Microsoft drone simulator helps you prevent real-world crashes

It’s relatively easy to develop a drone that can fly on its own, but it’s another matter developing one that can navigate the many obstacles of real life. That’s where Microsoft thinks it can help. It just published an open source simulator, the Aerial Informatics and Robotics Platform, that helps designers test and train autonomous machines in realistic conditions without wrecking expensive prototypes. The tool has vehicles move through randomized environments filled with the minutiae you see on a typical street, such as power lines and trees — if your drone can’t dodge a tree branch, you’ll find out quickly. You can see what the vehicle would see (including simulated sensor data), and the software ties into both existing robotic hardware platforms and machine learning systems to speed up development.

As team lead Ashish Kapoor explains to The Verge, this isn’t meant to replace real-world testing. It’s more of a complement that can either account for hard-to-reproduce circumstances or perform extremely repetitive tests. Instead of having to launch a drone with just a few months of flying under its belt, you could have data equivalent to years of flight time.

Moreover, the simulator isn’t necessarily confined to testing hardware. Microsoft sees its tech helping with all kinds of computer vision and machine learning code. Really, this is more of an AI playground than a narrowly-focused tool. Whatever the initial goals may be, there are many more possibilities.

Via: The Verge

Source: Microsoft, GitHub

Facebook now lets companies post job listings

You might not have to visit LinkedIn or a dedicated job site to climb up the career ladder. Facebook has started rolling out support for job listings on company pages, starting with the US and Canada in the next few weeks. It not only puts jobs in front of more eyeballs (namely the world’s largest social network), but promises to streamline many of the usual headaches for both job seekers and recruiters. It can automatically fill in a form with details from your Facebook profile, and you can hear back from your potential employer through Messenger.

The very nature of the platform also increases the chances that you’ll see relevant jobs, although not always for reasons you might like. It’ll show job listings in the News Feed if you’ve liked a company’s page, and companies can pay to increase the chances that their listings will be visible to specific demographics. And if you’re fully committed to job hunting, there’s a dedicated jobs section on both the web and in mobile apps.

There’s no doubt that Facebook wants to keep you from drifting to LinkedIn and other services, even though it’s not quite direct competition. It’s potentially a serious blow that could hurt Microsoft’s dreams of being a go-to source for job-related tasks. However, Facebook tells Business Insider that this is as much about reflecting reality as anything else. Companies were already creating unofficial job posts on Facebook — this just formalizes the process. In that sense, the listings feature could succeed just by addressing the need that already exists.

Via: Business Insider

Source: Facebook Business

NASA is crowdsourcing the search for exoplanets

To those of you who dream of going to space: Sorry, but that may never happen. However, NASA is once again counting on the public for help understanding what’s beyond our world. All we have to do is look at some photos online.

Today marks the launch of Backyard Worlds: Planet 9, a project that relies on everyday people to help scientists identify objects near our solar system. These celestial bodies appear to move across the sky, but computers have a hard time finding things like brown dwarfs and planets in the noisy images. This means manually searching the photos is the most effective method to get the job done.

Unfortunately, that’s a tedious task. For instance, Arizona State University professor Dr. Adam C. Schneider has personally looked at over a million of these images, according to a post on the Backyard Worlds blog. Crowdsourcing this process is a more efficient way to process many photos quickly and point researchers towards images that may be of interest.

The website presents users with short videos, consisting of infrared images captured by NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) space telescope. If a citizen scientist notices a potential object, they can mark its location on the image. If they see nothing noteworthy, they can move on to another four-frame clip and try again.

This isn’t NASA’s first time asking the public for help. In recent years, they’ve sought input on projects like the Space Poop challenge and their Open Innovation Service (NOIS) Contracts. There’s also NASA Solve, an ongoing initiative that invites people to participate in their research. Researchers at the University of California Berkeley have even crowdsourced computing power to search for extraterrestrial life with the SETI@home program.

Backyard Worlds, however, is different in that it requires more active input from its participants.

“It’s hard to believe, but our solar neighborhood is still unexplored territory,” Jackie Faherty, a senior scientist in the American Museum of Natural History’s (AMNH) Department of Astrophysics, said in a statement. “There are cold worlds hiding just a short distance from the Sun, and Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 is a platform for bringing citizen scientists into the search party.”

The tool was developed by scientists at NASA, Arizona State University, AMNH, UC Berkeley, the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, and the science crowdsourcing site Zooniverse. This process is like a modernized version of the method astronomer Clyde Tombaugh used to identify Pluto in 1930. Tombaugh spent about 7,000 hours looking at a device called a “blink comparator” to find differences between photographic plates of space, according to the Backyard Worlds website. With that in mind, taking a few minutes to save scientists hours of work seems like a worthy alternative to repeatedly refreshing your Twitter feed.

Source: Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 Blog, Backyard Worlds: Planet 9

iPhone 8 to Feature 5.8-Inch OLED Display With 5.15-Inch Main Screen and Virtual Buttons Below

The upcoming 2017 iPhone will feature a 5.8-inch display with 5.15 inches of usable screen space according to new predictions shared by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo believes the iPhone 8 will use a 5.8-inch OLED display panel, but that some space will be reserved for virtual buttons.

As has been rumored, the display is said to take up the entire front panel of the iPhone, effectively eliminating bezels, which means Apple will eliminate both the current Home button and the current Touch ID fingerprint recognition technology used in iPhones.

Size wise, Kuo says the OLED iPhone will have measurements similar to the 4.7-inch iPhone, allowing for one-handed operation. Such a size is possible with a 5.8-inch panel because there will be no extra space outside of the display, as can be seen in the mockup below. It will feature a display similar in size to the 5.5-inch iPhone, but in a 4.7-inch package.

Alongside the 5.8-inch OLED iPhone, Kuo continues to believe Apple will also offer standard 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch LCD iPhones, but it is not yet clear what features those devices will adopt. In previous research notes, Kuo has said they will include glass bodies and wireless charging, but he has not gone into detail on other potential features. He does, however, say that the OLED iPhone will be “the only bright spot” in the 2017 iPhone lineup, suggesting only minor improvements for the other two rumored devices.

Because the OLED iPhone will eliminate the Home button, it is expected to adopt “other biometric technologies,” which other rumors suggest could include things like iris or facial recognition.

Battery life may also be another major change in the OLED iPhone, with Apple expected to introduce a stacked logic board design to support bigger batteries and longer battery life. In today’s report, Kuo says the iPhone 8, though similar in size to the 4.7-inch iPhone 7, will feature a battery capacity similar to the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus.

With the radical design changes, battery improvements, and the new biometric features, Kuo expects the OLED iPhone to cost in excess of $1,000, a pricing rumor that was also shared by Fast Company last week. Kuo does not expect the high price point to significantly impact sales due the “innovative user experience” offered by the device.

He believes Apple will ship 100 million iPhones during the second half of 2017, with 60 percent of those to consist of the higher-end OLED iPhone.

Related Roundup: iPhone 8 (2017)
Tag: Ming-Chi Kuo
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New Simon memory game looks like a cheap VR headset

Last year, Hasbro revealed an updated version of its classic Simon game that didn’t require you to press multi-color buttons. With Simon Air, you just put your hand close to the color and it device would detect your motion. For this year’s New York Toy Fair, the company is taking hands-free play a step further with Simon Optix. This new model is a wearable headset that looks something like HoloLens or some other AR/VR headset but it doesn’t do any of that.

Instead, Simon Optix makes you wave your hands in front of your face as the visor illuminates the area/color you need to pick. Built-in motion sensors track where your hands are and if you get to the specified located fast enough. Similar to the classic version, the movements become more complex as the game progresses and a buzzer will signal the disappointment when you make a wrong move.

If you have multiple Optix headsets, they can be paired together for a head-to-head or multiplayer setup. Each player will be given the same sequence and speed to see who can get the furthest. Don’t get too close or you may end up slapping each other. If you want to give it a shot, Simon Optix is set to go on sale this fall for $25. Just remember to stock up on AA batteries before you nab one.

The Google Assistant can now call up personal info via Allo

Why it matters to you

The Google Assistant is becoming a little more capable in Google’s Allo messaging app. It can now call up flight info and other reminders on command.

Allo, a member of a cadre of Google messaging apps that includes Duo, Spaces, Messenger, and Voice, is more than just another way to keep in touch with friends. It’s one of the few ways most Android users can interact with the Google Assistant, Google’s artificially intelligent service that’s otherwise reserved for the Pixel and Google Home. It’s already pretty smart — it can toggle a flashlight, set reminders, ask for directions, and even take screenshots — but now, it’s becoming even more cognizant with the addition of personal reminders.

Personal reminders, which became available for some users Wednesday morning, provide a convenient way to store contacts, calendar appointments, airline reservations, phone numbers, and more with the Google Assistant. Typing “@google” (without quotes) in an Allo conversation pulls up the Assistant, and tapping on the Assistant icon shows you all the information it has on hand. (Try asking “What are my upcoming flights,” for example, or “Show me my upcoming appointments.”) A subsequent Share option lets you share the information with another chat participant.

More: Everything you need to know about Google Assistant

Unfortunately, there aren’t many tweakable parameters. You can’t share information with another contact in a one-on-one Allo conversation, and you can’t keep requests for information from Allo hidden from folks who might be keen on perusing your history. But the ability to share information could be useful in certain situations. You can have the Assistant provide a friend’s contact info in a group conversation, for example, or have the Google Assistant call up flight details in a conversation with fellow travelers.

As Engadget points out, the feature isn’t exactly groundbreaking. Google Hangouts, one of Allo’s predecessors, gained the ability to offer “smart suggestions” based on contextual clues a few months back — if a friend asks “where are you?” for instance, it will prompt you to share your location. And Facebook recently launched a feature for its “M” Messenger AI assistant that offers you the opportunity to share your location, respond to messages with appropriate stickers, or even point friends in the direction of shopping and travel info.

The personal reminders function appears to be a server-side change, meaning not everyone’s likely to see it right away. But as long as you’ve updated to the latest version of Allo, you’ve got the best shot at getting it first.

More: Nvidia Shield and other Android TV devices get Google Assistant integration

Google’s under pressure to prop up Allo’s declining popularity. It took the app four days to score 5 million downloads after its September 2016 launch day, but an additional three months to accumulate another 5 million downloads. And last week, Android Police reported that the messaging app has dropped out of the top 500 most-downloaded apps on the Play Store.

A lack of desktop client and SMS support are likely to blame for the recent dips, but if Google keeps adding new features at a steady clip, there might yet be a chance to reverse the downward trend.

Dutch town installs LED pavement strips to alert distracted smartphone users

Why it matters to you

If pedestrian safety systems like these are adopted worldwide, they could one day save your life.

A Dutch town believes it may have figured out a solution to the problem of pedestrians distracted by their smartphones. Officials in Bodegraven, Netherlands are now running trials of LED strips embedded into sidewalks near intersections that notify walkers of whether it is safe to cross.

The system, developed by local firm HIG Traffic Systems, is connected directly to traffic lights and shifts from red to green to signal pedestrians who are looking down at their devices of when they may safely walk. Named “+Lichtlijn,” or +Lightline, the proposal ran into some opposition from the country’s road safety organization, VVN. According to DutchNews, a VVN spokesman decried the idea as a reward for unsafe behavior.

More: Australia installing pavement traffic lights to alert distracted mobile addicts

Since the rise of smartphones, pedestrian safety has become an area of increasing concern around the world. The National Safety Council reports that distracted walking incidents involving phones accounted for more than 11,000 injuries in the United States between 2000 and 2011, and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons estimates injuries to pedestrians have more than doubled since 2004.

DutchNews

While surveys indicate smartphone users are well aware of the dangers of distraction, the AAOS found that one of the key issues might be people’s overconfidence in their ability to multitask. If pedestrians’ behaviors aren’t changing for the better, programs like Bodegraven’s might be the answer. If the trial goes well, HIG might shop the technology around to other towns.

The AAOS reports that a recent study of 20 high-risk intersections in Seattle found that pedestrians who were texting while crossing took roughly two seconds longer on average to get through compared to those who weren’t distracted. What’s more, those who texted were found to be four times more likely to commit at least one “unsafe crossing behavior,” such as not looking both ways or disregarding traffic signals.

While millennials aged 18 to 34 were the least likely to be injured, according to the AAOS survey, the group reported the most distracted walking incidents of any demographic. Meanwhile, women aged 55 and older experienced the greatest number of serious injuries.

Of course, no matter who you are, using a phone on the move has been found to significantly impact walking pattern, speed, and gait. Between the expanding capabilities of smartphones and the litany of new wearable devices that have come along in recent years, pedestrians stand at greater risk than ever before. Initiatives like these remind us the importance of staying alert.

Toshiba offers a new hard disk lineup, bringing 8TBs of storage to your desktop

Why it matters to you

As SSDs push HDDs out of use as the primary storage solution, Toshiba has pivoted their HDD lineup to provide datacenter-grade storage for all your backup files.

Ever want to put an aircraft hangar inside your desktop? Well, you can soon with Toshiba’s absolutely massive 8TB consumer-grade hard disks in the 3.5-inch format. Announced on Wednesday, Toshiba’s new MN series HDDs bridge the gap between enterprise-level storage capacity and high-performing desktop hard disks.

The MN series models come in three sizes — 8TB, 6TB, and 4TB, each one spins at 7,200RPM. In short, these HDDs aren’t just big, they are fast enough for daily use, performing well enough to serve as a backup hard disk in a home desktop or long-term storage solution for a small business.

The MN series offers up archival storage capacities large enough to house each and every one of those family photo albums, alongside all those movies you’re not currently watching. A credit to their enterprise heritage, the MN series HDDs are designed for always-on performance, with rotational vibration compensation to keep your data safe and stable.

More: The Western Digital My Passport gives you 4TB of compact storage

“Many customers with predominantly file-oriented and fixed-content sequential write and read workloads are looking for cost-effective capacities for moderate workload storage applications,” said Scott Wright, director of HDD marketing for Toshiba America.

Ultimately what that means, is these new MN series hard disks aren’t just designed for long-term backup storage, their read and write speeds are fast enough that they can live inside a desktop workstation or family computer. Typically hard drives with this kind of storage capacity trade in functional speed for expanded capacity, making them unsuitable for day-to-day use.

Toshiba claims the MN series is a different breed of a high-capacity hard disk, the 8TB, 6TB, and 4TB drives can be slotted into a standard desktop without any difficulty. That way you can use a faster, smaller, SSD for applications and games, while you let the Toshiba MN series take care of archival and spill-over storage.

‘Fire Emblem: Heroes’ update adds more playable characters, bonus chapter

Why it matters to you

Nintendo’s accelerated update schedule for Fire Emblem: Heroes suggests that the company is listening closely to player feedback and requests.

Nintendo’s free-to-play mobile game Fire Emblem: Heroes has been updated with a new selection of playable heroes, along with an additional storyline chapter that runs parallel to the game’s core campaign.

Nintendo also promises an array of future fixes and balance tweaks in response to player feedback, indicating that the app has a long life span ahead of it.

More: Fire Emblem series will get four new Nintendo games by 2018

Released for iOS and Android platforms earlier this month, Fire Emblem: Heroes is a turn-based, tactical role-playing game in which players guide custom-built squadrons of Fire Emblem characters in battle. While the game is available as a free download, playable characters must be summoned using in-game currency, and many of the game’s best units are only available as rare drops.

This week’s Fire Emblem: Heroes update adds a new Paralogue chapter featuring three playable maps. The game’s storyline content was previously limited to a nine-chapter campaign, and additional Paralogue chapters will roll out on a regular basis in the months ahead.

Players can also summon several new characters as part of the recently launched “New Heroes: Family Bonds” promotional event. Featured five-star characters appearing in New Heroes: Family Bonds include Restoration Lady Lirika, Heir of Light Seliph, Restoration Lord Ephraim, and Julia of Naga’s Blood. Each of these new characters has a 3 percent chance of appearing during randomly distributed player summonses.

More: ‘Fire Emblem Heroes’ players keep reinstalling to get favorite characters

Nintendo also outlined its future plans for Fire Emblem: Heroes in an update sent to players Wednesday. Nintendo revealed that it has scrapped plans to make certain gameplay elements more difficult in the weeks after Fire Emblem: Heroes‘ launch, announcing that Training Tower stamina costs will remain halved indefinitely, and players will suffer no penalty for equipping skills.

New Training Tower rewards will also be refreshed on a weekly basis, and the game’s App-Release Bonus Period has been extended, giving newcomers more time to build up their armies. Following a planned March update, players will also be able to earn experience from defeating enemies who are lower in level than friendly units, marking a change in long-standing series tradition.

Fire Emblem: Heroes players will continue to earn bonus summoning orbs and stamina restoration items as the game’s App-Release Bonus Period continues through March 14.

Analysis of internet-connected devices reveals millions are vulnerable to attack

Why it matters to you

While we’re all familiar with the need to be more careful in securing our devices, a recent analysis shows just how widespread the threat of cyberattacks actually is.

For anyone involved in information security and combating the incredible breadth and depth of malware that’s constantly aimed at stealing our most important information, it’s not enough to simply know whether a given machine is compromised. Just as important is knowing which machines are vulnerable to attack.

That’s precisely the objective of projects that scan the internet looking for unsecured systems. One such initiative is Shodan, a search engine that scans online systems and “cyber assets” looking for any with security flaws that could open them up for attack. Security company Trend Micro conducted its own analysis of Shodan data for February 2016 and summarized the findings on its Security and Intelligence blog, noting that literally millions of internet-connected devices are vulnerable, including many in the most sensitive industries.

More: Flashpoint: October’s DDoS attacks were likely conducted by amateur hackers

Shodan is particularly helpful because it reports on not just the IP address of connected devices, but also offers information on application software installed on devices and their firmware version numbers. That information can help companies like Trend Micro identify the kinds of devices that are connected. Of course, if Shodan can discover this kind of information, then malicious parties can do so as well using various tools and techniques of their own.

Trend micro identified a number of important trends, which it outlined in the blog post. Here are the highlights:

• Los Angeles had the highest number of exposed cyber assets when compared to other top 10 most populated cities in the U.S. The city had more than 4 million devices that could be targeted for cyberattack. Houston was second at 3.9 million exposed cyber assets.
• Unsurprisingly, web servers are particularly problematic, in that they’re some of the most commonly attacked machines, and they’re also often unsecured. Web servers, therefore, represent a known quantity of exposed cyber assets that could be secured against attack.
• Web servers hosted by the U.S. government, along with education, health care, and public utilities sectors in the U.S., were particularly open for attack. Servers in the emergency services and financial sectors, however, had relatively few unsecured machines.
• Nevertheless, most of the unsecured devices in the Shodan data were those often used for distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, and included firewalls, webcams, routers, and wireless access points. That correlates with a DDoS attack on October 21, 2016, that involved Mirai malware running on unsecured devices like webcams.

The most important conclusion to draw from Trend Micro’s analysis of the Shodan data is that there’s lots of work to be done in securing the millions of vulnerable internet-connected devices. The company will be presenting its analysis and conclusions at the RSA conference that’s currently underway, and you can dig into the details yourself in its report titled “U.S. Cities Exposed in Shodan.”