Category: Tech

Is Telemedicine The Future Of Health Care ?

The novel corona virus pandemic has stretched health care system to the brink. Covid 19 might getting all the headlines but patient are getting sick from other health disease and that’s left doctors looking for other way to treat them while minimizing contact.

Telemedicine allows health care professionals to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients at a distance using telecommunications technology. Telemedicine is the use of electronic communications and software to monitor and treat patient in lieu of any in patient visit.

According to IBIS world, the industry revenue has grown 34.7% from 2014 to 2021. Despite the increase in revenue. Americans have been slow to adopt the practice according to 2017 report. Like all of American life, that changed with novel corona virus. The number of medicare patient using telehealth has increased.

Shares of zoom video communication are up more than 150% since the start of 2020.

Telehealth visits are booming as doctors and patient embrace distancing amid coronavirus crisis. Telemedicine is the primary means of care during the corona virus pandemic.

Benefits.

1. It allows a patient to schedule visits at their convenience.

2. The benefits of telemedicine are easy to see. Physicians can now reach patients who are halfway across the city or state. All you need is a strong internet signal and a smartphone, tablet or computer to connect with a medical professional.

3. You can wrap up a visit in 15 or 20 minutes, which is convenient for many patients. Often, you’ll spend the same amount of time driving to and from an in-person visit.

4. There is also a decrease in wait times.

Challenges.

1. The main limitation is the lack of a physical exam. Inability to do a surgical procedure.

2. A lot of time goes into adjusting to the technology and understanding how it works and most importantly managing the wifi network at times.

3. The biggest challenge is to convince the patient that the quality of care via this consult is no less than being done in person.

Telemedicine will be the permanent new normal. It has been obvious for years. It will continue to move healthcare delivery from the hospital or clinic into the home. A fair amount of consultations, approximately 80%, can be done through telemedicine. Today, there are plenty of instruments that allow a person to do an ultrasound and allow people to check their kidney, abdominal cavity or even the heart echo without physically being at the hospital. 

Competitive Programming

“I think everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer, should learn a computer language, because it teaches you how to think.” – Steve Jobs

If you are a programmer, you may understand the deep meaning of these words quoted by Steve Jobs, and you may also have this experience even if you turn off the computer, you continue to think about the programming or code you use in it. The project has been written. In programming, you just don’t learn programming, you also learn the “art of thinking“, the method is to break the code into smaller parts, and then use creative, logic-based thinking to solve problems from different angles. Programming is very interesting and it is like brain training. Programming is an intellectual sport. When this sport is practiced by sports programmers on the Internet, it is called competitive programming.

Coding contests or competitions usually require the host to have a series of logical or mathematical questions for the contestants, also called puzzles (ranging from ten to one thousand) problems. Scoring is mainly based on the count of problems solved and the time required to write a successful solution, but other factors (quality of results obtained, execution time, program size, etc.) also do count.

The goal of competitive programming is to write source code for computer programs that can solve specific problems. Most of the problems encountered in the programming Olympics are essentially mathematical or logical problems. Typical problems fall into one of the following categories: combinatorics, number theory, graph theory, algorithm game theory, computational geometry, string analysis, and data structure. Challenges related to deadlines and artificial intelligence are also popular in certain competitions.

These coding contests provides young and talented coders with the opportunity to measure their skills and compare them with other programmers around the world. Some of them are listed as-

1) The ACM-ICPC International Collegiate Programming Contest

2) Google’s Coding Competitions

3) The ICFP Programming Contest

4) BME International 24-hours Programming Contest

5) Microsoft Imagine Cup

6) Facebook Hacker Cup

Cloud Computing

Cloud computing facilitates in the analysis and storing of the data, allowing companies to get the most out of their IoT infrastructure.

Businesses may get a lot of resources from the Cloud, so they don’t have to spend a lot of money building up their infrastructure. The IT team is more focused on day-to-day upkeep operations in the absence of on-site systems, hardware, and software, which is frequently an obvious benefit of the Cloud.

Even in the face of unexpected crises, cloud computing can keep organisations functioning. There is no immediate threat to the private data because it is stored on extra independent servers, making the Cloud a vital aspect of Internet-based companies.

Features of Cloud Computing

  • Resources Pooling
    • It indicates that the Cloud provider used a multi-tenant architecture to draw computing resources to deliver services to many clients.
    • Various physical and virtual resources are assigned and reassigned based on the needs of the client.
    • The client has little control or information about where the given resources are located, but can define location at a higher level of abstraction.
  • On-Demand Self-Service

It is one of the most essential and valuable elements of Cloud Computing since it allows the user to keep track of the server’s uptime, capabilities, and network storage allocation. This function also allows the user to keep track of the computer’s capabilities.

  • Easy Maintenance

The servers are simple to manage, and downtime is minimal, if not non-existent in some situations. Every time a new version of Cloud Computing is released, it improves steadily. The upgrades are more compatible with devices and work quicker than previous versions, as well as having problems repaired.

  • Large Network Access

With the assistance of a device and an internet connection, the user may view the cloud’s data or upload data to the cloud from anywhere. These capabilities are available throughout the network and may be accessed over the internet.

  • Availability

The Cloud’s capabilities may be customised for the user and can be vastly expanded. It evaluates storage utilisation and, if necessary, allows the user to purchase more Cloud Storage for a nominal fee.

  • Automatic System

At some level of service, cloud computing automatically analyses the data required and facilitates metering. We can track, manage, and report on consumption. It will give both the host and the client with transparency.

  • Economical

It is a one-time expense since the firm (host) must purchase storage and just a portion of it can be shared among numerous companies, saving the host money on a monthly or annual basis. Only a small portion of the money is spent on basic maintenance and a few other little costs.

  • Security

One of the most appealing aspects of cloud computing is its security. It takes a snapshot of the data saved so that it doesn’t be lost if one of the servers is destroyed. The data is kept on storage devices that cannot be hacked or accessed by unauthorised individuals. The storage service is efficient and trustworthy.

  • Pay as you go

In cloud computing, the user only pays for the services or storage space that they use. There are no hidden or additional fees to be paid. The service is reasonably priced, and most of the time some space is made available for free.

Why is SQL important? What problem is it solving?

Database administration or data management is incomplete without the SQL. For comfortable use of  SQL as part of your administration or development requires that you understand the basics of SQL, which will take you a long way in your career.

Before we start with the introduction to the SQL itself, and then, understand the important features of SQL Server. It will take you through a demonstration of the internal workings of SQL, starting from SQL standards, evolution, and progresses to creating tables, understanding and defining relationships, writing Transact‑SQL commands, and so on.

You will also understand that SQL is a special-purpose programming language; special-purpose, as in, it is different from the general-purpose programming languages such as C, C++, Java/JavaScript, etc., meaning, it has a very particular purpose: manipulation of datasets. And this manipulation happens using what is known as Relational Calculus.

But isn’t studying SQL alone, restrictive? Turns out, it isn’t. Of course, we can use SQL on any kind of database or data source, but even if we cannot directly use SQL, most query languages of today have some relationship to SQL. In general, once you know SQL, you can effortlessly pick up other query languages too.

Standards are vital because every relational database must build its framework around this framework in order to ensure compatibility. This means that the learning curve is greatly reduced. SQL is ANSI as well as ISO-compliant, along with other standards, which emphasizes the fact that you have to learn the concept only once.

CYBERSECURITY – AN OVERVIEW

WHAT IS CYBERSECURITY? 

Cyber Security is defined as the measures taken to safeguard the connected networks and the data related to them from any attack, damage, or unauthorized access. Every organization like educational, medical, or financial organizations store a large number of user data or many confidential data which needs to be protected from outside access. These data if not protected keeps the company’s reputation at stake. The company needs to cover up data just like we hide our personal information in our online life. Healthcare organizations have their patients’ medical reports along with some personal info. Educational institutions will have the students’ and teacher’s personal as well as academic details. Corporate companies save their employee’s private details including their pay structure and banking details. 

Nowadays, we have highly privileged data such as intellectual property, patents, copyrights, etc… which have to be maintained as a secret from other competitive organizations. Losing this kind of information will affect the organization’s future on a large scale. With the advent Internet of Things (IoT), we have a lot more data to be managed and secured as we have widened the storage services through cloud and virtualization. This has given rise to a new stream called Big Data, which covers large volumes of data related to business and technology. 

WHY IT IS NEEDED?

All these details are confidential and need to be covered up from the external world so that no one could take easy advantage of them. Whenever we engage in any websites that have access to our data like name, age, or photos, the information will also be saved in the website’s server which allows the hackers to access the data. When the hackers see something beneficial in you, they use this data to threaten you to get something like ransom in return. Some steal this info to use your identity faking as their own. This may harm an individual or a whole company very badly. This summarizes the need for cybersecurity and the increase in scope for the field.

CIA TRIAD

  • CONFIDENTIALITY – Also known as privacy, this deals with restricting unknown access by using authentication encryption. Various methods used here are data encryption, two-factor authentication, biometrics and Username, ID, and password. 
  • INTEGRITY – This ensures accuracy and consistency even after unauthorized access. It is done by bringing in file permissions, version history, and backups. Checksum uses hashing algorithms to compare the hash value before and after any changes in data. If the data remains the same, the hash value returned is also the same. But even if a minute change is done in the data, the hash value returned will not be the same. By comparing the hash values, we can ensure integrity. 
  • AVAILABILITY – Making the data available only to the authorized users and performing hardware repairs, software updates, and backups on a timely basis. Avoiding attacks by using security software that doesn’t allow malicious attacks.

TYPES OF ATTACKERS

  • AMATEURS – Sometimes called script kiddies, these people are the ones with zero or low knowledge of hacking. They just follow the instructions found on the internet out of curiosity or just try their skills out. Still the results can be highly serious.
  • HACKERS – This group of people tries to get access to computer networks. They are further classified into three.
    • WHITE HAT HACKERS – These people break into computers to find out the flaws and fix them with the prior permission of the organization.
    • BLACK HAT HACKERS – These people break into computers with malicious intent and without permission. They try to take advantage of the company’s weaknesses.
    • GREY HAT HACKERS – These people fall somewhere between white and black hat hackers. They engage in unethical things but not with the intention of harmful attacks like the black hat hackers.
  • ORGANIZED HACKERS – This category includes cybercriminals, hacktivists, terrorists, and state-sponsored attackers.

CONSEQUENCES OF HACKING

The seriousness of the consequences differs with the scenario. But on the whole, the company or the victim is the one who faces the aftermath. For example, the attacker might use phishing techniques to hack your details. There might be some attachments in the mail that seems to be genuine and on clicking that it may look legitimate and ask for your details but actually, it might be a trap of the hackers which may cost you. Another example may be Denial of Service (DoS). We often come across website traffic because a lot of users try to access it. But the overloading may be done by the attackers to shut the website down. Again, this leads to unimaginable consequences. There are many more techniques and examples to cite. 

AWARENESS

Awareness leads to prevention. We can be more cautious when we give our private information like DOB, Banking details, ID proofs on any site. We should also be aware that all our picture uploads and other things are stored in the servers which might cause some problems similar to those we come across in our day-to-day life. It is always suggested to stay intact and stealthy when it comes to our social-media life.

youtube

YouTube

YouTube the way of leaning…

What Are the Main Functions of YouTube?

  • Users can search for and watch videos.
  • Create a personal YouTube channel.
  • Upload videos to your channel.
  • Like/Comment/share other YouTube videos.
  • Users can subscribe/follow other YouTube channels and users.
  • Create playlists to organize videos and group videos together.

What is the main purpose of YouTube?

YouTube provides a simple way for people to store videos online and share them with others. YouTube videos cover any topic anyone cares to upload a video about. These videos are easy to share via other forms of social media, email and websites and can also be embedded in other websites

What are the benefits of being a YouTuber?

Benefits of Having a YouTube Channel

Give the Audience More Content. One really good reason to add video and a YouTube channel to your site is to give the audience more content. …

Extra Source of Traffic. …

Closer Personal Connection. …

Another Source Of Revenue. …

Modernizing. …

Creative Outlet. …

Get Outside Your Comfort Zone.

Teens Like YouTube because?

YouTube is a free to use service and a can be a great space for teens to discover things they like. For many young people, YouTube is used to watch music videos, comedy shows, how to guides, recipes, hacks and more. Teens also use the video-sharing service to follow their favourite vloggers (video blogger), subscribe to other YouTubers and celebrities they are interested in.

By YouTube what the people wish to like ?

The way the their mind sets and Intrest videos

there are different kind of people

Wish to learn new things

spend time on their mind sets

giving live news and events

Advantages and Disadvantages

1.       In education YouTube help in term of provide the video of teaching and learning for the students to get the knowledge from the professors in another part of the world.

2.       The students are able to access to the sources of learning anytime anywhere they want without any payment.

3.       Provide the chance for all the learner to study with the high professional teacher especially for those who have no chance to go university.

4.       There are many skill people who upload their video and we can learn from their skill.

5.       YouTube is the very wide classroom for teaching and learning which we can save our time and budget.

6.        It is a biggest source of study which easy to understand by the video such as video on how to make up, video on how to cook, video on how …etc.

YOGA: FOR A HEALTHY BODY AND A CALM MIND

On this day seven years ago, the United Nations on 11th December 2014 announced 21st June as the international yoga day. The aim behind it was to “globally raise awareness regarding the benefits of practicing yoga”.

All About Yoga: Poses, Types, Benefits, and More | Everyday Health


Yoga, in the words of late practitioner B.K.S Iyengar is a way of maintaining a balanced attitude in day-to-day life and endows skill in the performance of one’s actions.

Since the onset of the pandemic followed by a nationwide lockdown, the amount of physical activity performed by an individual has declined at an alarming rate. The gyms shut down while the permission to leave the house only for essentials has made the human body quite lethargic and stiff. But yoga is one of the few ways where an individual can maintain their physical and mental health without the need of stepping out of the house.

So, on this yoga day, let’s talk about a couple of asanas that help one with weight loss.

Using yoga for weight loss is a pretty debatable topic. Many believe it alone can’t promote weight loss unless it’s combined with a healthy diet. By combining yoga with a healthy diet not only does it helps in losing weight but also keeps the mind and the body healthy. 

One of the reasons for weight gain is neither binge eating nor lack of physical activities but stress. Stress can have a disastrous effect on one’s mind and body. It often reveals itself in the form of insomnia, anxiety, lack of concentration and pain. Combining yoga with stress management techniques; not only helps in weight loss but also helps in maintaining good physical and mental health.

Talking about the asanas, they don’t immediately produce a result as the poses are simple but, they focus more on increasing body flexibility, improving concentration, and building one’s muscle tone. Once the body gets used to it, only then it starts to show the results. The asanas used for weight loss are as follows.

1. Chaturangadandasana (the plank pose)

How to Do Low Plank (Chaturanga Dandasana)

Chaturangadandasana or the plank pose mainly to strengthens the core muscles. The benefits of this asana are contradictory to the way it’s performed. To perform this, you have to hug your elbows to your side while making sure your upper arms are parallel to the floor. 

2. Virabhadrasana (the warrior pose)

Warrior Pose (Veerabhadrasana or Virabhadrasana) | The Art of Living

Virabhadrasana or the warrior pose helps in toning the thighs and shoulders while increasing one’s concentration. It also improves the balance of the body and tones the back end, arms and legs. While contracting abdominal muscles while holding the pose helps in attaining a flat belly. It works more effectively the longer one can hold this pose. 

3. Trikonasana (the triangle pose)

Triangle Pose (Trikonasana) | Yoga Garden San Francisco Bay Area

Trikonasana or the triangle pose helps in improving digestion and reducing fat accumulation in the belly and waist. This pose improves the blood circulation in the entire body and, its unique lateral motion helps to burn belly and waist fat while strengthening the thigh muscles and the hamstrings. 

4. Adho Mukha Svanasana (the downward dog pose)

How to Do Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Adho Mukha Svanasana or the downward dog pose benefits the body by toning it and strengthening the arms, thighs, back and hamstring. It also improves blood circulation, and the concentration when one holds the pose concentrates solely on breathing.

5. Sarvangasana (the shoulder stand)

How to do Sarvangasana | Shoulder Stand Step | Benefits Sarvangasana


Sarvangasana or the shoulder stand pose has multiple benefits. It increases strength, and improves digestion of the body and is also known for boosting the metabolism and balancing the thyroid levels. It also strengthens the upper body, legs and abdominal muscles while improving one’s sleeping pattern and respiratory system.

6. Sethu Bandha Sarvangasana (the bridge pose)

How to Do Supported Bridge (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)


Sethu Bandha Sarvangasana or the bridge pose is excellent for weight loss, glutes and maintaining thyroid levels. This pose helps in toning and strengthen the back muscles, improve digestion and thyroid levels while regulating the hormones and reducing back pain.

7. Dhanurasana (the bow pose)

HOW TO BOW POSE/ DHANURASANA🎀⁠ ⁠ follow @yogarove⁠ follow @yogarove⁠ ⁠ Bow pose is a DEEP chest opener a… | How to do yoga, Yoga for beginners, Yoga poses pictures


Dhanurasana or the bow pose massages the abdominal muscles while strengthening the thighs, chest, and back muscles. This pose stretches the entire body while improving blood circulation.

Yoga, which originated in India, is a revival method for body and mind. It is a traditional form used by people of all age groups who yearn for a healthy body and mind. It benefits every single part of the body and also helps in relaxing the mind. This age-old tradition has been accepted and praised worldwide for its effectiveness and has helped maintain a healthy body and a relaxed mind.

Why learning a new skill is important in today’s world

Well, learning different skills become very important in today’s world. Because there is huge competition in every field. If you want to compete in this world and achieve the success you have to surely learn some skills that is the only way to achieve victory.

Everything is changed nowadays like working pattern, selection strategy and also priorities, so if you want to compete with this new era you also have to change and explore some new skills that will help you to achieve success. At this time the pattern of work will change that does not mean the previous pattern is wrong but that pattern will not suit today’s life.

Some points will explain to you about the importance of skills, that how they are important in your life.

1) In today’s world the pattern of work will change. Since 4- 5 years ago, there will demand higher education, academic degree but now there is a demand for skills and the companies also want that their employees have skills, and they will increase the profit of the company.so if you have less Academic qualification this deficiency will be adjusted. But when you have fewer skills this will not a good for you so try to learn more skills.

2) Before 4-5 years, if you are not highly qualified you are not able to find out a good job or work somewhere. But now there is no problem of higher education if you are graduate or not graduate but you have some skills so this will not hamper your life.

3) if you are passionate about something you will earn a good amount of money from your passion. but for that, you have to learn some skills that are highly in demand or there is a requirement of that particular skill in the future. and you have to change yourself like a smartphone, update yourself with the demand.

4) sometimes ago, we see that people always complaints that they don’t want to continue further studies but they have to continue because there was no future without a degree but now time change if you are not interested in further studies you have the option to stop it and And start your career in whatever field where you have an interest, but you have to develop some skills so you will survive in that career because it is huge demand of skill and you have to develop that skills.

5) if you have time you can easily learn more than one skill and those skills will help you to uplift your financial conditions. you can easily handle one or two projects. And in this work, there is no burden because you can learn those skills in which you not only complete the work but also enjoy it. So in this way, you can also enjoy your life while doing work. you can easily understand the situation. And try to develop and evolve skills with time, so you can easily find out the demanding work.

6) The best thing about skills is that first, you have choices that you will learn this thing or not, and when you decide you can learn without any limitations, and if you have some skill that will increase the profit of the company you also have a choice regarding what you will charge for your services. If you are really good at that particular skill, customers have to pay according to the skill, so there is not any loss in learn some skills.

Developed more skills and become creative, there is the era of quality, not quantity because the machine is also doing work, so ask one question to yourself if the machine can do the same work that you will do then, why the companies will hire you .

Oobleck: A non-Newtonian fluid revolutionizing speed bumps

Oobleck? Yes you read it right. Thinking you have never come across this term in all your life? Well, Oobleck is nothing but a mixture of cornstarch and water. What does corn starch and water have anything to do with speedbumps? The answer can make you marvel at the human mind with its simple, yet smart thinking capabilities.

Why traditional speedbumps are a problem?

Speed bumps have been a part of the road culture for more than 5 decades now. The were introduced in the 1970s and have managed to exist till now. They are raised ‘bumps’ with 3-4 inches of thickness, used as speed reducing mechanisms for vehicles on road, specially in speed sensitive regions. While they do their purpose, there are some unwanted problems related with the usage of speed breaks, ranging from economical to health concerning issues.

Some of the problems are:

  • Inconsistent speed and abrupt slowing of vehicle due to speed bump and then picking up the speed leads to higher emission, leading to air pollution.
  • Often slow down emergency vehicles
  • May cause spinal damage to some people
  • Inconsistent speed can lead to rupture of vehicles
  • Extra cost (manpower and raw materials) involved in maintaining the road signs, painting and marking, indicating that speed bumps are ahead.
Oobleck

As I already mentioned, Oobleck is a corn starch slurry. This mixture is filled in long cylindrical shaped rubber reinforced tubes resembling a speed bump which is secured to the road. When vehicles pass this speed bump with a slow speed, the liquid parts and allows the vehicle to pass thorugh as if there was nothing present. But, when a vehicle with high speed tries to pass through, the liquid hardens, thus limiting the speed of the vehicle. How does that happen?

oobleck bump
An oobleck filled bump.
The speed bump deforms under the tire when vehicle approaches with a slower speed.

Non-Newtonian fluids and the science behind

Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid. A non-Newtonian fluid is one whose viscosity changes under stress. That is, when you apply force to such liquids, it hardens (viscosity increases) and on the release of the force, it gets back to its normal form. But other ‘normal’ Newtonian liquids do not exhibit such characteristics. On application of stress, they do not resist that stress and thus does not cause a strain. Stress is when you hit a metal with hammer and strain is the resulting dent occurred due to the stress.

Non-Newtonian fluids are not rare. We come across them in our daily life without even knowing them. For instance take tomato ketchup. Many times, you may struggle getting the ketchup out from the bottle, and you unconsciously tap the back of the bottle. And you will see that ketchup now falls into your plate. Ketchup is a non-Newtonian fluid whose viscosity decreases when stress is applied. By tapping the back of the bottle, a stress is applied and the ketchup becomes runnier, thus easily pouring out.

Some more examples are:

  • Viscosity decreases with stress over time – Honey ( on stirring honey, it becomes runny)
  • Viscosity increases with stress over time – Cream ( on whipping, it gets thicker)
  • Viscosity decreases with increased stress – Tomato ketchup
  • Viscosity increases with increased stress – Oobleck
Try it at home!

You can easily try this at home by adding 1/2 cup of water gradually to 1 cup of corn starch. After the powder is fully wet and feel like liquid, its time to get your hands messy. Dip you hands into the mixture and try making a ball. It will start to shape due to the stress you are applying with your hand. But once you stop shaping, like magic, the ball turns into liquid and oozes down. Try it and there is no going back. The inner child in you will want to play with it all day long. Visit here for more details on how to do it at home.

 

Shaping oobleck into a ball by applying stress.
Shaping oobleck into a ball by applying stress.

 

Liquified oobleck
When we stop shaping it, it turns into liquid.

An environment friendly alternative

As the speed bump works as per the speed of the vehicle, there is no need for vehicles to slow down hence increasing fuel efficiency and decreasing emissions. The cost of installing and maintenance is low compared to traditional speed bumps. It does not do damage to the vehicle as the work of shock absorbers is reduced. Hence it is high time that countries start adopting this technology and try to reduce the damages we do to the environment one speed bump at a time!

 

 

 

New Microsoft Surface Duo (2020): Is it worth the hype?

Many of you would have probably heard about Microsoft surface Duo already and discarded it as just another smartphone in the market which fancy features to attract buyers. You wouldn’t have considered it an innovation but just as another smartphone.  But when you view it through the technical lens, you will realize that this is the future. This post does not go deep into the exact specifications of the device, but answers the question of is it worth the hype. To check specifications, visit here.

What is Microsoft Surface Duo?

Microsoft Surface Duo front
The Microsoft Surface Duo- Front appearance.

For those of you who haven’t heard of it, surface duo is a foldable smartphone with two screens. The scope of foldable screens is not just limited to the smartphone industry. It can be used in many life changing devices ranging from the medical sector to military use. The possibilities are just endless.

In short, Microsoft Surface duo is a glimpse of the future!

So now back to the present. Let us go deeper into knowing the features, major pros, cons and more of the surface duo.

To start with, let me address the firsts. This is the first:

  • foldable phone from Microsoft
  • dual screen pocketable device
  • 360 degree hinge
  • razor slim

These are the feats achieved by just the release of the phone. I’ll tell you why it is genuinely being applauded, one word: Multitasking.

Multitasking

In this busy generation, world cannot function without multitasking. Many of us would’ve seen dual monitor setups being used to improve multitasking capabilities and to improve productivity. Instead of such bulky setups, Microsoft Surface Duo achieves all of this and still can fit into a pocket. Pretty great right.

You can now be chilling to the lyrics of your favorite song on one screen and going through your calendar for the next week. You can watch you video lectures on one screen and take notes in the other. The combinations are huge!

To support this sort of multitasking, Microsoft provides various modes to view the screens.

  • Single screen mode – where it can be used like any other normal smartphone
  • Tent mode – for 2 people watching simultaneously
  • Span mode and more

A Dual monitor setup
A Dual monitor setup

  • Surface Duo double screen
    The dual screens allow multitasking. Left screen with spotify, right screen with mail box opened. 
Is it worth the hype?

To be honest, the answer is disappointingly no, considering common users. Due to the dual screen, an extra layer of hand gestures are added the name of enhancements which only make it more complex. For one screen you have to remember to double tap to wake the screen, remember gestures for opening certain features, to switch apps between the two screens. All of it makes the user interface difficult.

All basic features that other phones have, like camera, speakers, battery performance are all second generation here. Some drawbacks observed are:

  • Confusing Software
  • Basic features- Second generation
  • No 5G
  • No headphone jack
  • No wireless charging
  • Camera and Speakers- Not so good for a high end phone
  • Expensive ($1500/INR 1.7Lakhs)
  • Battery drain due to dual screen

Hence it has many drags and hiccups as it is still in the research and developmental stage.

What to expect in the future?

Even though it suffers from major functionality issues, Microsoft took the big leap. It has set foot in a new field which requires more exploration. But it is sure that in the future all giant brands will release a range of foldable phones. And one more exciting news is that the Surface Duo 2 is said to be released this year. Hopefully the major drags of the previous version are rectified in Duo 2 and meanwhile all we can do is wait for the future of foldable phones unveil before us.

Is There Life Outside Earth?

This is a question that has perturbed humanity for decades now. From the start of the early space age during the Cold War, where asserting dominance in space was given the first importance, unknowingly, the USSR and the USA shaped the future. They made the then-present generation more involved with things regarding space. Many movies and TV Shows like Star Trek and others that focused on space travel and aliens came into being. They all portrayed Earth as just one planet among many in the universe. Movies also portrayed the Moon, Mars, and Venus all to the harbor with life. They were said to be aliens over there and that the government is just covering it all up. This led to a rise in a sort of cultist movement in the 70s, where people spread propaganda regarding the existence of “little green men” across the solar system.

But this is all just fanciful imagination. None of this is actually true as far as science is concerned with the present knowledge we hold. From the missions we have sent to the Moon, Venus, and Mars, there seems to be no sign of life. Moon and Venus are completely devoid of any signs of a life-supporting system, and it is theorized that Moon and Venus cannot have supported life anytime in the past. However, as for Mars, there is proof suggesting that water may have flowed on the surface of Mars sometime in the past. This is because Mars has canyons and shorelines, which are being mapped, and simulations have shown that there was a high possibility that water may have once flowed on Mars. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that life is still there now. They may or may not have been life forms on Mars. But, if we find any one of them now, it would be in the form of microbes, not fully evolved conscious beings like us. Some missions are ongoing to find out if there are any fossils of Martian microorganisms. If there are, that would be the first sign that we are not ( at least, were not ) alone in this universe.

There have also been speculations that there is a very high possibility that alien life forms exist in the very galaxy that is much more advanced than us but does not interfere with us mainly because we are not worth noticing. A suitable analogy would be a man not noticing the worms or ants beneath him when walking through a forest. ( We are the ants! ) We are just not worthy of any form of attention from these alien civilizations.

The Drake Equation states that there are probably 1000 to 100,000,000 planets in our very galaxy that can harbor alien civilizations. But even with so many planets, the only thing we are receiving from outer space is dead silence. There has been a separate organization called SETI ( Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence ) which searches the sky for any signals which are out of the ordinary. There has been only one such signal called the WOW signal, which was way out of the ordinary, but scientists have ruled it out as a piece of signal from Earth that was bounced back from space debris. There has been nothing that even shows the slightest hint of an extraterrestrial civilization.

This has been really dreadful to scientists. There is a high probability that humankind is well and truly alone in this entire vast universe. That we are the last ones left alive here. There is no one beside us. If there were, then they are truly gone. Even knowing that this is the highest possibility we live in fills me, the author, with some sense of extreme loneliness. Are we really the last living thing in this entire vast universe? If so, then the best we can do is to survive and thrive. Regardless, the search for extraterrestrial life will never stop. Even if all other life is dead, we will still try to find out what they were and how they vanished.

Space – The Final Frontier And The Future Of Humankind

The future of humankind lies in the stars above. Humankind was born 3 million years ago. So 3 million years evolve from wood tools to stone and then to iron and then to the age we live in right now. Technology, however, is progressing at a breakneck pace. The technological developments we are making now are comparable to thousands of years of evolution across the eons.
In 1969, humankind first lay its feet on another extraterrestrial object, the Moon. It was the single greatest achievement of humankind across the ages, and that day will forever revolutionize humankind and technology. Now, we have a thousand times the technology we had when we went to the moon. And in another 10 years, the scientific development will exponentially shoot up so that we would soon be able to travel to the nearby planets in our solar system like its neighboring city.
So, what can we see in the future in our generation? In the next 100 years, we could expect a city on Mars, on the moon, and factories all across the solar system. Asteroids are a big source of precious metals which are rare on Earth. This will mean there would be many mining companies that would employ people to travel to the asteroid belts to mine for these minerals. Engineers, manual laborers, and scientists would be hired by the masses at a very young age to feed minerals into these companies.
A new career altogether in itself will arise. They will be the Astro-charters who will design the course for the spaceships to travel throughout the solar system. Traveling in space requires a lot of hard calculations, which not everyone is sought out for. This will be like the sailors in the sea. There will also be a boom in space tourism where tourism companies will pop up like weeds which will offer people to the deepest reaches of the solar system to show them the beauty of the universe. There will also be many colonies on the moons of various gas giants like Jupiter and Neptune. These will be the centers of research and outposts for refueling for further deep space missions.
Scientists who specialize in physics and chemistry will be in the utmost demand by most of these companies. They will hire them because they will be able to chart courses for the spaceships and know where to mine what. They will have a deep understanding of space and where asteroids are to be found. They will also be used to develop better materials and faster engines to travel safer and faster. Material scientists will also be employed in the masses to develop safer equipment for the people who travel in deep space. There will be a lot of cosmic radiation in space. This will means that the human body will be exposed to cancer-causing radiation. It is, thus, necessary to protect against these harmful radiations.
Space laborers will also be a common thing in the future. Laborers will be needed to control the spaceships and manage equipment and minerals’ movement from one place to another. In addition, they will be educated on the basics of physics, electronics, and the physical sciences.
Science will get a huge boost because of the plentiful funding which many companies will provide to venture even deeper into space. Astrobiology and astrochemistry will also gain more importance than it has now. In addition, they will be needed to develop better farms that can function in deep space to provide food for the travelers.
Astronomy would be a prevalent subject that even small children will know about as that would be the most important part of the future. No job would function without astronomy in the future.
A bright and adventurous future is expected for humankind. Humankind will then venture off into other extrasolar systems to make colonies and further the reaches on humanity’s touch.

Social Media Giants to be banned in India?

Four ways social media platforms could stop the spread of hateful content in aftermath of terror attacks

 

Is this true that Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram will be banned in India from 26th May 2021?

 

  • In February 2021, the Central government of India came up with  a new set of IT rules and regulations. These rules imply authority over social media by appointment of compliance officials, giving their name and contact address in India, complaint resolution, monitoring of objectionable content, compliance report and removal of objectionable content. As per sources, some platforms have demanded six months deadline to take up this matter in the US Headquarters and wait for their decision . Currently only Koo App has complied with the  new rules and is ahead of the deadline. The question here is what if these platforms do not comply with the new IT rule? If the government plans on banning these platforms, is our individual rights at risk?

 

  • It’s important to know the sub section(1) of section 79 of IT Act. The IT Act gives protection to social media companies and web services by making them “intermediaries”. This means they are not responsible for user content. So here the government means that if any Social Media company fails to adhere to the new rules then they might lose the protection that the  “intermediaries” have.

 

  • As per data cited by the government, India has 53 crore WhatsApp users, 44.8 crore YouTube users, 41 crore Facebook subscribers, 21 crore Instagram clients, while 1.75 crore account holders are on microblogging platform Twitter. Koo has close to 60 lakh users, making it a major social media intermediary under the new guidelines. Many Indian are upset with this news but as of now all the social media apps are working in India so let’s wait for further information.

Source:

Digital Citizenship | Digital literacy

Digital Citizenship

Digital citizenship is responsibly using the technology by anyone who uses computers, the Internet, and digital devices to engage with people on any level. Digital citizenship includes appropriate online etiquette, literacy in how digital technologies work and how to use them, an understanding of ethics and related law, knowing how to stay safe online, and advice on related health and safety issues such as predators and the permanence of data. It is about confidence and positive engagement with digital technologies.

With the increase in technologies, everyone is becoming more dependent on the internet for daily activities like checking bank account, purchasing something online, or talking to someone; especially at present, many people are using the internet daily as a result of social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Digital Citizenship

Due to this increase in dependency on technology, there’s a difference between good digital citizenship and bad digital citizenship.

Good digital citizenship engages people and shows them how to connect with one other, empathize with each other whereas Bad digital citizenship, on the other hand, includes cyberbullying and irresponsible social media usage.

By educating people especially students about digital citizenship, they can develop an understanding of concepts like

  • Digital and information literacy
  • Privacy and Security
  • Cyberbullying
  • Practicing digital literacy
  • Practicing digital wellness
  • Acknowledging the digital divide
  • Understanding User Data

Online etiquettes are also one of the aspects of being a good digital citizen i.e communicating kindly with others. It’s important for people to understand that their written words have just as powerful an effect on the recipient as they would if spoken aloud.

Digital literacy:

World over years has taken a huge turn with the advanced technology we have therefore it is very essential to teach citizens about the basic understanding of using devices in an effective and useful way.

Example: Finding your query on search engines like google, shopping online, learning how to pay online, etc.

Digital literacy is the practice of reading information online and understanding what it means, where it originated, and whether it’s accurate. Digital literacy requires a lot of planning and review to ensure what one needs to know about the digital world.

Digital Literacy can be summarized as:

  1. Clickbait:

Clickbait refers to any text, headline, video title, etc. that’s deliberately written to pique someone’s interest and get them to click.

     2. Fake News:

Fake news is a relatively new phenomenon in 2019. It refers to any media outlet publishing severely biased or intentionally false information.

     3. Empathy:

Empathy is actually a big part of digital literacy and digital citizenship because digital literacy requires students to think beneath the face-value text that they’re reading online, they need empathy to truly understand the information they’re absorbing.

Digital Divide is the disparity between those who have access to modern digital tools (like computers and the Internet) and those who don’t. By acknowledging the digital divide one can mean to find the information one needs.

Digital wellness is the practice of refraining from indulging in the Internet and digital media for unreasonable amounts of time.

  • Practicing Digital Wellness is using a combination of health information, psychology, neurology, and current events to illustrate why it’s important to take time away from devices.
  • It is encouraged not to legally download contents that are not relevant or has an age restriction, accessing illegal material may lead to disrespect to digital property and if found guilty can cause severe punishment by the authority.
  • It is advised to avoid hateful speech and harassment which may hurt others.
  • Maintain good digital communication, in today’s circumstances almost everything is online for students from attending classes to making friends, let us teach them how they can do the safe and mannered talk and explain to them about the tactics of digital citizenship.

Lastly, Securing Digital Devices includes a few things like safety from viruses, keeping our devices password-protected, spam, etc.

 

 

 

 

3 great ways AI will enrich our society

AI ( Artificial Intelligence ) is basically a computer program that is designed to automate processes that are generally to be done by humans. It is very closely related to Machine Learning which is a program that evolves itself with time. These are implemented from everyday mundane tasks such as showing daily news on your news app based on your previous likes and dislikes to show ads on YouTube or Google are targeted specifically to you based on your recent searches. This may look like a breach of privacy, but this is the world we live in.

This is just a small preview of what AI is capable of now. AI runs a lot of servers and computational things that humans are not physically capable of. In addition, AI-assisted software runs many necessary informational and logistical programs necessary for the running of our society. AI basically uses programming structures called neural networks which basically change and evolve with time to learn new things. It is even used in camera face recognition technology.

Whenever you open your phone using your face, the AI program in your phone can do that. It recognizes small things unique only to your face like the cheekbone structure, the width of your forehead, the breadth of your nose, the distance between your chin and lip, and so on to recognize it is you and then allows you to open the phone.

Now, the question which has taken over the pioneers in this field is whether AI can be given more autonomy in other sensitive fields like finance. AI can be evolved into such a program where it can be seen as a completely different human in and off of itself. A program that has attained consciousness, a program that can control any device linked to the internet. That is the future of AI. Here I will tell you 3 ways that it will be useful to us.

AI-assisted protocols in surgery and science ( Useful ):

In such places, AI will provide a useful tool to assist humans in surgery wherein a human hand cannot be steady enough to go through with the procedure. It can also help humans find patterns in medicine and molecules which are not perceivable by the human mind. Thus, it can help to develop medicine much beyond what is capable now. It can also help in fields of sciences in various ways, from developing complex algorithms for sorting data to giving the best possible course of action.

AI-Assisted decision-making processes:

Decision-making processes are prevalent in a lot of places. Knowingly or unknowingly, we make a lot of decisions every single day. It would be so much better if AI-assisted us in deciding to get only the best result out of it. Decision-making plays a vital role in finance, where the goal is to make a profit. Wrong decisions may ruin someone’s entire life in a matter of seconds. Hence, it would be very vital for those to make wise choices.

AI-assisted automation:

Automating many tasks won’t make them lose their jobs; it will only divert them elsewhere where it is more important. Diverting engineers from manufacturing cars to manufacturing delicate space parts would help humanity advance much farther in space technology. Space is the final frontier. Humanity is not destined to live on earth. Having AI assist us in our mundane day-to-day tasks, much of the human resources can be diverted towards making our society a space-age one.

Hence, when AI assists us in our day-to-day lives, it will drastically improve our quality of living. Society will evolve towards a utopic. AI-assisted technology and society are something to really look forward to.