Researchers flew NASA’s ER-2 aircraft as close to thunderclouds as safely possible and captured ‘the most detailed’ data of gamma-rays and thunderclouds ever recorded.
Category: surveillance – Page 8
Omicron variant resembles other respiratory viruses, posing challenges for syndromic surveillance
In a recent article published in Scientific Reports, researchers describe the symptom profiles of respiratory viral infections from the Flu Watch Community and the Virus Watch cohort studies to compare the frequency of the range of symptoms experienced during influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), rhinovirus, seasonal coronaviruses (CoVs) infections, and infections from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) wild-type (wt) strain and variants of concerns (VOCs), including Alpha, Delta, Omicron BA1/BA2/BA5.
Study: Symptom profiles of community cases infected by influenza, RSV, rhinovirus, seasonal coronavirus, and SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. Image Credit: KitjaKitja/Shutterstock.com.
Two new US bills to protect workers from ‘intrusive’ AI surveillance
The new regulation also seeks to prevent “robot bosses” that automate hiring decisions.
On Thursday, Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa. introduced two new bills to protect workers from intrusive workplace surveillance and so-called robot bosses, according to a report published by NBC News.
“I think generally everyone around here is keenly focused on providing a strategy to confront what can only be described as an awesome challenge for the country,” Casey told the news outlet about the new regulation he hopes will see the light of day soon.
Software system can find, track moving objects as small as a pixel
Remember what it’s like to twirl a sparkler on a summer night? Hold it still and the fire crackles and sparks but twirl it around and the light blurs into a line tracing each whirl and jag you make.
A new patented software system developed at Sandia National Laboratories can find the curves of motion in streaming video and images from satellites, drones and far-range security cameras and turn them into signals to find and track moving objects as small as one pixel. The developers say this system can enhance the performance of any remote sensing application.
“Being able to track each pixel from a distance matters, and it is an ongoing and challenging problem,” said Tian Ma, a computer scientist and co-developer of the system. “For physical security surveillance systems, for example, the farther out you can detect a possible threat, the more time you have to prepare and respond. Often the biggest challenge is the simple fact that when objects are located far away from the sensors, their size naturally appears to be much smaller. Sensor sensitivity diminishes as the distance from the target increases.”
Asana CEO: ‘The way we work right now will soon look vestigial. Here’s how A.I. will make work more human’
Finally, stories born from paranoia teach you to see A.I. as the ultimate surveillance tool, watching your every eye moment and jiggle of your mouse. But what if it’s used instead to catch you doing things well, and to foster trust between managers and employees?
With the ability to compile reports of your accomplishments—or even assess their quality—A.I. can help managers better appreciate the output of their employees, rather than relying on quantified inputs, like time spent at your desk. It can watch out for deadlines and critical paths, automatically steering you toward the work that’s most urgent. And if you do fall behind on deadlines, A.I. can let your manager know: They don’t have to poke their nose in all the time just to catch the one time you fell behind. With A.I. helping everyone focus their attention to match intentions as they do their work, managers can instead spend their time investing in ways to support their team and grow individuals.
The way we work right now will soon look vestigial, a kind of social scaffolding in our journey to build something better. We know that A.I. will transform the future of work. Will the future edifices of our labor be austere, brutalist towers that callously process resources? Or will they be beautiful, intricate monuments to growth and thriving?
Look out! New card skimmer threat reaches Texas
Hollywood Park police also suggested consumers use pumps that are closer to the store or that have video surveillance as thieves typically target pumps that conceal them while they switch out their device.
Colby also told KENS 5 consumers should use the tap-to-pay option when possible.
“Really the best thing you can do is use tap-to-pay because you are not exposing your magnetic stripe. They’re going after the information on the mag stripe. It you don’t swipe the card it’s your safest bet,” Colby said.
Robot dog’s role in New York garage collapse incident justifies its use says City mayor
Critics are not fully convinced though.
Earlier this month, the New York Police Department (NYPD) announced the induction of two robotic dogs into its force, a move that was opposed by rights activists citing surveillance concerns. Now an incident of a garage collapse where a robotic dog was used in search and rescue operations is being hailed by the City Mayor Eric Adams as justification for its use, The New York Times.
The robotic dogs inducted belong to Boston Dynamics, which Interesting Engineering has extensively covered over the years. Their robotic dog, dubbed Spot, has been designed for use in adverse situations and is equipped with abilities and sensors.