54024255
submission
mikejuk writes:
App Inventor has had a difficult path to follow in migrating from being Google App Inventor to becoming MIT App Inventor but don't let that put you off — its new version 2 is even easier to use and ideal for the upcoming hour of code. The big news is that, like its stable mate Scratch, it has gone 100% browser. You no longer need to download and install anything at all. Just point your browser at the App Inventor site, sign in and start working. The "language" has been improved — most notably you now have local variables which is great for teaching as well as using it.
The best news is that you can now connect your Android device via Wifi. All you have to do is install the MIT App Inventor Companion app into your Android test device and the rest is more or less automatic. A QR code is created by App Inventor and the user simply taps the Scan code button. After the app has been installed you can run it in the usual way and any modification you make to the app in App Inventor are passed on to the device — yes you get live testng.
As far as teaching coding is concerned this is instant gratification. If students have an Android phone they can put together a real app as a "hello world" exercise that they can have running on their phone. It might be a trivial coding exercise but a custom app that just displays you name, or dials home, on your very own phone is a big buzz.
App Inventor plus Android could be what is needed to make kids program like we did in the 80-90s.
53821299
submission
mikejuk writes:
Xiaogang Cao just happened to be in Hong Kong and what do you do when you find yourself in Hong Kong?
Obvious, visit a secret Bitcoin mining operation. If you think that Bitcoin mining is something you can do with a spare GPU, or even a rack of spare GPUs, then it's time to rethink.
The ASICMINER construction was started in August 2013 and its hash rate started to ramp up in October. The whole unit is installed on the roof of the company that makes the ASIC chips. The ASIC cards are fitted to racks inside a glass tank containing a fire retardant liquid normally used in extinguishers. The liquid is cooled and pumped around using Chinese hardware. Each tank has 92 blades with 200cc of liquid providing 4kw of cooling.
Currently the farm is not fully populated and some of the racks are empty. The construction of the cooling system looks more like a piece of sci-fi set or perhaps plumbing-based modern art: ASICMINER is estimated to have 1% of the Bitcoin mining market but what happens when hardware like this is fully working and perhaps expanded a few times over. It is thinkable that with hardware and software improvements a single entity could control mining and hence the block chain — not to mention making the SHA-256 hash completely useless.
53688175
submission
mikejuk writes:
Researchers have developed an online dating system that not only matches you with partners you’ll find attractive, but who are also likely to find you attractive too. The researchers at the University of Iowa have addressed an underlying problem of online dating sites. There’s no doubt that such sites are ever increasing in popularity, and have good algorithms taking into account the reported likes, interests and hobbies of the person looking for a partner to come up with a potential match. What’s less well catered for is the trickier aspect of the reciprocal interest – you may think person x looks nice, but will they find you equally attractive?
The problem here is that if you are Average Joe and try asking out Supermodels Ann, Barbara and Cheryl, you’re unlikely to get a reply. Well, not a printable one, anyway. So coming up with yet another supermodel for you to sob over isn’t a lot of help.Instead, the researchers add a note of reality by analyzing the replies you get, and use this to work out how attractive you are. This is a scary thought for many of us, and one we may well not want an honest answer to. The results are used to recommend people who might actually reply if you get in contact with them.
Fortunately for the attractively challenged, the research is still just that – research.
However, given the fact the online dating market is worth around $3 billion a year, chances are someone is going to make use of this.
We have been warned.
53639121
submission
mikejuk writes:
If you think that Bitcoin mining is something you can do with a spare GPU, or even a rack of spare GPUs, then it's time to rethink. The day of the dedicated hash computing hardware is with us and people pay thousands of dollars for hardware that does nothing but mine Bitcoin. However, it seems that it is time to upgrade your expectations once again because there are mining operations that use racks of liquid cooled ASIC devices to do the job.
The ASICMINER construction was started in August 2013 and its hash rate started to ramp up in October. The whole unit is installed on the roof of the company that makes the ASIC chips. The ASIC cards are fitted to racks inside a glass tank containing a fire retardant liquid normally used in extinguishers. The liquid is cooled and pumped around using Chinese hardware. Each tank has 92 blades with 200cc of liquid providing 4kw of cooling.
How much of an impact on the difficulty of Bitcoin mining such super miners will have is difficult to say. The Bitcoin algorithm adjusts the difficulty every 2016 blocks to keep the rate at about 10 minutes to solve a block. It the hardware improves then the difficulty goes up to keep the rate constant. So introducing super hash farms, such as this one, will make the problem harder and make it increasingly difficult for less well equipped miners to succeed.
Of course, this is another potential mechanism whereby the Bitcoin algorithm could become compromised. A single mining faculty such as this could end up in control of most of the block validations in the world, with the resulting loss of decentralised processing that Bitcoin depends on.
53238481
submission
mikejuk writes:
Considering how long we have been trying to solve the problem, a robot walking is mostly amusing. Atlas is an impressive robot, evoking, the deepest fears of sci fi. http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/13/09/08/1829253/unboxing-boston-dynamics-darpa-ready-atlas-robot
Watch as one of the DARPA challenge teams makes Atlas walk, unaided, on randomness. This video of Atlas created by the Florida Institute For Human and Machine Cognition robotics team. It shows Atlas walking across a random collection of obstacles. Notice that even though it looks as if Atlas is supported by a tether, it isn't — as proved when it falls over at the end.
53018565
submission
mikejuk writes:
3D input devices like the Kinect have made so many new things possible, but what about output? inForm is a remarkably simple but effective device that has to be seen to be believed.
The mechanism of MIT's new shapeshifting output device is remarkably simple. It is based on the well known pin screen devices that you can use to take a 3D impression of an object. A 2D plate of pins can be moved to create a surface.In the same way, inForm uses a set of rods and actuators to create dynamic surfaces. The big difference is that the actuators are under computer control.
Now you have a computer controlled surface and what is really surprising is how much you can get from this simple idea. With the help of a 3D depth camera and some innovative software, the surface can act as an output device that lets you manipulate real objects remotely. If you use the surface as a table then your computer can bring you real objects such as your mobile phone — see the video to believe it.
While there are many obvious serious applications such as displaying volumetric CT scans, displaying complex data or providing early experience of prototypes there is also the possibility of having fun with the device. After all simple pinscreens are still sold as executive toys. Could there be a new generation of games in this?
What about putting a device at each end of a video phone call?
With a little more engineering to take it to a higher resolution and smoothness, you could have a magic coffee table that automatically handed you your coffee and followed up with a donut.
Perhaps one day all furniture will be alive.
52817217
submission
mikejuk writes:
There is of course the total wonder at being able to run operating systems in the browser. It's mind boggling that what was once compiled code works in an interpreted dynamic language inside a humble web browser — ok perhaps humble web browser is going a bit far given that today's web browsers are more like complete operating systems in their own right, but you get the idea.
The first set is courtesy of PCjs, a PC emulator written in JavaScript by Jeff Parsons. In fact, the PC emulator is really worth knowing about because it provides a completely configurable emulation of the original XT architecture. You can customize it using an XML file to include various components such as video adapters, keyboards and so on. A really nice touch is that you can easily set up a control panel that shows you what the hardware is doing at the register level — this could be a great teaching tool.
On the JavaScript Machines website http://jsmachines.net/ you can find a range of emulations ready to go, ranging from MS-DOS to Windows 1.01 — yes 1.01! The point being that Windows didn't really catch on until it reached version 3. If you take a look at 1.01, released in 1985, in the emulator you will find out why no-one wanted to use it.
So how much better was Windows 3?
You can find out using another emulator; PCE.js. This is a port, using Emscripten, of the well-known PCE emulator. Emscripten takes the C code of the original emulator and converts it to a subset of JavaScript called asm.js. http://jamesfriend.com.au/pce-js/ibmpc-win/
Finally we have the Mac System 7.0.1 OS running under PCE.js http://jamesfriend.com.au/pce-js/. It comes complete with MacPaint, MacDraw and Kid Pix. Try this one because in many ways it was the one that Windows was trying to beat.
The final question is — can anyone find a real use for a PC emulator within a browser?
52630857
submission
mikejuk writes:
Bribe.io announces itself as:
A super easy way to bribe developers to fix bugs and add features in the software you're using.
Recognizing the fact that a lot of open source projects are maintained by developers working alone and in their spare time, the idea is to encourage other developers to by specifying a monetary value to a bug report or feature enhancement. Once an initial "Bribe" has been posted others can "chip in" and add to the financial incentive.
Obviously there are problems to overcome — will it lead to devs introducing bugs at the same time as new features just to get paid to fix them? Also how does this fit with the underlying ethos of open source software? I Can hear RMS already....
52544825
submission
mikejuk writes:
On October 31st Rockstar filed patent infringement lawsuits against Google, Samsung, HTC, ZTE, ASUSTeK, Huawei, LG, and ZTE. Rockstar is an unfamiliar name, but it is the consortium formed by Apple, Microsoft, RIM, Ericsson and Sony to purchase a portfolio of more than 6,000 patents from Nortel.. This litigation employs just 15 of the patents and Google may now be regretting not outbidding the opposition when they were auctioned in 2011. What makes things worse is that having nearly won the auction with a bid of $4.$ billion Google can hardly argue that the patents are worthless. On the other hand, Google's behavior at the auction was, to put it mildly, bizarre. It chose bids that were mathematical constants, something that became apparent once the bidding passed $3 billion and Google's bid was $3.14159. If only it had continued with the first Feigenbaum constant, 4.669201609 ..., it might have avoided another protracted round of patent wars.
There are two actions one against Google Adwords for infringing search patents and one against Android manufacturers for infringing a range of patents in using Android.
If the device manufacturers lose it could be the end of a free Android OS as each device would mean a licence payment. This is something that Apple would like to see happen very much indeed, but Microsoft with its "paid for" operating system would also be very happy.
The effect of a loss in the Google search engine case is much more difficult to predict but potentially it could cut off, or severely reduce, Google's main source of income.
52415287
submission
mikejuk writes:
The UK Government is trying to figure out how to teach children to code by changing what is taught in schools. The Telegraph, a leading UK newspaper, has put the other side of the case — Coding is for "exceptionally dull weirdo(s)"
The recent blog post
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/willardfoxton2/100011290/the-government-wants-to-teach-all-children-how-to-code-heres-why-its-a-stupid-idea/
by Willard Foxton is an amazing insight into the world of the non-programming mind.
He goes on to say:
"Coding is a niche, mechanical skill, a bit like plumbing or car repair."
So coding is a mechanical skill — I guess he must be thinking of copy typing.
"As a subject, it only appeals to a limited set of people – the aforementioned dull weirdos. There’s a reason most startup co-founders are “the charming ideas guy” paired with “the tech genius”. It’s because if you leave the tech genius on his own he’ll start muttering to himself."
Why is it I feel a bout of muttering coming on?
"If a school subject is to be taught to everyone, it needs to have a vital application in everyday life – and that’s just not true of coding."
Of course it all depends on what you mean by "vital application".
The article is reactionary and designed to get people annoyed and posting comments — just over 600 at the moment- but what is worrying is that the viewpoint will ring true with anyone dumb enough not to be able to see the bigger picture. The same attitude extends not just to programming but to all STEM subjects. The next step in the argument is — why teach physics, chemistry, biology and math (as distinct from arithmetic) to any but exceptionally dumb weirdos.
52385367
submission
mikejuk writes:
Microsoft has delivered an application that could change everything and give Windows a chance in the new post-PC world by making the PC important again. It has announced RDP apps for Android, iOS and OSX. They are available now and can be downloaded and used for free. After trying the Android app it is clear that this RDP app works and has the enterprise facilities that are needed.
The real revolution however is touch. The new RDP app supports Windows 8 touch gestures. This means that if you connect to a Windows 8 machine you get the full touch experience — pinch to zoom, charms, etc. This effectively puts WinRT apps on every Android, iPad and iPhone in existence.
You no longer need a new touch-enabled Windows 8 machine because you very likely already have one.
52357643
submission
mikejuk writes:
Developers are waking up to the fact that the Sykpe Desktop API is to be withdrawn at the end of December 2013 — and are trying to reverse the decision with a petition.
Although the decision to "de-commission" the Desktop API was communicated to Sky partners in July, it didn't get much attention at the time. Now notices announcing that apps and devices will stop working in December have started to appear when users download the latest version of Skype and try to start a third party app.
So what are developers expected to use to create future apps — for mobile, web and desktop apps?
Currently the replacement URI API hardly justifies the name. It is a Rest-style API that provides very few facilities — place a call or start a chat and that's about it. This limits what you can now do and the idea that you can bring existing applications up-to-date is laughable.
Developers whose apps are affected are blaming Microsoft, which acquired Skype in 2011, and certainly it can be seen as part of Microsoft overall policy of deprecating the desktop while promoting mobile devices. By killing the API Skype is killing existing apps and existing add-on hardware.
If you want to make your voice heard sign the petition:http://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/skype-microsoft-provide-continued-support-for-third-party-skype-utilities-that-have-become-mission-critical-to-skype-s-users
52237175
submission
mikejuk writes:
DARPA's latest challenge seems like a good idea, but it is asking for enough AI to make sure that a computer detects an attack, defends and repairs itself?
"What if computers had a “check engine” light that could indicate new, novel security problems? What if computers could go one step further and heal security problems before they happen?"
This sounds hard, but the first prize is $2 million, with second and third place taking $1 million and $750,000 respectively. The challenge is planned to start in early 2016 and as it is a tournament each team will score points and there will be a winner no matter how poorly they all perform.
Systems that protect themselves — It sounds like something from science fiction and we all know how that ends.
52207241
submission
mikejuk writes:
The GOTCHA is a sort of CAPTCHA designed to stop dictionary attacks on password hashes. It's new and it might have more uses in security than just being better password protection. The computer generates ten inkblot patterns based on the password — the same user password combination always generates the same pattern. Then the user is asked to make up phrases for each inkblot pattern — for the one below it might be "Evil clown". The computer then generates a permutation of the inkblots, e.g. P=321456709 means inkblot 3, then 2, then 1 then 4 and so on. Next the machine computes a hash with a salt and the permutation as an extra salt. That is, it computes h(p,s,P) and stores the hash, the salt and the phrases the user assigned in the permuted order. Notice it doesn't store the permuted order P.
When the user logs with the correct password they are shown the ten inkblots in the standard order and the phrases they applied to them in the permuted order. All the user has to do is match the phrases to the inkblots and the machine can use this to work out the permutation P. Using this and the salt. the machine can then compute h(p',s,P) and if this gives the stored hash value the user is allowed in.
Now suppose the bad guy gets the hash file — how easy is it to guess the correct password? The only data available is the hash value, the salt and the permuted list of phrases. Now when a dictionary attack is tried the attacker has to try to assign the phrases to the generated inkblots — not an easy task even if the password is correct.
So the next time you log on you might just have to reveal the innermost dark secrets of your soul as you conduct a Rorschach test to see an evil clown or something much worse — is there anything worse — in the inkblots on the screen.
52104933
submission
mikejuk writes:
Can you control a swarm of robots with a single controller that has the same effect on all of them? You can find out by playing a game and helping develop new control algorithms.
Imagine that you have a lot of nearly identical robots and you need a way to control them. Controlling each separately is possible, but it would take a lot of computing power and a big communications bandwidth. The question is, can they be controlled and made to do useful things using a single central signal? For example, what could you achieve if the robots simply all followed the same rule — move towards the light?
Could you make them do useful things by simply changing the position and intensity of the light?
In a paper to be presented next month at IROS 2013, researchers, Aaron Becker and James McLurkin, prove that as long as the robots are all slightly different you can create an algorithm that will move each one to a different target position. You need to see the videos to understand how it might all works.
Despite having some theoretical results on how to control swarms, the research team would like you to help by playing some fun games. Your task is to play sheepdog, or perhaps that should be robot dog, and herd some robots into performing some task or another. As well as being fun, it is also very instructive and in no time at all you start to try out heuristics to see if you can improve your performance. http://www.swarmcontrol.net/
The uses of this technique are many. It would allow nanobots to move atoms and build useful nanomachines, you could use it to sort all the cells in a Petri dish or deliver drugs to just the cancer cells. It might even give us some idea how cells organize themselves to create complex structures.
When you think of the potential of this research there is no doubt that it could be the most important robot research going on at the moment.
