3 Million Samsung Washing Machines to be Recalled In US

In another stunning setback for one of the world’s top consumer brands, U.S. authorities issued a recall Friday of close to 3 million Samsung washing machines. The recall was announced after numerous injuries – including a broken jaw –caused by “excessive vibration” were reported.

The recall comes a month after the South Korean manufacturer issued a recall to its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones. The Note 7 recall was due to a problem that set off the phones’ batteries to overheat and catch fire. Since then, the company discontinued production of the device completely. Meanwhile, it was estimated that the debacle would cost it $5.3 billion.

Furthermore, its washing machine recall would cover models sold in Canada. No injuries had been reported in that country, Samsung said Friday

The company issued a separate recall of washing machines in Australia in 2013. It stems from reports of electrical problems in certain models that caused fires. Last year, Australian authorities called that problem “a major safety failure,” after getting complaints that the company was offering repairs but not a replacement or refund, as required by Australian law.

The current recall comes following weeks of deliberations between Samsung and U.S. authorities about statements that the drums in certain top-loading washing machine models can become unstable and cause severe vibrations. This shuddering, in some cases, causes the top of the machine to disengage from the chassis.

Attorneys representing consumers in Georgia, Texas and Indiana, who say their washing machines “exploded” while being used, hit Samsung with a lawsuit over the summer.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in a statement Friday, cited 733 reports of Samsung appliances that experienced “excessive” vibration. Nine of them recounted injuries, including a broken jaw and a busted shoulder.

Samsung said the problem happened when a high-speed spin cycle was used to wash bedcovers or other large items. The company’s U.S. subsidiary said in a statement that it is working with retailers and the commission to notify consumers about the problem.

Initial Action from Samsung

“Our priority is to reduce any safety risks in the home and to provide our customers with easy and simple choices in response to the recall,” said Samsung senior vice president John Herrington in the statement.

In the recent recall, the company is offering consumers an option between a free repair and a rebate just before the purchase of a new washing machine. A full refund is being offered to consumers who bought an affected model in the last 30 days.

The recall involves 34 models of top-loading washing machines produced between 2011 and this year. They were sold at Sears, Best Buy, The Home Depot, Lowes and other stores for prices between $450 and $1,500.

 

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GorPro Aims to Bounce Back After Q3 Revenue Loss

Bionic Spinach; an Effective Bomb Detector

Scientists turn their inspiration on one of Mother Nature’s nutritious foods to build an advanced military defense system against concealed explosives. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology uses the humble spinach to detect land mines and other buried munitions.

The co-author and a Professor at MIT, Michael Strano said, “The plants could be used for defense applications”.

Scientists from MIT in Cambridge install tiny tubes which are part of the plant’s leaves. The tubes are designed to pick up chemicals found in explosives and can connect the data to a computer. It then transmits immediate findings to a mobile phone or other handheld devices.

How it works

Once scientists implanted the nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes in the plant’s leaves they dispensed the nitro-aromatics into the water. The spinach only takes about 10 minutes to fully absorb the chemicals from the roots going to the leaves.

To get the findings, experts point a laser directly to the leaf. This directs the implanted nanotubes to produce ‘near-infrared’ luminous light. Using an  inexpensive Raspberry Pi computer or a smartphone with a deactivated infrared filter, scientists can detect the light.

Professor Strano said on the BBC website that their “paper outlines how one could engineer plants like this to detect virtually anything”. He pointed out that their research confirms that exact principle.

Bionic plants as monitoring devices

Prof. Strano invented other remarkable uses of carbon nanotubes which act as sensors to detect hydrogen peroxide and other gas compounds. The nanotube changes its luminosity when the subject particle bonds with the polymer material.

He said plants can also act to “monitor public spaces for terrorism-related activities since we show both water and airborne detection”. Strano confirms that since plants can sip groundwater it can detect “buried munitions or waste that contains nitro-aromatics.”

In a laboratory setup, the experiment shows a significant result in which the spinach can detect buried munitions chemical compounds 1 meter away. MIT Scientists are working on how to expand the distance of the plant’s detection for future endeavors.

Nature Materials, a science journal magazine published the entire ‘bionic spinach’ research of MIT.

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Microsoft: Russia-linked hackers Using Windows Flaw in Attacks

A hacking group earlier connected to the Russian government and U.S. political hacks was responsible for recent cyber attacks that manipulated a newly exposed Windows security flaw, Microsoft Corp said on Tuesday.

The software developer in an advisory on its website named the hacking group as “Strontium”. It is more famously known as “Fancy Bear” or APT 28 and used “spear phishing” emails in some attacks. However, the company did not identify any victims.

Microsoft’s revelation of the current attacks and the connection to Russia came after Washington accused Moscow of unleashing an unprecedented hacking campaign. These attacks were intended for discrediting and disrupting the upcoming U.S. election.

Last month, The U.S. government formally accused the Russian government of the election-season cyber attack of Democratic Party emails. The Russians were also blamed for the emails’ ensuing release thru WikiLeaks and other entities. Russia has denied those accusations.

A patch to safeguard Windows users against the recently discovered threat will be released on Nov. 8, Election Day, Microsoft said. Nevertheless, it was unclear whether the Windows vulnerability had been exploited in any of the recent U.S. political hacks.

Representatives of the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI could not immediately be reached for comment.

A U.S. intelligence specialist on Russian cyber activity said that Fancy Bear principally works for or on behalf of the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency. According to U.S. intelligence officials, the GRU was responsible for hacks of Democratic Party emails and databases.

In spear phishing, an attacker sends targeted messages, usually thru email. These messages manipulate familiar information to deceive victims into clicking on malicious links or open infected attachments.

Microsoft said the hacks used a vulnerability in Adobe Systems’ Flash software and one in the Windows operating system.

On Monday, Adobe released a patch for that vulnerability when security researchers with Google announced the details of the attack.

Google chided by Microsoft

Microsoft rebuked rival Google for going public with facts of the vulnerabilities before it had time to prepare and test a patch to remedy them.

“Google’s decision to disclose these vulnerabilities before patches are broadly available and tested is disappointing, and puts customers at increased risk,” Microsoft said.

A Google representative refused to comment on Microsoft’s statement.

Google held to its standing policy of going public seven days after uncovering “critical vulnerabilities” that are being actively used by hackers. Hence, the company revealed the flaw on Monday.

Companies are given 60 days by Google to patch less serious bugs.

 

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Report Says Seventy-five Percent of Internet Usage in 2017 Will Be Mobile

According to media buying agency Zenith forecast this week, seventy-five percent of internet usage in 2017 will be mobile. The number is up slightly from this year. This is due to an increasing number of consumers around the world that access the web on tablets and smartphones.

Zenith earlier projected that 71 percent of internet consumption would be mobile in 2016. It released its “Mobile Advertising Forecasts” report on Thursday. The report said 60 percent of global internet advertising money in 2018 will come from mobile advertising.

In 2018, mobile advertising spending will total $134 billion. This “is more than what will be spent on magazine, newspaper, outdoor and cinema advertising put together,” it said.

Zenith is a unit of French ad agency Publicis Groupe SA. The media agency had projected global mobile advertising expenditure to be $71 billion in 2016.

Brands are rushing to Facebook, Google and Snapchat where they can market to viewers. This is because more ad money shifts to the digital realm from television.

“In four years, you’ve gone from 40 percent to 70 percent (of total internet usage) in mobile,” said Scott Singer, a digital media executive and managing director of innovation consultancy firm DDG Inc.

Major shift of advertising to mobile

This trend is leading a shift in ad spending to mobile and fueling deals in the media, communications and entertainment businesses, he added.

The escalation of mobile data consumption, including video, is forcing telecommunications companies to merge content and digital distribution. They are waging that they can entice viewers to online video and other content that are transmitted over their internet and wireless networks. Furthermore, they can draw advertisers to grow ad revenue.

AT&T Inc said on Saturday it intends to buy media company Time Warner Inc for $85.4 billion to expand into content distribution. Verizon Communications Inc has offered to acquire internet company Yahoo Inc.

Both companies plan to leverage user data to assist marketers in delivering targeted ads.

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Samsung Targets a Big Comeback after Note 7 Disastrous Failure

Samsung Electronics Co LTD vowed to recover from the recent disastrous withdrawal of its Galaxy Note 7 that dragged their earnings to the lowest level in nearly eight years.

The technology giant has released statements about expanding its investigation about Note 7’s exploding battery and assured its investors they would get to the bottom of one of the worst technological failure in history.

Co-Chief Executive J.K. Shin said at a general meeting in Seoul, “We know we must work hard to earn back your trust and we are committed to doing just that.”

Investors voted on Thursday to make Samsung Group’s de facto chief, Jay Y. Lee, as Samsung Electronics director in response to the Note 7 battery failure.

Jay Lee, son of the infamous Lee Kun-hee will now play a bigger role at the group’s flagship company. He also plays a public role in setting strategy.

Chief Executive Kwon Oh-hyun said at the shareholder meeting that they would assign a new role only after the investigation is finished.

Samsung, the world’s top smartphone maker plunged 96% in their third-quarter earnings, a loss of almost 100 billion won ($87.63 million). This is their lowest level since 2008.

The mass pull out of Galaxy Note 7 resulted to -0.1% to -0.2% points from South Korea’s third-quarter GDP growth in quarterly terms, a finance ministry official told Reuters on Tuesday.

The company blames Samsung SDI Co Ltd, who supplied batteries for the first Note 7 recall. The subsidiary reported an 110 billion won operations loss for the third quarter.

Apple Inc, Samsung’s main rival aimed to achieve a fourth-quarter profit close to October-December of 2015, on the back of sales of Galaxy S7 phones and lower-tier models.

“Looking ahead to the fourth quarter, the company expects earnings to improve (from a year earlier) driven by strong performance in the components business,” Samsung said in a statement.

Samsung sees another $3.1 billion hit to profit with the Note 7 withdrawal through the first quarter of 2017.

Software issues may also exist

The company is still investigating what caused the Note 7 fire.  This is because replacements for the initial 2.5 million Note 7’s it recalled was due to fire-prone batteries.
Co-CEO Shin said the battery might not be the only problem. Consequently, they are now looking into software issues to determine the root cause.

Rattled investors now want a concrete plan on how to revive the company’s earnings, repair its major brand, and boost shareholder returns.

LS Asset Management fund manager Kim Sung-soo said, “The key is whether Samsung will be able to remove the uncertainty surrounding the Note 7 and maintain its leading position in the smartphone market.”

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Alexa Voice Assistant To Be Available On Amazon’s Fire Tablets

On Wednesday, the Alexa voice assistant will begin rolling out to customers and designed to match what users get on other Alexa devices, such as the Echo speaker. By using voice commands, users listen to music from services such as Pandora or Amazon Music, or they can have the news read out to them.

The Fire tablets will have an apparent advantage over Echo by offering full-screen cards with additional details. For instance, when you inquire about the weather, just as she does on Echo, Alexa will speak out the current temperature and offer the day’s forecast. However, the visual card will also show the week’s forecast. The card also offers playback control such as skipping and pausing for news and music.

For those with both Fire and Echo, as long a user enables a Voicecast feature through the Alexa app, making a request on Echo will activate the Fire’s screen and present the detailed cards.

Amazon says Alexa will vary from Google’s Assistant and Apple’s Siri. It was designed for tablets first, instead of phones. That means aiming at activities usually done at home, such as recipes, entertainment, and timers. For tasks on the go, such as locating nearby establishments, the voice assistant carries out a standard web search or directs you to the Alexa app. Google and Apple have special interfaces with price ranges, restaurant ratings and more. Further, both combine that data into their chat apps, too.

Strength through affordability

Amazon.com Inc. has managed to stay strong despite the downturn in the overall tablet market by slashing prices and persuading people to buy more than one. The value of its base model is just $49. The company introduced last month a new 8-inch tablet for $90, down from $150 for comparable models in the past.

So far, Amazon is dodging business-oriented tablets such as Microsoft’s Surface and Apple’s iPad Pro. Senior product manager for Fire tablets Aaron Bromberg said that while such devices work well as laptop alternatives, “we also see an awful lot of people that want tablets to use around the house for entertainment.”

 

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iPhone 7 Shortage to Cause Huge Profit Loss for Apple

A miscalculation for the demand of iPhone 7 Plus this Holiday Season caused Apple to lose a huge amount of profits. Apple Inc. forecasted demand of the particular model fell short this year, unaware of the number of people who intends to buy their iPhone 7 Plus.

According to Mariann Montagne, Apple’s projected value of demands for the holiday quarter fell from 38% to 38.5%, but the actual value is at 39%. Montagne is the senior investment analyst and portfolio manager at Gradient Investments.

The reason for the surge of consumers who wanted to get their hand on the newest, biggest smartphone out in the market is not yet apparent. The company is looking at the customers they gained after the failed launched of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7. These are the unanticipated numbers of consumers which they had gained over their rival company.

Luca Maestri, Apple Chief Financial Officer said in a Reuters interview that it was “impossible to know” the effect of the Galaxy Note 7 recall.

Earlier in this month, Samsung recalled all of their Galaxy Note 7 handsets because of the battery defects which caused the explosions. Based on the South Korean company investigation, Note 7s are even more vulnerable to catch fire when it is charging. The company ultimately stopped the production their Note 7s.

Holiday shopping spree

Apple’s Chief Executive, Tim Cook said on Tuesday that the company is uncertain if they can mass produce the iPhone 7 Plus. The demand is too high to furnish the remaining order in time for the Christmas shopping rush. Furthermore, Maestri added that “We cannot fulfill all the demand that is out there right now,”

Cook said that the company is overwhelmed by the imminent demand, “particularly on the iPhone 7 Plus versus our forecast going into the product launch”, as the company compares their projected assessment prior to the launch. He also added that the company will just need to manage to the smaller version of the handset model, the iPhone 7.

Disappointed Investors

In the mobile business world, “the bigger phones bring bigger profits” is the magic formula for success.

In the quarterly earnings report on Tuesday, Apple’s investors raised their concern over the company’s miscalculations on the demand. John Jackson, an IDC analyst said, “You’re not able to get that product into the hands of the person who wants it right here, right now. Those are dollars not in your hands.”

On September 7, California-based Company, Cupertino launched its newest iPhones. The iPhone 7 Plus model has a 5.5-inch (14 cm) dual camera on the back, the first kind of its breed. It features a better quality for portrait shots and can be zoomed further away.

Jan Dawson, the analyst for Jackdaw Research said, “It’s inherently tough to know how things like new finishes and features are going to affect demand for a new model”.

According to him, Apple is still learning how the consumer reacts to new features of larger and smaller phones. This was apparent when the company produced only two competitive sizes back in 2014.

Quality over quantity

For analysts, rushing mass production of the unit would be difficult if not nearly impossible. Trip Chowdhry, the managing director of Global Equities Research said that the “company cannot contract new suppliers, hire more workers and open factories overnight”.

He also added, “You can’t just shoot iPhones out of an assembly line at the speed of a bullet”. While pointing out that, “Apple does things to perfection. There is no need to rush and create an inferior product the way Samsung did.”

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Amazon Strengthens Paris Express Delivery Service With New Alliances

To expand the product range of its Prime Now express delivery service in Paris and its suburbs, Amazon is partnering with wine retailer Lavinia, luxury food group Fauchon, and organic food chain Bio c’Bon, the online retailer said on Wednesday.

The deal will put in 5,000 more food products to Amazon Prime Now’s selection of 18,000 products in Paris. Further, the deal comes as Carrefour aims to compete with Amazon Prime Now. The French retailer started testing this month its own express delivery service named Livraison in a number of Paris stores.

In recent years, Amazon has been intensifying its activity in France as speed delivery has turned into a new arena among retailers hoping to improve sales.

Amazon Prime Now was introduced in Paris in June 2016. Members get the benefit of faster delivery by paying a yearly subscription of 49 euros. Members then get a choice of paying 5.90 euros if they want their products delivered within one hour. They can get it for free within two hours if they order at least 20 euros worth of products.

Amazon said in a statement that the deals with Lavinia and Bio c’Bon are effective immediately. Fauchon, on the other hand, will join Prime Now in November.

This collaboration will bring a wider range of products, including fresh deli products, meat, wine, spirits, vegetables and fresh fruits to customers.

Extremely popular in Paris

Amazon.fr General Manager Frederic Duval said that the four-month-old Amazon Prime Now service had already seen “very strong demand” in Paris and was fully on course with the volumes targeted. However, it was still too early to say if Amazon would offer the same service to other big French cities.

Prime Now was first introduced on December 2014 in New York City. It has expanded to several other major U.S cities since then. Presently, customers in European cities such as London, Berlin, Madrid, and Milan can enjoy its services as well.

 

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US Vigilante Hacker ‘The Jester’ Attacks Russia Government Website

Last Friday, a notorious American Hacker known as “The Jester” hacked a Russian government ministry’s website as payback for attacking American targets.

‘The Jester’ left this message:

“Comrades!

We interrupt regular scheduled Russian Foreign Affairs Website programming to bring you the following important message,” he wrote. “Knock it off. You may be able to push around nations around you, but this is America. Nobody is impressed.”

His hacking activity includes a very weird and annoying sound that whenever people visits the site they hear an “attention-demanding” dial tone right after an American emergency broadcast alert message.

MID.ru is the official website of the Russian institution that is responsible for operations concerning the country’s international diplomacy. It is the Russian counterpart of the U.S. Department of State.

The U.S government accused Russia of interfering in American politics. Recently, US accused Russian intelligence agencies of being involved in hacking Democratic National Committee private information. These include emails and the sites of other Democratic Party-linked organizations. Moreover, they also leaked damning information to influence the election toward Donald Trump and away from Hilary Clinton.

Russia is also incriminated of publishing stolen emails to WikiLeaks. Russia and President Vladimir Putin however, has denied all the accusations.

The Jester said, “Let’s get real, I know it’s you, even if by proxy, and you know it’s you,” he wrote. “Now, get to your room. Before I lose my temper.”

‘The Jester’ is not new to hacktivism. He has taken down jihadist websites, hacking into communication forums, and identifying potential terrorist threats. Hence, ex-FBI agents have tagged him as “the Batman of the internet”.

Russia hacked out of frustration

The Jester said he chose to attack Russia out of frustration for the massive DNS cyber attack that knocked out a portion of the internet in the United States on Friday.

“I wanted to poke them in the eye and stop feeling like US is just taking it on the chin. Again,” he said. “I’m not gonna sit around watching these f—-rs laughing at us.”

The Jester used a simple hacking trick. He found a flaw in the website’s computer code and exploited his own code to gain access.

“It’s 4 a.m. in Moscow right now and a weekend. I’m hoping they can’t fix the hole til Monday,” he said.

As of 11 a.m. ET Saturday, the message was still online. The notorious hacker warns Russia to take his threats seriously. There are other American hackers with this kind of capability.

“Think of this as a professional courtesy,” his public warning states. “Or if you prefer a message from ‘USA with love.'”

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U.S. Urge Automakers to Prioritize Cyber Security

U.S. regulators said on Monday that automakers should make protecting the electronic and computer systems of vehicles from cyber criminals a priority. They said that car manufacturers should develop levels of protection that can safeguard a vehicle throughout its life.

The cyber security guidelines released by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are suggestions, not enforceable rules. But they indicate a step toward creating a blueprint for industry performance. This is due to pressure from lawmakers and consumers on car manufacturers to show how they will protect increasingly connected and automated vehicles from cyber attacks.

A number of the agency’s recommendations reiterate efforts major manufacturers are doing already. This includes forming a group to share information about cyber security threats. These proposals are comprised in a document labeled “Cybersecurity Best Practices for Modern Vehicles”.

Jonathan Allen, acting executive director of the Automotive Information Sharing and Analysis Center (AUTO-ISAC), said in an interview on Monday that automakers will thoroughly go over the technical aspects of the agency’s proposals. Further, they will assess proposals associated to the disclosure of information about “the secret sauce” of data and electrical systems, which is highly competitive. The group was created by automakers as a clearinghouse for firms to impart data about cyber security threats and countermeasures.

Data security researchers released an exploit of successfully seizing remote control of a Jeep Cherokee. Hence, car manufacturers stepped up efforts to deal with hacking threats over the past year. In fact, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles recalled 1.4 million vehicles in July 2015. The company installed software on these cars to safeguard against future data breaches.

Moreover, Tesla Motors Inc and BMW AG, have revealed programs to handle potential data security gaps.

Upgrades via datalink vulnerable to cyber threats

More auto manufacturers prepare to pursue Tesla’s lead and start offering significant vehicle upgrades via wireless data links. However, this makes the protection of data and communications systems in vehicles becomes more crucial. Earlier this year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation cautioned that criminals could take advantage of online vehicle software updates.

The NHTSA urge vehicle manufacturers to perform tests of vehicle systems to find out if the cyber security systems can be violated. Moreover, they recommend that automakers should document their testing and their evaluation of the risks.

U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ed Markey of Massachusetts said the NHTSA should do more. “If modern day cars are computers on wheels, we need mandatory standards, not voluntary guidance, to ensure that our vehicles cannot be hacked and lives and information put in danger,” the lawmakers said in a statement Monday.

 

 

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Facebook Soon to Limit Censorship, Allowing Offensive but Newsworthy Posts

Facebook will no longer give emphasis on censorship than it had before. They will soon allow more offensive images or stories that feature violence and nudity as long as the content is newsworthy or important to the public.

“Our intent is to allow more images and stories without posing safety risks or showing graphic images to minors and others who do not want to see them.” Joel Kaplan, Facebook’s VP of global policy said.

This decision came due to embedded controversy about Facebook censorship of the historic ‘Napalm Girl’ naked photo from the Vietnam War, which was posted by a Norwegian Journalist. After all the criticisms and accusations, the social network giant reinstated the post with all the shares and traffic.

Facebook again removed a video showing the aftermath of a fatal shooting of Philando Castile and blames ‘technical glitch’.

According to Facebook’s VP of News Feed Adam Mosseri last month admitted that Facebook tries to “automatically detect content that violates our standards. And we actually had a sort of miscategorization.”

On the third time, the network also had apologized and reinstated the Swedish Breast Cancer Awareness Video. While last July, Facebook explains its censorship policy to Techrunch, obviously it needs a better way of implementation, which apparently is what’s coming.

On the other hand, Facebook recently made a survey of its community asking them about the things they wanted not censored.

“In the weeks ahead, we’re going to begin allowing more items that people find newsworthy, significant, or important to the public interest — even if they might otherwise violate our standards,” Kaplan said.

To reinforce the proposed policy change, TechCrunch has suggested that Facebook add warnings about graphic content that users will view and prohibit contents that might be offensive to minors. In addition, they suggested installing a content flagging option that something is “graphic but newsworthy”, which would allow users to alert the company about the content that needs warning but shouldn’t be deleted.

Facebook does not function as a media outfit

Meanwhile, Facebook reiterated that they operate as a technology platform, not a media company. They give the users what they want to see and they don’t have editorial responsibilities to prevent censorship even if the post/s content is offensive.

On stage at TechCrunch Disrupt, Mosseri said, “We think of ourselves as a technology company. We know we play a meaningful role in media, yet, our responsibility is to make sure we’re a platform for all ideas. We’re not in the business of deciding which ideas people should read about.”

For some time Facebook has been struggling with the censorship issue, the company decided to relax its community standards especially on posts concerning the public’s interest. The social network should start making a flexible censorship to address the issue. It is, after all, their responsibility as a media company.

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Will AI destroy humankind?

In an old interview of Professor Stephen Hawking with BBC two years ago citing the advancement of AI, he maintained that it could wipe out humanity.

Recently, Stephen Hawking joined with Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Steve Wozniak expressing their concerns about the rapid technology growth. They warned humanity that Artificial Intelligence can be more dangerous. However, above all them, Prof Hawking’s has the most portentous vision of a world where robots decided to overtake us.

However, above all, Prof Hawking’s fear has the most portentous vision of a world where robots decided to overtake us.

The goal of these group of AI experts was to let the whole world know about the future of science. Furthermore, they aim to persuade other scientists to join and let their voices be heard in a debate.

In the event at Cambridge last Wednesday, the group formed the Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI). This Organization was designed to research the implications of AI.

“I’m glad someone was listening,” added Prof Hawking’s during the launch of the centre.

In a short speech, he discussed the positive and negative effects of technology. Some examples are the recent self-driving car technology and Google’s DeepMind AI.

He said, “I believe there is no deep difference between what can be achieved by a biological brain and what can be achieved by a computer. It therefore follows that computers can, in theory, emulate human intelligence — and exceed it.”

Recent technological discoveries could lead to eradication of some diseases, poverty and even climate change. However, it could also have negative effects like the creation of autonomous deadly weapons, economic disruption, and machines that could conflict with humanity.

“In short, the rise of powerful AI will be either the best, or the worst thing, ever to happen to humanity. We do not yet know which.”

So the CFI’s mission is to find out whether AI would eventually destroy us or not.

The multi-disciplinary centre, which gathers philosophers, psychologists, lawyers and computer scientists, will have a more realistic programme of research.

Before we develop robots deciding the faith of humanity, we should start deciding first if autonomous vehicles should protect pedestrians or passengers.

Robotic automation a more imminent problem

Another famous speaker at the launching was Professor Maggie Boden, an expert in AI research for more than 50 years.

“It is too early for us to worry about eminent extinction and was less convinced that we are heading into an AI future soon,” said Prof Boden.

She worries about robotic automation, like in Japan where they developed a robot to take care of elderly and sick. She said we should ask ourselves whether this was dehumanizing. “I’m scared of that,” she said.

After years of study, Prof Boden is still not convinced robots would replace humans’ functions that include emotions and empathy.

Artificial Intelligence could soon help the government with functions that could cut down cost and focus more on social care. Nevertheless, this should be only at the cost of those who need help.

Centre for the Future of Intelligence can now address these concerns and other urgent issues, rather than focus on the future “terminator” threat.

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Verizon’s Revenue Falls Due to Disappointing Subscriber Numbers

Amid a price war with the competition in an over saturated phone market, Verizon Communications Inc tallied far fewer wireless subscribers than expected in the 3rd quarter. The company hopes to draw out new revenue from its fledgling digital advertising and media business.

The company said on Thursday total operating revenue fell 6.7 percent to $30.94 billion, from $33.16 billion. Analysts had anticipated revenue in the quarter of $31.14 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Verizon’s shares were down 2.6 percent at $49.07 in premarket trading. Share prices have surged about 9 percent this year so far.

It said it added a net 442,000 retail postpaid subscribers, those who pay their bills on a monthly basis. This number falls considerably short of analysts’ projected 766,300 according to market research firm FactSet Street Account.

Smaller rivals such as Sprint Corp and T-Mobile US Inc have launched aggressive promotions to convert Verizon’s subscriber base.

As the company staves off competition in a ripening wireless market, it has picked up AOL and plans to buy Yahoo. Moreover, their attempts for a set of digital web properties and ad technology tools that will help it compete with internet giants Alphabet Inc’s Google and Facebook Inc.

Verizon may ‘call off’ Yahoo acquisition

Since the Yahoo data breach concerning 500 million email accounts was reported in September, investors have pondered how Verizon will proceed. Verizon’s general counsel has said the incident may signify a material event that could allow Verizon to call off the deal.

Net income creditable to Verizon dropped to $3.62 billion, or 89 cents per share, in the third quarter ended Sept. 30, from $4.04 billion, or 99 cents per share, a year earlier.

The company netted $1.01 per share excluding items, outdoing the average analyst estimate of 99 cents per share.

Churn, or customer defections, among postpaid wireless retail customers improved to 1.04 percent of total wireless subscribers, in relation with the average estimate of 0.99 percent, according to FactSet.

See Related News: Yahoo’s Sudden Revenue Increase Places Merger with Verizon Under Hazy Cloud

 

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Germany Says Tesla’s Use of Term ‘Autopilot’ is Misleading

Tesla’s (TSLA.O) advertises their electric vehicles as having an autopilot function. However, the German government views the term “autopilot” as deceptive. On Sunday, German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt asked the company to stop advertising the autopilot feature of the electric cars.

According to a report by Bild am Sonntag, (BamS), the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) wrote a formal request letter to Tesla about the commercial. A spokesperson for the ministry said, “It can be confirmed that a letter to Tesla exists with the request to no longer use the misleading term autopilot for the driver assistance system of the car”.
However, Tesla defended the autopilot function in defining the system as an additional safety feature. A spokeswoman for Tesla reiterated that the system operates alongside a human driver. She also said that the autopilot function had been used for decades in aerospace technology. Tesla’s autopilot includes cameras, radar even ultrasonic sensors to automatically steer, change lanes and adjust speed depending on the traffic situations. Tesla also pointed out to their customers that the system still entails drivers to always be vigilant when driving.

Tesla’s Autopilot function includes cameras, radar even ultrasonic sensors to automatically steer, change lanes and adjust speed depending on the traffic situation. Tesla also pointed out to their customers that the system still requires drivers to always be vigilant when driving.

The spokeswoman also said, “Just as in an airplane, when used properly, Autopilot reduces driver workload and provides an added layer of safety when compared to purely manual driving”.

The KBA, under Minister Dobrindt’s supervision, warned Tesla car owners that they need to operate their vehicles under continuous attention and must remain cautious of traffic regulations.

In a letter KBA sent to Tesla, it said, “In order to prevent misunderstanding and incorrect customers’ expectations, we demand that the misleading term Autopilot is no longer used in advertising the system.”

Tesla’s Autopilot received serious criticism after the May 7 incident, wherein the driver of a Tesla Model S was killed using the system. The vehicle collided with a truck in Florida while using the Autopilot function.

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Hi-Tech US Navy Destroyer Joins Fleet

The USS Zumwalt, the US Navy’s largest and most technologically advanced destroyer, was commissioned to the fleet Saturday in Baltimore.

The Zumwalt striking design, with sharp angles and weapons concealed under flat surfaces, makes it a lot difficult to spot on radar compared to conventional destroyers.

“If Batman had a ship, it would be the USS Zumwalt,” said US Pacific Command chief Admiral Harry B. Harris, Jr., whose command the ship would be assigned.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said the ship also has an advanced weapon systems and power plant that can move the Navy into the future.

The warship is named after Admiral Elmo R. “Bud” Zumwalt Jr., chief of naval operations from 1970 to 1974. He was also a Bronze Star awardee from World War II who went on to serve in the Korean and Vietnam wars.

Mabus said on Saturday that the Navy and the nation are better because of Admiral Zumwalt.

Two sister ships, the Lyndon B. Johnson and Michael Mansoor, are currently under contruction at Bath Iron Works in Maine.

The Zumwalt’s advantages over the Arleigh Burke-class of destroyers:

An electrical power system that produces nearly as much electricity as the nuclear plants on aircraft carrier. According to the Navy, it can still generate enough electricity while operating all of its systems.

Bigger vertical launch missile tubes that can shoot larger and more advanced land attack and anti-ship missiles.

A larger flight deck that allows operations with new MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and F-35 fighters.

The capability to accommodate weapons of the future, such as laser and electronic rail guns.

From 32 Zumwalt units to 3

However, from the 32 originally conceived early in the program, the Navy plans to purchase only the three Zumwalt-class destroyers it has on order.

The Navy is presently focusing on a modernized version of the existing and more traditional Arleigh Burke class.

Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments naval analyst Bryan Clark told USNI News earlier this year that it’s possible the Zumwalt-class vessels will be assigned for different missions than the Burke-class destroyers.

Clark said that should a war ensue, the ships would be used differently than a regular destroyer. They wouldn’t be used for regular patrols but for intelligence gathering. They would do special ops.

Some critics question if that’s worth the $22.5 billion price tag for the three Zumwalt-class ships.

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Chinese Manned Mission Blasts Off to Space Station

China launched two astronauts into space on Monday on a mission to dock with an experimental space station. The 30-day mission is in preparation for the construction of a complete facility six years from now.

The Shenzhou 11 mission took off aboard a Long March-2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 7:30 a.m. (2330 GMT).

It will dock with the Tiangong 2 space station pioneer facility within two days. Its purpose: to test systems and processes in preparation for the launching of the station’s core module in 2018. Further, the astronauts will conduct experiments in medicine and different space-related technologies.

The entire station will start full operations in 2022. The operations commence immediately after the attachment of two experiment modules and will run for at least a decade.

The Tiangong 1, an earlier experimental space station launched in 2011, was retired in March after extending its mission for two years and docking with three visiting spacecraft. China considers the Tiangong stations as the foundations to a mission to Mars by the end of the decade.

The astronauts manning the mission are Chen Dong, 37, and Jing Haipeng, who is flying his third mission.

Jing, 49, said at a briefing Sunday that it is an astronauts dream and pursuit to be able to perform various space missions.

China is only the third country after Russia and the US to accomplish a crewed space mission when it launched its first manned mission in 2003. It has since conducted a spacewalk and landed its Yutu rover on the moon. Administrators suggest a manned touchdown on the moon may also be in the program’s future.

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European Mars Mission Begins Rover Descent to Red Planet

On Sunday, a Mars lander is scheduled to leave its mothership and proceed toward the red planet’s surface to assess equipment for Europe’s projected first Mars rover.
The rover will search for signs of past and present life on the red planet.

The Schiaparelli lander is expected to detach from spacecraft Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) at 1442 GMT (10:42 am EDT) following a seven-month journey from Earth. The descent to the surface would take three days.

The Schiaparelli is only the second European effort to land a craft on Mars. The first was a failed mission in 2003 by the British landing craft Beagle 2.

Landing on Earth’s neighbor, which is about 35 million miles (56 million km) away, has brought disappointment to most Russian efforts and provided NASA some trouble as well. The United States presently has two functioning rovers on Mars, Opportunity and Curiosity.

However, an apparently harsh environment has not taken away from the attraction of Mars. US President Barack Obama has recently reiterated his vow to send people to the planet by the 2030s.

Mars Colony

Elon Musk said he would like to launch the first crew to Mars as early as 2024. His privately operated space agency, SpaceX, is currently developing a massive rocket and capsule to carry large numbers of people and cargo to Mars. The ultimate goal of the project is to colonize the planet.

The main mission of ExoMars is to learn whether life has ever existed on the red planet. The current spacecraft holds an atmospheric probe to analyze trace gases such as methane, around Mars.

Methane is a chemical that on Earth is firmly bound to life. Scientists believe that the chemical comes from micro-organisms that either vanished millions of years ago and left gas frozen underground or that some methane-producing organisms still live.

The second part of the ExoMars mission will deliver a European rover to Mars’ surface on 2020. Hence, this makes it the first rover with the capability to move across the planet’s surroundings and drill into the ground to gather and study samples.

The European Space Agency (ESA) leads the ExoMars 2016 mission. Russia’s Roscosmos provided two of the four scientific instruments on the trace gas orbiter as well as the launcher. The lead contractor is Thales Alenia Space, an allied venture between Finmeccanica and Thales.

The cost of the ExoMars mission to ESA is estimated to be around 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion). This amount includes the second part of the mission due in 2020 however. Russia’s provision comes on top of that.

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8,000 mile ultra high capacity internet cable will link Hong Kong to LA

Google and Facebook are to install an 8,000-mile ultra high capacity internet cable which will link Los Angeles to Hong Kong.

The super-fast Pacific Light Cable Network (PLCN) will be powerful enough to handle 80 million simultaneous HD video conference calls between the two cities.

To do this, the cable will have a capacity of 120 Tbps, making it the highest-capacity trans-Pacific route when it comes online in 2018.

The super cable will be twice as powerful as the current record-holding Faster cable that went live in June and which is 10 million times faster than a modem.

Google said: “It is our mission is to connect people to the world’s information by providing fast and reliable infrastructure.

“From data centers to cables under the sea, we’re dedicated to building infrastructure that reaches more people than ever before.

“PLCN is designed to accommodate evolving infrastructure technology, allowing us to independently choose network equipment and refresh optical technology as it advances.”

The Faster Cable system transmits multiple colours of light over various frequencies, using a repeater to reenergize the light roughly every 37 miles.

Faster and PLCN are hust two of several hundred submarine cables which connect different areas of the word and which gives the Internet its underwater ‘backbone.’

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Samsung Offers Monetary Incentives to Halt Note 7 Losses

On Thursday, Samsung Electronics offered monetary incentives for customers in South Korea. These are for consumers who trade in their Galaxy Note 7 smartphones for other Samsung Models. The company rushes to shore up its name in the heels of a destructive safety disaster.

The South Korean giant is in damage-control mode as rivals Apple and LG Electronics attempt to steal market share from the global smartphone leader following the scrapping of its latest flagship device.

See Related Article: Samsung Temporarily Halts Note 7 Production

The company is enhancing its marketing and promotional efforts on the other Galaxy-series smartphones to soften the blow from the termination of the premium Note 7. The Note 7 was finally ditched this week after failing to put an end to overheating problems, which caused some of the phones to catch fire.

Samsung started distributing protective gloves and fireproof boxes to customers in the United States returning potentially explosive Note 7s.

In its home market, the smartphone manufacturer began to offer refunds or exchanges for other products. Customers who returned their Note 7s, which cost about $880, were offered a coupon worth 30,000 won ($26.91). Meanwhile, those who opted to swap fir another high-end smartphone will get an additional 70,000 won mobile credit.

Samsung said in a statement that the incentives would compensate consumers for their huge inconvenience.

Following days of heavy losses, Samsung shares had rebounded 2.4 % by 3:55 GMT in a flat broader market.

The firm cut its quarterly profit estimate on Wednesday by $2.3 billion to show the impact of the Note 7 withdrawal. This provides some investors hope that the monetary cost of the fiasco had been largely accounted for.

See Related Article: Q3 Profit Grew Amid Galaxy Note 7 Disaster for Samsung

The real damage is to Samsung’s reputation

However, several analysts acknowledge the real risk to South Korean conglomerate rests in the reputational damage it bears in a cut-throat industry.

The Note 7 letdown could challenge economic growth, South Korea’s central bank said. However, the institution said it needed more time to consider the effects.

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