Project Loon By Google

4.3 billion people still lack access to the Internet today. However, through Project Loon, Google has ambitious plans to connect these people to the world through balloons. Through partnerships with telecommunication companies to share cellular spectrum and the usage of LTE, a wireless telecommunication technology, Project Loon seeks to simulate a free-floating cell towers through these balloons. By using software to track wind movement, Google engineers are able to maneuver the balloons to ensure the signal can be handed off to another "cell tower" and thus ensure the message is not distorted or lost. Hence, through phones and other LTE-enabled devices, everyone would be able to connect to the balloon network and consequently the Internet anytime, anywhere.

Having discussed how cellular networks and how a signal is handed off between cell towers, I think this article is interesting because it highlights the different forms that the cell towers can actually take. I think that the level of ingenuity and creativity used in designing these balloon "cell towers" emphasizes that technology does not respect any boundaries and how we use technology in our lives is only limited by how far our imagination can go.

By: Chew Ming Li, Pearlyn 

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Facebook launches Aquila solar-powered drone for internet access

Facebook has created one of the largest unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which plans to provide internet access to remote parts of the world. The solar powered drone will be able to fly for three months at a time without landing, using laser beam to beam data to a base station on the ground. Facebook aims to use a network of aerial drones as a means to provide internet access to large rural areas, with the help of local internet service providers (ISPs).

This could potentially be the start of a connectivity boost in rural areas, which make up a large part of the world. As of now, only 40% of the world is connected to the Internet and therefore this project if successful, will be largely beneficial to the remaining majority.

By: Wee Yong Hui Bronson

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Clickjacking Campaign Exploits European Cookie Law

The article talks about an exploit which makes use of the European law that requires web users to be notified when a website wants to install cookies on their machine called clickjacking. They typically conceal a transparent page within an authentic web page (or in this case, a cookie popup notification) which causes the user to think that he is clicking the visible button (i.e the cookie notification), but instead it is a legitimate advert. Therefore abusing both the advertiser and the ad network hosting which costs advertisers and ad networks a lot of money while online crooks are profiting from bogus Pay Per Click traffic.

The article furthers our knowledge on cookies and explains how it can be exploited by people in real life and how cookies can pose as a threat and a real problem to advertisers and ad network hosts. 

By: Lim Chen Wei

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How cyber thieves trade your birthday for profit in a part of the Internet you can’t find

Cyber thieves have exploited the vulnerabilities in computer networks to gain access to large amount of personal data. They are able to make huge profits out of it, even when prices of these data are sold at a relatively low price today. Cyber thieves trade stolen personal information in a “dark Web”, which are inconspicuous to Google and other search engines. These personal data include birth dates and identification numbers, which are enough to apply loans and credit cards without our knowledge.

This article highlights how our own personal data can be easily sold in illegal marketplaces without our permission. Corporations should also increase the level of data protection and security of their users. It is also important for us to learn how to protect ourselves from such hacks as much as possible.

By: Yang Jia Jia

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FBI's war on encryption is unnecessary because the Internet of Things will spy on us just fine

This article talks about the "war on encryption" whereby governments are scared that with the advancements and adoption of technological architectures, it is increasingly harder to track down terrorists and kidnappers due to the advanced encryption on communications that limits the government's ability. However, it is believe that because of how freely everyone is sharing and revealing their personal data through the Internet, these acts as accessible sources for intelligence agencies and will help in the government efforts of tracking and surveilling communications.

This article is relevant to the topic of Security and it shows the dilemma involved in this area of focus. Firstly, with the adoption of encryption software, it is believe to solve security issues yet the government feels that it is providing a platform for terrorist oraganisations to go under the radar and conduct their wars. Yet, the recent lessons on how easily personal data and information are shared on the internet can result in security issues are instead thought to be able to bypass these "encryptions" and help solve the problem.

By: Sim Chong Ying Brendan

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How software developers helped end the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone

This is a very interesting article on the roles played by open source software developers in helping to stop the spread of Ebola virus in Sierra Leone. Payroll crisis hindered the recruitment of doctors and nurses and also undermined people's confidence in the health system at a vital time, which ultimately exacerbated the spread of the virus. By leveraging on the use of open source software, these IT developers managed to find solutions for logistics and accounting issues, which would not have possible without the existence of open source frameworks. With this huge open source ecosystem, these software developers managed to develop a mobile money system that substitued cellphone minutes for cash and created a automated payment system, thus effectively ending spread of virus.

I find this article extremely relevant to what we have learnt about open source software where it is more superior to proprietary software attributed to wisdom of the crowds. Such an epidemic could not have been reduced in a matter of weeks, without the use of open source software as it is not possible for these developers to develop such complex systems in such a short time with no funding available. This article highlights the wonders of open source software, where modified and more reliable source codes can be distributed to the masses and thereby improving their lives.

By: See Wei Xuan

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Google’s Self-Driving Cars Aren’t as Good as Humans—Yet

Google’s self-driving car is a key project that Google has predicted to be launched in the market by 2020. However, there are still 341 instances where Google engineer has to take over the control of the vehicle, when “things like communication and system failures”. The question lies in who is to blame if an accident really happens after its official launch and whether Google can make it safer than human drivers. 

Humans are relying more on software technologies to aid in their daily life. However, can we ever reach the stage where we are 100% confident in the software development that there will never be an “accident”? Given that software are written by humans, the element of “human error” can never be eradicated in my opinion.

By: Zheng Jingpin

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A robot prepared for self-awareness: Expanded software architecture for walking robot Hector

A year ago, researchers showed that their software endowed the walking robot Hector with a simple form of consciousness. Their new research goes one step further: they have now developed a software architecture that could enable Hector to see himself as others see him. "With this, he would have reflexive consciousness," explains an expert. The architecture is based on artificial neural networks.

This article highlights the prevalence and power that software engineering endows us with. With continual research and software developments, this project yields much hope. This ultimately showcase the usefulness and applications of software engineering in even the most improbable of aspects of research and science.

By: Jonathan Abel Tan Yi Xuan

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You'll soon get 10TB SSDs thanks to new memory tech

This article illustrates how technology continues to push its boundaries as the 48-layers NAND and 3D NAND chips which aims to reduce the cost per bit and to increase maximum chip capacity. With such technologies, companies such as Toshiba, will be able to compete better with Samsung who is leading in the SSD (Solid State Drive) race and thus produce larger and cheaper SSDs. 

Competition between large electronics producers has caused many numerous breakthrough in the industry, from floppy disks to hard disks to flash drives and now solid state drives. When the ssd first came out it was expensive, however with the law of digital mass storage, the ssd too has become cheaper with increasing capacity. With bigger and faster SSDs, we may soon see the hard disk join the floppy disk in becoming obsolete as advances in technology continues to make us more efficient in the world of IT.

By: Chuw Teck Wee

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3D Printed Shoes: A Step in the Right Direction

This article is about the advancement of technology and 3D printing and the leaps it has gone through today. 3D printed shoes now does not require seasoning of new shoes and can also be printed down to the inch to perfectly fit one's feet. They have shone so much potential that even big names like Nike are are using them.

It is rather interesting seeing that 3D printers can even go to the extent of printing design shoes and what's to stop it at shoes? At this rate, your most comfortable shoes with your own customized designs can be printed at home whenever you want. 

By: Siow Wan Ling, Jessica

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Taking the New Era of Computing to Healthcare

For the first time, pharmaceutical and medical equipment companies can more easily move their core business activities to the cloud. IBM Watson Health is changing the game for the healthcare industry by introducing a new cloud service, IBM Watson Health Cloud for Life Science Compliance, which enables innovators to share data while maintaining and validating full compliance with federal regulations. Watson Health Cloud offers a foundation for data sharing, collaboration and application development across the entire spectrum of the healthcare and life sciences ecosystem.

I think my article should be chosen because healthcare is one of the main issue and concern in worldwide. It is important to share the information on how technology and era of computing help to improve the healthcare system and how it benefits the worldwide in the near future. I am sure many of the people would be interested to find out and witness the growth in both the computing era and the healthcare system in the world.

By: Sha Jing Yong

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Data Analytics Helps You Move At The Speed Of Your Customers

This article discusses how data analytics is now critical in delivering a continually improving customer experience which is the core of any business. It provides numerous advantages such as discerning patterns within throngs of data, enabling the understanding of every individual customer on a deeper level, automating services such as recommendation engines,  and driving marketing efforts such as personalized contact over e-mail, text or social media. However utilizing a data analytics strategy comes with certain challenges which include:  what data to collect for analysis,  how to implement a data analytics platform and deal with security and compliance.  

By: Timothy Yu Yudian

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New York City is Replacing Payphones with WiFi Hubs

This article is about New York City’s motion to replace payphones with WiFi Hubs. As the world gets increasingly globalised and technologically advanced, old-fashioned payphones are now a thing of the past and have to make way for new means of communication. In addition, the article also mentioned security and privacy issues that could arise from this new service. 

I feel that this article is interesting because the payphone has been around for many decades and has been a symbolic feature in many countries, yet it still has to make way for new IT innovations. It shows how the world and its people have to adapt to changes due to IT. Businesses, in the same way, have to be constantly updated in order to stay ahead of IT advancements and to stay competitive. 

Furthermore, businesses today also have to be aware of security issues regarding IT systems in order to ensure that confidential business information will not be compromised. 

By: Goh En Qi

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Goodbye snooze button? This alarm clock mat forces you to stand

The Ruggie is an alarm clock that looks like a standard bathroom mat. When the Ruggie goes off in the morning, it utilizes a pressure sensor to turn off the buzzer so the owner must place two feet firmly on the memory foam mat for a minimum of three seconds to turn it off the alarm. The Ruggie can also be connected to a computer over USB in order to upload an audio file that will automatically play after the alarm shuts off.

I find this article very interesting because of the Ruggie’s unconventional design and features that helps users wake up immediately instead of snoozing the alarm and waking up late. The Ruggie could be useful to play an audio of any reminders for work and affirmations to encourage users to start their day off on a positive step.

By: Stephanie Khoo Zhi Mei

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