Davido acquires gold and diamond ‘OBO’ Pendant

Lagos - Singer Davido has acquired a gold and diamThe chain reportedly cost Davido millions of naira and it’s a
clear masterpiece.
Davido has confirmed the launch date of his next album-
graduation day.
He said that it will be dropping on his graduation day.

nd
plated Omo Baba Olowo(OBO) pendant.
The HKN gang leader, Davido flaunted his new customized
pendant which has ‘O.B.O’ written on it on Twitter.

Russia beefs up anti-piracy laws

The law has been updated to cover piracy of books, music and
software
Russia is beefing up the law it uses to tackle online piracy.
The law was introduced in mid-2013 and gave the authorities
the power to tell internet companies to cut off access to sites
found to be pirating media.
As first enacted, the law only applied to sites that shared
pirated movies and TV shows.
The updated law has been expanded to cover sites that share
links to pirated music, books and software. It does not cover
images.
'Common goal'
The updated law comes into force on 1 May.
It gives those accused of harbouring pirated media just 72
hours to respond to a complaint before a permanent ban is
put in place.
No court order is required to shut down sites.
Instead, officials will respond to complaints from rights-
holders.
Those accused of pirating content will then be able to argue
their defence in court - but if they lose two cases, their site
will go on the block list.
Figures from Russia reveal that in the first year, anti-piracy
watchdogs got complaints about 175 sites, which resulted in
12 of them being put on the banned list.
Most of those banned are believed to be sites that share
BitTorrent "trackers", which people use to find pirated media.
Earlier this week Sergei Zheleznyak, deputy speaker of the
Russian Duma, warned pirates about the imminent change.
From next year, social-network sites in Russia must keep
data about users within the country
Mr Zheleznyak said the sites had until 1 May to enter into a
"constructive dialogue" with the firms that hold the rights to
the media being shared around.
Talking to Russian media , he said: "Our common goal is to
ensure that all work is adequately rewarded and that the
benefit from successful books, music and wonderful computer
programs is enjoyed by those who created them, and not
those who stole them."
Russia has also released figures that it says show that the
action against pirated video has been successful.
Online sales of movies and TV shows have doubled since the
law came into force.
The imminent arrival of the updated law has prompted some
Russian sites to make changes to the way they work.
In early 2015, Russian social network VKontakte removed a
feature from its app that let people stream music they had
uploaded to the site.
The anti-piracy law is one of several different pieces of
legislation enacted by Russia aimed at the internet.
In August last year, Russia imposed restrictions on popular
bloggers telling those with more than 3,000 daily readers to
register with regulators and to follow regulations that
governed what they could say.
Human rights groups said the law was "draconian".
In September next year, a law comes into force that will
require internet companies to site servers that gather data
about Russians in the country.
Critics fear the data will be pored over by authorities to locate
people who use social media to organise protests.

Nasa unveils shape-changing bird-like plane wing

The new flexible wing was tested on a Gulfstream III jet
Nasa has jointly developed a plane wing that can change
shape during flight.
The US space agency says the new wing will "save millions of
dollars annually in fuel costs, reduce airframe weight and
decrease aircraft noise during take-offs and landings."
The wing features a seamless flexible edge that can move up
or down more subtly than traditional hinged flaps.
The joint project involved Nasa, Air Force Research Laboratory
and private tech firm FlexSys.
During six months of testing, an aircraft featuring the
experimental control surfaces was flown at fixed flap angles
ranging from -2 degrees to 30 degrees for data collection
purposes, Nasa said.
But the flexible Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge (ACTE) wing
is designed to go through the full range of positions during a
flight, making the operation of the wing much more like that
of a bird.
The seamless trailing wing edge enables smoother air flow
Making the wing seamless allows for smoother airflow, which
reduces friction and so cuts fuel costs.
FlexSys says its smart materials technology, which can be
retrofitted to existing planes, can increase fuel efficiency by
between 5% and 12%, and reduce noise on take-off and
landing by up to 40%.
The conventional jet wing contains ailerons, flaps, slats and
air brakes, all requiring mechanical mechanisms that add
weight and drag.
Prof Jeff Jupp, a former technical director for aircraft
manufacturer Airbus and fellow of the Royal Academy of
Engineering, believes this kind of flexible wing would have only
"a very minor effect on improving fuel burn" for large
passenger jets.
"Mechanical trailing edge flaps are only likely to be totally
replaced on smaller aircraft such as business jets," he told the
BBC.
As it is, the flexible wing is unlikely to replace the traditional
wing any time soon as any new aviation technology has to go
through rigorous safety testing that can take years.

Windows 'open' for Apple and Android

Microsoft is keen to sell its mobile devices
Microsoft is releasing software tools that make it easier to
run popular Apple and Android apps on Windows mobile
devices.
By changing a "few percent", Apple app makers should be able
to run code on Windows 10 mobile devices, it said.
And many Android apps should run with no changes.
Experts said the move was an "imperfect solution" to
Microsoft's problems persuading people to use Windows
mobile.
Popular vote
For iOS, Microsoft has unveiled an initiative called Project
Islandwood, which has led to the creation of a software
interpreter that works with the development tools Apple coders
typically pick.
By piping code through this interpreter and changing a few
other parts, it would be possible to transfer or port iOS apps
to Windows 10, Microsoft said in a presentation at its Build
developer conference in Seattle.
Already developers working for game-maker King have ported
the massively popular Candy Crush Saga to Windows using
these tools.
A separate initiative, called Project Astoria, is aimed at
Android and involves code built in to Windows itself that spots
when an Android app is running and gives it the responses it
expects.
Microsoft said this meant many Android apps would run with
no changes on Windows mobile devices.
However, the way that Android is built means changes will
have to be made to some apps.
The tactic is seen as a way for Microsoft to to boost its
popularity and persuade developers to include Windows 10 in
their plans.
While many apps are already available on the Windows store,
some popular ones, such as Pinterest and Plants v Zombies 2,
are absent.
Microsoft has also added tools that let Android apps reach
some parts of Windows, such as its Cortana personal
assistant, they would not otherwise be able to use.
CCS Insight analyst Geoff Blaber said: "The decision to
embrace Android and iOS applications is an imperfect solution
to an undesirable problem.
"Nonetheless, it's a necessary move to attract developers
otherwise lost to Apple and Google."

Anonymous messaging Secret app 'worth $100m' shut down

SecretIn closing Secret just 16 months after its launch, Mr Byttow
said: "This has been the hardest decision of my life and one
that saddens me deeply."
"Unfortunately Secret does not represent the vision I had when
starting the company."app is shut down by its co-founder who admits it is
not what he envisaged
Anonymous messaging service Secret, at one stage thought
to be valued at more than $100m (£66.5m), is shutting
down.
Founder David Byttow said: "Secret does not represent the
vision I had when starting the company" and that he believed
in "failing fast".
The app was created, in part, to promote free speech but was
criticised for promoting cyber-bullying.
User numbers have dwindled in recent months. Secret said it
would return some of its $35m funding to investors.
Flash in the pan
It is a big turnaround for the company that was the talk of
Silicon Valley, both among investors and users of the app, just
a year ago.
High profile investors of Secret included actor Ashton
Kutcher
Founded in 2013 by two former Google employees, the
company was backed by some big names including actor
Ashton Kutcher, Alexis Ohanian - a founder of Reddit, and
Google Ventures.
The anonymous nature of messaging on the app led to its
early adoption by technology sector workers, who used it to
post rumours of forthcoming products or company mergers.
Secret's anonymous messaging service was criticised for
promoting cyber-bullying
It was also used for political discussion in Russia and in
Israel.
But the service was criticised for allowing people to defame
others while remaining anonymous. It was banned in Brazil for
promoting cyber-bullying.
A redesign of the app last year prompted users to "think
before they post" and made it easier for users to flag up
abusive content.
But user numbers have been falling in recent months, with
some of those remaining complaining of an increase in the
number of posts of a sexual nature and that public chat had
become dominated by users from Indonesia.
In his blog post on Medium, Mr Byttow said: "I believe in
honest, open communication and creative expression, and
anonymity is a great device to achieve it.
"But it's also the ultimate double-edged sword, which must
be wielded with great respect and care.
"I look forward to seeing what others in this space do over
time."
Secret is not the first app to attract millions of dollars in
funding only to flop shortly afterwards.
In 2012, photo and video-sharing app Color closed just 12
months after its launch having raised $41m from investors.
In June that year, Napster founders, Shawn Fanning and
Shaun Parker launched their video-chat site Airtime, attracting
$33m in funding.
It had very limited success, with Fortune magazine reporting
that it had had to be quietly relaunched two years later.
Analysis: Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC Technology Correspondent
"The truth is that there is fierce competition right now to get
in early on any start-up that looks buzzy - who wants to be
the guy that turned down WhatsApp in 2009 or Snapchat in
2012?
And if that means throwing a few million dollars at companies
which appear to have no moral or business compass, then so
be it."

American Airlines planes grounded by iPad app error

American Airlines says it is still investigating the cause of the
glitch
A faulty app caused American Airlines to ground dozens of
its jets.
The glitch caused iPad software - used by the planes' pilots
and co-pilots for viewing flight plans - to stop working.
The firm's cockpits went "paperless" in 2013 to save its staff
having to lug heavy paperwork on board. AA estimated the
move would save it more than $1.2m (£793,600) in fuel every
year .
The company said that it had now found a fix for the problem.
"We experienced technical issues with an application installed
on some pilot iPads," said a spokesman.
"This issue was with the third-party application, not the iPad,
and caused some departure delays last night and this
morning.
"Our pilots have been able to address the issue by
downloading the application again at the gate prior to take-off
and, as a back-up, are able to rely on paper charts they can
obtain at the airport.
"We apologise for the inconvenience to our customers."
American Airlines pilots use an app called FliteDeck, which is
made by the Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen.
A spokesman for the firm provided further detail.
American Airlines said its pilots often carried more than
35lb (16kg) of paperwork
"The issue was caused by a duplicate chart for Reagan
National Airport in American's chart database," said Mike
Pound.
"The app could not reconcile the duplicate, causing it to shut
down.
"We were able to remedy the situation quickly, and instruct
pilots to uninstall and reinstall the app.
"Until the chart database is updated, AA pilots flying to or
from National will use PDF [portable document format] images
of the chart, outside of the app."
Electronic flight bags
Serge Gojkovich, chief executive of car parking app-maker
Curbstand, was among the passengers affected.
He tweeted that his San Francisco-to-Los Angeles flight only
got airborne on Tuesday after its pilots told passengers they
had printed off the maps they needed .
Mr Gojkovich suggested that the pilots of his flight printed
out the materials they needed
American Airlines is not the only carrier whose pilots and
cabin crew have switched from using physical charts and
paper manuals to tablets.
United Airlines was also an early adopter of iPads, while Delta
has opted for Microsoft's Surface tablets instead.
British Airways and Ryanair are among others still in the
process of shifting to so-called Electronic Flight Bag-based
systems.
In addition to saving on fuel costs, it is also suggested that
such kit reduces flight preparation time, reduces the likelihood
of injuries and helps staff by offering real-time updates.

Google 'should be allowed in examinations'

Today's youngsters have grown up using the Internet to do
their homework
It is inevitable search engines such as Google will be allowed
in public examinations, including GCSEs and A-Levels, the
head of an exam board says.
OCR chief Mark Dawe told the Today programme allowing
internet use in exam rooms reflected the way pupils learned
and how they would work in future.
He said students would still need a basis of knowledge and
would have limited time to conduct searches.
The Campaign for Real Education condemned the idea as
"dumbing down".
Mr Dawe said: "Surely when they learn in the classroom,
everyone uses Google if there is a question.
"It is more about understanding what results you're seeing
rather than keeping all of that knowledge in your head,
because that's not how the modern world works."
He compared the idea to the debate about whether to have
books available during a test, saying: "In reality you didn't
have too much time [to consult the book] and you had to
learn it anyway."
Mr Dawe suggested some exams may allow internet access
and others may not.
He told the Today programme: "It's about understanding the
tools they have got available and how to utilise them.
"When we are asking a question where we know there's
access to the internet, we could ask a different question - it's
about the interpretation, the discussion."
On the issue of when internet use might be allowed in exams,
Mr Dawe said: "It's very unlikely to happen in the next few
weeks or next few months, but it's certainly inevitable, I
would suggest."
Chris McGovern, of the Campaign for Real Education, said:
"We have a crisis in standards in this country.
"We are three years behind the Chinese, at the age of 15.
"We have got universities running remedial courses.
"We have got employers saying too many youngsters are
unemployable."
He added: "You can have an exam in how to use Google -
that's not the same thing as having a history exam or a
geography exam.
"We do have to test what children are carrying in their heads".

Five questions about Apple Watch

Apple events are always preceded by a huge amount of
feverish speculation as what cynics call the reality distortion
field is deployed.
But today's show at the Yerba Buena Arts Centre in San
Francisco might well break the internet, such is the excitement
and anticipation. And this for the second event about a device
first unveiled last September. So what do we need to know
this time? Here are five questions I will be hoping to see
answered...
How much?
We know that the starting price of the basic sports model will
be $349 (£230). What we don't know is what that means in
other currencies, and how much the rest of the range will
cost. It's thought the gold-cased version could cost as much
as $10,000 (£6,614), and it looks as though even the basic
models will be priced at a level which will make it a far-from-
casual purchase. By contrast, the new Pebble Time, the latest
version of the most popular smartwatch to date, is going to
cost $199 (£132).
How long will the battery last?
Apple has been signalling that the watch will need recharging
every night - and there are some hints that really heavy users
could find they run out of juice midway through the day.
We've got used to that with smartphones - will we be so
happy about yet another gadget which needs constant
recharging? Some smartwatches last much longer on a
charge, notably the Withings Activite Pop which has a battery
lasting eight months. But they can do much less, which brings
us to our key question….
What can it actually do?
The demos we've seen so far show the Watch providing some
of the notifications you get on an iPhone, combined with
tracking your physical activity and your heart rate. That's
similar to what plenty of other devices do, but what will be
key is the user interface. Apple has shown in the past -
notably with the iPhone and iPad - that it can take existing
technologies and make them far more attractive and easy to
use.
Can I pay with it?
We know that the mobile payments service Apple Pay will
work with the watch, and could provide a compelling use for it.
Right now, that is only available in the US, but it's thought it
could be coming to the UK this year. So far, Apple Pay has
been a big hit, but has also been popular with fraudsters,
although that appears to be the result of lax identity checks
by the banks rather than a fault with the technology. Today's
event provides an ideal opportunity for Apple to take its mobile
payments system to the next stage, while providing
reassurance about security.
How many does Apple hope to sell?
This is one question unlikely to be answered today. But here's
a safe bet - within a week of the Apple Watch going on sale it
will be the best selling device on the market. But that is not a
high hurdle to clear when fewer than five million smartwatches
were sold in 2014, according to research firm Canalys.
Analysts predictions for how many devices Apple will sell this
year range from eight million to more than 40 million. The
bigger question will be how many are sold in 2015 - only then
will we know whether the Watch is the Next Big Thing or just
another smartphone accessory.

Apple Watch does not like tattoos

Apple acknowledges some of the functions on its new
smartwatch may not work properly when it is worn over
tattoos.

Children to design new national park in Minecraft

The Danish government recreated the whole country in

Minecraft as an educational tool

Schoolchildren in Adelaide, Australia, have been invited to

design a national park in Minecraft which could then be built

in reality.

Students aged from nine to 12 have been asked to create their

designs in the blocky 3D world.

The results could then be incorporated in upgrades to existing

national parks around Adelaide.

The government has set aside nearly $10.4m Australian

dollars (£5.4m) for the redesigns.

It was keen to find a new way to engage young people in its

processes.

"This competition is part of a community engagement project

asking people of all ages what sort of facilities would

encourage them to spend more time in national parks," reads

the Natural Resources, Adelaide website which announced the

prize.

"The State government has set aside $10.4m for park

projects, so some of the ideas your class create might end up

being used."

The only rule is that "whatever you design needs to be able to

be created in the real world", it added.

"The park features need to complement the natural

environment, taking into account the animals and plants that

live there."

Ideas could include trails for bushwalking, mountain biking or

horse riding, barbecue and picnic areas - or something

completely different," it suggested.

Redesigning slums

There is a growing trend towards creating ever more

ambitious designs in Minecraft.

The Danish government has mapped the entire country in the

game, as part of an educational project.

And in 2012 Mojang, the creators of Minecraft, teamed up with

the UN to help them design city spaces in developing

countries.

They recreated public spaces in the game and then shared it

with community groups, where participants could redesign

them.

The project has spawned new ideas for green space in Kiberia,

the largest slum in Nairobi and the tool was also used to

design a new waterfront in Les Cayes, Haiti's third largest

city.

The Adelaide competition closes on 12 June and the winner

will be announced a month later.

Winners will get a government-funded trip to the Belair

National Park.

j

Samsung S5 fingerprint flaw exposed

Many smartphones can now be unlocked with fingerprints

Hackers can take copies of fingerprints used to unlock the

Samsung Galaxy S5 phone, claim security researchers.

A flaw in Android makes it possible to steal the personal

information so it can be used elsewhere, said the experts from

security firm FireEye.

Other Android-based phones that also use fingerprint ID

systems could also be vulnerable, they said.

Samsung said it took security "very seriously" and was

investigating the researchers' findings.

Stolen prints

Fingerprint ID systems are being used more and more in

smartphones to unlock the devices or as a way to check who

is authorising a transaction. Paypal and Apple already accept

fingerprints as an ID check and a growing roster of firms that

are members of the Fido Alliance are keen to use them in the

same way to remove the need for passwords.

Android phones typically store sensitive data such as

fingerprint information in a walled-off area of memory known

as the Trusted Zone.

However, Yulong Zhang and Tao Wei found it was possible to

grab identification data before it is locked away in the secure

area. This method of stealing data was available on all phones

running version 5.0 or older versions of Android provided the

attacker got high level access to a phone.

They also found that on Samsung Galaxy S5 phones, attackers

did not need this deep access to a phone. Instead, they said,

just getting access to the gadget's memory could reveal finger

scan data.

Using this information an attacker could make a fake lock

screen that makes victims believe they are swiping to unlock

a phone when they are actually authorising a payment.

In addition, they found, it was possible for attackers to upload

their own fingerprints as devices did not keep good records of

how many prints were being used on each device.

Mr Zhang and Mr Wei are due to present their findings at the

RSA security conferenc e in San Francisco on 24 April.

In an interview with Forbes magazine , Mr Zhang said the

flaws they uncovered were likely to be widespread throughout

handsets running Android 5.0 and below. Updating to the

latest version of Android, version 5.1.1, should remove the

vulnerabilities, he said.

The flaw is the latest in a series of problems uncovered with

fingerprint ID systems on phones.

In April last year, hackers discovered a way to fool the print

sensor on the S5 by taking a photograph of a print left on a

smartphone screen, making a mould from the image and using

that to make a replica fake finger.

In 2013, a German hacker group used a similar method to

bypass the fingerprint reader on Apple's iPhone 5. Hackers

from the Chaos Computer Club used a picture of a person's

fingerprint left on a glass surface to make a fake finger that

unlocked the phone.

Amazon web services 'growing fast'

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has always insisted on reinvesting
profits into the business
Technology giant Amazon has said its web services business
generated sales of $1.57bn (£1.04bn) in the first quarter of
the year and is profitable.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a cloud computing offering
that makes money by charging businesses to host websites
and other applications.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said in a statement : "Amazon web
services is a $5bn business and still growing fast."
The firm's total revenues for the quarter rose by 15% to
$22.7bn.
The increase was stronger than expected, with revenues
buoyed by increased sales in North America, Amazon's biggest
market. Despite the rise, the company reported a loss of $57m
for the quarter.
Shares in the firm rose nearly 5% in after-hours trading.
The AWS division provides cloud computing services to
household names including Dropbox, Spotify, Netflix, Uber,
Samsung and even the CIA - helping them send notifications,
stream video and synchronise data.
The figures for the first time confirm that Amazon's cloud
business is the biggest of its kind in terms of revenue.
Analysis: Leo Kelion, technology news editor, BBC Online
On the conference call one of the analysts expressed surprise
at the scale of the margins enjoyed by Amazon Web Services.
The division posted $265m of operating income in the first
quarter, which was not only higher than last year's figure, but
more importantly not the loss that several analysts had
expected.
Even so, Amazon made clear that its business model for AWS
was to innovate quickly and then pass cost savings onto
customers in order to remain the dominant player.
Recent AWS add-ons include Amazon Machine Learning - a
service that automatically analyses clients' data to help them
reduce their customer churn and a feature that makes it easier
for developers to run "internet of things" apps.
Last year AWS' chief told the BBC that the unit could in time
become bigger than Amazon's retail business.
But with Microsoft, Google and IBM among rivals seeking to
eat into its market share, the question is whether those
margins will hold up over the long term.
More from Leo: Amazon's bid to power the internet
'Surprisingly profitable'
The profitability of the cloud business could soothe investors,
who have been anxious for the firm to turn a profit and stop
investing in new projects, which has seen them move into
tablet computers, smartphones, and a short-lived nappy
service.
AWS "was surprisingly more profitable than forecast", Dan
Kurnos, an analyst at the Benchmark Company, told the BBC.
That "should help [Amazon] justify their heavy investment
spending and provide a clearer path to profitability for the
[overall] company as AWS grows," he added.
Michael Pachter, from Wedbush Securities said: "I think most
of us believed that the business [AWS] was breakeven at best,
and it is surprising that it generates such a significant portion
of profit."
"The stock is up because it is clear that if that business
scales, Amazon can be immensely profitable," he added

dagrin's 5th year remembrance

On this day, April 22, 2010,
the unforgettable rapper,
Dagrin died after he was
involved in a ghastly motor
accident.
The unfortunate incident
which would later claim his
life happened in the early
hours of April 14, 2010
after his car collided with a
stationary trailer (heavy
duty vehicle) in front of
Alakara Police Station, off
Agege Motor Road, Mushin,
Lagos.
He was initially admitted at
Tai Solarin Hospital,
Mushin before being
transferred to the Lagos
University Teaching
Hospital, (LUTH) Idi Araba,
where doctors made
serious efforts to save his
life.
The late rapper was
admitted at the Intensive
Care Unit and operated
upon, and later moved to
the private wing of the
hospital where he was
pronounced dead.
Here are 10 things no
one will tell you
about Dagrin:
1) The Rapper attended
Meiran community primary
school, Roseille Nursery
and Primary School, Meiran
Community high school and
Egbado College.
2) Dagrin’s mother, Mrs.
Olaonipekun, was the
second of his father’s three
wives.
3) He was 26 years old
when he died in a car
accident.
4) His father’s speech at
the candle light ceremony
was the rap he did to the
song he was featured in by
YQ, titled: ‘Efimile’….
5) His ill-fated car, Nissan
Maxima was a 2008 model
and carried the number
plate, DAGRIN 03
6) His father’s nickname is
Nelly. He has a music store
located at Meiran bus stop,
‘House of Nelly sounds’
store where he used to
stay before moving to
Surulere.
7) The late rapper’s body
was brought into the
cemetery for burial in a
black Ebony Escalade
Cadillac ESV 2007 model.
8) His Twitter ID was
@Dagrinfimile, Facebook
was Dagrin fimilejo. He had
4,930 friends on Facebook.
9) The last time he logged
on to twitter was on
Thursday April 8, 2010.
10) He got the nickname
Barack O’Grin from the
remix song he did with
General Pype titled
‘Champion’. his last word before he passes on was tell my fans i love them all...

Should schools gorge on gadgets?

Want to see how equipping every child with a tablet can
transform the way they learn? Want to meet leading tech
firms which promise that their products are the key to your
school's future? Then come to BETT, the educational
technology fair in the vast Excel complex in East London.
But here's another thought - what if all of this is a huge
waste of money which would be better spent on employing
more teachers?
That was the provocative question posed in a blog on the eve
of BETT by the General Secretary of the National Association
of Head Teachers. According to one newspaper headline
Russell Hobby said "money spent by schools on fad iPads
could have funded 8,000 teachers". Another translated it as
"Schools should stop wasting money buying iPads and 'shiny
gadgets' for pupils."
When I caught up with Mr Hobby - on the phone rather than
at BETT - he said his message had been somewhat
exaggerated by those headlines. But he had wished to start a
debate about the priorities for schools. "We're facing some
very difficult spending decisions," he said, "we've got to ask
ourselves, if we lost all the technology we have now would we
actually go backwards?"
He insisted that he was no Luddite - "it's the uncritical
purchase of gadgets that worries me," he said. I pressed him
for an example and and he came up with interactive
whiteboards, rather than tablets. These expensive pieces of kit
are now in just about every classroom in the country, and Mr
Hobby is far from alone in his criticism.
Plenty of teachers question their usefulness, and I have seen
them employed in one school recently as surfaces on which to
stick paper notices. Not exactly hi-tech…
I took these criticisms to the man who has probably done
more than anyone to promote the use of technology in British
education. Dominic Savage is the founder of BETT and the
director general of the British Educational Suppliers
Association, which represents the companies selling
technology into schools.
"What an unfortunate message to be putting out," he said of
Russell Hobby's attack on his life's work. We're asking
teachers to do more and more every day. It's not a question
of throwing teachers at the problem - it's asking how do we
provide the technology that enables them to do what we are
asking of them?"
I challenged him to defend the investment in those
whiteboards and he admitted that these had not really
worked. He said early users who'd had extensive training had
produced good results, But then a cost-cutting exercise by
BECTA, the now-disbanded school technology quango. "It
does not surprise me in the slightest that it did not have the
impact it should have, but it's not the problem with the
technology in that case."
Where both men agree is that simply throwing money at
technology without investing in teacher training does not
work. And there's an issue of scale - bigger often isn't better.
What often seem clever initiatives in a few well-funded
schools then prove to be pretty useless when implemented
wholesale by local councils or academy chains.
Still, with little money to fund the big technology schemes
we've seen over the past two decades, the problem may be
solving itself. While the major tech companies still turn up in
strength at events like BETT, their stands seemed sparsely
populated.
Creative teachers are turning to free software, cheap devices
like the Raspberry Pi or even their pupils' mobile phones as
they work out how to use technology to enhance their
lessons. The digital transformation of education continues -
but it's a much more decentralised and low-budget revolution

Should schools gorge on gadgets?

Want to see how equipping every child with a tablet can
transform the way they learn? Want to meet leading tech
firms which promise that their products are the key to your
school's future? Then come to BETT, the educational
technology fair in the vast Excel complex in East London.
But here's another thought - what if all of this is a huge
waste of money which would be better spent on employing
more teachers?
That was the provocative question posed in a blog on the eve
of BETT by the General Secretary of the National Association
of Head Teachers. According to one newspaper headline
Russell Hobby said "money spent by schools on fad iPads
could have funded 8,000 teachers". Another translated it as
"Schools should stop wasting money buying iPads and 'shiny
gadgets' for pupils."
When I caught up with Mr Hobby - on the phone rather than
at BETT - he said his message had been somewhat
exaggerated by those headlines. But he had wished to start a
debate about the priorities for schools. "We're facing some
very difficult spending decisions," he said, "we've got to ask
ourselves, if we lost all the technology we have now would we
actually go backwards?"
He insisted that he was no Luddite - "it's the uncritical
purchase of gadgets that worries me," he said. I pressed him
for an example and and he came up with interactive
whiteboards, rather than tablets. These expensive pieces of kit
are now in just about every classroom in the country, and Mr
Hobby is far from alone in his criticism.
Plenty of teachers question their usefulness, and I have seen
them employed in one school recently as surfaces on which to
stick paper notices. Not exactly hi-tech…
I took these criticisms to the man who has probably done
more than anyone to promote the use of technology in British
education. Dominic Savage is the founder of BETT and the
director general of the British Educational Suppliers
Association, which represents the companies selling
technology into schools.
"What an unfortunate message to be putting out," he said of
Russell Hobby's attack on his life's work. We're asking
teachers to do more and more every day. It's not a question
of throwing teachers at the problem - it's asking how do we
provide the technology that enables them to do what we are
asking of them?"
I challenged him to defend the investment in those
whiteboards and he admitted that these had not really
worked. He said early users who'd had extensive training had
produced good results, But then a cost-cutting exercise by
BECTA, the now-disbanded school technology quango. "It
does not surprise me in the slightest that it did not have the
impact it should have, but it's not the problem with the
technology in that case."
Where both men agree is that simply throwing money at
technology without investing in teacher training does not
work. And there's an issue of scale - bigger often isn't better.
What often seem clever initiatives in a few well-funded
schools then prove to be pretty useless when implemented
wholesale by local councils or academy chains.
Still, with little money to fund the big technology schemes
we've seen over the past two decades, the problem may be
solving itself. While the major tech companies still turn up in
strength at events like BETT, their stands seemed sparsely
populated.
Creative teachers are turning to free software, cheap devices
like the Raspberry Pi or even their pupils' mobile phones as
they work out how to use technology to enhance their
lessons. The digital transformation of education continues -
but it's a much more decentralised and low-budget revolution

US schools seek refund over $1.3bn iPad project

The US is running a nationwide initiative to improve
computers and communications in schools
Schools in Los Angeles are seeking compensation from Apple
over a $1.3bn (£870m) iPad-based education project that has
gone awry.
They have sent letters to Apple and its project partners
seeking refunds.
The project began in 2013 and aimed to give iPads and other
computers to about 650,000 students.
It hit problems when students were able to bypass security
systems on the tablets and because the computer-based
curriculum was incomplete.
Cutting ties
In the letters, the LA Unified School District (LAUSD) said it
was "extremely dissatisfied" with the way the project has been
handled, according to a report in the LA Times.
The scheme was intended to be a way for poorer pupils to
keep up with wealthier peers who already enjoyed access to
tablets and other computer-based study aids.
The LA school district initially bought 43,261 iPads loaded
with a maths and English curriculum designed by educational
and training firm Pearson. A further 77,000 iPads were bought
to be used in standardised tests.
Teachers, school heads and administrators were also
expected to use the gadgets to improve lessons and the way
schools were run.
"While Apple and Pearson promised a state-of-the-art
technological solution they have yet to deliver it," said the
letters sent to the two firms this week.
Lawyers acting for the school district are also believed to be
considering legal action against the two main suppliers. In
addition, the schools have cut ties with the firms and do not
want them to be involved in any future development.
The letters come after repeated demands from the LA school
district that Apple and Pearson improve the way the scheme
was being run. In its complaints, the district said only two
schools were regular users of the iPad-based curriculum and
those that used it intermittently reported frequent problems.
Apple has not responded to requests for comment about the
complaints.
In a statement, Pearson said it was "proud of our long history
working with LAUSD and our significant investment in this
groundbreaking initiative to transform instructional practices
and raise expectations for all students".
The statement acknowledged the "challenges" there had been
in implementing the project but said it stood by the "quality of
our performance".
The Pearson/Apple deal was one part of a $1.3bn programme
that included spending $700m on improving internet access at
schools.
The superintendent in charge of the LA school district who
drew up and oversaw the costly programme resigned after the
problems with the scheme came to light.

FBI warns on airline hacking threat following tweet

An increasing number of airlines are offering onboard wi-fi to
customers
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a
formal alert telling airlines to be on the lookout for hackers.
It follows an onboard tweet from security expert Chris
Roberts, who joked about being able to hack into a United
Airlines plane's wi-fi network.
A terrorist could theoretically take over systems that fly a
plane by compromising equipment at their seat.
United Airlines has now banned Mr Roberts from all its flights.
The FBI and the US Transportation Security Administration
(TSA) said they had no information to support claims a
plane's navigation system could be interfered via its onboard
wi-fi kit, but added that they were evaluating the evidence.
In a private industry notification posted on its website and
reported by Wired magazine , the FBI advised airlines to:
report any suspicious activity involving travellers
connecting unknown cables or wires to the in-flight
entertainment (IFE) system
report any evidence of suspicious behaviour following a
flight, such as IFE systems that show evidence of
tampering or the forced removal of covers to network
connection ports
report any evidence of suspicious behaviour concerning
aviation wireless signals, including social media messages
with threatening references to onboard network systems,
automatic dependent surveillance systems (ADS-B),
aircraft communications addressing and reporting systems
(ACARS) and air traffic control networks
review network logs from aircraft to ensure any suspicious
activity, such as network scanning or intrusion attempts,
would be captured for further analysis
In his tweet, Mr Roberts suggested that he might be able to
deploy the oxygen masks on the flight.
Chris Roberts's tweet:
"Find myself on a 737/800, lets see Box-IFE-ICE-SATCOM, ?
Shall we start playing with EICAS messages? "PASS OXYGEN
ON" Anyone ? :)"
(EICAS refers to the engine indicating and crew alerting
system)
On arrival at Syracuse airport, Mr Roberts - who is co-founder
of security company One World Labs - was taken in for
questioning by the FBI, and his laptop and other devices were
seized.
A few days later, he was prevented from boarding a flight to
California.
He had previously given a number of interviews, explaining the
possible weak points in airline systems, telling CNN that he
could connect to a computer under his seat to view data from
the aircraft's engines, fuel and flight-management systems.
Single network
Security experts have warned for some years that airlines are
a possible target for hackers.
Planes including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus 350
and A380 have a single network that is used by both pilots to
fly the plane and by passengers for their wi-fi connections.
"The risk is that a hacker sitting in the back of a plane, or
even one on the ground, could use the wi-fi connection to
hack into the avionics and then remotely fly the plane,"
explained security expert Bruce Schneier in a blog written
after last week's incident.
Although there were currently no publicly known vulnerabilities
that a hacker could exploit, such an attack remained
"theoretically possible" because all networks were inherently
insecure, he said.
"In the scheme of internet risks I worry about, it's not very
high," he added.
Wi-fi is now common on many airlines, and most have relaxed
the rules surrounding the use of gadgets during flights.

Solar Impulse arrives in Nanjingwu

The fuel-free aeroplane Solar Impulse has arrived in Nanjing
in the east of China.
Pilot Bertrand Piccard set down the prop-driven vehicle at
23:28 local time (15:28 GMT), following a 1,240km journey
from Chongqing in the west of the country.
The project is aiming to circumnavigate the globe, and it must
now prepare for the challenge of crossing the Pacific.
The next 10 days will be spent giving Solar Impulse a
thorough servicing.
Meteorologists on the Swiss team, which has its mission
control in Monaco, will then look for a suitable weather
window for the ocean flight.
It will be done in two stages, with the first reaching over to
Hawaii - a distance from Nanjing of 8,000km. For the slow-
moving aircraft, this will entail being airborne continuously for
several days and nights.
In simulations done last year, the weather opening was found
quite quickly, but the team recognises also that its stay in
Nanjing could be a long one.
"I think 10 days is the time we need to get ready. Then we
need to wait for a good weather window," explained mission
director Raymond Clerc.
"That could be three days; we could have to wait three weeks
- because this leg is really the most important and is very
complex. To go towards Hawaii could last five days and five
nights."
Bertrand Piccard has been sharing the flying duties in the
single-seater with his business partner, Andre Borschberg. And
it is Borschberg, the trained engineer, who will take the
controls for the leg to Hawaii.
So far, Solar Impulse has covered about 7,000km since leaving
Abu Dhabi, UAE, on 9 March.
Leg 6 started in Chongqing in western central China and
took more than 17 hours
LEG 1: 9 March. Abu Dhabi (UAE) to Muscat (Oman) -
441km; in 13 hours and 1 minute
LEG 2: 10 March. Muscat (Oman) to Ahmedabad (India) -
1,468km; in 15 hours and 20 minutes
LEG 3: 18 March. Ahmedabad (India) to Varanasi (India) -
1,215km; in 13 hours and 15 minutes
LEG 4: 19 March. Varanasi (India) to Mandalay
(Myanmar) - 1,398km; in 13 hours and 29 minutes
LEG 5: 29 March. Mandalay (Myanmar) to Chongqing
(China) - 1,459km; in 20 hours and 29 minutes
LEG 6: 21 April. Chongqing (China) to Nanjing China -
1,241km; in 17 hours and 22 minutes
Solar Impulse has set two world records for manned solar-
powered flight on its journey so far.
The first was for the longest distance covered on a single trip
- that of 1,468km between Muscat, Oman, and Ahmedabad,
India.
The second was for a groundspeed of 117 knots (216km/h;
135mph), which was achieved during the leg into Mandalay,
Myanmar, from Varanasi, India.
No solar-powered plane has ever flown around the world.
Borschberg (L) and Piccard (R) are taking it in turns to fly
Solar Impulse

Muhammadu Buhari: A profile

Muhammadu Buhari was born on December 17, 1942, in
Daura, Katsina State. He went to Primary School in Daura
and Mai’adua from 1948 – 1952, before proceeding to
Katsina middle School in 1953. He attended the Katsina
Provincial Secondary School (now Government College
Katsina) from 1956 – 1961.
On graduation from Secondary School in 1961, Buhari
went to the Nigerian Military Training School, Kaduna in
1963.
In October of the same year, he was sent to the officers’
Cadet School in Aldershot in the United Kingdom and was
thereafter commissioned Second Lieutenant in 1963 and
posted to the 2nd Infantry Battalion, Abeokuta as Platoon
Commander in 1963.
It was at the Abeokuta Garrison that the real traits of a
great soldier were identified in the young man. From 1963
– 1964 he was sent for further training on the Platoon
Commanders’ Course at the Nigerian Military College,
Kaduna.
In 1965, he went for the Mechanical Transport Officers’
Course at the Army Mechanical Transport School in
Borden, England. He went to the Defence Services’ Staff
College, Wellington, India in 1973 and to the United States
Army War College from June 1979 to June 1980.
In August 1975, after General Murtala Mohammed took
power, he appointed Buhari as Governor of the North-
Eastern State, to oversee social, economic and political
improvements in the state.
In March 1976, the then Head of State, General Olusegun
Obasanjo appointed Buhari as the Federal Commissioner
(position now called Minister) for Petroleum and Natural
Resources. When the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation was created in 1976, Buhari was also
appointed as its Chairman, a position he held until 1978.
In 1983, Major-General Buhari and Major-General Tunde
Idiagbon were selected to lead the country by middle and
high-ranking military officers after a successful military
coup d'etat that overthrew civilian President Shehu
Shagari on December.
In 1985, Buhari was himself overthrown in a coup led by
General Ibrahim Babangida on August 27th, and other
members of the ruling Supreme Military Council (SMC)
ostensibly, because he insisted on investigating
allegations of fraudulent award of contracts in the Ministry
of Defence.
Between 1995 and 1998, Buhari served as the Chairman of
the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), a body created by the
government of General Sani Abacha, and funded from the
revenue generated by the increase in price of petroleum
products, to pursue developmental projects around the
country.
Buhari contested the Presidential election as the candidate
of the All Nigeria People's Party in 2003 and lost to
former president Olusegun Obasanjo.
Again, he contested under the ANPP banner in 2007
against Late Umaru Musa Yar’adua of the PDP and lost.
In March 2010, Buhari left the ANPP for the Congress for
Progressive Change (CPC), a party that he had helped to
found.
Buhari was the CPC Presidential candidate in the 16 April
2011 general election, in which he lost to incumbent
President Goodluck Jonathan of the People's Democratic
Party (PDP).
He is currently the presidential candidate of the All
Progressive Congress (APC) in the 2015 presidential
election.

Goodluck Jonathan: A profile

Born on November 20, 1957 in Otuoke, Bayelsa State,
Goodluck Jonathan began his primary education at St
Stephen’s Primary School (now State School, Otuoke) and
later moved to St Michael’s Primary School, Oloibiri,
where he completed his elementary education in 1969, at
the age of 12.
He proceeded to Mater Dei High School, Imiringi for his
secondary education and passed out in 1975 with
distinctions.
Before securing admission into the university, Jonathan
worked as a Preventive Officer with the Department of
Customs and Excise for two years
In 1977, he secured admission into the Department of
Zoology, University of Port Harcourt. He was one of the
pioneer students of the university.
He graduated with a B.Sc. in Zoology in 1981, an M.S. in
Hydrobiology and Fisheries Biology (1985), and a Ph.D. in
Zoology (1995).
While pursuing his doctorate, he taught at Rivers State
College of Education from 1983 until 1993. He then served
as an assistant director at the Oil Mineral Producing
Areas Development Commission, a now defunct
government agency, from 1993 until 1998.
Jonathan Goodluck’s political career began when he
became involved with the nascent People’s Democratic
Party (PDP) in the late 1990s. He was elected deputy
governor of Bayelsa state in 1999 under the party’s
banner. He served in the position until year 2005, when he
was elevated to the governorship after the incumbent,
Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, was charged with corruption and
was impeached.
In 2007 he was selected as the vice presidential running
mate of the PDP’s presidential candidate, Umaru Musa
Yar’Adua. He and Yar’Adua were elected in April and
inaugurated in May 2007.
He was sworn in as the President on 6 May 2010 following
the death of Yar’ Adua on May 5.
He contested the 2011 presidential election and defeated
General Muhammadu Buhari of the Congress for
Progressive Chang (CPC) and Nuhu Ribadu of the Action
Congress of Nigeria (ACN) with 59% of the votes.
His dedication to service earned him the Best Performing
Deputy Governor Award, as well as the Honourary Award
for Democracy and Good Governance.
Given his contributions to Environmental Management, he
was decorated with the prestigious Honourary Fellowship
of the Nigerian Environmental Society.
A member of various professional associations around the
world, he remains a Fellow of the Fisheries Society of
Nigeria, FISON, Fellow of the Public Administrators of
Nigeria, Fellow, International Association of Impact
Assessment, IAIA, and Fellow, Institute of Corporate Affairs
Management. He is also a member, Science Teachers
Association of Nigeria, and Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary
International.

INEC begins prosecution of electoral offenders, says Jega

Abuja - The Independent Natio"This is one area where we didn't do much in 2011. Not
that we didn't try but we were overwhelmed by the
numbers of offenders and we couldn't handle it.
"Now with partnership with other organisations, we should
be able to do so."
Jega admitted that do-or-die politics was evident in some
states and report of under-aged voting, adding, however,
that there was no substantial evidence to prove the
allegations.
He said that the commission would correct the anomalies
by stopping the production of Permanent Voter Cards
(PVCs) of under-aged.
The INEC chairman also said that besides prosecution,
electoral officers who were not staff of the commission
and ran away with result sheets would be reported to
their parent institutions.
Jega cited an example of an individual in Adamawa who
had bagged six months jail term for possessing multiple
PVCs.
He reaffirmed his decision not to seek second tenure as
the INEC boss, in spite calls by some Nigerians that he
should stay on.
"Man proposes and God disposes, as I speak with you, I
will rather do something else with my life,” he said.
Earlier, the Executive Director, Policy and Legal Advocacy
Centre (PLAC), Clement Nwankwo, commended INEC for
conducting free, fair and credible general elections.
Nwankwo called for improvement on some of the lapses
recorded during the pollsal Electoral Commission
(INEC) on Tuesday said that it had commenced the
prosecution of electoral offenders, including electoral
officers, in the 2015 general elections.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, disclosed this
at a dialogue with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), a
coalition of over 60 CSOs, in Abuja.
Jega said at the first meeting with the group after the
elections, that those being prosecuted included a former
Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps
(NYSC) as well as youth corps members.
He called on the public to furnish the commission with
evidence of electoral breaches.
"Prior to the conduct of the elections, the Inspector-
General of Police was very proactive and established a
committee.
"The committee is headed by a Deputy Inspector-General
of Police to work with INEC for speedy prosecution of
electoral offenders,’’ he said.
"We believe that this will help us have more prosecution
of electoral offenders than in previous elections.
"Similarly, the Nigerian Bar Association has requested
INEC for a meeting, to further explore the possibility of
working together for them to provide some services to
hasten the process of prosecuting electoral offenders.
"Altogether, we should be able to prosecute as many
electoral offenders as we have evidence to prosecute.
"There are already clear cut cases where the police have
apprehended people red-handed.

Dele Momodu announces Ovation TV

Lagos - Dele Momodu publisher of the famous Ovation
Magazine has the intention to start a TV station
He first mentioned starting a television station four years ago.
Dele Momodu had hopped to have started a syndicated
programme with the name, Ovation on TV which would
gradually evolve into a full-fledged TV station.
He has already started a social media campaign ahead of the
launch of Ovation TV on his Instagram page

Reminisce releases official album art

Lagos - Edge records rapper Reminisce has unveiled the
official cover art for his 3rd studio album “Baba Hafusa”.
He uploaded the album art on his Instagram page on Monday.
The 16 track album is expected to the on the street on the 30th of april 2015.
The album boast of collaborations with other artist like phyno,olamide,vector,
ice prince,sean tizzle,sojay and sossick.

ISIS shoot, behead 30 Ethiopian Christians

Cairo - A video purportedly made Militants professing loyalty to Islamic State have claimed several high-profile attacks on foreigners in
Libya this year, including an assault on the Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli and the beheading of 21 Egyptian
Christians in February.
The killings of the Egyptians prompted Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to order air strikes on
Islamic State targets in Libya.
In the latest video, a man dressed in black clutching a pistol stood behind some of the victims.
"Muslim blood shed under the hands of your religions is not cheap," he says, looking at the camera. "To
the nation of the cross: We are now back again."
The video concludes with a warning that Christians will not be safe unless they embrace Islam or pay
protection money.
Islamic State controls large parts of Iraq and Syria and wants to redraw the map of the Middle East.
It is not clear how many fighters it has in oil-producer Libya.
Egyptian security officials estimate thousands of militants who share Islamic State's ideology moved from
the Sinai Peninsula to Libya after the army toppled President Mohammed Morsi the Muslim Brotherhood in
2013.y Islamic State and posted on social media sites on Sunday appeared
to show militants shooting and beheading about 30 Ethiopian Christians in Libya.
Reuters was not able to verify the authenticity of the video but the killings resemble past violence carried
out by Islamic State, which has expanded its reach from strongholds in Iraq and Syria to a conflict-ridden
Libya.
The video, in which militants call Christians crusaders and say they are out to kill Muslims, showed about
15 men being beheaded on a beach and another group of the same size shot in their heads in scrubland.
Both groups of men are referred to in a subtitle as "worshippers of the cross belonging to the hostile
Ethiopian church".
Libyan officials were not immediately available for comment.
A senior Ethiopian official said the government was gathering information about the reported killings and
would respond when it had more details. He said Ethiopia had no embassy in Libya, making it more
difficult to verify  the incident.

President Jonathan urged to hand over power on May 29

Damaturu - Chairman of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), in Yobe, Alhaji Umar Kukuri, has urged
President Goodluck Jonathan to hand over power on May 29, 2015.
Huhuri made the call during interview with media, in Damaturu on Saturday.
He said, "the May 28 handover proposal has generated arguments with a lot of suspicions and
interpreted negatively."
"So, Mr President should complete the 24- hour difference and hand over power to the president-elect on
May 29 to sustain the statesmanship he demonstrated during the election."
"President Jonathan has earned himself international respect when he conceded defeat and congratulated
Gen. Buhari. He should sustain this for the remaining period of his administration and beyond."
"Handing over power on May 29 will erase every suspicion, fear of creating vacuum and the judicial
interpretation to the difference between May 28 and May 29."

A London-based company has launched a prototype "robo- chef" for the home.

Moley Robotics is demonstrati"You tell it to do something - whether it's a bit of prep or completing a whole dish from start to finish - and it will do it. And it will do it the same every single time." The product is still two years away from market. Moley wants to make the unit slightly more compact, and give it a built-in refrigerator and dishwasher. The robot could then do everything from assembling and chopping all the ingredients, doing the cooking on the hob or in the oven, and finishing up by cleaning the dirty pans. "We want people to be comfortable with this device," says Moley's Mark Oleynik. "It's not an industrial device; it's not a device that works at 10-times normal speed. No, it's a device that moves like you move, and at the same speed as you do." Appetising apps The goal is to produce a consumer version costing £10,000. It is likely find a ready market in the urban apartment where space is at a premium. The vision is to support the product with thousands of app- like recipes. The motion capture capability would also allow owners to share their special recipes online. A key innovation is the hands. Produced by the Shadow Robot company, they use 20 motors, 24 joints and 129 sensors to mimic the movements of human hands. Shadow's Rich Walker believes his robotic appendages will ultimately cope with some of the uncertainties of cooking, such as when beaten eggs decide to peak. "Something would change; we would see it in the sensor data. Maybe something gets stiffer or softer," he explained. "We should be able to sense that and use it as the point to transition to the next stage of the cooking process." The consumer unit would contain a fridge and a dishwasher Robotics and autonomous systems (RAS) were identified by the UK's coalition government as one of "eight great technologies" that could help to rebalance the British economy - along with the likes of satellites, synthetic biology and so- called "big data" applications. The potential for RAS is thought to be immense. A recent report by the McKinsey consultancy estimated that advanced robotics could generate a potential economic impact of between $1.9tn and $6.4tn (£1.3tn to £4.4tn) per year by 2025. But the use of robotics in the home is currently in its infancy. The setting is not one that many people immediately think of when considering autonomous systems. That will have to change if robotic chefs and other applications are to be accepted and embraced. And, in time, it will believes Prof David Lane at Heriot-Watt University. "It's interesting to note that Dyson is launching its robotic vacuum cleaner in Japan - a traditional early-adopter market," he told the BBC. "But people more generally are taking the baby steps towards accepting this type of technology. "The example I always like to give is the Docklands Light Railway in London: everyone gets on it and doesn't think twice that there's no driver, no human, at the front. "The UK is in a good position to take advantage of the new wave of robotics that is coming. "It's small, agile, disruptive start-up activity that is going to grow big - and that's where we have to put our energies."g its concept at this year's Hannover Messe - a big trade fair for industrial technology held annually in Germany. The cooking machine learns by capturing the movements of a human in the action of preparing a meal. These movements are then turned into commands that drive a sophisticated pair of robot hands. Tim Anderson, the 2011 BBC Masterchef champion, is training the robo-chef. At the Hannover Messe, he has got the machine making a crab bisque. "It's the ultimate sous-chef,"

IBM and apple to share health data

IBM has launched a health unit to make sense of the wealth of data created by the boom in fitness trackers and apps.

'World's biggest Easter egg' unveiled in Argentina

Tens of thousands of people have gathered in Bariloche, Argentina, to taste what is being described as the world's biggest handmade Easter egg. The local tourism office says 8,000kg of chocolate were used to make the egg, which stood 8.5m high.

new tech

Flying cars are the epitome of futuristic technology that we thought we might have by now… but don’t. Efforts have been made to build roadable aircraft (the serious name for “flying car”) it seems the current best effort is the admittedly impressive- looking Terrafugia Transition, which can cruise in the air at 93 knots or zip around highways at 70 mph. At a cost of $279,000 it is accessible to the wealthy amongst us and a good step toward the cars that litter the airways of New York City in 2263 (The Fifth Element). But the Transition still has those pesky wings…

Ex-militant leader, Dokubo, others meet over Buhari’s victory

A former Niger-Delta militant, Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, says with the defeat of President Goodluck Jonathan, he and other militants might be forced to ‘return to creeks.’ Asari-Dokubo, who hails from the same state as Jonathan, said the voting pattern showed that the South- West and the North ganged up again the South-South and South-East geo-political zone. The ex-militant said in a statement by his spokesperson, Rex Anighoro, that it was unfair that the minorities were being emasculated by the majority ethnic groups. He said he feared that the government of the President- elect, Muhammadu Buhari, would be vicious. Asari-Dokubo said, “The conditions that advanced the need to embrace the creeks have been sadly re-energised, it is clear that a vicious government who may maim and murder the voice of the so called minorities may have just been birthed. “Indeed integration is nonexistent as regional gang ups and supremacy is symbolic with this victory.” The ex-militant, who had in January said he and his colleagues would wreak havoc if Jonathan lost, praised the President for being a true statesman. He said it was the struggle of the militants that led to the Jonathan presidency. Asari-Dokubo said since the South-South had lost the presidency, ex-militants would meet to decide the next line of action. He said, “While President Jonathan enjoys his moments and basks in the euphoria of a now world renowned statesman having congratulated Muhammadu Buhari, we must quickly be reminded that our struggle was never about Jonathan or about the presidency. “President Jonathan was a beneficiary of our struggle, our sweat and blood that many bled and died for, he was never in the struggle and he can never wish away our collective march forward for statesmanship. “Yes indeed to an extent he was a mitigating factor in self determination pursuit as we went on sabbatical, this mitigation he seem to have willingly repudiated. The days coming will be critical, we shall study all the conditions and consult widely before determining the way going forward for our collective existence and survival as a people. The days coming shall either drive the quest of integration or further separate us.”

you needed to read this

JUST CHECKING MY MEMORY CARD *Buhari will die before the Election - Ayo Fayose *Buhari is brain dead - Mama Peace *If APC survives till October 2014, call me a bastard.- Doyin Okupe *Mark my words, It will not happen for Buhari to rule Nigeria. - Doyin Okupe. If APC wins, I will go on exile. - Bode George. *Buhari can never win in Yorubaland. - Gani Adams. *Jonathan will shock APC with defeat. - FFK *If Jonathan loses, we would set Nigeria on fire. - Asari Dokubo. *We instigated the 6 weeks postponement so that Jonathan can win. - Fasehun *I will deliver 1 million votes to Jonathan in Ondo state. - Mimiko *We shall deliver the South West votes to Jonathan. - Afenifere *Tinubu is no longer a force in the South West. - Yinka Odumakin. *Buhari at 70 wears diapers like my mother. - Fayose *Jonathan already has Lagos votes. - Musiliu They are all what they call themselves. What a funny life... But @ the End of the day who WON...?

ELECTION BREAKING NEWS:- Another disease has been discovered in NIGERIA

BREAKING NEWS:- Another disease has been discovered in NIGERIA it is called Orubebetisis……. But has been cured in Abuja with a strong capsule called JEGAQUIN. When APC were busy campaigning PDP were looking for his certificate.Now you can see the result. . . I dedicate this plot of land to PRESIDENT ELECT GENERAL MUHAMMED EMEKA ISHOLA BUHARI . .GOD BLESS MY GENERAL . GOD BLESS OSINBAJO . GOD BLESS MY FORMER PRESIDENT…PRESIDENT GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN . GOD BLESS YOU READERS BOTH PDP AND APC SUPPORTERS . GOD BLESS NIGERIA 2015 general election has kept over 100+ nigerians glued to thier Tv’s for the first time in history……. the nxt time such an event can occur again is wen Nigeria will win the FIFA world cup…………….. i’m so proud to be a nigerian ryt nw……. Together we will march forward for a better 2morrow and brighter future… no more suffering and smilling… no more are we going to under “civilized oppression” i’m proud to be alive to witness this moment…. #NIGERIADECIDES #A NEW NIGERIA #NIGERIA OF OUR DREAMS #THE GIANT OF AFRICA IS FINALLY AWAKE #SAI BABA #SAI NIGERIANS

ELECTION BREAKING NEWS:- Another disease has been discovered in NIGERIA

BREAKING NEWS:- Another disease has been discovered in NIGERIA it is called Orubebetisis……. But has been cured in Abuja with a strong capsule called JEGAQUIN. When APC were busy campaigning PDP were looking for his certificate.Now you can see the result. . . I dedicate this plot of land to PRESIDENT ELECT GENERAL MUHAMMED EMEKA ISHOLA BUHARI . .GOD BLESS MY GENERAL . GOD BLESS OSINBAJO . GOD BLESS MY FORMER PRESIDENT…PRESIDENT GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN . GOD BLESS YOU READERS BOTH PDP AND APC SUPPORTERS . GOD BLESS NIGERIA 2015 general election has kept over 100+ nigerians glued to thier Tv’s for the first time in history……. the nxt time such an event can occur again is wen Nigeria will win the FIFA world cup…………….. i’m so proud to be a nigerian ryt nw……. Together we will march forward for a better 2morrow and brighter future… no more suffering and smilling… no more are we going to under “civilized oppression” i’m proud to be alive to witness this moment…. #NIGERIADECIDES #A NEW NIGERIA #NIGERIA OF OUR DREAMS #THE GIANT OF AFRICA IS FINALLY AWAKE #SAI BABA #SAI NIGERIANS