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China loses ground in top supercomputer list ##drapersolutions #technology Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The second most powerful supercomputer in the world, Sierra, is owned by the US Department of Energy China has fallen behind slightly in the list of the world's top 500 supercomputers, which is published every six months.The US maintained its position, holding first and second place with the two most powerful computers in the world.At number one is Summit, with peak processing power of 200 petaflops - 200 quadrillion calculations per second.The number of US supercomputers within the 500 has increased since November, from 109 to 116.China retains the most entrants in the list, however. Its tally fell from 227 to 219.The Top500 tracks the processing power of the world's fastest supercomputers, which are used to accomplish a wide range of tasks - from designing jet engines to training neural networks.The top three supercomputers, in order, are:Summit, at the US Department of Energy - built by IBM Sierra, at the US Department of Energy - built by IBM Sunway TaihuLight, at the Chinese National Supercomputing Center - built by NRCPC The latest list features, for the first time, only supercomputers with at least one petaflop of processing power - that equates to a quadrillion calculations per second.The total combined power of all 500 supercomputers in the list comes to 1.56 exaflops - or one and a half quintillion calculations per second. That is an increase of 10% from six months ago, when the combined processing power reached 1.41 exaflops.One exaflop is roughly equivalent to every human on Earth doing calculation per second, for four years.The combined power of the Top500 could more than double in 2021, as the US is expected to fire up two new supercomputers, Frontier and Aurora, which each pack at least one exaflop.Other nations are represented in the list. The UK has 18 supercomputers in the top 500, the same number as France. Japan has one more, at 19, and Germany has 14. Read More...drapersolutions.com Link: https://drapersolutions.com/2019/06/19/china-loses-ground-in-top-supercomputer-list/

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Uber driver kidnapped passenger to boost fare ##drapersolutions #technology Image caption The trip started in Manhattan and its destination was changed to Boston, more than 200 miles away An Uber driver has pleaded guilty to kidnapping a sleeping passenger, after driving her more than 60 miles from her destination to boost his fare.She had awoken to find the driver "with his hand under her shirt", court records said, and when she had tried to call for help, he had grabbed her phone She had then fled, only to find herself in Connecticut instead of New York.Complaining to Uber, she discovered the trip's destination had been changed to Boston, incurring a $1.047 (£795) fare.During interviews with police, the driver, Harbir Parmar, of Queens, confessed to a series of ride-rigging offences, which had netted him more than $3,600 in bogus charges.He will be sentenced in June this year and could face life imprisonment for the kidnapping offence. US attorney Geoffrey Berman said Parmar had "terrorised" his victim and would be "held accountable"."What's been reported is horrible and something no person should go through," an Uber spokesman told technology news website The Register."As soon as we became aware, we immediately removed this individual's access to the platform." Read More...drapersolutions.com Link: https://drapersolutions.com/2019/03/12/uber-driver-kidnapped-passenger-to-boost-fare/

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Used car batteries may power football stadium lights ##drapersolutions #technology Image copyright Getty Images Old batteries from electric cars could soon be keeping the lights shining at six European football stadiums.US firm Eaton, which re-uses batteries from Nissan Leaf vehicles, is in talks to update power systems at the as-yet unnamed venues.Eaton's refurbished batteries are already in use at stadiums in Norway and the Netherlands.The project is part of a broader push to find new uses for old batteries.Eaton vice-president Craig McDonnell said the football stadium community across Europe was "interested" in its battery-powered electricity supply system.Mr McDonnell declined to name which clubs it was talking to but said they were "significant" names.Last year, Eaton switched on a three-megawatt power storage system at the Johan Cruyff stadium in Amsterdam - home of the Ajax football team.The Ajax system stores power generated by solar panels fixed to the roofs of the stadium's stands so it is available for evening and night-time events.Many governments have started projects to re-use batteries for electric cars that can no longer be used to power the vehicles. Like many other rechargeable batteries the systems can degrade over time.Car-makers BMW, Hyundai, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz and Renault are also re-using batteries for domestic and industrial power storage rather than recycling the materials in them.BMW used 500 battery packs from its i3 cars for a power system in Wales that stores electricity generated by a wind farm. The Pen y Cymoedd location uses 76 turbines and can provide power for up to 15% of Welsh homes.In South Australia, Tesla used its battery technology to store power for a massive project to improve electricity supplies in the region.The European Commission has also funded many projects to repurpose degraded batteries to help "smart grid" projects. Read More...drapersolutions.com Link: https://drapersolutions.com/2019/06/25/used-car-batteries-may-power-football-stadium-lights/

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Facebook to identify French hate speech suspects ##drapersolutions #technology Image copyright Getty Images Facebook has agreed to give the names of French users who are suspected of using hate speech on its platform to the courts when requested.The deal is believed to be the first of its kind in the world. In the past, the tech giant has revealed IP addresses and other forms of identification to French judges - but only in cases relating to terrorism and violent acts. Cedric O, French minister for digital affairs, called the deal "huge news". Illegal hate speech is defined by the European Commission as public conduct that incites violence or hatred to groups of people defined by characteristics such as race, religion, and ethnic origin. Mr O said the deal was the result of conversations between Facebook and the French government. "This is huge news, it means that the judicial process will be able to run normally," Mr O told the news website Reuters. "It's really very important, they're only doing it for France."According to Reuters, Facebook had not identified people suspected of hate speech in the past because it was not required to do so under US-French law - and because it was worried some countries could abuse requests for data.The French parliament is currently debating laws which could see tech companies fined up to 4% of their global revenue if they don't do enough to remove hateful content from their platforms.Germany implemented a similar law in January 2018 under which large social networks have 24 hours to remove "obviously illegal" material after they are notified about it - or face fines of up to £44m. Read More...drapersolutions.com Link: https://drapersolutions.com/2019/06/25/facebook-to-identify-french-hate-speech-suspects/

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Etika: Body found in search for missing YouTuber ##drapersolutions #technology Image copyright Etika/YouTube Police investigating the disappearance of YouTuber Etika have found a body in New York City's East River.The body has yet to be formally identified. Police say the investigation is continuing.The gamer, 29, whose real name is Desmond Amofah, was reported missing six days ago. His belongings, including his Nintendo Switch, were found on Manhattan Bridge on Monday. He had uploaded an eight-minute YouTube video in which he talked about suicide. Etika is popular for playing and discussing Nintendo games on YouTube and the streaming platform Twitch. His Twitch account has been deleted but other social media platforms, including Twitter and Instagram, remain visible.He has 321,000 followers on Twitter and 252,000 on Instagram.Who is Etika?Etika joined YouTube in 2012. He is best known for his reaction videos, where he responded to new releases and products, mainly from games giant Nintendo.The 29-year-old has worried his followers with his behaviour on social media in the past, with the police called to his home following a suicide threat.Uploaded at midnight on the evening of the 19 June (19:00 BST), his latest YouTube video, titled I'm sorry, features Etika walking the streets of New York. In the film, he apologises for pushing people away and confirms he suffers from mental illness.He also talks about social media, advising "caution" around using it too much."It can give you an image of what you want your life to be and get blown completely out of proportion," he says."It consumed me."The original video was removed but copies have been uploaded by other YouTube users.If you've been affected by a mental health issue, help and support is available.Visit BBC Action Line for more information about support services. Read More...drapersolutions.com Link: https://drapersolutions.com/2019/06/25/etika-body-found-in-search-for-missing-youtuber/

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Take a VR trip inside a giant sequoia tree with 80-year-old Ted ##drapersolutions #technology An immersive virtual reality exhibition which takes viewers inside one of the world's biggest trees, is about to begin a global tour. The experience called We Live In An Ocean Of Air uses heart monitors and breath sensors to show how humans interact with nature.Pensioner Ted Waight visited the show for his first VR experience.Video produced by Trystan Young and Daniel South.Listen to more stories from Newshour. Read More...drapersolutions.com Link: https://drapersolutions.com/2019/06/21/take-a-vr-trip-inside-a-giant-sequoia-tree-with-80-year-old-ted/

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Presidential warnings ‘easy’ to spoof ##drapersolutions #technology Image copyright Fema Image caption The presidential alert system was first tested in 2018 America's messaging system that sends presidential warnings about impending emergencies is "easy" to spoof, warn researchers.Cyber-security experts from the University of Colorado have shown how to exploit the system to send fake alerts.In one test, a spoof message was sent to every phone in a football stadium seating 50,000 people.Abusing the exploit could provoke panic in large crowds, they said.Defence challengeSet up in 2006, the US Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system has most often been used at a local level to warn about bad weather or find missing children. But last year, when a national "presidential alert" was tested on the system, experts voiced fears about the possibility of it being hacked. Now, eight University of Colorado researchers have demonstrated how to send spoof messages across a small area using portable mobile-phone base stations and some specially adapted software. And their method exploited problems with the WEA protocol that defined how presidential alerts were created and sent. Using just four low-power base stations would let attackers reach all the phones in a large stadium, they said."Fake alerts in crowded cities or stadiums could potentially result in cascades of panic," wrote the researchers."The spoofing attack is easy to perform but is challenging to defend in practice."Fixing this problem will require a large collaborative effort between carriers, government stakeholders, and cell phone manufacturers."They team has contacted phonemakers, industry bodies and several federal agencies to warn them about what they have uncovered. Read More...drapersolutions.com Link: https://drapersolutions.com/2019/06/24/presidential-warnings-easy-to-spoof/

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EE fined £100,000 for unlawful texts ##drapersolutions #technology Image copyright Getty Images The Information Commissioner (ICO) has fined mobile network EE £100,000 for sending text messages to customers without their consent.The ICO says more than 2.5 million messages were sent in 2018.The purpose of the texts was to encourage EE customers to use the firm's app and also to upgrade their handsets.EE said it believed at the time that the messages were service messages rather than direct marketing.However, the ICO ruled that if a message includes promotional material then electronic marketing rules apply, and the fine for not complying with this legislation can be up to £500,000."These were marketing messages which promoted the company's products and services," said Andy White, director of investigations at the ICO."The direct marketing guidance is clear: if a message that contains customer service information also includes promotional material to buy extra products for services, it is no longer a service message and electronic marketing rules apply."EE said in a statement that it accepted the ICO's findings and aimed to improve its processes."We're committed to ensuring our customers are fully aware of their options throughout the life of their contract, and we apologise to the customers who received these messages," it said. Read More...drapersolutions.com Link: https://drapersolutions.com/2019/06/24/ee-fined-100000-for-unlawful-texts/

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Missing YouTuber Etika’s belongings found ##drapersolutions #technology Image copyright Etika/YouTube The belongings of a gaming YouTuber who has been missing for five days have been found on Manhattan Bridge in New York.Desmond Amofah, known as Etika, had uploaded an eight-minute video in which he talked about suicidal thoughts. Etika was known for playing and discussing Nintendo games on YouTube and streaming channel Twitch.His Twitch account has been deleted but other social media platforms, including Twitter and Instagram, remain visible.His last update was a tweet on 20 June.He has 321,000 followers on Twitter and 252,000 on Instagram.His phone, driving licence, wallet and Nintendo Switch were among the items found, the New York Post reports. Image copyright Twitter New York police are still investigating his disappearance. Read More...drapersolutions.com Link: https://drapersolutions.com/2019/06/24/missing-youtuber-etikas-belongings-found/

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X-Prize winner: Children are not a product ##drapersolutions #technology Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionWATCH: Andrew Ashe won the global learning X-PrizeThe winner of Elon Musk's global learning X-Prize award says children should not become the "product" of large data-gathering companies.Andrew Ashe is a former teacher and the chief executive of UK-based learning software company onebillion.org.In May, the company won $5m (£3.95m) when it was named joint winner of the global learning X-Prize, which challenged teams to teach literacy and numeracy to unsupervised children using tablet computers.Mr Ashe told the BBC he feared some of the biggest tech companies were seeking to harvest and monetise children's learning data.His not-for-profit organisation is looking for financial backers to expand quickly, in order to help children who do not have access to education.The UN estimates that about 250 million children do not have access to schools.Mr Ashe said he knew several companies wanted to use children's learning data for commercial purposes.He said the education technology sector should put the interests of children first.See more on BBC Click, Saturday 22 June on the BBC News Channel and on BBC iPlayer Read More...drapersolutions.com Link: https://drapersolutions.com/2019/06/21/x-prize-winner-children-are-not-a-product/

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‘It’s surreal’: 80-year-old Ted tries virtual reality for first time ##drapersolutions #technology An immersive virtual reality exhibition which has been selling out in London, is about to begin a global tour. The experience called We Live In An Ocean Of Air uses heart monitors and breath sensors to show how humans interact with nature.Pensioner Ted Waight visited the show for his first VR experience.Video produced by Trystan Young and Daniel South.Listen to more stories from Newshour. Read More...drapersolutions.com Link: https://drapersolutions.com/2019/06/21/its-surreal-80-year-old-ted-tries-virtual-reality-for-first-time/

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Florida town pays $600,000 virus ransom ##drapersolutions #technology Image copyright Reuters Image caption The attackers demanded a payment of 65 bitcoins to unlock computers A Florida town has decided to pay malicious hackers $600,000 (£475,000) to get its computers working again.Municipal computers for Riviera Beach, a suburb of Palm Beach, were rendered unusable by the ransomware attack.The virus disabled email, hit emergency response systems and forced staff to use paper-based admin systems.The local council for the community of 35,000 people voted to pay off the hackers after employing cyber-security consultants to investigate. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionTechnology explained: what is ransomware?"We're relying on their advice," Rose Anne Brown, a spokeswoman for the council told the AP news wire.Ms Brown said there was no guarantee that the hackers would restore the town's computers to working order once they had been paid. The ransom is being paid in the bitcoin crypto-currency and the payment is being covered by the town's insurance policy.The computers were struck by the ransomware in late May after an employee clicked on a booby-trapped attachment in an email. The crippling attack also led to water pump stations being turned off and required pay cheques to be signed and issued by hand."Cyber-criminals always try to get maximum profit doing the least effort, that's why targeting city technology is a good business opportunity to them," said Cesar Cerrudo, chief technology officer at security firm IOActive.Larger organisations had become much harder to catch out, he said, as many had tightened up their digital defences. By contrast, said Mr Cerrudo, local government networks were much easier to penetrate.The FBI, which is believed to be investigating the incident, had no comment on the Riviera Beach attack or the decision to pay. It told AP that it had seen 1,493 ransomware attacks in 2018 netting an estimated $3.6m for attackers. Read More...drapersolutions.com Link: https://drapersolutions.com/2019/06/21/florida-town-pays-600000-virus-ransom/

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Walmart uses AI cameras to spot thieves ##drapersolutions #technology Image copyright Reuters US supermarket giant Walmart has confirmed it uses image recognition cameras at checkouts to detect theft.The cameras identify when items are put in a shopping bag without first being scanned by a cashier, or at the self-service checkout.Walmart told the news site Business Insider than it used the technology in more than 1,000 stores.The company said that it had made an "investment to ensure the safety of our customers and associates".The scheme, called Missed Scan Detection by Walmart, uses technology supplied by Irish company Everseen.The cameras track items rather than people. If an item is spotted being put in a shopping bag before it has been scanned at the checkout, the system can call an employee to "help".The retailer said shrinkage - the loss of products due to theft or error - had decreased since the technology had been deployed.UK supermarket Sainsbury's told the BBC it did not use image recognition cameras in its stores. Read More...drapersolutions.com Link: https://drapersolutions.com/2019/06/21/walmart-uses-ai-cameras-to-spot-thieves/

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Robot taught to ‘feel’ objects by sight and other news ##drapersolutions #technology BBC Click's Paul Carter looks at some of the week's best technology stories including:Facebook announces its new crypto-currency, Libra, but some lawmakers have expressed concernsHuawei founder Ren Zhengfei says international sales of the telecoms company’s handsets have fallen by 40% in the past month as a US-led backlash against the firm continuesMIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) is teaching a robot to “feel” an object by looking at itSee more at Click's website and @BBCClick. Read More...drapersolutions.com Link: https://drapersolutions.com/2019/06/21/robot-taught-to-feel-objects-by-sight-and-other-news/

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Gambling: Four ads banned from Looney Tunes app ##drapersolutions #technology Image copyright Google Play Gambling ads that appeared on an app "appealing to under 18s" have been banned by the advertising watchdog.The ads for LottoGo EuroMillions, William Hill Vegas, Betfair Bingo and Dunder came up in the Looney Tunes World of Mayhem app in February. All four firms say they have since stopped working with affiliate company Tapjoy, which placed ads on the app.The ASA ruled the ads must not be used again without limiting the risk of children being exposed to them.In its ruling, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said Tapjoy acknowledged the Looney Tunes app had been mistakenly categorised with a "mature-gambling" setting. And Scopely, the publisher of Looney Tunes World of Mayhem, told the ASA it did not target its games to children, and noted that individuals under the age of 16 in the EU are not permitted to play the games.The game has a rating of PEGI 7 in the UK Google Play app store, meaning it was suitable for players aged seven and above.It allowed users to build worlds and situations based on the Looney Tunes cartoons and collect characters to "battle" each other.The ASA said: "Given the use of cartoon characters, cartoonish violence and the relatively simple nature of the game, we considered it was likely to appeal to many under-18s."However, we acknowledged that the characters would be well known to older players, and the game was likely to have more general appeal."William Hill told the ASA it is conducting a full review into work with its affiliates to prevent the issue happening again. Read More...drapersolutions.com Link: https://drapersolutions.com/2019/06/19/gambling-four-ads-banned-from-looney-tunes-app/

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Facebook ‘mysteriously locks out Hungarian users’ ##drapersolutions #technology Image copyright David Butykai Image caption A message to a Hungarian Facebook user who has had their account disabled Facebook has been accused of disabling a large number of user accounts in Hungary.One user, David Butykai, told BBC News his Facebook and Instagram accounts had been blocked and between 30 and 40 of his friends in the country had experienced the same issue.A number of Hungarian media outlets have also said that affected users have contacted them.The BBC has contacted Facebook for comment."I have stored a lot of important data on Facebook," Mr Butykai said, "family pictures, documents, managed pages."I don't know what the problem is. I've never done something that is forbidden by the rules."Another user, Kittii Cserni, said that while she hadn't been affected personally, two of her friends had."When they try to register themselves they keep getting blocked out," she told BBC News."So many pictures and memories got vanished."Facebook publishes advice on how to request that disabled accounts be reactivated, on its website.However, another Hungarian user, Peter Orban, told the BBC he had tried to follow the necessary steps to regain access to his account - but had not yet obtained the desired result."I immediately contacted Facebook support, provided them with my ID and all, but I haven't received any response in almost 48 hours now," he said.He said the problem has affected his work as a social media manager, having been locked out of both Facebook and Instagram since Monday evening. Read More...drapersolutions.com Link: https://drapersolutions.com/2019/06/19/facebook-mysteriously-locks-out-hungarian-users/