In the run up to the Oscars, millions of people across the globe were intrigued about who would win what awards for which films. One of the questions people in the tech world have been asking is whether we will be able to predict future Oscar winners, based upon data analysis. Two tech firms called Cognizant and Clarabridge, are convinced that they will be able to accomplish this. Both companies looked at 150 variables, from film genre to box office takings, from review ratings to the percentage of female viewers under 18. They then applied their algorithm to data going back fifteen years to work out which of these variables were the most important. Both firms also measured the sentiment films elicited on websites such as IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes. Just to give some sense of the amount of data, the tech firms looked at 150,000 text reviews and more than 38 million star ratings from IMDB alone.
Data crunchers are able to measure sentiment more precisely these days thanks to Big Data analytics and pattern spotting algorithms. Cognizant and Clarabridge expressed a 64% certainty that 'The Revenant' would win an award. In view of the awards given to Leonardo DiCaprio and Alejandro González Iñárritu, it would seem their prediction was bang on the mark! This certainly raises some interesting questions about Big Data analytics. Could data analytics predict Oscar winners of the future with 100% accuracy? It's certainly a possibility. But would we really want to know this in advance? Wouldn't this spoil the atmosphere of the Oscar awards ceremony? Only time will tell. One thing for sure is that Big Data is becoming ever more sophisticated at predicting competition outcomes. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is an open question right now.
Monday, 29 February 2016
Monday, 15 February 2016
The promised land of fraud prevention
Israel has become a major investment hub within the technology industry. Within the last decade it has earned a stellar reputation internationally as a fertile breeding ground for hi-tech startups. Lately, Israel has also begun to excel within the fields of identity verification and fraud prevention. This is a hugely important area right now and Israel is at the forefront of cutting edge technology within the space. Companies like Forter and I Am Real excel at fraudulent user detection and identity assessment respectively. The IDF Unit 8200 develops systems for gathering intelligence, sifting through data to detect dangers and escalating serious threats for manual review.
What differentiates Israel from most other countries at the cutting edge of technology is the fact that Israel has faced an existential threat since its very inception in 1948. Surviving against hostile neighbours has necessitated implementing a world class military intelligence within Israel. Mossad is arguably the most feared and hated intelligence service on this planet, and the IDF is undoubtedly the most highly trained army globally. What this has meant is that Israel has become exceptionally good at espionage and intelligence gathering. In the day and age of Big Data, this is highly advantageous. While the rest of the world is only now awakening to the power of reliable data and high-level security, Israel has been aware of this for decades. In essence, Israel has had a headstart in relation to devising cutting edge security technology. Israel's very existence has always been reliant upon having reliable security systems in place.
As the world gears up to embrace the age of Big Data and the Internet of Things, opportunities for deception and manipulation will abound within technology. Identity verification and fraud prevention will become enormously important to organisations the world over. Israel demonstrates superb prescience by investing heavily within these areas. With decades of experience in tackling the most brutal terrorist organisations known to mankind, Israel has invaluable knowledge and expertise in regard to security. One can expect to witness very exciting developments emerge within this field from Israel in the coming years.
What differentiates Israel from most other countries at the cutting edge of technology is the fact that Israel has faced an existential threat since its very inception in 1948. Surviving against hostile neighbours has necessitated implementing a world class military intelligence within Israel. Mossad is arguably the most feared and hated intelligence service on this planet, and the IDF is undoubtedly the most highly trained army globally. What this has meant is that Israel has become exceptionally good at espionage and intelligence gathering. In the day and age of Big Data, this is highly advantageous. While the rest of the world is only now awakening to the power of reliable data and high-level security, Israel has been aware of this for decades. In essence, Israel has had a headstart in relation to devising cutting edge security technology. Israel's very existence has always been reliant upon having reliable security systems in place.
As the world gears up to embrace the age of Big Data and the Internet of Things, opportunities for deception and manipulation will abound within technology. Identity verification and fraud prevention will become enormously important to organisations the world over. Israel demonstrates superb prescience by investing heavily within these areas. With decades of experience in tackling the most brutal terrorist organisations known to mankind, Israel has invaluable knowledge and expertise in regard to security. One can expect to witness very exciting developments emerge within this field from Israel in the coming years.
Monday, 18 January 2016
Electronic voting
2016 is the presidential election year in the United States and many people all over the world are eagerly waiting to see who the next President will be. One area which is undergoing change as a result of technology is of course voting. In recent years, considerable interest has been generated in relation to electronic voting. However, electronic and/or online voting is inadvisable for several reasons. Anonymity is a critical aspect of voting in any democracy. Anything that compromises voting anonymity can lead to corruption or bribery. With that in mind, here are few things to bear in mind in regard to electronic voting machines.
1. The first problem is how to audit the electronic voting machine. How can you really ensure that whatever software you decide to use on the voting machine, will actually be the software on the machine on election day? However secure you may think the voting machines are, they cannot be absolutely secure.
2. Votes in transit. Whatever way you decide to transmit the voting data from the machines to the final count will contain risk of interference. However securely you may try to transmit the voting data, risks will be involved.
3. The central count program. This is the program that will take all of the voting numbers and calculate the final result. This program will be susceptible to hacking, however securely you try to protect it.
In view of the fact that somewhere between 5% and 50% of all desktop computers worldwide are infected with some kind of virus, we must be extremely careful in regard to how we design electronic voting software or hardware. The video below carefully addresses the points above and explains why electronic or online voting is inadvisable. As we embrace caution, it is important that we proceed with caution, particularly as it relates to politics. There is a huge incentive for people to skew electoral results so that they can ensure that their chosen candidate or party gets into power. In view of the political turmoil all over the world right now, this could be potentially disastrous. On top of that, we must never lose sight of the fundamental principles upon which democracy is based, namely accountability, transparency and control of the abuse of power.
3.
1. The first problem is how to audit the electronic voting machine. How can you really ensure that whatever software you decide to use on the voting machine, will actually be the software on the machine on election day? However secure you may think the voting machines are, they cannot be absolutely secure.
2. Votes in transit. Whatever way you decide to transmit the voting data from the machines to the final count will contain risk of interference. However securely you may try to transmit the voting data, risks will be involved.
3. The central count program. This is the program that will take all of the voting numbers and calculate the final result. This program will be susceptible to hacking, however securely you try to protect it.
In view of the fact that somewhere between 5% and 50% of all desktop computers worldwide are infected with some kind of virus, we must be extremely careful in regard to how we design electronic voting software or hardware. The video below carefully addresses the points above and explains why electronic or online voting is inadvisable. As we embrace caution, it is important that we proceed with caution, particularly as it relates to politics. There is a huge incentive for people to skew electoral results so that they can ensure that their chosen candidate or party gets into power. In view of the political turmoil all over the world right now, this could be potentially disastrous. On top of that, we must never lose sight of the fundamental principles upon which democracy is based, namely accountability, transparency and control of the abuse of power.
3.
Tuesday, 12 January 2016
David Bowie's legacy
The world has been deeply saddened over the past few days to learn of the unfortunate passing of an extremely talented musician, David Bowie. Bowie truly was a musical revolutionary who will be remembered for decades as one of the greatest musicians of his time. However, as well as being a brilliant musician, Bowie was also an Internet pioneer. That is to say, Bowie was ahead of his time when he launched his internet service BowieNet in 1998. Few other artists in the late nineties provided any online material to their fans. BowieNet also operated as a full internet service provider in the UK and the US, competing with the likes of AOL and others. In interviews during the nineties, Bowie said that he expected the internet to have a huge effect on the music industry. How right he was. Bowie's website was the first attempt to create an online community around a rock star and it worked extremely well. Bowie also produced BowieWorld, a 3D chat environment offered via his site. Many other artists around the world have now taken Bowie's lead and harnessed the online world to promote their music. What Bowie achieved will truly be remembered for a long time. This video below is a brief yet poignant tribute to the great artist.
Tuesday, 5 January 2016
Security threats for 2016
Although 2015 witnessed many exciting developments within the Internet of Things, it was also the year that the Internet of Things got hacked. Some notable examples of security breaches last year include the Ashley Madison incident and the hack into InvestBank in the United Arab Emirates. As fears about cybercrime become exacerbated, here are some areas in which we can expect to see further security breaches in 2016.
1. Extortion hacking. This is where hackers threaten to release sensitive data unless the victim pays money or meets some other demand. Public release of sensitive data can potentially ruin someone's career or personal life, so extortion hacking can be brutally effective. In cases where victims give in to the demands of the hacker, the public may never know about the hacking. Such attacks will unfortunately become more prevalent in 2016.
2. Data manipulation attacks. Cyber attacks that change or manipulate data have become a major area of concern now. When hackers succeed in infiltrating a system and altering data, the effects can be catastrophic. For instance, if hackers could penetrate a stock trading system, they could force stock prices to either rise or fall, thus altering the global markets. Data sabotage that comprises the integrity of weapons systems could be hazardous to global security.
3. Chip and PIN hacking. Last year saw a rise in Chip and PIN fraud. Banks have responded by designing improved Chip and PIN cards in order to circumvent such incidents, but hackers are ever vigilant for opportunities to exploit in this area. Banks will need to continue to maintain high level security measures in order to thwart hackers. However, as someone once said, the biggest security risk for any bank is its customers. If customers are careless with their banking data, hackers will have ample opportunity to hack into bank accounts and steal funds.
4. Zombie botnets. Last year we witnessed connected cars, medical devices and skateboards get hacked. There is an emerging trend for commandeering of IoT devices for botnets. This means that CCTV cameras can be turned into botnet armies in order to launch DDOS attacks. This will unfortunately become a major risk this year.
Cybersecurity will be critically important as we move forward into the Internet of Things. Cybersecurity specialists will become highly sought after individuals worlwide in view of the increase in risks. Now is an exciting time to be alive. This year promises to be an interesting one in terms of the technological developments in store. But every new development brings with it opportunities for hackers. So vigilance and care as always are extremely important.
1. Extortion hacking. This is where hackers threaten to release sensitive data unless the victim pays money or meets some other demand. Public release of sensitive data can potentially ruin someone's career or personal life, so extortion hacking can be brutally effective. In cases where victims give in to the demands of the hacker, the public may never know about the hacking. Such attacks will unfortunately become more prevalent in 2016.
2. Data manipulation attacks. Cyber attacks that change or manipulate data have become a major area of concern now. When hackers succeed in infiltrating a system and altering data, the effects can be catastrophic. For instance, if hackers could penetrate a stock trading system, they could force stock prices to either rise or fall, thus altering the global markets. Data sabotage that comprises the integrity of weapons systems could be hazardous to global security.
3. Chip and PIN hacking. Last year saw a rise in Chip and PIN fraud. Banks have responded by designing improved Chip and PIN cards in order to circumvent such incidents, but hackers are ever vigilant for opportunities to exploit in this area. Banks will need to continue to maintain high level security measures in order to thwart hackers. However, as someone once said, the biggest security risk for any bank is its customers. If customers are careless with their banking data, hackers will have ample opportunity to hack into bank accounts and steal funds.
4. Zombie botnets. Last year we witnessed connected cars, medical devices and skateboards get hacked. There is an emerging trend for commandeering of IoT devices for botnets. This means that CCTV cameras can be turned into botnet armies in order to launch DDOS attacks. This will unfortunately become a major risk this year.
Cybersecurity will be critically important as we move forward into the Internet of Things. Cybersecurity specialists will become highly sought after individuals worlwide in view of the increase in risks. Now is an exciting time to be alive. This year promises to be an interesting one in terms of the technological developments in store. But every new development brings with it opportunities for hackers. So vigilance and care as always are extremely important.
Monday, 4 January 2016
Technology of 2016
As we enter 2016 it's important to take a moment to reflect on some of the extraordinary developments we have witnessed over the course of the past year within the tech space. There is no doubt that we are standing on the threshold of one of the most significant milestones in history. Of particular interest will be phone chargers, mainstream 3D printers for home use and 3D apps. Virtual reality technology like the Oculus rift will also garner enormous attention worldwide. Many of these cutting edge developments are ready to go but it will be quite some time before they become mainstream all over the world. As Sci-Fi author William Gibson once quipped, the future is already here, it's just not very evenly distributed. The video below is well worth watching to get an inkling of what we can expect to see this year.
Tuesday, 22 December 2015
SpaceX unmanned rocket
Aerospace manufacturer SpaceX made history on December 21st by safely returning a first stage rocket back to the ground at Cape Canaveral, the first such accomplishment of its kind. Drone technology has already revolutionized the military and is beginning to make inroads into other areas of our lives. Unmanned rockets could truly revolutionize the whole world. The possibilities for space exploration are staggering. But as with all technological breakthroughs, caution must always be advised. Unmanned rockets are only as safe and reliable as the humans who design them. Nonetheless, this field may hold enormous potential for making the world a better place to live for everyone. Interesting to see what the next developments in unmanned rockets will be. The BBC video below is worth watching to capture the mood surrounding this extraordinary development.
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