Category Information Technology

How does a driveless car move?

Self-driving cars are loaded with advanced technology that can sense their environment.

The concept of a driverless car has leapt out of the pages of science fiction with major auto-makers working to make them a reality. So far, driverless cars have logged millions of kilometres in test runs and are steadily becoming a reality despite the many hurdles still to be overcome.

Self-driving cars are loaded with advanced technology like radar, lidar, GPS, cameras, and laser scanners that can sense their environment. The control systems in the car evaluate the sensory information about obstacles, road signs, traffic signals and other cars on the road to chart out a navigable path to the destination. The car’s computers accelerate, cruise at 120 kph, slow down, brake and pass without the human driver even touching the steering wheel or gear shift.

In December 2020, Waymo (formerly known as the Google self-driving car project) became the first service provider to offer driver-less taxi rides to the general public, in a part of Phoenix, Arizona, USA. While Honda has launched its self-driving car in Japan, Mercedes-Benz is in the process of doing so.

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 

WHY IS INTERNET EXPLORER RETIRING?

Once a dominate platform, support for the 27-year-old browser was officially ended just a fortnight ago by its company Microsoft.

The end of Internet Explorer (IE) will come as no real surprise to most PC users, given that it has been superseded by a newer Microsoft browser called Edge, launched in 2015.

IE was once the most dominant browsing platform, with an estimated peak market share in the early 2000s of over 90%-thanks to being contentiously bundled in with the Windows PC operating system.

However, today’s market is very much different to that found when IE launched in 1995. Then Netscape Navigator ruled the browsing world until IE dethroned it. Now Google’s Chrome is the most successful browsing tool, with a 64.95% market share, followed by Apple’s Safari on 19.01%.

The future of Mozilla’s once popular Firefox looks questionable as it flounders with a dwindling share of just 3.26%.

Picture Credit : Google 

WHAT IS PRIVATE WEB BROWSING?

What happened when you browse the Net in incognito mode? Does it ensure anonymity?

You may have noticed a tab in Google Chrome and other browsers called private/incognito. Browsers usually store the web addresses or URLS of the sites you visit. That makes it easier for you to find them again later. In private (incognito) mode, your search history won’t be stored on the device you are using.

Your browser also stores cookies. These small data files can not only automatically enter passwords, so you don’t have to type them each time, they can also provide tracking information to advertising companies that want to figure out your browsing habits. If you have looked for the best sunglasses available in the market, for example, ads for sunglasses keep popping up on whatever website you are visiting! This is how the internet advertising industry creates detailed profiles of people’s online activities over time.

Private or incognito browsing helps here, since it can temporarily disconnect someone’s browsing from the technical means used to build up and maintain most of those profiles. Cookies won’t provide advertisers with the detailed information they’d otherwise mine. Sometimes private browsing enables you to get around paywalls that block you from reading content on subscriber-only sites. However, going incognito won’t make you anonymous or invisible online! Your internet service provider can track your web activities. The sites you visit will also know your location. And if you are logged in to your Google account when browsing, Google sees your search patterns, even in incognito mode.

Picture Credit : Google 

HOW TO HIDE LIKE COUNTS ON INSTAGRAM

What one person wants from their Instagram experience is different from the next, and people’s needs are changing. To hide likes on your post, tap on the three-dot menu button next to an image and select ‘hide like count. To pre-emptively hide likes on your posts when you create them, go to Advanced Settings and turn on ‘Hide like and view counts on this post. To avoid seeing the total number of likes and views on posts from other accounts on your feed, go to Settings > Privacy> Posts and turn on Hide like and view counts’.

Picture Credit : Google 

HOW TO PREVIEW WHATSAPP VOICE MESSAGES BEFORE YOU HIT ‘SEND’?

WhatsApp voice messages are great when you’re in a hurry, or want to make sure the intonation of your message is delivered correctly and isn’t open to interpretation as it sometimes can be in a text message. But until just recently, you couldn’t listen to your message before sending it. The feature was updated so you could stop recording and add more to your message, but it’s only now that you can preview it. When you’re ready to record, tap and hold the mic button, then drag up to enter ‘hands-free mode’ (you’ll see a lock as you drag up). WhatsApp will start recording. You can then delete the clip immediately by tapping the trash can icon, or tap the stop button. Once stopped, you’ll see a play button that lets you preview your message. You can also delete the message after recording it.

Picture Credit : Google