smart dunia

Today is World Pneumonia Day, throwing light on a respiratory condition that’s threatening to get more acute in a world with the increasing pollution, among other things. In medical terms, pneumonia is a form of respiratory ailment, an infection caused in the air sacs of the lungs due to various reasons. The World Health Organization blames pneumonia as the number one cause of infectious deaths in children worldwide. According to reports, just in 2019 alone, pneumonia claimed the lives of 2.5 million, including 672,000 children. That was before the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic kicked in, which further worsened the global respiratory health situation as we all know. As a result, the estimated number of deaths from respiratory infections like pneumonia, including COVID-19, was 6 million in 2021. Suffice to say that pneumonia is one of the most challenging respiratory conditions that humanity needs to find a way to eliminate. How is technology helping clinicians and medical researc...

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is all set to launch on 28th October. Activision has confirmed all the game modes that the game’s multiplayer will have at launch. The game is set to include Killstreaks, Field Upgrades, Perks, and more. Let’s take a deep dive into all the game modes that the game is set to include!  Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer Game Modes As per Activision, Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer will offer two distinct mode categories at launch that include Core Map modes and Battle Map modes. The Battle Map Modes will also include Ground War and Ground War Invasion. Here is a list of all the following Core Map modes that will be available at launch: Free-for-all: The first player to reach 30 eliminations ends the match, with the top three performers claiming victory. Team Deathmatch: Use teamwork to eliminate enemy players and reach the score limit. The first team to obtain 75 eliminations wins the match.  Domination: A team has to take complete contro...

On October 6, 2022, a coalition of general-purpose robotics companies signed an open letter titled “General Purpose Robots Should Not Be Weaponised.” The alliance includes known names from the robotics industry, including Agility Robotics, ANYbotics, Clearpath Robotics, Open Robotics, Unitree Robotics, and the developer of the viral robotics dog that took the internet by surprise in 2020, Boston Dynamics. These companies have led the world by inventing new-age sophisticated mobile robots in the last couple of years. In the open letter, they express their concern about the “possibility of misuse,” including the weaponisation of their technology. What does the open letter signed by these companies say? The open letter signed by the companies is available as a press release via Business Wire. As mentioned in the letter, the companies have a consensus that adding weapons to consumer-grade robots that are operated autonomously and are capable of navigating to remote locations “raises new ...

EA has announced the name of the newest instalment in its long-running arcade racing series, Need for Speed. Called NFS Unbound, the new game comes after a hiatus of nearly three years. The last game in the series, NFS: Heat was released in 2019. The game also comes with a new art style that’s heavily based on urban graffiti. Music will feature artists such as A$AP Rocky and AWGE. NFS Unbound: Cars But of course, the most important part of NFS will always be the cars. Thankfully, EA has not skimped on this part. According to the game’s official website, Unbound will offer 143 different vehicles. This will include vehicles from major manufacturers such as Ferrari, Dodge, Lamborghini, Nissan, Aston Martin and more. As has been the case with almost all racing games over the past decade, players will get the chance to customise their vehicles to match their tastes. This would include car parts, wraps, paint and more.  NFS Unbound: Story and Gameplay EA hasn’t yet provided extensive...

San Francisco, Oct 7 (IANS) Tech giant Apple will launch a new 27-inch display with mini LED backlighting in the first quarter of 2023, says a new report. The rumours of the pro-level display have circulated since Apple revealed the more "affordable" Studio Display. It lacks HDR, ProMotion, and mini LED backlighting found in Apple's MacBook Pros and 12.9-inch iPad Pro reports AppleInsider. According to Display Supply Chain Consultants analyst Ross Young, Apple will reveal a 27-inch mini LED display in early 2023. This information was shared with his super followers on Twitter, so the tweet is only visible to paying members. Apple already sells the high-end Pro Display XDR with a 6K display, but it also lacks the latest pro-grade features found in other Apple products. That display is meant more for professionals who need expensive reference monitors where colour accuracy is the most important detail. For those who prioritise display refresh rates and optimised backli...

France-born Alain Aspect, American John Clauser and Austrian scientist Anton Zeilinger were on Tuesday awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics "for experiments with entangled photons, establishing the violation of John Stewart Bell inequalities and pioneering quantum information science". They each conducted groundbreaking experiments using entangled quantum states, where two particles behave like a single unit even when they are separated. Their results have cleared the way for new technology based upon quantum information. "The ineffable effects of quantum mechanics are starting to find applications. There is now a large field of research that includes quantum computers, quantum networks, and secure quantum encrypted communication," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said in a statement. One key factor in this development is how quantum mechanics allows two or more particles to exist in what is called an entangled state. What happens to one of the particles in ...

OpenAI has officially announced that their AI Art Generator DALL-E is now available to everyone and can be used without any waitlist. This means that users can sign up and start using the machine learning model immediately without any waiting period.  In a blog post, OpenAI said, “We are removing the waitlist for the DALL·E beta so users can sign up and start using it immediately. More than 1.5M users are now actively creating over 2M images a day with DALL·E—from artists and creative directors to authors and architects—with over 100K users sharing their creations and feedback in our Discord community.” What is DALL-E? In case you’re wondering what DALL-E actually is, it is an open-source machine learning model that allows the creation of original images from scratch using just text descriptions. It can combine different objects, concepts, characteristics and styles while creating an image.  The first version of DALL-E was released in January 2021 and was very basic. While...

New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) Apple is set to release new MacBook devices next month and suppliers are "gearing up" for the shipments of upcoming laptops. According to a report in DigiTimes, Apple plans to release new MacBook models in the fourth quarter this year and if we go by the previous announcements, the company normally launches new hardware in the month of October. This report also said that Apple is gearing up to launch a 15-inch MacBook Air and a 12-inch device by early 2024. According to earlier reports, Apple is likely to unveil a new MacBook Pro with 5-nanometer chips. These are likely to be the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips and will be found inside the 14-inch and 16-inch models, said the report. The Mac mini is also a possibility for a fall 2022 launch. According to rumours, a new iMac and iMac Pro is also in the pipeline but not this year. Another product that might be showcased is the first mixed-reality headset by Apple. Also, the 10th generation of iPad with ...

New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) Apple has explained that new silicone ear tips with the second-generation AirPods Pro are not compatible with the older generation of AirPods Pro. In a support document, the tech giant said the original AirPods Pro ear tips have "noticeably denser mesh" in comparison with the second-generation ear tips. "Ear tips have been designed specifically for their AirPods Pro generation, to deliver the highest-fidelity audio experience," said the company. As a result, "use the ear tips that come with your AirPods Pro". The company explained the reason for this, saying that AirPods Pro (1st generation) ear tips have noticeably denser mesh than AirPods Pro (2nd generation) ear tips. However, using older ear tips won't affect the sound or noise-cancellation quality on new AirPods. The problem users will face is the proper fit in the ear with old tips owing to dense mesh. With the new H2 chip, AirPods Pro, available in India for Rs 26...

Washington, Sep 17 (IANS) Jupiter is set to make its closest approach to Earth in the last 70 years and on September 26, stargazers can expect an excellent view when the giant planet reaches opposition. From the viewpoint of Earth's surface, opposition happens when an astronomical object rises in the east as the Sun sets in the west, placing the object and the Sun on opposite sides of Earth. Jupiter's opposition occurs every 13 months, making the planet appear larger and brighter than any other time of the year. But that's not all. "Jupiter's closest approach to Earth rarely coincides with opposition, which means this year's views will be extraordinary," NASA said in a statement late on Friday. At its closest approach, Jupiter will be approximately 365 million miles in distance from Earth. The planet is approximately 600 million miles away from Earth at its farthest point. "With good binoculars, the banding (at least the central band) and three ...

Washington, Sep 13 (IANS) Twitter whistleblower Peiter Zatko on Tuesday claimed that the Parag Agrawal-led platform hired a Chinese agent working for the country's Ministry of State Security (MSS), and reiterated that the Indian government also "forced" Twitter to hire government agents. During a hearing with the US Senate Judiciary Committee, Twitter's former security chief said that Twitter's poor security practices harmed US national security, reports Engadget. During the questioning, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley said that "the FBI notified Twitter of at least one Chinese agent in the company". In his testimony, Zatko confirmed Twitter had been warned about the presence of Chinese agents. Zatko also raised concerns about the presence of foreign agents from India which "forced" Twitter to hire government agents. Grassley said that Twitter CEO should step down if Zatko's allegations are proven. "I don't see how Mr. Agra...

San Francisco, Sep 8 (IANS) Tech giant Sony PlayStation5's latest firmware update has added features like 1440p support, Gamelists and more. According to Android Central, the PlayStation app will be updated to add the ability to request other features, including Share Screen and launch Remote Play later this month. The report mentioned that Beta testers have already been using these features since July, but now everyone can enjoy 1440p support, Gamelists, and much more. 1440p video output is supported on compatible televisions and PC monitors, allowing players to experience a native 1440p resolution so long as the game supports it as well. For games that offer up to 4K native resolution, users might want to try supersampling down to 1440p to take advantage of the improved anti-aliasing, creating a smoother image without harsh pixelated edges. With Gamelists on PS5, simply by going to the game library and navigating to the collection tab, users can choose to create a Gamelist w...

San Francisco, Sep 9 (IANS) Apple, which has collaborated with American satellite communications company Globalstar for emergency SOS via satellite on iPhone 14 series, is going to become a key rival to Elon Musk's SpaceX in providing satellite-based communications to devices. Apple is reportedly investing $450 million toward creating satellite infrastructure with Globalstar. The tech giant has also agreed to pay for 95 per cent of the costs for new satellites associated with the feature, reports The Verge, quoting from a US SEC filing. Apple plans to use Globalstar's 24-satellite constellation to run its emergency SOS via satellite service. The move comes as telecom carrier T-Mobile has partnered SpaceX to create its own emergency communications service. Musk also tweeted: "We've had some promising conversations with Apple about Starlink connectivity. iPhone team is obviously super smart". He added that "closing link from space to phone will work best ...

San Francisco, Sep 9 (IANS) Tech giant Google has announced that it is bringing several new features -- including Nearby Share -- to help users stay productive, communicate with loved ones and enjoy entertainment across devices. The company said that Nearby Share lets users quickly and securely share files between nearby Android phones, tablets and Chromebooks, whether they are photos or videos or even entire folders. "In the next few weeks, you will be able to use Nearby Share to effortlessly transfer files across your own devices," Scott Blanksteen, Senior Director, Product Management, Android, said in a statement. "Just select Android devices logged into your Google account from the sharing menu to quickly share files between them. And once you have opted in, transfers between devices you own are automatically accepted -- even if your screen is off," Blanksteen added. The company said that it recently introduced a new look and updated Google Workspace apps fo...

San Francisco, Sep 9 (IANS) Tech giant Microsoft has announced that it is rolling out new experiments to learn how to create a more personalised home screen experience for Xbox users. The company said that it is focused on making it faster and easier for users to play the games they love and find their next favourite game. "We know the Xbox homepage is where our gamers spend a lot of their time, and it is a space that is very personal. We also know we can always be listening and learning how we can do better here while keeping your experience fast and familiar," Ivy Krislov, Senior Product Manager Lead, Xbox, said in a blogpost. The company said that starting this week, a random subset of Xbox Insiders in the Alpha Skip-Ahead ring will see layout, design, and ease of access changes as we experiment with different approaches. "In addition, we are exploring options for new game channels and collections when you scroll down that include content that's curated for yo...

San Francisco, Sep 9 (IANS) Google-owned YouTube is introducing new products that will allow learners to explore subjects they are passionate about and creators to provide structured learning content. The platform is announcing updates to make educational content more accessible and interactive for learners while helping learning creators thrive on YouTube. "To improve the YouTube experience in educational environments, we are launching YouTube Player for Education -- a new YouTube embedded player that shows content on commonly used education apps without distractions like ads, external links or recommendations," Jonathan Katzman, Director of Product Management, YouTube Learning, said in a blogpost. YouTube said, to start, it is partnering with established edtech companies in the US, including EDpuzzle, Purdue University and Purdue Global. YouTube Player for Education will also improve the existing YouTube embedded player in Google Classroom for an even better YouTube exp...

Elon Musk-run SpaceX on Monday said it has successfully deployed 51 more Starlink satellites in space, completing its 40th mission so far this year. The Falcon 9 rocket launched 51 Starlink satellites and Spaceflight's Sherpa-LTC to orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, the US. "Deployment of 51 Starlink satellites confirmed, completing SpaceX's 40th mission so far this year! Deployment of Spaceflight's Sherpa-LTC confirmed," the company said in a tweet. The Sherpa-LTC orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) carries Spaceflight's customer payload ( part of Boeing's Varuna Technology Demonstration Mission) that aims to test V-band communications for a future constellation of 147 non-geostationary broadband satellites. SpaceX's Falcon 9 will drop off Sherpa-LTC at a 310-kilometer altitude above Earth. Then, the Sherpa-LTC will use its onboard high-thrust propulsion system to maneuver to its designated 1,000-...

As NASA scrubbed the Artemis 1 uncrewed mission to the Moon once again, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Sunday came up with a suggestion for the ailing mission that will finally land astronauts on the lunar surface after decades. NASA engineers could not overcome a hydrogen leak in a 'quick disconnect' phase of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket launch on Saturday. According to Eric Berger of Ars Technica, NASA has a tolerance for a small amount of hydrogen leakage and anything above a 4 per cent concentration of hydrogen near the 'quick disconnect' is considered a flammability hazard. Musk replied to Berger's 'accurate assessment', saying that "Raptor design started out using H2 (hydrogen), but switched to CH4 (hydrogen). Latter is the best combo of high efficiency and ease of operation in my opinion." "Delta-v difference between H2 and CH4 is small for most missions, because the CH4 tank is much smaller & no insulation is needed,...

New Delhi, Sep 3 (IANS) Google has finally allowed conservative social media app Parler to be back on its Play Store, after it removed the app in January 2021 for violating its policies following the US Capitol riots. In April, Apple approved Parler's return to the App Store, following improvements the company made to better detect and moderate hate speech. "Major news: We're back on the Google Play Store. Happy downloading, Android users," Parler app tweeted on Saturday. Parler Chief Technology Officer Sam Lipoff said that while away from Google Play, "we have worked diligently to build a more feature-rich and dynamic user experience". "Now is a perfect time to join Parler and rediscover the non-partisan platform where we enable people to speak freely," Lipoff posted. Parler, an alternative to Facebook and Twitter that bills itself as a haven for free speech, was removed from major tech platforms in early January following the US Capitol riot...

New York, Sep 2 (IANS) For the first time, astronomers have used NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to take a direct image of a planet outside our solar system. The exoplanet called 'HIP 65426 b' is a gas giant, meaning it has no rocky surface and could not be habitable. The exoplanet is about six to 12 times the mass of Jupiter, and these observations could help narrow that down even further. It is young, about 15 to 20 million years old, compared to our 4.5-billion-year-old Earth. "This is a transformative moment, not only for Webb but also for astronomy generally," said Sasha Hinkley, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Exeter in the UK. The image, as seen through four different light filters, shows how Webb's powerful infrared gaze can easily capture worlds beyond our solar system, pointing the way to future observations that will reveal more information than ever before about exoplanets, the space agency said in a stateme...