An amazing book for all to enjoy and read "Never Quit"

An amazing book for all to enjoy and read Never Quit: From Alaskan Wilderness Rescues t... by Jimmy Settle http://amzn.to/2l1gfAt

Never Quit: From Alaskan Wilderness Rescues to Afghanistan Firefights as an Elite Special Ops PJ Hardcover – March 7, 2017

by Jimmy Settle (Author), Don Rearden (Author)

“That Others May Live” is a mantra that defines the fearless men of Alaska’s 212th Pararescue Unit, the PJs, one of the most elite military forces on the planet. Whether they are rescuing citizens injured and freezing in the Alaskan wilderness or saving wounded Rangers and SEALS in blazing firefights at war, the PJs are the least known and most highly trained of America’s warriors. 

Never Quit is the true story of how Jimmy Settle, an Alaskan shoe store clerk, became a Special Forces Operator and war hero. After being shot in the head during a dangerous high mountain operation in the rugged Watapur Valley in Afghanistan, Jimmy returns to battle with his teammates for a heroic rescue, the bullet fragments stitched over and still in his skull. In a cross between a suicide rescue mission and an against-all-odds mountain battle, his team of PJs risk their lives again in an epic firefight. When his helicopter is hit and begins leaking fuel, Jimmy finds himself in the worst possible position as a rescue specialist―forced to leave members from his own team behind. Jimmy will have to risk everything to get back into the battle and bring back his brothers.

From death-defying Alaskan wilderness training, wild rescues, and vicious battles against the Taliban and Al Qaeda, this is an explosive special operations memoir unlike any that has come before, and the true story of a man from humble beginnings who became an American hero.

Happy Birthday Steve Jobs, February 24, 1955

Steve Jobs was born in San Fransisco on February 24, 1955. After starting Apple Computer with Steve Wozniak in 1976, in the later years, he became a revolutionary tech leader. Under his leadership, Apple created revolutionary products like iPhone, iPad, MacBook Air, and iPad. After a long battle with pancreatic cancer, he passed away in 2011. Even today, this man, who was full of incredible passion continues to inspire people. Here are some of the most inspiring quotes from Steve Jobs to motivate you. Take a look:

15 Inspirational quotes From Steve Jobs

 1. “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow know what you truly want to become.”

 2. “Stay hungry. Stay foolish”

 3. “We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?”

 4. “My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to take these great people we have and to push them and make them even better.”

 5. “Those who are crazy enough to think they can change the world usually do.”

 6. “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”

 7. “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”

 8. “Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.”

 9. “I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.”

 10. “Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.”

 11. “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.”

 12. “Sometimes life is going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.”

 13. “If you live each day as it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.”

 14. “Getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.”

 15. Last but not the least: "Think Different"



Text and photo originally published on fossbytes:

15 Inspirational Quotes From Steve Jobs On His Birthday That Could Change your Life

Today's Mathematician: Ryan Hynd

Today's Mathematician on "Mathematically Gifted and Black"

Ryan Hynd
Assistant Professor
Department of Mathematics
University of Pennsylvania

MLK Visiting Professor
Department of Mathematics
Massachusetts Institute of Technology


I was born in Kingston, Jamaica to a single mother. My mom and I moved to the United States when I was five years old in search of better opportunities. After moving around several times, we settled in a south Florida suburb. In those days, my mother worked as a private nurse for a nursing agency, and I was obsessed with playing sports. I became a decent basketball player in high school and ended up on the team for my local junior college, which was known as Palm Beach Community College (PBCC).

It was there at PBCC that I discovered an interest in science. I decided to follow a course of study based on engineering in hopes of getting employed as a computer technician. However, I struggled mightily with my introductory calculus and physics courses. Nevertheless, I stuck with it and received a lot of encouragement from my physics professors at PBCC.

My grades at PBCC were good, but I was not admitted as a transfer student to various state schools; perhaps this was because of a poor SAT score. Fortunately, Georgia Tech admitted me as a transfer student. My intended major was computer engineering. However, I found that I really liked learning about math and physics, and I decided to change my major to mathematics even before arriving at Georgia Tech.

This change was somewhat of a gamble since I could not identify a clear career path, and I was taking out student loans to fund my education. However, I consider it one of the best decisions I ever made. I thoroughly enjoyed studying mathematics at Georgia Tech, and I encountered professors who recognized my abilities and who mentored me. With the help of Georgia Tech faculty, I did undergraduate research, I was encouraged to take graduate courses, and I learned a lot about the questions mathematicians were pursuing at the time. Moreover, these professors helped me prepare for graduate school in mathematics.

Now that I am a professor at Penn, I am constantly keeping an eye out for students who need encouragement and a chance to show what they can do. I have been especially on the lookout for those students who are traditionally underrepresented in mathematics. Recently, I have helped create a Bridge-to-PhD program at Penn with precisely with these students in mind. So along with teaching and doing research, one of my professional goals is to contribute to the development and cultivation of mathematical talent from all aspects of our society.

"Mathematically Gifted and Black"

Theoretical Physicist: Dr. Shirley Jackson

Dr. Shirley Jackson is a theoretical physicist & the 1st African American woman to earn a Ph.D. from MIT

Bigger Screen to see all your goodies

Nothing like a bigger screen to see all your goodies when online 
 Just saw this on Amazon: LG 32MA68HY-P 32-Inch IPS Monitor with Display by LG Electronics for $199.99 http://amzn.to/2lWDCLn

Great review of Seneca's book On the Shortness of Life

8 Ways To Not Waste Time And Procrastinate,
A great review of Seneca's book On the Shortness of Life: Life is....

Life is Long if You Know How To Use It, Seneca

Life is Long if You Know How To Use It

An amazing short book everyone should take the time to read.
Life is an amazing gift we all enjoy but many times we do things that cause our own defeat and failures. This book gives us some deep thoughts and ideas to ponder on so that we use our abundant life to its fullest and not squander in waste. Great short read and definitly a book you will come back to time and again for reference.

One the Shortness of Life: Life is Long if You Know How to Use It
By Seneca

17 equations that changed the world

17 equations that changed the world

Not all hero's wear capes, some drive Tesla's

Not all hero's wear capes, some drive Tesla's 

photo found on jalopnik.com

While driving on the Autobahn near Munich, Germany a 41 year old man driving his Tesla Model S noticed a Volkswagen Passat driving in an erratic manner. The car had slammed a few times against the guard rail.
Upon further examination the man in the Tesla noticed that the other driver was unconscious. He called the fire department and then pulled out in front of the out of control Volkswagen. He then slowed down so the other car would connect with his rear bumper. Then he used his car to stop the other vehicle.

Fire Emergency Services shortly arrived after and they believed the man had possible suffered a stroke while driving his vehicle. By doing this selfless action he saved the 47 year old Volkswagen drivers life.

This man is a true hero and its nice to see how Tesla Model S's can perform under a dangerous condition and help someone in need of help.


Heroic Driver Sacrifices His Tesla To Save Unconscious Man In Runaway Volkswagen

IBM's new hub could shorten your hospital stay

Photo from PCWorld (Link down below)

IBM is at it again folks. They are always coming up with the most interesting items to make our lives more productive. In this instance they've created a digital hub can can connect to our various wearable devices that manage our health. With these units they are able to send people home and have a constant health visualization of our status. Which can help to limit the expensive costs of stay another day in the hospital.

"The gadget, which IBM has dubbed a 'cognitive hypervisor,' funnels data from devices such as smart watches and fitness bands into the IBM Cloud. There, it's analyzed and the results are shared with the user and their doctor."*

Now is IBM getting into the wearable business, nope. They are mainly looking into offer this service as a platform for other companies to build their products on. A digital framework that can help to grow new devices to make our lives more easier and manageable when it comes to our health and well being.

The actual device is about the size of a grapefruit and built with off the shelf products like the Raspberry PI and Arduino boards. Designers are looking at making this even smaller in the future.


* quoted text found at:
IBM's hub for wearables could shorten your hospital stay
The prototype device links to a host of wearables to gather health data for doctors.

Top tips to successful project management

Top tips to successful project management

God's Plan for Aging

God's Plan for Aging

Most seniors never get enough exercise. In His wisdom God decreed that seniors become forgetful so they would have to search for their glasses, keys, and other things, thus doing more walking. And God looked down and saw that it was good.

Then God saw there was another need. In His wisdom He made seniors lose coordination so they would drop things, requiring them to bend, reach, and stretch And God looked down and saw that it was good.

Then God considered the function of bladders and decided seniors would have additional calls of nature, requiring more trips to the bathroom, thus providing more exercise.  God looked down and saw that it was good.

So if you find as you age, you are getting up and down more, remember it’s God’s will. It is all in your best interest even though you mutter under your breath.

Nine Important Facts to Remember as We Grow Older

#9  Death is the number 1 killer in the world.

#8  Life is sexually transmitted.

#7  Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

#6   Men have 2 motivations: hunger and hanky panky, and they can't tell them apart. If you see a gleam in his eyes, make him a sandwich.

#5  Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks, months, maybe years.

#4  Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in the hospital, dying of nothing.

#3  All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

#2  In the 60's, people took LSD to make the world weird. Now the world is weird, and people take Prozac to make it normal.

#1  Life is like a jar of jalapeno peppers. What you do today may be a burning issue tomorrow.

Please share this wisdom with others.

Nadja West will become the 1st black female three-star general

Once an orphan, Nadja West will become the 1st black female three-star general

"On Tuesday, February 9, Lt. Gen Nadja West will be honored in an official ceremony formalizing her promotion to three-star general, making her the first African-American woman to achieve that rank in the United States Army. She is also the highest-ranking woman of any race to have graduated from West Point.

The promotion and ceremony follows the 54-year-old’s confirmation by the Senate as the new Army Surgeon General and Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) as of December. As such, West will be assisting and advising the Secretary of the Army and Army Chief of Staff in relation to all health care matters in the Army, in addition to overseeing development, organization, policy direction, and other matters relative to the Army-wide health care systems.

“I was once an orphan with an uncertain future,” said West of the promotion and the new responsibilities facing her in the future. “And I am incredibly honored and humbled to lead such a distinguished team of dedicated professionals who are entrusted with the care of our nation’s sons and daughters, veterans and family members. While our Army and our nation face tough challenges in the future, I am confident that collectively we have the right skills, commitment, and talent to meet those challenges with mission success,” she added.

The Washington D.C. area-native holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a Doctorate of Medicine from George Washington University School of Medicine. She has held previous assignments as Commanding General, Europe Regional Medical Command; Commander of Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, N.C.; and Division Surgeon, 1st Armored Division, Army Europe and Seventh Army, Germany."

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Grand Master Rorion Gracie Reveals His Secrets To A Healthy Body & Mind

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Grand Master Rorion Gracie Reveals His Secrets To A Healthy Body & Mind

A great interview definitely worth checking out.

 

Brazilian American Jiu-Jitsu Grand Master Rorion Gracie comes by the house to talk about his new book The Gracie Diet.

Sayōnara, Humans: Japanese Company Replaces Its Workers with AI

"34 workers at a Japanese insurance company are being laid off and replaced with an artificial intelligence (AI) system. Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance, seeking greater efficiency in calculating their payouts to policyholders, will soon replace many of its office workers with an AI system based on IBM's Watson Explorer ("a cognitive technology that can think like a human").

In a recent press release, Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance stated an expected increase in productivity by 30% from their "Diagnostic document assessment automatic coding system."

The AI system will be used to read and understand medical certificates, hospital stays, surgical procedures, and medical history to make a more accurate assessment of payouts. According to reporting from the Guardian, the company will see a return on investment in less than two years. In a small concession for human workers, the payouts will not be finalized until approved by a non-AI staffer."

Full Article here:

Sayōnara, Humans: Japanese Company Replaces Its Workers with AI

Android App: Coin Flip

  

Android App: Coin Flip

This simple game app lets the user play the traditional game Coin Flip on their Android mobile device.

Coin Flip Icon

The player just starts the app. They are greeted by a Splash Screen then shown the Main Menu. The Main Menu gives the player the instructions on the top which tells them to "Select your Coin to Flip". The player selects a coin and then they are taken to another screen with the coin they chose in the Head position. The player just clicks the button marked "Click to Flip". The coin starts to go through a sequece of animations to show it flipping around a few times until it lands on Heads or Tails. The player can click again to get another coin toss. Fun for people of all ages.

Limiting beliefs can't stop a man's desire to succeed

Nice to see the limiting beliefs of Doctors couldn't hold a young mans desire to better himself back from accomplishing his goals.

Google AI Assistant coming to a device near you

Image from engadget.com

Its great if you are in the market for a new Android device and are ready to buy. With all the new features coming to market its like being a kid in a candy store. But what about the rest of us who are happy with our Android devices but still want some of the new candy being offered.

Well, Google is hinting at brining their AI Assistant toward a current Android mobile devices. They've begun testing (Alpha) versions with some of their beta testers to see how its working. Testers are running into some issues where its just not working on their devices. But users carrying devices from the Nexus 6P to Alcatel's Idol 4S have had success with the beta.

"The alpha also includes a recent topics section that revisits recent searches, previously mentioned support for payments (not that it's useful without providers) and a data-saving Lite mode that optimizes pages.

It's going to be a while before you see an official rollout when the app isn't even in beta. You may have to wait weeks or months before there's a version you can reliably use. However, the very fact that wider Assistant support is present at all is important -- it shows that Google wants to broaden access fairly quickly."

Google hints at Assistant coming to existing Android devices
The AI helper won't just be limited to cutting-edge hardware.

MIT and the power of the Sneeze

Photo from Kare11 TV Station

The minds at MIT are studying the power of the sneeze. By looking at slow motion video of a sneeze they've been able to determine its trajectory and found out that it can reach speeds of 100mph (miles per hour) which stay airborne for quiet a bit.

So image you are on a train car or bus traveling somewhere. the person close to you sneezes. Since you are in a close compartment its pretty safe to say everyone will get some of the effect from the sneeze in the air we breathe.

MIT: Studying the power of the sneeze

Google Doodle for Valentines Day 2017

Google 2017 Valentines Day Doodle

"This year's Google Valentine's Day game is four levels and centers around the pangolin, the cutest mammal you've probably never heard of until now. Pangolins are interesting for a few reasons: one, they're the only scaled mammal; two, they are primarily solitary creatures and only meet to commune with their mates during the mating season (which sounds like the ideal scenario, to be honest); and three, they're the most poached/trafficked animal in the world. Google teamed up with the World Wildlife Fund to bring awareness about the pangolin, so this game isn't just fun — it's for a good cause. What's more, you can donate directly to the WWF through the link in the game."

"That's a pangolin, by the way. The story of the game is that two pangolins, separated by distance, have been sending love letters to one another and decide to meet face-to-face on Valentine's Day for the first time. Since the pangolin only meets their mates once, it knows it has to make a good impression, so it travels around the world to learn how to pull off a perfect date."

Check out the article below for full details how to play the Valentines Day Google Doodle game.

How To Play The Google Valentine's Day Doodle Game For 2017

YouTube: 8 Apps That Pay You PayPal Money for Free

8 Apps That Pay You PayPal Money for Free 2017
by Justin Bryant

8 different types of apps that will pay you via PayPal money for free.

In this video, you will learn about 8 apps that will make you money with PayPal for free. There are many apps out there these days that help you make some extra money, but many of them make it hard to collect it. A lot of these types of apps pay you in gift cards or store credit instead of actual cash that can be used anywhere for anything. If you want to be able to make money from your smartphone and actually use it for just about any online purchase or even deposit it straight into your account, I'll show you 8 great choices. It's a lot better to get paid via PayPal than a gift card you can only use in one place

Android App: Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock

Android App: Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock

This simple game app lets the user play the traditional game of Rock, Paper, Scissors with an added twist of Lizard and Spock.

The user just starts the app. Then selects which hand gesture which shows up on the right side of the top part of the screen under the name "Player". The player plays against the computer will counter their choice with its choice that is displayed on the left side of the top part of the screen under the name "Computer". The winner is shown below the choices in a blue box. Fun for people of all ages.

Android App: Three Card Monty

Android App:Three Card Monty

This simple game app lets the user play the traditional game of Three Card Monte on their Android mobile device.

The user just starts the app. They are greeted by a splash screen giving them the title of the game along with a glimps of the Queen card they need to find. Then the game goes right into the playing screen where a user is greeted by the title of the App "Three Card Monty" and a line that says "Find the Queen". The user selects one of the three turned over cards to see if a Queen is there. If they select the correct one, woo hoo. A Toast message box pops up and tells them "You Win". But if they select the wrong one they are just shown the card picked along with what the other two cards contain. If the user wishes to play again, they just click the "Shuffle the Cards" button and they will see an animated shuffling of the cards. Then they select again and try to find the Queen.

Android App: Noughts and Crosses

Android App: Noughts and Crosses

This simple app shows a Android version of the Tic-Tac-Toe Game.

As the player opens up the app they are greeted on top by a title 'Noughts and Crosses'. Then right below the player will see a blank blue 3 x 3 Tic-Tac-Toe Grid. The background is composed of a Orange/Yellow abstract splash background to help pop out the two game letters ('X','O') in play.

To start just select an open spot on the Grid. The first letter is a green letter 'X'. The next is followed by a red letter 'O'. The font's have a brush look to them. The rules for the game are simple the player who succeeds in putting three of their letters in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row before the other wins the game. But if neither succeed its a draw.

There are three options in the game. Options include:

"X has won!", 'PLAY AGAIN' button.

"O has won!", 'PLAY AGAIN' button.

"It's a draw!", 'PLAY AGAIN' button.

Once the game is over there are no more options to add pieces to the board. When the player clicks the 'PLAY AGAIN' button the game resets it self to a blank blue 3 x 3 Tic-Tac-Toe Grid that is ready to play again.

A Simple easy to use app to play with.

Today in History Feb 10: Chess champ Gary Kasparov was defeated by Deep Blue

Photo from India today

Today in History, February 10: 
Chess champ Gary Kasparov was defeated by Deep Blue, the IBM computer (1996). 

"On this day in 1996, after three hours, world chess champion Garry Kasparov loses the first game of a six-game match against Deep Blue, an IBM computer capable of evaluating 200 million moves per second.  Man was ultimately victorious over machine, however, as Kasparov bested Deep Blue in the match with three wins and two ties and took home the $400,000 prize. An estimated 6 million people worldwide followed the action on the Internet.

Kasparov had previously defeated Deep Thought, the prototype for Deep Blue developed by IBM researchers in 1989, but he and other chess grandmasters had, on occasion, lost to computers in games that lasted an hour or less. The February 1996 contest was significant in that it represented the first time a human and a computer had duked it out in a regulation, six-game match, in which each player had two hours to make 40 moves, two hours to finish the next 20 moves and then another 60 minutes to wrap up the game.

Kasparov, who was born in 1963 in Baku, Azerbaijan, became the Soviet Union’s junior chess champion at age 13 and in 1985, at age 22, the youngest world champ ever when he beat legendary Soviet player Anatoly Karpov. Considered by many to be the greatest chess player in the history of the game, Kasparov was known for his swashbuckling style of play and his ability to switch tactics mid-game.

In 1997, a rematch took place between Kasparov and an enhanced Deep Blue. Kasparov won the first game, the computer the second, with the next three games a draw. On May 11, 1997, Deep Blue came out on top with a surprising sixth game win–and the $700,000 match prize.

In 2003, Kasparov battled another computer program, “Deep Junior.” The match ended in a tie. Kasparov retired from professional chess in 2005."

History.com

Deep Blue: The computer which defeated world chess champion Garry Kasparov
The computer system won its first game on February 10 in the year 1996 against world champion Garry Kasparov.

BMW i Ventures invests in 3D printing company Desktop Metal

Photo from AutoBlog.com

BMW i Ventures has added a new company investment to its growing portfolio. Desktop Metal is a Massachusetts-based company that works in 3D printing. The new addition is now preparing to bring its first product to market. With the goal of making 3D printing technology a more affordable option.

The ability to make custom 3D metal objects is a great time and cost saver. Years ago i worked in an engineering office where many of the items we built were custom manufactured. The big problem we had was time and cost. Because if we needed something right away besides doing the CAD drawings and making sure the tolerances were within spec we had to see how busy the company that did our machining was at the time.

Its so much easier to go from design to creation in house in a metal material. It opens the world for some amazing new prototypes to create and assemble together in house. Plus as we get further in to 3D metal creation the options for new material will come to life too. This will be really good for short runs where people who do custom run offs of a few pieces for a demo or prototype will soar too.


BMW i Ventures invests in 3D printing startup Desktop Metal
This technology could provide BMW with 'freedom of design and mass customization.'

BMW and Lowe’s among investors pouring $45 million into Desktop Metal, the 3D printer startup

BMW Mobile App Virtual Experience with i3 or i8 cars

Photo from DMNews.com

BMW, the people that brought you the "Ultimate Driving Machine" have just made a big step forward by allowing people to experience their two electric vehicles i3 and i8 via Augmented Reality (AR) on their mobile devices.

"“It's honestly a seamless journey between the physical and digital,” says Andrea Castronovo, BMW Group's VP of sales strategy and future retail."

"Designed and developed with consulting and technology services company Accenture, the app combines 3-D models and picture data with Google's smartphone AR technology Tango to create real-size, interactive visualizations of the cars. BMW claims to be the first automotive brand to use Tango to create these immersive experiences, and Matteo Aliberti, global lead of augmented commerce for Accenture Interactive, says that it took three to four months to take the idea from concept to development."

Buying a car is a very personal and emotional feeling for many people. Esp. since we spend so much time in these vehicles. We want to make sure we have something we feel comfortable driving. Whether it is for short or long trips we want to be comfortable and happy with everything that is around us and that we are sitting in too. People can get a feeling for their car when away from the dealership with this app. This might help them to decide to go forward and purchase the "Ultimate Driving Machine" for themselves.

Check out the YouTube video below to get your taste of BMW's new cool app for their i Vehicles.
YouTube Video: 
The All New BMW iVisualiser.


BMW Test Drives New AR Experience
The luxury vehicle manufacturer is piloting a 3-D augmented reality experience that enables customers to interact with its i3 and i8 vehicles through Tango-powered mobile devices.

BMW makes your electric car ownership easier

Photo from BMW Blog

As more people look at owning an electric vehicle (Cars, SUV's, Bikes, etc) the big question always comes up, How am i going to charge this thing at home. Sure you can get online and look around for someone to install it but it could take a bit of leg work to complete the process.

But now for BMW owners the search is over. BMW has partnered with QMerit to launch new BMW home charging installation service. This option can help electric vehicles owner worry about one less thing on their to do list when maintaining an electric vehicle. Plus when using someone who is partnered with the manufacturer any issues that might come up can be resolved quicker if updates or upgrades are required with powering / charging your vehicle.

More can be found out about this on:

BMW Blog:  BMW partners with QMerit to launch new BMW Installation Services

@MIT New exhibit of Chinese students at MIT

A new exhibit dives into the long rich history of Chinese students at MIT.

""China Comes to Tech: 1877-1931" gathers materials from this chapter in MIT history for the first time. The exhibit will run through November, in MIT’s Maihaugen Gallery in building 14N.

Images courtesy of MIT Museum/Lillian Li; MIT Archives and Special Collections; Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC), Washington State University Libraries"

MIT News:

3 Questions: Emma Teng on “China Comes to Tech”

New exhibit delves into history of Chinese students at MIT.

@MIT Snow filled day on campus

Photo from MIT

@MIT Happy Friday-after-snow-day!

Photo from MIT

Congratulations to Google's first African Coding Competition winner: 17 year old Nji Collins Gbah

Photo from bbc.com


Congratulations to Nji Collins Gbah (17) of Bamenda, Cameroon Africa for being chosen as one of Google's 34 Grand Prize winners in the Google Code-in. The competition was open to students world wide from between the ages of 13 and 17. In this years competition there were more than 1,300 people from 62 countries that were part of the event.

Nji completed all five categories which has 20 tasks that were set by Google for students to finish. One task alone took a week to finish. The impressive thing about Nji was he is self taught from online resources and books. He was able to pick up things he didn't know quickly and on the fly.

When interviewed for the BBC he mentions he worked on the Google competition between November and Mid-January. Plus he was lucky enough to finish the deadline for final submissions the day before the internet went dead in his hometown.

Photo from bbc.com

One part of his prize is to spend four days at Google's Silicon Valley Headquarters and meet with their top engineers to learn some new things and gain more of an insight into Google.

Currently Nji is working on learning as much as he can about Artificial Intelligence, Neural Networks and Deep learning as he makes his way toward studying Computer science at a good university soon. He is shooting to develop his own model for data compression with a major goal of "huge step"s in the area of data transfer and storage.

I have a feeling we have just begun to see Nji's talents and the world will be a better place because of it.

Google cleaning house at the Play Store on March 15th

The crackdown begins.
Google has been hearing a lot of complaints from people when it comes to how apps are accessing data and privacy on peoples Android devices. There are many apps on the Google Play Store that access peoples private data without asking permission or even letting people know its happening.

This issue has been going on for a while now and Google has responded. They have sent out emails to developers letting them know that their app has been flagged for privacy policy violation and it "requires developers to provide a valid privacy policy when the app requests or handles sensitive information."

The permissions include areas like: phone access, account contacts, camera and microphone devices.

Google has told developers "If your app collects and transmits personal or sensitive user data unrelated to functionality described prominently in the app's listing on Google Play or in the app interface, then prior to the collection and transmission, it must prominently  highlight how the user data will be used and have the user provide affirmative consent for such use."

The deadline is March 15, 2017 for developers to update their store listings with a valid privacy policy or remove those features creating the issue from their app. If developers don't comply Google will take action from visibility restrictions to removal from the store.

Image found on greenbot.com