Is that a UFO? Mysterious ring over a Chinese beach [VIDEO]

August 15, 2017

•

TECH & SCIENCE

A mysterious black smoke ring hovering for a short time over a beach in northeastern China has stunned the viewers. The UFO-like object was spotted over Jinshitan beach in Dalian, China, on August 12.

Hundreds of beachgoers watched the mysterious black ring before it disappeared from view, but several people captured the strange phenomenon on their mobile phones before it vanished into the clouds.

The footage, shared by Pearl Video, shows beachgoers looking at the mysterious black ring hovering in the sky.

While the recent occurrence might have just been from the playground, UFO experts had earlier spotted a huge spaceship in the sky over France, China and Australia.

In May, footage showing a cigar-shaped flashing object surfaced online and UFO experts believed that the mysterious objects were UFOs. Tyler Glockner, who runs a well-known conspiracy channel Secureteam10 on YouTube, shared the video of the UFOs and said the footage was recorded near Paris. However, he also said that the video could be a hoax as well.

"I've done a bit of digging since I received it, and haven't been able to find a copy of the original video. So I don't know, it could be a full blown hoax." 

READ MORE

Schools not asked to install mobile jammers, but can be installed in school buses to block porn sites: HRD ministry

August 03, 2017

•

TECH & SCIENCE

The Central Government has cleared that it hasn't directed public or private schools to install jammers in school premises. However, the HRD ministry cleared that jammers can be installed in buses to prevent access of pornographic sites on the cell phones by anyone.

Rajya Sabha MPs Sarojini Hembram and Wansuk Syeim had raised this issue in the Upper House.
MoS HRD Upendra Kushwaha through his written reply cleared the air about the issue by stating that government hasn't directed public or private schools to install jammers.

The Rajya Sabha MPs had questioned whether government has directed schools, both private and government schools to install jammers in school premises keeping in view the rise of sexual crimes on students and increasing number of reports of porn sites viewed by students.

To this, the minister further stated that there has been only one instance of sexual abuse reported to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) against its affiliated schools in Navi Mumbai in the year 2016.

Already a writ petition was filed in 2013 in the Supreme Court on this issue.

Referring to the additional affidavit filed in Supreme Court, Kushwaha, in his reply, added, "It may not be feasible to install jammers inside the school premises since jammers in schools will block internet access to computers used by children."

Rajya Sabha MPs Hembram and Syeim even asked another question whether there were suggestions to put such jammers in school buses.

To this MoS HRD stated, "In order to prevent access of pornographic sites on the cell phones by the Driver or anyone who is in charge of the children in the buses they can be installed in the buses."

He added that there is a proposal to have one male and female child counselor in every school and special workshops conducted in schools for awareness of sex education can be considered.

As the matter is schedule to came up for hearing on August 8, 2017 in Supreme Court, the ministry refrained to say further stating that the matter is presently subjudice.

READ MORE

Mac users could be at risk, WikiLeaks finds more hacking tools

July 30, 2017

•

TECH & SCIENCE

Very recently revealed another set of hacking tools which has been used by the CIA to hack into systems powered by and .

The by WikiLeaks has indicated that 's hacking tools were part of a project called "Imperial" which consisted of 3 different solutions which were supposed to help the agency infiltrate into non-Windows computers and either get control of the devices in the background or steal information from systems without the users noticing it.

Firstly, it was Achilles, a dedicated solution which the CIA had used to integrate Trojan apps into legitimate DMG files which Apple customers have used to install apps on their computers.

The binding tools were created with Bash, WikiLeaks has explained. The tools were capable of removing all traces once the Trojan was deployed on the system, leaving the compromised DMG file entirely clean. This meant that antivirus solutions which were installed after the system was compromised were unable to detect anything wrong with the DMG file. This meant it became pretty impossible to track down how the system was infected.

According to the leaked documents, Achilles was created by the CIA in 2011 and was specifically aimed at Apple Mac OS X Snow Leopard (version 10.6). The second Mac OS X hacking tool is called SeaPea. This tool assisted the CIA in stealing files and information from users without them noticing it was gone.

SeaPea required root access to the device and there is a good chance that the CIA operators used it together with a different malware that could help them get administrator privileges.

So again the hacking tool was created for Mac OS X Snow Leopard (version 10.6), but this time Mac OS X Lion (version 10.7) was also targeted.

And finally, it's the third hacking tool that's called Aeris and which is aimed at portable Linux operating systems, including Debian, CentOS, and Red Hat, but also at FreeBSD and Solaris.

WikiLeaks has stated that Aeris allowed for complex impacts on the targeted systems, as it supported "automated file exfiltration, configurable beacon interval and jitter, stand-alone and Collide-based HTTPS LP support and SMTP protocol support - all with TLS encrypted communications with mutual authentication."

READ MORE

GST impact: Apple cuts iPhone, iPad prices in India

July 01, 2017

•

TECH & SCIENCE

A day after the Goods and Services Tax (GST) came into practice, Apple on Saturday reduced the retail prices of iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple Watch models for its consumers in India.

The Rs 60,000 Apple iPhone 7 (32GB variant) can now be purchased at Rs 56,200. The Rs 70,000 iPhone 7 (128GB) is now available for Rs 65,200 and the Rs 80,000 256GB variant at Rs 74,400.

The base model (32GB) of Apple iPhone 7 Plus is now available at Rs 67,300 as opposed to Rs 72,000 previously.

The 32GB model of iPhone SE (Rs 27,200), being assembled in Bengaluru, will now cost Rs 26,000. The 32GB iPhone 6s (Rs 50,000) is now available at Rs 46,900.

The new prices have taken the basic customs duty (BCD) of 10 per cent into account.

"I think it is a good move ahead of the upcoming festive season. We believe the best way for Apple to increase their share in India is to bridge the gap between affordability and aspirational value of iPhone. Even in the past, they have tasted success with 4S, 5S and iPhone 6 when reduced the price," Tarun Pathak, Senior Analyst, Mobile Devices and Ecosystems at New Delhi-based Counterpoint Research, told IANS.

"By the end of 2017, we believe iPhone 6 and SE can be the flagships through which most users are going to enter the Apple ecosystem for the first time ever," Pathak added.

India has gained a significant place in the Apple scheme of things in the recent past.

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently told Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was visiting the US, that his company is positive about the production of the iPhone SE in Bengaluru.

According to industry sources, Cook apprised the Prime Minister about the production of Apple's popular iPhone SE model at its Bengaluru facility and the app developers working for Apple.

In May, Apple began the initial production of a small number of iPhone SE in Bengaluru, where it had opened its App Accelerator to provide specialised support for developers earlier this year in March.
Apart from iPhones, Apple also slashed prices of iPads, Macs and Apple Watch.

According to experts, the price drop post-GST will help Apple cement its position in the challenging Indian market. Currently, Apple has 3 per cent market share by volume and 11 per cent by value in the country.

READ MORE

UFO spotted: Father-daughter spot mysterious lights in Germany night sky [VIDEO]

June 27, 2017

•

TECH & SCIENCE

A father-daughter duo has reportedly spotted UFOs in the night sky in Germany. They were feeling suspicious about something in the sky which was not visible to the naked eyes.

These mysterious flying objects were not visible till they saw it using the infrared spectrum of their camera, Tyler Glockner from Secureteam 10 stated in a video.

The footage shows lights flashing while making a triangular formation. This finding was pretty mysterious and creepy as the UFOs spotted were not visible to the naked eyes and it's still not clear what it actually was.

The father and daughter wanted to remain anonymous, hence they removed the audio from the footage.

Check out this video to know more:

READ MORE

International Yoga Day 2017: Top 5 smartphone apps for beginners and advanced practitioners

June 20, 2017

•

TECH & SCIENCE

Are you one of the hundreds of people who want to take up yoga, but cannot seem to find the right trainer? Well, we have the answer to your dilemma.

There are several apps on both Android-based Google Play and Apple iOS App stores, which offer training modules on yoga that you can follow in the cosy comforts of your home.

Here are our top five handpicked yoga apps (found on both Apple and Google Play), which will help get you get the required information on authentic yoga poses:

Daily Yoga (by Daily Yoga Software Technology Co. Ltd):

Features:

500+ yoga poses with detailed instructions

100+ yoga classes & programs with HD video updated monthly

Multiple choices for session duration varying from 5 - 70 minutes with numerous yoga music available

Scheduled plans for boot camp, body toning, weight loss, strength, flexibility, relaxation, balance, menstruation, body detox, meditation etc. with more than 10 experts
Also supports Chrome cast and Google Fit

Yoga Studio (by Gaiam):

Features:

Best suited for beginners and also advanced yoga practitioners

65 yoga & meditation classes with HD video

Easily customisable; users can also create their own unique HD video classes to share

Library of over 280 poses with detailed advice and instructions

Yoga - Track Yoga (by Eternal Karma Inc.):

Features:

Offers access to a personal yoga instructor. Any yoga-related question such as vinyasa yoga, hatha yoga, yoga breathing, yoga routine, yoga for depression, yoga for runners, yin yoga, ashtanga yoga, core yoga, power yoga, iyengar yoga, pure yoga, yoga fitness, yoga asanas and Baba Ramdev yoga answered within 24 hours.

Yoga instructors teach hatha yoga regularly and are well qualified and experts.

Programs offered include Beginners Mind, Flexibility Series, Full Body Fitness Yoga for Depression and Yoga Workout

Freestyle classes include Stress Relief, Beginner's Mind, Back Pain Relief, Cold & Flu Relief,
Strength Builder, Morning Yoga, Bedtime Yoga, Digestion Booster, Yoga for Balance and more.

Asana Rebel - Yoga & Fitness (by Asana Rebel):

Features:

Ideal for any level - beginners or experienced yogis

Detailed video tutorials for better alignment

Simple workouts ranging from 10 - 30 minutes

More than 400 workout variations that adapt to your fitness level and goals

Yoga tools from Sadhguru (by Isha Foundation):

Features:

Offers specialised training for different aspects, including health, peace of mind, inner exploration

Upa Yoga, which is oriented towards physical and psychological benefits such as enhancing vitality, focus, memory, productivity, stabilize the body, mind and emotions, among others

Detailed practice guidelines

READ MORE

NASA's Kepler space telescope discovers over 200 new planet candidates

June 20, 2017

•

TECH & SCIENCE

Washington, June 20: Around 219 new planet candidates were discovered outside our Solar System by US space agency NASA through its Kepler space telescope.

The Kepler spacecraft was launched in 2009. Its mission is to search the nearby region of our galaxy for exoplanets by detecting a transit, or the miniscule drop in a star's brightness that occurs when a planet crosses in front of it.

'Of those, 10 are near-Earth size and orbiting in their star's habitable zone, which is the range of distance from a star where liquid water could pool on the surface of a rocky planet to support life,' Xinhua news cited a NASA statement on Monday.

With the latest release, Kepler has detected a total of 4,034 planet candidates, of which 2,335 have been verified as exoplanets.

Of roughly 50 near-Earth size habitable zone candidates detected by Kepler, more than 30 have been verified.

'This is the most comprehensive and detailed catalog release of candidate exoplanets, which are planets outside our solar system, from Kepler's first four years of data,' NASA said in a statement.
'It's also the final catalog from the spacecraft's view of the patch of sky in the Cygnus constellation,' it said.

According to NASA, few planets were found between the two distinct size groupings of small planets. One is rocky Earth-like bodies and another gaseous planets smaller than Jupiter.

READ MORE

Google launches four new steps to battle terrorism

June 19, 2017

•

TECH & SCIENCE

In a bid to fight terrorism, Google has upped efforts to tackle the problem online. The search engine has set in place four new steps to address the issues of terrorism.

The four steps are: better detection of extremist content and faster review, more experts, tougher standards, and early Intervention and expanding counter-extremism work.

'Terrorism is an attack on open societies, and addressing the threat posed by violence and hate is a critical challenge for us all.

'Google and YouTube are committed to being part of the solution. We are working with government, law enforcement and civil society groups to tackle the problem of violent extremism online.
'There should be no place for terrorist content on our services.

'While we and others have worked for years to identify and remove content that violates our policies, the uncomfortable truth is that we, as an industry, must acknowledge that more needs to be done. Now,' Kent Walker, senior vice president and general counsel at Google, in a blogpost.

Detection:

More engineering resources would be in place to apply advanced machine learning research to train new content classifiers.

Google will devote more engineering resources to apply its most advanced machine learning research to train new content classifiers. This would help identify and remove extremist and terrorism-related content more quickly.

The number of independent experts in YouTube's Trusted Flagger programme will also be increased. The programming would be expanded by adding 50 expert NGOs that it will support with operational grants.

Standards:

A very tough stand would be taken on those who violate Google's policy on videos. Videos such that contain inflammatory religious or supremacist content will appear behind an interstitial warning and they will not be monetised, recommended or eligible for comments or user endorsements.

Intervention:

Youtube will expand its role in counter-radicalisation efforts. Its approach targets online advertising to reach potential Islamic State recruits, and redirects them towards anti-terrorist videos that can change their minds about joining.

Expansion:

Google would also work with Facebook, Microsoft and Twitter to establish an international forum to share and develop technology and support smaller companies and accelerate our joint efforts to tackle terrorism online.

READ MORE