscapes on the planet. In this dense noise of insects, primates, birds, and everything else that moves in the forest, how can you detect the sounds of illegal logging?

The old cell phone you have sitting in your desk drawer may have the answer.

   

How do you go about saving the rainforest with old cell phones?

After a visit to the rainforests of Borneo, physicist and engineer Topher White was struck by the sounds of the forest. In particular, the noises he couldn’t hear.

While on a walk, White and others came across an illegal logger sawing down a tree just a few hundred meters away from a ranger station.

This incident set White thinking that perhaps the best way to save the Earth’s precious rainforest is to listen to its loggers and poachers. The innovation he came up with, Rainforest Connection, uses old cell phones to help to save the planet in a big way.

The future of moblie phones

The Future of Mobile Phones

The reason most cell phones are so cheap is that wireless carriers subsidize them so you'll sign a long-term contract. Open access could change the economics of the mobile phone (and mobile data) business dramatically as the walls preventing certain devices from working on certain networks come down. We could also see a rapid proliferation of cell phone models, with smaller companies becoming better able to make headway into formerly closed phone markets.

What is it? Two years is an eternity in the cellular world. The original iPhone was announced, introduced, and discontinued in less than that time, yet carriers routinely ask you to sign up for two-year contracts if you want access to their discounted phones. (It could be worse--in other countries, three years is normal.) Verizon launched the first volley late last year when it promised that "any device, any application" would soon be allowed on its famously closed network. Meanwhile, AT&T and T-Mobile like to note that their GSM networks have long been "open."

When is it coming? Open access is partially here: You can use almost any unlocked GSM handset on AT&T or T-Mobile today, and Verizon Wireless began certifying third-party devices for its network in July (though to date the company has approved only two products). But the future isn't quite so rosy, as Verizon is dragging its feet a bit on the legal requirement that it keep its newly acquired 700-MHz network open to other devices, a mandate that the FCC agreed to after substantial lobbying by Google. Some experts have argued that the FCC provisions aren't wholly enforceable. However, we won't really know how "open" is defined until the new network begins rolling out, a debut slated for 2010.

The future of your pc's software

The Future of Your PC's Software

64-Bit Computing Allows for More RAM

In 1986, Intel introduced its first 32-bit CPU. It wasn't until 1993 that the first fully 32-bit Windows OS--Windows NT 3.1--followed, officially ending the 16-bit era. Now 64-bit processors have become the norm in desktops and notebooks, though Microsoft still won't commit to an all-64-bit Windows. But it can't live in the 32-bit world forever.

What is it? 64-bit versions of Windows have been around since Windows XP, and 64-bit CPUs have been with us even longer. In fact, virtually every computer sold today has a 64-bit processor under the hood. At some point Microsoft will have to jettison 32-bit altogether, as it did with 16-bit when it launched Windows NT, if it wants to induce consumers (and third-party hardware and software developers) to upgrade. That isn't likely with Windows 7: The upcoming OS is already being demoed in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. But limitations in 32-bit's addressing structure will eventually force everyone's hand; it's already a problem for 32-bit Vista users, who have found that the OS won't access more than about 3GB of RAM because it simply doesn't have the bits to access additional memory.

When is it coming? Expect to see the shift toward 64-bit accelerate with Windows 7; Microsoft will likely switch over to 64-bit exclusively with Windows 8. That'll be 2013 at the earliest. Meanwhile, Mac OS X Leopard is already 64-bit, and some hardware manufacturers are currently trying to transition customers to 64-bit versions of Windows (Samsung says it will push its entire PC line to 64-bit in early 2009). And what about 128-bit computing, which would represent the next big jump? Let's tackle one sea change at a time--and prepare for that move around 2025.

COMPUTER AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

• Multimedia on the Web introduces the basics of web communication, webpage function, and design. Students become familiar with digital media including graphics, animation, video, and sound, and use software to create interactive multimedia documents.
• Introduction to Artificial Intelligence explores theory and specific examples of knowledge-based computer systems.
• Database Systems is an introduction to database design and access, with a focus on database concepts, data modeling, normalization, data warehousing, query languages, and the formulation of complex queries.
• Cryptography is an introduction to coding theory and the process of scrambling plain text into ciphetext.
• Network Security gives an overview of network security issues, looks at several of the most representative security problems, and investigates commonly practiced solutions.
• Programming Languages explores syntax and semantics with a focus on scope rules, environments, stores, denoted and expressed values, procedures, and parameters.
• Data Mining offers an introduction to the basic issues, algorithms, results, and applications of data mining through a study of methods for data management, feature selection, statistical modeling, and data clustering.

Mater growth hacking

Master Growth Hacking

Generating traffic to your website or for your app by spending huge amounts of money is often not sustainable. Expensive initiatives often generate a one-time increase in the metrics which is temporary and phases out with time.

The real challenge is to achieve consistent and sustainable growth which cannot be achieved using paid media push alone.

Today, the real need is to discover and perfect techniques which enable consistent customer acquisition and help in retaining those customers frugally. And, that is what growth hacking enables.  This self-powered virtual machine is more of a mindset which helps in achieving growth by leveraging growth hacking techniques.

Often, marketers refer to multiple sources to learn the nuances of growth hacking techniques. While those sources can be a good starting point for theoretical learning but the real learning comes when marketers start practicing the growth hacking techniques themselves.

During the process of implementation, they often end up discovering and inventing many hacks basis experimentation.

Growth-hacking is more of a mindset than a toolkit.

Hollywood gets right and wrong about hacking

What Hollywood gets right and wrong about hacking

Hacking is most often portrayed as a frantic exercise, with fast-paced music to raise the tension while boxes flash up on screen. In one episode of the fantasy series Arrow however, the protagonists are able to continue “hacking” despite not being able to see their screens, and eventually this ridiculous hack-war turns into a tennis match with both hackers sending power surges back and forth until the antagonist’s computer is blown up.

It’s pretty far-fetched but hacking as a means of destruction isn’t fictional and it has been portrayed better in the tech drama series Mr. Robot. In one episode, the protagonist Elliot uses a planted device to upload software onto back-up energy storage devices owned by the shadowy corporation, ECorp. This software is then used to trigger explosions – entirely reasonable as these gadgets usually use lead acid batteries which can emit explosive hydrogen gas when overcharged.

Most of the time though, MovieOS capabilities don’t accurately reflect the abilities or uses of real-life operating systems. Being able to draw a line between fantasy and reality is useful in film, but it can also cause problems when dealing with people’s expectations of computers and their understanding of how hacking works, particularly common hacks that non-technical people are vulnerable to.

Java virtual machine

Java Virtual Machine: Critical Metrics You Need to Track

There are two important types of JVM memory to watch: heap and non-heap memory, each of these with its own purpose.

The heap memory is where the JVM stores runtime data represented by allocated instances. This is where memory for new objects comes from, and is released when the Garbage Collector runs.

When the heap space runs out, the JVM throws an OutOfMemoryError. Therefore, it’s very important to monitor the evolution of free and used heap memory to prevent the JVM from slowing down and eventually crashing.

The non-heap memory is where the JVM stores class-level information such as the fields and methods of a class, method code, runtime constant pool and internalized Strings.

Running out of non-heap memory can indicate there is a large number of Stringsbeing internalized or a classloader leak.

Identifying “Operations” in Your Windows Services

Identifying “Operations” in Your Windows Services

Windows Services usually follow several common usage patterns. By identifying these patterns, you can quickly evaluate the best way to identify operations in your code.

Think of an operation as a unit of work that is repeated over and over. You need to identify them and then potentially monitor each different operation that your service executes.

Common usage patterns:

• Queue listener – App continuously listens on a queue and each message picked up off a queue would be a unique operation.
• Timer based – Many Windows Services use timers to repeat a specific operation every few seconds like polling a database.
• Job scheduler – It is possible to embed a job scheduler like Quartz within your Windows Service to trigger small jobs and scale them across servers.

Most Windows Services are likely to perform multiple operations. I would suggest breaking them down to the smallest logical units of work. It is better if you monitor smaller units of work. This is similar to monitoring each web request in your ASP.NET application versus monitoring the performance of the application as a whole.

For example, our monitoring agent for Windows is a Windows Service. It does a ton of different operations on a schedule every few seconds. Each one of those tasks that it performs should be defined as unique operations so you can track everything that it does.

How to monitor windows

How to Monitor Windows Services: Performance, Errors, Usage

It seems like everyone these days is writing cool ASP.NET web applications. However, we all know that a lot of the real work is still done behind the scenes in background services.

Buying something on Amazon no doubt kicks off a waterfall of tasks that are done behind the scenes to fulfill a single order. Including verifying stock, shipping, contacting product vendors, recording sales statistics, and much more. Background service applications are used by many developers to handle all the less glamorous details of critical business transactions.

For example, at Stackify, we have probably three times as many servers that do background processing than we do web servers. Our web servers receive a lot of data and simply queue it up for Windows Services to process behind the scenes. Monitoring our Windows Services and their business transactions is mission-critical to us.

In this guide, we are going to walk through how to monitor your critical Windows Services.

Artificial intelligence becomes a necessity

             Artificial intelligence becomes a necessity

We’re reaching the point where businesses absolutely need to adopt AI in order to stay relevant. Voice-activated home assistants, smartphones, Big Data, and Insight-as-a-Service vendors will all have big years as a result of this AI adoption. But the biggest winners this year are data scientists and Chief Data Officers (CDO) who will be in high demand for a long time.

Forrester predicts that AI will blur the boundaries between structured and unstructured data, and 50% of CDO’s will start to report directly to the CEO. As a result, over 13% of data-related jobs on Indeed.com are for data engineers, compared to 1% for data scientists. This reflects the need for practical, action-oriented data pros that can directly impact the bottom line.

AI will most likely have consequences that reach beyond business. Already, visionaries like Elon Musk and world leaders like Vladimir Putin believe AI has the power to alter the world landscape. This is something to keep an eye on, to say the least.

The Oculus Go standalone headset will start at $199. Source: CNET

cybersecurity reaches an inflection point

Cybersecurity reaches an inflection point

With a focus on Equifax, WannaCry, Uber, and National Security Agency, 2017 has beenan awful year for private information on the web. That’s saying something, considering the election hacking fiasco a year before. Security is top-of-mind for every enterprise, organization, and government in the world, which means resources will be flowing to develop new solutions.

Cybersecurity initiatives can be divided into two categories: Internal and external. Internally, businesses will be focused on building security into their software. DevOps teams should focus on automating security testing into their software development lifecycle. This will help ensure that vulnerabilities are not introduced during development.

Externally, venture capitalists are flooding cybersecurity startups with capital, to the tune of $3.4 Billion in 2016. According to the Crunchbase Unicorn Leaderboard, there are currently 5 cybersecurity startups worth over $1B, and we should see more emerge in 2018.

While funding might not be a problem, a lack of cybersecurity talent is. The Enterprise Security Group conducted a study and found that 45% of organizations say they have a problematic shortage of cybersecurity talent. This shortage has consequences beyond big business. Jon Oltsik of the ESG believes that the cybersecurity skills shortage, “represents an existential threat to our national security.”

Like blockchain and edge computing, cybersecurity represents another green pasture for developers who want their skills to stay in-demand for the foreseeable future. It could also be some of the most important work of our generation.

DevOps moves toward NoOps

DevOps moves toward NoOps

We all agree devops is critically important for helping developers build new applications and features fast, while maintaining high levels of quality and performance. The problem with devops is developers needing to spend 60 percent of their time on the ops side of the equation, thus cutting into the time devoted to development. Developers are having to integrate various continuous integration and continuous delivery (CICD) tools, maintain those integrations, and constantly update the CI/CD tool chain as new technologies are released. Everyone does CI, but not too many people do CD.  Developers will insist on cloud services to help the pendulum swing back to the dev side in 2018. That will require more automation for real CICD.

Docker gives you packaging, portability, and the ability to do agile deployments. You need CD to be a part of this Docker lifecycle. For example, if you are using containers, as soon as you commit a code change to Git, the default artifact built should be a Docker image with the new version of the code. Further, the image should automatically get pushed into a Docker registry, and a container deployed from the image into a dev-test environment. After QA testing and deployment into production, the orchestration, security, and scaling of containers should be taken care of for you. Business leaders are putting pressure on developers to deliver new innovations faster; the devops model must free up more time for developers to make that possible

B2B transaction leveraging blockchain go int production

B2B transactions leveraging blockchain go into production

Businesses have begun to understand the security, reliability, and efficiency to be gained from blockchain-enabled transactions. Developers will implement many blockchain use cases across financial services and manufacturing supply chains in the coming year. Blockchain is a technology that enables efficient, secure, immutable, trusted transactions among organizations that might not fully trust each other, eliminating intermediaries.

Consider a company ordering products from an offshore manufacturer. These products get shipped via a shipping company, come through customs, through another shipping company, and finally to the buyer. Today, the verification and reconciliation of each step mostly happens through emails and spreadsheets, with a lot of people and processes involved. Blockchain eliminates manual processes and reconciliation by irrevocably recording updates to the blockchain ledger when a minimum number of parties say, “Yes, this part of the transaction happened.”

Blockchain cloud services will bring scalability, resiliency, security, and pre-built integrations with enterprise systems, making it much easier for developers to focus on the business use case as opposed to underlying hyperledger fabric implementation.

Hacker attack methods

Diverse Hacker Attack Methods

The stereotyped image conjured up by most people when they hear the term "hacker" is that of a pallid, atrophied recluse cloistered in a dank bedroom, whose spotted complexion is revealed only by the unearthly glare of a Linux box used for port scanning with Perl. This mirage might be set off by other imagined features, such as dusty stacks of Dungeons and Dragons lore from the 1980s, empty Jolt Cola cans, and Japanese techno music streaming from the Net.

However, although computer skill is central to a hacker's profession, there are many additional facets that he must master. In fact, if all you can do is point and click, you are a script kiddie, not a hacker. A real hacker must also rely on physical and interpersonal skills such as social engineering and other "wet work" that involves human interaction. However, because most people have a false stereotype of hackers, they fail to realize that the person they are chatting with or talking to on the phone might in fact be a hacker in disguise. In fact, this common misunderstanding is one of the hackers' greatest assets.

Social Engineering

Social engineering is not unique to hacking. In fact, many people use this type of trickery every day, both criminally and professionally. Whether it be haggling for a lower price on a lawn mower at a garage sale, or convincing your spouse you really need that new toy or outfit, you are manipulating the "target." Although your motives might be benign, you are guilty of socially engineering the other party.

Wireless Hacking Techniques

A typical hacker attack is not a simple, one-step procedure. It is rare that a hacker can get online or dial up on a remote computer and use only one method to gain full access. It is more likely that the attacker will need several techniques used in combination to bypass the many layers of protection standing between them and root administrative access. Therefore, as a security consultant or network administrator, you should be well versed in these occult techniques in order to thwart them. This chapter, which will be a review for advanced users, will introduce the main types of hacker attacks. Expert users will want to skip ahead to the next chapter (Chapter 7, "Wireless Attacks") and go straight for the goodies.
The following techniques are not specific to wireless networks. Each of these attacks can take multiple forms, and many can be targeted against both wired and wireless networks. When viewed holistically, your wireless network is just another potential hole for a hacker. Therefore, this chapter will review hacking techniques from a generic perspective

Security hacker

A security hacker is someone who seeks to breach defenses and exploit weaknesses in a computer system or network. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, such as profit, protest, information gathering, challenge, recreation, or to evaluate system weaknesses to assist in formulating defenses against potential hackers. The subculture that has evolved around hackers is often referred to as the computer underground.

There is a longstanding controversy about the term's true meaning. In this controversy, the term hacker is reclaimed by computer programmers who argue that it refers simply to someone with an advanced understanding of computers and computer networks, and that cracker is the more appropriate term for those who break into computers, whether computer criminal (black hats) or computer security expert (white hats). A 2014 article concluded that "... the black-hat meaning still prevails among the general public.

self driving transport

THE DUBAI WORLD
CHALLENGE FOR SELF-DRIVING
TRANSPORT

t

he Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport is a catalyst to achieve the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum: 25% of all trips in Dubai to be smart and driverless by 2030.

First-/last-mile connection will be the first use case addressed. The application, evaluation and challenge process will start in 2018 and runs through October 2019.

Hosted by the Dubai - Roads and Transport Authority, this multi-year international challenge is designed for industry leaders, start-ups, and academia tackling the transport challenges faced by global cities. It is the first of its kind to be truly global in its outlook, not being limited by country or region.

The Challenge will invite technology leaders and innovators to Dubai to access world-class infrastructure, and showcase technology that addresses three transport needs