The Android operating system has a vulnerability that you really need to be aware of so that you can protect yourself. Although theoretically lethal, its tedious elaborate to implement in a reliable manner.
 
A proof of concept exploit of the Stagefright vulnerability has been developed by NorthBit, a computer security research firm, that can compromise any Android phone running that isn’t running Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
 
The key to a successful attack is the back-and-forth procedure that initially scans the target and then goes for the attack. When you first visit a website containing a maliciously designed MPEG-4 video, the vulnerability will crash Android’s media server and send back the specifications of the target’s hardware back to the sender. The attackers then sends another MPEG-4 file that collects additional data. The third video file compromises the victim’s smartphone.
 
Although it sounds like many steps, in the real world, an attack can happen in as little as 20 seconds.
 
Although the vulnerability is most affective on smartphones running stock Android such as Nexus 5, for instance, it is known to work against custom ROMs such as those found in LG G3, HTC One, and Samsung Galaxy S5.

The only way you are safe is if you are running Androind 6.0 Marshmallow or any other operating system that has been patched against Stagefright.

The scary bit is that very few people are on the Marshmallow boat, most users are running Lollipop or earlier versions. As a rule of thumb if you have a relatively new device, your smartphone could be safe, however if it is more than five years old, it is definitely at risk.

Google has responded to the issue saying all users who have the October 1st, 2015 security update installed are safe from Stagefright.
 
The Google’s security bulletin states, "Android devices with a security patch level of October 1, 2015 or greater are protected because of a fix we released for this issue (CVE-2015-3864) last year. As always, we appreciate the security community's research efforts as they help further secure the Android ecosystem for everyone."
 
 

Can you imagine installing solar panels by rolling them out, as you would do with a carpet? Roll-Array promises exactly that. Their flexible solar power system can be setup in two minutes flat.
 
Talking of solar power systems, if you are in the market for a house do check out Deltec’s solar powered prefab homes, which start at under $100,000. For more adventurous minded folks who prefer living off grid,  there is an amazing teardrop trailer featuring roof mounted photovoltaics, that is worth the mulla.
 
Speaking of building technology, Boeing has just introduced a self-cleaning airplane bathroom that uses UV light to obliterate the creepy crawlies.
 
Where do you think personal transportation technology is headed? If you were to ask BMW that question, it would show you its shape shifting car jammed with technological goodies, including artificial intelligence and autonomous technology that can take to the skies. Currently the Tesla Model S is the hottest zero emission car in the market. Ironically, a Singaporean man has been slapped with $15,000 carbon emission fine for importing one. It turns out Singapore tracks the source of the energy used to charge electric cars. By reading that if you decided to emigrate from Singapore, try Norway. The country has allocated $1 billion so as to build superhighways for bicycles.
 
The future of transportation technology is certainly looking up. Already there is a plan to bring about a working Hyperloop that connects three European cities.
 
In other tech news, Las Vegas has finally decided to go green and will be upgrading all its lights to solar powered LED lamps. I wonder what would happen if Las Vegas were to observe the Earth Hour.
 
 

Although civilian drone operators tend to cause many emergency situations, in a twist of fate, it turns out many are willing to help out during emergencies as well.
 
A report published by the Bard College shows that the Federal Aviation Administration’s request for help from commercial drone operators during emergencies have risen by 19%, as compared with the last quarter of 2015. The help that private drone operators are lending to search and rescue missions and/or in other critical situations has gone by almost 6 times in recent months.
 
The FAA has told the Verge that just because the services of private drone operators have been useful it doesn’t necessarily mean their every request to fly, will come through. There are a host of legal reasons to keep the drones grounded.

Rather than become a primary goal, to keep drones off airways, it sometimes becomes a catch-all for activities that private drone operators may be requested to do.
 
Exemption requests are getting out of hand not only for applicants, who are weighed down by the rules that they have just applied for, but also for the FAA, which has allowed broad based exemptions.
 
Hopefully when cooler heads prevail, pilots will more readily receive exemptions that they are likely to need.
 
 

For the tech conscious amongst us who count calories of what they eat, image recognition to count calories is so passe.
 
Researchers at the University of Buffalo, have created an AutoDietary wearable device that deciphers the calorie count of what you are eating depending on the sounds that you are making. Their AutoDietary device listens to the sounds that you make while chewing and swallowing different kinds of food.
 
For example, the sounds that you make while crunching an apple differs from that of a cookie – right? Their AutoDietary device, in the form of a necklace, can detect that and sends the data to an app in your smartphone which then provides recommendations for cutting back or improving on your snacking and dietary needs. It can even tell you to slow down, if you rush through your dinner.
 
The current model isn’t foolproof, yet. The existing implementation can correctly detect the food that you are consuming by 85%. It can’t detect yet whether the food that you are consuming is a ‘junkiefied’ version or a healthy version, a common problem with cereals.
 
Researchers believe they can surmount this obstacle by adding a biomonitor to the device which will monitor blood sugar levels and other meal specific telltale signs.
 
This technology has the latent potential to revolutionize the management of healthcare, including obesity, diabetes and related conditions.