US Spending Bill Starts the Movement of 5G

Image Found:http://ucinsight.com/latestnews/ibm-and-ericsson-to-collaborate-on-5g/

The Ray Baum Act, a 1.3 billion dollar spending bill for the US government was just signed and passed as of recent. The goal of this act is to help quickly distribute 5G within the US. Not only will the amount of money that is being put into this project help with the advancement into 5G, but the act has also reauthorized the FCC. Now regulators of the FCC can enforce policies that will help get 5G into the hands of US citizens. This bill is of major importance especially to companies like Verizon and AT&T who expect to launch 5G to only a few of their consumers as early as this year. There are so many possibilities and benefits the US can gain with a wide distribution of a 5G wireless network throughout the country.

If we thought 4G LTE was fast, well, 5G is expected to be almost one hundred times faster than 4G LTE data speeds. Also, another improvement regarding speed of our network would be the huge decrease in latency. There’s a possibility that latency could be cut all the way down to only one millisecond due to 5G. These increases in speed will help benefit our movement into the Internet of Things. 5G should be able to allow numerous devices to be connected with cellular networks at fast speeds. Specifically, self-driving cars could benefit tremendously due to the drastic decrease in latency that 5G will help provide. These cars will have so much more time to respond to other signals from cellular networks. I am ecstatic that the US has demonstrated their efforts and belief into advancing our wireless technology throughout the country. Now, we must wait until the day 5G is as accessible in our country as 4G.

Sources:https://www.cnet.com/news/spending-bill-signed-by-trump-paves-way-for-5g/

http://www.eweek.com/mobile/10-reasons-why-5g-wireless-will-bring-big-benefits-to-mobile-users

Google Battling Fake News

Image Found: https://marketingland.com/google-news-initiative-kicks-off-subscribe-google-efforts-236400

Google has just entered the war in defeating the spreading of fake news. Google plans on tackling the spread of fake news by implementing what they call the Google News Initiative. Google’s intention for their initiative is to work with news publications all across the world in order to help obtain the most definite information out in the world. This will be a three hundred million investment for Google over the next three years. Luckily, it seems as if Google knows what to do with their Google News Initiative and will not waste anytime or money.

In order to obtain true information during breaking news stories, Google is now stressing the importance of authoritative results over the relevancy or newness of the results. Google is even expanding this same idea to their platform YouTube, with verified news sources now appearing in a ‘Breaking News’ section of YouTube. Google is also, working with publishers by having the publishers signal the legitimacy of news by putting in indicators of trust, which as of now there are a total of eight. Google is even trying to tackle the media literacy in the youth of the world. The Google created program named Media Wise will have the youth learn about how to distinguish fact from fake news. Another component of the Google News Initiative is another program called Subscribe with Google. Essentially, this will allow users to easily subscribe to major news outlets using their Google account.

Google being such a large company with much wealth and power should be able to help verify news to users through their Google News Initiative. By working with other publishers and creating distinct trust signals that Google recognizes should better help distinguish the real between the fake news. Also, all the other smaller programs within their grand plan is able to tackle the smaller problems of fake news, like knowing what is fake news and how to easily obtain true news. All there is now is to wait and see how Google’s plan works toward its goal of defeating fake news.

Sources:https://blog.google/topics/google-news-initiative/elevating-quality-journalism/

https://www.cnet.com/news/google-news-initiative-launches-to-boost-better-journalism/

Everest, the Peak of Chip Design

Image Found: http://www.dqchannels.com/xilinx-single-chip-solution-chip-redundancy-functional-safety-speeds/

The very accomplished company Xilinx, known for creating sophisticated chips used for machines like self-driving cars, is trying to revolutionize how people use chips. The company is known for its break through work in creating field programmable gate arrays, or FPGAs for short. These chips are able to be programed to perform specific tasks. Not only that though they also have the ability to be reprogrammed for other tasks, which is helpful especially if bugs are found. However, with the amazing perks FPGAs have over other chips, it is much harder for programmers to program FPGAs than other regular chips. Yet, there may be an actual solution to this problem which Xilinx is trying to tackle with a new chip design named Everest.

Moore’s law in recent years has slowed down a bit, with chips not becoming so drastically smaller and faster due to how small these chips already are. However, this decline is something Xilinx wants to take advantage of. The design of Everest isn’t just to create a smaller and faster chip, but to create one that will be built in with acceleration. Meaning specific jobs will be accelerated on chips and never run out of steam. Also, Xilinx will provide prewritten software which should help programmers program using Everest or FPGAs.

I believe Xilinx’s plan for the design of Everest is smart and different from what other chip makers are thinking. The focus of acceleration in chips can help make sophisticated software run extremely fast and smooth. Also, I like the idea of trying to ease programmers in using FPGAs without such a steep learning curve. This will provide more people the benefits of FPGAs. Xilinx has really caught my attention with their Everest plan and I look forward to hearing more from the company.

Source:https://www.cnet.com/news/xilinx-new-flexible-fpga-computer-chips-could-speed-up-ai/

Counterfeiting… No More?

Image Found:https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2018/03/19/5-big-technology-innovations-of-2018-ibm-reveals-amazing-developments-that-will-impact-all-of-us/2/

Recently IBM has revealed the world’s smallest computer, which has one huge major purpose. IBM has stated that this computer will help detect counterfeits of a multitude of different products. What’s even more fascinating about this computer is that it can hold up to one million transistors and yet, only cost ten cents to produce. In order to achieve its purpose, IBM has worked with blockchain and crypto anchors in the creation of their computer.

With the computer being a cryptographic it can be embedded within products acting as its own verification code for the product. These computers will be extremely hard to try and mimic especially with the help of the blockchain. The ‘code’ of the product produced by the crypto anchor can be scan and put into a digital record due to blockchain. Since the two are working in conjunction with each other, this would make it extremely difficult for a counterfeiter to try and replace the product with something else that is not listed in blockchain’s supply chain.

I believe this product will be very important for the economy and businesses in general. This will help decrease the production of knock offs and leave the consumer feeling better off, most likely returning to that certain company for another product instead of feeling let down with a product. Also, this computer should be a huge help in decreasing the yearly six hundred billion dollars that is lose due to counterfeiting and theft. IBM has stated that these computers will be distributed and tested around the next eighteen months with hopes of a global marketplace release in a little over five years. I am excited for these to be tested and will definitely keep following the news on these tiny inexpensive computers.

Sources:https://www.cnet.com/news/ibm-fighting-counterfeiters-with-worlds-smallest-computer/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2018/03/19/5-big-technology-innovations-of-2018-ibm-reveals-amazing-developments-that-will-impact-all-of-us/2/

A Power-Up Over the Competition?

Image found:http://www.madeforgaming.com/gaming-drugs-apparently-thing/

As of recent years video-gamers have demonstrated that they are willing to shell out extra money for anything that may increase their overall gaming experience, like DLC (downloadable content) or those highly criticized loot boxes. Either way the video game business is a booming market and one supplement company is trying to make their mark on that industry. Boss Level Labs has created a brain supplement, GodMode,coined after an infamous video game term, which targets gamers by stating that by taking its pill, the pill will increase one’s ability in video games. The pill promotes that it can increase one’s reaction time to a staggering six to ten percent. Also, the pill can supposedly help someone think smarter and faster.

GodMode suggests that the brain supplement can perform its goals due to the ingredients the pills contain. For the most part, the supplements are made of plant and food extracts. One specific ingredient, theobromine, a common ingredient especially in tea and is suppose to help with reaction time and memory. However, even with these ingredients which Boss Level Labs believe really do aid gamers, there has been much criticism of their supplements.

One questionable detail about the supplement is that it was once promoted as FDA approved, but has recently dropped that term. Also many professors have acknowledged the existence of GodMode and doubt that any such brain supplement can cause such a drastic change in someone. There is also a concern in the amount of caffeine in the recommended dosage of GodMode, which is seventy five milligrams. This causes a concern because these seventy five milligrams is taken in one quick go. There is also, the possibility of the users just experiencing a placebo effect, where the ingredients do not actually affect the user’s performance.

As a gamer myself I instantly became interested in something that could possibly give others a legal advantage in video games. There are too many gamers using hacks to dominate competitively online in video games and perhaps the GodMode supplement could help even the odds. Gamers are always trying to find an edge over the competition too by buying certain peripherals that can help, like fight sticks. However, I am doubtful of a supplement being able to drastically improving someone’s ability. Also, as someone who stays away from drugs unless given medically, I will not be investing in a bottle of GodMode. That should not stop people though, there have been reports of people loving the bottle, its just a matter of how much one is willing to risk to become a better player.

Source:https://www.cnet.com/news/godmode-supplement-promising-gamers-a-boost-is-hard-to-swallow/

Google Clips, a New Way to Take Videos

Image found:https://www.slashgear.com/google-clips-is-one-more-camera-lens-for-pixel-2-04502814/

Google Clips is Google’s new camera, which tackles the task of helping others take video without any user input. This camera’s purpose is to constantly take video of interesting occurrences. It performs this action by Google’s training of the camera’s neural network to specify interesting moments in which the camera will then start to record. There are obviously many great benefits of this camera.

One helpful factor of having an automatic camera is that there will never be a struggle in trying to find someone else to take the video, everyone gets to be included. This should also, help create a feel of authenticity in each video. Another benefit is that it could help with capturing key moments that one could miss by trying to get a picture and then never being able to capture the moment, which will also lead to them not being able to fully participate in that memory. However, one could be hesitant of these positives due to security issues, but this actually is not much of a concern.

Google Clips will encrypt every video taken and also has the ability to clear it’s entirety of its internal storage if another phone tries to access the camera. In order to obtain the videos taken, one must wirelessly stream the videos to their phone and then download them. Also, the videos are never sent to Google, so the user has complete control on how the videos are handled. Even though there are the obvious benefits of the camera’s purpose and the privacy of the camera, there are still many negative aspects.

One major drawback of Google Clips is that the camera’s neural network training can still use some work. There are many times it can miss important moments. Also, the camera can not zoom or tilt and is meant to be stationary. Another negative is that the camera does not record sound. There are many negatives with the camera, but its not about the now that has me excited, its the future of this technology that I look forward too. I believe Google Clips is just the start of AI taking videos without user input. I believe that there could possibly be one day in which the negatives of Google Clips will be a thing of the past. Imagine a camera that automatically take pictures, but acts as a miniature drone trained to find the perfect angle of a picture and which moments to capture. Google Clips is just the start in a new direction of video taking.

Source:https://www.cnet.com/products/google-clips/preview/

 

AR Search Tool Expanding to Other Devices

Image found:http://technewsexpert.com/google-lens-to-get-useful-improvements-and-ar-experiences/

Google Lens was suppose to reinvent the way we search up information on objects throughout the world. All one had to do was use a camera on their phone to view an item or even landmark and then instantly receive information. However, Google’s goal has never came into fruition yet, but this can vastly change soon. The problem holding back their new AR search tool was that it was only available on the Google Pixel. A recent announcement from Google has however demonstrated that Google will now make Google Lens available to a multitude of other devices such as LG, Samsung, Sony and more. These devices from other companies will need to reach certain requirements to be able to run Google Lens on their smartphones devices, so only expect that these companies flagship phones to have a functioning Google Lens.

An interesting part of this news is that Google Lens is not an app. Google has been building the capability of Google Lens in other apps. This makes the process of getting Google Lens on other devices a bit captivating. Google will have to update Google Photos in order for Android and IPhone users with iOS 9 to be able to access Google Lens. Google will also update Google Assistant to be compatible with Google Lens as well.

By Google taking this initiative with their AR search tool I believe it will help others to see AR in a new light. A vast majority of people only think of AR as a tool that is involved mostly with video games or some other form of leisure entertainment. However, Google is proving that AR can actually help people learn. By being able to just view an object with a camera on a smartphone and gather information should entice more people to learn about things that are of interest to them instead of never wanting to search up the subject. Now that this is becoming a little more available to the public hopefully an encouragement of wanting to gain knowledge is established more throughout parts of society. I look forward to the AR search tool eventually one day becoming widely available to the public.

Source:https://www.cnet.com/news/google-now-makes-its-ar-search-tool-lens-available-for-your-phone-too/

Qualcomm’s New Audio Aiming Technology

Image found:https://www.cnet.com/news/qualcomm-tv-sound-bar-prototype-aims-audio-straight-to-your-ears/

Qualcomm, a telecommunications company, is at the moment, trying to develop sound bars for television sets. However this is not any ordinary TV speaker, this sound bar is being built with the purpose of directing audio to the viewer no matter where they are positioned in a room. The specific technology that is helping Qualcomm accomplish their goal is called beamforming. Beamforming is a type of spatial filtering that allows sound to be sent or received in particular areas. With beamforming, the sound bar is able to focus the sound waves from the speaker to a specific sweet spot in the room for the listener. However, I would like to state that beamforming is not an extremely new technology. At the time beamforming is being used in many smart speakers, but it has never really been tested for the use in TV audio. However, there are many other possibilities that Qualcomm may be able to create due to their research on the tech.

Qualcomm focuses a majority of their efforts creating smartphone chips and this sound bar is just a large advertisement for their chips. This is due to the fact that their prototype sound bar is running on their technology that they use for their smartphone chips. Specifically the bar is running their Snapdragon 835. This will actually allow for high quality speakers sold at relatively cheap prices. Also, if their audio technology were to further evolve and can somehow be used in a smartphone as in the same extent as their prototype speaker, this could create a major advancement in smartphones that haven’t occurred too recently. I and others as well look forward to seeing Qualcomm’s prototype speaker become an actual product in the market.

Sources: https://www.cnet.com/news/qualcomm-tv-sound-bar-prototype-aims-audio-straight-to-your-ears/

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/qualcomm-mpeg-h-soundbar,news-26605.html

Click to access beamforming.pdf

 

 

Google Chrome Targeting Ads

Image found at:  https://www.inferse.com/49785/chrome-browser-starts-blocking-disruptive-ads/

Google Chrome, one of the world’s most famous web browsers is making a huge change regarding how the browser will handle ads. Chrome will now blacklist and warn websites that do not meet their ad policy. For example, if a website is riddled with ads or contains certain types of ads that will ruin the user’s experience on that website, the website will not be able to display ads. This drastic change in the way Google Chrome will handle ads has already forced forty two percent of the websites Google Chrome sent warnings to, to actually take action and lessen the amount of ads on their website. However, this does not mean Google Chrome is one hundred percent against ads, Google understands that ads are needed to help companies make money, which will help those companies to make content available to users.

I believe Google Chrome’s new ad standards are extremely helpful for users. Ads, most of the time are unpleasant to the eye especially if one is bombarded with a herd of ads. However, lessening the amount of ads can give off a better presentation to the website and an overall greater satisfaction to the user. Also, too many ads can slow down a computer. Certain ads even have the ability to be harmful to computers. Furthermore, not eliminating all ads on all websites is actually helpful to users too. As much as I would like to browse websites without being annoyed by any ads, ads allow users to access information on that website since ads give money to those who share the information. If ads were eliminated from all websites, users would have to pay subscriptions to certain websites in order to access their content. This is just the start of Google Chrome’s ad initiative with many more beneficial changes yet to come, which should hopefully provide even better experiences to users.

Source: https://www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/how-chrome-ad-blocking-already-is-changing-web-publishing/

Artificial Intelligence starting to help the China pig industry.

Picture founded at: https://www.lumixgexperience.panasonic.co.uk/gallery/robin_ashby007/piglets-2/#.WoZ240xFzIU

One popular ad campaign slogan going around in China is, ” Excel in intelligent pig farming, marry a pretty wife early!”. This ad campaign is starting to create notoriety within its region due to new artificial intelligence technology. This technology is trying to help better the inefficient pig industry in China. The technology was developed with the purpose of helping piglets live throughout the first few months of their lives, but the technology can also give information on which piglets to kill.

This new component in the pig industry is being tested in Sichuan province and being deployed by the famous company Alibaba. The new tech gathers information on certain characteristics of the piglets including weight, age, food intake, and exercise. This information is collected by vision recognition within the artificial intelligence system that can keep track of individual pigs by using a number tattoo that is placed on each piglets’ side. The artificial intelligence system can also use the coughs and infrared temperature of the pigs to warn others of disease outbreaks. Furthermore, once a sow’s productivity rate drastically falls the system will suggest that the sow should be killed.

I believe Alibaba’s new technology can be beneficial especially in China. China consumes and produces the most pork throughout the entire planet with an ever growing need for pork. This new artificial intelligence system could help lessen the increasing amount of work laborers must perform in order to meet the rising pork demand of consumers, which will give the workers more time to find a wife like the slogan suggests. Not only will the workers benefit, but so will the pigs too. Pigs could now have an increase chance of living healthy and an increase in being chosen to live in general. In the end, I am excited to see the results of this test in Sichuan.

Source:

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-43061207