Dominique Luchart's Blog, page 641
April 26, 2021
Inventive grandson builds Telegram messaging machine for 96-year-old grandmother,
Making sure elders can keep in contact with children and grandchildren has never been more important in a time of global lockdown. That’s why Twitter user @mrcatacroquer, Manuel Lucio Dallo, built the Yayagram — a DIY project that makes sending and receiving voice and text messages over Telegram a physical process just like using an old-fashioned phone switchboard.
It’s important, of course, not to generalize about the ability of older generations to get to grips with new technology. But speaking from personal experience, I know my own grandparents struggled with the digital interfaces of modern phones and smartphones. They much preferred physical buttons and switches to apps and touchscreens.
That’s why the Yayagram is so compelling (“Yaya” is slang for “granny” in Castillean, says Dallo, “a warm way to refer to your grandmother”). To send a message, the user physically plugs in a cable next to the recipient’s name. They then press and hold a button to record audio and speak into the integrated microphone. The message then appears on the recipient’s phone like a regular voice note. And when the operator of the Yayagram receives a text message, it’s printed off using a built-in thermal printer.
To send a new voice message you need first to choose the destination grandchild, the selection is made using a Jack connector, like the #cablegirls used to do! pic.twitter.com/raLdl0seDC
— Manu (@mrcatacroquer)
And, what happens when you send a text message back to your Granny? Well, the Yayagram prints it on thermal paper so they can touch it and read it, like the old telegrams. pic.twitter.com/ljcRkBaBIM
— Manu (@mrcatacroquer)
Dallo, who’s a senior engineer for software firm Plastic SCM, goes into some detail about how the device was made in this Twitter thread. It’s powered by a Raspberry Pi 4, runs on Python, and uses several third-party software libraries to tie everything together. The microphone is a cheap USB one and the printer similar to those used in cashier tills. He notes that he chose to use Telegram rather than WhatsApp or another messaging service as it’s more open (and he doesn’t like Facebook).
Speaking to The Verge, Dallo says his grandmother is 96 and lives with his parents in Burgos, a city in Spain where he also resides. He says he was inspired to build the device because of the pandemic lockdowns. “Most of the grandchildren live outside of Burgos and because of covid movement restrictions they can’t visit us and her,” said Dallo.
Dallo adds that his grandmother is hard of hearing, which makes regular phone calls and video calls difficult. The Yayagram, by comparison, gives her the independence to make and receive messages by herself. “It empowers her and builds communication bridges with the rest of her grandchildren who are not lucky enough to live nearby,” he says.
It’s a fantastic project and you can see Dallo and his Yaya using the device below:
— Manu (@mrcatacroquer)
The post Inventive grandson builds Telegram messaging machine for 96-year-old grandmother, appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.
See amazing video of Mars helicopter Ingenuity’s boundary-stretching 3rd flight, ,
NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity broke new ground during its latest Red Planet flight, as video of the sortie shows.
Ingenuity took off early Sunday morning (April 25) on its third and most ambitious Martian mission yet. The 4-lb. (1.8 kilograms) chopper traveled a total of 330 feet (100 meters) laterally, stayed aloft for 80 seconds and reached a maximum speed of about 4.5 mph (7.2 kph), smashing the marks set on its previous two flights.
“Today’s flight was what we planned for, and yet it was nothing short of amazing,” Dave Lavery, the Ingenuity program executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said in a statement Sunday. “With this flight, we are demonstrating critical capabilities that will enable the addition of an aerial dimension to future Mars missions.”
Video: Zoom in on Ingenuity helicopter’s 1st flight on Mars
[image error]
NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity takes its third flight on the Red Planet in this photo from the Perseverance rover taken on April 25, 2021. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)NASA’s Perseverance rover watched the action from about 210 feet (64 m) away on Sunday morning, capturing high-resolution video with its powerful Mastcam-Z camera system as it did on the previous flights. Ingenuity stayed in frame during those first two sorties, but it leaves the scene in the new footage, staying off-camera for about 24 seconds as it explores Wright Brothers Field, the name team members gave to its designated flying zone.
Perseverance and Ingenuity landed together on the floor of Jezero Crater on Feb. 18. The technology-demonstrating rotorcraft deployed from the rover’s belly on April 3, starting the clock on Ingenuity’s month-long flight campaign.
That campaign will include two more flights, if all goes according to plan. And flight number three could be just a warm-up act for what’s to come: Ingenuity team members have said they intend to really push the helicopter’s limits on the final two hops.
See more
Perseverance is a crucial part of this work, which is designed to show that aerial exploration is possible on Mars. In addition to serving as mission photographer, the car-sized rover is a relay station for Ingenuity, transmitting all communications to and from the little chopper.
But Perseverance needs to start focusing on its own mission soon, which is why Ingenuity gets just one month to fly on Mars. The rover has two main tasks: hunting for signs of ancient Mars life on Jezero’s floor, and collecting and caching several dozen samples. A joint NASA-European Space Agency campaign will haul that pristine Red Planet material to Earth, perhaps as early as 2031.
Mike Wall is the author of “ Out There ” (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
The post See amazing video of Mars helicopter Ingenuity’s boundary-stretching 3rd flight, , appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.
Pixel 5A camera sample leaks, hints at similar specs to the Pixel 5,
Google seems to have accidentally shared a photo sample from its upcoming Pixel 5A, giving us some hints about what to expect from the barely announced device. The photo appeared in an album posted alongside a blog post about Google’s HDR+ Bracketing technology, which aims to reduce noise in HDR photos (via Android Police). The EXIF data for most of the photos said they were captured by existing Pixel phones including the Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, Pixel 4, and Pixel 4 XL, but in among them was one image apparently taken with a Pixel 5A.
Google recently confirmed the existence of the Pixel 5A 5G in response to rumors that the device had been cancelled. However, beyond confirming that the device will be available later this year in the US and Japan, it didn’t offer any more details about the phone’s specs or cameras.
The image labeled as coming from a Pixel 5A has since been removed from the album, but offered several details about the camera performance of the upcoming device while it was up. First is that it appears to have been taken with an ultrawide camera, which corroborates previous reports that the 5A will have two rear cameras — a main camera and an ultrawide. That’s similar to the Pixel 4A 5G, while the Pixel 4A had just the one rear camera.
A screenshot of the photo’s EXIF data before it was removed.Screenshot: Google PhotosIts resolution is also listed as 12.2 megapixels, which is similar to the photos we saw from the Pixel 5. Although the sensor in the Pixel 5’s ultrawide camera is technically 16 megapixels, it produces 12.2-megapixel shots by default. The 5A’s EXIF data also shows it has the same f/2.2 aperture as the 5. Given that the photo was attached to a blog post about HDR+ Bracketing, it seems likely that the 5A will also offer support for the technology.
Combined with previous rumors, it looks like the Pixel 5A could be a very similar device to last year’s Pixel 5. Reports suggest it’ll use the same Snapdragon 765G processor, and have a similar design with a 6.2-inch OLED display with a hole-punch selfie camera. Like Google’s previous A-series devices, however, the rear panel is expected to be made of plastic rather than glass, and the phone will also reportedly feature a 3.5mm headphone jack.
According to the leaked photo’s EXIF data, the photo itself was taken last October just before the Pixel 5 was released. Without official confirmation from Google there’s no guarantee it’s representative of the 5A’s final camera hardware, but the fact that the photo has now been removed suggests it wasn’t a simple labeling mistake.
The post Pixel 5A camera sample leaks, hints at similar specs to the Pixel 5, appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.
NFTs could incentivize underfunded public and private museums and archives to tokenize their holdings and become less accessible to non-commercial users (Rick Prelinger/Wired)
The post NFTs could incentivize underfunded public and private museums and archives to tokenize their holdings and become less accessible to non-commercial users (Rick Prelinger/Wired) appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.
April 25, 2021
Video game industry wins first Oscar with documentary short Colette,
Colette, a short film featured in the Oculus VR game Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, has won this year’s Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). Presented by Oculus Studios and Electronic Arts’ Respawn Entertainment, and later acquired and distributed by The Guardian, it’s the first time a video game industry project has won an Oscar.
Directed by Anthony Giacchino, Colette features a French Resistance survivor, Colette Marin-Catherine, returning to Germany for the first time since the end of World War II to visit a slave labor camp where her brother was killed. The documentary is presented in a traditional 2D format whether you watch it in the Oculus TV app or elsewhere.
“The real hero here is Colette herself, who has shared her story with integrity and strength,” Oculus Studios director of production Mike Doran says in a statement. “As we see in the film, resistance takes courage, but facing one’s past may take even more. Allowing us to preserve this pilgrimage for future generations was a true act of bravery and trust. We hope this award and the film’s reach means, as Colette says, that Jean-Pierre’s memory, as well as all of those who resisted, are no longer lost in the ‘Night and Fog’ of Dora.”
“It’s true what they say: It really is an honor just to be nominated. And it’s an incredible moment to win. We’re humbled by this recognition from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and would like to extend our sincere congratulations to all of our fellow nominees. It’s a privilege to stand alongside you.”
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond was not well-received as a video game, with many reviews highlighting its huge system requirements and 170GB installation size — much of which was down to the inclusion of extensive historical and documentary footage. Now that one of those films has won an Oscar, the project may get more positive attention than before.
You can watch Colette for free online on YouTube, Oculus TV, or at The Guardian.
The post Video game industry wins first Oscar with documentary short Colette, appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.
Video game industry wins first Oscar with documentary short Colette, Sam Byford
Colette, a short film featured in the Oculus VR game Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, has won this year’s Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). Presented by Oculus Studios and Electronic Arts’ Respawn Entertainment, and later acquired and distributed by The Guardian, it’s the first time a video game industry project has won an Oscar.
Directed by Anthony Giacchino, Colette features a French Resistance survivor, Colette Marin-Catherine, returning to Germany for the first time since the end of World War II to visit a slave labor camp where her brother was killed. The documentary is presented in a traditional 2D format whether you watch it in the Oculus TV app or elsewhere.
“The real hero here is Colette herself.”“The real…
The post Video game industry wins first Oscar with documentary short Colette, Sam Byford appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.
upGrad, an online education startup focused on the post K-12 space, raises $120M from Singapore’s sovereign fund Temasek, sources say at a $575M-$675M valuation (Kaavya Chandrasekaran/The Economic Times)
April 24, 2021
The Pentagon reportedly gave a small company control of its IP addresses to find security issues,
As part of an apparent effort to find holes in its network, the US Department of Defense has given a tiny Florida company control over about 175 million of its IP addresses, The Washington Post reported.
Global Resource Systems began managing the IP addresses on January 20th, part of what a Pentagon spokesperson told the Post was a “pilot effort” to “identify potential vulnerabilities” and “prevent unauthorized use of DoD IP address space.”
The Department of Defense still owns the IP addresses. Global Resource Systems was founded in September, according to the Post, which was not able to find any other federal contracts for the company or any public-facing website.
The initiative is apparently being run by a group within the Pentagon called Defense Digital Service, which solves problems and does technology experiments for the military. The group reports directly to the secretary of defense.
What exactly Global Resource Systems has been tasked with doing for the DoD isn’t known, but the Post found it sent a “fire house of internet traffic” at the DoD IP addresses. One security expert speculated that it may give the DoD information about how attackers operate online, and any possibly misconfigurations that need to be repaired.
The post The Pentagon reportedly gave a small company control of its IP addresses to find security issues, appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.
The Pentagon reportedly gave a small company control of its IP addresses to find security issues, Kim Lyons
Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeAs part of an apparent effort to find holes in its network, the US Department of Defense has given a tiny Florida company control over about 175 million of its IP addresses, The Washington Post reported.
Global Resource Systems began managing the IP addresses on January 20th, part of what a Pentagon spokesperson told the Post was a “pilot effort” to “identify potential vulnerabilities” and “prevent unauthorized use of DoD IP address space.”
The Department of Defense still owns the IP addresses. Global Resource Systems was founded in September, according to the Post, which was not able to find any other federal contracts for the company or any public-facing website.
The initiative is apparently being run by a group within the Pentagon…
The post The Pentagon reportedly gave a small company control of its IP addresses to find security issues, Kim Lyons appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.
Someone deciphered the Ted Lasso shortbread recipe from Apple’s Spring Loaded event, Kim Lyons
Photo by 27th Annual SAG Awards/Getty Images for WarnerMediaDuring Tuesday’s Spring Loaded event, Apple announced (among other things) that the second season of its runaway hit show Ted Lasso would drop on July 23rd. This is extremely good news for fans of the show (including myself) who have missed the earnest football coach with the impossibly sunny outlook on life, which provided a bit of a respite during the coronavirus pandemic last summer.
At the very end of Spring Loaded, however, there was a Ted Lasso-related Easter egg: a graphic of a little box with the text “Ted Lasso’s Secret Shortbread (Makes about one box).” The recipe itself was barely visible. But eagle-eyed developer David Smith was able to read the text, and Googled it, only to find it matched a New York Times recipe for…
The post Someone deciphered the Ted Lasso shortbread recipe from Apple’s Spring Loaded event, Kim Lyons appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.
