Concerning news surrounding the popular messaging service, WhatsApp, as a security threat has recently been discovered. Group chats that are created on the app could be found just by doing a Google search, thus highlighting a major “flaw”. These Google searched have surfaced group chat concerning things from government officials to illegal pornography. Read more in this Forbes article:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2020/02/29/whatsapp-security-is-this-hidden-flaw-a-new-reason-to-leave/#468159ee5b90

For scientists, it is difficult to manually keep track of every animal, specially since all of them look alike. Hopefully, there are some animals like zebras, giraffes and whales that have unique identifying markers. Scientists keep track of these animals using their body marks, which also helps them keep track of diseases. Nevertheless, it is still very difficult to manually keep track of each animal by their body mark.

Artificial intelligence is helping save these animals by automatically recognizing and categorizing those body marks. By using machine learning, the algorithm can identify an animal only by using pictures. This saves scientists a lot of time, effort and resources.

Read more about it here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/how-a-portland-nonprofit-is-using-artificial-intelligence-to-help-save-whales-giraffes-zebras/

About two years ago, writer Lin Classon attended AWS reInvent, Amazon’s cloud-services conference. The biggest takeaway she gained from the event was how empty the women’s bathroom was. With over 40,000 attendees, how was it possibly that the women’s bathroom was… empty? This brought up a bigger question: If all women were missing from the restroom, where else are they missing from?

Classon didn’t allow the conversation to stop here. In digging deeper, she realized how immense the gender gap really was in tech industry as a whole. She decided to conduct a study called “Speak Up: Bringing More Women’s Voices to Tech Conferences”.

In surveying over 500 women across the US and UK who have attended tech conferences, some results were expected, while others were just shocking.

She found that, 70% of women who’ve sat on a panel at a technology conference have been the only woman on the panel. In addition, One in four women have experienced sexual harassment at a tech conference. #LIS4022spr20

https://qz.com/1579078/new-data-about-tech-conferences-shows-stark-gender-inequality/

This makes sense, Google is one of the leading companies doing research into Artificial Intelligence. They have probably had many discussions on the possible repercussions that AI could have. Usually governments are slow to get with the change that technology creates, especially the US government. The implications of AI implementation are endless, we should definitely be looking for solutions to problems that are not there yet.

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/google-ai-artificial-intelligence-sundar-pichai-regulation-ft-a9292861.html

Learning is an interesting phenomena because of the different ways of information acquisition; for example, one may learn by studying from a teacher with a structured curriculum, yet another may arrive at the same point by assimilating random bits of information by their own searching and experiences. This dichotomy is Formal and Informal Learning, and such factors should be taken into account when Instructional Designers are crafting a system.

Formal Learning has been found to account for about 10% of a students learning, and Informal learning the rest; this statistic shows the importance of individualized information seeking. Especially in today’s time, information is abundant and free with the use of the Internet, and many sites are now becoming outlets of information. This allows students to search with their own discretion at anytime. While Informal learning has it’s benefits, Formal learning provides guidance towards the content and details that are significant. It becomes more efficient and enduring in the long-run when information has a skeleton to follow.

A designer must consider how structure plays in relation with a student’s motivation to learn in so both can be utilized to work with each other. A teacher provides structure on the content, but they may also provide outside resources or perspectives to add to the curriculum. Assignments might be used for student to search for related information that interests them, or the teacher might leave details open ended for a student to look for an answer. The logic behind these examples is that Formal learning can ask the students to seek their own information through direct or indirect implications.

Read this article below for an elaboration on the differences between Formal and Informal learning:

Formal vs. Informal Learning Explained

 

Have you taken a look at your ring camera recently? if not, there could be a chance your ring account got hacked. Ring has done numerous amount of changed to their system and app security, but it all those changes enough to prevent feature hackings from actually happening ? Read more here:https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/6/21050426/ring-control-center-privacy-dashboard-app-police-security-two-factor-ces-2020

As we round the corner into one of the most important election years in history, many still wonder how we got here. Try as we might, nobody has pinpointed an exact cause. This blog would imply filter bubbles as the culprit, and others may point the finger solely at Fox News.

As in much of life, the answer lies somewhere in between. Hindsight is 20/20, but would even prophetic foresight have been enough to prevent the shock of 2016? If given another chance, would the media right its wrongs, or was Trump’s presidency inevitable? Beyond that, one must ask if it was Clinton’s campaign, not the media, that was the nail in the coffin for any hopes of a democratic win? This article from the Harvard Business Review aims to answer questions about campaign strategy, the media, and more. Click here to read more.

By now we all know privacy is still an issue with smart devices. There are many tips and tricks on increasing your security, and this is one of them. One word: Firewall! A firewall is defined as a a part of a computer system or network which is designed to block unauthorized access while permitting outward communication.

Using a firewall can help stop hacker and improves your overall security. With numerous smart devices connected to your WiFi this could be really important for you to have. According, to theDoubleCheck there are 5 firewalls that are ranked as the best. In this article the number one ranked firewall was the Zyxel Next Generation VPN Firewall. This firewall is said to check the information coming in super fast, so no bad information can get by. Also, this firewall has anti-virus, and anti-spam. The Zyxel Next Generation is super small so it can fit anywhere you need it to, and also keeps itself up to date. This could be your answer if you are looking for more ways to increase your security.

Your information, your data, and your devices are important. Keep them secure.

https://thedoublecheck.co/firewalls-home/

Despite their innocuous origin, memes have quickly become an influential force in society and in politics. While other sources of media are subject to scrutiny and fact-checking, memes seem to have escaped this critical lens. This lack of scrutiny has enabled the spread of misinformation and skewed statistics through the guise of humor.

The usage of memes has vastly differed throughout the 2020 election campaign season. The majority of the challenging candidates have done their best to avoid memes, with some like Andrew Yang only speaking on them to express his lack of support for the far-right memes made about him. This is a stark contrast from 2016, where candidates Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Donald Trump embraced memes.

Despite the lack of enthusiasm from candidates, marketing agencies and other industries have began to recognize their worth. Agencies have popped up with the primary focus of creating and sharing memes to change public perception and endear the public to whoever happens to hire them.

To learn more, refer to this article on Digiday: https://digiday.com/marketing/meme-election-memes-became-mainstream-tool-politics/

Why is having coding skills so important nowadays?

A reason why it is so important, is because it is starting to become a core skill that everyone needs to have when applying for a job. While in the past, knowing how to code was only necessary if you planned to work in the technology industry, it is now become a necessity in industries outside of technology. According to a job market analytics firm, seven million job openings in 2015 demanded applicants to have coding skills, and half of the job opening were in industries that were not related to technology.

https://www.fastcompany.com/3060883/why-coding-is-the-job-skill-of-the-future-for-everyone