Bang & Olufsen brings Google Cast support to its Beoplay A6 and A9 speakers

Bang & Olufsen has announced that its internet-connected Beoplay speakers are now compatible with Google Cast. The Beoplay A6 and second-generation A9 speakers are now compatible with the technology, which allows you to send audio from your phone or tablet to these speakers using a number of compatible apps and services.

As Bang & Olufsen notes, current A6 and A9 owners will only need to download a software update to enable Google Cast. The company plans on including Cast technology in its future lineup of network-enabled speakers as well.

You can grab an A6 speaker for $999, while an A9 second-generation speaker will run you $2,699, both directly from Bang & Olufsen.

Project CARS picks up full support for the HTC Vive

Popular racing title Project CARS has seen its latest PC patch go live on Steam, adding support for the HTC Vive. As part of this full support for the Vive, Project CARS also supports SteamVR’s room customization option, which shows you the SteamVR room whenever you’re in a game menu. The game also now includes VR mouse support.

The 11.0 patch for Project CARS contains a number of other virtual reality-related updates:

• HTC Vive support
• Gaze control implemented, providing hands-free interaction with the User Interface
• Mouse pointer control in HMD view implemented
• Photo mode is now fully functional
• Depth of Field effects now work correctly
• The game will now retain controller focus when the player removes the HMD
• Improved rendering system for Crepuscular rays and Sun flares
• Improved rendering of dirt and rain drops on Helmet visor
• Improved the default seat position
• Improved the default HUD position
• Improved default camera settings to prevent the car tilting independently from the player at steep inclines
• Fixed a refresh issue on the UI when returning from a race to the main menu

There are also a number of other bug fixes and performance improvements with this update. In addition to the HTC Vive, Project CARS recently added support for the Oculus Rift.

Is endpoint protection right for you?

Are you taking every necessary measure to secure your corporate network?

With the number of devices on your corporate network ever growing, it’s never been more important to ensure its security. Anti-virus software can certainly help, but if you want total control of your network protection, then endpoint security may be best.

What is endpoint protection?

Endpoints are essentially devices and servers that are remotely connected to your network. They can be laptops, smartphones, tablets, servers in a datacenter, and more. endpoint protection manages the connections (sending email, browsing the internet, etc.) between all of these devices.

Remember in college when all the best websites were blocked on the school’s network? That’s endpoint protection at work.

An endpoint security/protection management system allows a security engineer to manage and control the security of all remote devices on the corporate network from a centralized server application, which receives all of the alerts and security logs from each device.

Each system is essentially a product that offers a wide array of security features that are much more in-depth than any antivirus software.

Why should I use endpoint protection?

Plain and simple, there are features of an endpoint security management system with which the average anti-malware software just can’t compete. Let’s take a deeper look at a few of the most important ones:

Endpoint anti-malware

Endpoint anti-malware is anti-malware on steroids. It provides layered protection against new and unknown threats – also know as zero-day threats – spyware, email inbox attacks, and more. It has a host-based firewall, aids in data loss prevention, provides warnings when accessing potentially harmful sites, and tons more. It’s anti-malware that ate its Wheaties this morning.

IPS/IDS sensors and warning systems

IPS and IDS are almost the same thing, but they can work in unison or alone to help prevent and/or eliminate threats to your network. IPS stands for Intrusion Prevention System and is a policy-based system that is kind of like a firewall.

Firewalls work based on rules; they search through packets of information looking for a rule that says to allow the packet to pass. If they get to the end of the list of rules and haven’t found anything that follows a “pass” rule, then the final rule says to deny access. So, in the absence of a rule that says “allow,” the firewall drops the traffic.

IPSes work the other way around. They operate on a “deny” rule basis that searches the traffic for a reason to deny access. If they get to the end of their list of rules and have found no reason to deny access, then the final rule says to allow it through. This makes an IPS a control tool. You have the ability to set the parameters of your IPS, so you decide what flows in and out of your network.

IDS stand for Intrusion Detection System. This would be considered a visibility tool because it sits outside the network and monitors traffic at multiple points to give you a picture of your overall security. An IDS can show a security engineer potential issues, information leakage caused by spyware, security policy violations, unauthorized clients and servers, and much, much more. Think of it like the mall security guard sitting in the room with a hundred TVs, watching every store and hallway for shoplifters.

Implementing an IPS and/or IDS with your Endpoint protection management system is an ideal way to control and monitor your corporate network, which is my many Endpoint protection systems come with one or both.

Data input/output (I/O) control

Whether or not you’re dealing with sensitive information is beside the point; you want to protect your corporate information. A powerful feature of an Endpoint security management system is the ability to control data input and output.

Input refers to the information received by a network device, like a laptop or a smartphone; output is the information sent from that device. Controlling data I/O allows you to manage what type of peripheral input devices can be added to your network, like external hard drives, thumb drives, and more. It also lets you control output devices, like computer monitors, printers, and so on.

Thus, you’ll have the ability to deny access to external hard drives that may be used to steal information; deny access to printers; control monitor output; even modems and network cards that act as go-betweens for devices. You control what’s downloaded and uploaded.

Application control and user management

You’ll want every computer with access to your network to require authentication and you’ll also want to be able to add and remove users at will, especially if certain applications are accessible outside of your network, like employee email.

This also allows you to deny access to unknown or unwanted applications, so that the devices on your network aren’t acting on their behalf without you realizing it. If you allow an unmanaged application access to the internet, this could open a large door for potential threats.

You can even limit which applications can be installed, so that no one is inadvertently dirtying your network with malware. If employees are bringing personal devices to work, application control will make sure that none of the potentially harmful apps on their devices are causing harm or syphoning data from your network.

How do I choose an endpoint protection management system?

Most endpoint protection management software offers similar features, relying more heavily on some than others. The best way to go about it is to take a look at what security features you value the most. Different endpoint security system providers will prioritize different security features above others, so it’s best to go with the one that matches your needs.

If all employees bring their own laptop to work and use all of their own equipment, then you’ll want a provider that emphasizes application control and user management. If you deal in very sensitive information and a leak could destroy you, you’ll want a provider that prioritizes data input/output above all.

You really can’t wrong with endpoint protection, since you’re far better off having less-than-ideal endpoint protection than basic antivirus software on every device.

Disney’s remote control robots move just like people

Imagine walking into a Disney theme park and being greeted by Mike from Monsters Inc. A life-size Mike, perfectly spherically-proportioned on those spindly legs. Fitting a human into a costume like that is impossible. That’s why Disney Research is building a new kind of haptic-feedback remote control system which will allow us to control robots as easily as we move ourselves.

The “Hybrid Hydrostatic Transmission” system uses both fluid- and air-filled lines to control the movements of a telepresence robot. By combining the stiffness of fluid lines with the springiness and responsiveness of air-filled lines, the robot is able to move in a lifelike manner while providing constant, high-quality haptic feedback. That way, the operator doesn’t go karate-chopping through every surface he touches.

“We have developed new rotary actuators using rolling-diaphragm cylinders which provide high torque density,” the Disney Research team wrote, “and allow the creation of a new high-performance 10-DOF humanoid robot.” While these new actuators are a bit bigger and heavier than conventional valve-based hydraulic systems, they do offer very low impedance. This means that the even bigger and heavier motor doesn’t need to be mounted on the limb it’s powering, which in turn reduces the amount of power needed to move it.

As you can see in the video above, the prototype has a pair of arms, each with four degrees of freedom, and a pair of electronic, Kinect eyes that provide a live video feed to a VR headset worn by the remote operator. The robot itself is designed specifically as a testbed for the haptic feedback system so don’t expect to see armies of remote-controlled Ewoks rolling through Disneyland in the immediate future. But soon, soon.

Source: Disney Research

New DIY wearable teaches kids to code and be active

The Mover Kit aims to combine the fun of wearable tech for kids with important programming tools that’ll help them later in life. It also has rainbow lights that you can program to flicker whenever you moonwalk. If either of those things sound palatable to you, there’s a Kickstarter out there with your name on it.
You can thank Technology Will Save Us for the idea, an organization founded to foster creativity in youth through hands-on technology. The kit is aimed at children 8 and up, offering a piece of buildable, wearable tech that can be programmed to perform a wide variety of tasks using an online tool called Move.

The Mover Kit can be assembled in about 15 minutes and is comprised of a Mover board, 8 RGB LEDs, accelerometer, magnetometer, USB connector, rechargeable battery, snap band bracelet, and a lanyard. The device went through several different prototypes in tests with over 300 children, and it offers several different options for kids to repurpose it every single day if they choose to.

So far the Kickstarter has raised over $29,000 of its $50,000 goal with 28 days left to go. It’s an interesting addition to the growing number of projects aimed at children with simple-to-understand code and assembly, and might even end up appealing to DIY beginners as well as kids if it hits production.

IBM developed a ‘magic bullet’ to combat viral infections

IBM Research and the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) in Singapore have created a new chemical “macromolecule” that could aid in the fight against a wide range of viral diseases like Ebola, Zika, dengue fever, herpes or even influenza. The new chemical was “designed from the ground up” to combat viruses in three ways: by preventing it from infecting healthy cells, stopping the virus’s replication and finally boosting the body’s immune system to help it fight the virus on its own.

So far, the new chemical has been effective against Ebola, dengue and herpes simplex when tested in a lab environment. But what makes this completely new molecule a so-called “magic bullet” is its ability to fight off the viruses regardless of any mutations they naturally make over time. Zika, for example, mutates rapidly, making it particularly difficult to develop a vaccine to combat it. While, IBM and IBN began their research before the Zika outbreak reached “alarming proportions,” they hope to partner with a pharmaceutical company soon to test the chemical’s effectiveness against the virus.

For now, however, the two groups are exploring ways to put their new chemical into consumer goods like anti-viral wipes or a vaporized version that could be used in hospitals to prevent further outbreaks.

British young offenders who brag online could see tougher sentences

The Sentencing Council for England and Wales today proposed an expanded set of guidelines that courts would have to follow when sentencing young offenders aged 10 to 17. Importantly, for the first time, the instructions explicitly mention video, images and other details of the incident deliberately shared through social media and elsewhere online as an “aggravating factor,” which could increase the seriousness of an offence and lead to tougher sentences.

While the existence of this kind of media and its gravity hasn’t been ignored before now, the new guidelines clarify their importance to courts faced with relevant cases — though it’s just one consideration among many, including the nature of the offence and age of offender. The potential aggravating factor is described as:

“Deliberate humiliation of victim, including but not limited to filming of the offence, deliberately committing the offence before a group of peers with the intent of causing additional distress or circulating details/photos/videos etc of the offence on social media or within peer groups.”

It has been added to the non-exhaustive list of factors that should be considered when sentencing youths for both general and sexual offences, with guidelines for the latter class now also including a mention of online grooming, where that has played a role. Sentencing guidelines for adults in England and Wales don’t cite social media specifically yet — though there are similar aggravating factors to do with capturing and disseminated media related to offences — but it’s understandable why the Sentencing Council would make it a priority in more comprehensive guidelines for young offenders.

The sad fact is: online bragging of this kind, particularly on social networks, is all too common. In a recent, serious case, two 15-year old girls were given life sentences for beating and ultimately murdering a woman in her home. They documented the attack on Snapchat. An woman in the US was also accused last month of broadcasting her friend’s rape live, over Periscope.

Slowly but surely, law enforcement agencies are exploring the role the internet and social networks play in both minor offences and serious crimes. A couple of months ago, for example, The UK’s Crown Prosecution service updated its Social Media Guidelines to give criminal prosecutors a better understanding of what constitutes online abuse.

The new sentencing guidelines announced today are still subject to change after a 12-week open consultation period — and it’s important to note that their expansion isn’t at all limited to the inclusion of tech-specific aggravating factors — but there’s no reason the social media mentions won’t be incorporated when the proposals become official advice.

Via: The Law Society Gazette, BBC

Source: Sentencing Council