Education is an asset to the modern world. Somebody has rightly said, ‘‘Education is a human virtue, a necessity of society, basis of good life and sign of freedom. It is important for integration of separate entities.’’ |
Loknath Das
Accusations that the Internet and social media sow political division have flown thick and fast since recent contentious elections in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has even pledged to start working on technology that will turn the energy of online interactions into a more positive force (see “We Need More Alternatives to Facebook”).
Tiny, largely self-funded U.S. startup Pol.is has been working on a similar project longer than Zuckerberg and already has some promising results. The company’s interactive, crowdsourced survey tool can be used to generate maps of public opinion that help citizens, governments, and legislators discover the nuances of agreement and disagreement on contentious issues that exist. In 2016, that information helped the government of Taiwan break a six-year deadlock over how to regulate online alcohol sales, caused by entrenched, opposing views among citizens on what rules should apply.
“It allowed different sides to gradually see that they share the same underlying concern despite superficial disagreements,” says Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s digital minister. The island’s government now routinely sends out Pol.is surveys using Facebook ads, and to special-interest groups. It has also used the system to help thrash out what rules should apply to Airbnb rentals and mobile ride-hailing services such as Uber.
Pol.is’s open-source software is designed to serve up interactive online surveys around a particular issue. People are shown a series of short statements about aspects of a broader issue—for example, “Uber drivers should need the same licenses cab drivers do”—and asked to click to signal that they agree or disagree. People can contribute new statements of their own for others to respond to. The tangle of crisscrossing responses is used to automatically generate charts that map out different clusters of opinion, making it easy to see the points on which people tend to overlap or disagree.
Colin Megill, cofounder and CEO of Pol.is, claims this approach gives governments and parties a better chance of understanding what people really care about than does soliciting avalanches of social media posts or e-mail comments. “This is a problem for lawmakers across the world right now,” he says. “We can help them understand what the electorate is feeling.”
Alternativet, a progressive Danish political party with nine members of parliament, is piloting Pol.is as a way to give its members a more direct role in formulating policy. Jon Skjerning-Rasmussen, a senior process coordinator with the party, says the way Pol.is visualizations are shared with people as they participate in a survey—letting them see how their opinions compare with those of others—helps people engage with the tool.
“Normal polling asks the user to contribute, but rarely gives something back,” he says. One upshot of Alternativet’s trial of the tool has been a rethink of the party’s approach to the idea of a universal basic income. Pol.is revealed that party insiders formed an enthusiastic cluster around the idea that was isolated from the more cautious feelings of the wider membership.
Megill is hopeful Pol.is will soon get a tryout in the United States, citing ongoing talks at federal and state government levels.
Graham Smith, director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy at the University of Westminster, in London, praises the way Pol.is’s design gets people to engage with ideas in a more substantive way than is possible on the commercial services that dominate online life.
“A lot of organizations are using Twitter and Facebook to try and engage publics, but these are not tools or platforms designed with democratic ideals in mind,” he says. Smith is working on a project that will test Pol.is as a way to improve discussions on online news articles.
Still, more tests and case studies are needed to prove how and where the tools can be helpful (or not), says Smith. And like any system put on the Internet, the Pol.is platform will have to stand up to attempts to subvert or break it as it scales up, whether from political pressure groups or mischief-makers. Megill says Pol.is visualizations make astroturfing very obvious by revealing when many people put forth identical views—but the openness of that data could also help attempts to more covertly influence the picture it paints. Political hacks and Internet trolls are nothing if not innovative.
The douchebag writer who fat shamed Rihanna was just suspended from blogging
In his piece, Spags tore Rihanna apart for embracing her “high key thiccness.”
He slammed Rihanna for “enjoying that good room service a bit too long” and thus inspiring “all the hottest girls [to] look like the humans in ‘Wall-E.'”
“It’s time to worry if you’re not a guy who fancies himself a chubby chaser,” Spags warned douchebag Barstool readers.
After Spags’ offensive article went viral for being total garbage, Barstool Sports decided to let the blogger go.
But if you thought that the senior editors at Barstool Sports fired Spags because they were appalled that he brutally body shamed a woman he doesn’t even know, think again.
It turns out Barstool Sports only fired Spags because he was “unfunny.”
In an effort to deal with the backlash, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy quickly issued a statement to announce that he planned to delete Spags’ post — but his “apology” was a bigger joke than the original article.
In short, Portnoy said he only found issue with the article was the fact that Spags wasn’t funny — not because the piece was offensive and misogynistic.
To further explain their decision, the team at Barstool Sports quickly through together an impromptu “press conference” held at the office water cooler.
Portnoy felt compelled to address the “moron Stoolies” — the endearing nickname Portnoy gave to the readers of his site — who still don’t seem to understand why he decided to suspend Spags.
“I don’t want [Spags’] name on the website,” Portnoy yelled at the camera. “I don’t want Spags to be the face of fucking Barstool … This was actually the easiest decision of all fucking time.”
“It was an unfunny blog [and] this wasn’t the fight I wanted to fight.”
“Go fuck yourself,” he closed his speech, signaling the end to the emergency press conference.
Even though Barstool Sports failed to take ownership for the shitty content that was published on their site, most people were still happy to see the blogger go.
There’s a growing consensus among the technological cognoscenti that we’re in a “boring” period for gadgets. Some have long argued that “software is eating the world,” a.k.a. there’s no interesting hardware because iteration has trumped innovation.
But, nah, not so much. Yes, our smartphones are replacing lots of standalone gadgets we used to carry around. That doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of interesting new hardware out there. Granted, that depends on expanding your definition of gadget to include, say, a reusable rocket or a robotic bicycle wheel. Here’s a look at some of the most interesting of 2017 so far compiled by TIME’s technology reporters and editors.
What did we miss?
US Issues Clarification On Higher Education H-1B Exemption Criteria
H-1B visas are most popular among the Indian IT professionals.
Washington: The US said today that in order to qualify for an H-1B numerical cap exemption based upon a master’s or higher degree, the conferring institution must have qualified as a “United States institution of higher education” at the time the beneficiary’s degree was earned.
As mandated by the Congress, the US Citizenship and immigration Services (USCIS) can issue up to 65,000 H-1B visas, the most sought-after by Indian IT professionals, every year.
In addition to this, another 20,000 foreign students having masters or higher degree from a US institute of higher education are exempted from the 65,000 Congressional limit.
A clarification memorandum from the USCIS came in response to a petition in this regard by Leena R Kamat from California who temporarily sought to employee people under H-1B visas having higher education.
The Director of the California Service Center denied the H-1B petition, concluding that the beneficiary did not qualify for the claimed master’s cap exemption.
More specifically, the Director determined that the degree-conferring institution was not accredited at the time it awarded the beneficiary’s master’s degree, and thus the beneficiary had not earned his degree, as required, from a “United States institution of higher education”.
As per the US memorandum dated May 23, which was released to the press today, the USCIS ruled that the H-1B applicant had earned his degree from the International Technological University (ITU), in California, on December 31, 2010, before the university obtained its pre-accreditation or accreditation status.
The record contains a letter from ITU, stating that the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) granted ITU “Candidacy status” in 2011.
In April, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order for tightening the rules of the H-1B visa programme to stop “visa abuses”.
Trump said his administration is going to enforce ‘Hire American’ rules that are designed to protect jobs and wages of workers in the US.
The executive order also called upon the Departments of Labour, Justice, Homeland Security, and the state to take action against fraud and abuse of our visa programmes.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Story first published on: June 02, 2017 09:24 (IST)
[“Source-ndtv”]
Toyota Uses Open-Source Software in New Approach to In-Car Tech
Toyota Motor Corp on Wednesday said the infotainment system of its revamped Camry sedan to be sold in the United States will run on a Linux-based, open-source technology platform as it tries to keep up with tech firms in developing software for cars.
With the Automotive Grade Linux (AGL) system in a mainstay model, Toyota aims to have the flexibility to customise its software, while it would also keep user data that could otherwise be captured by CarPlay from Apple Inc or Android Auto from Alphabet Inc’s Google – applications which enable users to access smartphone data through vehicle infotainment systems.
Toyota is among 10 global automakers working with suppliers and technology companies to jointly build AGL, a basic, open-source platform for vehicle applications which automakers can customise, eliminating the need to code systems from the ground up for each vehicle model.
Developing the platform in collaboration with Mazda Motor Corp, Suzuki Motor Corp, Daimler AG and others will reduce development time and costs, Toyota said, and create an industry standard platform to operate in-vehicle features including music and navigation applications.
The platform can also be used to support future advanced technologies, including self-driving functions and connected car services.
“It’s very necessary to reduce the overhead of duplication work among our suppliers so they can spend more time to create new things rather than maintaining fragmentary codes,” said Kenichi Murata, group manager of Connected Strategy and Planning at Toyota.
Cars typically require over 100 million lines of computer code as automakers pack as muchtechnology as possible to attract buyers.
So much so that coding has become an increasingly cumbersome part of vehicle development, which takes years, compared with the mere months it takes for tech firms to develop apps.
In addition, the process requires constant updating to keep up with technology developments and which results in disparate interfaces between automaker’s products.
The latest Camry sedan to be launched in coming months will use AGL to operate its suite of in-vehicle apps, and the Japanese automaker said it planned to expand the platform to other Toyota and Lexus vehicles in North America and elsewhere.
Roughly 70 percent of the operating platform for the latest system consists of largely generic coding, while the remaining 30 percent was customised for the Camry, Murata said.
At the moment, automakers make vehicles compatible with CarPlay and Android Auto. While this enables users to connect smartphones to cars, Dan Cauchy, general manager of automotive at the Linux Foundation, said it makes it difficult for automakers to have control over customising their platforms.
“It comes down to an automaker wanting to customise their operating platform to their liking and not having a third party dictating what the applications are going to be for the vehicle,” he said.
“A lot of automakers want that control.”
© Thomson Reuters 2017
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Tags: Toyota, Automotive Grade Linux, AGL, Transportation, Self Driving Cars, Apps
[“Source-ndtv”]
Peacock does not do sex: Rajasthan’s judge remarks torn up on twitter
New Delhi: Rajasthan High Court judge Maheshchandra Sharma said while the last day peculiar note of their service, “Peacock (national bird) do not have sex …” and then the micro-blogging website has stalled on Twitter … Judge because of this comment Honor Twitter user hours are glued to their laptops and mobile phones, and responses to such …
Indeed, Rajasthan High court judge Maheshchandra body Ma had suggested on Wednesday that the cow should be given the status of India’s national animal … argues in favor of his suggestion, he compared to cow ‘More’, and the species of both animals as “holy” … peacock was to describe in detail the sanctity of honor said, “More eternally (lifelong) celibate lives … she does not ever have sex with peacock … the peahen pregnant peacock drink tears Ti …
” By the way, the judge had also included God in the information given by him, and had said that since the peacock is Brahmachari, that is why Lord Krishna used to place his wings on his mirror …
just what was then. After this there was a flood of messages that came to Twitter, who informed that the reality is that peacocks and peacocks also reproduce the same way as all other creatures, and some users have proven their reasoning and Posting to the video …
Twitter users have created a ruckus about the views of the judge, and #brahmacharipeacock and #sanskaaripeacock hashtags appear on many posts on the micro-blogging website … What was that again … Then on Twitter went flood of messages, who informed that the reality is that the peacock and peahen only remaining breeding like all creatures, and some users are limited to prove their case conducted post videos … Twitter users are limited to creating uproar ideas of honor, and micro-blogging come #brahmacharipeacock and #sanskaaripeacock Shortcuts look at many posts website Gay … What was that again … Then on Twitter went flood of messages, who informed that the reality is that the peacock and peahen only remaining breeding like all creatures, and some users are limited to prove their case conducted post videos … Twitter users are limited to creating uproar ideas of honor, and micro-blogging come #brahmacharipeacock and #sanskaaripeacock Shortcuts look at many posts website Gay …
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The last date to register and pay fees online is June 2, 2017, SBI said.
HIGHLIGHTS
SBI extends last date to apply for positions in market department
Last date to register, pay fees online is June 2, 2017
Application fee of Rs. 600 is required to be paid online
Do you aspire to work in SBI, India’s largest bank? State Bank of India (SBI) is hiring specialists for its marketing department on a contractual basis. SBI has extended the last day to apply online for the positions, according to an advertisement on the bank’s website. The last date to register and pay fees online is June 2, 2017. SBI is hiring one senior vice president (brand/media/research), one vice president (marketing communications), one vice president (digital marketing), one vice president (media strategy & operations) and one senior manager (digital marketing). Selection will be based on short-listing – based on their qualification, experience and overall suitability – and personal interview, SBI said. The banking major has also relaxed the required experience by two years for two vice president roles – marketing communications and media strategy & operations, it said.
Candidates applying for the position of senior vice president (brand/media/research) should have a minimum 8 years of experience, “with career experience either in BFSI/ Telecom or any other large service sector”. Graduates in any discipline can apply and those with MBA in Marketing will be preferred, SBI said.
sbi marketing dept jobsCandidates applying for the post of vice president (media strategy & operations) need a minimum eight years of experience “in varied marketing roles including media strategy and operations”.
Without divulging the salary being offered on these roles, SBI said: “The compensation package would comprise of fixed and variable components but not a limiting factor for a suitable candidate.”
An application fee (non-refundable) of Rs. 600 is applicable, which needs to be paid online.
Some of the responsibilities of the senior vice presidents listed by SBI included:
Strategising and implementation of effective marketing plans for different Business Units in line with their business objectives
Developing sharp marketing briefs, based on compelling market/consumer insights
Managing different agency partners (creative, media, research etc.) and other vendors, to get them to deliver high quality output within defined marketing budget and timelines
Also, for the position of vice president (digital marketing), SBI is looking for candidates with MBA from a recognised university and a minimum experience of eight years “in varied roles including Digital Marketing. Work experience in a Public Sector Bank, preferably with awareness of SBI work culture and management practices.” Among other skills, SBI has mentioned core experience in product marketing using digital media platforms with specific experience in search and display, SEO, SEM and programmatic.
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Story first published on: June 01, 2017 10:55 (IST)
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Rajinikanth’s Kaala Karikaalan Co-Star Huma Qureshi Shares An Update
Rajinikanth photographed while shooting for Kaala Karikaalan in Mumbai
NEW DELHI:
HIGHLIGHTS
Huma Qureshi plays Zareena, Rajinkanth’s love interest
Rajinkanth began shooting for Kaala Karikaalan over the weekend
Kaala Karikaalan is produced by Dhanush
Superstar Rajinikanth is filming Kaala Karikaalan in Mumbai. His co-star Huma Qureshi has started prepping for the film. In Kaala Karikaalan, Huma plays Zareena, Rajinikanth’s love interest. “Prep Mode on #Kaala .. Slowly becoming #Zareena #workinghard Blessed,” the 30-year-old actress wrote on Twitter. She also shared a glimpse of the script of Kaala Karikaalan she is currently reading. The film went on floors over the weekend in Mumbai. Rajinikanth, 66, reached the capital on Saturday. Kaala Karikaalan is Huma’s debut Tamil film. The film is directed by Pa Ranjith and produced by Rajinikanth’s son-in-law Dhanush. He is married to Rajinikanth’s elder daughter Aishwaryaa.
See what Huma Qureshi shared about Rajinikanth’s Kaala Karikaalan:
The schedule of Kaala Karikaalan in Mumbai will continue for a week after which, the shooting will resume in Chennai. “This will be a week-long schedule where the makers will shoot some general scenes that require Mumbai as the backdrop,” news agency IANS quoted a source from the film’s unit as saying.
Here are pics of Rajinikanth filming Kaala Karikaalan in Mumbai.
rajinikanth
Rajinikanth photographed on the sets of Kaala Karikaalan
rajinikanth
Rajinikanth photographed on the sets of Kaala Karikaalan
rajinikanth
Rajinikanth is filming Kaala Karikaalan in Mumbai
The first poster of the film was unveiled last week by Dhanush.
Nana Patekar, Samuthirakani and Anjali Patil also co-star with Rajinikanth and Huma Qureshi in Kaala Karikaalan.
Rajinikanth’s last film Kabali, opposite actress Radhika Apte, was also directed by Pa Ranjith.
Meanwhile, Huma Qureshi’s Dobaara, which also features her brother Saqib Saleem, hits the screens tomorrow. She was last seen in Akshay Kumar’s hit film Jolly LLB 2. Rajinikanth’s 2.0, with Akhsay Kumar and Amy Jackson releases next year in January. The S Shankar-directed film is a sequel to 2010’s Robot, featuring Rajinikanth in the lead role.
(With IANS inputs)
[“Source-ndtv”]
Google’s Voice Recognition Accuracy Grew 20 Percent in 4 Years, Notes Meeker
HIGHLIGHTS
- Google’s voice recognition has an accuracy of 95 percent
- This is nearly at par with human understanding
- Understanding of English has improved by 20 percent over four years
Google over the past year has been focusing greatly on its artificial intelligence and machine learning technology as it tries to push its voice-based Assistant service widely and across products. At Google I/O 2017, CEO Sundar Pichai opened the keynote by claiming that the company’s voice recognition software has an error rate of under 5 percent. A recent report further highlights Google data to reveal how this accuracy has grown over the years.
The Internet search giant has come a long way in machine learning and its understanding human language has improving by an impressive 20 percent in the last four years, according to the Internet Trends 2017 report by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers partner Mary Meeker.
Google’s stats are particularly impressive when taking into account that its voice recognition accuracy is now nearly at par with that of human accuracy. And Google has made it clear that it doesn’t wish to stop there. Google Assistant has been a success story for that company as being one of the very few AI voice-based digital assistants out there that can understand contextual speech. The company has expanded Assistant’s capability and reach over the past year, which can now be found in Google’s Home speaker, Android smartphones like Pixel and Galaxy S8, messaging app Allo, Android Wear 2.0, and now more interestingly, the iPhone.
Recently, Assistant got some more improvements such as the ability to schedule appointments and add reminders through Google Home, make hands-free calls with Home, and see visual responses from Assistant on your TV through Chromecast. Google’s voice recognition software also allows it to detect various accents better than its competitors like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa.
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