Category Technology

What is Aadhaar Mitra?

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which is responsible for issuing the Aadhaar card to residents of the country, recently launched a new AI/ML-based chatbot called Aadhaar Mitra. What’s the chatbot for and how can we access it? Come, let’s find out

Aadhaar is a unique identification system that assigns a 12-digit number to residents of the country after due verification. The system is used to authenticate identity and provide access to government services such as PDS, LPG, etc., subsidies, and benefits. Though Aadhaar was introduced way back in 2010, many still struggle to enrol in the system or update their information. This is where Aadhaar Mitra comes in.

Where can you find it?

Aadhaar Mitra is a chatbot that uses machine learning and artificial intelligence technology to provide personalised assistance to users. The chatbot is designed to be user-friendly.

The Aadhaar Mitra feature is available on the home page of the UIDAI’s website. Once you click on the flickering blue “Aadhaar Mitra” icon at the bottom right comer, it will ask you to “Get started”. Then, enter your query related to the Aadhaar system in the text field and click on the ‘Send’ button and the chatbot will throw up the required answer.

Available at all times

Aadhaar Mitra can provide a wide range of answers on Aadhaar related topics. The chatbot makes the process of checking your Aadhaar enrolment/update status easier. You can get information about a nearby Aadhaar enrolment centre by entering the pin code of your location.

The chatbot helps track Aadhaar PVC card (latest version of the card which is made of polyvinyl chloride in the size of a debit card) status and even tells users what should be done when an Aadhaar card is lost. It also tells you how to download an e-aadhaar from the UIDAI website through a video.

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The future of computing?

A computer that is powered by human brain cells, thereby extending the capabilities of modern computing exponentially and creating novel fields of study. No, this isn’t a one-line plot of a science-fiction. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University expect such ‘biocomputers’ to be developed within our lifetimes.

Organoid intelligence

While computing and artificial intelligence have been driving the tech revolution, it is nearing its peak. Biocomputing aims at compacting computational power and increasing efficiency in order to push past current tech limitations. A team of researchers outlined their plan for “organoid intelligence” in the journal Frontiers in Science in February 2023.

Scientists have used tiny organoids, lab grown tissue resembling fully grown organs, to experiment on organs without resorting to human or animal testing for nearly 20 years. Recently, researchers have started working on brain organoids.

Our brain remains unmatched by modem computers. While recent supercomputers have exceeded the computational capacity of a single human brain for the first time, it has been achieved by using a million times more energy.

Light on energy demands

A futuristic computer with biological hardware or brain organoids might be able to provide superior computing with limited energy consumption. Even though it may take decades to have an operational organoid intelligence that can power a system as smart as a mouse, researchers believe that setting along that path now is important. This, they believe, will create funding programmes that will help scale up production of brain organoids and have them trained using artificial intelligence Apart from the computational capabilities, organoid intelligence might also be a game-changer in drug testing, especially research pertaining to neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegeneration.

The team working on organoid intelligence comprises scientists, bioethicists, and members of the public. This diverse consortium is an attempt to have varying opinions while assessing the ethical implications of working with organoid intelligence.

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How do cell phones work?

Also do you know why mobile phones are called cellular phones? Read on to find out…

A cellular phone is similar to a radio. However cell phones allow you to speak and listen at the same time because two separate frequencies are used to transmit and receive signals.

Cellular phones are also similar to cordless phones, which use a pair of frequencies for communication between the base unit and the handset. In the case of cellular phones, the base unit is located a much greater distance away from the mobile phone and is also capable of handling communications with several mobile units at a time.

Within a city, the phone company divides the area into small units called cells. It is for this reason that mobile phones are called cellular phones. In each cell, a tower is installed which has a radio transmitter and receiver, which is capable of communicating with several phones at a time. Each of these cells has a radius of about a couple of kilometres.

When one starts a telephone conversation, the mobile unit will communicate with the base unit in the cell that is nearest. This is similar to the operation of a cordless phone. If you are close to the base unit within a cell, the signal strength will be sufficient to carry on a conversation comfortably. However as one moves away from the base unit, the signal strength will reduce. The base unit senses this reduction in signal strength. Simultaneously, the adjoining cell detects that the signal strength from your phone is increasing and therefore you are moving closer to it. When the signal to the second cell becomes greater than that from the first cell, the conversation automatically switches to the second cell.

In addition every cell phone company will have one central office, which handles communication between the cell phones and ordinary landlines.

For good communication over an entire city, it is important to have a large number of cells, which overlap slightly. This will ensure that there is coverage at all points of the city and also that the communication is uniform. A larger number of cells allow the use of lower power transmitters, and results in less interference.

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What is stylometry?

Stylometry is a powerful tool that helps one figures out who wrote what based on their unique writing style.

Stylometry is a field of study that uses statistical methods and computational tools to analyse and identify patterns in how people write. In simpler terms, stylometry can be understood as a detective tool for words, used to figure out who wrote what.

Finding the author

Authors have been able to write anonymously for centuries, with the belief that their true identity would never be revealed. However, in the past few years, advancements in machine learning methods have increased the effectiveness of identifying different patterns in an individual's writing. Every person has a distinct writing style, similar to a fingerprint. Stylometry analyses a text's word selection, sentence construction, and even punctuation to examine those literary fingerprints to determine the author of a written piece.

One famous example of stylometric analysis is the study of English playwright William Shakespeare's plays. Researchers have used computational tools to analyse the writing style of the bard and compare them to other works from the time period. Through this analysis, they have been able to identify which plays were likely written by Shakespeare and which ones might have been collaborations or even written by someone else entirely.

This kind of analysis was also used to reveal American statesmen James Madison and Alexander Hamilton as the writers of the anonymously published Federalist Papers (also known as The Federalist), as well as link British writer J.K. Rowling to the anonymous author of the book The Cuckoo's Calling. Stylometry can also be used in more serious situations, such as when researchers want to figure out who wrote a particular document or when law enforcement is trying to track down a suspect. By analysing the writing style in different documents, they can look for patterns that might help them identify the author.

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What is the difference between a code and a cipher?

Codes and ciphers are different ways of encrypting a message to ensure secrecy and security. How do they work?

Codes and ciphers are both techniques used to transform messages into a seemingly illegible form so that only selected people can understand them. thereby ensuring secrecy and security

A cipher is a more basic form of encryption. It involves the rearrangement or substitution of the letters of the alphabet in the message. On the other hand, the code works on a higher level of encryption. It replaces entire words or phrases with secret words or numbers.

Consider a simple message: ‘The ship has left the port.’

Now, if each letter is replaced by a number, for example.

 A=1, B-2, C-3 and so on, the message will become

20-8-5  19-8-9-16  8-1-19  12-5-6-20  20-8-5  16-15-18-20. This is a cipher.

Now, if the ship' is replaced by the word Alpha' and the phrase 'has left the port’ by the number '1', then the code would be 'Alpha 1'.

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What important events happened in technology in 2022?

TECHNOLOGY: Though the year 2022 saw the routine rounds of gadget launches-from upgraded cellphones to smart watches, the big surprise came in the form of some tech-related news that made it to the front pages. Remember Elon Musk turning chief twit, mass global lay-offs by companies, an Al tool that mimics the human brain, and the crypto collapse?

1. 5G, finally!

Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially announced the launch of the first phase of 5G services in 13 cities across the country, at the India Mobile Congress event in New Delhi, in October 2022. 5G is the fifth-generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks. "5G technology will provide seamless coverage, high data rate, low latency and highly reliable communications. It will increase energy efficiency, spectrum efficiency and network efficiency," he tweeted. The cumulative economic impact of 5G on the country is expected to touch $450 billion by 2035. The 5G coverage will progressively cover the entire country over the next couple of years.

2. Fried!

Sam Bankman-Fried's crypto empire collapsed in November 2022. The reason – a run-on deposit that left his crypto exchange FTX with a shortfall of $8 billion. This forced FTX to file for bankruptcy, and the company struggled to raise money to stall its collapse as traders rushed to withdraw $6 billion in less than 72 hours! Fried was arrested in the Bahamas after being criminally charged by the U.S. prosecutors. The shocking end to the successful FTX story had a rippling effect across the already shaken crypto industry, destabilising other companies and spreading distrust among the public about the technology.

3. Did it sink in?

Elon Musk dominated the headlines by first announcing his bid to buy Twitter and then backing out. Eventually, the Tesla and Spacex chief was forced to honour the agreement, and he took over the microblogging platform in October 2022 for $44 billion. Top executives left the company or were fired. Twitter also made mass global lay-offs. But confusion prevailed on the site. He courted controversy by reinstating Donald Trump's account, introducing paid blue ticks, and banning some journalists from the site. After conducting a poll on whether he must step down as Twitter CEO, in true Musk style, he said he'll do so when he finds "someone foolish enough to take the job".

4. ChatGPT

It answers the most complicated questions, writes sonnets, creates computer codes, and even comes up with interesting menus! Welcome to the world of Generative Pre-trained Transformer, ChatGPT for short. Launched by the American firm OpenAl in November 2022, the Al tool is today used by millions to generate a variety of content- all in a few seconds or minutes! ChatGPT isn't without flaws. Biases in certain communications have already been reported. It robs us of the creative process – particularly in communication. Can it replace human ingenuity? The verdict isn't out yet, but enthusiastic folks are already having a lot of fun with this chatbot that's said to mimic the human brain.

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