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Musk’s Jet Tracker Jack Sweeney Featured in Forbes’ 30 Under 30

According to Sweeney, the acknowledgement is one of the many reasons he’s glad he didn’t give in to Musk’s demands that he stop tracking his private jet…reports Asian Lite News

Jack Sweeney, the college student who used to track Elon Musk’s private jets, has been named in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list.

Sweeney, 21, who studies at the US-based University of Central Florida, was listed on Forbes’ list of entrepreneurs in consumer technology, reports Insider.

“Jack Sweeney has created bots that track the private jets of the rich and famous, including Mark Cuban, Taylor Swift, and various Russian oligarchs, and has helped journalists, researchers, and hobbyists track planes across social media,” the Forbes’ profile reads.

According to Sweeney, the acknowledgement is one of the many reasons he’s glad he didn’t give in to Musk’s demands that he stop tracking his private jet.

“I’m thankful I got on the list. I think this event just adds to the reasons why I’m glad I didn’t take it down. It’s allowed me to meet great people and continue to expand on what I love, jet-tracking,” Sweeney was quoted as saying.

Sweeney has collected and published flight data for some of the world’s most influential people, including American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and Meta Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in recent years.

He originally came to public attention last year after Musk offered him $5,000 to stop sharing his flight information on social media, but he refused and demanded $50,000.

Musk said he would think about it, but has not paid up.

Sweeney’s X accounts, including @ElonJet and @ZuccJet, were later suspended in December after Musk took over the company.

Musk claimed that the account was a “personal safety risk”.

In July this year, Sweeney moved to Meta’s Twitter-rival Threads after being suspended from the microblogging platform last year.

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Health Kerala Tech Lite

Aster Medcity Elevates Neurocare with Top-tier Teams

Aster Medcity unveils advanced Neuropathology and Diagnostic Neuroradiology teams, a milestone in delivering state-of-the-art brain, spine, and nerve care…reports Asian Lite News

Aster Medcity, a beacon of healthcare innovation, proudly introduces its fully-fledged Neuropathology and Diagnostic Neuroradiology teams, led by the esteemed Dr. Vani Santhosh and Dr. Harish Babu, respectively.

This groundbreaking initiative marks a pivotal moment in the hospital’s unwavering commitment to delivering state-of-the-art services in brain, spine, and nerve care.

The spectrum of services spans advanced neurosurgery, spine surgery, neurology, neuroradiology, neuropsychology, and neuro-rehabilitation, catering to patients of all ages.

Dr. Dilip Panikar, Senior Consultant – Neurosurgery at Aster Medcity Kochi, expressed, “With the introduction of dedicated neuropathology services, Aster Medcity continues to set benchmarks in healthcare, striving to enhance and revolutionize neurological services in Kerala and beyond.”

At the helm of the neuropathology team is Dr. Vani Santhosh, a former Senior Professor of Neuropathology at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS). Dr. Santhosh’s groundbreaking research in neuro-oncology has significantly advanced the understanding of the biology of glioblastoma (GBM) and other gliomas.

Joining the ranks is Dr. Harish Babu, a distinguished Neuroradiologist specializing in diagnosing brain scans, who now leads the Neuroradiology Team. Dr. Babu emphasised, “Neuroradiology plays a pivotal role in neurosurgery by providing detailed anatomical and functional information that guides surgeons in planning and executing precise and effective interventions for various neurologic conditions.”

To augment neuropathology capabilities, Aster Medcity is launching a new center for Neuropathology. This center will process specimens from various Aster hospitals, leveraging the expertise of the accomplished neuropathology team in Kochi.

Dr. Shyam Sundar S, Senior Consultant – Neurosurgery, Aster Medcity, Kochi, highlighted, “The collaboration between neurosurgeons, diagnostic neuroradiologists, and neuropathologists ensures a comprehensive understanding of neurological conditions, leading to more accurate diagnoses, better treatment planning, and improved patient outcomes.”

The Global Centre of Excellence in Neurosciences integrates departments such as Neurology, Parkinson and Movement Disorders Centre, Acute Stroke Care Centre, Pediatric Neurology, Epilepsy Care Centre, Spine Care Centre, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, and Neuropsychology. Aster Medcity is poised to advance neurological care through these integrated efforts, setting new standards in healthcare excellence.

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Business Tech Lite Technology

Digital Inclusion in Focus at Bengaluru Tech Summit

Tech leaders, startups, investors, and research labs from 30 plus countries are taking part in the summit between November 29 to December 1….reports Asian Lite News

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the prestigious Bengaluru Tech Summit 2023 on Wednesday.

Speaking after inaugurating the 26th edition of the tech summit, Siddaramaiah stated, “The digital divide is a reality we must address, ensuring that the benefits of technology reach every citizen, regardless of their background.

“We aim to bridge this gap through targeted initiatives, utilising the power of data and analytics to drive informed decision-making in governance. Beyond Bengaluru is a unique initiative in that direction with the primary focus of developing and enhancing ecosystems in regions beyond Bengaluru and bridging the digital divide.”

“Our government is focused on building a seamless ecosystem that attracts investment, talent, and opportunities. We want Karnataka to be seen as the hub with an “end-to-end ecosystem” for innovating and growing businesses,” he stated.

Karnataka has been at the forefront of pioneering sector specific policies that have played a pivotal role in shaping our state’s trajectory towards progress. In 1997, we set a precedent by becoming the first state in the country to introduce a ground-breaking Information Technology Policy. Fast forward to today, and the IT sector stands as a cornerstone of our economy, contributing a substantial 25 per cent to our GDP, the CM explained.

Building on this legacy of innovation, Karnataka was also the pioneer in introducing a Biotech Policy in 2001. As we continue to champion advancements in biotechnology, I am thrilled to announce that a revised Biotech Policy is set to be unveiled at the Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS), he said.

“This vibrant industry has not only provided direct employment to over 12 lakh professionals but has also created a ripple effect, generating over 31 lakh indirect jobs. Karnataka’s share of software exports, nearly 40 per cent of the country’s total, solidifies its position as a global IT powerhouse,” Siddaramaiah stated.

The 26th Edition of Bengaluru Tech Summit is organised by Department of Electronics IT, BT, Software Technology Parks of India. The theme of the year is ‘Breaking Boundaries’.

Tech leaders, startups, investors, and research labs from 30 plus countries are taking part in the summit between November 29 to December 1.

ALSO READ: AWS bets big on GenAI

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Business Tech Lite Technology

AWS bets big on GenAI

AWS currently offers more than 150 different Graviton-powered Amazon EC2 instance types globally at scale, has built more than 2 million Graviton processors…reports Asian Lite News

Amazon Web Services (AWS) CEO Adam Selipsky on Tuesday unveiled a slew of new offerings, including a purpose-built chip for generative AI and ML training to boost GenAI adoption among enterprises of all sizes.

The AWS CEO said that 80 per cent of unicorns (companies with a valuation of $1 billion and above) run on their cloud globally and with GenAI, the innovation will only grow across companies of all sizes. The Cloud giant has been working with AI and ML offerings for more than 25 years.

Delivering the keynote at the company’s annual flagship ‘re: Invent’ conference here, Selipsky said that innovators across the world are relying on AWS to drive their businesses, including leading enterprises from leading financial service providers to automotive giants.

“We are constantly reinventing with GenAI. Companies of all sizes are in the early experimental stages with GenAI and are innovating for early-use cases with large language models (LLMs). We are offering a generative AI stack for enterprises,” he told a packed house here.

Selipsky unveiled the next generation of two AWS-designed chips — AWS Graviton4 and AWS Trainium2 — for a broad range of customer workloads, including machine learning (ML) training and generative artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

Graviton4 provides up to 30 per cent better compute performance, 50 per cent more cores, and 75 per cent more memory bandwidth than current generation Graviton3 processors, delivering the best price performance and energy efficiency for a broad range of workloads running on Amazon EC2.

AWS currently offers more than 150 different Graviton-powered Amazon EC2 instance types globally at scale, has built more than 2 million Graviton processors, and has more than 50,000 customers—including the top 100 EC2 customers—using Graviton-based instances to achieve the best price performance for their applications.

At the event, the company announced three new serverless innovations across its database and analytics portfolio that make it faster and easier for customers to scale their data infrastructure to support their most demanding use cases.

Dr Swami Sivasubramanian, vice president of Data and Artificial Intelligence at AWS, said that the new serverless innovations “build on the foundation to make it easier for customers to scale to millions of transactions per second, quickly add capacity at a moment’s notice, and dynamically adapt workload patterns to optimize for performance and cost.”

The company also announced a new palm-scanning identity service that will allow companies to authenticate people when entering physical premises.

Called ‘Amazon One Enterprise,’ the service eliminates operational overhead associated with the management of traditional enterprise authentication methods, like badges and PINs, the company said during its ‘AWS re:Invent 2023’ event here.

The palm-recognition technology uses advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning to create a palm signature that is associated with identification credentials like a badge, employee ID, or PIN.

“Amazon One Enterprise’s palm recognition technology is designed to deliver a highly accurate identification service that increases an organisation’s overall security, while offering seamless authentication management with lower operational overhead,” said Dilip Kumar, vice president of AWS Applications.

Amazon launched a new $195 devices that allow enterprise users to access virtual desktop environments, like Amazon WorkSpaces, over the internet. The devices are housed in Fire TV Cube hardware.

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Business Tech Lite Technology

Apple to Part Ways with Goldman Sachs

The iPhone maker has sent a proposal to Goldman Sachs, asking it to terminate their partnership within the next 12 to 15 months…reports Asian Lite News

Apple is reportedly ending its partnership with global investment bank Goldman Sachs over its Apple Card.

The iPhone maker has sent a proposal to Goldman Sachs, asking it to terminate their partnership within the next 12 to 15 months, according to The Wall Street Journal.

“The exit would cover their entire consumer partnership, including the credit card the companies launched in 2019 and the savings account rolled out this year,” the report mentioned late on Tuesday.

Goldman Sachs currently issues the Apple Card and powers the company’s savings accounts.

However, earlier reports hinted that their partnership was not going too well and Goldman Sachs reportedly explored offloading the Apple Card onto American Express.

“The tech giant recently sent a proposal to Goldman to exit from the contract in the next roughly 12-to-15 months, according to people briefed on the matter,” the WSJ report mentioned.

Apple or Goldman Sachs were yet to comment on the report.

In August, the iPhone maker said Apple Card’s high-yield savings account by Goldman Sachs saw more than $10 billion in deposits since launching in April.

The savings account from Goldman Sachs offers a high-yield annual percentage yield (APY) of 4.15 per cent.

Since the launch of Savings, 97 per cent of customers have chosen to have their Daily Cash automatically deposited into their account, enabling users to easily establish and continue cultivating healthy savings habits.

Built into Wallet on iPhone, Apple Card has transformed the credit card experience by simplifying the application process, eliminating all fees, encouraging users to pay less interest, providing the privacy and security users expect from Apple, and offering Daily Cash on every purchase.

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India News Tech Lite Technology

IISER study shows solar activity likely to peak in 2024

Sun erupts with 17 flares, solar storms to hit Earth on Thursday(photo: SPACE.com twitter)

The solar cycle is the period when the Sun’s magnetic field flips every 11 years as it becomes more tangled like a ball of yarn….reports Asian Lite News

The Sun’s currently active phase of Solar Cycle 25 is likely to peak to its maximum intensity in 2024, as is evident in the increasing number of sunspots and increasing solar flare activity, according to researchers from IISER Kolkata.

The solar cycle is the period when the Sun’s magnetic field flips every 11 years as it becomes more tangled like a ball of yarn.

Data from observations starting from the early 1600s show that approximately every 11 years, the number of spots and the intensity of solar activity reach a peak when the most violent perturbations in planetary space environments — or space weather — are expected.

This includes serious damage to orbiting satellites, electric power grids and telecommunications when directed toward Earth.

However, predicting when this peak is going to occur has remained challenging. The team discovered a new relationship between the sun’s magnetic field and its sunspot cycle that can help predict when the peak in solar activity will occur, they said in the research paper, appearing in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters.

In 1935, Swiss astronomer Max Waldmeier discovered that the faster the rate of rise of a sunspot cycle, the stronger its strength, so stronger cycles take less time to rise to their peak intensity. This relationship has often been utilised to forecast the strength of a sunspot cycle based on observations of its early rising phase.

The new discovery by the IISER team complements the Waldmeier effect, connecting the two primary magnetic field components of the sun and supporting the theory that the evolution of sunspots are integral to the functioning of the solar dynamo process rather than being a mere symptom of it.

These new observations of the rate of decrease of the sun’s dipole magnetic field can be usefully combined with sunspot observations to predict when the ongoing cycle would peak.

The analysis suggests that the maximum of solar cycle 25 is most likely to occur in early 2024, with an uncertainty in the estimate that ranges to September 2024, the researchers said. With this latest discovery, a new window opens up for forecasting the timing of the peak of solar cycles — when the most intense activity and most frequent space weather disturbances are expected, they noted.

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India News Tech Lite Technology

‘Collaborating with Indian govt to address deepfakes’

The company said it is pleased to have the opportunity to partner with the government and to continue dialogue, including through its upcoming engagement on the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) Summit….reports Asian Lite News

As the Indian government takes tough stand on AI-generated fake content especially deepfakes, Google on Wednesday said the company’s collaboration with the Indian government for a multi-stakeholder discussion aligns with its commitment to addressing this challenge together and ensuring a responsible approach to AI.

By embracing a multi-stakeholder approach and fostering responsible AI development, we can ensure that AI’s transformative potential continues to serve as a force for good in the world, said Michaela Browning, VP, Government Affairs & Public Policy, Google Asia Pacific.

“There is no silver bullet to combat deep fakes and AI-generated misinformation. It requires a collaborative effort, one that involves open communication, rigorous risk assessment, and proactive mitigation strategies,” Browning added.

The company said it is pleased to have the opportunity to partner with the government and to continue dialogue, including through its upcoming engagement on the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) Summit.

“As we continue to incorporate AI, and more recently, generative AI, into more Google experiences, we know it’s imperative to be bold and responsible together,” said Browning.

The Centre last week gave a seven-day deadline to social media platforms to tweak their policies as per Indian regulations in order to address the spread of deepfakes on their platforms.

Deepfakes could be subject to action under the current IT Rules, particularly Rule 3(1)(b), which mandates the removal of 12 types of content within 24 hours of receiving user complaints, said Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

The government will also take action of 100 per cent of such violations under the IT Rules in the future. According to Google, it is looking to help address potential risks in multiple ways.

“One important consideration is helping users identify AI-generated content and empowering people with knowledge of when they’re interacting with AI generated media,” said the tech giant.

In the coming months, YouTube will require creators to disclose altered or synthetic content that is realistic, including using AI tools. “We will inform viewers about such content through labels in the description panel and video player,” said Google.

“In the coming months, on YouTube, we’ll make it possible to request the removal of AI-generated or other synthetic or altered content that simulates an identifiable individual, including their face or voice, using our privacy request process,” it added.

Google recently updated its election advertising policies to require advertisers to disclose when their election ads include material that’s been digitally altered or generated. “We also actively engage with policymakers, researchers, and experts to develop effective solutions. We have invested $1 million in grants to the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, to establish the first of its kind multidisciplinary center for Responsible AI,” Browning noted.

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India News Science Tech Lite

ISRO’s space telescope spots over 600 gamma-ray bursts  

GRBs last from a fraction of a second to several minutes, and are accompanied by the birth of a black hole…reports Asian Lite News

India’s AstroSat space telescope has achieved a significant milestone by detecting more than 600 Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB), each marking the death of a massive star or merging of neutron stars.

“The detection of the 600th GRB is a great demonstration of the continued undiminished performance of Cadmium Zinc Telluride Imager (CZTI) eight years after launch, and well after its design lifetime,” Dipankar Bhattacharya, the principal investigator for CZTI, said.

Dubbed as mini big-bangs, GRBs are the most energetic explosions in the universe, emitting more energy in seconds than the sun will emit in its entire lifetime, Gaurav Waratkar, a Ph.D student at IIT Bombay, who leads the study of GRBs with AstroSat, said.

GRBs last from a fraction of a second to several minutes, and are accompanied by the birth of a black hole.

Launched in 2015 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), AstroSat had a design life of five years, but continues to be in good health, making observations for astronomers.

The satellite is India’s first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory, equipped with a suite of payloads for simultaneously observing celestial objects across different wavelengths, from ultraviolet to X-rays.

“We are proud of what AstroSat has accomplished. To build upon this success, multiple institutes have come together and proposed to build Daksha, a next-generation GRB space telescope that will be far better than any such satellite worldwide. Daksha will be sensitive enough to detect in just over a year what CZTI did in eight,” Varun Bhalerao, associate professor at IIT-Bombay, said.

The 600th GRB detection by AstroSat’s CZTI detector was made on November 22, which was notified to astronomers across the world who could use it in their research on such a phenomenon and provide astronomers with invaluable data to explore the extreme conditions associated with these high-energy events.

“It is amazing to look at the data and have the opportunity to be the first one to view these explosions that happened billions of years ago,” Waratkar said.

He said since the 600th GRB, the CZTI has detected three more such events, the latest on Monday.

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Tech Lite Technology

iOS17 update adds feature that raises privacy concern

Police also said that “you should remember to do this on your children’s phone too if you choose to.”..reports Asian Lite News

A new iOS17 update has added a feature called ‘NameDrop’ that has raised privacy concerns among iPhone users.

The new ‘NameDrop’ feature enables users to quickly share their contact information with nearby iPhones or Apple Watches, rather than handing over their phone to a new person to exchange information.

According to Fox23, several local law enforcement agencies in the US, like Dewey police expressed concern about the update. According to them, this feature is ‘ON’ by default, so if you want to shut it off, go to Settings, tap General, then AirDrop, then ‘Bringing Devices Together’ and change it to off.

Police also said that “you should remember to do this on your children’s phone too if you choose to.”

While the feature is enabled by default, it should be noted that the user must manually authorise any information sent and has the option to decline. Many users took to social media to warn against utilising the new feature.

“The NameDrop feature aims to make sharing contacts easy but at a privacy cost. Without knowing, you could be sharing your info with nearby iPhone users,” a user warned on X.

“Dear iPhone users: How to turn NameDrop off after update. 1. Go to Settings 2. Tap ‘General’ 3. Tap ‘AirDrop’ 4. Toggle ‘Bringing Devices Together’ to off. You’re welcome,” another user wrote. One more user mentioned, “FAQ: Is NameDrop always enabled? Yes, it’s on by default. This means your iPhone could be oversharing without you realising”.

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Social Media Tech Lite Technology

‘Meta knowingly designed platforms to hook kids’

Others acknowledged Facebook and Instagram also were popular with children under age 13 who, per company policy, were not allowed to use the service…reports Asian Lite News

Facebook parent Meta Platforms deliberately engineered its social platforms to hook kids and knew — but never disclosed — it had received millions of complaints about underage users on Instagram but only disabled a fraction of those accounts, according to a newly unsealed legal complaint described in reports from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

The complaint, originally made public in redacted form, was the opening salvo in a lawsuit filed in late October by the attorneys general of 33 states.

Company documents cited in the complaint described several Meta officials acknowledging the company designed its products to exploit shortcomings in youthful psychology such as impulsive behavior, susceptibility to peer pressure and the underestimation of risks, according to the reports.

Others acknowledged Facebook and Instagram also were popular with children under age 13 who, per company policy, were not allowed to use the service.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks during a news conference in New York, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. New York is bidding to put new controls on social media platforms that state leaders say will protect the mental health of younger users. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

‘Addictive’ social media feeds that keep children online targeted by New York lawmakers

Meta said in a statement to The Associated Press that the complaint misrepresents its work over the past decade to make the online experience safe for teens, noting it has “over 30 tools to support them and their parents.”

With respect to barring younger users from the service, Meta argued age verification is a “complex industry challenge.”

Instead, Meta said it favors shifting the burden of policing underage usage to app stores and parents, specifically by supporting federal legislation that would require app stores to obtain parental approval whenever youths under 16 download apps.

One Facebook safety executive alluded to the possibility that cracking down on younger users might hurt the company’s business in a 2019 email, according to the Journal report.

But a year later, the same executive expressed frustration that while Facebook readily studied the usage of underage users for business reasons, it didn’t show the same enthusiasm for ways to identify younger kids and remove them from its platforms, the Journal reported.

The complaint noted that at times Meta has a backlog of up to 2.5 million accounts of younger children awaiting action, according to the newspaper reports.

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