Tag: #technews

TECHNOLOGY

Technology is defined as the use of data to create and develop products and equipment that may be used in a variety of ways.

Technology has become an increasingly important aspect of our daily lives. Despite the fact that technology has made life easier for all of us, it has also brought with it a number of negative consequences that we must not overlook. Technology is essentially the means by which we put scientific discoveries into practice and combine them with our personal demands. Technology is a broad term that refers to the various tools, machinery, and equipment that we utilize on a daily basis. Man devised these tools and equipment to make tasks faster, easier, and more comfortable. Science and technology are inextricably linked; progress in one field leads to progress in the other. Science helps to build and produce technical items and equipment that serve humanity through research, experimentation, and observations.

Advantages of Technology in Life:

1. It has aided human growth and development.

2. Inventions and discoveries have improved the quality of life by making it easier, more effective, and more convenient.

3. Technology has connected the entire world, transforming it into a global village.

4. It is a boon to mankind because it is used in every aspect of life.

5. Technology has not only made our lives easier and more comfortable, but it has also contributed significantly to global economic growth.

6. Creative technology, which includes art, design, and advertising, has aided in the promotion of art and design through software applications.

7. Buildings, bridges, and plazas have become easier to design and construct thanks to advancements in architectural technology.

8. Industry has benefited from industrial technology as well.

9. Microtechnology is advancing at a breakneck pace, allowing chips and microelectronics circuits to improve performance and functionality while lowering costs.

10. Medical technology has produced a plethora of diagnostic and treatment devices and instruments. With the use of technology, diseases that were formerly difficult to diagnose and treat are now effectively diagnosed and treated.

Drawbacks of Technology:

While technological improvements are beneficial to us, we now appear to be overly reliant on them.

The following are some examples of technological disadvantages:

1. The use of mobile phones was intended to allow people to communicate in times of crisis. However, we now witness children becoming overly engrossed in various mobile applications, wasting their time.

2. The use of digital technology has been linked to a number of crimes.

3. It has also been observed that many people lack the fundamental education required to ensure proper use of today’s technology. Most of them, in fact, use it for the sake of fashion and hence end up misusing it.

4. People have become so reliant on technology that they are unwilling to engage in any manual labour. People prefer to use technology even for little tasks that can be completed manually. As a result, humans have become both intellectually and physically inert.

Finally, we must acknowledge that science and technology have led human society to the pinnacle of living perfection. However, we must proceed with prudence and in moderation. Misuse of science and technology can lead to negative outcomes. As a result, we must keep an eye on usage and behave wisely.

OnePlus launched Nord 2 5G in India, details here…

 

OnePlus launched Nord 2 5G in India. It has been almost a year since the launch of the OnePlus Nord. Though OnePlus has brought major changes in the new Nord 2 5G like, it is the first OnePlus device to support MediaTek’s Dimensity Chipset rather than Qualcomm chipset. 

The device has been priced at Rs. 27,999 for the basic variant, which comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB. Additionally, two more variants come with 8GB/12GB of ram with 128GB and 256GB storage, respectively. The device will be available in 3 colors namely; Blue Haze, Gray Sierra, and Green Woods. The Green Woods color will be available exclusively in India. 

The phone will go on sale from the 28th of July via Amazon, the OnePlus online store, and via offline stores. Also, for early access, a buyer can get the device on the 26th of July if they have membership of Red Club and Prime membership via the OnePlus online store and Amazon Prime Day sale, respectively.

The OnePlus Nord 2 5G comes with a 6.43-inch Full HD Amoled display with 90Hz refresh rate. It comes with MediaTek Dimensity 1200 AI Chipset. Also, it comes with dual 5G SIM slots. Also, OnePlus promised to give major Android updates for 2 years and security updates for 3 years. The device comes with a 4,500 mAH battery which supports 65W VOOC charging. Regarding the battery, OnePlus claims that the device will provide a backup of one day by just charging it for 15 minutes. 

Talking about the cameras, the phone comes with a triple camera setup; a 50-megapixel primary lens, an ultra-wide 8-megapixel lens, a 2-megapixel mono lens. The front-facing camera comes with a punch-hole design which houses a 32-megapixel lens.

Though OnePlus has always been a promising company, it is yet to be seen what the new Nord 2 5G can do. 

Want to be a CYBORG….?

Cyborg can be defined as an organism that has enhanced ability due to the integrated of some artificial components or technology. The concept of a man-machine mixture was widespread in science fiction before World War II. As early as 1843, Edgar Allan Poe described a man with extensive prostheses in the short story “The Man That Was Used Up”. In 1911, Jean de La Hire introduced the Nyctalope, a science fiction hero who was perhaps the first literary cyborg.

Actual cyborgization attempts :
Yuval Noah Harari, a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said- “ Humans may upgrade themselves to become cyber within the next 200 years merging man and machine to potentially live”. Although many technology companies have announced the plans to fuse machines and humans. The fact is the transformation has already begun. Here are some fascinating example from mankind who are already famous for being part human, part cyborg.

Jens Neumann
He’s the first person to have a completely artificial vision system, Neumann’s electronic eye is connected directly to visual cortex through brain implants enabling him to see lines and shapes. Latest reports say his vision has since then been restored.

Neil Harbisson
The world’s first ‘eye-borg’ to perceive colour as a sound on a musical scale, has an antenna attach it to his skull that converts light waves into sound waves, making it possible for the otherwise colour-blind cyborg artiste to conduct colour concerts, among other things. Also he co-founded the Cyborg foundation to help humans become cyborgs and different cyborg rights.  

Oscar Pistorius
Often called ‘The blade runner’ Pistorius created history as the first double amputee to compete against able body runner at international level in 2007. Since ‘the fastest man on no legs’ has competed at World Championships in Athletics 2011, which he won; Summer Olympics 2012 for able-bodied and won a gold medal at the Summer Para Olympics 2012.

Kevin Warwick
A cybernetics professor at University of Reading (UK ), he is one of the world’s foremost aspiring cyborgs, famous for experimenting with implants, including installing a microchip in his arm which allows him to operate select electrical gadgets.

Jesse Sullivan & Claudia Mitchell
Sullivan is equipped with bionic arm, which is connected through nerve-muscle grafting. But that’s not the real achievement. Sullivan can control the limb with his mind and experience warmth, coolness and the pressure of his grip. Claudia, the world’s first woman cyborg after getting outfitted with bionic limb.

Animal cyborgs

The US-based company Backyard Brains released what they refer to as the “world’s first commercially available cyborg” called the RoboRoach. The project started as a senior design project for a University of Michigan biomedical engineering student in 2010, and was launched as an available beta product on 25 February 2011.

The RoboRoach was officially released into production via a TED talk at the TED Global Conference; and via the crowdsourcing website Kickstarter in 2013, the kit allows students to use micro stimulation to momentarily control the movements of a walking cockroach (left and right) using a Bluetooth-enabled smartphone as the controller. Several animal welfare organizations including the RSPCA and PETA have expressed concerns about the ethics and welfare of animals in this project. In the late 2010s, scientists created cyborg jellyfish using a microelectronic prosthetic that propels the animal to swim almost three times faster while using just twice the metabolic energy of their unmodified peers. The prosthetics can be removed without harming the jellyfish.

Everything We Know About 2021 iPhones!

Apple launches new series of smartphones every year and in a couple of months, Apple is going to launch a brand-new series of iPhones that by far known as the iPhone 13. But we can’t trust the naming process as after iPhone 8 we directly got the iPhone X series. Also, there are rumors that they will launch the new series as iPhone 12s but more chances are for the name iPhone 13. Well, this we’ll get to know at the time of the launch event.

Coming back to the point, like previous year this year also Apple will launch four iPhones; the budget ones namely iPhone 13mini and iPhone 13, and the pro models namely iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. Although Apple didn’t get much profit from the iPhone 12mini the previous year, they are willing to launch the iPhone 13mini anyway. Talking about the launch date, if everything goes well Apple will launch the new series of iPhones by the 14th of September.

What changes Apple is going to make in its upcoming iPhone series?

Any major design changes are not expected as Apple has done a major design change the previous year. According to Analysts, rumors, and leaks, we can expect camera improvements, a smaller notch, a faster processor (A15), an improved 5G chip, and increased battery life. Apple is also expected to introduce 120Hz rates for the Pro models. This year also, Apple will not replace the lightning port with a USB-C port. 

According to the Japanese site Mac Otakara, iPhone 13 models will be the same size as the iPhone 12 models, but the thickness will increase by 0.26mm. The iPhone 13 models will be slightly heavy than the iPhone 12 models because of the battery improvement.  Also, we’ll see a diagonal camera set up in the 2021 iPhones.

Although there are rumors that Apple will introduce completely portless models, in-display fingerprint scanners, and an always-on display, these updates are likely to be introduced in future models.

Till now, this is all we know about the 2021 iPhones. Disclaimer; all the details mentioned above are according to the leaks, rumors, and analysts. Though I’m happy to say that the wait very soon is going to be over for Apple fans and technology geeks. And the launch of the new iPhones will be a great opportunity for those who have a slightly low budget and want to buy an iPhone and experience iOS because after the launch prices will decrease for the previous models.

Apple products are known for their quality, reliability, performance, and customer satisfaction. Let’s see if the 2021 iPhones will be up to the mark.

Non Personal data faces pushback from US giants

Vaishali Singh

Government’s plan to regulate “non-personal” data has jolted US tech giants Amazon, Facebook, and Google, and a group representing them is preparing to push back against the proposals, according to sources and a letter seen by Reuters. A government-appointed panel in July recommended setting up a regulator for information that is anonymised or devoid of personal details but critical for companies to build their businesses.

The panel proposed a mechanism for firms to share data with other entities – even competitors – saying this would spur the digital ecosystem. The report, if adopted by the government, will form the basis of a new law to regulate such data.

But the US-India Business Council (USIBC), part of the US Chamber of Commerce, calls imposed data sharing “anathema” to promoting competition and says this undermines investments made by companies to process and collect such information, according to a draft letter for the government.

“USIBC and the US Chamber of Commerce are categorically opposed to mandates that require the sharing of proprietary data,” says the USIBC’s previously unreported letter, which is likely to be completed and submitted in coming weeks to India’s information-technology ministry.

“It will also be tantamount to confiscation of investors’ assets and undermine intellectual property protections.”

A USIBC spokeswoman had no comment on the draft letter. The US Chamber of Commerce didn’t respond to Reuters queries.

The head of the panel, Kris Gopalakrishnan, a founder of technology giant Infosys, said the group will work with the government to review input from the industry.

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Amazon, Facebook, and Alphabet’s Google  did not respond to requests for comment. The report is open for public comments until September 13.

Government has set up Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) to provide exposure to science and technology to students

The Government of India is encouraging the schools to provide exposure to science and technology to students so that they can be acquainted with futuristic technology platforms. Government has setup the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) at NITI Aayog. The objective of establishing AIM is to create scientific temper and cultivate the spirit of curiosity and innovation among young minds. Towards this end, AIM is establishing Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL) across the country for students between grade 6th to 12th, equipped with latest emerging technologies such as electronics, IoT, 3D printing, Robotics, etc.

In schools, AIM facilitates to set up network of ATL in India. The vision of ATL initiative is to ‘Cultivate 1 Million children in India as Neoteric Innovators’. The objective of this scheme is to foster curiosity, creativity and imagination in young minds and inculcate skills such as design mind-set, computational thinking, adaptive learning, physical computing, rapid calculations, measurements, etc.  As on date, 8878 schools have been selected and 4680 schools have been given the ATL grant in aid for establishment of ATL.

A total of Rs. 1000 crores are currently earmarked for AIM up to financial year 2019-20. There is no direct allocation of funds at a state/district level by AIM. The disbursement of the funds is directly made by AIM to the beneficiaries and administered centrally.

This information was given by the Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

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Cyber Attacks on Indian Nuclear Power Plants

Recently, there was an identification of a malware infection on Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) administrative network which is used for day to day administrative activities.  The affected system contains data related to administrative function. Plant control and instrumentation system is not connected to any external network such as Intranet, Internet and administrative system. The plant systems, which are isolated and not accessible from this administrative network, were not affected.

Various measures for further strengthening of Information Security in administrative networks have been taken up viz. hardening of internet and administrative intranet connectivity, restriction on removable media, blocking of websites & IPs which have been identified with malicious activity etc.

The Computer & Information Security Advisory Group (CISAG) of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has recommended certain measures for immediate and short term implementation. These are being complied with.

The expenditure towards cyber security is a part of the regular revenue expenditure.

This information was provided by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

 

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