More stuff from Google pipeline

Google I/O 2015 just concluded (May 25-29) recently at the Moscone Center West in San Francisco, CA. Google has been very productive with lots of stuff battling in many fronts. Looks like almost every other similar vendor has comes out with a plethora of awesome to near awesome products/Services/fun stuff. It has been hectic everywhere.
Here are some highlights:
Android M
With emphasis on Security rather than look and feel. Finger print scanning (Windows 10 from Microsoft-finger print + facial recognition), and significant restrictions of app's data access
capability by implementing privacy controls. It is still in preview but will be released in the fall of 2015. What does M stand for - perhaps more of the same? App Links in Android M makes it easier to
link between apps by improving discoverability. Androids DOZE feature is aimed at battery consumption. If the device is inactive for a set period of time, the device goes to sleep with minimum
energy consumption making it significantly better than Android L.

Now on Tap
Bring your own pitchers-kidding. "Now" was already there but adding on TAP make it much more appealing and immediate. Does it and can it compete with Our assistant of the Web - Cortana? Let's wait and see.
One thing that makes it easier with Now on TAP is that you need not ask to get the contextual information related to whatever you are doing (this is what I understand!), it is near automatic.

Cardboard
Virtual reality enters everyday life with the Google's Cardboard gadget. Google wants to make it affordable and easy to use, It has competition in the virtual reality arena from others such as
Microsoft's RoomAlive (http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/10/09/microsoft-
corporations-mind-bending-plans-for-virt.aspx), Facebook, Sony (Project Orpheus). With Microsoft and Sony with their focus on Gaming, Cardboard might have a stiffer competition. Will Google's
Jump can take on RoomAlive? Wait and see.

Photo Storage
Google Photo offers unlimited storage for free. This is an insane offer that will definitely upset Apple and Microsoft who charge something in the range of $84(Microsoft) and $100(Apple)n store
images on their cloud services (http://techcrunch.com/2015/05/28/free-dollars-and-fifty-free-
cents/#.jsnmjt:akne).

Android Pay
Google wallet did not make much of a headway and now comes Android Pay which allows Android M Users to pay with their credit card information tokenized. It is not a replacement for Google Wallet
which is going to morph into a new avatar for peer-to-peer payments. This is going to vie with Apple Pay and with Microsoft's aspirations to get into this field with SmartCard (https://gigaom.com/2014/11/04/now-windows-phone-has-a-digital-
wallet-that-works-where-apple-pay-does/)

Google Maps going offline

In USA it's perhaps OK you can get connected fast to Internet but to get connected to Google Maps on the Internet is not so easy for some other countries. Going offline will help this, but how effective is it going to be notwithstanding Google's resources. This will be very similar to others operating
offline, like YouTube in some Asian countries.

Others
Brillo for home automation via Internet; Weave to establish
communication between devices; UniversalAPP and education directed
Android 101 were other announcements.

Exhibits at the presentation by Ikebana International Honolulu Chapter

Most of the art whether it is plastic, digital, music or any other form can only find its inspiration in what is available locally. This is true of expressing through flowers as in Ikebana, the art of arranging flowers (+ few other natural and artificial elements).

Ikebana has strong underpinning of religion with the various styles having originated in temples. It may be even called religious art but is now globally widespread with many international centers.
While Ikebono, Ohara and Sogestsu schools are popular there are many other Ikebana Schools.

The beginnings of Ikebana like most other things was expressed simplicity with simple flowers, stems and some evergreen leaves. However it has become quite evolved sometimes one wonders whether it is Ikebana anymore.

Recently I had an opportunity to visit the Ikebana International's presentation by its Honolulu chapter, here are a few randomly selected exhibits. Orchids, sugarcane, local flowers were mostly used in potteries crafted locally. 

 

Exhibits at the 13th Annual Sumi e exhbition in Honolulu

The 13th Annual Exhibition of the Sumi-e Society of Honolulu was held at Honolulu's City Office in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii.

Read more here about the announcement.

Considering the age group (60+) of the participants it was a remarkable turnout with many excellent exhibits both classical motifs and some modern; both classical black/white and some with color. In order to just pick up the rudiments of this art form it takes years and some of the participants have been practicing for years.

What is very remarkable is the fact that only some classical themes are mostly experimented with the advice of the teacher(Sensei). I have not been able to verify, if they can independently come up with themes of their own, and if so, how long one need to practice?

Most of these exhibits are copies of originals that the teacher keeps and depending on the dexterity of the student hands them out. I am not sure after how many years of practice one can embark on an independent path.

Here are some samples of exhibits(Chosen randomly):

Black and White 

 Horse

Hotei

 

Chrysanthemum (Kiku)

 Scenery

Horse 

Sumi-e with some color

 

Kacho (Bird and flowers)

 Kacho (Bird and flowers)

 Kacho (Bird and flowers)

 Scenery

Tahcibana

Digital Art at Digital Art Society of Hawaii (DASH)

Recently I had a chance to look at some of the exhibits presented by the Digital Art Society of Hawaii (DASH) at 1132 Bishop Street (http://www.digitalarthawaii.org/). I found many of them very attractive and here are few of them. I did not have enough time to capture the full details except what my Nokia Icon could do. Well Nokia Icon is an excellent camera and it does a great job.

Photos taken at DASH Exhibits at 1132 Bishop Street, Honolulu

Some say digital art is not art, but on the contrary the art created digitally is very creative and appealing. Digital art has come a very long away from the time of creating images with dot-matrix (Image of Mona Lisa as found here: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/188306828143819001/) to the awesome digital games of today.
This was then:

Windows 10 is coming soon

You can look forward to some 7 editions of Windows 10.

The good news is if you have Windows 8.1, Windows Phone 8.1, and Windows 7 you get Windows 10 free upgrade.

Here is the full quote from a Microsoft blog:
""As we announced earlier this year, for the first time ever, we are offering the full versions of Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Mobile and Windows 10 Pro as a free and easy upgrade for qualifying Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 devices that upgrade in the first year after launch.** Once you upgrade, you have Windows 10 for free on that device”

Another good news, Windows 10 will be delivered as a service.

Yet another good news: You can turn a phone into a PC, just hook-up a larger monitor.

More good news: Cortana continues to help you.

These are the 7 editions as far as I can make out:

1. Windows 10 Home
2. Windows 10 Mobil
3. Windows 10 Pro
4. Windows 10 Enterprise
5. Windows 10 Education
6. Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise
7. Windows 10 IOT Core (Variants of Windows 10 Mobile & Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Google Translator versus Bing Translator

I do this comparison once in a while as I am interested in spoken languages. My previous link from 4 years ago may be found here.

The number of languges that you can translate from/to are 51 using Bing Translator and 91 using Google Translator. How well the translations are done needs to be evaluated by the users.

Automatic translation has come a long way however the technology is far from perfect. A lot depends on what kind of existing dictionary(non-machine) is used in feeding to the program. Sometimes the translation is inadequate as seen in this Google Translator for the Dravidian Language spoken in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. I did not even search for a word for this example, the first word that poped into my mind I used. And this is not even a sentence.

Here is a translation in a sentence:

Obviously the machine got confused.

Here is an apple to apple comparison:
The following sentence is:
Should I use an automobile to transport this stuff?

Translated by Google as follows:
私はこのようなものを輸送するために自動車を使用する必要がありますか？

Translated by Bing as follows:
自動車を使用して、このようなものを転送する必要がありますか？

It looks like Google might have gotten it correct although Japanese would just disregard the personal pronoun and would trnaslate it as:
このようなものを輸送するために自動車を使用する必要がありますか？

Bing Translator does not do an accurate translation although the translation is not too far fetched.

Translation from English to European languages seems to be handled equally well as seen here for the same sentence in French. Both the translators provide the same translation:
Dois-je utiliser une automobile pour le transport de ce genre de choses?

Looks like although the translators claim capability to translate from/to many languages the extent to which they render a reasonably correct translation has a wide variation and kind of language.

Finally I went back to check the translation provided by Google and Bing for a news item of some four years ago and found them to be equally disappointing.

Starting October you can buy hydrogen powered car in California

Well, all electric vehicles will be history within the next 10 to 15 years as people and governments begin to realize that perhaps hydrogen is the way to go and any toxic material is a no-no.

Toyota came up with a hydrogen powered car very aptly called MIRAI (future) not too long ago and promising to sell in USA.

More stories here:

Toyota and Tesla disagree
http://hodentek.blogspot.com/2014/07/battery-powered-car-is-history.html
Sustainable mobility story and concept car
http://hodentek.blogspot.com/2014/07/toyota-fchv-concept-vehicle.html
Hydrogen powered car is no 'fool's' technology
http://hodentek.blogspot.com/2014/12/toyotas-hydrogen-powered-car-is-no.html
Hydrogen fuel cell use for home is no pipe dream:
http://hodentek.blogspot.com/2014/12/with-this-japan-could-easily-cut-carbon.html

Now that has become a reality with real dealers (8 in California alone) with real telephone & addresses to call and place orders. They should be available soon starting October 2015. In 2015 you may not see more than 3000 but is sure to pickup as realization sinks-in.

Here is a video (as well as the picture above) from Toyota on Toyota's press room site:

Take your presentations to new heights

Office Mix which is in preview now is an excellent presentation tool. You have to see for your self. It starts of with Power Point and you go on adding whatever you like (almost) images, videos, audio, screen-shots etc. and then you can present it as a power point slide show or bundled into a video.

You can upload the video to the cloud or share with any one. You can annotations to your slides and make your explanations crystal clear.

You can set up quizzes and polls and once on a delivery program you can also use powerful analytics to feel the audience response.

This video was made using Office Mix

 

This tree is insane, I cannot believe my eyes

I have seen many mango trees but not like this one near Kahala Mall in Honolulu. It was so striking that I went around to take some photos. This one tree alone can make a fortune if these fruits are sold in Japan.

 

Hands-on Learning Event in Honolulu 2: SQL Server Reporting Services 2012

The class is forming and is expected to start in August 2015. Please register at the PCATT.ORG site.

SQL Server 2012 Express or Developer Edition will be used.

For details you can also write to:
Hodentek@live.com with course name in the Subject line.

Here are Reporting Services books published by the instructor:

 

 

You can buy these and many other computer and programming related books here:

https://www.packtpub.com/books/info/authors/jayaram-krishnaswamy

You have a new Microsoft Browser: Good Bye to Internet Explorer

 The browser strategy at Microsoft got changed. Now it is Microsoft Edge. More about this new browser will be discussed at the coming Microsoft Edge Web Summit. I hope the browser lives up to its name as presently I am having my IE 11.0 hanging up on a TD Ameritrade page for more than an hour.

The 'edge' things we can look forward to:

• Adhering to modern web standards and security
• Built-in note taking and sharing
• A distraction-free reading pane
• Integration with Cortana --Major feature that will make browsing a walk in the park
• Offering discoverability of apps
• Future extensibility with JavaScript & HTML

Here is a promo video:




Can the edge take the edge off Google Chrome?