RECENT NEWS
Researchers Use Wi-Fi to Count Crowds Through Walls
Professor Yasamin Mostofi from University of California, Santa Barbara has recently demonstrated crowd counting through walls using standard Wi-Fi signals. The proposed approach makes it possible to count the number of people inside a room by installing a regular Wi-Fi transmitter and a receiver outside the area of interest.
According to Data Alliance, the crowd counting method, which utilizes the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) is normally used to determine the quality of the signal that is broadcasted by a router. This innovative development builds on the previous work of Mostofi's Lab, and can have a broad array of practical applications.
Is Technology Threatening Our Jobs?
Looking back at the Industrial Revolution, we can see how technology changed the world – mostly for the better. It is true that many people have lost their jobs back then, but this wasn't a decision taken by industrial robots, but by managers. Fortunately, people have managed to adapt to the new situation, learning new skills, and then getting new jobs.
So, we can confidently say that the nature of work will only change because managers, corporations (and sometimes even governments) take decisions that can have a significant impact on the workforce. The good news is that today's digital revolution, which is often regarded as the second Industrial Revolution, has opened the doors to a thriving gig economy for millions of Americans.
Technology Robs American Songwriters of Their Income
Back in the day, if you were a talented songwriter who was willing to work hard, you had the chance to earn enough money to support yourself, and maybe even an entire family. Still, the rise of the Internet and (most of all) the huge number of file sharing services whose owners are willing to share any file, regardless of its provenience, as long as it has the potential to make them money, have discouraged many talented songwriters.
Internet music piracy has significantly diminished the royalties of most American composers, but hopefully the Music Modernization Act will ensure that the old 1909 royalty rate standard will be replaced with market-based rates that will (hopefully) get songwriters higher royalties.
Compulab's Wi-Fi Indoor Location Device Supports RTT Location
Did you know that Android P offers support for indoor positioning through 802.11mc Wi-Fi, aka RTT (Round Trip-Time)? The good news is that Compulab has recently launched an RTT router which works with Android 9 Pie phones.
Wi-Fi RTT enables real-time location, helping people find products in huge stores without wasting any time, return to their parked cars, and more. Another idea is to replace a video surveillance system with a WILD router, which is much less intrusive, but will still be able to effectively and anonymously track indoor locations.
The Possibility Report
How will technology empower the new workforce? Several students in Diepsloot, a densely populated township in the north of Johannesburg, are very likely to discover the answer to this question within the next few years. Though many of them don't have electricity and running water in their homes, they have started to utilize modern technology to learn science, math, English, and key 21st century digital skills at the LEAP Science and Maths School, courtesy of VMware Foundation’s Good Gigs Service Learning program.
It looks like the focus will change from lecture-style teaching to interactive experiences which make use of the Internet and modern technologies. Digital learning is revolutionizing traditional classrooms, and technology helps people in less developed areas get access to tools and systems that rival the ones which are accessible to people in modern, urban settings.
Ultra-Thin Camera Creates Images Without Lenses
Traditional cameras, even the ones that are included with the top-of-the-line smartphones, need to use lenses. And these lenses need to be curved, because they need to bend the trajectory of the incoming light, making it focus on the image sensor. Often, the size of the lens determines the thickness of your phone!
Researchers at Caltech have developed a new camera, which replaces traditional lenses with an optical phased array (OPA). A thin layer of integrated silicon photonics emulates both the lens and the light sensor, thus reducing both the cost and the thickness of the lenses that are incorporated in most modern devices. The new system was presented at the Optical Society of America's Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics.
Modern Technology Makes Our Life Insanely Weird
Or at least that's what the BRIGHT SIDE editors think! Their new article highlights the way in which modern technology has changed our lives, for better or worse, by making use of 18 startling pictures.
Have you ever thought at the way in which technology has shaped the relationships with your spouse, children, friends, the way you communicate, your overall health, and so much more? Discover the answers by clicking the button below.
Ataribox will be based on PC technologies
Atari, Inc, which was founded in Sunnyvale, California in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, is known for its hugely popular arcade games: Space Invaders, Asteroids, Missile Command, Yar's Revenge, Pitfall, and many more. Even though Infogrames Entertainment (IESA) bought Hasbro Interactive, the owner of Atari, back in 2001, the company sought bankruptcy protection under French law in January 2013.
But now, it looks like things will change for the better, because Atari is back in the hardware business. And I'd dare to say that Atari knows quite a few things about building a good gaming console; the company has sold several millions of copies from its Atari 2600 unit, to give you an idea. Its new Ataribox console is powered by PC technology, according to the company's Chairman of the Board & CEO, Frederic Chesnais. I'll keep an eye on this product and let you know what happens with it.
Things We Don't Do Anymore
Technology helps make our lives better – it really does that! And yet, there were some good things that we used to do in the past, but we don't do anymore.
We used to memorize phone numbers, for example, and today we can hardly remember our own phone number! Or, we used to do simple math calculus in our heads, because very few of us used to carry calculators in their pockets back then. So, if you feel nostalgic, you should definitely take a walk down the memory lane by reading the article linked below.
Can Blockchain Technologies be Used to Build the New Internet?
Did you know that over four billion people have access to the Internet? It's a huge opportunity, because the web allows us to exchange ideas, information, and makes remote collaboration possible, to name just a few of the advantages that arise from being connected to the online world.
The Internet has democratized access to authentic information, and this has made people distrust shady institutions. We have the power to communicate with others, we can organize groups and sync our activities. And now, we've even gotten the power to build a new, decentralized Internet by using technologies such as Ethereum's World Computer.
