Top Stories for the week of October 5, 2016

  • From Category5 Technology TV S10E03
  • October 5, 2016
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Here are the stories we're following for the week of Wednesday October 5, 2016


We may finally find out just what's legal and illegal to watch on Kodi boxes as a man charged with selling them is taking it to the top court.

We may finally find out just what's legal and illegal to watch on Kodi boxes as a man charged with selling them is taking it to the top court.

Android - or Kodi - boxes allow users to stream subscription content, such as Premier League football and blockbuster films, free of charge.

The box itself isn’t illegal, but after an 18 month investigation against Brian Middlesbrough Council thinks selling them ‘pre-loaded’ with the ability to view copyrighted material is.

The Middlesbrough businessman appeared briefly at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday afternoon, where he requested a judge hear his case.

Middlesbrough Council brought the first ever prosecution relating to the sale of Android - or Kodi - boxes.

Speaking afterwards Brian told press: “I’m just standing up for myself - I’m going to fight it.”

Mr. Middlesbrough is being charged with “advertising a product to circumvent technological measures”.

The two sides spent most of the hearing arguing over which court the case should be heard in, but ultimately Brian opted for the crown court.

“I’m going on the direction of my solicitor who has been dealing with this for the last ten years and he knows the job better than most people sat in there,” he said after the hearing.

“It doesn’t matter which court I go to, if I go in the magistrates court, they’ve never dealt with a case like that before.

“Now I would rather go higher up the chain to somebody who does know what they are talking about as all they are talking about is a grey area.”

That grey area relates to what can - and can’t - be watched legally.

He says, “Everyone is interested - we might as well just get it sorted out for good in court.”

Mr. Middlesbrough was granted unconditional bail ahead of his next hearing on October 27 at Teesside Crown Court.

Source: www.gazettelive.co.uk

Sent to us by: Roy W. Nash


An artificial pancreas has been approved by the FDA.

An artificial pancreas has been approved by the FDA.

One week ago, the U.S. Federal Drug Administration approved a device that could make the lives of those diagnosed with diabetes much easier.

There are two types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. In the case of type 1, the pancreas doesn’t produce any insulin to regulate blood sugar. In type 2, either the pancreas doesn’t produce enough or the body can’t utilize what is produced efficiently. Those with diabetes need to carefully regulate their blood sugar and, if they don’t, it could be fatal.

For years companies around the world have been developing a system where blood glucose levels are continuously monitored, reducing the highs and lows patients may suffer throughout the day. Dubbed the “artificial pancreas,” this device would further ensure the safety of people with diabetes.

A sensor — called the continuous glucose monitor — is placed under the patient’s skin and measures the blood glucose (sugar) levels in the fluid around the cells. A small transmitter then sends the information to a receiver where it determines dosing levels. That then sends the information to the insulin pump which adjusts accordingly.

The system is targeted specifically toward those with type 1 diabetes 4 years and older, but in the future could be used for those with type 2 diabetes.

Source: globalnews.ca


Johnson & Johnson is warning that one of their insulin pumps can be hacked to administer lethal doses of insulin. If you or someone you love are diabetic, stick around for the info.

Johnson & Johnson is warning that one of their insulin pumps can be hacked to administer lethal doses of insulin. If you or someone you love are diabetic, stick around for the info.

While we're on the topic, pharmaceutical firm Johnson & Johnson has warned that one of its insulin pumps for diabetics is at risk of being hacked, causing an overdose.

The firm said the vulnerability concerned its OneTouch Ping pump which is only sold in the US and Canada.

Johnson and Johnson says there have been no reported attacks and the risk was "extremely low", but nevertheless the risk is there.

The company says that users of the Animas OneTouch Ping pump can take precautions, such as not using the pump's remote and programming the device to limit its maximum dose.

Source: www.bbc.com

Sent to us by: Roy W. Nash


Nvidia is in on the autonomous vehicle game, but they're taking a different approach: rather than programming the car how to drive, they're using AI to teach it how to drive... more like how people learn.

Nvidia is in on the autonomous vehicle game, but they're taking a different approach: rather than programming the car how to drive, they're using AI to teach it how to drive... more like how people learn.

Nvidia’s driverless car learns from observing humans.

Nvidia calls their prototype vehicle BB8, and it’s a Lincoln MKZ.

While you can pick up a Lincoln that’s loaded with near-autonomous driving features, Nvidia shut them all down in their test vehicle. They wanted the car to use its neural network to actually figure out how to drive.

That meant observing human drivers on the road. They mounted cameras to other test vehicles and then took them out on the road. The video footage they recorded was then handed over to BB8 so that the AI could analyze it and figure out how to reproduce the behaviors it observed.

The results are pretty impressive. While BB8 mows down a traffic cone at the start of the video released last week, but it handles plenty of real world situations — including driving on dirt roads and driving in the dark — with ease. Again, it’s doing this all without ever being explicitly told anything like how to identify the edge of the road or what another car looks like.

Source: www.geek.com


A Commodore 64 is still in operation in an auto shop, and has been working solid for the last 25 years.

A Commodore 64 is still in operation in an auto shop, and has been working solid for the last 25 years.

One common gripe in the twenty-first century is that nothing is built to last anymore. Even complex, expensive computers seem to have a relatively short shelf-life nowadays.

However, one computer in a small auto repair shop in Gdansk, Poland has survived for the last twenty-five years against all odds. The computer in question here is a Commodore C64 that has been balancing driveshafts non-stop for a quarter of a century.

The C64C looks like it would fit right in with a scene from Fallout 4 and has even survived a nasty flood. This Commodore 64 contains a few homemade aspects, however. The old computer uses a special waveform generator and vibration sensor in order to measure changes in pressure, acceleration, temperature, strain or force by converting them to an electrical charge.

The C64C interprets these signals to help balance the driveshafts in vehicles.

The Commodore 64 was released in January 1982 and still holds the title for being the best-selling computer of all time.

Source: slashdot.org

Sent to us by: The Albuquerque Turque


Google is officially in the hardware game.

Google is officially in the hardware game.

Google has officially entered the hardware game, which means some serious competition for companies like Apple.

Google's new phone, called Pixel, was first teased last month, and yesterday marked the official release date.

The campaign is now rolling out across the six major markets where the phone will first be available: the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, India and the United Kingdom.

During Google's launch event yesterday for the Pixel, a VR headset and several other devices, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the time is finally right for the company to enter the product space by bringing together Google's artificial intelligence software with a sleekly designed hardware.

He says, "We are evolving from a mobile-first to an AI-first world."

Source: www.adweek.com


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