Yorubaname.Com Codebase Goes Live On GitHub

In a mission to document and preserve all Yorùbá names in a multimedia format and also make them available for all, YorubaName.com, an online dictionary project, has made its backlog accessible to the public.

The Codebase   now on GitHub enables interested persons to be able to contribute their database. The GitHub page gives access to general information, where all the information you need to know on how to contribute to the project is stored.  

In a blogspot,  the team behind the project said, with the codebase now on GitHub, they hope that the development effort behind the YorubaName dictionary, which started off in February 2015, and has been carried by four volunteer developers, will now grow to attract even more people willing to contribute expertise around software development to the project.

The GitHub gives you access to three repositories:

·         The General-information: this contains basic general information needed to get started contributing to the project.

·         The Yorubaname-dashboard: this contains the codebase for the dashboard application.

·         The Yorubaname-website: this contains the codebase for the core dictionary and the website

Bothered About Mobile Phones Causing Cancer? These Precautions Could Help

No doubt, mobile phones bring enormous convenience to our lives; the possible health consequences of exposure to cell phone radiation have aroused considerable public attention and scientific debate.  A major study  carried out by the US government and published by the US National Toxicology Program found a potential link between smartphones and cancer. The report found that there is a likely link between high amounts of cellphone radiation exposure and cancer development in male lab rats.

So, are you worried and want to prevent the small possibility that radio-frequency emissions from your cellphone might cause cancer; here are some precautions you should take.

Reduce your phone's emissions

If you do not need to communicate with your phone for an extended period, airplane mode will cut virtually all emissions from the phone. If you want to track your phone's emissions, Android users can check out the app Tawkonwhich will tell you when your phone's radiation emissions are spiking. When emissions are high, you can throw your phone in airplane mode to drop it down.

Make shorter calls

You must learn to limit the length of your phone conversations. The less time talking with a phone against your head equals less radiation going into your body.  Use a corded landline phone if available. Do not use a cordless phone for long conversations.

Use your Earpiece

When you hold your phone against your head for a call you are increasing the amount of radiation your head will be absorbing.  Near field radiation from the phone is most concerning when the phone is against your body.  The speaker or wired headsets reduce the amount of near field radiation you are exposed to.

You can use speakerphone to keep your phone away from you while chatting. You could also use a headset, earbuds with a built-in microphone or a Bluetooth earpiece and keep your phone in your purse or pocket.

Radiation-blocking Case

Irrespective of the fact, that constant contact with mobile phone radiation is an endless for most of us.  Our phone is with us all the time and is our connection to the world. Mobile phones emit Radio-Frequency (RF) energy. When you hold your cell phone next to your head or wear it on your body, you can absorb over 50% of the transmitted RF energy.

Pong and RF Safe offer radiation-reducing cases for most smartphone models .These companies say that the cases will not impede your connectivity. Some of the cases only cover the back of the phone, which just means you will have to face the front of the phone away from yourself when it is in your pocket, but it will still do the trick.

Switch sides

Be conscious to switch sides regularly, during a phone call to reduce radiation exposure to just one side of your head.  Most of you use the same hand all the time to hold the phone when we talk.  Try to switch to your other hand and it will help so that one side of your head does not always get all the radiation.

Avoid phone with low signal

It is advisable to shun using your mobilel phone when the signal is weak or when moving at high speed, such as in a car or train. These scenarios cause mobile phones to increase their transmitting power in an attempt to connect to the nearest cell tower. You get more radiation and your battery drains faster under these conditions.

Study Suggests Link Between Phones And Cancer

The study, which used rats, does not definitively conclude that phones are dangerous to humans.

Smartphones are the defining accessory of 21st century life. In spite of all the good work they have done, it appears they might be bad for our health.

A major multi-year study carried out by the US government and published by the US National Toxicology Program found a potential link between smartphones and cancer. The study looked at how radio frequency radiation at frequencies used in US wireless networks affected rats. It has also reignited a debate that has raged on quietly for years as to whether phones are making humans ill.

Groups of rats used in the study were exposed to different intensities of radio frequency radiation. Some male specimens were found to exhibit low incidences of two different types of tumors, one in the brain and one in the heart. The more radiation they were exposed to, the more likely, it seemed, they were to develop cancer.

If you're among the 92 percent of Americans who own a mobile phone, your first instinct might be to become wary of your device. But there's no need to don your tinfoil hat just yet. 

The study validates the concerns some scientists have expressed, but ultimately the question as to whether phones can cause cancer remains unresolved. This is far from the first time people have proposed the link. For every study claiming that phones are harmful, there is another suggesting just the opposite.

There are three main reasons that phones could be responsible for certain types of cancer, according to the US National Cancer Institute. Firstly, phones emits radio waves. It's thought that tissues near the antenna can absorb the energy from these waves. Then there is the exponential growth in smartphone use, which has raised concerns, as well as the increase in the number and length of calls people make.

"Given the widespread global usage of mobile communications among users of all ages, even a very small increase in the incidence of disease resulting from exposure to RFR [radio frequency radiation] could have broad implications for public health," reads the study.

The many studies that have been carried on this subject have ultimately been inconclusive, and experts like the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is part of the World Health Organization, are yet to be persuaded definitively one way or another that phones are carcinogenic to humans.

Given the widespread global usage of mobile communications among users of all ages, even a very small increase in the incidence of disease resulting from exposure to RFR [radio frequency radiation] could have broad implications for public health," reads the study.

The many studies that have been carried on this subject have ultimately been inconclusive, and experts like the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is part of the World Health Organization, are yet to be persuaded definitively one way or another that phones are carcinogenic to humans.

The National Toxicology Program is still analyzing the findings of the study. 

For now, it's important to keep in mind that brain tumors are rare and there is no upward trend that shows a correlation between the growth in smartphone use and the number of tumors seen by doctors. In fact, according to the National Cancer Institute, the rates for the number of new brain cancer cases have actually been falling slightly every year for the last ten years.

www.cnet.com 

 

Locate and Lock your Missing Laptop

Kromtech Alliance, a German-based company has developed an application called 'Track My Mac.' The app is designed to facilitate the process of recovering lost or stolen Macs with an iPhone. If your laptop goes missing, you can lock or unlock it remotely or retrieve its location. You can even make an iSight snapshot of the person who is using it.

The free app includes the standard tracking tool that is built right into the Mac OS X. With this tool, the owner can get geolocation details of the missing Mac when it goes online. At the same time Track My Mac expands the tracking process with the Lock Screen feature. This feature helps the user to remotely log in or out from the Mac system.

In addition, the app makes an iSight photo of the thief for every entry attempt. Reporting your Mac as stolen is the only one condition that you should fulfill.

 
The tracking details are collected both in the Track My Mac app and in the Kromtech account. When the details are available, you can provide the police with all necessary information for the recovery process.

Get Started

>>Download and install

Download Track My Mac from the AppStore using your iPhone. Then download and install MacKeeper software on the Mac that you want to start tracking.

>>Connect your Mac and your iPhone

Simply create a Track My Mac account in the App. After that, log into MacKeeper from your Mac using your Track My Mac login and password.

>>Activate Tracking

In MacKeeper, go to the Anti-Theft tab and click "Install Anti-Theft" on its welcome screen. That's it!

Compatibility

• ·         MacKeeper can be used on Macs with OS X 10.6 or later
• ·         Track My Mac can be used on iPhones with iOS 8 or later

PayPal Ends Support for Microsoft and BlackBerry OS

Online Payments Company, Paypal has announced it will discontinue support for Microsoft Windows Phone, BlackBerry and Amazon Kindle Fire OS.

PayPal is requiring its users to upgrade to the latest version of its app for Apple iPhone and Google Android. June 30 will be the last day for Windows Phone, BlackBerry and Amazon Kindle Fire users to access their PayPal apps.

In a blog post , PayPay said ,  "It was a difficult decision to no longer support the PayPal app on these mobile platforms," Joanna Lambert, PayPal's vice president of consumer product, said in the blog. "But we believe it's the right thing to ensure we are investing our resources in creating the very best experiences for our customers."

The company explained that Windows, Blackberry and Kindle Fire users will still be able to access PayPal via the mobile site. Windows Outlook.com users can still enable the PayPal add-in to send payments from the email app. BlackBerry users can also still send money via BlackBerry Messenger.

Android phones running version 4.03 or higher and Apple devices running iOS 8.1 or higher can use the updated app, which offers a simplified way to send and request money, as well as a new home screen with relevant transaction details.

Oracle Defeated in Android Code Copyright Battle

Software giant, Oracle has lost a six-year court case to Google, which claimed Google had infringed its copyright by using 11,500 lines of Java code in its Android operating system.

Oracle had contested that Google’s use of its proprietary Java code exceeded fair use, and was seeking damages of up to $9bn(N1.8tri). The jury ruled that Google’s use of 37 Java APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) was fair use. The news will be welcomed by developers, who typically rely on free access to APIs to develop third-party services.

In his order, Judge Allsup – who described the action as “the first of the so-called ‘smartphone war’ cases” – dismissed Oracle’s case, saying that “the particular elements replicated by Google were free for all to use under the Copyright Act.”

I salute you for your extreme hard work in this case. I know there will be appeals and the like, US District Judge, William Alsup told the jury, who had deliberated on the case.

Facebook, Microsoft Team Up to Build Trans-Atlantic Undersea Cable

To carter for the growing demand for high-speed online and cloud services, Microsoft  and Facebook  have joined forces to build an undersea cable across the Atlantic Ocean, connecting the US to Europe.

The companies said in a statement that the new project dubbed "MAREA", is designed to have an estimated initial capacity of 160 terabits of data per second, the highest-capacity subsea cable to ever cross the Atlantic. The cable will stretch 4,100 miles (6,600 kilometres) from the US' Virginia to Bilbao, Spain.

The MAREA cable has a new open design that will allow it to be interoperable with a variety of networking equipment, resulting in lower costs and easier equipment upgrades for customers.

Construction of the cable, which will be managed by Telxius, a division of the Telefonica , will start in August 2016 and is expected to be ready in October 2017.

This plan comes about two years after Google partnered with five other companies to build a trans-Pacific cable system to connect the West Coast of the US with cities in Japan.

Lagos Partners Google to Empower 50,000 Students

The Lagos State government has announced collaboration with Google to provide digital skills training for 50,000 students of Lagos State tertiary institutions.

Announcing the pact in his office, the special adviser on education, Mr Obafela Bank-Olemoh, said the three-month training would be open to students of the Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Ikorodu; Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPED), Epe; Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Ijanikin; and the Lagos State College of Health Sciences, and other interested members of the public.

We are trying to position our students to function in the 21st Century and digital skills are important to us. The number of students we will be training is 50,000. We are confident that if we give Lagosians skills to complete, they will do wonderful things. Students that do very well in the training would be selected as Google trainers and would help the communication company to implement future training programmes, he said.

Nigeria Country Manager for Google, Mrs Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor said the training is coming at the right time given the potential of the Internet to generate income. “Everyone needs digital skills. It is really important that tertiary institutions incorporate digital training into their curriculum. A recent McKenzie(www.mckinsey.com)  report states that from 2013 to 2020, the Internet would contribute 300billion dollars to the GDP.  This training will span three months leveraging on the ICT facilities in the various institutions,” she said.

Ehimuan-Chiazor added that the modules will focus on gaining the basic digital skills, how to run a business online, social media, online marketing, and the like.

Free registration is open for the training on a designated website, www.digifyafrica.com .

On a Lighter Note

Huawei Files Patent Lawsuit against Samsung

 

Huawei has filed lawsuits in China and the US alleging Samsung Electronics illegally used technology related to 4G cellular communications, operating systems and user interface software without a licensing deal, making it first intellectual property challenge against the world's top mobile maker.

"We hope Samsung will ... stop infringing our patents and get the necessary license from Huawei, and work together with Huawei to jointly drive the industry forward," Ding Jianxing, President of Huawei's Intellectual Property Rights Department, said in a statement.

Samsung in defence, said it will take appropriate action to protect the company’s business interests without elaborating further.

Apple also sued Samsung in the United States in 2011, claiming the Korean maker used unlicensed technology and imitated the look of the iPhone. The pair subsequently filed a number of suits against each other in several other jurisdictions but agreed in August 2014 to drop all litigation outside the United States.

Huawei, which generates most of its revenue making telecommunications infrastructure, said it has been granted 50,377 patents globally as of Dec. 31.

Samsung, also the world's No.1 memory chip and television maker, said in a May 16 filing it held 110,145 patents globally at end-2015 and invested 14.8 trillion won $12.45 billion(N2.5tri) in research and development as well as intellectual property last year.

 

World's First 3D-printed Office Launched in Dubai

Announced in June 2015, the world’s first 3D printed office has been officially opened in Dubai. The new building's purpose is to showcase the United Arab Emirates' commitment to innovation and looking to the future, and promote the UAE as a world leader in 3D printing.

The opening of the first 3D-printed office in the world comes less than a month after launching Dubai 3D printing strategy, which showcases a modern model of construction. "We implement what we plan and we pursue actions not theories. The rapidly changing world requires us to accelerate our pace of development as history does not recognize plans but achievements," Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai ,His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said  during the grand opening of the building.

He said that the project is a case study of the benefits regulators as well as research and development centres at the regional and international levels on real application of 3D printing technology, adding that the emirate empire is documenting this experience and building on it to take advantage of the most important lessons, which will serve as reference points to take this technology to new levels.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed pointed out that the competitive advantages of 3D printing, in term of lower costs and faster delivery, will make the UAE one of the most important sustainable economic hubs, enabling the effective use of this technology to establish future cities in all sectors.

The building is the first of its kind in the world prepared for actual use, taken into account the integration of a unique building design and 3D-printing technology to offer key services within the building, such as electricity, water, telecommunications and air-conditioning.

He informed that, the office space covers up to 250 square metres, while the exterior design reflects the most innovative forms of future work place. He said the design has been conceived to achieve a shift from the traditional form of work environments and provide greater opportunities to stimulate innovation and communication between work place teams.

The Empire  stated that, the building also offers the possibilities for joint work with experts and innovators from around the world, and a platform to inspire ideas and develop relations between employees by establishing new methods for brainstorming sessions and creating a healthy and happy environment, adding that the design offers space for exhibitions and workshops as well as other events.

The 3D-printed office was constructed using a special mixture of cement and a set of building material designed and made in the UAE and the United States. These materials have undergone a range of tests in both China and the United Kingdom to ensure their reliability. An arc shape was adopted for the building for safety purposes and to ensure the stability of the building.

Innovative features have been adopted in the office building to reduce energy consumption such as window shades to offer protection from direct sunlight and keep the building cool. Latest technology has been used in the management of information systems within the building.

The initiative comes as part of Dubai 3D Printing Strategy, which is a unique global initiative aimed to harness this promising technology for the service of humanity and promote the status of the UAE and Dubai as a leading global centre of 3D printing by 2030. The strategy focuses on three main sectors: construction, medical products, and consumer products.

Checkout China's Floating Buses

To combat the massive traffic jam in China’s big cities, Beijing firm has showcased  a concept bus that drives over the traffic.

The raised bus is wide enough to cover two traffic lanes, and would travel along tracks on either side of the road so that cars up to 2 meters (6.6 ft) tall can pass underneath. Ramps would fold outwards to give users access to the street when the bus reaches a stop (though in the company's animation these do look rather steep and treacherous). It can also travel at speeds of up to 60 km/h (37.2 mph) and is equipped to carry up to 1,400 passengers.

The system is expected to eplace up to 40 conventional buses, a move it says would save 800 tons of fuel and 2,480 tons of carbon emissions each year. It will save a lot of road space and perform the same role as a subway, albeit at 16 percent of the cost. It would also be much quicker to manufacture and construct, said Chief Engineer, Song Youzhou .

In 2010, Song presented this futuristic transport solution, which had been designed with Shenzhen Huashi Future Parking Equipment Co. Ltd (www.hsfuture.com). The company had planned to build a test track in the same year, but was not successful. This time around, Song will be working against not just the technical hurdles inherent in such an ambitious project, but a culture that is trending towards personal car ownership.

However, he says some Chinese cities have already shown interest in the Elevated Transit Bus and that a full-scale version is being built in Changzou, with testing to commence in July or August.

Heavy Internet Use leads to Academic Unseriousness in Teens

Researchers from the Department of Psychology ,at the University of  Helsinki have found that excessive Internet use in teens,  particularly bordering on addiction leads to lack of interest to work hard in school, in teens.

The research suggests that the most critical stage for tackling the problem of digital addiction and school burnout(lack of desire to attend or work hard in school) is age 13-15. The most effective way of supporting adolescents’ mental health and preventing excessive internet use is to promote school engagement, to build up students’ motivation to learn, and to prevent school burnout.

The study further states that, depressive symptoms and school burnout in late adolescence are more common among girls than boys. Boys suffer more from excessive Internet use than girls.

The research is connected to the Mind the Gap project that studies thousands of students for Internet use and psychological issues. The bottom line is not god. “These results show that, among adolescents, excessive internet use can be a cause of school burnout that can later spill over to depressive symptoms,” said Katariina Salmela-Aro, a researcher for the project.

However, the onus lies on the parents to determine, how much Internet is too much. 

Snapchat Augments Platform with Over 300 New Stickers

In order to put you on snaps, image messaging app, Snapchat  has introduced over 300 colourful stickers to its platform. To access the stickers, ensure you have an updated snapchat app and then follow these simple steps.

1.    Take a photo or video Snap

2.    Tap the  button in the top-right corner of the Snap preview screen

3.    Tap the sticker you want, or swipe to view more Stickers

4.    If you want to remove a Sticker you have placed, press and hold on the Sticker and drag it up onto the  icon

# To add a sticker to your video, press and hold on the sticker to pin it to something in the Snap! The sticker (or stickers!) will move, rotate, and scale with whatever you pinned it to.

Toyota Recalls 1.6m Cars for Airbag Inflator Issues

Toyota has recalled1.6 million vehicles across its Toyota, Scion and Lexus brands due to faulty airbags, which brings the total number of recalled vehicles to 4.73 million. Affected owners will be notified by mail, and the fix requires replacing either the inflator itself or the entire airbag assembly, depending on model.

The vehicles include

•        2009–2011 Toyota Corolla and Matrix

•        2006–2011 Toyota Yaris

•        2010–2011 Toyota 4Runner

•        2011 Toyota Sienna

•        2008–2011 Scion xB

•        2007–2011 Lexus ES

•        2010–2011 Lexus GX

•        2006–2011 Lexus IS

It should be noted that not every vehicle within that range is subject to the recall, though. To know if your car affected, visit Toyota's Website  with your Vehicle Information Number (VIN).