There’s nothing worse than having to pore over a pile of PDFs containing documents scanned as images when you quickly have to find a specific file. Dropbox is making it easier to do that by introducing automatic image recognition, which extracts texts from photos and PDFs and makes them searchable. According to the cloud storage provider, there are 20 billion image and PDF files stored on Dropbox. Around 10 to 20 percent of those are photos of documents, so the new feature can be very, very useful.
To look for a specific photo or PDF, you simply have to type in a keyword or phrase like you would on a search engine. Dropbox will then show you the files that contain those words or phrases. The company told VentureBeat that this is “the most computationally intensive project its machine learning team has ever undertaken.” They were particularly challenged by PDFs, since multi-page documents require a lot more processing power than an image file. In order to make indexing them feasible, they designed the system to stop extracting and indexing text after 10 pages.
Automatic image text recognition works for English-language JPEG, static GIF, PNG, TIFF and PDF files on Dropbox, even those uploaded before the service rolled out the feature. However, it’s availability is fairly limited. Dropbox Business Advanced and Enterprise users might be able to access it soon, depending on when their account administrators switch it on, while Dropbox Professional subscribers will get the feature in the coming months. Ordinary users will have to keep on looking for documents the old-fashioned way.
Google launched its 3rd-generation Chromecast dongle today, still priced at a very reasonable $35.
The new Chromecast comes in either Chalk or Charcoal, but really, the device hasn’t changed all that much. In its blog post, Google states this Chromecast has a 15% improvement in hardware speed, plus they say, “Our newest Chromecast supports smooth streaming in 1080p at 60 frames per second.”
On top of that, Google says you’ll be able to add this refreshed Chromecast to speaker groups, meaning multi-room audio goodness. Sadly, that’s coming “later this year.”
If you’re in need of a fresh dongle, follow the link below.
This artist rendering shows an aerial view of the liftoff of the SLS rocket during Exploration Mission 1.
NASA
Boeing has been building the core stage of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket for the better part of this decade, and the process has not always gone smoothly, with significant overruns and multiyear delays. A new report from NASA’s inspector general makes clear just how badly the development process has gone, laying the blame mostly at the feet of Boeing.
“We found Boeing’s poor performance is the main reason for the significant cost increases and schedule delays to developing the SLS core stage,” the report, signed by NASA Inspector General Paul Martin, states. “Specifically, the project’s cost and schedule issues stem primarily from management, technical, and infrastructure issues directly related to Boeing’s performance.”
As of August 2018, the report says, NASA has spent a total of $11.9 billion on the SLS. Even so, the rocket’s critical core stage will be delivered more than three years later than initially planned—at double the anticipated cost. Overall, there are a number of top-line findings in this report, which cast a mostly if not completely negative light on Boeing and, to a lesser extent, NASA and its most expensive spaceflight project.
Schedule slips
The report found that NASA will need to spend an additional $1.2 billion, on top of its existing $6.2 billion contract for the core stages of the first two SLS rockets, to reach a maiden launch date of June 2020. NASA originally planned to launch the SLS rocket on its maiden flight in November 2017.
However, given all of the development problems that the SLS rocket has seen, the report does not believe a mid-2020 date is likely either. “In light of the project’s development delays, we have concluded NASA will be unable to meet its EM-1 launch window currently scheduled between December 2019 and June 2020,” the report states.
There are other troubling hints about schedule in this new report, too. One concerns facilities at Stennis Space Center in Southern Mississippi, where NASA will conduct a “green run” test of the core stage of the SLS rocket. This is a critical test that will involve a full-scale firing of the rocket’s core stage—four main engines along with liquid hydrogen and oxygen fuel tanks—for a simulated launch and ascent into space.
The report found that Boeing’s development of “command and control” hardware and software needed to conduct this test is already 18 months behind a schedule established in 2016. This means the Stennis facility won’t be ready to accommodate a green run test until at least May 2019, with further delays possible.
This is critical, because often the most serious engineering problems are uncovered during the phase when key rocket components are integrated and tested. The delay in green-run testing means that any problems that crop up during that phase of development will only push the maiden launch of the SLS further into the future.
Reasons why
There is a rather remarkable section of the report that discusses the reasons for these delays. Boeing evidently told the inspector general that initial delays for SLS development were caused by “insufficient funding.” Notably, Boeing said the SLS contract was underfunded for 2015, and therefore it could not maintain its delivery schedule for the first two core stages.
The inspector general appeared to be having none of this, however. ”By the end of FY 2015, the company had received $706 million, only $53 million less than requested for its work to build two core stages,” the report states. “In addition, due to a congressional ‘plus-up’ the following year, Boeing received approximately $200 million more than what NASA estimated was needed to meet the original 2017 launch schedule. Further, in May 2016 NASA added almost $1 billion in additional contract value—bringing the total contract value to $5.2 billion—with only minimal changes in the scope of work.”
NASA officials told the inspector general that they did not believe the schedule slippage could be explained by a lack of adequate funding.
In response to a query from Ars, Boeing issued the following statement: “An unprecedented rocket program has inherent challenges; developing the first unit of a system that will safely carry humans into space, even more so. But the program described in the OIG’s report does not represent the Space Launch System program today.”
Implications of this
Another thrust of the report is that NASA has improperly awarded tens of millions of dollars to Boeing for performance fees the company has not earned. “We question nearly $64 million in award fees provided to Boeing since 2012 for the ‘very good’ and ‘excellent’ performance ratings it received while the SLS Program was experiencing substantial cost increases, technical issues, and schedule delays,” the report states.
In his response to the new report, NASA’s chief of human spaceflight, Bill Gerstenmaier, essentially shrugs off the criticism by saying building big rockets is hard work.
“The SLS is the largest launch system in the history of space flight,” Gerstenmaier’s response states. “The design, development, manufacturing, test, and operations of the system are highly complex and represent a national investment in a long-term commitment to deep space exploration.”
This may be true. But it seems an increasingly difficult sell after SpaceX developed the not-quite-as-large-or-complex Falcon Heavy rocket for $500 million. It is not clear what will happen next. In the past, Congress has largely ignored criticism of the SLS rocket, even from official sources. After all, the vehicle has 1,100 contractors in 43 states, covering a lot of legislative districts.
However, there are a few critics close to the White House who have been whispering concerns and criticisms about the big, expensive rocket to Vice President Mike Pence, who leads the National Space Council. To be clear, the vice president has been publicly supportive of the SLS rocket to date. But this report will at the very least add fuel to the fire of the criticisms he is hearing.
sponsorship and blessing too. Called Deep Orange 9, this project took 19 students two years to complete at Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research.
sedan body and went from there. Extremely high performance and a reduction of emissions were the two main goals for the student engineers. It’s supposed to be as fast as current
powertrain, according to the students. Specs for the engine and electric motor weren’t published, but we’ll let you know if we find out. The rear axle handles the power from the engine, while the front axle gets turned courtesy of an electric motor. The engine sits in the middle of the car, so it looks like the students could have been inspired by the new
is improved 30 percent due to the hybrid powertrain, but it’s still a race car. Good fuel economy and 600 horsepower usually don’t mix well, but this was a cool effort to bring a greener powertrain to racing.
The suspension is billed as semi-active, such that it easily adapts to the changing surfaces seen in rallycross. A four-wheel steering system was developed to help cars pivot better in the extremely tight turns often seen in rallycross. This electric system is also capable of capturing energy lost through the wheels, reducing emissions even further.
We have to admit, this thing looks pretty sweet. Student projects like these are the kind of thing we need more of.
Following a massive data breach first reported on by The Wall Street Journal, Google announced today that it is shutting down its social network Google+ for consumers. The company finally admitted that Google+ never received the broad adoption or engagement with users that it had hoped for — according to a blog post, 90 percent of Google+ user sessions last for less than five seconds. In light of these newly revealed security concerns with Google+’s API, the company has opted to put it out of its misery rather than try and make the social network more secure.
The company discovered a bug in one of Google+’s People APIs that allowed apps access to data from Google+ profiles that weren’t marked as public. It included static data fields such as name, email, occupation, gender and age. It did not include information from Google+ posts. The bug was patched in March 2018, but Google didn’t inform users at that point. “We made Google+ with privacy in mind and therefore keep this API’s log data for only two weeks,” the company said in a blog post. “That means we cannot confirm which users were impacted by this bug.”
However, Google+ will continue as a product for Enterprise users. It’s by far the most popular use of the social network. Therefore, the company has made the decision that Google+ is better suited as an internal social network for companies, rather than a consumer product. Google will announce new Enterprise-focused products for Google+ in the near future.
The decision is a part of Project Strobe, which is Google’s internal investigation into third-party developer account access to Google and Android products. It takes a close look at security controls, as well as low user engagement that are likely due to privacy concerns. The goal is to identify areas where privacy controls should be tightened.
Google isn’t just shutting down the consumer version of Google+ as a response to privacy concerns. The company is gradually rolling out a change to its developer tools that will give users much more control over privacy permissions for their account data. Much like permissions in recent Android versions, you’ll get permission requests one at a time for various services. You could grant access to Drive, for instance, but turn down Gmail or Calendar permissions.
The changes will start reaching new users in October, and should extend to existing users in early 2019.
While Google didn’t say as much, the clampdown appears to be a reaction to word that its previous policies let third-party apps scan Gmail inboxes without much clarity for users. This change should make it clear what apps really want. Google is also using the fine-grained control as a way to promote better explanations to users. While it’s not mandating elaborate descriptions, it’s hoping the item-by-item permissions will encourage clearer dialog and prevent any rude surprises.
When it comes to longer gaming sessions, uncomfortable, toasty ears are something that comes along with the territory. Many headsets claim to remedy this frustrating malady, but just use valves to let air in, rather than providing active cooling. Enter the Hp Omen Mindframe, which uses thermoelectric magnets to chill its ear cups, This $199 gaming headset isn’t the height of style, but it’s an excellent that delivers real comfort.
Pros
Fantastic cooling effect
Great spatial audio
Comfort without compromise and even weight distribution on head
Cons
Unwieldy microphone
Occasional sound leakage
Verdict
The HP Omen Mindframe gaming headset stands out with tech that keeps your ears cool and has great sound, but its microphone is unwieldy and there is occasional sound leakage.
Specifications
Speaker Drivers
40mm Neodymium
Driver Frequency Range
15 Hz – 22 KHz
Sensitivity
98 dB
Driver Impedance
32ohm
Mic Type
Adjustable, mutes when lifted
Detachable Mic
✗
Connectors
USB 2.0 Type-A
Cable Length
78.7 inches
Wireless
X
Volume Control
✓
Noise Cancelling
✓
Weight
1.05 pounds
Software
HP Omen Command Center
Design and Comfort
The Mindframe features a lot of angles, including the square with rounded corners that serves as the design on both exterior earcups. There’s an LED light surrounding both squares, powered by the device’s USB plug (this is the only way it can be hooked up). The headset’s plastic frame is sturdy and accompanied by an adjustable band that sits comfortably on the top of the head.
The mic itself is a bit unwieldy, as it’s simply a folding, solid rectangle that can be flipped up or down but not extended or repositioned. It’s an interesting, minimalistic design, but it could benefit from additional customization by way of an extendable portion or some sort of flexible material to help snake it around and closer to your mouth. While the mic is on the left side of the headset, there’s a volume knob on the right side.
The headset’s angular, plastic-laden design isn’t as comfortable as many competitors in the same price range, but it gets the job done. The cloth-covered earcups don’t offer as much pliability as the plush leatherette of other models.
The fabric earcups bring car seats to mind rather than high-end headsets, but the material is breathable, which helps with the cooling. The Mindframe uses thermoelectric magnets to transfer heat from the inside of the cups to the outside, expelling warm air. The gimmick works; when you push the cups closer to your head, they feel like a breathe of fresh air.
The patented Frostcap cooling technology is something we’ll likely see more of in the future, considering it does actively work to keep your ears’ temperature down in a noticeable way, and compared to the valves on products like the Victrix Pro AF ANC that must be activated manually via switches to allow cool air in from the outside, it delivers.
The outside of the earcups start feeling warm to the touch after prolonged gaming sessions, which I experienced after a few rounds of Overwatch for testing, but the inside stays relatively mild, as though you’ve switched on the air conditioning in a steamy room. The cooling effect makes no noise, so you notice nothing but the heat being directed up and out of the acoustic chamber to make your experience a much more comfortable one.
Gaming Experience
When I played Overwatch, the headset’s unique noise cancellation method, referred to as “sidelining,” was most noticeable. While I needed to communicate for many of the test matches, there were more than a few times I was thankful that flipping up the microphone automatically muted it , a feature more headsets should implement.
Further, the headset’s appropriately vivid soundscapes delivered fast and furious bass with plenty of crisp treble. During Overwatch, calls for healing and support came through as clear as day, while bullets zipping past my head were audible in the 3D space around me. It was far simpler to ascertain the position of my teammates in dire need of Zenyatta’s healing orbs than usual, so I was able to score a few more Play of the Games.
The headset’s lush virtual 7.1 surround sound support was a true enhancement in Call of Duty: WWII. Faraway shells and the sound of shotguns blowing enemies away penetrated my eardrums with a ferocity I don’t often hear, making it much simpler for me to judge where the assaults were coming from and dodge them appropriately.
I also put the Mindframe through its paces with Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. It was made with noise-cancelling headphones in mind and its use of binaural audio offered immediate payoff upon starting the game. The multiple voices whispering in heroine Senua’s head from the beginning moments of her journey came through with startling clarity. The immersion factor was nearly overwhelming, and I wished I had played the entire game with this headset in the first place.
Music Experience
The Mindframe’s range was pleasant and noticeable across a range of tracks, be it Die Antwoord’s bassy Donker Mag or the poppy stylings of Lady Gaga’s Born This Way. It was appropriately loud, with those around me hearing every single note of the tracks I ran through Spotify. That typically isn’t an issue with most of the other headsets I use (and my go-to pair of SMS Audio Star Wars headphones). This isn’t a dealbreaker, but could become an issue if you plan on using this headset to cut down on noise around you or during quieter times in your home.
The isolation and thumping beats of my chosen songs were enough to make me reconsider my everyday pair to swap them out for the Mindframe instead, especially with its cooling effect, which is also useful when listening to music for an extended period of time. Whether I selected relentless house and disco beats or hip hop, listening to my go-to tracks was a treat with HP’s newest release.
Features and Software
Using the Mindframe requires you to install the HP Omen Command Center software (available only from the Windows Store), where you can adjust the cooling settings as well as the RGB lighting controls if you’re not so keen on the default red for the headset exterior.
The software is simple to use, but if you’re not interested in further customizing your headset’s RGB lighting or adjusting the level of cooling, you won’t spend much time with the application.
Bottom Line
The HP Omen Mindframe is an interesting specimen. Its cooling technology, which works as advertised, adds to a solid laundry list of features. It’s an excellent choice for gaming as well as casual music streaming, with a svelte design, customizable RGB lighting and a companion app that offers plenty of options for hardcore headset fanatics. It’s a product that will no doubt influence future headsets that attempt to solve the problem of sweaty ears.
