Organizations recognize the vast potential of IoT and how it transforms industries spanning healthcare, manufacturing, retail and transportation. However, as the complexity and the number of connected devices increase, the volume of attacks soars in turn.
Hackers focus on the weakest link, which tends to be authentication. Unless organizations adopt stronger and more secure authentication methods, they will continue to remain in cybercriminals' crosshairs.
The FBI recently stated that the food and agriculture sectors are at an increased risk of cyber attacks. As these and other industries become increasingly digitized and connected, it advances the likelihood of an attack. The increased risk puts password policies firmly in the spotlight. Every entity must take action to shore up its defenses rather than face the effect on its brand and its bottom line that an attack can have.
At the root of the problem is the weak strategy enterprises deploy to manage password authentication. Too often, they rely on the outdated approach of resetting passwords after a set period of time. However, this fails to consider if the password is strong, unique or has previously been exposed.
Continue reading: https://internetofthingsagenda.techtarget.com/post/Solving-IoT-authentication-challenges

In the municipality of Malmö, Sweden, a digital display shows train timetables. At least it does typically. The IT team in Malmö took a few security shortcuts and used an insecure internet connection with their IoT connection for the display board. They didn’t think through the IoT security vulnerability problems or the consequences of their choices in regards to those shortcuts. 
Soon, hackers found their way into the system and displayed explicit content instead of train timetables. The hack led to a PR disaster for Malmö, and the municipality found itself in worldwide news for something it never wanted to be known for. 
These problems with IoT implementation can lead to PR disasters and poor customer experience. In this article, we’ll discuss the most common IoT challenges and how to avoid them. 
IoT Security
At the heart of IoT lies a global, digital exchange of information. Without this information exchange, IoT couldn’t serve its purpose. However, it does pose security threats that require thorough protection. Anything that connects to the internet or relies on connectivity—from train displays to phones to smart thermostats— can be hacked. 
Continue reading: https://www.iotforall.com/8-tips-to-avoid-the-most-common-iot-problems

Paid for by Ledger
Once a fringe investment, cryptocurrency has exploded into the mainstream. Not only are everyday investors considering creating a crypto portfolio, but banks and public and private companies have added crypto to their balance sheet, bringing it even closer to the mainstream.
But crypto is different from other assets. Anchored on the blockchain — a decentralized database that cannot be destroyed or tampered with, owned by everyone and no one — crypto has different security best-practices than other investments. That’s why it can be a good idea to make sure you understand the special security considerations that come with owning crypto before you buy it. Having smart security practices in place from the start can provide fewer headaches and more opportunities as you grow your crypto. Have a strategy to protect your key
Investing in crypto may be like learning a new language. While there’s a lot you can learn as you go, it’s critical that investors know where their crypto is and how to access it. Unlike a traditional investment portfolio, where you may create a password, your crypto is accessed through a series of keys — a public key and a private key. The public key is like your address — it’s how crypto can be sent and received. Your private key gives you access to that crypto. Your key is your most precious asset when you own crypto. If someone else gets a hold of it, then they have access to your assets. That’s why it can be problematic to keep your key on an online exchange. While some online exchanges may “hold” your key for you, keeping it on an exchange could make you vulnerable to security issues or hacking.
Continue reading: https://www.yahoo.com/now/investing-in-crypto-heres-how-to-begin-172724140-145227544.html

Blockchain is an emerging software architecture that has the potential to be a big disruptor in the industry. With change however, comes the added risk of quality issues. As developers and test engineers, we need to be prepared for those changes to better adapt to the new technology and allow for the continued development of software and products through it, without compromising on quality.
In this article, I will talk about some of the key challenges faced by teams needing to test blockchain technology, while also providing solutions to meeting those challenges.
Challenges in Testing Blockchain Systems
Given the relative newness of the technology, there is still very little in the way of formal best practices or testing tools around blockchain technology, though this is something that is rapidly changing with a lot of new up and coming frameworks in this area. When I started making sense of blockchain systems and how to approach testing them, part of the initial challenge was the limited scope of examples I can learn from and established frameworks in place. 
Continue reading: https://www.infoq.com/articles/testing-blockchain-solutions/

Between October 2020 and April 2021, Americans lost more than $80 million in cryptocurrency scams, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission reported. This is a major PR problem for the cryptocurrency industry. But what can the industry do to help users stay safe and pave the way for mass adoption?
Preventing successful attacks starts with acknowledging that cryptocurrencies are fundamentally different from traditional, or fiat, currencies. Although blockchains are designed to incentivize sound transactions by rewarding good actors, blockchain addresses don’t have the same recourse or guarantees as bank or credit card accounts.  There’s no authority to bail the holder out — no FDIC guarantee. While someone can dispute a fraudulent credit card transaction, a validated blockchain transaction can’t be undone.
Most veteran cryptocurrency holders however have managed to keep their cryptocurrency assets secure. Often for many years. Three relatively simple access control tools are responsible for that protection: private and public keys, software wallets and backup codes and hardware wallets. Here is a breakdown of how these tools operate and best practices.
Continue reading: https://www.paymentsjournal.com/keeping-cryptocurrency-secure-its-time-to-educate-users-to-pave-the-way-for-mass-adoption/

Defense and national security agencies have enlisted the services of Australian researchers to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to improve military decision-making.
Thanks to funding through the ‘Artificial intelligence for decision-making’ initiative, researchers across the country are exploring how to exploit the power of AI and machine learning to enhance the decision-making of military commanders and national security analysts.  
According to the Office of National Intelligence (ONI), intelligence is a highly data-driven business where appropriately harnessed AI and machine learning has great potential to support the important work of the National Intelligence Community’s world-class analysts.
Senior Defense researchers, Darryn Reid and Simon Ellis-Steinborner, explained that in a Defense and national security context, decisions can have serious tactical and strategic consequences, both with a potentially profound cost.  
“There are occasions where these decisions need to be made in highly uncertain situations, sometimes with limited data and information,” Dr. Ellis-Steinborner said.   
Continue reading: https://news.defence.gov.au/technology/artificial-intelligence-improve-decision-making

When we talk about artificial intelligence (AI) in the food and beverage category, the conversation usually centers on product design technology or logistics. Besides that, we also hear about astonishing AI-related developments in agriculture as well as our ability to use predictive models to maximize shelf life and adhere to food safety guidelines. We don’t hear nearly as much about what food actually means to consumers and how digital transformation can integrate into that idea. So why not also consider how AI is revolutionizing digital marketing?
Throughout Covid-19, the digitization of food manufacturing has sped up significantly. Supply chains have been optimized for consumers’ new shopping styles, for example. With machine learning and predictive analytics, food companies can narrow down what flavors, sensations, and products their customers might enjoy most. For example, spice company McCormick has used AI to analyze flavor preference data and develop a forecast of future tastes. But the progress of AI in the food industry holds even more potential for revolutionizing the way consumers view and buy food products through highly targeted, insight-driven digital marketing.
AI-driven digital marketing has the power to give customers more value and to get food and beverage brands closer to their target audience. It’s certainly a win for everyone.
Continue reading: https://www.thedrum.com/profile/coegi/news/3-ways-food-bev-brands-can-leverage-ai-for-marketing

There are billions of people around the world whose online experience has been shaped by algorithms that utilize artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Some form of AI and ML is  employed almost every time people go online, whether they are searching for content, watching a video, or shopping for a product. Not only do these technologies increase the efficiency and accuracy of consumption but, in the online ecosystem, service providers innovate upon and monetize behavioral data that is captured either directly from a user’s device, a website visit or by third parties.
Advertisers are increasingly dependent on this data and the algorithms that adtech and martech employ to understand where their ads should be placed, which ads consumers are likely to engage with, which audiences are most likely to convert, and which publisher should get credit for conversions
Additionally, the collection and better utilization of data helps publishers generate revenue, minimize data risks and costs, and provide relevant consumer-preference-based audiences for brands.
Continue reading: https://www.iab.com/news/understanding-bias-in-ai-what-is-your-role-and-should-you-care/

Despite the ongoing digital transformation, many organizations today still spend quite a bit of time manually processing information from countless documents. Because of the nature of digital files such as PDFs, images, spreadsheets and even multimedia such as video, various facts and figures have to be processed and entered by hand.
As a result, extracting relevant information remains problematic. It’s virtually impossible to scale this error-prone operation that also tends to be costly when all is said and done/reviewed.
To improve the effectiveness and efficiency, AI has been tasked to tackle these issues thanks to its ability to understand the semantics of content and automatically acquire knowledge. Through intelligent document processing (IDP), the process of data extraction automation from unstructured and semi-structured documents and conversion into structured and usable data, AI has tangibly amplified extracting data with high accuracy. 
Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/11/17/the-future-of-ai-powered-document-processing/?sh=3c218129e426

Scientists at the University of Oxford have developed new artificial intelligence (AI) models to recognize behaviors of chimpanzees in the wild.
The method will allow researchers and wildlife conservationists to significantly cut back on time and resources spent analyzing animal behavior in video footage, according to the new paper published today in Science Advances.
The new computer model was trained using videos from two populations of wild chimpanzees in West Africa from Bossou in Guinea, and Cantanhez National Park in Guinea-Bissau, to capture several behaviors: nut-cracking, eating, and buttress drumming. The tool is the first of its kind to automatically recognize behavior in wild primates using both audio and video, and builds on previous work which developed an automatic method for tracking and identifying individuals using face recognition.
Continue reading: https://phys.org/news/2021-11-artificial-intelligence-recognise-primate-behaviours.html

After a particularly hectic launch season with three back-to-back product releases, you may think DJI is done for 2021. But the technology giant has just unveiled two new drones in its home country of China: the DJI Agras T40 and T20P.
DJI’s latest drones, Agras T40 and Agras T20P, are aimed at cultivators. The high-endurance drones are optimized for agricultural application scenarios such as precision spraying, spreading, aerial surveying, and mapping.
DJI Agras T40 drone
DJI’s new flagship for digital agricultural offers significant efficiency improvements over its predecessor, the Agras T30, which became available internationally earlier this year.
Equipped with a coaxial twin-rotor design, the T40 farming drone boasts a spreading capacity of 50 kg and a spraying capacity of 40 kg. Effectively, this drone can spread 1.5 tons of urea or spray pesticides on a 320-acre field in an hour. The drone also features omnidirectional radar and binocular vision to detect obstacles at a distance of up to 50 meters. As such, the DJI T40 can also be flown in complex terrain such as orchard hills, spraying up to 60 acres of fruit trees in an hour.
Continue reading: https://dronedj.com/2021/11/16/dji-t40-t20p-new-drones/

Sensors for drones are increasingly being used for surveying, mapping, and inspections, especially in the mining, construction, energy, environmental management, agriculture, infrastructure, and waste management industries. Drone multifunctionality continues to improve as sensor advances allow for a wider range of applications. Platforms can be interconnected through cloud-based programs and, when combined with powerful post-processing software, enables a complete drone-data solution.
Commercial UAV News covered five of the most popular sensors used by drone professionals today. Although selecting the right sensor for your specific operation comes down to a number of important factors, these platforms are often used by drone professionals today and are helping to define what these technologies can do in the space.
Photogrammetry: Phase One
Enterprise inspections today can be limited to periodic inspections of selected assets in a small geographic area, but they do not always need to be so restricted. Scaling inspections from tens of assets to thousands of assets requires a platform-agnostic, end-to-end, streamlined workflow. This way, drone operators can conduct inspections across a large region, reducing the cost and increasing the coverage.
Continue reading: https://www.commercialuavnews.com/5-popular-drone-sensors-used-by-drone-professionals-today

Drones can take pictures, videos, transport vaccines and drop munitions too. Soon, we are likely to have drones taking up complex repairs or maintenance of high-power transmission towers and lines with help of a robotic arm. This particular giant drone can also be fitted with a sophisticated gyroscope camera for panoramic 360 degree view to distances as far as 14 km for surveillance purposes, useful for security forces.
A city-based firm ‘HC Robotics’ is in the final stages of configuring the robotic arm with the drone while pilot project was done for TSTransco in the inspection of three power lines and 10 towers and also in identifying faults at Shivarampally-Gachibowli, Sangareddy and Warangal.
“We should be going in for full-scale production of these drones within the next few months. We have also obtained a patent for the product in US,” informed founder and president Venkat Chundi, in an exclusive interaction on Tuesday.
Continue reading: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/now-drones-to-mend-power-lines/article37530521.ece

Eyes wide and gleaming with curiosity, young Yue Que sat on the wooden floor in her childhood home in China and closely observed the first wireless remote-controlled toy car given to her by her father.
Que inspects the controller, growing intrigued about the construction principles of the remote control and what allowed the vehicle to move.
She smiles as she reminisces one of the first memories that gradually pushed her to pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields growing up.
“All my strong interest in science and technology comes from simplest life in my childhood,” Que said. “I think technology led development of an era and created more possibilities.”
Now, more than 10 years later, Que finds herself at El Camino College (ECC) as a Data Science major and the president of the Women in Technology (WIT) and Society of Women Engineers (SWE) clubs on campus after moving from China four years ago.
Continue reading: https://eccunion.com/features/2021/11/16/persisting-as-women-in-the-stem-fields/

M. Christine Gibbons remembers when women were even less represented in tech fields than they are today. Gibbons has been a venture investor for more than 25 years, and she credits her upbringing for her choice to pursue an industry considered non-traditional for women. “My father was a traditional man of the 1950s and 1960s, but he always made me feel that I could do anything,” says Gibbons. “He was such a great proponent of mine that I didn't really feel like there were barriers. I just sort of blindly went into these male-dominated industries.”  Christine Gibbons.  Now chief administrative officer at Canton-based machine cooling and lubrication company Fusion Coolant, Gibbons is a local tech leader in an industry where women are still dramatically underrepresented. Gibbons is quite aware of the challenges of being the only woman in the room. She jokes about not being aware of being the sole woman at a conference until she realized there was a long line for the men’s restroom and the women's restroom was empty. “I just figured those were the cards that I was dealt and I would figure it out and work within those constraints,” Gibbons says.
Continue reading: 
https://www.secondwavemedia.com/concentrate/features/womenintech0617.aspx

The perception that crypto is just for men — the so-called “crypto bros” touting advice and opinions in spades — is rapidly being challenged by the growing number of women not just entering the industry, but assuming C-suite positions.
In 2020, there was a 43% increase in women working within the crypto economy, reports CoinMarketCap, a statistic that reflects a changing industry bucking against its own stereotypes.
Women are founders, co-founders, chief strategy officers, professors specializing in blockchain, executive directors, CEOs, and beyond, fulfilling all manner of roles as they lead their companies and the industry forward in the crypto revolution.
Perhaps one of the best-known women in crypto, both within the industry and outside of it, is Blythe Masters, former executive at JPMorgan and the creator of the credit default swap. She was the first major banking executive to leave Wall Street in favor of crypto, where she was CEO of Digital Asset Holdings for four years before stepping down (but remaining as a board member). Digital Asset Holdings is a financial technology firm that is a leader in smart contracts.
Continue reading: https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/not-just-for-crypto-bros%3A-the-women-leading-the-crypto-crusade

Staples Center is getting a new name for Christmas: Crypto.com Arena.
The downtown Los Angeles venue — home of the Lakers, Clippers, Kings and Sparks — will wear the new name for 20 years under a deal between the Singapore cryptocurrency exchange and AEG, the owner and operator of the arena, both parties announced Tuesday. Crypto.com paid more than $700 million for the naming rights, according to sources familiar with the terms, making it one of the biggest naming deals in sports history.
The arena’s new logo will debut Dec. 25, when the Lakers host the Brooklyn Nets, and all of Staples Center signage will be replaced with the new name by June 2022.
Crypto.com’s chief executive, Kris Marszalek, hopes that the new name will come to be seen as a sign of the times.
“In the next few years, people will look back at this moment as the moment when crypto crossed the chasm into the mainstream,” Marszalek said when reached at his home in Hong Kong.
“This is just such a brilliant move from the guys at AEG, because the next decade belongs to crypto,” he said. “And this positions L.A. and this particular venue right at the center of it.”
Continue reading: https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-11-16/crypto-staples

Bitcoin and Ethereum tend to be the blockchains decision makers outside the industry think about when distributed ledger technology is raised—including as it relates to climate change. The two largest and most veteran blockchains have developed a reputation for negative climate impact, famously brought to mainstream headlines back in May when Elon Musk walked back his earlier announcement that Tesla would accept bitcoin payments due to the blockchain’s hefty environmental toll. 
But dismissing blockchain as environmentally harmful based on its earliest versions is a mistake, particularly when there are already greener blockchains, such as Cardano, on the market. Beyond being more eco-friendly, such blockchains offer promising potential as tools to actually fight against climate change.
There are two issues at hand. The world faces a climate crisis, but it also faces a climate-governance crisis: We know what we need to do to slow or halt climate change, but we don’t know how to actually go about it. The 2015 Paris Agreement  marked a historic turning point for global climate action. While there has been some progress in terms of climate change, global warming is set to exceed the agreed thresholds. New and innovative solutions need to be put in place and hold countries accountable who are breaking the Paris Agreement. By adding blockchain to the list of methods to fight against climate change, we can encourage countries who are actually making progress to keep up the good work while discouraging countries who aren't. 
Continue reading: https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/could-blockchain-solve-climate-change-rather-than-create-it

SpaceNews interviewed Hasshi Sudler, Villanova adjunct professor and CEO of the Internet Think Tank, to learn more about future blockchain constellations.
Villanova University researchers are conducting a series of experiments that could help define future blockchain constellations.
Researchers from Villanova’s College of Engineering programmed a singleboard computer to serve as a node for the Ethereum Private blockchain on a cubesat scheduled to be launched in December with the educational nonprofit Teachers in Space on Firefly Aerospace Alpha rocket.
Once in orbit, Villanova researchers led by Hasshi Sudler, adjunct professor of engineering, will test the ability of the blockchain node to process transactions. As a follow-on experiment, the researcher team plans to launch three satellites to test transactions between blockchain nodes as well as between satellites and the ground stations.
Sudler was an engineering student at Villanova when he became interested in space. His engineering research involved building experiments as part of NASA’s Getaway Special to send on the Space Shuttle. In 2003, however, NASA discontinued the Getaway Special experiments program due to the Space Shuttle Columbia accident.
“As fate would have it, I’m back at the university as a professor, fulfilling Villanova’s mission of launching a space experiment,” Sudler told SpaceNews.
In addition to his work at Villanova, Sudler is chairman and CEO of the Internet Think Tank, a cybersecurity consulting firm with offices in the United States and Japan.
Continue reading: https://spacenews.com/stress-testing-a-space-based-blockchain/

Paid for by Ledger
As cryptocurrency has become part of the balance sheet for individual investors as well as institutions, it’s become evident that crypto will become an ever-more centralized part of people’s everyday lives — even if they aren’t yet crypto investors. This is because blockchain technology isn’t just recalibrating financial portfolios, it’s rapidly shifting the culture at large.
For example, the rise in non fungible tokens (NFTs) have shifted the art world and are also making inroads into sports: Some football clubs in Europe have adopted the “fan token,” a crypto-based token that allows investment in the club and the ability to vote on small decisions regarding the club and its future. As crypto enters mainstream, there need to be accessible entry points into blockchain technology.
Continue reading: https://www.engadget.com/how-the-cryptocurrency-revolution-creates-space-for-disruptive-tech-solutions-143424580.html

Security cameras are an easy, efficient way of keeping track of commercial areas without being there in person, especially after-hours. Security is a 24/7 business; however many companies lack the budget to have someone monitor their systems all the time. A solution is to hire a third-party, but this is by no means a cost-effective route and does not eliminate human errors. Manually monitoring systems can result in slow response times, missed reports and increased liability and insurance costs.
In the past, constant video monitoring had been limited to big organizations that had the budget for it. Fortunately, there have been major developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud-based technology that are giving smaller companies more options.
How does AI work?
AI and cloud-based technology has broadened the availability of constant security surveillance, but how does a business go about implementing this new technology?
Where security is concerned, AI systems are becoming more robust and intelligent as time goes by, building up their databases of potential threats and analyzing current events accordingly. This gives these systems the ability to “think” independently, the main advantage of any AI system.
AI systems rely on algorithms based on deep learning to identify certain threats and events. Here are some of the specifications and technologies that make these systems so effective and attractive to businesses:
Continue reading: https://electronics360.globalspec.com/article/17429/how-to-implement-ai-video-surveillance-for-business-security

It seems as though everywhere you look these days, artificial intelligence (AI) has become an integral part of many businesses, products and industries. Though AI is used in various ways and capacities depending on the industry you look at, it's clear that many industries would not have grown the way they have if it were not for AI technology. 
There is one common goal for all who seek AI's potential, and that's problem-solving — from everyday frustrations to some of the world's most mysterious complexities. AI allows companies to analyze a massive amount of data and glean valuable insights that would otherwise have taken decades to understand. This provides a scalable solution for many issues and saves a lot of time and money along the way. 
Whether you know it or not, AI is part of our individual lives, as well as part of global efforts to improve the lives of future generations. Many industries rely on sophisticated machine-learning algorithms to improve performance, monitor quality and audit processes. AI can also have a more profound impact on our lives by helping level the playing field and break virtual barriers, thereby creating a more inclusive environment for all. But how does AI do all that? Here are a few examples.
Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/11/16/how-ai-has-transformed-the-internet-from-e-commerce-to-web-accessibility/?sh=7b23b9191d78

$15.7 trillion: That is the figure we predict artificial intelligence is going to contribute to the global economy by 2030. Though astonishing at first, this number is based on a seismic change in how executive circles perceive AI.
No matter what industry you operate in, AI tools can unlock insights to trigger a wave of business benefits when applied efficiently to unstructured or structured data. For example, machine learning outcomes have transformed consumer perceptions and experiences. AI has transformed how enterprises make decisions, deliver to their customers, plan their operations and much more.
In the coming decade, this impact is only going to get bigger. However, to build the AI enterprise, chief experience officers' involvement is essential.
Here are five strategies for CXOs to make the most of the opportunity AI presents.
Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/11/17/five-ai-strategies-cxos-can-use-to-transform-their-business/?sh=5d43663d1d49

The internet of things (IoT) can improve customer experience by streamlining the shopping experience, personalizing brand interactions and leveraging location based-services.
While IoT greatly enhances a business’ data gathering capability, it also helps them take appropriate actions to improve customer experience.
IoT is a group of smart everyday objects that are interconnected in a network that can not only gather information but can also act on that information to achieve set objectives without much human intervention. IoT’s data gathering ability far exceeds that provided by other sources of big data, both in quantity and quality. Businesses are using the data collected to not just enhance their products and services but also to have better customer interactions. Although the products and services are what customers actually pay for, their experience with the brand plays a key role in attracting and maintaining a large customer base. Hence, it comes as no surprise that the most successful businesses are the ones that constantly seek to improve customer experience in addition to having excellent products and services.
How The Internet of Things is Improving Customer Experience
With businesses realizing the importance of customer engagement, they are finding new ways of using technology to improve customer experience and boosting their brand value. Following are three IoT opportunities for enhancing CX that businesses can use:
Continue reading: https://www.bbntimes.com/technology/3-ways-the-internet-of-things-is-improving-customer-experience

Nowadays, some devices can talk also, and this is not much surprising. Such devices that can talk are known as IoT (Internet of Things) devices.
The term Internet of Things is said to be first coined by British technology pioneer Kevin Ashton. Ashton co-founded the Auto-ID Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Everything you need to know
The increasing technology in our everyday lives means that the world around us is also getting smarter. The IoT is growing fast and is set to affect more and more areas of our lives in the coming years, resulting in a smart world. It is about extending the power of the internet beyond computers and smartphones to a whole range of environments.
Continue reading: https://stanfordartsreview.com/2021/11/15/what-is-iot-internet-of-things-everything-you-need-to-know/