Month: March 2018

The Difference Between Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning

Posted on

Simple explanations of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning and how they’re all different. Plus, how AI and IoT are inextricably connected.

We’re all familiar with the term “Artificial Intelligence.” After all, it’s been a popular focus in movies such as The Terminator, The Matrix, and Ex Machina (a personal favorite of mine). But you may have recently been hearing about other terms like “Machine Learning” and “Deep Learning,” sometimes used interchangeably with artificial intelligence. As a result, the difference between artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning can be very unclear.

I’ll begin by giving a quick explanation of what Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Deep Learning (DL) actually mean and how they’re different. Then, I’ll share how AI and the Internet of Things are inextricably intertwined, with several technological advances all converging at once to set the foundation for an AI and IoT explosion.

So what’s the difference between AI, ML, and DL?

Artificial Intelligence

First coined in 1956 by John McCarthy, AI involves machines that can perform tasks that are characteristic of human intelligence. While this is rather general, it includes things like planning, understanding language, recognizing objects and sounds, learning, and problem solving.

We can put AI in two categories, general and narrow. General AI would have all of the characteristics of human intelligence, including the capacities mentioned above. Narrow AI exhibits some facet(s) of human intelligence, and can do that facet extremely well, but is lacking in other areas. A machine that’s great at recognizing images, but nothing else, would be an example of narrow AI.

Machine learning

At its core, machine learning is simply a way of achieving AI.

Arthur Samuel coined the phrase not too long after AI, in 1959, defining it as, “the ability to learn without being explicitly programmed.” You see, you can get AI without using machine learning, but this would require building millions of lines of codes with complex rules and decision-trees.

So instead of hard coding software routines with specific instructions to accomplish a particular task, machine learning is a way of “training” an algorithm so that it can learnhow. “Training” involves feeding huge amounts of data to the algorithm and allowing the algorithm to adjust itself and improve.

To give an example, machine learning has been used to make drastic improvements to computer vision (the ability of a machine to recognize an object in an image or video). You gather hundreds of thousands or even millions of pictures and then have humans tag them. For example, the humans might tag pictures that have a cat in them versus those that do not. Then, the algorithm tries to build a model that can accurately tag a picture as containing a cat or not as well as a human. Once the accuracy level is high enough, the machine has now “learned” what a cat looks like.

Deep learning

Deep learning is one of many approaches to machine learning. Other approaches include decision tree learning, inductive logic programming, clustering, reinforcement learning, and Bayesian networks, among others.

Deep learning was inspired by the structure and function of the brain, namely the interconnecting of many neurons. Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are algorithms that mimic the biological structure of the brain.

In ANNs, there are “neurons” which have discrete layers and connections to other “neurons”. Each layer picks out a specific feature to learn, such as curves/edges in image recognition. It’s this layering that gives deep learning its name, depth is created by using multiple layers as opposed to a single layer.

AI and IoT are Inextricably Intertwined

I think of the relationship between AI and IoT much like the relationship between the human brain and body.

Our bodies collect sensory input such as sight, sound, and touch. Our brains take that data and makes sense of it, turning light into recognizable objects and turning sounds into understandable speech. Our brains then make decisions, sending signals back out to the body to command movements like picking up an object or speaking.

All of the connected sensors that make up the Internet of Things are like our bodies, they provide the raw data of what’s going on in the world. Artificial intelligence is like our brain, making sense of that data and deciding what actions to perform. And the connected devices of IoT are again like our bodies, carrying out physical actions or communicating to others.

Unleashing Each Other’s Potential

The value and the promises of both AI and IoT are being realized because of the other.

Machine learning and deep learning have led to huge leaps for AI in recent years. As mentioned above, machine learning and deep learning require massive amounts of data to work, and this data is being collected by the billions of sensors that are continuing to come online in the Internet of Things. IoT makes better AI.

Improving AI will also drive adoption of the Internet of Things, creating a virtuous cycle in which both areas will accelerate drastically. That’s because AI makes IoT useful.

On the industrial side, AI can be applied to predict when machines will need maintenance or analyze manufacturing processes to make big efficiency gains, saving millions of dollars.

On the consumer side, rather than having to adapt to technology, technology can adapt to us. Instead of clicking, typing, and searching, we can simply ask a machine for what we need. We might ask for information like the weather or for an action like preparing the house for bedtime (turning down the thermostat, locking the doors, turning off the lights, etc.).

Converging Technological Advancements Have Made this Possible

Shrinking computer chips and improved manufacturing techniques means cheaper, more powerful sensors.

Quickly improving battery technology means those sensors can last for years without needing to be connected to a power source.

Wireless connectivity, driven by the advent of smartphones, means that data can be sent in high volume at cheap rates, allowing all those sensors to send data to the cloud.

And the birth of the cloud has allowed for virtually unlimited storage of that data and virtually infinite computational ability to process it.

Of course, there are one or two concerns about the impact of AI on our society and our future. But as advancements and adoption of both AI and IoT continue to accelerate, one thing is certain; the impact is going to be profound

This entry was posted in SCI & TECH, Tech.

Blockchain

Posted on

Blockchain technology is commonly associated with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, but that’s really only the tip of the iceberg. Some people think blockchain could end up transforming a number of important industries, from health care to politics.

Whether you’re simply looking to invest in Bitcoin, trade some Ethereum, or are just intrigued about what the heck blockchain actually is, you’ve come to the right place.

Blockchain isn’t just for Bitcoin

While blockchain technology isn’t simple when you dig into the nitty-gritty, the basic idea isn’t so opaque. It’s effectively a database that’s validated by a wider community, rather than a central authority. It’s a collection of records that has a lot of people give it the thumbs up, rather than relying on a single entity, like a bank or government, which most likely hosts data on a particular server.

Each “block” represents a number of transactional records, and the “chain” component links them all together with a hash function. As records are created, they are confirmed by a distributed network of computers and paired up with the previous entry in the chain, thereby creating a chain of blocks, or a blockchain.

The entire blockchain is retained on this large network of computers, meaning that no one person has control over its history. That’s an important component, because it certifies everything that has happened in the chain prior, and it means that no one person can go back and change things. It makes the blockchain a public ledger that cannot be easily tampered with, giving it a built-in layer of protection that isn’t possible with a standard, centralized database of information.

While traditionally we have needed these central authorities to trust one another, and fulfil the needs of contracts, the blockchain makes it possible to have our peers guarantee that for us in an automated, secure fashion.

That’s the innovation of blockchain, and it’s why you may hear it used to reference things other than Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency. Though generally not used for it yet, blockchain could be used to maintain a variety of information. An organization called Follow My Vote is attempting to use it for an electronic voting system that’s more secure than modern versions, and healthcare providers might one day use it to handle patient records.

Where did blockchain come from?

Although blockchain technology has only been effectively employed in the past decade, its roots can be traced back far further. A 1976 paper on New Directions in Cryptography discussed the idea of a mutual distributed ledger, which is what the blockchain effectively acts as. That was later built upon in the 1990s with a paper entitled “How to Time-Stamp a Digital Document.” It would take another few decades and the combination of powerful modern computers, with the clever implementation with a cryptocurrency to make these ideas viable.

In order to validate the blocks in the same manner as a traditional private ledger, the blockchain employs complicated calculations. That, in turn, requires powerful computers, which are expensive to own, operate, and keep cool. That’s part of the reason that bitcoin acted as such a great starting point for the introduction of blockchain technology, because it could reward those taking part in the process with something of financial value.

Bitcoin ultimately made its first appearance in 2009, bringing together the classic idea of the mutual distributed ledger, the blockchain, with an entirely digital currency that wasn’t controlled by any one individual or organization. Developed by the still effectively anonymous “Satoshi Nakamoto,” the cryptocurrency allowed for a method of conducting transactions while protecting them from interference by the use of the blockchain.

How do cryptocurrencies use the blockchain?

Although bitcoin and the alternative currencies all utilize blockchain technology, they do so in differing manners. Since bitcoin was first invented it has undergone a few changes at the behest of its core developers and the wider community, and other alt-coins have been created to improve upon bitcoin, operating in slightly different ways.

In the case of bitcoin, a new block in its blockchain is created roughly every ten minutes. That block verifies and records, or “certifies” new transactions that have taken place. In order for that to happen, “miners” utilize powerful computing hardware to provide a proof-of-work — a calculation that effectively creates a number which verifies the block and the transactions it contains. Several of those confirmations must be received before a bitcoin transaction can be considered effectively complete, even if technically the actual bitcoin is transferred near-instantaneously.

dont worry about bitcoin regulation it cant be stopped hong kong finance economy

Anthony WallaceAFP/Getty Images

This is where bitcoin has run into problems in recent months. As the number of bitcoin transactions increases, the relatively-hard 10-minute block creation time means that it can take longer to confirm all of the transactions and backlogs can occur.

With certain alt-coins, that’s a little different. With Litecoin it’s more like two and a half minutes, while with Ethereum the block time is just 10-20 seconds, so confirmations tend to happen far faster. There are obvious benefits of such a change, though by having blocks generate at a faster rate there is a greater chance of errors occurring. If 51 percent of computers working on the blockchain record an error, it becomes near-permanent, and generating faster blocks means fewer systems working on them.

What’s the catch?

Blockchain technology has a lot of exciting potential, but there are some serious considerations that need to be addressed before we can say it’s the technology of the future.

Remember all that computing power required to verify transactions? Those computers need electricity. Bitcoin is a poster child of the problematic escalation in power demanded from a large blockchain network. Although getting exact statistics on the power requirements of bitcoin is difficult, it’s regularly compared to small countries in its current state. That’s not appealing given today’s concerns about climate change, the availability of power in developing countries, and reliability of power in developed nations.

Transaction speed is also an issue. As we noted above, blocks in a chain must be verified by the distributed network, and that can take time. A lot of time. At its worse, bitcoin’s average transaction time exceeded 41 hours. Ethereum is much more efficient, but its average time is around 15 seconds — which would be an eternity in a checkout line at your local grocery store. Blockchains used for purposes other than cryptocurrency could run into similar problems. You can imagine how frustrating it would be to wait 15 seconds every time you wanted to change a database entry.

These problems will need to be resolved as blockchain becomes more popular. However, considering we’re less than a decade on from the blockchain’s first implementation, and we’re already on the road to developing new uses for it, we remain optimistic that those involved will work out it.

 

 

This entry was posted in Market, SCI & TECH, Science, Tech, Videos.

Trade Setup for Monday: Top 15 things to know before Opening Bell

Posted on

Bias has now tilted in favour of bears and a break below 200-day moving average in the coming week could extend selling pressure.

Bears took control of D-Street from the word go as a Nifty break below crucial support levels one after the other on Friday and made a strong bearish candle which closely resembles Bearish Belt Hold kind of pattern on the daily charts.

The bias has now tilted in favour of the bears and a break below 200-day moving average in the coming week could extend the selling pressure.

The Nifty took support near its 200-DMA on last two occasions (7th and 8th March) and then bounced back. Now, a break below this level which is placed around 10,160 could push the index towards its next crucial support level placed at 10,000.

The index reversed gains after hitting an intraday high of 10,478.60 levels when Nifty made a ‘Shooting Star’ kind of pattern on the daily candlestick charts.

 “The Nifty50 appears to have resumed its downtrend as it registered a robust bear candle with a cut of around 160 points which is threatening the recent lows of 10,140 levels,” Mazhar Mohammad, Chief Strategist – Technical Research & Trading Advisory, Chartviewindia.in told Moneycontrol.

“If a fresh leg of the downtrend is in progress from the highs of 10,478 levels then ideally it should breach the recent lows of 10,140 and then initially head towards its 200-Day Exponential Moving Averages whose value is placed around 10,114 kinds of levels,” he said.

Mohammad further added that in between multiple support points are available in the zone of 10,160 – 10,140 levels which may provide some temporary relief to bulls from the current carnage.

“For time being upsides shall get capped around 10,350 kind of levels and rally towards 10,300 can be sold into for initial targets placed in the zone of 10,040-9,980 kind of levels,” he said.

India VIX moved up by 6.21 percent at 15.22. Rise in volatility after the recent consolidation seen in the last five sessions has given an upper hand to bears which suggest more weakness. A fall in Put Call Ratio also points to the same direction.

We have collated the top 16 data points to help you spot profitable trades:

Key support and resistance level for Nifty

The Nifty closed at 10,134.83 on Friday. According to Pivot charts, the key support level is placed at 10,074.47, followed by 10,134.83. If the index starts moving upwards, key resistance levels to watch out are 10,300.93 and 10,406.67.

Nifty Bank

The Nifty Bank index closed at 24,489.6 on Friday. The important Pivot level, which will act as crucial support for the index, is placed at 24,357.43, followed by 24,225.27. On the upside, key resistance levels are placed at 24,703.54, followed by 24,917.47.

Call Options data

In terms of open interest, the 10,500 call option has seen the most call writing so far at 58.31 lakh contracts. This could act as a crucial resistance level for the index in the March series.

The second-highest buildup has taken place in the 10,400 Call option, which has seen 48.81 lakh contracts getting written so far. The 10,700 Call option has accumulated 42.28 lakh contracts.

During the session, Call writing was most seen at the strike price of 10,300, which saw an addition of 15.47 lakh contracts, followed by 10,200, in which 14.98 lakh contracts were added, and 10,500, in which 7.40 lakh contracts were added.

There was hardly any Call unwinding seen.

Image1

Put Options data

Maximum open interest in put options was seen at a strike price of 10,000, in which 46.36 lakh contracts have been added till date. This will act as a crucial base for the index in the March series.

The 10,200 put option comes next, having added 39.77 lakh contracts so far, and the 10,100 put option, which has now accumulated 33.47 lakh contracts.

During the session, put writing was seen the most at a strike price of 10,200, with 2.43 lakh contracts being added, followed by 9,900, which added 1.24 lakh contracts.

Put unwinding was seen at a strike price of 10,400, in which 15.01 lakh contracts were shed, followed by 10,300, in which 8.3 lakh contracts were shed. The 10,500 put option saw 2.35 lakh contracts getting shed.

Image2

FII & DII data:

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold shares worth Rs 150.46 crore, while domestic institutional investors sold shares worth Rs 770.53 crore in the Indian equity market, as per provisional data available on the NSE.

Fund flow picture:

Image3

Stocks with high delivery percentage:

High delivery percentage suggests that investors are accepting delivery of the stock, which means that investors are bullish on it.

Image4

16 stocks saw long build-up:

Image5

17 stocks saw short covering:

A decrease in open interest along with an increase in price mostly indicates short covering.

Image6

104 stocks saw short build-up:

An increase in open interest along with a decrease in price mostly indicates build-up of short positions.

Image7

73 stocks saw long unwinding:

Long unwinding happens when there is a decrease in OI as well as in price.

Image8

Bulk Deals:

Capital First: Vanguard Group has purchased over 9 lakh shares at Rs 648.65 apiece.

Eris Lifesciences: Vanguard Group has purchased over 10 lakh shares at Rs 814.88 apiece.

Gateway Distriparks: Morgan Stanley has purchased over 10 lakh shares in the firm at Rs 201.

Graphite India: Vanguard Group has purchased over 13.5 lakh shares in the company at Rs 776.06.

Jaiprakash Associates: Adroit Financial Services has traded over 2 crore shares in four transactions at around Rs 21.

TeamLease: HDFC Mutual Fund Prudence sold 3.8 lakh shares at Rs 2,050

(For more bulk deals click here)

Analyst or Board Meet/Briefings:

HDFC Life: The company participated in the investor conference organised by Haitong Securities in Mumbai.

ACC: The company met mutual fund house such as Sundaram Mutual Fund, IDFC Mutual Fund and GIC Re on March 16.

Ambuja Cement: The company met Goldman Sachs AMC on March 16, 2018.

Astral: First Voyager Advisors met the management on March 16, 2018.

Stocks in news:

Axis Bank: Reviewed and retained MCLR rates across all tenors. The one-year MCLR has been set at 8.4 percent.

Ramky Infra: The company has bagged an EPC order of Rs 939.4 crore From NHAI In Srinagar.

YES Bank: The company has said that Life Insurance Corporation has raised stake in firm By 2.03% To 9.62%.

Speciality Restaurants: Anjan Chatterjee to hand over operations to son, reports Mint.

Eight stocks under ban period on NSE

Security in ban period for the next day’s trade under the F&O segment includes companies in which the security has crossed 95 percent of the market-wide position limit.

Securities which are banned for trading include names such as Bank of India, BEML, DHFL, HDIL, IDBI Bank, JP Associates, SAIL and TV18 Broadcast.

This entry was posted in Islam.

Project Soli

Posted on

Project Soli is developing a new interaction sensor using radar technology. The sensor can track sub-millimeter motions at high speed and accuracy. It fits onto a chip, can be produced at scale and built into small devices and everyday objects.

 

This entry was posted in SCI & TECH, Science, Tech, Videos.

Top 10 IoT(Internet Of Things) Projects Of All Time | 2018

Posted on

This entry was posted in SCI & TECH, Science, Tech, Videos.

5 INVENTIONS THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND

Posted on

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0R0Xr0e-uk

This entry was posted in SCI & TECH, Science, Tech, Videos.

10 upcoming Google Projects

Posted on

 

 

This entry was posted in SCI & TECH, Science, Tech, Videos.

Future of Healthcare by Microsoft

Posted on

This is an incredible video on how Microsoft sees the future in healthcare and how technology is improving our way of life! With state of the art hospitals being built in Malaysia; it’s just a matter of time before we experience seemless healthcare delivery. Malaysia Healthcare patients use a portable Personal Health Record (PHR) called the iPHER that carries all their PHI which includes, medications, lab tests, diagnosis, immunizations, alternative procedures, digital images, dental records, ophthalmic care (lens and contact prescriptions) and DNA any where in the world with no need to access the Internet to view the information. Malaysia Healthcare currently uses this PHR to reduce medical errors and create continuity of care for all their patients and to provide seemless healthcare delivery.

This entry was posted in SCI & TECH, Science, Tech, Videos.

IBM Healthcare Industry: 2020 Vision

Posted on

As the global healthcare industry begins to redefine value and success for a more sustainable and value-based healthcare system, this video articulates the IBM vision for Smarter Healthcare, to engage the audience in a view for their future and IBM as their partner.

 

This entry was posted in SCI & TECH, Science, Tech, Videos.

Angioplasty

Posted on

What Is Coronary Angioplasty?

Your heart’s arteries can become blocked or narrowed from a buildup of cholesterol, cells or other substances (plaque). This can reduce blood flow to your heart and cause chest discomfort. Sometimes a blood clot can suddenly form or get worse and completely block blood flow, leading to a heart attack. Angioplasty opens blocked arteries and restores normal blood flow to your heart muscle. It is not major surgery. It is done
by threading a catheter (thin tube) through a small puncture in a leg or arm artery to
the heart. The blocked artery is opened by inflating a tiny balloon in it.

Why do it need ?

People with blockages in their heart arteries may need angioplasty if they are having lots of discomfort in their chest, or if their blockages put them at risk of a heart attack or of dying.

Emergency angioplasty is an operation that is performed directly after a heart attack, on admission to the hospital. It involves the insertion of a catheter into the blocked blood vessel that caused the heart attack. This opens it up and allows blood to flow again, thus minimizing damage to the heart. If one or more arteries become clogged, it may result in a heart attack. This normally presents with chest pain, sweating and a feeling of anxiety, among other symptoms. Urgent medical assistance should be sought. A heart attack is a medical emergency requiring intervention as soon as possible.

How is it done?

1. A doctor numbs a spot on your groin or arm and inserts a small tube (catheter) into an artery.
2. The catheter is threaded through the arterial system until it gets into a coronary (heart) artery.
3. Watching on a special X-ray screen, the doctor moves the catheter into the artery. Next, a very thin wire is threaded through the catheter and across the blockage. Over this wire, a catheter with a thin, expandable balloon on the end is passed to the blockage.
4. The balloon is inflated. It pushes plaque to the side and stretches the artery open, so blood can flow more easily. This may be done more than once.
5. In many patients a collapsed wire mesh tube (stent) mounted on a special balloon, is moved over the wire to the blocked area.
6. As the balloon is inflated, it opens the stent against the artery walls. The stent locks in this position and helps keep the artery open.
7. The balloon and catheters are taken out. Now the artery has been opened, and your heart will get the blood it needs.

Does angioplasty hurt?

• No, angioplasty causes very little pain. The doctor will numb the place where the catheter will be inserted. You may feel some pressure as the catheter is put in.
• You’ll be awake and alert but may be given medicine to help you relax.
• The place where the catheter was put in may be sore afterwards. Bruising is also common. If you notice any bleeding or increasing pain or swelling, tell your doctor.

What about afterwards?

• When the tube is removed from your leg or arm, a nurse or doctor will usually apply direct pressure for 15 minutes or longer to the place where the catheter was inserted to ensure there’s no internal bleeding.
• If angioplasty is done through the leg, for several hours you’ll lie quietly on your back and the doctors and nurses will check for any signs of bleeding or chest discomfort. If the procedure is done through the arm, you won’t need to remain in bed.
• You’ll almost always have to stay in the hospital for a night to rest. Sometimes a longer stay is required.
• There’s a small risk that a blood clot will form inside the stent, blocking blood flow in the artery. Your doctor will prescribe aspirin or other medicine to help prevent this.
• Avoid heavy lifting or vigorous physical activity for 1-2 days after the procedure.
• Learn about the risk factors you need to change to keep your heart healthy.

Source Click here

This entry was posted in SCI & TECH, Videos.