BBC News launches ‘dark web’ Tor mirror

Posted by & filed under Cyber Security, The Internet.

Tor graphic

https://www.bbc.com/news/av-embeds/50150981/vpid/p044b1c2

The BBC has made its international news website available via the Tor network, in a bid to thwart censorship attempts.

The Tor browser is privacy-focused software used to access the dark web.

The browser can obscure who is using it and what data is being accessed, which can help people avoid government surveillance and censorship.

Countries including China, Iran and Vietnam are among those who have tried to block access to the BBC News website or programmes.

Source: BBC

Date: March 17th, 2022

Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-50150981

Discussion

  1. Provide a description to students of how the TOR (The Onion Router) works.
  2. Provide a description to students of what the Dark Web is dark web
  3. Why does Russia, China, North Korea and Iran block access to certain information coming over the internet
  4. Should the BBC and other news outlets be using things like TOR to circumvent information blocks put in place by Russia, China, North Korea and Iran?

We used AI to measure Canada’s urban sprawl

Posted by & filed under 3D.

“We’re a suburban nation,” said Sasha Tsenkova, a professor of architecture, planning and landscape at the University of Calgary, who looked at our findings.

In all, 1,700 square kilometres have been added to the country’s nine biggest metropolitan areas since 2001. It’s as if the country’s urban areas have increased by three-and-a-half times the size of the island of Montreal.

And since urban sprawl (up 34 per cent) has progressed on average faster than population growth (up 26 per cent), each Canadian occupies, on average, more space, farther away from city centres. In 2001, residents of the nine largest centres occupied an average of 317 m2 of urbanized territory. In 2021, it went up by 19 m2, an area equivalent to one to two additional parking spaces for each inhabitant.

“Urban sprawl contributes enormously to greenhouse gas emissions,” said Tsenkova. “It has an economic, environmental and social cost.” Instead of building new neighbourhoods, we should intensify those that already exist and add services and shops within walking distance, according to experts.

Source: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Date: March 10th, 2022

Link: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/info/2022/03/etalement-urbain-densite-population-villes-transport-commun-changements-climatiques/en

Discussion

  1. Pull up the webpage here, and then scroll down slowly. Interesting and informative information will appear
  2. Why is 3D visualization so powerful, and it what other ways could we use it?

5 Key Factors for an Effective Cybersecurity Defense in Depth

Posted by & filed under Cyber Security.

cybersecurity defense in depth image

There is no silver bullet solution when it comes to cybersecurity. New vulnerabilities are discovered every day and IT staff must win the cybersecurity battle every time, whereas attackers only need to win once to gain a foothold in an environment. So where do you focus your efforts to ensure your organization is staying protected? This blog will look at your cybersecurity defense in depth strategy.

Defense in depth is a well-known strategy amongst cybersecurity practitioners. This strategy utilizes layers of security controls to ensure that the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information systems are maintained. Your organization will likely already have several layers of security controls in place, but you may still be wondering which controls are the most effective or would provide the best return on investment. Let’s look at the key elements of a cybersecurity defense in depth strategy.

Source: LMG Security

Date: March 9th, 2022

Link: https://www.lmgsecurity.com/cybersecurity-defense-in-depth-strategy/

Discussion

  1. Make sure students understand the concept of “Defense in Depth”: layers of security controls to ensure that the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information systems are maintained.
  2. “Whether your organization realizes it or not, you already have a fleet of security sensors deployed: your staff! ” They are indeed the first line of defense, but also the most likely to cause a problem. Why is this?

Autonomous MOBILE Inspection with Spot

Posted by & filed under Robotics.

This video demonstrates an end-to-end LIDAR mapping and autonomy system for robot inspection of complex, multi-floor industrial facilities demonstrated on the Boston Dynamics Spot quadruped robot.

Source: Boston Dynamics

Date: March 9th, 2022

Link to 3 minute 51 second video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsqgBnqWg2Q

Discussion

  1. What other applications could you put something just like this towards?
  2. If you were to set up a business around this technology, what sorts of people would you need in your company to be successful?

Flexibility of virtual learning prompts some post-secondary students to pursue more online studies

Posted by & filed under Online Learning.

Three years ago, Patrick Suthers was a full-time paramedic looking to supplement his work with a science and health-based education program.
Despite his interest, he was worried about how he would balance work and school life. Then he began to consider a degree being offered by Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont.

“I stumbled across a bachelor of health sciences online and [thought] this is the perfect fit for me,” said Suthers.  Since joining, Suthers has found an online community of other paramedics and military people who are part of his study group. He said he’s found the quality of online learning better than in person.
“Some professors will have Zoom sessions to communicate, but the responsibility dynamic shifts a little bit, where although the school is very supportive, it’s all about the initiative from the student.” 

Source: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Date: March 4th, 2022

Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/online-learning-post-secondary-science-degrees-1.6364340

Discussion

  1. The article say “Some professors will have Zoom sessions to communicate, but the responsibility dynamic shifts a little bit, where although the school is very supportive, it’s all about the initiative from the student.”  What does this mean?
  2. How might you set up a business around online learning where you can help students navigate “responsibility dynamic shifts”?

Fraudsters Use Robocall Bots to Steal Crypto Investors’ 2FA Codes

Posted by & filed under Fraud.

Fraudsters Use Robocall Bots to Steal Crypto Investors’ 2FA Codes
Crypto investors in the US are being targeted with bot-driven robocalls designed to steal two-factor authentication codes, netting the attackers hundreds of thousands of dollars in digital currency.
Fraudsters are selling bots designed to trick crypto investors into divulging their two-factor authentication (2FA) codes, leading to accounts being taken over and drained, according to a CNBC report.
The report tells the story of Dr. Anders Apgar, a Coinbase customer whose digital wallet held more than $100,000 in crypto before he was duped into divulging his 2FA code during a robocall.

Source: CNBC

Date: February 28th, 2022

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/15/crypto-fraudsters-use-robocalls-to-drain-accounts.html

Discussion

  1. Is this issue here really the robocall, or the fact that someone gave out their secret 2FA code over the phone?
  2. Why did the robocalls make a difference here?

Artificial intelligence to help farmers see cloud-covered fields

Posted by & filed under Satellite.

Ukraine fields
Aspia has trained its algorithm to interpret the radar reflections and turn them into a synthetic optical image.

This means that for a farmer wanting to assess their crop performance this year, instead of getting just a handful of cloud-free Sentinel-2 pictures of their fields through the growing season, they can now have a Sentinel-2-like image every time the radar satellite comes overhead.
In the UK, this might be a couple of times a week.
“To be clear, what you’re seeing is a prediction,” explains Aspia co-founder Jim Geach, who’s an astrophysicist at Hertfordshire University.
“What we do is we just mimic all of the Sentinel-2 bands (colours). And then you can use those in exactly the same way you would if you had the real imagery.”

Source: BBC Technology

Date: February 28th, 2022

Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60513742

Discussion

  1. “the algorithm will open up the six-year archive of cloudy Sentinel-2 imagery to all kinds of new analysis, from mapping trends in drought to tracking the extent of frost and snow cover.” How will this be useful?
  2. If you can get six-years of archival data of almost daily satellite coverage for an area, what sort of business could you build around this?

How technology is helping shrink grocery bills by cutting food waste

Posted by & filed under App Economy.

A number of companies — including Flashfood, Too Good To Go and FeedBack — have entered the Canadian market billing themselves as an innovative way to simultaneously cut food waste and save money. 

“They are becoming more popular because more and more consumers realise that savings occur more on the back-end of the grocery store experience,” said Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab and professor at Dalhousie University.

“There’s not a whole lot of promotions going on in stores.”

Too Good To Go, a Copenhagen-based company, made its mobile app available in Canada last year and operates in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal so far.

Source: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Date: February 25th, 2022

Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/food-waste-apps-1.6361871

Discussion

  1. What other products could you do the same for as the apps mentioned here? The key is that the item is perishable
  2. Could you build a business round these apps (delivery…)?

The mobile phones you can take apart and repair yourself

Posted by & filed under Smartphone.

Fairphone 3
With a modular design, Fairphone devices allow components such as the display screen, battery, USB ports and cameras to easily be exchanged, repaired and customised by their owners.

“The Fairphone 2 could be taken apart in under two minutes,” says Mr Lesse. “There were models where you didn’t even need tools to take the display off in order to replace it yourself.”

Fairphone customers range from programmers who have been drawn to the software possibilities of the phones, to consumers in search of a more sustainable product.

The firm started in 2013 and follows four principles: sourcing raw materials from non-conflict mining areas, and making products that are recyclable, long-lasting and repairable.

Source: BBC Technology

Date: February 25th, 2022

Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60374806

Discussion

  1. “According to United Nations figures, a record 53.6m tonnes of electronic waste was generated worldwide in 2019 – up 21% in just five year – with mobile phones making up a significant part of this. What’s more, only 17% of electronic waste was recycled.” Why is it that otherwise earth-conscious people don’t seem to care when it comes to getting rid of their outdated technology?
  2. Why is that people seem just fine, and indeed excited, to upgrade their phone every two years when there are phones like this around?

How smart sensors can help us care for our houseplants

Posted by & filed under Sensors.

A Greensens sensor beside a daffodil plant

To help her and others who worry about their lack of green fingers, there has been a growth in the sale of hi-tech sensors for indoor plants – devices that you push into the soil next to them.

These sensors are usually solar powered and connect wirelessly by Bluetooth or wi-fi to a user’s smartphone and laptop. They show in real time if a plant has enough water or sunlight, and the correct temperature.

Ms Moeller uses a sensor made by German firm Greensens for some of her plants. It has more than 5,000 species on its app database.

“It gives me the opportunity to monitor… and now my plants look healthy,” says Ms Moeller, who gets sent regular notifications about how her plants are doing, and whether they need watering in particular.

Source: BBC Business

Date: Feb 21st, 2022

Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60387006

Discussion

  1. This product is currently only available in Europe and not available on Amazon. What could you do to be a reseller of this technology in North America?
  2. What other smart sensors could be part of your business?