Category 21st Century Technology

What is 5G?

Smartphones have become ubiquitous. Whether you need it or not, there is an app for everything. And that has been made possible regardless of whether it is good or not-as we live in a hyper-connected world. Mobile networks have made it possible for us to access the Internet literally anytime, anywhere.

5G is the latest advancement in the telecommunications industry. The 5th generation mobile network is a new global wireless standard after 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks. Designed for connectivity, 5G tech is expected to deliver higher speeds, have lower latency, greater availability and network capacity. affording uniform access, even in crowded areas.

Nearly one for every decade

While 1G delivered analog voices in the 1980s, 2G introduced digital voice in the 1990s. Early 2000s brought mobile data through 3G, and 4G came around in 2010s, ushering in the era of mobile broadband. Global operators started launching 5G networks, which is based on OFDM (orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing), in 2019, and it is expected to provide better connectivity than ever before.

All major phone manufacturers have started producing compatible handsets as 5G has been deployed in over 60 countries. With the buzz among consumers about even faster speeds and lower latencies, adoption too has been faster, when compared to 4G.

5G roll out in India

As for India, 5G is likely to be launched this year, with some expecting it to be rolled out as early as next month. Work on related hardware is already under way. thanks to the major telecom operators in the country – Reliance Jio, Airtel, and Vi.

The 5G spectrum auction in India has already been completed and it has been valued at Rs. 1.5 lakh crore. Initially expected to be rolled out in 13 cities, competitive pricing of 5G plans is expected in order to make it even more attractive.

Smartphones have become ubiquitous. Whether you need it or not, there is an app for everything. And that has been made possible regardless of whether it is good or not-as we live in a hyper-connected world. Mobile networks have made it possible for us to access the Internet literally anytime, anywhere.

5G is the latest advancement in the telecommunications industry. The 5th generation mobile network is a new global wireless standard after 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks. Designed for connectivity, 5G tech is expected to deliver higher speeds, have lower latency, greater availability and network capacity. affording uniform access, even in crowded areas.

Nearly one for every decade

While 1G delivered analog voices in the 1980s, 2G introduced digital voice in the 1990s. Early 2000s brought mobile data through 3G, and 4G came around in 2010s, ushering in the era of mobile broadband. Global operators started launching 5G networks, which is based on OFDM (orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing), in 2019, and it is expected to provide better connectivity than ever before.

All major phone manufacturers have started producing compatible handsets as 5G has been deployed in over 60 countries. With the buzz among consumers about even faster speeds and lower latencies, adoption too has been faster, when compared to 4G.

5G roll out in India

As for India, 5G is likely to be launched this year, with some expecting it to be rolled out as early as next month. Work on related hardware is already under way. thanks to the major telecom operators in the country – Reliance Jio, Airtel, and Vi.

The 5G spectrum auction in India has already been completed and it has been valued at Rs. 1.5 lakh crore. Initially expected to be rolled out in 13 cities, competitive pricing of 5G plans is expected in order to make it even more attractive.

Picture Credit : Google 

HOW TO BE SMART WITH INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT)?

The Internet of Things, or lot as it is popularly known, is becoming a very important part of not only the technology industry, but also our daily lives. And you may be using lot without even knowing it!

What is IoT?

IoT is nothing but the billions of physical devices that are all connected to the Internet. These devices can then be controlled and can communicate information without any help from humans.

The IoT connects “dumb” devices like refrigerators. washing machines or a kettle, to the Internet using software and makes them “smart” loT devices. These loT devices can now collect and exchange data around the world and have some digital intelligence!

Chatting with each other

With loT, devices or machines can talk with each other, or to the people who are controlling them, by messaging over the Internet. This means that these devices can tell other devices, as well as people, if something is wrong with them or they are functioning well.

For example, in loT a car will become smart and can communicate and tell you that it needs petrol.

This has become possible as Wi-Fi networks are very common and devices can now have software to allow Internet access and make use of the Wi-Fi connection. The IoT requires sensors and software to collect data and communicate.

A personal computer or a laptop is not usually considered an loT device. Neither is a smartphone, despite it having sensors.

Aeroplane engine

Large machines, like an aeroplane engine, maybe be filled with numerous smaller loT components and devices, with thousands of them relaying data back and forth and sensors gathering information to make sure it is running efficiently.

loT is here to stay to make your life even easier!

Picture Credit : Google 

WHAT IS MEAN BY BIG DATA?

It is exactly what it says it is-BIG. Enormous amount of information or data is constantly created by many people through various methods. For example, when you play a video game post on Instagram or Facebook, or just surf the Intemet, data is generated.

This data may come from the communication with people you know, your laptop, smartphone or any other such device. All the data adds up and keeps growing progressively bigger.

It is so voluminous that the usual data processing systems or software tools cannot handle it. It needs to be analysed properly to gain the right insights into it. It is thus broken down by three characteristics, also known as the three Vs of Big Data- -volume, which is the amount of data that gets generated, velocity, or the speed at which it is processed, and variety, the differenttypes of data that gets generated.

While Big Data offers multiple ways to analyse data and use it to our advantage, it is vital to exercise caution while doing so.

Data is information that can be processed and put to use. Now, it is Big Data that has gained importance and is dominating the way companies work world over.

Importance

Have you noticed how, sometimes, Google may suggest new things which you may be interested in or like? How does it do that? This is because, all the data about you has been collected and processed and then used by the search engine to know your likes and dislikes.

Big data enables organisations to store, manage, and manipulate vast amounts of information. It helps companies improve the way they work, offer better customer services, and provide more personal offers or campaigns, among other things. In short, it is for the company’s benefit and to earn more profit. Its importance lies in not the amount of data a company has, but how it is able to use the gathered data.

Picture Credit : Google 

WHAT IS MORAVEC’S PARADOX?

Artificial intelligence can simplify complicated tasks but it may still be unable to do what humans do instinctively.

It is a concept in computing put forward by Austrian artificial intelligence (AI) researcher Hans Moravec in the 1980s. He theorised that while it is easy to make computers do highly intelligent tasks such as calculating complicated mathematical equations, it is very difficult to make them do simple tasks such as walking. According to Moravec, humans have evolved over millions of years. to perfect simple physical tasks such as walking and running. Such tasks, which we take for granted, are a result of the process of natural selection.

Moravec’s paradox states that it is difficult to build a machine that has the skills of a one-year-old child with the instinctive ability to move around, recognise faces, and avoid danger. It takes a lot of difficult computations to instruct a computer to do what a human being can do without thinking twice. On the other hand, humans acquired sophisticated skills such as abstract reasoning and logical thinking that result in excellence in the fields of engineering, mathematics and art, about hundred thousand years ago. It is easy to devise algorithms for these skills for computers. That is why it is easy to build a computer that can defeat a professional chess player or play music.

Moravec’s paradox can be interpreted in different ways. Some scholars believe that it means that Al can render people with high-level jobs such as stock analysis or engineering unemployed, while the jobs of cooks and gardeners are safe. Others take it to mean that Al will always need human supervision.

Picture Credit : Google

HOW DID THE 1939 VODER SPEECH SYNTHESISER WORK?

On June 5, 1938, “Pedro, the Voder was put on display to the public for the first time at the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia One of the first devices to create human speech, the Voder was a successful experiment in reproducing speech electronically.

We are far too used to machine-made voices speaking to us in today’s world. Be it the automated responses that are provided to us when we call for customer support. personal assistants in our smartphones, or various devices that support a smart home ecosystem, there are plenty of examples in our everyday lives.

While we don’t often pause to think about these, there are instances when we talk about the technologies with a mixture of fear and reverence. That mixture of feelings was first experienced by human beings with the success of “Pedro, the Voder’.

Voice Operation Demonstrator

Voder is short for Voice Operation Demonstrator. Named “Pedro” after the Brazilian emperor Dom Pedro who is believed to have exclaimed “My God! It talks!” after listening to a telephone for the first time, the Voder was one of the first devices to bring us entirely synthetic speech.

The Voder was the brainchild of pioneering engineer Homer Dudley, an acoustic visionary and an inventor at Bell Labs. He rose to prominence in the 1920s when he created the popular “channel” vocoder. This was capable of coding human speech across telephone lines by transforming incoming speech into electrical signals and then replicating it on the other end by using electric sounds that mimicked human speech.

Artificial human sound

With the Voder, Dudley went one step further as this device was able to produce speech without human voice as an input. Dudley filed a patent for a system for the artificial production of vocal or other sounds in April 1937. Weeks before this patent was granted to him, the Voder had its first public demonstration at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia on June 5, 1938.

The Voder was operated – or played according to its creators – to create about 20 different electric sounds. By using 10 keys, a wrist plate, and a pedal, the operator could orchestrate the electric sounds to make them sound like speech and even create a range of inflections.

Operating the Voder, however, was no easy feat as it required thinking about how sounds combine to form a word, and how subtle inflection changes alter the meaning. In fact, the Voder was almost entirely operated by a Helen Harper, who was also responsible for teaching the 20-30 people who ever learnt how to use it.

Crowds amazed

During the presentations at the Franklin Institute, the 1939 New York World’s Fair, and San Francisco’s Golden Gate International Exposition, Harper was seated behind a console as she worked her magic. She was able to make the voder speak statements and ask questions; say the same sentence using different inflections; make its voice sound like a female, male, or like an old person; or even mimic a cow. Making the voder recite “Mary had a little lamb” in all of its different voices was a popular trick that the bell Labs team employed.

Bell Labs, however, never meant to sell the machine as a commercial product and only used it as a proof of concept. This meant that it vanished following its successful tours of various venues. Apart from leaving the audience with a sense of wonder, Bell Labs was able to show that the Voder was capable of making electrical vibrations that translated into sound waves in the loudspeaker, without needing to manipulate air. Speech synthesis and machine-made human voices have come a long way since then.

Picture Credit : Google 

WHAT IS THE ROCKET BOOK FLIP DEVICE?

With the Rocketbook Flip, you get the best of both handwritten and typewritten notes. As well as being environmentally friendly, it’s an efficient way to organise your notes. Designed for lefties and righties alike, the 36 page Flip features a top-turn binding. Each page is equipped with lines on the front and a dot grid on the back. Write with the accompanying Pilot FnXion pen, then again! wipe clean with a microfibre towel to reuse again a Use the Rocketbook app to scan your notes, lists and ideas Your pages are then optimised and digitised, you can even search for specific words. The notes can be sent to the cloud (Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, etc.). The pages have icons at the bottom representing the cloud applications: select one before scanning, and they will automatically be sent to the relevant location. Once you’ve uploaded your notes, you can erase them and begin again.

Picture Credit : Google