Snowden Claims New Zealand Government is Involved in Mass Surveillance‏

Edward Snowden is still living in Russia, hidden away from the US authorities looking for the whistleblower, who revealed information about the NSA, PRISM and other secret mass surveillance information.

Even though some have claimed Snowden has no more to offer, with the recent crop of leaks feeling more like Snowden claiming, rather than presenting evidence, it is still good to hear his side of the story, when it comes to politicians denying existence of mass surveillance.

In a new piece on The Intercept, Snowden claims John Key, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, is lying about mass surveillance in the country. Snowden says while working for the NSA he’s seen plenty of New Zealanders’ personal information.

The information is piped through New Zealand’s Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), which is then sent to a system called X-Keyscore. This system has been worked on with the NSA and other mass surveillance teams in the UK, Canada and Australia.

X-Keyscore apparently has one solitary checkbox, allowing a worker at one of these people to see all of the collected information in New Zealand. Snowden claims Prime Minister John Key knows this information and has even passed new rules, to implement algorithms.

The algorithms would be able to instantly search for a phrase, word or number. This could quickly stop things like protests, by finding the route source, it would also be good for anti-government idealists, since X-Keyscore stores information on social networks, etc.

John Key has refuted the claims his government spies on the citizens, saying the GCSB works on taking down terrorist threats, but does not spy on everyday individuals. Snowden does not believe it, claiming that when a checkbox is the only thing between a worker and all of the personal information of a country, it is mass surveillance.

New Zealand is part of the “Five Eyes Defeat” according to Snowden, which includes the US, UK, Canada and Australia, all countries capable of mass spying on their citizens. John Key is obviously anxious to put these rumors to rest, since he has an election on September 20.

Take a Closer Look at the Gear VR By Samsung

Samsung recently announced that its Gear VR has finally arrived and features not only a Super AMOLED display that shows content in 3D but also lets you enjoy a 360-degree viewing experience. It can also be paired up with the newly released Galaxy Note 4 and Gear Circle.

Now that Samsung has decided to partner with Oculus, no doubt we will be seeing some very interesting developments with this very high-tech device in the future.

To find out more about Samsung’s Gear VR, check out the infographic below.

DARPA Funding Fabric Exoskeleton

The future of the exoskeleton is becoming something that more and more research firms are looking into. I think of things like the TitanArm and the ReWalk system and marvel as to what the future may hold for these inventions.

Harvard’s Wyss Institute is also developing an exoskeleton, but unlike any we have seen so far. The design actually doesn’t look like it has been taken straight from a robot. The design is made from a lightweight material and is called the Soft Exosuit. The idea of a lightweight, fabric exoskeleton may seem like a waste of time, as it couldn’t possibly offer any protective benefits to the wearer. But, this isn’t designed to be a protective barrier, more like smart clothing.

The Wyss Institute has actually been working on the Soft Exosuit for years now, but recently DARPA has granted it $2.9 million funding under its Warrior Web program to further the development of the fabric exoskeleton. The current design is really more like smart clothing, which can be worn like pants, and is designed to mimic how leg muscles and tendons work and move to support the users’ joints as they walk. The design is made possible thanks to the tactically placed harnesses around the legs, which contain flexible sensors. In turn, these sensors are controlled by a low-power microprocessor.

The Warrior Web program from DARPA searches out new technologies to stop injuries in soldiers. With that in mind, it would be a reasonable assumption to say that the Soft Exosuit may be used by the military when it has been completed.

The creators of the suit believe that it may also be used by healthy, non-military personnel though, to extend the distance they can travel by foot without being overtaken by fatigue. The team is also planning to collaborate with clinical partners to develop a medical version for patients with very limited mobility.

As always, if you would like to leave a sensible comment, then please do so in the comments section below.

3D Printed Medical Implants Help Drug Delivery

A research team at Louisiana Tech University has recently developed a pioneering method for using inexpensive, consumer-grade 3D printers and materials to construct custom medical implants, which can contain either antibacterial and/or chemotherapeutic compounds to enable a targeted medication delivery for the patient.

The use of 3D printing in the medical field is growing.

Louisiana Tech’s biomedical engineering and nanosystems engineering programs collaborated together to create filament extruders, which can create medical-quality 3D printing filaments. Creating these filaments, which have specialized properties for medication delivery, is an innovative concept, which can result in smart drug delivery with medical implants.

Jeffery Weisman, a doctoral student in Louisiana Tech’s biomedical engineering program, said, “After identifying the usefulness of the 3D printers, we realized there was an opportunity for rapid prototyping using this fabrication method…Through the addition of Nanoparticles and/or other additives, this technology becomes much more viable using a common 3D printing material that is already biocompatible. The material can be loaded with antibiotics or other medicinal compounds, and the implant can be naturally broken down by the body over time.”

Personalized medicine and patient specific medication regiments is a current trend in healthcare, according to Weisman. He says this original method of creating medically compatible 3D printing filaments can offer hospital pharmacists and physicians alike, an innovative way to deliver medication and treat illness.  Weisman said, “One of the greatest benefits of this technology is that it can be done using any consumer printer and can be used anywhere in the world.”

Weisman, who works out of a lab that is directed by Dr. David K. Mills, the professor of biological sciences and biomedical engineering, partnered with Connor Nicholson, a doctoral candidate in nanosystems engineering and member of a lab operated by Dr. Chester Wilson, associate professor of electrical and nanosystems engineering, to develop the technology in collaboration with Mills.

The team also worked with Extrusionbot of Phoenix, Arizona.  They provided important materials support during the development and testing process.
Mills said, “We had been working on several applications of 3D printing…Several students in my lab including Jeff and Connor, who was a guest researcher from Dr. Wilson’s lab, had been working with colleagues for some time. I sent an email to them and asked them the question, ‘Do you think it would be possible to print antibiotic beads using some kind of PMMA or other absorbable material?’”

Many of today’s antibiotic implants, or “beads,” are made out of bone cements, which have to be hand-mixed by a surgeon during the course of a surgical procedure and contain toxic carcinogenic substances. Unfortunately these beads are actually a type of Plexiglas and do not break down in the human body; they require additional surgery to be removed.
The new custom 3D printed filaments can be made of bioplastics that can be resorbed by the human body and thereby avoid the need for additional surgery.

As always, if you would like to leave a sensible comment, then please do so in the comments section below.

Apple TV vs Chromecast – Which is Better?

We recently asked Techraze readers to tell us whether they use Google’s Chromecast or Apple TV for streaming audio and video content. The result was that 67% percent of you have chosen Chromecast, so let’s a look at both Apple TV and Chromecast to find out why it has proven more popular.

Perhaps the biggest,  and arguably the most important difference, is price; Apple TV costs $99, whereas the Chromecast costs just $34.99. There’s no contest there really but there are other major differences which need to be taken into consideration before purchasing either.

One benefit of Chromecast is its compatibility. As well as Android, of course, it is also compatible with iOS, Windows, Mac OS X and Chrome OS devices. Apple TV however is limited to just iOS and Mac OS X devices.

Apps

Where Apple TV does win hands down is native apps, simply because it supports a lot more of them. It has on offer Hulu Plus, three Disney apps and a host of sports apps, as well as all iTunes content.

It is in this area that Google’s offering struggles, with the Chromecast having very limited third-party support. It is worth remembering though that Apple TV is a little more mature, so no doubt as Chromecast enters more living rooms, content owners will add Chromecast compatibility.

Streaming Apps

Both Apple TV and Chromecast allow you to stream content from a PC or mobile device to a big screen but how they do it is very different.
Airplay from Apple lets you reflect photos, videos, audio files and even apps but the problem is you can’t then use your device for say streaming content and checking your emails for example because it would interrupt the mobile to Apple TV signal.

However Chromecast isn’t device dependent. Instead your device simply tells the Chromecast where to pull content from on the web; Chromecast just does the rest for you.

So although the two offer a similar experience, they have very different ways of achieving it. Both devices have good points and bad points but likely your decision will be influenced by price and what hardware you already own.

Secret App Hacked, Reveals Anonymous Identities‏

Secret is a new hit US mobile app, based on the idea of Twitter and Instagram, without the profile, name or any identity. This allows users on Secret to expose different “secrets” that they would otherwise never speak about on the Internet.

Like most cases with anonymity, Secret has become well liked by people who like to spread rumors, without the need to verify themselves. It has also been used in social groups, with Facebook, phone and email friend integration, to share secrets and status updates.

The app has made its way to the UK and a few other countries, but security firm Rhino Security Labs has pulled up a few issues with the anonymity of the users on the app, showing an easy way to hack the service and figure out who is the person behind the secret.

Using some HTTP proxy scripts, the security team was able to make a few fake accounts and easily spot out the real account and find their information. This might be inadequate for most people, but it still ruins the anonymous feel of the application.

Secret and other new apps like Snapchat, YikYak and Rumr all rely on the security overcoming hacks, without it, they are no better than Twitter, Instagram and other sharing websites. The information of users needs to be hidden, in order for these apps to attract teens.

It is a weird thing, seeing the rise of the anonymous social apps, but as more teenagers and people in general start hiding information online from parents and authorities, these apps have the key to having a social experience without revealing too much.

If Secret wants to keep on track to be the next Snapchat, they need to tighten up security and make sure all anonymous data is protected.

Blink: Home Security Made Easy

Blink is the new, smart, wire-free home monitoring and alert system in HD.  This kickstarter project is promising to be easy and inexpensive.  For $69, backers will receive a remote video camera and motion detection unit.  Or, if backers require two units, they can have them for $119.  Not a lot, considering the prices of other brands of alert systems.

Currently, there are 4,700 backers who have pledged $684,888.  The initial goal of $200,000 was obliterated so now the unit will include a 105-decibel siren alarm.

Blink: Home Security Made Easy.

So what does the Blink unit do exactly?  It connects to owners WiFi via a Sync Module and basic settings are controlled by Blink’s smartphone application.  The unit can be mounted anywhere in the home and does not require an external power source.  You can also purchase more than one unit so that devices can be put all around the home.

Any motion in the unit’s vicinity will trigger the video to record 5 seconds of footage in HD.  The recording will then transfer to Blink’s secure servers in the cloud.  Alternatively, you can change the settings so that recordings are stored to a USB stick.

The application allows live-streaming mode so you can see what it going on at home.  As it records, an audible beep lets you know its recording.  An LED light also glows to let you know its recording. An LED illuminator with a low-light recording feature ensures that you can see any anomalies, day or night.  Also, there is a microphone built into the unit so you have sound as well.

If your WiFi is down, you receive an alert on your smartphone.  The app also allows you to set up schedules to arm or disarm your device.  The cloud can store up to 7200 seconds of video.  Once the limit has been attained, the oldest clips are automatically deleted.  Blink can also sense the temperature of your home and will send alerts to you if you set up the system to do so.  As of September 4^th, the Blink project will end it’s funding drive.  Units purchased will likely be shipped in May 2015.

As always, if you would like to leave a sensible comment, then please do so in the comments section below.