Microsoft has a radical plan to change the way we power content on the internet. And it involves installing data centers in the ocean.
Microsoft Research.
We use data centers for just about everything we see on the web: websites, images, videos, and software are all powered by servers that can both store and ship tons of data in mere seconds.
NASA is developing a first-if-its-kind modem that incorporates light-based technology to help enable dramatically faster communications between spacecraft and ground stations.
The device, which is scheduled to be tested on board the International Space Station in 2020, is part of a broader NASA project called the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD). This laser system, which the space agency says could dramatically overhaul today’s radio frequency (RF) communications, will enable data transmissions at rates 10 to 100 times faster than what’s currently possible.
It’s not the first time NASA has experimented with laser communications in place of radio signals. In 2013, the agency achieved record-breaking download and upload speeds to and from lunar orbit – at 622 megabits per second (Mbps) and 20 Mbps respectively – with its Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE).
True points and many that I have been sharing on Quantum around its own potential to change everything that we know about technology (devices, internet & networking in general, wireless and satellites, AI, advancements in biotech, security, big data, and singularity itself). The author also highlights many of the same concerns that I have shared around hackers on Quantum breaking through the older digitized platforms and networks; therefore, many companies and governments are exposed as well as consumers who have not adopted Quantum.
Although the author speculates we’re less than 10 yrs for Quantum to be seen in the everyday usage; I believe we’re within 7 yrs.
Within four years quantum computers will have the beating of conventional computers and that will produce a dramatic change in both the technology landscape and in business, according to Professor Jeremy O’Brien from Bristol University.
This is not good especially as we look at those aspirations for more nanobots to connect us to the cloud plus Mr. Kurzweil’s desire to live forever.
Medical device manufacturers are struggling to safeguard their newly connected designs from current and emerging security threats.
Natick, MA (PRWEB) January 29, 2016.
Could the FDA crush IoT opportunities in Healthcare?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week took a step toward addressing the threat the Internet of Things poses to patients and their data by releasing some proposed guidelines for managing cybersecurity in medical devices.
“A growing number of medical devices are designed to be networked to facilitate patient care. Networked medical devices, like other networked computer systems, incorporate software that may be vulnerable to cybersecurity threats,” the FDA says in its proposal.
Continue reading “FDA Guidelines Target IoT Medical Device Security” »
This is sad in a way; especially as you see the large gap that still remains in Cyber Security v. hackers. 2015 was not a stellar year for security against hackers. Quantum does offer hope for many in finally getting a handle on Cyber Security; however, that may be even 7 years away before main street is able to leverage an operational Quantum Internet and/ or platform.
However, tech companies & proven Cyber talent need to strategically come together under a broader cyber program (beyond just the US Government and special interest groups; or a couple of venture partnerships) to resolve Cyber Security once and for all. Granted there has been some attempts for companies and industry talent to cross collaborate & address the Cyber Threat challenges for a while now. And, myself and others from big tech have worked together on “special programs to address the Cyber Threat Challenges.” Unfortunately, it hasn’t been enough; we need something more on a larger scale.
Google is working in secret at a spaceport in New Mexico to build and test solar-powered internet drones in a new initiative codenamed Project SkyBender, according to a report from The Guardian today. The company is reportedly renting 15,000 square feet of hangar space from Virgin Galactic — the commercial spaceflight outfit of business mogul Richard Branson — at the privately owned Spaceport America located near a town called Truth or Consequences. The lynchpin of Project SkyBender appears to be cutting-edge millimeter wave technology, which can transmit gigabits of data every second at speeds up to 40 times faster than modern 4G LTE.
Millimeter waves are thought to be the future of high-speed data transmission technology, and may form the backbone of 5G mobile networks. Aereo founder Chet Kanojia’s new startup Starry announced earlier this week it would use millimeter wave tech to bring gigabit internet speeds to people’s homes via Wi-Fi. Millimeter waves have much shorter range than current smartphone signals and are easily disrupted by weather conditions like rain, fog, and snow. Using what’s called a phased array, however, Google and others could potentially focus the transmissions over greater distances.
Google is currently testing the technique with a new solar-powered drone called Centaur and other units made by a division known as Google Titan, which the company formed after it acquired drone maker Titan Aerospace in 2014. The company has a deal with the FCC to continue testing until July, according to The Guardian. It’s also paying Virgin Galactic about $1,000 a day to use its hanger, as well as an additional $300,000 to Spaceport America to construct installations with servers, millimeter wave transceivers, and other tech onsite.
Quantum Internet — this has been in development and testing for a while now at Los Alamos and I am looking forward to it been expanded to the commercial sector. It has seen some challenges; however, every month we’re seeing the challenges knocked out such as the Quantum Light Source technology.
Imagine communicating with your bank, the IRS or your doctor by way of an Internet that was actually secure, where if any bad actor were to try to eavesdrop you would know immediately. Such is the promise of secure quantum communication, and has been since it was ‘almost ready’ starting in the 1990s.
For quantum communication to become the standard, technical challenges still lie ahead. To make progress toward devices that can send and receive quantum data, researchers at Stanford University have created a novel quantum light source.
Continue reading “How To Improve Internet Security — 20th Century Radio Technology” »
