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MAI, Cairo (2026)

23/05/2019

متى و كيف بدأ استخدام البصمات كدليل جنائي ؟!
في حزيران ١٨٩٢ تم استدعاء الشرطة في إحدى قرى الأرجنتين بعد ما عثرت (فرانشيسكا روهاس) الأم ذات الـ ٢٧ عاماً على طفليها مقتولين داخل بيتها ،كانت جريمة بشعة ارتكبت في بلدة صغيرة ، لكن بسببها حصل تطور مذهل في علم الأدلة الجنائية.
قالت (فرانشيسكا) أنها كانت خارج البيت ولما رجعت وجدت الطفلين مقتولين ، وبسؤال الشرطة لها عما إذا كانت توجه الاتهام لشخص معين، قالت إنها تعرف القاتل و أنها رأته وقت وصولها .. و قد اتهمت صديق لها اسمه (بيدرو فلاسكوز).
قالت (فرانشيسكا) إن (فلاسكوز) هددها أكتر من مرة قبل ذلك إنه سيقتل أولادها لو بقيت مصممة على رفضها الزواج منه.
تم القبض على (فلاسكوز) و وجهت له تهمة القتل فأنكر، وقال أنه يعرف (فرانشيسكا) و لكن لا علاقة له بجريمة القتل .
لجأت الشرطة للحل الوحيد الذي كان سائداً في ذلك الوقت مع ضعف الأدلة و هو التعذيب إلى حد الإنهاك ،فيتعب ثم يعترف بالجريمة.
استخدمت الشرطة كل الطرق مع (فلاسكوز) من ضرب وتغطيس الوجه في المياه ولكنه بقي مُصراً على الإنكار برغم التعذيب الشديد. ما أدهش المحقق (إدواردو ألفاريز) المسؤول عن القضية .. لأنه لم يسبق لأي متهم أن أنكر بعد كل ذلك التعذيب.. و كان يمكن للبريءأن يعترف ليتخلص منه.
(ألفاريز) كان محققاً عبقرياً ، وقرر أن يزور مسرح الجريمة من جديد ، عله يجد دليلاً ما..
لم يترك (ألفاريز) مكاناً في البيت إلا وفتش فيه .. بحث في كل أرجائه.. لكن للأسف كانت النتيجة صادمة له ، و قرر أن يعود لمكتبه وقبل خروجه من باب البيت لمح شيئاً جعله يفكر خارج الصندوق.
لاحظ (ألفاريز) وجود بقعة دم تحمل بصمة أصابع على إطار باب البيت .. وقف أمامها وفكر: هل يمكن الاستفادة من هذا الدليل؟؟ و تذكر أنه سأل (فرانشيسكا) عما إذا كانت قد لمست أي من الجثتين أو بقع الدم في المكان؟؟ ، فكانت إجابتها: لا .
تأكد (ألفاريز) إن البصمة تخص القاتل، و لكن كيف سيتصرف ؟؟ ..لم يكن متوفراً أي تقنية لتظهير البصمات في نهاية القرن الـ ١٩ ، ولكنه قرر المبادرة وقام بخلع الجزء الذي يحتوي على بصمة الدم من الباب لمقارنتها ببصمات (فلاسكوز)!! ..
كانت فكرة ثورية بالمعنى الحرفي للكلمة.
كان (ألفاريز) مقتنع جداً أن الحل بين يديه ولكن التنفيذ؟؟!!
(خوان فوسيتتش) {والمرفقة صورته مع المقال}.. ضابط شرطة وصديق (ألفاريز) ومستشاره بالإضافة إلى كونه عالم أنثروبولوجيا (علم الإنسان) ، كان قد درس بصمات الأصابع بالإضافة لكتب (فرانسيس جالتون) صاحب الأبحاث في علم الوراثة وعلم الإنسان ،وقرر (فوسيتتش) أن يحلل البصمات!!
أخذ نسخة من بصمات (فلاسكوز) العشرة ولكن كان التركيز على بصمة واحدة لمقارنتها مع البصمة اللي على الباب ، و ابتكر (فوسيتتش) طريقة لتسهيل ترتيب بصمات الأصابع و هي طريقة مازالت تـُستخدم حتى اليوم .. هي طريقة (أنماط البصمات).
فالبصمات واحدة من ثلاثة أنماط :
(حلقات .. منحنيات .. دوامات)
و بالمقارنة اتضح إن بصمة (فلاسكوز) و البصمة على الباب من نفس النمط (منحني) .. و تابع (فوسيتتش) التدقيق في تفاصيل البصمات عن طريق عدسة مكبرة يقارن بين نقط وتفرعات البصمتين!! ،و توصل أخيراً إلى النتيجة : .. (فلاسكوز) بريء !!..
فلا تطابق بين البصمتين!!.
قامت الشرطة باحضار (فرانشيسكا روهاس) ثانية وفتحت تحقيقاً معها فأصرت على أقوالها الأولى واتهمت (فلاسكوز) ،فكان من الطبيعي أن يأخذ (ألفاريز) بصماتها ليقارن بينها وبين بصمة الباب.
بعد مقارنة بصمات (فرانشيسكا) بالبصمة الغامضة حصل التطابق :
(فرانشيسكا روهاس) هي اللي قتلت طفليها!!
لماذا ارتكبت جريمتها البشعة؟؟
ولماذا حاولت إلصاق التهمة بـ (فلاسكوز)؟؟
اعترفت أن (فلاسكوز) لم يكن صديقها الوحيد .. بل كان لديها صديق أخر وكانت تحبه بجنون و مستعدة لتنفيذ أي شيء ليبقى معها، ولما طلبت منه أن يتزوجها .. قال أن مشكلته الوحيدة معها هو وجود أطفالها .. فقررت أن تتخلص من الطفلين لتتزوجه!!!
قُدِّمت (فرانشيسكا روهاس) للمحاكمة بتهمة قتل طفليها وحُكم عليها بالسجن مدى الحياة.
وهكذا ... بسبب بصمة غير مقصودة من (فرانشيسكا) وذكاء (إدواردو ألفاريز) وعِلم (خوان فوسيتتش) حصل تحول ثوري وتاريخي في عالم مكافحة الجريمة

19/03/2019

Researchers at Sam Houston State University (SHSU) hope to unmask manufacturers of homemade explosives using new advancements in DNA technology.

In a study published in Forensic Science International: Genetics, a team of graduate students and faculty from the Department of Forensic Science investigated several methods to recover and analyze DNA from improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, to help thwart terrorist efforts. The study examines a new method to optimize the recovery of DNA from detonated pipe bombs.

According to data from the Bureau of Alcohol, To***co, Fi****ms and Explosives, IEDs accounted for 24% of all bombings reported in the U.S. in 2014. These devices also were responsible for 75% of all reported bombing deaths and 100% of all reported law enforcement injuries.

Although there are many types of evidence that can be collected, DNA is valued because it is one of the few types that can identify the assembler of the device. However, the analysis of post-blast evidence can be difficult.

"While forensic DNA technology has made several advancements since the 1980s, the ability to produce high quality DNA profiles from IEDs can still be quite difficult," said Esiri Tasker, a PhD student who lead the study. "Issues such as high heat or low amounts of DNA can cause a DNA profile to be incomplete, or fail to produce a profile at all. Without the full picture, it is harder to identify suspects with DNA."

The study, "Analysis of DNA from post-blast pipe bomb fragments for identification and determination of ancestry," examined different collection and extraction methods for degraded and small samples of DNA left behind on detonated pipe bombs, including short tandem repeat markers (SNPs), single nucleotides polymorphisms via a new sequencing method called massively parallel sequencing or MPS, and insertion/null (INNULs). The new method for replicating genetic markers, SNPs via MPS, were found to be successful in identifying the ancestry of a suspect in most tests in the laboratory, which can provide another avenue for testing degraded DNA samples.

Because the materials needed to construct an IED are readily accessible, they will continue to be a weapon of choice for homegrown and international terrorists. However, new advancements in DNA technology may better equip investigators to help identify suspected bomb-makers than they have in the past. Researchers at SHSU hope that the results from this study can eventually be implemented to help identify bomb-makers and prevent future attacks on innocent people.

20/02/2019

Forensics: New tool predicts eye, hair and skin color from a DNA sample of an unidentified individual
New tool will be used when standard forensic profiling is not helpful

An international team has developed a novel tool to accurately predict eye, hair and skin color from human biological material -- even a small DNA sample -- left, for example, at a crime scene or obtained from archeological remains. This all-in-one pigmentation profile tool provides a physical description of the person in a way that has not previously been possible by generating all three pigment traits together using a freely available webtool.
An international team, led by scientists from the School of Science at IUPUI and Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, has developed a novel tool to accurately predict eye, hair and skin color from human biological material. The innovative high-probability and high-accuracy complete pigmentation profile webtool is available online without charge.
Credit: Walsh lab in School of Science at IUPUI
An international team, led by scientists from the School of Science at IUPUI and Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam in the Netherlands, has developed a novel tool to accurately predict eye, hair and skin color from human biological material -- even a small DNA sample -- left, for example, at a crime scene or obtained from archeological remains. This all-in-one pigmentation profile tool provides a physical description of the person in a way that has not previously been possible by generating all three pigment traits together using a freely available webtool.
The tool is designed to be used when standard forensic DNA profiling is not helpful because no reference DNA exists against which to compare the evidence sample.
The HIrisPlex-S DNA test system is capable of simultaneously predicting eye, hair and skin color phenotypes from DNA. Users, such as law enforcement officials or anthropologists, can enter relevant data using a laboratory DNA analysis tool, and the webtool will predict the pigment profile of the DNA donor.
"We have previously provided law enforcement and anthropologists with DNA tools for eye color and for combined eye and hair color, but skin color has been more difficult," said forensic geneticist Susan Walsh from IUPUI, who co-directed the study. "Importantly, we are directly predicting actual skin color divided into five subtypes -- very pale, pale, intermediate, dark and dark to black -- using DNA markers from the genes that determine an individual's skin coloration. This is not the same as identifying genetic ancestry. You might say it's more similar to specifying a paint color in a hardware store rather than denoting race or ethnicity.
"If anyone asks an eyewitness what they saw, the majority of time they mention hair color and skin color. What we are doing is using genetics to take an objective look at what they saw," Walsh said.
The innovative high-probability and high-accuracy complete pigmentation profile webtool is available online without charge.
The study, "HIrisPlex-S System for Eye, Hair and Skin Colour Prediction from DNA: Introduction and Forensic Developmental Validation," is published in the peer-reviewed journal Forensic Science International: Genetics.
"With our new HIrisPlex-S system, for the first time, forensic geneticists and genetic anthropologists are able to simultaneously generate eye, hair and skin color information from a DNA sample, including DNA of the low quality and quantity often found in forensic casework and anthropological studies," said Manfred Kayser of Erasmus MC, co-leader of the study.

20/01/2019

Measuring ability of artificial intelligence to learn is difficult

Organizations looking to benefit from the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution should be cautious about putting all their eggs in one basket, a study from the University of Waterloo has found.
In a study published in Nature Machine Intelligence, Waterloo researchers found that contrary to conventional wisdom, there can be no exact method for deciding whether a given problem may be successfully solved by machine learning tools.
"We have to proceed with caution," said Shai Ben-David, lead author of the study and a professor in Waterloo's School of Computer Science. "There is a big trend of tools that are very successful, but nobody understands why they are successful, and nobody can provide guarantees that they will continue to be successful.
"In situations where just a yes or no answer is required, we know exactly what can or cannot be done by machine learning algorithms. However, when it comes to more general setups, we can't distinguish learnable from un-learnable tasks."
In the study, Ben-David and his colleagues considered a learning model called estimating the maximum (EMX), which captures many common machine learning tasks. For example, tasks like identifying the best place to locate a set of distribution facilities to optimize their accessibility for future expected consumers. The research found that no mathematical method would ever be able to tell, given a task in that model, whether an AI-based tool could handle that task or not.
"This finding comes as a surprise to the research community since it has long been believed that once a precise description of a task is provided, it can then be determined whether machine learning algorithms will be able to learn and carry out that task," said Ben-David.
The study, "Learnability can be Undecidable," was co-authored by Ben-David, Pavel Hrubeš from the Institute of Mathematics of the Academy of Sciences in the Czech Republic, Shay Morgan from the Department of Computer Science, Princeton University, Amir Shpilka, Department of Computer Science, Tel Aviv University, and Amir Yehudayoff from the Department of Mathematics, Technion-IIT.

15/01/2019

DNA evidence used to protect the rhinoceros from extinction
Genetic evidence helping match confiscated rhinoceros horns to crime scenes -- Already used in scores of successful prosecutions

Call it CSI meets conservation. Stephen O'Brien, Ph.D., a research scientist at Nova Southeastern University's (NSU) Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, has worked with colleagues across the globe to create a DNA database of rhinoceros that will be used to help with the criminal prosecution of poachers.
"What we've done is create a powerful tool -- a genetic database -- that enforcement officials can use when they are building cases against those accused of poaching," Dr. O'Brien said. "These magnificent animals are facing increased dangers, so we need to bring every resource we can to the efforts to save them for generations to come."
The research team included experts from the University of Pretoria's Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, the Theodosius Dobzhansky Center for Genome Bioinformatics, St. Petersburg State University and African wildlife enforcement units.
A new report addresses the illegal taking of African rhinoceros -- an important conservation icon -- by organized crime syndicates trafficking rhino horns to southeast Asia markets. Rhino poaching is uncontrolled and increasing, from a few incidents a decade ago to more than 1,000 per year today. The profits are enormous, and so far the risks rather modest.
This study changes that.
The study, published today in Current Biology titled "Robust forensic matching of confiscated horns to individual poached African rhinoceros," describes a comprehensive effort to create a large database of individual rhinos' composite short-term repeat-STR (also called microsatellite) genotypes so they could match confiscated tissue-DNA to real time crime scenes for prosecution.
The team developed an extensive database of rhinoceros DNA profiles and demographic information named RhODIS® (Rhino DNA Index System), modeled after CODIS, which is the U.S. FBI's criminal DNA database. The RhODIS® forensic system involved African wildlife ranger training and certification, a chain of custody compliant sampling methodology used for live and dead rhinoceros and rhinoceros horns, an eRhODIS™ field data collection "app" and state-of-the-art DNA genetic individualization. To date, more than 20,000 individual rhinoceros specimens and genotypes have been added to the RhODIS® database.
These data include more than 5,800 forensic case samples where links were made between recovered horns, blood stained evidence items and specific rhinoceros carcasses. In the most recent cases listed in the report, this forensic genetic individualization allowed heavy punishments upon conviction, establishing international legal precedents for prosecuting and convicting smugglers of rhino horns suitable for other endangered species traffic. The applications highlight the legal precedent of utilizing the RhODIS® system for rhinoceros crimes and provide a benchmark for implementation of similar systems for global wildlife trafficking investigations of other species.
African black and white rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis and Ceratotherium simum) are classified on as critically endangered and near threatened, respectively. Their continued survival is jeopardized by habitat loss and a surge in illegal hunting for their horns that are considered of both medicinal value and as a cultural status symbol in Asian countries, mainly Vietnam and China. More than 7,000 rhinoceros have been killed through poaching in the past decade across Africa with South Africa suffering the highest losses.
"We've seen a huge surge in the number of rhinos poached over the past couple of years simply because the financial reward far outweighed the risk," Dr. O'Brien said. "Now that we can genetically tie someone to a specific cases of poaching, the chances of successful prosecution will go up -- hopefully the risk will now not be worth it."
The RhODIS® system also provides a comprehensive genetic resource that can be utilized to assist in the management of rhinoceros populations under increasing pressure due to the escalating and non-selective poaching across the African continent. As numbers decline and genetic variability is reduced in the remaining animals, the RhODIS® data is providing a tool to inform genetic management of selected populations to avoid inbreeding while maintaining reproductive potential of the survivors

06/12/2018

Google releases Chrome 71 with features to block abusive ads

Google has announced that Chrome 71 has left beta and is publicly rolling out for Windows, Mac, and Linux, as spotted by 9to5Google. The latest version of Google’s browser was in the works over the past few months, touting features to help fight against abusive ad experiences by blocking manipulative ad designs and showing billing warning screens.
With Chrome 71, Chrome will filter experiences on websites that fall under Google’s definition of abusive. These include web experiences that aren’t just limited to ads, such as auto-redirects that happen without any action from a user or trick-to-click experiences like a warning notification that actually leads to an ad or another website’s landing page. Sites that are reported to have abusive experiences will be given a 30-day grace period to clean up their behavior before every ad on the site is blocked.
Google has been expanding the way it tackles bad ad practices for some time. Back in 2017, it announced that Chrome 64 would prevent websites from opening pop-up ads, tabs, and automatic redirects to new pages. Separately, in 2017, Google said it planned to support the guidelines set by Better Ads Standards for what constituted a bad ad, which includes flashing, animated ads and full-screen rollover ads.
Users will have the option to turn Chrome 71’s filtering for abusive experiences on or off, but the likelihood is that most will not opt out. Google hopes that the more users upgrade and use Chrome 71, sites will be subject to better ad practices or risk losing a significant portion of revenue. Additionally, this means that Google, the company with the largest online ad network, is now the same entity making decisions about what ads to block on the most-used browser. Though Google says it anticipates this new policy will only affect a “small number of sites with persistent abusive experiences,” Google Ads is Google’s main source of revenue, which presents a potential conflict.
Along with abusive experience blocking, Chrome 71 will also present a warning about sites that try to bill you without your full consent or obfuscate a billing structure. Additionally, Chrome 71 will mute sites that play sound automatically, a change that will be welcome for most that hate auto-playing videos, but unfortunately, it has the side effect of breaking older web games.
The desktop version of Chrome 71 is available now, and versions for Android and Chrome OS will be coming in the next few weeks.

14/11/2018

Withings’ Pulse HR is a fitness tracker with a 20-day battery

After buying itself back from Nokia and releasing the Steel HR Sport under its own brand in September, Withings is releasing another updated wearable called the Pulse HR. A water-resistant fitness tracker that offers heart rate monitoring, the Pulse HR has connected GPS tracking and a 20-day battery life.

The tracker’s silicone wristband can be swapped with two other colors, and the OLED display can show real-time workout information like calories burned, daily activity goal progress, and smartphone notifications. It can also track sleep patterns, detect sleep duration, and wake up the user with vibration alarms at optimal times during the sleep cycle.

The Pulse HR is an updated version of the Pulse, Withings’ first activity tracker that launched in 2013. The original Pulse was actually not a band all, but a clip-on tracker the size of a matchbox that could be attached to a belt or pocket.

Though Withings has made some pretty stylish analog watch hybrids in the past, like the Activité Pop, the Pulse HR is aimed at people who prefer the look of traditional fitness trackers. It comes equipped with Withings’ own OS2, which is the same operating system included on the Steel and Steel HR.

Preorders begin today on Amazon and Withings.com for $129.95, and the smartwatch will be available December 5th. The other wristband color options like silver and red will be available in January 2019. At $129.95, it’s actually the same price as a Fitbit Alta HR (which looks strikingly similar), but the Pulse HR comes with connected GPS functionality, which the Fitbit doesn’t have.

01/11/2018

Internet freedom continues to decline around the world, a new report says
Governments are reining in liberty for the eighth consecutive year, Freedom House reports
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Digital authoritarianism is on the rise, according to a new report from a group that monitors internet freedoms. Freedom House, a pro-democracy think tank, said today that governments are seeking more control over users’ data while also using laws nominally intended to address “fake news” to suppress dissent. It marked the eighth consecutive year that Freedom House found a decline in online freedoms around the world.
“The clear emergent theme in this report is the growing recognition that the internet, once seen as a liberating technology, is increasingly being used to disrupt democracies as opposed to destabilizing dictatorships,” said Mike Abramowitz, president of Freedom House, in a call with reporters. “Propaganda and disinformation are increasingly poisoning the digital sphere, and authoritarians and populists are using the fight against fake news as a pretext to jail prominent journalists and social media critics, often through laws that criminalize the spread of false information.”
In the United States, internet freedom declined in 2018 due to the Federal Communications Commission’s repeal of net neutrality rules. Other countries fared much worse — 17 out of 65 surveyed had adopted laws restricting online media. Of those, 13 prosecuted citizens for allegedly spreading false information. And more countries are accepting training and technology from China, which Freedom House describes as an effort to export a system of censorship and surveillance around the world.
“PROPAGANDA AND DISINFORMATION ARE INCREASINGLY POISONING THE DIGITAL SPHERE, AND AUTHORITARIANS AND POPULISTS ARE USING THE FIGHT AGAINST FAKE NEWS AS A PRETEXT TO JAIL PROMINENT JOURNALISTS.”
Of course, there are tradeoffs between freedom and security. The report is critical of Sri Lanka and India, which have periodically shut down or limited access to the internet in response to the outbreak of ethnic and religious conflict. In both cases, citizens were being murdered by mobs that had encountered misinformation spread through social media.
“Cutting off internet service is a draconian response, particularly at a time when citizens may need it the most, whether to dispel rumors, check in with loved ones, or avoid dangerous areas,” said Adrian Shahbaz, research director for technology and democracy. “While deliberately falsified content is a genuine problem, some governments are increasingly using ‘fake news’ as a pretense to consolidate their control over information and suppress dissent.”
The report also found:
• Governments in 18 countries increased state surveillance between June 2017 and now, with 15 considering new “data protection” laws, which can require companies to store user data locally and potentially make it easier for governments to access.
• Governments in 32 countries used paid commentators, bots, and trolls in an effort to manipulate online conversations. WhatsApp and other closed messaging apps are becoming more popular targets for manipulation, the authors write.
• There were bright spots. The authors credit Armenian citizens’ use of social media, communications apps, and live-streaming services for making possible a peaceful revolution earlier this year. And in Ethiopia, a new prime minster released bloggers and activists from prison and pledged to ease restrictions on online communication.

11/10/2018

Microsoft pulls Windows 10 October 2018 Update after reports of documents being deleted
A major bug has hit some Windows 10 users

Microsoft has stopped distributing its latest Windows 10 October 2018 Update. The software giant started rolling out the update during the company’s Surface event earlier this week, but some Windows 10 users immediately noticed their documents were being deleted. “We have paused the rollout of the Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) for all users as we investigate isolated reports of users missing some files after updating,” says Microsoft on its support site for Windows Update.
Microsoft is now recommending that affected users contact the company directly, and if you’ve manually downloaded the October update then “please don’t install it and wait until new media is available.” Other Windows 10 users have been complaining that the Microsoft Edge browser and other store apps have been unable to connect to the internet after the October 2018 Update, and the update was even blocked on certain PCs due to Intel driver incompatibilities.
It’s not clear how many Windows 10 users are affected by the problem, but even if it’s a small percentage it’s still surprising this issue was never picked up during Microsoft’s vast testing of the October update. Millions of people help Microsoft test Windows 10, but the company has struggled with the quality of Windows updates recently. Microsoft delayed its Windows 10 April 2018 Update earlier this year over Blue Screen of Death issues, but those problems were picked up before the update reached regular consumers and businesses.
Microsoft was planning to push the latest October update out to all Windows 10 users next Tuesday, but that’s now likely to be put on hold while investigations continue into this major deletion problem.

26/09/2018

Uber in talks to buy Dubai ride-hailing rival Careem: Bloomberg
(Reuters) - Ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] is in talks to buy Dubai-based rival Careem Networks FZ for about $2 billion to $2.5 billion, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.
No final decisions have been made, and the companies may decide against the transaction, according to Bloomberg.
Uber and Careem held preliminary talks in July to combine their Middle Eastern ride-hailing services, hoping to resolve a costly rivalry in the region, Bloomberg had previously reported.
Careem declined to comment and Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Uber, which is on track to go public next year, has been seeking new avenues of growth even as it battles intense competition in its core business of riding hailing.
The company has been building services such as food delivery and freight hauling, and, in April, acquired electric bike service JUMP Bikes to offer U.S. passengers an alternative to cars.
SoftBank (9984.T), which is the majority stakeholder in Uber, has opened up the possibility of combining Uber with other ride-hailing assets the Japanese group owns across Asia. SoftBank has stakes in Singapore-based Grab and India’s Ola.
At the time of the investment, SoftBank said it wants Uber to focus on growing in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Australia - not Asia, which has been among the most costly and competitive regions for the ride-hailing company, a source had told Reuters.

19/09/2018

WhatsApp may finally get dark mode
By Tech DeskPublished: September 18, 2018
Messaging giant WhatsApp may introduce a new feature changing its display to suit nighttime users.
According to WABetaInfo, the Facebook-owned messaging service may launch a “dark mode” feature as an update, altering the user interface.
Twitter and YouTube recently introduced dark modes that create a display lessening the strain on a user’s eyes at night by putting up a darker background. It’s not exactly clear whether WhatsApp will introduce a black screen to serve the purpose or a dark screen. The former would save battery as well on an OLED display.
The app currently provides the users with an option to change the wallpaper and background of the chat but with limited customisation as the background changes for all chats and isn’t exactly programmed to reduce strain on a user’s eyes.

12/09/2018

Robot teachers invade Chinese kindergartens
Children watch a Keeko robot at the Yiswind Institute of Multicultural Education in Beijing, where the intelligent machines are telling stories and challenging kids with logic problems.
Children watch a Keeko robot at the Yiswind Institute of Multicultural Education in Beijing, where the intelligent machines are telling stories and challenging kids with logic problems. PHOTO: AFP

WASHINGTON: The Chinese kindergarten children giggled as they worked to solve puzzles assigned by their new teaching assistant: a roundish, short educator with a screen for a face.

Just under 60 centimetres (two feet) high, the autonomous robot named Keeko has been a hit in several kindergartens, telling stories and challenging children with logic problems.

Round and white with a tubby body, the armless robot zips around on tiny wheels, its inbuilt cameras doubling up both as navigational sensors and a front-facing camera allowing users to record video journals.

In China, robots are being developed to deliver groceries, provide companionship to the elderly, dispense legal advice and now, as Keeko’s creators’ hope, join the ranks of educators.

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