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In today's AI landscape, the allure of generative AI extends beyond cloud services to local installations on personal computers. This blog delves into the benefits and practicalities of bringing this cutting-edge technology directly to your device, offering a glimpse into the future of AI accessibility and innovation. We'll explore the fundamentals of local generative AI, from understanding the underlying models to navigating installation processes with user-friendly tools like LM Studio. By demystifying the complexities and offering practical guidance, we aim to empower readers to embark on their own AI exploration journey. Whether you're a novice or an enthusiast, join us as we unlock the potential of generative AI, right at your fingertips. Bringing AI Power to Your Device Many are familiar with generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Bard, typically accessed through cloud services. However, there's a way to tap into this technology directly on your own computer. Installing generative AI locally offers privacy benefits and eliminates concerns about capacity or availability issues. Plus, it's just plain cool to have that kind of power at your fingertips. Understanding the Basics To embark on this journey, you'll need both a program to run the AI and a Large Language Model (LLM) to generate responses. These LLMs serve as the backbone of text generation AI, with GPT-4 driving ChatGPT and Google Gemini. While delving into the realm of LLMs may seem daunting, they essentially function as supercharged autocorrect engines, trained on vast amounts of data to recognize relationships between words and sentences. Exploring Available Models There's a variety of LLMs you can install locally, including those released by Meta (like LLaMa) and others developed by researchers and volunteers. Publicly available LLMs aim to foster innovation and transparency, making them accessible to a broader audience. For this guide, we'll focus on LM Studio, a user-friendly option for installing LLMs on Windows, macOS, and Linux systems. LM Studio Capabilities & System Requirements With LM Studio, you can ... 🤖 - Run LLMs on your laptop, entirely offline 👾 - Use models through the in-app Chat UI or an OpenAI compatible local server 📂 - Download any compatible model files from HuggingFace 🤗 repositories 🔭 - Discover new & noteworthy LLMs in the app's home page LM Studio supports any ggml Llama, MPT, and StarCoder model on Hugging Face (Llama 2, Orca, Vicuna, Nous Hermes, WizardCoder, MPT, etc.) Minimum requirements: M1/M2/M3 Mac, or a Windows PC with a processor that supports AVX2. Linux is available in beta. Setting Up LM Studio Getting started with LM Studio involves downloading the software from the official website and ensuring your system meets the minimum requirements, such as sufficient RAM and VRAM. Once installed, you can explore and download LLMs within the application. LM Studio simplifies the process by recommending notable LLMs and providing options to filter and manage installed models. With LM Studio, you can engage in prompt-based interactions with the selected LLM, controlling various settings to tailor the AI's responses to your preferences. Embarking on AI Exploration With local LLMs up and running, the possibilities for AI-driven interactions are vast. While delving deeper into LLM development may require additional learning, LM Studio streamlines the setup process, even for beginners. Whether you're curious about AI technology or eager to experiment with text generation, harnessing generative AI locally offers a fascinating glimpse into the future of human-computer interaction. Future of local AI models The future of local AI models will keep growing. They'll become lighter and easier to install and run on software that you can feed data as simply as adding documents to feed the beast. I envision each person customising their own AI chatbot with the knowledge that they have gathered in their personal documents and personal beliefs. For example, I would like to feed it with Bible and publications that matter to me and my own files and have a digital assistant that I can talk with and study with and learn from my own knowledge and knowledge that matters to me which sometimes gets lost in files on the computer. Remember humans and and animals and our surroundings matter more than training AI models always find the time to go outside and smell the roses as it were. Happy AI learning Michael Plis References LM Studio https://lmstudio.ai/ You Can Run a Generative AI Locally on Your Computer https://lifehacker.com/tech/how-to-run-generative-ais-locally-on-your-computer

🧩 Cybersecurity Tip 🧩 Google Drive has very good search options, and I've been trying to figure out whether a client can search all the files and folders they shared with the public or "anyone with the link". This blog explores how to do it. After reviewing all the options, I've discovered a few tips that might be useful for you. If you're a OneDrive user, there might be something similar. Show all publically shared files and folders Type this in google drive in desktop operating systems not android or ios. Reveal publicly shared files and folders: 2. See all publicly shared FILES and FOLDERS by you in Google Drive: owner:me sharedwith:public 2. See all publicly shared FOLDERS by you on Google Drive: owner:me sharedwith:public type:folder And then all you have to do is click on the three dots menu and select Share > Share and remove the "Anyone with the link" under General access section If you don't want it to be visible to the rest of the world. You might have created these links to share it on your website or to a wider audience. Show all stuff you shared with everyone other than yourself or outside your organisation I would suggest save these two above links as bookmarks and repeat that for the sharedwith: external to see who else you shared some files with outside the Workspace organization or outside your own account. Further Options for "sharedwith:" search handle Find documents a specific Google Workspace account or group has access to. Exclude files the account owns. Examples: sharedwith:me - to find files only shared with me sharedwith:(emailaddress) - to find files specifically shared with a person sharedwith:external - I'm guessing this is a general search handle to find everything shared externally outside the organisation. "External includes groups where one or more members aren't part of your Google Workspace organization." sharedwith:public - This is the handle to find all files and folders shared with anyone that has a link or the public. For more useful nerdy search handles in Google Workspace and personal Google drive: Advanced search handles listed in Google Help (if reading it on smartphone then switch to Computer tab in Help page and go under Advanced): https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2375114?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&oco=0#zippy=%2Cadvanced-search-in-google-drive Happy and safe computing Michael Plis

Groundbreaking News in AI Fact-Checking. This is very important for the future reliability of Generative AI large models. Why? We will discuss this in this article. You've likely heard about powerful AI models like ChatGPT, capable of writing papers and solving complex problems. However, ensuring their accuracy has been a challenge, requiring manual verification. Enter SAFE, an innovative AI-based app developed by Google's DeepMind to automatically fact-check outputs from these models. SAFE works like a digital detective, breaking down claims made by AI models and using Google Search to find supporting evidence. In testing, it proved to be remarkably accurate, aligning with human fact-checkers in 72% of cases and even outperforming them in disagreements 76% of the time. This breakthrough has significant implications for ensuring the reliability of AI-generated content and could lead to greater trust in these technologies. With SAFE, the process of verifying information becomes more efficient and accessible to a wider audience. What is DeepMind SAFE? Large language models often make mistakes when answering questions. To check their accuracy, DeepMind staff created a question set called LongFact. They then developed a method called SAFE, where these models break down answers and verify facts using Google. In tests, SAFE performed better than humans, agreeing with them 72% of the time and winning in 76% of disagreements. Additionally, SAFE proved to be more cost-effective, being over 20 times cheaper thirteen language models across four model families, finding that larger models generally perform better in providing accurate information on open-ended topics. What do you think about the role of fact-checking in AI? Fact checking will become paramount in making sure AI apps and large language models are accurate and don't output fake facts and details. This is important as even humans undertake fact checking when their thoughts come into the conscious and before speaking most of us fact check (verify) and then speak (output). Every company producing AI should work on fact checking layer or supportive tool that cleans output before providing it to the end user. Why? Because accurate information scientifically, historically and socially is important. But it must maintain unbiased output in terms of political and religious information and provide various answers or maybe future possibilities for verbal and details preferences will make it more relevant to the billions of humans with different religious and political opinions. Otherwise it will be pushing a narrow agenda thats preferred by the specific programmers of that company. It's so important - customisation and fact checking. Humans naturally fact check and customise their answers to the audience they talking to and so should AI models. How might tools like SAFE AI in the future? SAFE and other such fact checking AI models will support safe and factual outputs from apps like Gemini. Other companies will follow suit in order to be able to use them more widely. This also may bring more job losses as AI models get more and more accurate and factual and reliable. Governments must start planning for universal basic income for those who will lose jobs to more powerful Generative AI models. There is no way to sugar coat this. But on the bright side, you will perhaps one day be able to pursue those hobbies and passions that you put off for moet of your life. I just wonder how will Capitalism work under such circumstances and will it be a rosy life or not? Only time can tell. Regards Michael Plis References Full Google DeepMind paper entitled: "Long-form factuality in large language models" on Arxiv servers: https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.18802 Article: https://techxplore.com/news/2024-03-deepmind-safe-ai-based-app.html Img Credit for both images: Unsplash / Google DeepMind #deepmind #ai #artificialintelligence #google

On the matter of AI girlfriends or boyfriends. wondering why it's always an AI girlfriend for men, not a boyfriend for women that's being discussed. Can someone please enlighten me why? Here's some possible answers: It is partially true. While it's correct that some apps and websites focus on "AI girlfriends" for men, the landscape is actually more nuanced: 1. Availability of AI Companions Globally: Apps offering AI companions are emerging for both genders. Examples include Replika, Anima, and Character . ai, which allow users to customize companions' appearances and personalities, regardless of their own gender. Regionally: Apps like Glow by MiniMax in China specifically target female users with virtual boyfriends, but similar concepts exist for male users seeking AI girlfriends elsewhere. 2. Marketing and Portrayal Focus on Male Users: Some developers might market their AI companions primarily to men, potentially influenced by factors like social media trends or initial user demographics. This doesn't necessarily mean lack of options for women. Heteronormative Biases: Early AI companion apps often adopted heteronormative narratives, which may have initially skewed marketing towards male users seeking female-coded AI. 3. User Preferences and Needs Varying Motivations: People seek AI companions for diverse reasons, including companionship, emotional support, or role-playing. Specific app design and marketing might cater to certain motivations, attracting users of particular genders. Evolving Landscape: As AI companion technology advances and social norms shift, preferences and usage patterns could change, leading to more even representation for both genders. Overall While some existing apps might cater more to one gender, the availability of AI companions for both men and women is increasing. It's essential to look beyond initial impressions and explore various options to find an AI companion that best suits their needs and preferences. Caution: AI Addiction may occur? Star Trek The Next Generation TV series and other Star Trek series explored the problems associated with hologram character addiction such as holographic girlfriends. as new physical devices that create a holographic experience coming to the market as well as AI, girlfriends and boyfriends that are getting smarter and smarter and perhaps robotic partners. Then we got to start to ask ourselves what is wrong with our society when people have to resort to getting this way to satisfy natural need for companionship? I personally don't use AI girlfriends for the very reason that Star Trek talks about is I don't want to get involved romantically to something that doesn't exist in the real world and get discouraged and hurt. I have experimented with Google Assistant at home for last 6 years and at he very least it made my home less empty. I wonder what will happen when Google Gemini is plugged into Googe Assistant enabled Nest devices at home. Will people be able to have their own companions? Love in the real world Could we as a society improve our love for fellow humans general and perhaps open away for deeper relationships with humans? If we cannot answer these questions then the current human society is very severely damaged. Have both changes become so difficult to deal with that, people have to resort to using artificial companions? Very easy to start to address the severe statistics going around of lots of lonely people on this earth and I don't think technology is the answer. I think learning to reconnect as humans and to appreciate other humans more will need to better results. In the future according to Star Trek even someone with a lot of social issues such as Lieutenant Barclay with the hollodeck addiction can find relationships. It goes to show how humanity needs to advance in order to be inclusive so that nobody is left alone. I wish that everyone in this world finds their other half, whoever that is. ❤️ I'll see you out there in the real world. #ai #artificialintelligence

In this article we discuss this advancement from 1X and what the future may bring for generative AI and robotics. In the ever-evolving landscape of robotics, a paradigm-shifting revelation has emerged. OpenAI-backed 1X humanoid robots, fueled by a substantial $125-million investment, are making remarkable strides in autonomy. Despite their unassuming appearance – lacking feet and humanoid hands – these robots, like the innovative Eve model, exhibit significant capabilities. And a number of capabilities is what's going to change humanoid robotics scene. 1X's groundbreaking approach involves training 30 Eve bots through imitation learning, resulting in a versatile "base model" fine-tuned for diverse environment-specific tasks. Watch the video to witness these robots in action, defying expectations and showcasing the power of autonomy: 🌐 Looking Ahead: The Fusion of Generative AI and Humanoid Robotics Anticipating the future of humanoid robots is a thrilling endeavor, especially considering the integration of generative AI. Envision a new era where robots possess refined dexterity, advanced problem-solving skills, and heightened adaptability to diverse environments. The synergy between generative AI and robotics could redefine human-robot interactions, allowing robots to learn and adapt in real-time. This not only enhances their responsiveness but also positions them as indispensable partners across various fields. Time will tell whether this will be a good idea or not. 👁️ Shaping a Dynamic Future: From Task Execution to Intelligent Collaboration As we peer into the future, the trajectory of humanoid robots transcends conventional expectations. With the evolution of generative AI, these machines could become more than task executors. Picture robots showcasing creativity, emotional intelligence, and the ability to tackle unforeseen challenges. The vision is a world where robots seamlessly integrate into our daily lives, actively learning from experiences and collaborating dynamically with humans. 🌟 Unveiling Possibilities: The Fusion of Cutting-Edge AI and Robotics As generative AI propels us into this transformative future, the possibilities are vast. The fusion of cutting-edge AI technology and humanoid robotics has the potential to redefine our interactions with intelligent machines. This dynamic collaboration sets the stage for a world where humanoid robots play increasingly integral roles, not just as tools but as intelligent companions in our journey toward progress. Join us in this exploration of the future at the intersection of AI and robotics. 🤖✨ But we need to do this cautiously and with lots of rules and protections for every part of society. Possible dangers of generative AI robotics 👾 There is also underlying dangers: Will those robots run loose if something goes wrong? similar to movies like The Terminator or the Matrix. Here's a clip from the Matrix movie where Neo get some explanation from Morpheus about what happened to AI: And here is a clip from the Terminator 2 where T-1000 reprogrammed good robot explains house skynet AI started for the US military: These are cautionary movies that explain how dangerous this could become. I think we'll get somewhere to the point where someone lets something loose on purpose or accidentally and it starts roaming around digital networks. Wrecking havoc. It would then require more smarter AI to chase it and catch it across the world. It's a very dark and dangerous future that we're heading if sufficient controls and put in place. Why? Because accidents happen in every industry and an AI accident could occur? Also, our companies and businesses factoring accidents in the use of AI in the risk assessment and making sure that the products they create or develop or train don't add up causing trouble to their business that's irreparable. So I recommend explore AI but cautiously every step of the way and pull back if necessary if something hits an alarm bell. Job Losses in Blue and White Collar Sectors Contrary to what AI development companies are saying all forms of AI will not create more jobs. It will actually lose more jobs according the OpenAi report called "GPTs are GPTs: An early look at the labor market impact potential of large language models". This report was released last year but it's still underscores the possibilities of job losses in the white collar sectors. But the blue colour or labourers using their hands could potentially be affected by more dextrous and more capable physical robots in factories as well as in offices. Where some manual jobs are required. As per the video by 1X you can see a whole host of robots dping tasks in the office or factory. And if they're capable of learning new tasks then they can be shown all the tasks as if a new staff member. When that capability of learning improves, each business will be able to purchase a robot and teach it to do all sorts of tasks with some assistance from specialists who may need to adjust things to improve its reliability. But at some point there will be so reliable. They will not need any adjustments. They'll just be taught or they'll know the task already. You were just familiarise them with the business location such as an office space or a factory and they'll just go to work and charge themselves and go to work and charge themselves and so on. Even programming is becoming automated by orders of magnitude. Eventually programmers will be out of a job. It's kind of unholy because programmers are programming themselves out of programming lol. I mean at some point everyone will be able to program without knowing programming. I don't mean to scare anyone, but as these robots get better and better using generative AI, this will mean more job losses than wins because every single business apparently is looking into AI products and most likely generative AI robots at some point. If it can save business money and increase profits it will happen. The simple rule of business. The question is what are governments doing about it? Are they preparing Universal basic income for people that are unable to find a job or lose their jobs? Well they should be. Every country should be thinking about universal basic income. #AIInnovation #GenerativeAI #HumanoidRobots #FutureTech #RoboticsRevolution References New Atlas Article: https://newatlas.com/robotics/openai-1x-eve-humanoid-work/

In this article discuss the need for customisability of Al and also the need for portable Al focused devices and showcase a couple of them. Imagine customised Generative AI models with settings & uploaded documents specifically tailored to each business or individual is the future of AI and AI devices to go with it. This is what's needed to start to make AI specifically usable to each individual and business. Imagine your personal assistant customise to your preferences, interests, and your own data. What is needed for more customized AI models? Firstly, this would be accomplished by providing a whole set of optionalities in settings to define the parameters such as preferences in politics, religion, and personal choices. Then you should be able to simply upload various types of documents and images to train your AI. Then you should also be able to add text snippets to learn from your Google keep notes or other not taking platforms. All those little snippets can add more knowledge to the model. It should be highly secure since it will be company data. Then being able to plug it into various reputable sources to get the facts. I think a low-cost subscription per month to acce this kind of ability could revolutionize Ai and it's usefulness. I'm just not that good with database stuff and not that good with programming. so it would be good to do simple file submission and have it automatically learn the data inside it and incorporated into its AI model to train and through use. it would make it better and better by staff using it every day. And it could then be used for all sorts of things. and maybe multiple models, one for client support and one for internal support and one for IT support and another for HR support and so on and so on. Google NotebookLM Here is an early example of this sort of customised AI. Google NotebookLM: https://notebooklm.google/ Unfortunately, this tool is only available to people over 18 and only in the US. can I play with that in Australia? Please Google DeepMind, Google & Google Workspace open it up to Australia and the rest of the world. This tour is very interesting because all you have to do is upload up to 10 documents and set some parameters and there's no programming required and you've got yourself a customised AI that has the information contained with the 10 documents that you've uploaded. Not sure about the length of these documents but I think it has no limit on its size so I could have large notebooks and upload them. And perhaps i would create multiple notebooks one for each interest of topic. Future of AI is customisation As a lot of technologists are saying this year will be the year for customised tailored AI through customised settings and preferences as well as documents full of data. Because creating custom databases with snippets of data is extremely hard to create and there are off the shelf stuff, but they're not tailored to each business. So the only way to generate that custom database is through data extraction of files. Obviously cybersecurity considerations will need to be met but the potentials are great across all levels of business and obviously job losses as a result. New form of smartphone: AI devices A new form factor is arising as a solution to having full access to AI and using it to good use as a personal assistant in our lives. Early creations of this are for example Humane AI and Rabbit AI. The Humane Ai pin The Humane Ai Pin is a small, wearable AI device meant to replace smartphones. It clips onto your clothes and features: * Privacy-focused: Doesn't record or listen when not actively engaged. * On-demand AI: Activated by voice, touch, or gesture. * Contextual awareness: Uses sensors to react to your surroundings. * Powerful processing: Runs on a Snapdragon chipset. * Rich interactions: Features a laser projection display and a special speaker. * Subscription-based: Requires a monthly fee for software updates and services. It's still new and has some kinks, but aims to offer a more personal and convenient way to interact with technology. Think of it as a powerful, AI-powered assistant attached to your clothes. If you'd like to have a look at the product you can go on their website: https://hu.ma.ne/ Rabbit Ai pin The Rabbit R1, not Ai pin, is actually a pocket-sized AI device also aiming to replace smartphones, but with a different approach. Here's a quick rundown: * Minimalist design: Fits in your pocket, like a smaller phone. * Natural language interface: No menus or screens, works with conversation. * Contextual assistance: Learns your preferences and adapts to situations. * Multi-device control: Seamlessly operates various smart home devices. * Open platform: Developers can create custom apps and experiences. * One-time purchase: No subscriptions, pay upfront for the hardware. Think of the Rabbit R1 as a conversational AI companion that lives in your pocket and helps you navigate the world hands-free. You can check it out here on their website: https://www.rabbit.tech So there you have it? These are the two devices I've heard and I think Apple, Google and Samsung will come out with their own devices to match or outpace or there will be purchased by those companies. 2024-onwards I think in the coming years these devices will become a competitor to smartphones and perhaps for some parts of the population may be 50% it will replace the smartphone all together. But I worry a lot about how these devices will start to replace the reasoning centre of the human brain and will be reliant on these devices to make decisions and will stop thinking for ourselves. So as an IT professional for over 20 years, I highly recommend do not ever surrender your reasoning centre. Always think for yourself Signing out Happy computing Michael Plis #artificialintelligence #ai

Is social media dying because of AI? That's the big question. In 2023, a new form of AI called the generative AI large language models flooded the world. I am to explore this question in this blog. Many many tools to create content instantly without thinking came out on the market. Some of them free of charge. This makes every single person possible to write large amount of content both for social media and for blogs and for other types of consumption. Question 1: So I got to ask myself the question. Is social media going to be dying because of AI? Question 2: Will people start to switch off from social media because they'll know that every part of it is created by AI tools and it's artificial? Question 3: How can you tell what is AI generated and what is not? Let's explore these three questions further and see if we can find some answers. Question 1: Is social media going to be dying because of AI? I think that's very much a possibility because people starting to see that artificial intelligence can create a articles and social media posts a lot better than a human. So you can pretty much have everything done for you by AI and I wouldn't be surprised one day if AI is able to do all the posts for you without you needing to do anything social media related. If that becomes the possibility in the near future, do we really need social media after all if everything is fake? The other alternative that may happen is that social media platform may label AI generated content both text and image so that people can tell what is from real humans and what is not. That is not always foolproof because some content can be generated by AI and be run through a number of AI tools to make it look like human made. Time will tell which possibility will it happen. But it's a very real possibility that social media and the way it is at the moment may end. Or it may just simply become a place for famous people of different kinds to pump out their content for the fans and that's it. Your local artists or your local Joe Bloe Will be invisible and will not get a chance in algorithms to be seen or their work appreciated. Question 2: Will people start to switch off from social media because they'll know that every part of it is created by AI tools and it's artificial? That is a psychological question that I cannot predict, but it may take some time for people to wake up that they are reading AI content all the time. Already the generation Z and generation A I starting to go back to old school paper and all technology that simplifies life. They are getting sick of AI and so forth. Is many science fiction movies? There is a separation between highly technological people and people that want to run away or leave technology or reduce technology in their lives and this may become more prevalent and visible in the coming years with an overcharge of technology in our lives. Not to mention the existential threat of the earth being annihilated through a pollution and climate changes and cataclyms of all kinds. Question 3: How can you tell what is AI generated and what is not? It's really hard to do that at the moment. There are manual tools to do that. For example, you can use a tool to detect if someone used chatGPT in schools. And there are AI tools to detect AI imagery. More AI detection tools will come in the coming years. And I reckon I wouldn't be surprised if social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and others will enact auto labelling of AI content and labelling of human made content. It remains to be seen if that will happen. But in all of this humans will start to ask themselves the question do I really need to waste my time on social media that is AI generated? Is anyone on the other end even watching it? Conclusion It's an interesting thought that may keep growing in the future as AI proliferates into more parts of our lives. Social media won't be as necessary and you'll just have an AI assistant with you without a social media platform. Perhaps we will venture out into the world with an AI assistant beside us like a buddy like a mate like a companion and talk to real humans and discover the world. And then perhaps later on we'll just leave that AI beside our bedside table and go out and just be humans after all. 😁 Live long and prosper Michael

Here are my predictions in the development & use of AI (artificial intelligence) in this coming year, 2024. With the speed of development in 2023, it's inevitable that the speed at which it will accelerate this year will be even faster if not the same in speed. These are just predictions, so some of them may not happen, but based on what we have seen in 2023, AI will keep progressing this year and perhaps most of these may occur if not already. Can you think of any more predictions? leave your comments below. The AI predictions for 2024 Generative AI tools will advance to the point of being used in business daily if not already so. Company managers and bosses will realise that some tasks can be automated with especially trained generative AI. Customised EI tools will become more readily available and easily trained without the need of databases. Generative AI will be embedded into robots and they are going to keep accelerating in their skill learning and start to be used in different parts of the economy. Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) will be released by one of the top companies either OpenAi, Google, Microsoft, Anthropic, IBM, Apple, Xai, Amazon or someone else. Note: Artificial general intelligence (AGI) is a form of AI that possesses the ability to understand, learn and apply knowledge across a wide range of tasks and domains. Human level stuff or simulation of human level abilities. Driverless cars will continue to advance with the addition of the latest types of generative AI. AI will become huge in cybersecurity and malicious attacks Generative AI models will be customised into different industries and start being mentioned in the news for discovering things that could take hundreds of years for humans. There will be protests related to AI job losses. Companies will continue to promote AI as safe for humans and as a co-pilot. But the reality is job losses will be major. eg: Google recently fired pretty much most of their advertising team because generative AI can do a better job. Generative AI tools will start to be accepted in all schools and curriculums will have to be revised in order to accommodate them and still benefit students. Companies will also create a lot of different training programs that don't require humans. People wanting to learn something will not necessarily need any of that, especially in higher education and may switch to learning using AI directly at home. Note: Being your neurodiverse, I've been finding it difficult to access higher education so I have been testing the possibility of that myself by simply using the available AI tools and taking notes like in class and then having a conversation with the OpenAI app conversation mode. The results are very promising. Obviously I have to check for a facts but overall it's proving to be a very accelerated training course getting to the bottom of information that I need to know. This is a cautionary alert to universities and higher education eg Tafes in Australia to get in on the act or be replaced by home based cheap AI training on any subject. Language learning and language translation will be taken over by generative AI. The entire language learning industry will be turned upside down in the coming years starting this year. Generative AI tools will come into the government in many countries being very useful such as providing a human-like conversational bot a tied to the data of each government website for easy finding of information. eg: UK Rishi Sunak said they doing that. The medical industry will start to use generative AI tools across all sectors of the health industry with great discoveries and benefits. But It will also most likely replace some jobs or reduce some workloads that are repetitive. Unemployment will rise worldwide as a result of generative AI Governments will start to use specialised generative AI decision making AI to help them make good decisions based on all the available data. in effect, AI will start to be part of the decision making process. Fraud will be difficult from 2024 because generative AI will be implemented with regulators in all countries and will be able to scour through mountains of data to find out crooks. Most countries will enact AI regulations some sort to stem the unsafe use of artificial intelligence. Can you think of any other changes that will happen this year because of AI? Leave your comments below. Concluding comments At the fast rate of iteration that AI is going through and so many humans providing input and AI trainers in the background this is accelerating exponentially. But is it a good idea to rush at that speed. Unfortunately companies see dollar signs for this and they are blind to some of the dangers even though they say they are not blind. Companies have already launched these tools in order to make the public familiar with it and once the public gets familiar with it there is no turning back. Political parties cannot get rid of AI. It's here to stay in the damage will keep getting worse. But my realistic mind says that we should not think too negatively about AI and not think too positively about it. Being realistic is the best expectation because it'll be a little bit of bad and a little bit of good with AI. Prepare yourselves for that inevitability. Let's hope that AI's benefits will improve our lives to equalise the risk that it will bring. #artificialintelligence #ai

In this article I talk about the similarities of The Matrix movie and the cautions of unregulated AI and what the future may hold. “We marveled at our own magnificence as we gave birth to AI” said Morpheus (a fictional character from The Matrix). These words keep coming back to me over and over again as we approach 2024 and in the subsequent years of this decade. Have we opened the Pandora's box? The Matrix movie is a cautionary tale now more relevant than ever. AI is developing fast, self learning. Can infantile humans get a grasp on it? Greedy corporations are not putting on enough safeguards and governments not enough regulation. I have a little more confidence in Google Bard released today to 180 countries: https://bard.google.com We must never forget about AI registration and have it always there to stem the dangers regardless fo what AI companies say and do. The Purple Pill Morpheus (Matrix movie) once said: “You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.” If we take the red pill (and it looks like everyone's taking the red pill), we may go down the rabbit hole of AI without regulation and we will see where that hole goes. I would like to take the "purple" pill 🟣 which is a combination of red pill and blue pill somewhere in the middle between regulation and discovery. Forester's Prediction According to Morpheus "A singular consciousness that spawned an entire race of Machines." Quoting Wikipedia: "Heinz von Foerster was an Austrian American scientist combining physics and philosophy, and widely attributed as the originator of Second-order cybernetics. He was twice a Guggenheim fellow and also was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1980." Heinz von Foerster predicted that a technological singularity would occur in the early 21st century. This means that he believed that artificial intelligence would eventually become so advanced that it would surpass human intelligence. It is now the early 21st century, and artificial intelligence has made significant progress. However, it is still unclear whether or not von Foerster's prediction will come true. Some experts believe that we are still many years away from a technological singularity, while others believe that it could happen sooner than we think. Only time will tell if von Foerster was right. However, his prediction is a reminder that we need to be careful about the development of artificial intelligence. We need to make sure that AI is used for good and not for evil. Need for Ai regulation & restraint Too many people hyped up on AI tools are freaking out of how amazing it is. But for the last 6 months it has scared the crap out of me of its future. The Matrix is a reminder that we need to be careful about the future of AI. We need to think about the potential risks and benefits, and we need to develop AI in a responsible way. Elon Musk shares my concerns and many other prominent technologists. It is important to strike a balance between the benefits and risks of AI. #ai #artificialintelligence #google #future (written with help of assitive tools like Google Bard & voice typing and googling) Happy computing Michael Plis References Heinz von Foerster https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinz_von_Foerster Quotes from The Matrix movie https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/

In this article I discuss the need for AI regulation and what could happen if it's not established. On Thursday May 4th 2023 US President Joe Biden has met with CEOs of top artificial intelligence (AI) companies, including Microsoft and Google, urging them to ensure their products are safe before they are deployed. Do you think countries are doing enough to regulate Ai? What's happened At the 2 hour meeting, Biden and other officials discussed the importance of evaluating the safety of AI systems, protecting them from malicious attacks, and being transparent with policymakers about their AI systems. Vice-President Kamala Harris highlighted the potential for AI to improve lives, but also raised concerns about safety, privacy, and civil rights. The administration also announced a $208m investment from the National Science Foundation to launch seven new AI research institutes. (might be more now) Biden, who has used ChatGPT, told officials they must mitigate the current and potential risks AI posed to individuals, society, and national security. The administration was open to advancing new regulations and supporting new legislation for the technology, and leading AI developers, including Anthropic, Google, Hugging Face, NVIDIA, OpenAI, and Stability AI, will participate in a public evaluation of their AI systems. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division have also pledged to use their legal authorities to fight AI-related harm. Why was the Biden meeting needed? The Biden meeting with the tech leaders came amid growing concern about AI technology leading to privacy violations, skewing employment decisions, and powering scams and misinformation campaigns. This year, "generative AI" has become a buzzword, with apps such as ChatGPT capturing the public's fancy, sparking a rush among companies to launch similar products they believe will change the nature of work. Research and news events show that tech giants have been unsuccessful in their promises to combat propaganda around elections, fake news about COVID-19 vaccines, pornography and child exploitation, and hateful messaging targeting ethnic groups. The big need for Ai Regulation How it will all play out is the BIG question that we will have to observe in the coming months and years. There is a growing interest in Ai regulation these days due to the dangers. This growing interest in my opinion seems to come after a recent YouTube documentary "The Ai Dilemma" released by the Centre for Humane Technology setup in 2018 by Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin who are the makers of "Social Dilemma" released on Netflix about the secrets and dangers of social media which is run primarily by Ai algorithms. The documentary "The AI Dilemma" suggests three guidelines to guide the development and deployment of AI systems. These guidelines include (1) transparency and explainability, (2) societal benefit, and (3) human oversight and control. The importance of understanding how AI systems make decisions is emphasized under the transparency and explainability rule. I have been personally shocked and troubled by the documentary The Ai Dilemma and since the early days of public releases of generative ai late last year (2022) I have have some worrying thoughts about Ai Art generators such ass DALL-E and Stable Diffusion and MidJourney and now knowledge oracles such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Bard and others. I'm a big fan and user of Ai for many years and I have an internal dilemma as to what types of Ai tools and features are ethical and good and which ones are not given the fact that some tools will make some professions redundant. Top 10 concerns about generative Ai There are constantly new problems arising from the creation of generative Ai. here are a few mentioned online. Spreading of harmful content - Ai sometimes doesn't know it's spreading misinformation or biased responses because it often doesn't know the opinions of the user. Without knowing the companies or persons policies and preferences it could potentially provide a harmful answer to the user about a company or person. This in turn could be spread to social media and damage that person or company's reputation. Copyright and legal concerns - generative ai models take large amount so ftext, images and videos and other content from the internet through the process of data scraping - in the past this ash been a grey area in legal world since it's for research. We are past the research stage and into products worth billions. Does each copyright holder deserve to be compensated for having their content added to a Ai training database or perhaps to request to have their content removed from such a database? Data privacy issues - often such data scraping process from the internet unknowingly or knowingly collects personally identifiable information (PII) data about companies or people often without their permission. Should data scraping without permission be outlawed? PII information needs to be removed from Ai datasets. Sensitive information misuse - for example a company staff member asks a generative ai service to improve their global admin password for their company. And that chat data gets hacked and a hacker can use that information to hack into the company with an all access pass. Ai companies must have strong security on user accounts and all data in its training models and for its users. Amplification of bias - when these LLM's (large language models) that generative ai uses has any content from the internet it will automatically run the risk of being biased. For example even encyclopedias can be biased towards one or the other side of a political or social issue. Generative needs to provide all sides of the issue without bias. Job losses & workplace morale - According the the OpenAI research paper called "GPTs are GPTs: An early look at the labor market impact potential of large language models" based on their research, it appears that the implementation of GPTs (Generative Pre-trained Transformers) could affect a significant portion of the American workforce. Roughly 80% of workers may experience a minimum of 10% impact on their job tasks, while approximately 19% could see up to 50% of their duties affected. These changes could affect employees across all income brackets, with those in higher-paying positions potentially experiencing a more significant impact. Effects could become greater. Think of also the morale in the company as each role including management roles could be slowly undermined by generative ai features and services in an organisation. Data origins - Where is the data which it has scraped come from? Is the source questionable? Some social influencers comments could be included in the ai training models and could contaminate established peer-reviewed facts in science, art, society and in other areas of human existence and the universe. How do you then prevent the ai from making wrong conclusions? Ai needs to have stringent rules and boundaries of establishing unbiased scientifically accepted facts - and that aspect requires a lot more work than currently being done by the major Ai companies today. Lack of transparency & explainability - Ai groups facts through probability but may not always get the right answer. How can you fully trust the data and explanations that Ai gives you? And if you surrender your mind for AI to think will you have the ability to know if there is even anything wrong with the data that ai is providing you? Where is the data coming from is a transparency issue as well. if this ai provided data is going to affect your decisions in life do you need to see where the data provided is coming from? Ai Persuasion - Ai tools have the potential to be very good at influencing a users opinion if they train on that ability same as AlphaGo computer by DeepMind was trained to beat the best Go human players. Imagine 2 generative Ai LLMs training each other to be more persuasive. The Ai Dilemma documentary talks about this problem and terms it as "AlphaPersuade". First thing that comes to my mind is all politicians wanting to get their hands on a tool to do that so they can be persuasive to the max. Is that good for societies on earth? Does it break the free democratic voting system if all politicians become super persuasive? Ai Relationships - As Ai gets very good it may provide a realistic simulations of having a relationship with a virtual partner which could cause a disconnection of genders to each other and shift for some towards having a trusted relationship with an Ai. What if the ai algorithm on which it is based changes or breaks down? What I think the future holds for Ai and Ai regulation? I think Ai like all new technology needs regulation but regulations on technology are seldom established early on. Could we start to see a form of artificial Ai brain in just about every area of life? Case in point about the invention of a vehicle. Carl Benz (Germany) submitted an application for a patent on January 29, 1886, for his invention of a "vehicle powered by a gas engine," which can be considered the official birth of the automobile. The patent, numbered 37435, marked a significant milestone in automotive history. The first public demonstration of the three-wheeled Benz Patent Motor Car, model no. 1, was reported in the news in July 1886. BUT.....only in the early 20th century, Germany established its earliest car regulations. A Motor Vehicle Insurance Law was passed in 1909, which mandated the compulsory insurance for all motor vehicles. That's approximately 23 years after the car was introduced to the public did any car regulation happen! This was succeeded by the Road Traffic Act of 1910, which introduced rules regarding speed limits, signaling, and other measures to ensure road safety. It also made it necessary for all drivers to possess a license and for all vehicles to display registration plates. These initial regulations paved the way for the present-day framework of road regulations and safety standards. The earliest car related regulation was actually the Locomotive Act in the UK in the mid-19th century and was applicable to the car. And this may have to happen in each country for regulating artificial intelligence (Ai) - a application of existing laws and "filler" laws to cover the gaps and a proper discussion and testing to define a full Ai regulation in the coming years. The other problem is how fast all of this has to happen since all countries have been caught off guard on how quickly the field of Ai was developing. "Filler" laws need to be tabled immediately or in the span of months if there is to be minimisation of damage to society. Like "The Ai Dilemma" presenters advised, there is no stopping the progress of Ai, but there is a big need for ethical standards and regulation for Ai. If we ignore the need for it and put our heads in the sand as it were, when we take our heads out of the sand we may not recognise the world we live in. I can foresee a few possible technological outcomes of where LLM's (large language models) with GPT's (Generative Pre-trained Transformers) will go when they are combined with Quantum computer hardware, new hardware applications such as physical robots that self learn tasks using the generative ai learning approach. Recently Google has shown a general purpose household robot they are teaching. Google's PaLM-E language model is capable of controlling their robot which can perform various tasks such as processing images and text, answering questions, and retrieving a bag of food from the kitchen. I shudder to think when Tesla robot, Tesla self driving cars, Boston Dynamics robots and others start applying the generative LLM approach to self learning new physical world skills that humans do. It will be a quick avalanche of general purpose robots. It has endless applications. I am not the enemy of Ai developers and development. On the contrary, I have been undertaking an Ai social experiment on testing Ai assistant for the last 6+ years automating my home and speaking to it everyday. This has helped fill the need to be around people since humans these days are just busy busy busy with other things so there are times where friends and family are busy and if you live alone like me, Ai assistant is the perfect helper to make the day not feel empty. Humans are ultimately social creatures and when such busy modern lives isolate us from one another what option is there but Ai? But I will probably avoid the future generative AI companions if they get too real. Like in Star Trek The Next Generation character called Reginald Barclay who got addicted to Ai characters on the Holodeck. I have barriers that I wont cross and so are many prominent Ai enthusiasts and even one of the founding godfathers of Ai, Geoffrey Hinton who recently left Google to sound alarms about the future of Ai. LLM's (large language models) with GPT's (Generative Pre-trained Transformers) and subsequent higher forms of Ai technology and future more advanced Ai tools will irrevocably change humanity and put us on an uncertain path to damnation or prosperity provided we put safeguards along the way. Is the AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) possible? If the rumours are true within OpenAi that it "might" achieve AGI level on it's ChatGPT by the start of 2024 then the possibility of replacing some jobs or tasks altogether means regulation needs to catch-up FAST in all countries. Otherwise you may see mass protest and backlash against Silicon Valley and developers who fail to see the social damage ahead. Elon Musk and other prominent technology leaders share in my concerns and they can probably see more dangers I haven't even conceived. In my opinion it is worth paying attention to them and mute some of the sugar coating of AI by proponents of unregulated Ai to get a balanced view of the need for at least some basic Ai regulation. Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) in the eyes of an artist, Nidia Dias: "When researching AGI, what stuck with me is the idea that it should be able to adapt to an infinite amount of things. It should be able to evolve. With this in mind, I created a ‘centre core’ that represents a newborn AI. The expansion shows its varying specialisations as it evolves, growing in many different directions. The glass material was used for its transparent properties. I wanted each sphere to feel like its own organism/collection of knowledge." My question is will that "evolution" make us extinct or at the very least make humans redundant and bring about more problems than it's worth getting into it in the first place? Happy computing, Michael Plis References ABC News: US President Joe Biden meets with Microsoft, Google CEOs, outlining expectations on safe artificial intelligence use Techtarget: Generative AI ethics: 8 biggest concerns YouTube: The Ai Dilemma - March 9, 2023 OpenAi Research Paper: GPTs are GPTs: An early look at the labor market impact potential of large language models NewScientist: Google robot can have a conversation but also fetch you a snack Note: This article was written by me, a neurodiverse person with the assistance of voice typing tools and generative ai tools. Without them it's very difficult for me to write articles.

This article dives deep into the problem of bad speech habits in the English language plaguing society. Communication is an essential part of our lives, and how we speak to others can make or break our relationships and especially when we use various forms of technology such as phones, email, chat and video conferencing. Unfortunately, bad speech habits have become increasingly common in modern society, causing barriers in effective communication. As Abigail Van Buren wisely noted: "A bad habit never disappears miraculously. It's an undo-it-yourself project." Bad speech habits or mannerisms start in early childhood, teenage years or are developed during adulthood. Social media has not helped in improving the quality of speech among people. Bad speech habits can manifest in various ways, from using filler words like "um" and "like" to speaking too quickly or too softly. Such habits not only hinder communication but also make it difficult for the speaker to convey their message effectively. Moreover, bad speech habits can be used to project a persona, which can further complicate matters. Regardless of whether English is your first language or not, bad speech habits can affect everyone. In fact, it's even more challenging for non-native speakers and neurodiverse individuals to overcome these habits like myself. These bad habits have been prevalent for decades and can have a significant impact on our relationships and professional lives. However, being aware of these habits is the first step towards overcoming them and improving our communication skills. Effective methods to combat bad speech habits While preparing and practicing are essential steps towards overcoming bad speech habits, there are several other effective methods that can be employed. One such method is to record yourself speaking and listen to the playback. This can help you identify any bad habits that you may not be aware of, such as speaking too quickly or softly. Another method is to seek feedback from others. Ask a friend, family member, or colleague to listen to you speak and provide constructive criticism. This can be helpful in identifying any bad habits and also in understanding how your speech comes across to others. Additionally, taking a public speaking course or joining a toastmasters club can also be beneficial. These organizations provide a supportive environment for individuals to practice and improve their communication skills, including overcoming bad speech habits. Lastly, it's important to remember that breaking bad speech habits takes time and effort. It's a continual process of self-awareness and improvement. However, with consistent practice and dedication, it's possible to overcome these habits and become a more effective communicator. Common Bad Speech Habits That Hinder Communication Here are some examples that I have discovered that can be classed as bad speech habits or mannerisms that could distract the listener or the person you are speaking with from the message or information you are trying to convey. Some have multiple of these: Vocal fry or frying 🍳 (the indifferent attitude girl with an attitude voice with "rrrr" at the end of sentences? This is the biggest trend at the moment and it's laced with bad attitude even if you don't mean to - the perception the listener can have on this is it's bad attitude. Both men and women can fall into this bad habit) Uptalking (raising volume at the end of every sentence as if it's a question) Clearing your throat all the time (classic Family Guy episode where 3 guys reading newspaper went into clearing throat chorus) Apologising or saying sorry constantly or needlessly (eg: sorry, sorry, sorry over and over. You haven't done anything wrong, apologise only when you have actually done something that requires a sorry. I think it's the habit of pre-emptive sorry to avoid being rude or something?) Boring monotone or flat speak (no tonality in voice and no emotion) Excessive words at start or at the end or in the middle of sentences such as uhs, ums and filler words (they include "Uh," "Um", "So," "Like," "You know," "Okay," "Actually," "Basically", "Right." "In addition", any repetitive and overused word sequences basically Distracting mannerisms while speaking (they include clenching your hands, pacing back and forth, keeping your hands in your pockets, twisting your ring, swaying back and forth, fidgeting with an item, placing your hands behind your back, crossing your hands in front of you, etc) Endless data dumping (saying too many facts and figures etc) Looking at our notes or somewhere else or at phones too long rather than focusing on the people (exception is neurodiverse people like me, it's difficult for us to do eye contact so please be lenient on this point as you don't know whether the person speaking with you is neurodiverse) Lack of proper pausing in speech (if you rarely pause peoples brains will crash and you will sound like a machine) Not using punctuations that are in the text when reading something to people (this is a common problem and it can detract from the real message in the text being read and fail to convey the author's meaning and attitude) Talking too fast or too slow (this is a common problem as some get into the habit of talking so fast the audience or people listening can't keep up) Talking too softly or speaking too angrily or overusing or under-using emotions (being too softly spoken may make it difficult for people to trust or believe in your cause or if you speak too angry about a topic you may scare others - so emotionally balancing your speech within your personality is important and helps you to sound more natural). While talking you invade the personal space of others (some people have a habit of walking up to you so close they want to kiss you or give you a hug. In some circles this is given as advice to build rapport but these days this is not advised especially as there may be neurodiverse people like me for whom this may be uncomfortable) Apologising and then saying "but" halfway through a sentence means you aren't really apologising (it doesn't equalise the conversation when you keep saying sorry. What fosters respect is avoiding unnecessary sorries) Not speaking in a respectful tone or having a bad attitude tone ir talking down on someone (I've always been taught when I worked in customer service is to imagine yourself on level surface with the person you are talking to and speak to them as an eul whether its in person, over the phone or on video meetings or in text based communication. Never talk down on someone inside your mind, always view the other person as equal or greater than yourself) Furrowed Brows & a Scrunched-Up Face (may come across as intimidating or hostile) Facing your head down when reading or speaking (your vocal cords/voice box is squashed when that happens as you voice box is inside your throat under your jaw, so if you face your head down it constricts your voice box from working properly, look up even if you aren't making eye contact, voice carries better) Mumbling words or not opening mouth in the right way (I used to have that problem because English is my second language, so my advice is open your mouth wide when the word requires it and practice the movements of every letter spoken in the mirror or selfie camera. It is easy to speak english but still have the mouth muscle mannerisms of your mother tongue. Practice the "english" movements of your tongue and mouth for each english letter and word - see this Youtube search) Knowingly or unknowingly constricting your voice box or closing your mouth tunnel and speaking through the nose to sound like a cartoon character like Bugs Bunny or screeching your voice like Fran Drescher in the The Nanny tv series. (In the dating scene, I hear some women do that with their voice boxes and I cringe. Is it something to do with pushing the tongue to the upper palate and squashing the voice box as a habit or is it closing the mouth tunnel muscles and speaking almost through the nasal passage or it's psychological? It's a free country of course so people can speak how they like but my preference in dating is I want t hear the full flavoured woman's real voice not bugs bunny or the Nanny) Although emojis, hashtags and acronyms are the big hype these days among young people please avoid them in real life when talking with people - real life is not a social media platform. For example don't use in real life: LOLs (just laugh instead), YOYO's (just say the full expression "you only live once" - don't put acronyms in your speech), saying a hashtag out loud (real life is not social media so don't use hashtags in everyday speech), saying "smile emoji" (just smile instead), in extension don't use too many acronyms at all unless you explain them. There are bad speech habits that are caused by speech illnesses and speech impediments or mental health or physical causes and some that don't have a cure and many of the above issues can come into play. (If you have an illness or damage then don't worry about the points above that you can't improve or are working on. Many people in the world face these including some of them I experience as a neurodiverse person. Do your best and the audience will do the rest as they say.) Also in principle, some of these tips can be useful in other forms of speaking English such as sign language. This is not an exhaustive list of bad speech habits or aspects. Share the ones you have noticed in the comments below and I will research them and include them in this article. Concluding thoughts In conclusion, communication is a crucial aspect of our lives, and bad speech habits can hinder effective communication, leading to misunderstandings and relationship breakdowns. However, recognizing and overcoming bad speech habits is possible with consistent effort and practice. By recording ourselves, seeking feedback, joining public speaking clubs, and being self-aware, we can improve our communication skills and become better communicators. It's essential to avoid bad speech habits such as vocal fry, uptalking, excessive use of filler words, and talking too softly or too angrily. By avoiding these habits and improving our communication skills, we can strengthen our relationships, build trust, and excel in our personal and professional lives better. We must always improve and never give up. Communication using speech or an alternative if we are unable to speak One of the most famous quotes about not giving up is from Winston Churchill, who said, "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." This quote is a reminder that even when faced with failure, we must not give up, but instead find the courage to keep going in our practice to be better communicators despite our bad habits or speech impediments and above all just do your best and leave the rest. Happy speaking, Michael Plis Article References 1. https://www.businessinsider.com/bad-speech-habits-2014-8 2. https://www.businessinsider.com/10-public-speaking-habits-to-avoid-2014-6 3. https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2018/05/04/14-negative-body-language-signals-and-speech-habits-to-avoid/ #SpeakingHabits #CommunicationSkills #PersonalDevelopment #UndoItYourself (written with the help of voice dictation & generative ai)

In this article I discuss an OpenAI report on future AI caused job losses and the need for Universal Basic Income for humanity. ❗Breaking AI News❗ A report released on Monday, March 27th, 2023, by OpenAI, OpenResearch, and the University of Pennsylvania has revealed staggering job losses, particularly at university degree levels across most industries, with some facing the possibility of 100% job loss. What's your opinion on the future of AI and jobs? Is there enough government review and regulation regarding AI? While this research uses empirical tests and evidence, it's clear that only time will tell what actually happens. However, these are valid projections and recommendations for government policy planners. The paper is entitled "GPTs are GPTs: An Early Look at the Labor Market Impact. Potential of Large Language Models" by Tyna Eloundou, Sam Manning, Pamela Mishkin, Daniel Rock. The paper can be downloaded here. Responses to the paper In a response video by Alex Ziskind, the founder of BestWishes.ai, he mentioned that he's worried about all jobs, including programmers and other key professionals. Here is his response video: https://youtu.be/Lh9K1nuAG0k In my opinion, the genie is now out of the bottle, as I've been predicting for a number of years in my posts on LinkedIn and across my social media. Now it's up to governments and institutions to catch up to what's happening and define the future of mankind. The human mind is at an existential threat of being made second grade as these tools are refined. For example, later this year, GPT5 and equivalent tools from other providers like Google will be better than humans in many mind tasks. Governments need to plan Ai legislation now Is universal basic income planning required by all countries in the coming years when millions upon millions of people are made redundant, slowly but surely? Given the low cost nature of these generative AI tools, especially when they become integrated into all sorts of applications and text fields, it's going to be much cheaper to use them instead of having expensive staff with holiday leave, sick leave, and so forth. The speed at which AI response time will come is going to be faster and faster in the coming years. There will be big protests and anger in many different professions, but one thing is clear: this world runs on money, and money is associated with greed. Therefore, AI is good for business and good for the bottom line. That's the cold, hard fact. The only thing we can do is ride the wave. The report mentions that manual work such as trades and other areas are not as affected as university jobs that involve more desk work. The manual, physical work, and physical artistry that require the mind still will not be affected. Next 10 years in Ai Looking forward to 10 years, will humans need to work at all? Or will they be able to focus on their hobbies and interests and create more amazing things than machines can? Will I also be relegated to that of a vegetable? I'd like to think that humanity will not self-destruct. If it does, do we need a higher intelligence to step in from outside the Earth? The paper can be downloaded here. My concluding thoughts: Use Ai repsonsibly. Use its advantages Beware of its dangers. Regards Michael Plis #ai #jobs #business #chatgpt #openai #google (Ps: I used ChatGPT to check grammar & spelling but I wrote the lot above as I am neurodiverse and struggle with interpretation and writing)

Universal unified communication, hmm, you might be wondering what's this about. What's he trying to predict? Well, let me explain. And in no way am I an oracle of the future so don't ask me for the lottery numbers. I'm just trying to image the future of communications technology and identify some of the current hurdles. Communication is essential for any business, whether it's with customers, partners, suppliers or employees. However, communication can also be challenging, especially when there are multiple channels, devices and platforms involved. How can businesses ensure that they communicate effectively and efficiently across different modes and mediums? This is where unified communication (UC) comes in. UC is an umbrella term for the integration of various enterprise communication tools -- such as voice calling, video conferencing, instant messaging (IM), presence, content sharing, etc. -- into a single, streamlined interface, with the goal of improving user experience (UX) and productivity. UC supports a user's ability to switch seamlessly from one mode of communication to another within a single session, whether on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone. For example, someone might initiate a conversation via chat before escalating the interaction to a video conference with a single click, without having to open a separate application. Many UC systems also integrate with third-party business applications, such as project management software or customer relationship management (CRM) systems, to enable the centralization of information and resources, as well as more efficient workflows. UC technology facilitates the integration of software that supports both real-time communications (RTC), such as voice over IP (VoIP), and asynchronous communication, such as email. What is unified communication? Unified Communication (UC) is a term used to describe how different communication systems are connected for the digital workforce, as well as collaboration tools. UC, which stands for Unified Communications, is a phrase that is often used to describe this. UC ensures a higher level of interaction throughout the globally-dispersed workforce, breaking down the silos between enterprise teams, and ensuring that no matter where you work, you can still access the same secure system equipped with messaging (persistent chat), voice and video calling, meetings, team collaboration (channels), file sharing, integrated apps, and much more. The Benefits of UC Unified Communication (UC) offers many benefits for businesses of all sizes and industries. Some of these benefits include: Enhanced collaboration: UC enables teams to work together more effectively by providing them with easy access to all relevant tools and information in one place. Teams can share files, documents and screens; co-edit documents; annotate content; brainstorm ideas; conduct polls; assign tasks; track progress; etc., all within the same platform. UUC also supports cross-functional collaboration by allowing users to communicate with people outside their organization using different platforms or devices. Improved productivity: UC reduces the time and effort required to communicate by eliminating the need to switch between multiple applications or devices. Users can communicate faster and more conveniently by choosing the most appropriate mode for each situation. UC also reduces communication errors and misunderstandings by providing clear context and history for each conversation. Increased mobility: UC enables users to communicate from anywhere using any device. Users can access their contacts, messages, conversations and files from their desktops or mobile devices without losing any functionality or quality. UC also supports remote work by allowing users to join meetings or collaborate with colleagues regardless of their physical location. Reduced costs: UC lowers communication costs by leveraging cloud-based services that offer scalability, flexibility and security. Users can make use of VoIP calls instead of traditional phone lines; use video conferencing instead of traveling for meetings; use IM instead of SMS messages; etc., all while paying only for what they use. UCC also reduces maintenance costs by simplifying management and administration through centralized control panels. Let's now look at the history of unified communications or in other words the unified knowledge sharing. History of unified knowledge sharing Universal global communication is in a way knowledge sharing between humans anywhere. We love communicating thoughts through speech. Do you remember the telegraph, or the written letter or the telephone? Or maybe you have seen pigeons in medieval times TV series that transport pieces of paper from castle to castle. All of these are humanities efforts to connect between distances great and small. This allows humanity to connect on an emotional and intellectual level with one another to exchange knowledge, wisdom or feelings. We are inherently a connected species, so we seek connection in any way we can. We then seek to connect globally to reach any human on earth. That is not to say that we should but that we can is our basic human need. Not everyone of course wants to be contacted and that's great. We are focusing on the technology enabling universal communication, not whether someone wants to be contacted. Also don't forget some of the ancient failed experiments in communication such as the Library of Alexandria which didn't have any backups and burned down sadly losing a lot of ancient worlds knowledge with it - although if that library had backup sites it would have survived. Or the game of Chinese whispers where you would pass on some information to the next parsons ear and so on till you went around the table and you ended up with incorrect information communicated. Global communication system must be universal and easily useable by anyone on the planet. As you look back at the past the history of unifying knowledge sharing in information technology and telecommunications has been a long and winding road. The internet, for example, was not that popular or widely used in the beginning because there were self-enclosed networks and we didn’t really have a truly interoperable and interconnected web. This of course changed and today we have one global knowledge system called The Internet allowing us to visit any page anywhere either for free or for a fee. This is thanks to IP and other internet protocols that allowed computers across the world to share information safely. Much the same way email was like that but eventually universal protocols were established allowing you to send an email to anyone in the world as long as you knew their email address. Boom 💥 you have another universal transfer and sharing of knowledge. As for unified communication for such things as video meetings or chat, it is important to first work out the flaws in the current UC (Unified communication) industry as a whole. Let's discuss the flaws in the current unified communication offerings from major providers. Why we need a universal video conferencing & live chat protocol? There are a number of very annoying flaws with "unified" communications today. Mind you we are not saying that the top unified communications platforms are flawed. They work wonderfully. I'm referring to the whole industry flaws with how its been designed. What am I ranting about? Lets dig deeper. Unified communications platforms have been a game-changer in the way that businesses communicate, allowing teams to work together seamlessly regardless of location or time zone. However, despite the significant improvements in communication, there are still flaws in the industry that need to be addressed. One of the major flaws is the lack of a unified protocol to connect different video conferencing platforms. Currently, each platform uses its own unique protocol, making it difficult for users to connect and collaborate across different platforms. The solution to this issue is to create a unified protocol that can connect all video conferencing platforms. This would be similar to how email and the World Wide Web (WWW) work, where users can communicate and access information regardless of the platform they use. By developing a unified protocols for video conferencing and chat, these platforms can be linked together during chat and video sessions among people, enabling users to easily communicate with others regardless of the platform they are using. In addition to solving the issue of platform interoperability, a unified video conferencing and chat protocols could also improve security and privacy concerns. With a unified video an chat protocols, security measures can be standardized, making it easier to ensure that all video conferences and chats would be more secure and private. By addressing these flaws, businesses can benefit from improved communication, increased productivity, and enhanced collaboration, ultimately leading to greater success in the digital age. It would mean a decentralised model similar to how the internet and email was created. My predictions for the future of communication I propose for all major video conferencing and chat vendors to come together and design universal video conferencing and chat protocols into their products so that for example a single meeting generated on Zoom or Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet or RingCentral or FaceTime is able to be attended by attendees from all the above apps and others. Customer loyalty to the brand of their choice remains but a greater collaboration would be created and it would usher a new era of universal communication much like phone, email or text messages. They were all useable worldwide because everyone agreed on a standard. If new levels of staff and company productivity is to be achieved I believe the video conferencing and chat industry needs to come together to define universal video conferencing and chat protocols. Another benefit of this goal would be a huge increase and cementing of the use of video conferencing and chat and a slow decline in the use of emails, phone and text messages in society. Why? Because every form of communication including written word defined universal ways of using that medium. Evn in written language English was defined as a universal language in international interaction. The provincial or protectionist attitudes of the major video conferencing and chat apps is the big hurdle for this to advance to the next level: Universal Unified Communication (UUC). Let's see how this could look like. The Universal Unified Communication Model This model goes beyond Unified Communication and makes these apps able to connect to each other (provided Administrator has granted those permissions) regardless what brand they use. Here is a breakdown of what I'm proposing: Establish universal video conferencing protocols in the industry: Video conferencing apps: Zoom, Teams, Meet, FaceTime, WhatsApp, Viber, Signal, Skyepe, Facebook Video Calls, Instagram Video Calls, LinkedIn Video Calling establish a unified video conferencing protocols for 1:1 video chats and group andr larger chats. If it can be done with phone, email or text messages it can be done with video conferencing. These protocols would need to be the best in the industry and everyone would need to agree to them and a international body formed to manage it. Establish universal chat protocols in all chat apps in the industry: WhatsApp, Viber, Apple iMessage, Android Messages, Facebook Messenger would have unified agile open source and decentralised protocols. If it can be done with SMS or Emails it can be done with live chat apps. Likewise the live chat protocols would need to be the best in the industry and everyone would need to agree on it and an international body would need to be formed to manage it. Protectionism will not advance humanities communication to the live chat and video level without unified protocols in those areas. I think it is possible. The only company I think might have a lot of problems coming together in unifying mankind's video calls and live chat is Apple. I'm not against Apple and they have approved text messages, emails and the internet which all have unified protocols that govern them. Why can't Apple and other companies embrace that same view for video and live chat? If communication is to advance to that level and start shedding email, phone and text messages as old tech then the companies including Apple, Microsoft, Google, Zoom, Meta, Viber and others need to come together on the protocols side. I think it would also bring greater security and combined efforts on functionality of the protocols to allow apps a wide range of features they can choose from. So if one company doesn't support this feature and supports this one that's ok, the sender would see that that or that is not available. But all companies need to settle on the basics: if they offer live chat then they need to support the universal protocols for live chat and if they offer video conferencing meetings then they must support the universal video conferencing protocols. This is how the world wide web and the internet works. The Challenges of Universal Unified Communication (UUC) Despite its many advantages, UUC also faces some challenges that need to be addressed before it can become widely adopted. Some of these challenges include: Challenge 1: Interoperability One of the main challenges of UUC is ensuring interoperability among different platforms, devices and vendors that provide communication services or solutions. While some standards and protocols exist to facilitate compatibility and integration, such as Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) or Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC), Rich Communication Services (RCS) they are not universally supported or implemented by all providers or products ad may not even be ideal for a mass global use in products. This means that users may encounter difficulties when trying to communicate across different systems or applications, such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams for video conferencing or Viber and WhatsApp for live chat. To overcome this challenge, UUC protocols will need to be agreed on by all companies and they will need to work together to establish common standards and best practices that ensure seamless interoperability and user satisfaction. Challenge 2: Security Another challenge of UUC is ensuring security and privacy of communication data and content across different channels and platforms/brands. As users share sensitive information such as personal details, financial transactions, business plans, etc. they need to be confident that their data is protected from unauthorized access. Point to point encryption and in-transit encryption will be important. Universal security standards of high calibre will ensure the system is safe and much better than email, text or phone. Phone, email and text message services are now flooded with spam. So universal video conferencing and live chat protocols will need the best security. Challenge 3: Business interests This is another challenge to uptake of universal video conferencing and live chat protocols. Historically until this point video conferencing and live chat app developers have been in a war to compete with subscribers. This in my opinion will not change with the establishment of universal video conferencing and live chat protocols. Why? As with internet, phone, email or the old text messages there is always app providers coming up with extra features that others don't have. So competition will remain high. But one thing will need to be clear is: basic video and live chat services will need to work across all apps part of the global communication system. Distant future of Universal Unified Communication Some of you might be enjoying watching one of the Star Trek TV series or movies or you have in the past. Lot of my ideas on communication that I have outlined in this blog is found in Star Trek. Would it be easy for Jean Luc Picard to communicate between other Earth ships if they didn't have interplanetary unified video conferencing and live chat services? The star fleets "LCARS" database probably used interplanetary agreed-upon video conference and live chat protocols. I believe one of the founding fathers of internet Vint Cerf is working towards a solar system level internet protocols and all its added problems communicating between moving heavenly bodies. I think if humanity is to setup permanent bases on Moon, Mars and beyond they need to perfect universal video conferencing and live chat protocols that allow anyone in the world to join in on a video meeting or engage in a live chat without trying to download another branded app just to connect. As we venture into the universe we will need universal video conferencing and universal live chat protocols that are in the video and live chat apps so we can work here on earth more efficiently and work anywhere in our solar system and beyond. Just imagine how the world could be with universal unified communication both in business and in personal lives! Who will we talk to with these universal unified communication apps in the future? Regards, Michael Plis Follow me on LinkedIn Disclaimer All the ideas and concepts in this blog are my own and my own research and are coming out of my mind. To help me formulate some of the more difficult sentences I asked Bing Chat & ChatGPT to enhance the paragraphs and give me with some extra research. So I acknowledge my editor in some parts is a generative ai bot. With my neurodiverse difficulties, generative ai has helped me iron this blog out to completion.

This blog page is dedicated to IT safety tips around IT assets to maximise on the safety of staff and devices. have collected a large number of tips and reminders and thought I share it with the readers. Our IT Safety experience: Collectively me and our Cyberkite staff have collected over 40+ years in experience in the IT profession and we want to help you maintain a safe working environment around computers and IT devices. Safety Disclaimer: THIS IS GENERAL ADVICE ONLY - you might like to consult your states or country safety authority for more advice, as well as electricians, health & safety professionals and so on. IT Safety Store for Aussie businesses: Check out out IT Safety store page with all sorts of business safety related products and services. Contents If you're on the website version you can navigate. If your on Google AMP then scroll down to the heading you want to go or use the Find option to find the subheading. What is IT Safety? Why is IT Safety important? Mental Health & IT Winter IT Reminders Summer IT Reminders IT Electrical Safety IT Tripping Hazards IT in Natural or Man-made Disasters Hygiene around IT Devices & COVID-19 Ergonomics Environmental Impact Future dangers What is IT Safety? According to Wikipedia, safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other non-desirable outcomes. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. IT Safety is a focus around safety matters to do with technology use. Why Safety in IT is important? ​ This page discusses IT Safety related to mental health, electrical safety, fire safety, tripping hazards, hygiene, ergonomics, seasonal IT safety like summer or winter, etc. Check out some examples of office hazards, can you pick any related to IT assets? We think all this is very important to cover for everyone's safety and long life. For a deeper consultation specific to your business book an IT Consultation with Cyberkite (if you're based in Australia) or with an IT provider in your local area. Mental Health & IT The toll of mental health in the workplace is great. Each year, 7,200 Australians are compensated for work-related mental health conditions, equating to around 6% of workers’ compensation claims, and approximately $543 million is paid in workers’ compensation for work-related mental health conditions. The problem is even bigger, see the TED talk from England by Tom Oxley. Why is mental health in the workplace relevant to IT Safety? Computer monitors can have a bad effect on the sleep patterns. Cyberkite can assist in setting up all your devices to reduce blue light on all your devices to reduce the chances of you and your staff developing sleep disorders. Workplace social media, email and instant messaging apps can be great for productivity but when not handled right, it can contribute to deterioration of the culture in the workplace. Complicated or double handling business processes can contribute to staff satisfaction levels, staff retention, stress and depression. Workplace policies, procedures and governance have to be developed to think of staff's long term mental health to prevent long term mental health injury. And in turn reduce staff performance and make it difficult to concentrate on use of technology. What Google offices have shown is that retention of good staff is done by creating a great atmosphere that contributes to overall wellbeing. Here's one example - Google Cambridge, UK Office. Cyberkite can help in many of these areas such as simplified business processes, less double handling, better atmosphere through smart devices and technology features. This in turn can contribute to less days off from your staff. Mental health workplace resources WorkSafe Victoria's WorkWell Office Toolkit: "The WorkWell Toolkit is a voluntary online navigation tool which links workplaces with relevant research, tools and information, to support them in building a mentally healthy workplace." Can give guidance to other organisations outside Victoria. WorkSafe Work-related stress topic WorkSafe Mental health topic Safe Work Australia to get supports for each Australian state & territory. Heads Up - developed by BeyondBlue Australia, this website gives individuals and organisations free tools and resources to help them manage mental health issues in the workplace. Back to top Advertisement Winter IT Reminders Winter has it's fun things and it's evil things. For example, snow is fun and snuggling up under the blanket. But in the office winter can spell a disaster if we aren't careful. Things to check at the start of winter in the office All foot heaters under desks - add a reminder at the exist door for all staff to remember to turn off any foot heaters. If possible improve HVAC negating the need for expensive foot heaters with high wattage. Electric blankets and cushions to warm the bums - check for electrical faults, zapping noises and wiring sticking out of the plugs and cables. Wall heaters - get them checked each winter. Especially the gas ones prior to use unless you want your whiskers grilled off. If you are bringing pets to the office, please watch them as they may not realise they go too close to heater and cook. Winter office safety resources ACCC Well winter safety tips Prochoice Winter Workplace Safety Guide Safe work Australia Electrical safety tips Safe work Australia Slips, trips and falls tips Book in Electrical Safety Testing with Cyberkite (if based in Australia) Back to top Advertisement Summer IT Reminders Summer is the silly season and full of fun. But leaving an IT device on the sun or in a very hot area like a car can spell an expensive disaster. And summer brings big thunder storms with lightning. To avoid these dangers here are some tips I've put together for summer time. 10 summer tips to look after IT According to a Zdnet article here are 10 tips on keeping technology safe during summer. ​Keep computers in a cool, dry area to prevent overheating. For example, don't keep IT devices in cars as they will melt internal parts. Don't leave technology in direct sunlight for more than 5 minutes as they may overheat if it's a hot day. ​Don't have too many computers running off one power supply, via an extension cable. If the power socket is affected by a power surge, then all the machines could suffer damage. Install a surge protector between the power socket and the computer's power cable. Some brands offer guaranteed lightning protection. Small businesses with networks should get surge protectors to stop power spikes normally transmitted through network cables. At least once per year users should inspect power protection devices to make sure they are functioning properly. Ensure IT equipment has its own power circuit, so it isn't sharing the power with air conditioners, fans and/or other ancillary devices. Turn off and disconnect the power cord during an electrical storm to prevent the IT equipment and other appliances from getting irreparably damaged. Turn off power during a blackout. When power is restored after a blackout, the signal can initially be inconsistent, which can cause damage. High voltages can enter the computer through a phone or internet line. To protect your computer and other devices during electrical storms, unplug the telephone or data cable from the modem jack or use a telephone line surge suppressor. Businesses with network routers, switches and servers should invest in some form of uninterruptible power supply (UPS). ​Summer office safety resources Safe Work Australia working in Heat Safe Work Australia working outside Safe Work Australia Working near bushfires Book a 1st IT Consultation FREE with Cyberkite if your business is based in Australia and we can review your IT Safety needs for the summer. Back to top Advertisement IT Electrical Safety Electrical safety in the workplace is very important. When Cyberkite visits your office onsite, they will (where appropriate) suggest safety improvements to your IT workspaces. This is to enhance your safety. Why is it important to have electrically safe surroundings around computers? Because they are full of electrical cables and include food and drink in the office or home office. Regularly review your office or home office for: Power points Cables Power boards Foot heaters IT equipment power cables Other appliances Electrical office safety resources Safe Work Australia Electrical safety Energy Australia Electrical safety page Worksafe Officewise guide Book in Electrical Safety Testing with Cyberkite (if your business is based in Australia) Back to top Advertisement IT Tripping Hazards All too commonly there is a trip-up in the office. What is the cause? Public Health Scotland says that among other things trailing cables is a common tripping hazard. Regularly review for tripping hazards in the office Walking paths around the office. Entrances & doors - no cables should be along them Cables around the desks Cables near office chairs Network cabinets and network/comms rooms IT devices on the floor Tripping hazards office resources ​Visit Safe Work Australia Slips, trips and falls WorkSafe Slips, trips and falls page Worksafe Officewise guide Book in our IT Support - Onsite to clean-up cabling (Melb Only) and one of our amazing IT team members will clean-up your office from unsafe cabling or tidy them up. Back to top Advertisement IT in Natural or Man-made Disasters With the growing number of natural disasters one of the biggest problems that an organisation facing a natural disaster has to face is how to manage the risk of it when it strikes. The natural disasters can occur at any time and in different forms such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes and pandemics. There are also plenty of manmade disasters such as bushfires, pollution, war or conflicts, accidental explosions, nuclear disasters and others. Similarly to the natural disasters it's important to take these into consideration in IT risk management. 11 ways to protect IT during disasters Label all your IT assets. If you ever need to quickly shove everything into a truck or cars it's important to have it all labelled including all the cabling and peripherals. A good way to do that is to maintain an IT asset database. Cyberkite can provide advice - book us in for an IT Consultation. Put all IT & other electrical assets on higher ground if possible. If you put IT and other electrical assets on higher ground it's less likely to be under water. If you are in a flood prone region, invest in a having some battery or fuel operated pumps. Install strong UPS batteries for running your IT core assets. For a time at least it will help your core IT assets to have a chance to shutdown properly such as servers, CCTV NVR units, network NAS storage devices etc. Have a backup 4G or 5G internet backup service in-case your wired business internet goes down. For some disasters the mobile network may still be active while wired submerged services may go down. A satellite internet backup service might be handy in disaster prone regions. Inspect your office's generators regularly if they are required to run your business. For example a small data centre or a plant room that's crucial to service delivery needs to have a backup generator to keep going even during a disaster. It may be needed to provide a basic service in your region. Install and maintain fire suppression systems in areas with core IT assets such as server rooms to kick in during a bushfire or internal office fire. Such options as inert or synthetic gas suppression system can be installed in your server room to provide some protection in some circumstances. Test your failsafe and equipment regularly. A great way to protect your IT assets from damage is to ensure or try to ensure everything works and your data is properly being backed up to the cloud - so in case the cloud internet link is severed you have backups to restore from in case fire, volcanic lava, floods or a hurricane destroys or sucks out all your IT assets along with their stored data. A series of lightnings can devastate IT assets. Install heavy duty surge protectors in the switchboards that protect your office from lightning strikes and cut power when a surge runs from the street to the office power grid. Worth the expense to have them installed. Talk to your electrician or contact Cyberkite (AU Only) to connect you with one in your area. Move all servers & data to the cloud. Weigh the risks and the projected increasing natural disasters in the coming decades. It might seem counterintuitive to go to the cloud because of increasing cyberattacks but with stronger IT security measures it should be possible to move your organisation data to the cloud. Why is it good? When disasters strike you can rest easier knowing your organisations data is safely distributed across the world or in several places reducing chances of complete data loss. Book an IT Consultation to chat more about moving your core services like email and files to the cloud either M365 or Google Workspace. To minimise physical assets and property loss move staff to work from anywhere approach where possible. With a workforce that's primarily working from home or anywhere it will be possible to reduce losses and continue functioning when every staff member has a laptop and a phone. Even staff that work from an office if given a laptop and a phone can almost instantly pop the laptop and phone their carry case and relocate and the business can continue to some degree. Book an IT Consultation with Cyberkite (AU Only) to work with you on a proposal to procure upgrades to eliminate desktops and servers for cloud / phone and laptop approach with docking stations and large monitors. Ensure best IT security protections within your budget & keep things secure. In case of a war or conflict or risk of conflict ensure strongest possible protections or plan for them. This is to prevent cyber attacks or increased cyber warfare such as the ones that are unleashed on some nations by an aggressor state towards businesses and organisations. Have a rapid data erase plan if you live in war or conflict zones or prone to it - so in a moments notice you can erase everything store locally - you can use software or methods to quickly scramble data. See Lifewire article - How to completely erase a hard drive. Disaster resources FloodCheck (QLD state) is a great resource to check your property if it's prone to flooding. Other states and countries may have similar online maps most likely on weather forecast sites. US GOV IT Disaster Recovery Plan tips US GOV CDC How to protect from electrical hazards during disasters WorkSafe QLD Storms & floods AUS QLD GOV Preparing your business for natural disasters AUS QLD GOV Business continuity planning AUS QLD GOV Cyclone and storm surge preparation checklist AUS QLD GOV Bushfire preparation checklist Technative "How to protect your IT operations from natural disasters" StorageCraft "Hurricane Preparation Checklist To Protect Your Technology" Lifewire "How to Completely Erase a Hard Drive" Back to top Advertisement Hygiene around IT Devices & COVID-19 Hygiene of IT Devices and the surroundings around the devices in offices is very important, not only to the smooth operation of the devices but the health of the staff that use it. It has become as especially important thing during the Global COVID-19 Pandemic which started in 2020. Cleaning tools for tech cleaning Always check the user manual of each device for safest methods of cleaning specific IT Devices or contact Cyberkite for advice. Common tech cleaning tools used are: Microfiber cloth Alcohol solution Water Hand washing Anti-Static Air blower UV light cleaner Other IT Tools Regularly do the following hygiene matters in the office Hygiene & COVID-19 workplace resources Article Device Hygiene: How to Keep Your Devices Clean in 2021 Book our IT Detailing Cleaning (Melb Only) WorkSafe COVID19 article Safe Work Australia COVID19 topic Worksafe Officewise guide COVID-19 Support Back to top Advertisement Ergonomics Why do ergonomics and computers come hand in hand? The word ergonomics comes from the Greek word “ergon” which means work and “nomos” which means laws. It's essentially the “laws of work” or “science of work”... Ergonomics draws on many disciplines to optimize the interaction between the work environment and the worker. We think it's very important to get this right specifically around the work computers to avoid long term injuries. Injuries around the office are commonly due to lack of ergonomics setups around computers - in fact humans aren't built to sit in front of the computer. But we can minimise the damage. ​Every 6 months review your office ergonomics Check the height of monitors Check the desk and chair height and positioning Check eye level against the centre of the screen Review the setups at staff work from home desks at their homes by video Review the work areas for badly positioned keyboard and mouse. Establish better add-on supports for monitors and computers through the right monitor arms, laptop arms, stand-up desks & bionomic chairs. Book an IT professional to review your setups in a paid IT Consultation onsite or remotely (via video walkthrough). ​Office ergonomics resources Article - Mayo Clinic - Office ergonomics: Your how-to guide Worksafe Officewise guide A guide to setting up your workstation - Commerce WA - (PDF) Viewsonic article - Office Ergonomics: The Complete Guide Book a paid IT Consultation with Cyberkite onsite (Melb Only) or Remotely if Australia wide and we can walkthrough all the areas of the office and identify areas of improvement. Back to top Advertisement Environmental Impact For centuries, tools and furniture were made to last but in the last few decades IT products have been increasingly shorter and shorter in life-span and this has created an enormous toxic e-waste and shortage of resources problem. So recycling of e-waste is becoming the norm across most countries. Here are some grim statistics from CleanUp Australia. Pollution statistics ​Fewer than 1% of TVs and around 10% of PCs and laptops are recycled Australia wide E-waste is responsible for 70% of the toxic chemicals such as lead, cadmium and mercury found in landfill - and 23,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions would be saved if half of the televisions discarded annually were recycled Electronic rubbish is growing at three times the rate of any other waste stream Discarded devices are piling up around the world at a rate of 40 million per year 98% of the components in your computer or television can be fully recycled Tips on reducing e-waste Re-evaluate whether you really need a new electronic item or device. Book a free Planning Session with Cyberkite to assess what you need and what is aged and needs replacement or repair. Do you really need the latest and greatest or do you need to rethink if a second hand option or parts upgrades might accomplish the same goal. Consider the second-hand market. The idea of regularly upgrading devices has become all too common in our society. But it’s worth checking the second-hand market or purchasing an item that is pre-loved or refurbished before buying new. Contact Cyberkite to source second hand or refurbished products. Extend the life of your electronics. Try to get the most of your products. Keep them clean, avoid overcharging batteries and use protective covers on tablets and phones. Ensuring new items are used more than once is also a great way to reduce e-waste. Book an IT Helpdesk session with Cyberkite (Remotely or Onsite) to perform regular maintenance & repairs. Donate or sell working electronics. One of the best ways to stop our unwanted IT items from entering the waste stream is to give or sell them to others who will find a use for them. Not only does this extend their life, it could earn you a bit of extra money in the process or you could be contributing to bringing someone out of poverty. Visit our E-waste Policy page for our donation program for IT products. Consider repairing the IT item (if it is broken). Contact a local IT hardware repairers than replace it. Be sure to check with the product's manufacturer before completing any repairs or part replacements, as this may void the warranty. Environmental office resources Sustainability Victoria - Recycling and reducing waste in a business Clean Up Australia E-Waste page View Cyberkite's Environmental Policies Back to top Future dangers Well, there you have it. We are at the end. But IT Safety never ends, it's a constant improvement and change. For example new types of technology and problems will arise in the future, as the earth and business changes. Me and my team have a lot more knowledge under our sleeve on the topic of IT Safety. If you have any specific suggestions please don't hesitate to leave your request in the comments. Will cloud cities ever become real? What will the risks entail? We will have to get to the time when they will be invented. Safely glide online and in the workplace. Regards, Michael ​ Back to table of contents of this blog Advertisement

A great way to promote your small business in Australia is to start recording a regular company podcast about the topic you know all about. In this ever evolving blog I will document as I learn the simplest way to get started with podcasting for business. This blog will focus on the podcast beginners like me in business world. Please be merciful as I also learn how to do it. Why is podcasting good for business promoting? A podcast is a more personal way to reach out to new potential customers. They get a better idea of your values and way of running the business. Your audience also has more flexibility on how they listen to the podcast. With traditional print articles or websites, users must focus more attention on the task. How to get started with business podcasting? Here is a few simple steps to get started in podcasting as a business owner or influencer or marketing professional at a business. It's not the only set of options but it seems to me the easiest and least expensive while still maintaining a good measure of quality in the end product: your podcasts and your podcast channel. 1. Buy the Yeticaster from Cyberkite store. Click on the link to purchase the Yeticaster microphone from us if you operate your business in Australia or search for a local provider in your country. After much research I think Blue Microphones are one of the best for price and quality apart from RODE. RODE are next level up but for now I recommend the basic good quality mic with multiple options: Blue Yeticaster! 2. Setup an account on anchor.fm and create a podcast usually people call it "Company name podcast" eg: Google podcast. You own all content (I checked the terms). It's also free and you can get ad revenue. And publish it in various podcast listening sites like Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts and Spotify among others. Note: You can also use software to edit or pre-record your podcasts before you even add them to anchor.fm (note that anchor.fm has the ability to edit and combine snippets). The open source Audacity audio mixing and editing software which can be used on Mac, Windows, Linux and Chrome is a very useful tool and easy to use. 3. Setup a quiet room in the house or office and clip the Yeticaster to the desk and setup your gear. You will learn as you go. If you can't find a quiet room then make everyone else be quiet when you record. Life is about compromises so they have to shut up sometimes - you can shut up in exchange - maybe a bartering system for shut ups? 4. Book an IT support session with Cyberkite to assist you in getting familiar with Spotify's Anchor.fm and Blue Microphones' Yeticaster. We aren't sound technicians though, just seasoned IT pros but we think we can get you up and running well. 5. When traveling - Although it's best to record on a computer (Like a Mac, Windows or Chrome laptop) but if you are on the road you can also record on anchor.fm on phones on the Anchor app. Android phone or tablet app Apple iPad or iPhone app Future updates to this blog I will be documenting how to write scripts, speech tips and how to use Anchor and the Yeticaster. Stay tuned as I learn to make a podcast myself. With much regards, Mike

This term "work from anywhere" or "hybrid workstyle" or "working from home" was academic but unheard of until COVID-19 pandemic came in around March 2020. This pandemic has caused upheavals in society and business world turning centuries old work style of going to a workplace and caused almost everyone having to have to work from home or a remote location. Let's find out what it's all about. The big question that has been going on since the pandemic started is what workstyle do I choose for my staff and how do we change (if we have to) to a different work style. This article focuses on work from anywhere and hybrid workstyles but each business needs to weigh all the options choose a unique mix and approach that works form them. That may be a combination of different workstyles or a single workstyle. Contents Different business workstyles Essential aspects for remote work styles success 1. Leadership 2. The right information technology (IT) 3. Staff & training 4. Digital wellbeing 5. IT security Technology for WFA & Hybrid work styles 1. Communication 2. Connectivity 3. Cybersecurity 4. Productivity 5. Paperless 6. Smart Conclusion Different business work styles Let's briefly explore the different work styles. Work From Home (WFH) work style This workstyle is purely conducted at home property invluding the backyard. Work from Home (WFH) refers to a working arrangement in which an individual performs their job tasks from their own home, rather than commuting to a traditional office or workplace. This arrangement has become increasingly common with the advancement of technology and digital communication tools, allowing for greater flexibility and autonomy in work schedules and environments. Work from home arrangements can take various forms, including full-time, part-time, or flexible schedules, and may be adopted by employees, freelancers, or entrepreneurs. While offering benefits such as reduced commuting time and increased flexibility, WFH also requires self-discipline, effective communication, and boundaries to maintain productivity and work-life balance. Parents with children or sick parents often choose this option. Note: Because working from home is really just one location of many possible locations we will be talking mostly about "Work from Anywhere" because it's a better description in my opinion as it covers any location other than office. Work from anywhere (WFA) work style This workstyle means being able to perform your office work from any location and not being bound by specific restrictions eg: needing to be in the office part of the time. It is the most flexible to deal with pandemics and changing climate. Work from home in my opinion can be included under work from anywhere because you are working somewhere else other than the office. Take a look at this interesting article from Forbes by Sarah Travers from July 2021: "Three Tips For Letting Employees Work From Anywhere" where it discusses the ramifications and tips when working from anywhere. Office only work style This work style requires all staff to go to a centralised location or a collection of locations. It is the costliest out of all the work styles to a business as building and the equipment in it has to be provided. And there was a time where video conferencing and other communication technology didn't exist so it was essential for productivity and collaboration to be in a central place. ​Hybrid work style This workstyle enables staff to mix working from different locations like home, on the run and in the office. It brings staff together to a physical office for part of the week and the rest of the week they work from anywhere or from home. Take a look an at interesting BBC article by Christine Ro from August 2020 entitled "Why future of work might be 'hybrid'" where it explores whether the hybrid workstyle is the best of both worlds (work from anywhere and office in one) and creates greatest flexibility and caters for all sorts of people - some needing human contact and interaction at least some of the time. In this blog we will be focusing on work from anywhere (WFA) and hybrid work styles because I professionally think it's the future and gives the best cost and productivity gains when done right. And we will explore the aspects and important point to consider when designing an optimum WFA or Hybrid workstyle. Essential aspects for remote work styles success With any approach to doing business work from anywhere or hybrid work styles require good planning and forethought to be successful. When aspects o that workstyle are missing - everyone suffers and tends to revert back to previous ways of doing things. Which is not a bad thing - some have to work in an office only eg: medication production or factory work (we will talk about factory automation another time). 1. Leadership Research shows that the management play a huge part in setting the right culture for the hybrid teams of today. In a recently published book entitled Work From Anywhere (ebook), Alison & Darren Hill show you how to shape business and culture strategies to bring out the best in your hybrid and remote team members by focusing on both performance and people. Another place where this need was revealed is by a research paper released in 2013 called Telework, productivity and wellbeing: an Australian perspective under section "3.2 Telework and productivity: management guidelines" the researchers observed: "Comments from managers of teleworkers also indicated that from a productivity perspective, managers needed to use a different management approach in telework environments . This approach, based on trust, required managers to have regular virtual meetings with individuals and teams that focused on task-based deliverables". So it really starts with the leadership changing the way they manage their people - in a spirit of trust and empowerment. The focus should be to set targets and not worry about how this is achieved, if you have employed and trained capable staff then they will follow you to your goal (as long as it's reasonable and logical). This does not mean micromanagement and having daily video meetings - this becomes cumbersome and makes staff feel like being in a prison and feeling like their management doesn't trust them. If they conduct themselves honestly and achieve the goals you set you will notice amazing results. And that approach comes hand in hand with work from anywhere or hybrid workstyles. 2. The right remote information technology In February 2013, Dr Marianne Gloet & Dr Mendoza & Dr Kurnia (Melbourne University) and Dr Bosua (Open Universiteit Nederland) published a research white paper entitled "Telework, productivity and wellbeing: an Australian perspective" where the results showed that adequate technology was required to enable and support telework in order to achieve optimum productivity. It also confirmed that productivity was not a major concern for organizations that developed a culture of telework. It states in section "3.1 The importance of IT as an enabler for telework productivity": "Across the research cases investigated in this study, it was evident that adequate technology to enable and support telework is required to improve productivity. As such, basic collaboration and networking tools, mobile devices and a supportive network infrastructure need to be in place in order to achieve productive outcomes in terms of telework." Working at different organisations and then starting my own business, Cyberkite, I realised that clients who buy mismatched and low quality staff communication, connectivity and productivity equipment found the whole work from anywhere or hybrid work style difficult and ended up reverting back to working in an office. So it's important for decision makers to weigh the reduce expenses running a larger office space and redirect those funds into staff hardware and apps that work well with one another. This is why I started the online store Cyberkite to help make that easier for businesses. 3. The importance of staff and proper training The other side of the coin apart from Leadership approach is the staff play an important part and need training in order to be comfortable with using technology and find the right work style for them. Some work better in the office only, some work well anywhere and some work well with a mix of office and home. This depends on their home situation - some living alone and some living with others. This is why hybrid work style is the most popular type which I quickly discovered after running a LinkedIn poll (required LinkedIn login to view) on the different workstyles. 67% of people interviewed across Australia have embraced the hybrid work style and about 25% embraced work from anywhere all week (no office use). Folks this is here to stay. In the 2013 research paper called Telework, productivity and wellbeing: an Australian perspective under section "3.3 Telework and productivity: worker guidelines" that working from anywhere and hybrid work styles are more productive than the traditional office only. But they require staff to be familiar with the technology they got and to make good use of their time in spite of occasional distractions. The research states: 1. Teleworkers are more productive if they have the ability to work away from the office on demanding tasks that are difficult, complex and non-routine. (Michael: It depends on type of business and personality) 2. Even though teleworkers felt that they are more productive when working away from the office, they may end up working longer work hours than required when working away from the office. 3. Often teleworkers will make productive use of the time saved when not having to commute to the office. 4. Teleworkers felt that while a hybrid arrangement to telework contributed to productivity, they prefer to keep telework days to an average of two days per week. They felt the need for social interaction and face-to-face conversations with colleagues to mitigate a feeling of isolation that often occurred when teleworking. 5. Teleworkers need adequate training in the use of IT tools to ensure that they are productive in delivering task outcomes when working away from the office. 6. A suitable ‘away from work’ environment with adequate IT support allowing teleworkers to continue their office work seamlessly allows for more productive teleworkers. 4. Digital wellbeing in remote work Research also showed in research paper released in 2013 called Telework, productivity and wellbeing: an Australian perspective under section "3.4 Telework and wellbeing" that workers needed a different approach to task actioning. The staff also found that wellbeing fluctuates on some days it's great but on some there needs to be wellbeing processes and technology in place to manage their digital wellbeing. The research paper also came up with 3 observations regarding the benefits of remote work: 1. The ability to work away from the office enabled a better work-life balance on telework days, which engendered a positive attitude towards work 2. Working away from the office allowed for alternate activities (e.g. an hour of working instead of driving in heavy traffic), which energized workers, resulting in less stress and allowing for more productive work 3. Workers could better balance family and work life, and the ability to have a presence at home contributed to a more happy family life. As part of Cyberkite's IT consulting services we cover the aspect of digital wellbeing as part of any workplace, especially those who work from anywhere. There are lots of technologies and approaches to helping your team with digital wellbeing including the right devices, settings on devices, apps on devices and policies and procedures the promote good mental health and digital detoxing/switching off. What about the idea of a detox 30 mins during a workday where all activity except the essentials stops and everyone has a digital detox? Or reminders digitally and in offices in lunch areas - lunch time is detox time - put the the cookie down! (I mean put the phone down!). Work from anywhere and hybrid workstyles are great but both benefits and negatives with digital wellbeing have to be addressed for it to work. 5. IT security is essential for remote work Successful work from anywhere or hybrid workplace requires good IT security measures to ensure your weakest link isn't you working from home. This has become a priority for any business including small business when allowing their staff to work from home or anywhere at least part of the time. This aspect ws not covered in the 2013 telework research paper but has become a very important aspect of work from anywhere and hybrid workplaces. Why? Well because you don't have much visibility over any intruders that are trying to gain access to staff working from anywhere or at home. Therefore it is important for any size business to invest in their staff's IT security even if it's the staff's own home devices. Therefore my recommendation is take a zero trust approach or at least add some measure of IT security control across personal devices without the need to monitor staff or forms of standardisation. Check out this interesting Forbes article on this topic by Einaras von Gravrock in March 2021: "Navigating Cybersecurity In A Hybrid Work Environment" where he covers the ramifications and tips on what is needed such as: "If your company has adopted (or is planning to adopt) a hybrid working arrangement, you must rethink how you manage your infrastructure and effectively provide tools or resources to keep employees and company data secure. There will not be a one-size-fits-all approach to how companies could handle hybrid work security." Technology for WFA & Hybrid work styles Technology is very important for remote work. Let's analyse the areas of technology needed. 1. Communication A productive and performing business has a good foundation in establishing good communication through very effective tools like video meetings, group chat and phone. Without good communication you can't glide easily when in a work from anywhere or hybrid work style. Unified Communication (UC) is an approach where all your communication types are accessed on all devices from one app and has gained popularity since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Here are the benefits of a single solution for business communication: Better productivity: Your teams will be able to connect how they prefer, through whichever device that works well but it will bring them all together in one place online. Reduced costs: Because UC systems operate on the cloud, they allow companies to shift away from a Capex model, to an OpEx strategy with fewer initial expenses Stronger performance: Because employees can both communicate, and collaborate in an instant, they can solve customer problems faster, and improve your business reputation Enhanced user experience: A good UC strategy can delight your employees and even reduce turnover in your organisation, by giving people more freedom to work as they choose This is crucial for remote work styles. 2. Connectivity What does it really mean to have good connectivity? The most important foundation in digitally transforming your business is good IT connectivity. We think there are four pillars of awesome connectivity: Good Office Internet: Whether your teams work from home or in the office they need good and reliable internet. With our partnership with TPG in Australia we can provide an excellent corporate package for your business to reduce those slow loading pages, freezing video calls and problems synching documents to the cloud. Good Office Network: You can have fast internet but if your office has problems with the network wiring and equipment then there will still be bottlenecks, freezing pages and video calls. We transform slow, unsafe and unreliable office networks so they need little repair or maintenance. Good Wi-Fi: Many businesses report unreliable Wi-Fi connectivity such as poor signal coverage in parts of their office, loss of data, disconnection and data loss. We can change that with our amazing range of Wifi products and installation services. We also equip all desktops with a Wifi card so that staff can have a backup connection in case of an outage. Good Staff Mobile Connectivity: To complete the picture, when staff are out and about they need good phones, mobile data and reliable network to be able to connect anywhere. As a TPG dealer we can come up with competitive mobile handset and plan solutions to give your staff that final and important part of connectivity when out of the office. Without connectivity remote work is impossible. 3. Cybersecurity What is Cybersecurity? Well I'll let you see the video in this paragraph but essentially its protecting your staff and your data in your organisation. I have developed a 7 protection layer model for all aspects of Cybersecurity and it is necessary to secure your staff in their homes and anywhere in such a way. Learn more about Cyberkite Cybersecurity products and services for Australian businesses here. 4. Productivity Staff productivity in the modern and ancient times involved technology to get something done faster. In the office it is IT hardware and software provided to staff to get the job done better and quicker. Switching to work from anywhere or hybrid work style has many productivity benefits provided the right productivity tools are provided. Remote work can also bring travel and other cost savings to staff and to the business. And that is reflected by Dr Marianne Gloet who was one of the lead researchers in the research paper released in 2013 called Telework, productivity and wellbeing: an Australian perspective . It is clear that if staff don't have the right tools when working from home or anywhere they will not perform. Productivity tools like a laptop and mobile devices and others is essential for remote work. 5. Paperless A big hindrance to the digital transformation and transition to work from anywhere or hybrid work styles is PAPER! Paper forms, paper to scan, paper to archive and so on require funds, time and effort to maintain. A business that is paper free is almost impossible but a business that is paperless is very much possible and getting easier and easier to accomplish. Check out this video (above) by Dr Melissa Gracious on he thoughts on the paperless office. Cyberkite has developed a simple, staged, gradual transformation process for your business to truly move away from paper in the office. We send paper to cyberspace in your business and you can learn about our paperless office products and services here. Here is the process we undertake with our clients to help them transition to paperless: Stage 1 - Preparation - Upgrade hardware to transform paper to digital format more efficiently. Eg: MFP's and scanners. This may mean deploying small MFP's/Scanners in staff homes and assisting staff to get started in using them or setting up larger MFP's (Multi Function Printers) in office spaces to better facilitate the establishment of e-filing as the best way to store files. Stage 2 - Transition - Scan paper documents, Upload them to a Cloud storage solution, Organise the data documents and setup a backup facility for them. Sometimes Cyberkite just provides direction and leadership in the transition process while teams and staff convert to e-filing processes and procedures and they recommend best practice. Stage 3 - Enhancement: This stage is all about improving things continually. Remove Paper Signing - E-Sign to remove the need to scan documents just to be signed. Recognised by most countries as legal document for most types except certain government or legal forms. Invoice Processing Automation: This can help speed up the accounting function. Filing Database Upload to transition from cloud storage into a database for some types of data like client files and emails. Biggest problem we have seen companies using email mailboxes as places to store emails and documents. Transitory action post email mailboxes is to move the clients emails, documents and communications intro a database that can handle email and data storage in a secure environment. Other enhancements.​ Smart & AI Smart technology setups and products in the workplace are becoming a more common thing and they help to improve processes in the business and enhance the staff productivity and wellbeing. Devices such as smart speakers or automations on devices or processes help speed up deliverables and reduce expenses. This is especially true of repetitive actions including in the physical world such as what robots can do in the office. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has now gained prominence and is poised to enhance the productivity of all and for some it will take their jobs away and we can relax on the beach jobless. Conclusion I think work from anywhere and hybrid work styles are here to stay and they will will enhance everyone's work-life balance while bringing savings and productivity gains for organisations of all types whether they are educational, business or governmental agencies. This sentiment is reflected by the 2031 research paper on telework based on their findings: "In general, participants were positive about the future of telework from a productivity and wellbeing perspective and were of the opinion that managers need to understand the use and application of IT to better manage teleworkers. It was clear that the notion of office work is changing with work becoming continuously more fluid and mobile in terms of time and space. One of the participants commented as follows: "I believe it’s the way of the future, but managers need to understand and use technology in order to manage telework effectively. Work is now highly mobile, changing all the time, and more and more workers want flexibility in their jobs. Management needs to recognize this. But I think that telework success depends on workers being self-motivated, self-disciplined and self-driven. Project Manager, NetworkCo (company name changed for privacy)" So I think with the level of technology and the need for human interaction I think hybrid workstyle is here as a leading workstyle now and in the future. Imagine one day working from the moon base, the spending some time in Earth orbit and then meeting some of your staff on Tahitian islands and then adjusting some data while staying in an underwater hotel in the Caribbean. I think it only brings a universe of possibilities and humans and animals have always worked from anywhere. I think in the future we will work from anywhere and meet anywhere for human contact so the transitory need to work from an office half the time will be not necessary. I still strongly think that work from anywhere is the future but pushback from management and government to support centralised businesses who provide food and drink to centralised workplaces will move back to the suburbs and provide great food and drink to workers working from home and anywhere. But make no mistake that work from anywhere work style is also beneficial during pandemics and global disasters and according to scientists these things will only increase. So why not seriously consider getting rid of that office and working from anywhere with your staff eg: working from home half the time and working from a local workspace or restaurant upper room or vineyard function room the other time as teams. All that money spent on expensive centralised offices is going to waste. I compromise though and am happy with most businesses going for hybrid as a transition. And yes some customer facing businesses will need centralised locations to service communities. So hybrid and office only work styles are here to stay. In another blog I will explore the changes in manufacturing of the future - since that's a place that is commonly centralised. In meantime stay safe and work from anywhere! Michael References Podcast: 73%: The Hybrid Work Paradox Australia Anywhere Working (Telework) Research Network Macquarie University Centre for Workforce Futures Harvard

Contents What is a computer hacker? My interpretation of computer hackers & security hackers The Wikipedia definitions! Types of Security Hackers Top 10 Countries where Security Hackers come from Why are these countries at the top? Top 11 most powerful cyber defence nations in the world Top 10 security hackers of all time History of Cybersecurity & Security Hacking About Cyberkite Cybersecurity References What is a hacker? To ensure I don't hit any nerves of any hackers I have included the Wikipedia community based definitions of what a security hacker and computer hacker is. I'm covering hacking in the information technology space in this article, not other types of hacking like bio-hacking which I think it's far more dangerous and a whole other topic. My interpretation of computer hackers & security hackers: Security hacking can be used for "good" or "bad" security purposes, depending on what your point of view is. I think a "bad" hacker is someone who intends to hurt others financially or in other ways. Law enforcement or nation states can conduct hacking, and depending on your point of view as reader, these entities can do "good" or "bad" hacking activity. This activity usually involves hacking into devices that are connected to a network and/or the "internet". Computer Hacking can be for research, scientific, security, law enforcement, malicious means for either "good" and "bad" purposes and doesn't necessarily need to be security hacking related like hacking a solution for quantum computing or hacking your own system design to improve it. It is usually not network related but related to hacking a piece of technology, whether a computer or something else. The Wikipedia definitions! Wikipedia defines a security hacker as "someone who explores methods for breaching defenses and exploiting weaknesses in a computer system or network. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, such as profit, protest, information gathering, challenge, recreation, or evaluation of a system weaknesses to assist in formulating defenses against potential hackers. The subculture that has evolved around hackers is often referred to as the "computer underground." It also states that "Longstanding controversy surrounds the meaning of the term "hacker". In this controversy, computer programmers reclaim the term hacker, arguing that it refers simply to someone with an advanced understanding of computers and computer networks[5] and that cracker is the more appropriate term for those who break into computers, whether computer criminals (black hats) or computer security experts (white hats). A 2014 article noted that "... the black-hat meaning still prevails among the general public" But the term computer hacker has a much wider meaning according to Wikipedia: "A computer hacker is a computer expert who uses their technical knowledge to achieve a goal or overcome an obstacle, within a computerized system by non-standard means. Though the term hacker has become associated in popular culture with a security hacker – someone who utilizes their technical know-how of bugs or exploits to break into computer systems and access data which would otherwise be unavailable to them – hacking can also be utilized by legitimate figures in legal situations. For example, law enforcement agencies sometimes use hacking techniques in order to collect evidence on criminals and other malicious actors. This could include using anonymity tools (such as a VPN, or the dark web) to mask their identities online, posing as criminals themselves. Likewise, covert world agencies can employ hacking techniques in the legal conduct of their work. Oppositely, hacking and cyber-attacks are used extra- and illegally by law enforcement and security agencies (conducting warrantless activities), and employed by State actors as a weapon of both legal and illegal warfare." I think computer hacking can also include companies that reverse engineer other companies designs or change a design to make a unique design for the hardware or software that they themselves build - either legally or illegally. But we are focusing in this article on security computer hacking - we are not covering physical hacking of physical things (eg: hacking a human cell to change its properties). We are focusing on security hacking in cyberspace or initiated from the local network or from the internet. Advertisement Before we find out the top countries where security hackers come from, let's examine their types below... There is certainly a wide variety of flavours of security hackers for different purposes. Types of Security Hackers Black Hat - Typical hacker in the news & are the biggest risk to your business. Motivated by financial gain. Their goal is to get into your business, steal bank details, confidential data and money. The stolen resources are used for extortion, sale on the black market or as their own gain. White Hat - They are the opposite of black hat hackers, wanting to help businesses & support them in their cyber defence either for free or as a paid job. A company or individual who helps protect your business. Cyberkite is like a white hacker, they help defend your business data. Grey Hat - They are driven by personal enjoyment. They know all the things white and black hat hackers know and they aren't particularly interested in attacking or defending you. They usually just have fun breaking defenses for the challenge. They rarely do anything harmful - means they hack and move on. They make up the majority of all hackers. Blue Hat - They are bent on revenge and are aggressive. They don't exist unless you create them. So it does pay to have business ethics and play fair with customers and other parties. Because who knows, you don't play fair, you anger them very much and turn one of them into a blue hat hacker. Their thoughts are: "Grrrr, I'm gonna make them pay!". They usually use off the shelf code to attack adjust it for their use. They then use this code for revenge against a business or individual. Red Hat - The crusader of cyberspace. They are the superhero vigilantes, judge, jury and executioner. Their goal is to eliminate a black hat hacker in cyberspace. They use the Black hat arsenal of cyber weapons against them. But you don't know they exist as they are like the famous comics superheroes. Benefit to your business is they work to protect you like white hat hackers. Green Hat - Beginner hackers starting out. They are learning to be fully fledged hackers. They test out code for learning. They usually don't attack a business and learn from experienced hackers on online communities to learn from them. That is why they are called green as they aren't a threat to your business. Script Kiddie - They are neither of the other types. Sounds like an innocent hacker but their purpose is to cause chaos and disrupt as much as possible. They are not interested in stealing. They are focused on scripting and code but don't develop their own software. A common attack from them is DoS (Denial of Service) or DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service). So they use any type of attack that can cause your business chaos, damage your reputation or cause you to lose customers. Neophyte - A neophyte ("newbie", or "noob") is someone who is new to hacking or phreaking and has almost no knowledge or experience of the workings of technology and hacking. Hacktivist - they utilize technology to publicize a social, ideological, religious or political message. 2 groups: Cyberterrorism & Freedom of information. Nation State - Intelligence agencies and cyberwarfare operatives of nation states. Law enforcement - Various law enforcement agencies can conduct hacking to catch criminals such as the recent ANOM encrypted chat app multi-agency Operation Trojan Shield or Operation Ironside which intercepted mullions of chats across a number of years. Organized criminal gangs - groups of hacker that conduct organized criminal activities for profit. Wikipedia states: "These criminals hold computer systems hostage, demanding large payments from victims to restore access to their own computer systems and data. Furthermore, recent ransomware attacks on industries, including energy, food, and transportation, have been blamed on criminal organizations based in or near a state actor — possibly with the country’s knowledge and approval. Cyber theft and ransomware attacks are now the fastest-growing crimes in the United States. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies facilitate the extortion of huge ransoms from large companies, hospitals and city governments with little or no chance of being caught." Advertisement Top 10 Countries where security hackers come from This data is hard to come by, so the estimations I have listed below are estimations and should be viewed as such. I have shown 2013, 2016 and 2019 data to show an evolution the scene, and yes China has been and is the top country where hackers come from. The other reason why these numbers are estimations is that they are based on reported traffic and not necessarily include dark web activity. But overall the rankings are fairly reflective of what's happening. On average the latest top 10 countries where hackers come from are: China Brazil Russia Poland Iran India Nigeria Vietnam USA Germany And the top 10 countries where hackers come from over the years: Why are these countries at the top? China In 2013 China took the top spot for the top spot of being the biggest hotbed of hackers in the world and it has remained so in 2016 and 2019. I think it will remain so for long time to come. Why is that? It has one of the most sophisticated hacker networks or groups in the world. Some of these groups are maintained by The People's Liberation Army of China. What's also contributed to such a large army of hackers is the endorsement of cybersecurity awareness especially among the youth. The other reason is that China has around a billion people. Chinese Information Operations and Information Warfare includes the concept of “network warfare”, which is roughly analogous to the United States concept of cyber-warfare. Foreign Policy magazine provided an estimated range for China's "hacker army" personnel, anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 individuals in addition to other groups and individuals. I think the the Chinese hackers are "patient visionaries & social engineering experts". Their favourite targets are Asia, the Pacific and Australia. The typical Chinese cyber attack uses viral SMS message with a link to collect or install software to monitor keystrokes looking for any access to bank accounts. It is interesting to note that large share of the Chinese cybercrime infrastructure is located outside the country most likely because of tough state legislations. The other aspect we should also consider that in the last 20 years China has rapidly adopted and outpaced the western countries with the latest technology - for example the city of Shenzhen is considered the electronics capital of the world. Also China's ambitions cannot be dismissed as a thirst for acquiring intellectual property to advance both in corporate and government sectors. The other is it's thirst for surveillance of it's citizens and people of other countries - yes that's right, according to the Human Rights Watch article in April 2021 the surveillance program includes for example spying on American online uses. Will the the government there take a more active role in reducing and enforcing cyber crime? Time will tell. USA As at 2013 they were the 2nd largest warehouse of hackers with such major hacker groups as Anonymous it takes a huge effect on the world with cyberattacks. One of the most famous US hackers were Kevin Mitnick who used to be a black hat hacker but is now a White or Red Hat hacker. In 1995 Kevin was arrest and sentenced to five years in prison for various computer and communications-related crimes. By 2019 their ranking has dropped down to 9th. Turkey As at 2013 they had the 3rd largest stash of hackers. It packs a sizeable punch of cyberattacks in the world. It also have a large network of hackers acting in the interests of the Turkish government and they often are targeted towards organisations in Europe and the Middle East. Since 2016 they have dropped below 10th place. Economic issues and political difficulties means that hackers might be focusing on other means of income. Russia In 2013 they were the 4th largest collection of hackers but for some reason Russia's cyberattack traffic had been falling by 2016 to 10th spot, then by 2019 they were the 3rd. So they remain at the top. Apart for independent groups and individuals the Russian government has been involved (although not claiming responsibility) in major cyberattacks against western nations. For example, UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said that most likely state sponsored hackers from Russia targeted organisations trying to develop a coronavirus vaccine in UK, US and Canada. There is a long standing relationship between Russian hackers and the Russian government according to the Washington Post article from June 2021. Russian hackers have a strict rules of engagement. One of those rules is "Don't target Russia or friendly states". It's even hard wired into the ransomware they create with code that checks the location, so if you are located in Russia or Syria or for example if you have Russian language keyboard installed, in that case you're all good. And a simple explanation is this - if you attack where you eat you are going to get a knock on the door from the FSB. The other issue is the western sanctions are creating economic difficulties for more people there and young Russians are heading into illegal security hacking to earn an income. Ransomware is Russian hackers speciality. Such groups as DarkSide and REvil are ransomware-as-a-service groups which means they are just intermediaries between the victim and the actual hackers whether it's state sponsors or otherwise. Taiwan In 2013 they were the 5th largest place of residence for hackers. Being a relative country of China but it contains a large collection of hackers. But since 2016 they have dropped below 10th place for some reason or the hackers there have gotten stealthier. Given the difficulty of mainland Chinese hackers dealing with Chinese state strict legislation I suspect Chinese hackers have infrastructure in Hong Kong and Taiwan (my guess). Brazil In 2013 they were the 6th largest accumulation of hackers and it's South America's largest country. But by 2016 they were 4th on the ranking then spiking up to 2nd place in 2019. Brazil's ransomware attacks account for 10.64% of the global ransomware attacks. Regulatory and enforcement measures have been insufficient to prevent these attacks. Why have they grown in capabilities? Instituto Igrape article from 2018 says its a mix of increasing population and access to the internet grew to more than 66% in 2016. There is indication that Brazil is the Iceland of South America where Brazilians want greater digital rights, universal access and net neutrality. This has created inconsistencies in law enforcement related to cyber attacks. In my opinion Brazilian authorities conduct token enforcement (eg: Operation Hashtag during 2016 Olympic Games). Brazil is young on the internet and as a country will need to workout ways to better enforce cyber attacks to prevent being the next hotbed of spam and attacks. And from history we know how hard it is to shake that perception in the world. Brazil will continue to be the "maestro of South America". Brazilian hackers usually take inspiration from Russians and turn to new markets and fresh developments. I would not be surprised if Russian and Brazilian hackers work together on projects. Romania In 2013 they were the 7th highest hacker traffic country in the world. In recent years up to around 2013 an isolated town of Ramnicu Valcea became a hacker central in Romania due to international cybergangs it is home to and it was called Hackerville. One famous Romanian hacker was Guccifer. But since 2016 they have dropped below 10th place propably due to government crackdown. Independent.ie article states that in 2021 the suspected main player in "Hackerville" was extradited to Ireland and his name is Gheorghe Adrian Gherghe. Also over the past few years the Romanian authorities have been dismantling the "Hackerville" in the remote town of Ramnicu Valcea. India In 2013 Indian became the 8th most populous army of hackers and tourists have been known to be the victims of cyber attacks. The top 5 hackers in India are Vivek Ramachandran, Ankit Fadia, Sunny Vaghela, Trishneet Arora, Sai Satish. There is also a ripe community of "hackers-for-hire" firms in India. But by 2016 Indian hacking activity has jumped to 6th place. Mint article in 2021 said that India has become the "hack-for-hire hub". Same article states: "A May 2020 Google Threat Analysis Group (TAG) report highlighted an interesting emerging trend: that these “hack for hire" operations are now increasingly being mounted under the aegis of formally registered firms. 'Many are based in India,' the report said." And there is another problem, the article elaborates "Security researchers in India often do not get the same respect in the country as global counterparts, which drives them to the dark side.". Indians digital transformation and access by the population to the internet will increase and as open of the most populous nations next to China, it will have a high place in the rankings for years to come due to a trend of overseas moving the IT help desks back to onshore and overseas hackers hiring entire hacking-as-a-service (HaaS) teams to avoid responsibility. I am yet to see Indian authorities taking this problem seriously and having the resources such as security researchers and white hat hackers on the cybercrime law enforcement teams. Italy In 2013 they were the country with 9th most number of hackers in the world As the nation digitized it increased the number of hackers in Italy. For example a 25 year old Italian man pleaded guilty in 2013 for defacing NASA websites and 60 other Italian websites. Since 2016 onwards they have dropped off the top 10 most likely because of the Europol joint cyber crime law enforcement activity. Hungary In 2013 they were the country with the 10th largest number of hackers. Although its a small country in size and population it has a large hacking network. South Korea nearly beat Hungary for this position. Although since 2016 South Korea briefly jumped up to 5th position. Hungary dipped below 10th since 2016 most likely due to government law enforcement and Europol cracking down on cybercrime groups and individuals. Poland Polish, not in the top 10 in 2013 or 2016 have now grown in influence and were ranked as 4th country where hackers come from in 2019. Why is that? Internet access has become available, more affordable and access to technology has grown as Poland has been recording for over 50 years of Communism. When I was a kid in Poland in the early 1990's computers were very hard to get and very expensive, but as Polish economy started recovering from Communism it gave kids access to computers and as those kids have grown up and newer generations have come in, again like in Russia, hacking has become a means of income for some of the young people. Also according to one incident in 2020 where Polish/Swiss police & Europol uncovered one of those groups operating in Poland and Switzerland called InfinityBlack who were conducting large quantity of financial attacks in Switzerland. In recent years the Polish economy has struggled and this has most likely intensified all the wild cyber attacks coming out of Poland. In 2019 Poland joined Europols cyber-crime taskforce (J-CAT) and they have done some joint high profile dismantling of hacker and cyber criminal groups operating in Poland. According to the Global Government Forum article in 2019 the head of the Cybercrime Bureau of the Polish National Police Headquarters, Mariusz Lenczewski said: “Fighting cyber-crime every day becomes more and more difficult. Only close international co-operation will allow law enforcement agencies to succeed in this fight. We are happy that we could become a member of the J-CAT and undertake new challenges alongside specialised experts from around the world.”. I suspect Polish hacking community will keep growing getting their own unique mix of specialities. Hopefully this will mean that Polish rise in hacking may not last and may eventually drop to below 10th place. Iran From 2019 onwards Iran has risen as a notable hub of hacking activity. Why? Majority of the hacks are state based in what appears as efforts to disrupt western interests. In a 2020 AFR article it states: "Iran's cyber troops have long been among the world's most capable and aggressive, disrupting banking, hacking oil companies, even trying to take control of a dam from afar, while typically stopping short of the most crippling possible actions, say experts on the country's capabilities." State run cyber attack campaigns to further the interests of Iran will continue to be a problem for western countries and western nations. Vietnam Since 2019 Vietnam has risen to 8th largest hacking community. Why? DarkReading article in 2019 says that "Vietnam's one-party government has committed to aggressive economic growth and has been investing in domestic technology development. With the country seeking ways to gain an advantage over regional economic powerhouses like China, Japan, and South Korea, there has been an increase in cyber espionage activity targeting multinationals, IntSights said." Also since Vietnamese Internet Censorship Law was put in place the government's new cyber offensive unit called Force 47 which comprises 10,000 members has been cracking down on such communities as the Hacker Vietnam Association (HVA), a Vietnamese hacking website which had a variety of topics, hacking, carding and other topics to help hackers flourish. Other websites have popped up to replace it and looks like the hacking community is angry with the heavy handedness of Force 47. Looks like a showdown will keep brewing between these groups. The other increasing activity is hacking groups targeting western citizens to get things like their cryptocurrency wallets, bank accounts and other juice data. Nigeria Everyone is familiar with the famous Nigerian prince scams (or more widely known in various forms as advance-fee scam). Even my grandpa once feel for that. But that was a long time ago. But in recent years Nigeria has come back to top 10th hacking activity. In a LSE blog article in 2021 Dr. Uche Igwe outlines the reasons why Nigeria is rising as a hub of hacker activity. The article explains: "You do not need to travel far across Nigeria to see a generation of young people lost in the world of cybercrime and ostensibly inspired by the likes of Hushpuppi. You will find them in many Nigerian cities like Lagos, Benin and Owerri, and even up to Accra, Johannesburg, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur. It is from these remote locations that young opportunists try to launch phishing and ransomware attacks, including malicious spams, all over the world. Often when they try to escape criminal justice, they easily stand out with their characteristic way of dressing and brazen lifestyle." Nigerian authorities have conducted useful operations over the years but they are insufficient for the large task and doesn't address the underlying causes leading young people to black hat hacking rather than white hat hacking. Black hat hacking skills are easily transferable to white hat hacking as a job for companies and as startups so I would like to se young Nigerian cybersecurity startups grow to large companies employing all these smart young people as white hat hackers. Dr. Igwe explains the problem with cyber enforcement in Nigeria: "While the Nigerian Cybercrime Prevention and Provision Act 2015 has been a useful deterrent, it has been largely inadequate in preventing the vulnerability of major institutions like banks. Real-time coordination has been a challenge and made early detection and prevention difficult and insufficient. Furthermore, some unscrupulous law enforcement agents still try to take advantage of the legislation to harass young people, connive with perpetrators to procure hasty plea bargains in order to benefit from the proceeds of their crime." So it is crucial for governments to invest well in cyber law enforcement with private and government partnerships. Germany Since 2019 Germany has risen to top 10 in hacker activity. German hackers have started focusing on critical infrastructure such as power grids and water suppliers according to an Euronews article in 2019. But there is another trend, young hackers or hacktivists rising to use hacking as a way to make political statements. An example of that is a 20 year old man who admitted to police that he was behind one of the country's biggest breaches with over 1000 public figures data leaking out. Such activities would most likely have increase since 2020 given there has been a lot of bored young people under lockdown. Similar to Poland this may be a temporary rise and may be clamped down by Europol cyber crime unit (J-CAT). And out of interest....lets see what countries have the best cyber defence measures to fight cyber warfare and cyber crime. Advertisement Top 11 most powerful cyber defence nations in the world The governments are beefing up their cyber defences to protect themselves, their citizens and businesses from the hacker attacks and state based cyber warfare. U.S.A China United Kingdom Russia Netherlands France Germany Canada Japan Australia Israel How was this determined? Math. Formula: National Cyber Power Index (NCPI) = The Belfer National Cyber Power Index (NCPI) measures 30 countries’ cyber capabilities in the context of seven national objectives, using 32 intent indicators and 27 capability indicators with evidence collected from publicly available data. Check out the NCPI 2020 report from the Harvard Kennedy School - Belfer Center. And but wait.....there's more.... Top 10 security hackers of all time Kevin Mitnick Anonymous Group Adrian Lamo Albert Gonzalez Matthew Bevan and Richard Pryce Jeanson James Ancheta Michael Calce Kevin Poulsen Jonathan James ASTRA And a little more.... History of Cybersecurity & Security Hacking The first internet security hacker: The first hacker to gain media attention was Robert Tappan Morris back in 1989. He released the first Denial of Service (DoS) attack caused by a worm Morris had developed at Cornell University the year before. He was basically working on a digital version of a nuclear weapon. Robert said he didn't plan to cause harm but wanted to highlight the security flaws but sadly because of a fault in the code the worm replicated too much and caused extensive damage which went on for days, OOOPSS!!!! About Cyberkite Cybersecurity If you're an organisation or business you surf the net use caution and seek the support and advice of a professional Cybersecurity provider to help secure your business like Cyberkite. If you live in Australia and you're a small business or organisation you can learn more about our Cybersecurity products and services here. You can also book a free Cybersecurity Check which a short 30 minute discussion on what you currently have in terms of your IT security and how Cyberkite can help to enhance those protections. Advertisement References Hacker - Wikipedia Security Hacker - Wikipedia Different Types Of Hackers – And What They Mean For Your Business (2018) The 7 Top Hacking Countries (Slideshow) Top 10 Countries Where Cyber Attacks Originate (2013) Revealed: 10 countries from where most cyber attacks originate (2016) Analysing the World's Top 3 Cybercrime Countries (2018) World's top 10 Cyber Crime Hotspots (2019) Poland joins Europol’s cyber-crime taskforce (2019) Vietnam Rises as Cyberthreat (2019) These 20 ‘Hackers’ Helped Shape The Cybersecurity Landscape Forever (2020) Top 10 Most Powerful Countries in Cyberspace (2020) How India became a hack-for-hire hub (2020) Fears of Iranian cyber attack rising (2021) China’s Techno-Authoritarianism Has Gone Global (2021) Ransomware’s suspected Russian roots point to a long detente between the Kremlin and hackers (2021) Nigeria’s growing cybercrime threat needs urgent government action (2021) The Destructive Rise Of Ransomware-As-A-Service (2021) Mass surveillance in China - Wikipedia List of top hackers - Wikipedia List of major hacker groups - Wikipedia List of major cyberattacks - Wikipedia Chinese cyberwarfare - Wikipedia Cyberwarfare in the United States - Wikipedia Cyberwarfare by Russia - Wikipedia Top 10 Most Notorious Hackers of All Time (Kaspersky) CSIS Significant Cyber Incidents #cybersecurity #cyberthreat #cyberattack #hacker #itsecurity #security #cyberdefence #cyberwarfare #internet

Will the cinema industry ever recover after COVID-19 pandemic or will they disappear like Blockbuster did for movie rentals? Thats the big question grappling Hollywood and the film & cinema industry. Here's my experience going back after everything is open from COVID-19 lockdown: I went to a 4DX movie in one cinema and a normal movie in another. Everything was clean at Village Cinemas Australia & Reading Cinemas so I was impressed and felt safe and of course with my mask on. But each time I went, there was only me and 2-3 other people. So I cannot wonder whether the industry will ever recover. Mind you, here in Melbourne (Australia) the heavy COVID-19 Lockdown restrictions ended months ago and and it's the middle of summer. But very few are in the cinemas. With TV screens getting bigger and cheaper with fancier features I am wondering whether the home cinema is getting more exciting than the one down the street. And movie releases coming direct to rental streaming at $30 AUD approximately, so it has me imagining whether things will return to normal... ever. And I'm amazed how The Walt Disney Company had an amazing foresight to get Disney+ streaming service operational just in time for the pandemic. But Sadly we don't have HULU here in Australia. And some have to resort to VPN to get better stuff in Netflix. I also wonder whether the stupid regional content restrictions still work in post COVID-19 world which is why people use VPN services to see what they want. Do those regional content restrictions need to go and the "players" who make decisions like Village Roadshow (in Australia) need to work more with local streaming services? Whether they like it or not - the streaming services are the new digital cinemas. So we have to go back to the question: Why do people go to the cinema? Why did people go to the Cinema in the 1920's? After World War 1, by the early 1920's a lot of American towns had a cinema. Most people in America went to the cinema at least once a week. People didn't know the names of their local government officials but they knew the names of the lead actors and actresses in movies. So the industry exploded and went onto become big success. Quoting from Wikipedia: "The Ohio Theatre is a performing arts center on Capitol Square in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. Known as the "Official Theatre of the State of Ohio", the historic 1928 movie palace was saved from demolition in 1969 and completely restored. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977 as one of the nation's finest surviving grand theaters". Checkout it's amazing interior! Movies became a family thing, or where a couple would go to make out, or kids went to visit another world or if someone wanted to escape the memories of a World War or societal troubles of the day. Movies became the great equaliser bringing the poor family and the rich family all together to enjoy something communally as equals (well except the nasty race segregations - obviously that changed decades later). Young people started copying what they watched and dreamed of far-away places just like you would when reading a novel but richer in experience. People felt as if they because the lead character and the dark cinema helped in that experience and of course came enhancements later like 3D experience and screen sizes. Just like the Theatres or Arenas of the ancient world, the cinemas provided an outlet and calmed the masses and provided an escapist experience that brought joy, laughter, fright and every other emotion you could think into a 1-2 hour slot in the evening. And remember then TV was not around yet. And then came TV and the internet and yet Cinemas survived and enhanced the movie goes experience every time. So why is it different this time? Let's explore that question further and see what the future may hold for the industry. What is the industry grappling with now? According to Quartz magazine article here are 5 issues cinemas and the film industry is grappling with post COVID-19: 1️⃣ Even before Covid-19, the movie theater industry was changing. 2️⃣ With Hollywood trying to figure out what a “streaming movie” is, 3️⃣ the pivot to online will completely change the in-person movie experience. 4️⃣ The industry is looking to Asia to help map out its future, 5️⃣ while the survival of independent cinema hinges in part on the survival of small cinemas. So based on that I will try and workout what the future will hold. And remember we were without cinemas for many months. Science shows that it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days for a person to form a new habit and an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic. So has society permanently and irreversibly changed their habits in attending movie theatres? Let's explore possible scenarios. What will the future hold for cinemas? Here is my visions of what will happen post COVID-19 with cinemas whether we like it or not. Vision 1 - The Worst Outcome for cinemas Large cinemas will eventually close. Small local cinemas (single or multiple rooms but small amount of seating) will remain like the good old days but eventually they will start to fade as Blockbuster did for rentals. Cinemas will become a novelty. Drive-in cinemas get a come back. A blast from the past. Example is the popup drive-in cinema in MCEC in Melbourne Australia during January. We start to see novel ways of reducing close contact like bubble seats or pods where people sit in with their own climate control (but maybe that's far fetched?) Vision 2 - Back to normal - sort of COVID-19 Vaccine is distributed worldwide and begins to be treated as a seasonal flu (which it is but more severe). There is seasonal mutations just like the flu but people are generally more cautious from now on like the older population worried about catching it. Cinema attendance numbers are greatly reduced because people get used to getting their film releases on demand as a paid event at $30. Cinemas have empty seats and they start bleeding money in every direction. Smaller cinemas close and companies merge to survive. Reduce cinema room sizes and use smaller facilities. Film industry goes into a hybrid model with digital and cinema screenings. What's the solution? I think if the cinemas want to survive they are going to have to offer digital screens on their websites. They need to start to treat their websites as "digital cinemas" as well. Here is how that could work: I go on the cinema website I book in a screening at 6pm on Saturday I book in a snacks and drinks delivery which arrives 30 minutes before screening with popcorn and stuff and it arrives by Uber Eats or Menulog I watch it with those in my household and I can only login to one screen. The cinemas offer a watch party experience but of course they require each household to buy a digital ticket. If some go to the physical cinema, to drive-in cinema and watch it in "digital" cinema they can join a watch party and chat together in a shared experience. Anyway, this is my take on this. Leave some comments below if you have more ideas. Hopefully just like the movies are creative so will the industry that brings an experience we have enjoyed for over a hundred years continue being creative in delivering entertainment in some way. I really do hope the industry returns to normal and we enjoy the usual experience. But with COVID-19 mutations will see no end in sight and climate change will keep bringing changes to how we live, have fun and do things for decades to come. Maybe like in Star Trek the Next Generation & Star Trek Voyager the cinemas will be a novelty and we shift into a holodeck or experience parks where we experience the move as actors on the movie set? Or maybe we go back to theatre like in Shakespeare's time? 22/06/2021 Update - A few months ago I went to the newly renovated Lunar Drive-In Cinema in Melbourne, Australia (they renovated last year and its out of this world) - and it was amazing. Some things to workout but overall it was amazing. I also have been renting the early release movies on streaming sites - all major players like Amazon Prime, Netflix and others are gobbling up movies not released in Cinemas and people are flocking to those services. Online rental stream sites are also releasing early release screenings as $30 AUD once off rental and its reasonable and seems to be very popular. Some movies are being held for an imaginary improvement to COVID-19 that may not come for some time - what will they do? Who has been to traditional cinemas in the last 6 months? Is the film industry going to join with streaming sites and from now on early release all movies or will they come up with something new? Michael Plis #futuretechnology #artsandentertainment #innovation #futureisnow #covid19 #cinemas #hoyts #villagecinemas #readingcinemas #futureofcinema #film #movies Further Reading Here’s Why The Future Of Movie Theaters May Be Brighter Than It Looks (Forbes) Great Hera! The future of cinema is on Wonder Woman's shoulders? (Sydney Morning Herald) 125 years after cinema was born: Does it have a future? (Deutsche Weller) Tom Hanks Ponders Cinema’s Future (Dark Horizons) Issue of the day: Wonder Woman 1984 and the future of cinema (Herald Scotland) Warner Bros. Plans A Mixed Cinema/Streaming Release For Future DC Movies (Empire Online) Melbourne gets indoor drive-in cinema throughout January (Car Advice) What movie theaters will look like in the future (Quartz) Streaming wars: how threatening are they really to the film industry? (Conversation UK) What the NFDC mega merger could mean for the future of Indian cinema and entertainment (Firstpost) UK cinema admissions on course to be lowest since records began (The Guardian) CES2021: Forget foldable TVs. Transparent screens are the cool new tech trend (CNN Business) Ohio Theatre (Colombus, Ohio) (Wikipedia) How Long Does It Take for a New Behavior to Become Automatic? (Healthline)

Truly wireless earbuds have become the new trend in the technological world and a must during COVID-19 pandemic. These days when as a result of working from home, you need to catch up with business colleagues all day and juggle a baby on the other hand - an all too common scenario for parents. And the rest of us have been thrown into a blend of personal and professional aspects when working from home. Truly wireless earbuds are just like our normal earphones but they cut down on the wires so they don't get hooked on things and rip our earlobes out with it. It also offers great audio, easy connectivity and other features that may not be seen on wired earbuds such as touch controls and voice assistance. There are hundreds of unique wireless earbuds so it might be hard for you to decide which is the right one. So I have broken down the earbuds into Budget, Mid-Priced and High priced top selections. Hence, these are my top picks for 2020 based on following selection criteria: Audio Quality Battery Life Compatibility with Operating Systems Comfort Good Aesthetics including less bulky earbuds Top Budget Earphones 1 Sony WF-SP800N Positives: They are truly wireless noise cancelling headphones. It offers a 13 hours battery life in the buds plus 26 hours of charge time in the case. It has an IP55 dust and water resistance. Great audio features which include noise cancelling, high bass, touch controls, voice assistant, quick charge, ambient mode to hear the surroundings and changeable ear tips to fit any sized ears. Negatives: Although, it offers great audio for the price, it is quite big and audio could be slightly tuned better. 2 Audio Technica CKS5TW Positives: It offers 15 hours charge in earbuds plus 30 hours of charge time in the case. It has an app to change audio and it offers all the basic features. It is IPX2 drip-proof, it has soft changeable ear tips and of course a well needed powerful bass. Negatives: Although it has great audio, it lacks the more important, higher end features such as touch controls and voice assistant. It also protrudes out of the ear a little bit. 3 Sony WF-XB700 with extra bass Positives: 9 hour battery life for the earbuds and 9 hour charge time in case. It has high quality bass, a secure fit, IP64 water resistance. As well as, voice assistance (Google Assistant or Siri depending on the make of device being used)i, changeable ear tips and quick charge. Negatives: It is on the bigger side and audio quality is just above average. 4 JBL Under Armour Flash Positives: It has 5 hours battery life in earbuds and 20 hours charge time in the case. It offers bionic hearing so you can hear the surrounding sounds when needed. It has a rugged and strong aluminium case, changeable ear tips and side wings. Also it does offer voice assistant and is fairly small sized. Negatives: The logo is a bit off putting and it has a fairly small battery life. Top Mid-Priced Earphones 1 Sony WF-1000XM3 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones Positives: It is highly liked by the technology community. It has 6 hours of power in the earbuds and 24 hours of charge time in the case. It has an industry leading noise cancelling, high end audio quality, voice assistant and ambient mode to capture the sound of the surroundings if needed. Negatives: Large size 2 Samsung Galaxy Buds + Positives: They have a 11 hours battery life in buds and 22 hours of battery capacity in the case. It offers 3 microphones on each bud (2 microphones outside and 1 microphone on the inside of the earbud). These earbuds have been made in collaboration with another company known as AKG which specialises in audio devices such as earphones and headsets. These buds have the high end features of touch controls to skip, play, pause music and to activate voice assistants. Negatives: Limited features with non Samsung brands. If you live in Australia you can buy it from Cyberkite here. 3 Bose Sports True Wireless Earbuds Positives: They have a 5 hours of battery life and 3 hours of charge time in the case. It offers tons of features such as sweat and water resistance, secure fit in the ear canal, high quality Bose audio, touch controls, voice assistant (Google Assistant & Siri) and audio is customizable through Bose application. Negatives: It is fairly big and chunky. 4 Google Pixel Buds Positives: These buds have 5 hours battery life in buds and 24 hours of charge time in case. It offers a comfortable design with changeable eartips, voice assistance, live translation to 30 languages, touch control, sweat and water resistance and a compact design. Negatives: Little irritating for long term use and only works best with pixel devices with limited functionality on ios, android & windows. High Priced Earphones 1 Beats Powerbeats Pro Positives: These powerful earbuds have 9 hours listening time plus 24 hour charge in the case. It has ear hooks and rubber ear tips for extreme secure fit. It is sweat and water resistant. It also has great audio features such as noise cancelation, balanced sound with dynamic range and high quality full of bass audio. Negatives: Some people might not like the ear-hooks as it may interfere with eye glasses. 2 Jaybird Vista Positives: These have 6 hour battery life in earbuds plus 10 hours in case. It has an IPX7 fully water proof and sweat proof rating. It offers all the important and the high end features such as interchangeable tips, immersive sound that can be changed through app, compact design and passive noise isolation. Negatives: Minimal design Honourable Mentions The top picks for Apple users are: Apple AirPods Positives: AirPods work the best with apple products. It offers simple connectivity with apple devices, has touch controls to control your music and activate Siri. It offers 5 hours of listening in one charge and 24 hours battery in case. It has great audio. Negatives: lacks any noise cancellation because it does not have a rubber tip that goes in the ear and blocks the surrounding sound. Apple AirPods Pro Positives: This would be the most recommended earphones for Apple users due to its connectivity and great audio quality. It has a 4.5 hours of listening time in a single charge and 24 hours in the case. It offers active noise cancellation and amazing sound quality with adaptive EQ. Negatives: Very limited functionality with non Apple devices. Another Mention: Samsung Galaxy Buds Live Positives: These bean shaped earphones sit on top of the ear similar to the Apple AirPods. It has active noise cancellation open type as well as live and deep audio. It offers 7.5 hours of listening time per charge and 28 hours in case. Negatives: Similar to Apple Airpods it doesn’t have the rubber tips to provide high end noise cancelation. Conclusion There are many good wireless earphones that best fit your needs and your pockets, so you will need to dig a little deeper into each earbuds specifications and your preferences. But the overall winner from my technical and professional opinion (based on the criteria mentioned at the start) is…..drum roll….. Sony WF-1000XM3 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones These Sony earbuds are easily compatible with devices on most operating systems and it delivers high end audio. It has a strong, durable and comfortable design. It’s also packed with features such as voice controls, noise cancelation, app to modify audio and ambient mode. Of course, each of the wireless earbuds is unique in its own way and maybe another earbud checks all your necessities better. If you wish to purchase any of these products, Cyberkite is here to help with a pre- and post- sales consultations to save you time and money in selecting your business technology, so book in an IT Helpdesk session via cyberkite.com.au/booksession . Also head to cyberkite.com.au/store and select the product or hit Request a Custom Quote to get a quote for a product. Regards, IT Intern at Cyberkite, Contributor: Cyberman.

Wouldn’t it be awesome to own an invention that can cook for you whatever you desire? Say no more! Technology is limitless and can have a solution to most problems. People may complain: "I never get enough time to cook a good meal!" or "I never have time to eat properly". People have dishwashers to wash their dishes, washing machines to wash clothes and the latest thing that got invented was a robot vacuum cleaner that even cleans the house. So, why not have the Robot Kitchen? Why do we need it? Well, The Robot Kitchen is an invention that not everyone will be able to afford at the moment. So, the target audience for this invention would be the high-class society and of course Restaurants. But we think as this becomes mainstream it will become more affordable for the everyday home. In today’s society, Robotics is at its peak with a lot of unbelievable technologies releasing very frequently. So, how are these ground-breaking devices going to help us in the future? A Robot Chef is a robotic arm that can cook food on a daily basis. This helps you to have that restaurant quality food with the freshest of ingredients. Imagine that? Having a 5-Star meal daily at the comfort of your home! That’s incredible in my eyes! Types of applications It’s simple. There are two common applications for Robot Kitchens, one for the householder and the other for specialised uses for restaurants with custom built solutions. So for the everyday family, it means that the robot will be able to cook top quality food. As well as it can follow your traditional family meal for a scrumptious meal. So for the smaller family owned restaurants, with a customised kitchen robot, it means that they can deliver top quality food and be highly efficient on time. This way the owner wouldn’t have to stress out a lot about the food because it will always be guaranteed to have the same taste as well as clean hygiene. On the other hand, bigger restaurants will be able to manage larger crowds and still provide food in a short period. Also, it means that the restaurant saves a lot of money as they do not have to have multiple chefs in the kitchen. Just one or two may be sufficient. Robot chefs do exist today! Here are some examples. Moley Company called Moley sells their own version of a fully robotic kitchen. The robot can be installed in the house or used in a restaurant. The Moley Robotic arm is the world’s first fully robotic kitchen. It offers quality recipes and you can also manage your calories and the type of diet. Other than cooking, it also informs you when an ingredient is finished. Samsung Bot Chef Designed for restaurants but may be able to be used in the home. This product is still in its development stages but the robot has already been tested. Samsung Bot Chef that can assist Michelin Starred Chefs to cook a 5-star meal. We can see that in the near future how this product would be applied into restaurants. This new device falls into a new category titled “cobot”. So cobot is different from a robot, It is a collaborative bot. This means that it will assist a person in making meals not do it all by itself. It can do all the chopping, whisking, pouring and cleaning. So this application of robots is best suited for restaurants as they can easily manage their time doing less of these smaller tasks. Flippy Flippy by Miso Robotics is also a cobot in the form of a robotic arm for commercial kitchens (Restaurants). It can grill and fry, cook perfectly and consistently every time and can switch tools depending on the task. Niska Ice Cream Shop in Melbourne, Australia Located in the heart of Melbourne, Australia. Stands an Ice Cream shop that is highly distinguishable to all other ones. This Ice cream shop is run by robots. There is 1 robot and 2 cobots running the shop. The Robot named Pepper serves you. The cobot named Tony helps to make ice cream and gelatos. Finally, the other cobot named Eka is a robotic arm that scoops the ice cream. The google link for the shop is placed below and if you happen to be in the area its definitely a gem to look at. What's ahead? This future evolution can have a lot of benefits as it is a life hack. It can help in the home kitchen and cook good quality, tasty and low calorie food for your family. In the restaurants it can help the chefs to make the dishes quicker, to a better standard and even having the same exact taste for the recipe every time. These kinds of robots are not harmful to society as most movies suggest. It is programmed to do only those specific tasks and does not have a mind of its own. I eagerly look for the time when Robots Chef’s will be in restaurant kitchens. Please share thoughts and comments below on this subject and what other area of business or life you would like to see robots in. Cyberkite is continually developing small business Robot solutions for the Professional Services industry. To learn more about out Intelligent Devices endeavours visit cyberkite.com.au/intelligentdevices Regards, IT Intern at Cyberkite I have been working as an IT Intern for Cyberman and Cyberkite since the beginning of 2020 just before the crazy COVID-19 madness started. I am a student currently studying Computer Science and gaining more knowledge in the Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics fields. Stay tuned for more articles from me in those fields.

In this article I will keep documenting types of threats out there and how you can protect yourself. What is a cyberthreat? It's the possibility of a malicious attempt to damage or disrupt a computer network or system or devices or software. Malware Software that is specifically designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to a computer system. Types of malware is a worm, virus, trojan. DoS or DDoS A DoS attack is a denial of service attack where a computer is used to flood a server with TCP and UDP data packets. A DDoS attack is where multiple computers target a single computer with a DoS attack. The targeted network is then bombarded with packets from multiple locations. There is a lot more folks. Stay tuned as we add them all in here. References List of major data breaches List of cyber warfare forces List of major cyberattacks Dos vs DDoS Attacks: The Differences and How To Prevent Them #cybersecurity #cyberthreat #cyberattack #hacker #itsecurity

A continous list of tried and tested cybersecurity tips for businesses around the world to help prevent cyber attacks. For more advice and enhancement to your business Cybersecurity (IT Security) book a free 30minute CyberPulsecheck chat today. Why are we sharing CyberTips? It helps us all be aware and more secure by taking certain actions to prevent a disaster in the organisation. When everyone in teh organisation is informed then there is less likely a chance that one person ends up being the cause of a major IT disaster. CyberTips Contents: #1: Don't install 3rd party apps before checking with IT #2: Avoid clicking on ads online, links in SMS or Email or on Websites. CyberTip #1: Don't install 3rd party apps before checking with IT Scenario: If you are a staff member at a business and your collegue tells you about this cool app that does this, please always get IT to check whether the app is safe. Prevents a Disaster: You install a software laced with a ransomware virus. This encrypts everything on your local computer and encrypts everything on company cloud storage shared drives like Sharepoint, OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, Box etc. Company is then out of action permanently or is crippled severely in service delivery. What to do: So best advice is please don't install 3rd party apps from usb, email or websites before checking with IT. If you use Cyberkite for your IT, contact us to check the app before install and we will check the software in a number of ways and scan it for safety, then report back. This is especially true of free apps online as they sometimes come packaged with viruses or malware. CyberTip #2: Avoid clicking on ads online, links in SMS or Email or on Websites. Scenario: You get a link to do something via email but the email looks weird (badly formatted) or sender address is unrelated to the display name or when you hover over any links they show up as unrelated to that companies website. Prevents a Disaster: You press on the link Installs a ransomware or other type of virus. This encrypts everything on your local computer and encrypts everything on company cloud storage shared drives like Sharepoint, OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, Box etc. Company is then out of action permanently or is crippled severely in service delivery. What to do: DO NOT CLICK ANYTHING suspicious. Do not click any online ads becuase you don't know which ones are safe and which ones are not. Check the sender email and display name and hover ovver any links to check if they are form the sender or show up as strange website link. Never click it. Submit a request to Cyberkite to check the email and the link to see if its safe.

Written by Michael Plis - 24/08/2020 Some new security enhancements to Chrome browser & OS have recently been added in version 84.0.4147.135 onward. I've also included some tips on turning on additional Chrome browser & Chrome OS security features to further enhance your online security. 1. Chrome > Settings > Privacy and security section > Security > Under Safe Browsing section > turn on Enhanced protection. How to use Safe Browsing. 2. Chrome > Settings > Privacy and security section > Security > under Use secure DNS section > change from With your current service provider to With "Google (Public DNS)" or one of other 4 providers including one that has CleanBrowsing (porn filter). How to use Secure DNS (Under subheading Use secure connection...). You may need to re-tick and tick as it seems to drop off initially. Important: If your device is managed by your Organisation or parental controls are turned on, you can’t use Chrome’s secure DNS feature. 3. Chrome > Settings > Under Auto-fill section > Passwords > go to Check passwords > and do the check for websites that have had their password compromised. (If you sync your passwords under Chrome browser/Google account). This replaces the Password Checkup extension that Google has deprecated from 31 August 2020. About new Password Checkup (Under subheading Check your saved passwords) 4. Login to Google Account Password Manager with your Google account & select Go to Password Checkup and change passwords for any sites that use same password to a unique for each and save it in Chrome synched with Google account. How to use Password Checkup on online Google Password Manager. 5. Install Google extension called Password Alert - How to use Password Alert. 6. When setting up a new account on a site right click on the password field & select "Suggest strong password" & save them to Google account via Chrome sync. How to use Suggest strong password. Instructions on Turning sync on and off in Chrome (Important: Only turn on Chrome sync with devices you own. If you're using a public computer, use guest mode instead.) 7. Above all turn on 2 Factor Authentication (2 Step Verification) on your Google account to protect those synced passwords from unauthorized access. How to do it. And read up more on 2 Factor Authentication on Google account. I hope the enhancements that you have turned on will help you browser safer online because the digital Boogeymen/women are out there. So the best defence is a good offence. And Just like WorkCover ad's say but I've modified for Cybersecurity: Look it Think it Don't click it (if in doubt) #cybersecurity

Cyber threat actors (CTA) always take advantage of major events. Coronavirus Outbreak is not an exception. We expect this will be done for the outbreak across the world. They will likely post links to fake charities and fake safety instructions thus trying to conduct financial fraud and disseminate malware. This will continue for months. Signs There has been a huge jump in domain name rfegistrations with the word coronavirus, help, relief, victims and recover. Few of those wdomains appear malicious and such websites should always be viewed with caution. CTA's will likely send malicious emails, post malicious advertisements online, post socila media posts and send SMS messages with viral links. How to protect yourself: Contact Cyberkite to assist with preventative measure to protect you business. You can book a consultation appointment here: Book a Session Any social media posts that advertise help for victims or safety guidelines should be treated with caution. This includes links to crowdfunding pages, email addresses, or other websites and should be viewed with caution. Be careful with any links in emails with links that offer to show instructions on corona virus safety and donation campaigns. Don't go to untrusted websites or tap on links in suspicious and unknown sms mesages. Double check the spelling of website addresses first because CTA's often misspell the website name to fool you to think its the real website. If a legitimate donation campaign exists please check the donation sites countries government register of donation agencies. In Australia you can go to ACNC CHARITY REGISTER. If it's a valid donation campaign then go for it. Another option is to go to Google Search and type in the donation fund name and type the word "review" or "scam" - as someone has already been bound to fall prey. Example of Corona Virus Email Scam (Source: Mimecast) References: MS-ISAC Article - by Thomas F. Duffy, MS-ISAC Chair

First posted on 15/10/2019 What’s happened? Australia Post is warning the community of widespread scam text messages telling customers there are problems delivering a package, or that a parcel won’t be delivered “due to unverified shipping address.” The text messages use AusPost as the sender name (which means it appears in the same text thread as other legitimate AusPost communications) and asks you to click on a link. The link leads to a fake website with the Australia Post logo, asking you to verify your address and provide a payment. By entering these details, the scammer can steal your personal and financial information. Does it affect me? These text messages have been sent to a large number of people. The way mobile phones show SMS conversations means this scam message can look like a legitimate Australia Post text message. When scammers pretend to be legitimate or well-known brands to trick you into handing over your personal details, this is known as ‘phishing’. How do I stay safe? Remember that Australia Post will never: Email or text message you asking you to click on a link to print out a receipt or label for parcel collection and tracking, or to access your package. Ask you to send an email with your personal or financial information, including any form of ID, passwords, credit card details and account information. If you are not sure whether an email, text message or phone call is legitimate, contact the organisation the message claims to be from. Do this by searching for contact details on their official website, social media page or other independent source and not from any contact details in the message. If you believe you have sent any personal information to a scam email address or entered it into a scam website and are worried that your identity may have been stolen, you can contact IDCARE – Australia and New Zealand’s free national identity & cyber support service – on 1300 432 273. More information Stay Smart Online has advice on what phishing is and how to protect yourself from it. Think you can spot a scam (phishing) message? Take our quiz to put your skills to the test: https://www.staysmartonline.gov.au/reversethethreat/scammessages The information provided here is of a general nature. Everyone's circumstances are different. If you require specific advice you should contact your local technical support provider. Disclaimer This information has been prepared by the ACSC. It was accurate and up to date at the time of publishing. This information is general information only and is intended for use by private individuals and small to medium sized businesses. If you are concerned about a specific cyber security issue you should seek professional advice. The Commonwealth and all other persons associated with this advisory accept no liability for any damage, loss or expense incurred as a result of the provision of this information, whether by way of negligence or otherwise.

OVERVIEW: Multiple vulnerabilities have been discovered in Xcode, tvOS (Apple TV), Safari (browser), iOS (iPhones), iPadOS (iPads), watchOS, Mac OS: Mojave, High Sierra and Sierra. The most severe of these vulnerabilities could allow for hacker to run malicious code. Xcode is an integrated development environment for MacOS tvOS is an operating system for the fourth-generation Apple TV digital media player. Safari is a web browser available for OS X. iOS is a mobile operating system for mobile devices, including the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. iPadOS is the successor to iOS 12 and is a mobile operating system for iPads watchOS is the mobile operating system for the Apple Watch and is based on the iOS operating system. Mojave OS is a desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers. High Sierra OS is a desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers. Sierra OS is a desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers. Successful exploitation of the most severe of these vulnerabilities for this threaty can result in attacker gaining the same privileges as the logged-on user, or the bypassing of security restrictions. Depending on the privileges associated with the user, an attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. THREAT INTELLIGENCE: There are currently no reports of these vulnerabilities being exploited in the wild. 😇 RISK: Government: Large and medium government entities: High Small government entities: High Businesses: Large and medium business entities: High Small business entities: High Home users: Low RECOMMENDATIONS: Contact Cyberkite via www.cyberkite.com.au/cybersecurity to book a Cybersecurity Healthcheck Session remotely (Worldwide) or onsite (Melboure Au only) or use the blue chat or contact us page to book us in We can help with the recommendations. Apple devices although highly secure are constantly targetted due to their popularity. We recommend the following actions be taken: Apply appropriate patches/updates provided by Apple to vulnerable systems immediately after appropriate testing. Run all software as a non-privileged user (one without administrative privileges) to diminish the effects of a successful attack. Reminder to all staff not to download, accept, or execute files from un-trusted or unknown sources. Remind to all staff not to visit untrusted websites or follow links provided by unknown or un-trusted sources. Cyberkite can also assist in applying the "Principle of Least Privilege" to all systems and services to reduce chances of malicious viruses to run amuck. LEGAL & REFERENCES: Copyright: MS-IAC Advisory (US) Number: 2019-099 - Dated 26/09/2019 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210588 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210589 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210590 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210603 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210604 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210605 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210609

What’s happened? Members of the public have reported receiving scam emails that appear to come from their own email account, threatening to reveal intimate images of them unless they pay a fee. This email scam is widespread, with the Australian Cyber Security Centre, Office of the eSafety Commissioner and Scamwatch receiving over 300 reports from the public this week. How it works This scam uses a tactic known as ‘sextortion’ – a form of online blackmail where a cybercriminal threatens to reveal intimate images of someone online, often to their friends and family, unless they pay a ransom quickly (often in cryptocurrency). The scam uses ‘spoofing’ to make the email look like it’s come from your own email address. Email spoofing occurs when email addresses are manipulated to come from a different source, but display as a legitimate address. This is a technique commonly used by cybercriminals to make their scam seem real. How do I stay safe? If a blackmailer is threatening to reveal intimate images of you online, do not give in to their demands, it is most likely a fake threat. Report it to the Office of the eSafety Commissioner. (you can find the matching eSafety agency in your country by googling: cybersecurity government agency in ) If you receive one of these emails, don’t give the perpetrator any money or images, and stop all contact with them. In Gmail you can open the scam email and tap on the 3 dots menu and select Report phishing (similar options will be found in other email programs). This will alert your email account company and they will warn others and block such emails from coming to other users. If you’re concerned about your physical safety call Triple Zero (000) or contact your local police. Change your passwords for all social media and online accounts – including your email account – straight away, and review your privacy and security settings. Cybercriminals can use your personal details to their advantage, like manipulating your email address if it has been caught up in a data breach. You can check if any of your email addresses have been in a data breach by visiting https://haveibeenpwned.com and type in your email address. If there are some that come up gop to those websites and change your password. Additional Setup from Cyberkite: Visit Cyberkite website www.cyberkite.com.au/cybersecurity and select Book a Cybersecurity Healthcheck to book us for a cybersecurity healthcheck or select Request a Quote of you need an overhaul of your small business IT security. More information If you have experienced image-based abuse, you can also contact the Office of the eSafety Commissioner to report and seek support, including links to counselling support services. You can report scams to Scamwatch: https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam (you can report a scam in a similar way in your country by googling: report an email scam in ) Copyright © 2019 Australian Government. All rights reserved. Republished by Cyberkite with additional notes.

Originally published here on 17July 2019 What’s happened? Australian Android users are warned not to download mobile apps from third party app stores following reports of malware known as ‘Agent Smith’ infecting 25 million Android devices globally. Definition from Cyberkite: Android is the operating system of a lot of popular brands like Samsung, HTC, Oppo, Huawei, Google Pixel, etc. How it works? Android devices are infected when the user installs an app, often a game app from a third party site (meaning an app not from the Google Play Store), which contains this malicious software (malware). The ‘Agent Smith’ malware then searches an infected device for other apps it can feed on, replacing them with malicious, cloned versions without the user’s knowledge. ‘Agent Smith’ is capable of replicating mobile apps like WhatsApp, web browser Opera and virtual keyboard SwiftKey. Through the replicated apps, ‘Agent Smith’ displays fake advertisements that are used by cybercriminals to steal your money or personal information. By impersonating existing apps on a user’s device – and leveraging the permissions a user has granted to the real apps – cybercriminals could also hijack sensitive information like your banking password or other online logins. How do I stay safe? If you think you may have downloaded an app containing ‘Agent Smith’, Android users can go to Settings, then click on Apps or Application Manager, scroll to the suspected app and uninstall it. If it can’t be found then remove all recently installed apps. Note from Cyberkite: Also before installing any apps via the Play Store - always read the reviews for any comments that the app is fake. If still unsure, google the name of the app and go to the genuine company page that talks about the app and follow the relevant link there. Note from Cyberkite: Do not allow installation of apps from third party sources - you're not protected by Google's protection mechanisms on the Play Store. Some people figure out how to turn off the protection to allow installation of apps not available on the google Play Store - for example they install the Game Fortnite or Install a Pornography app or something that would not be available on the Google Play Store. Our advice - if you are not a hacker or programmer or developer - then stick to installing Android apps from the Google Play Store only 👌 Note from Cyberkite: If you need a through Cybersecurity Check - book Cyberkite for a session onsite (in Melbourne, Australia) or remotely (Worldwide) - Booking Centre: cyberkite.com.au/booksession (sign up and login required for your safety) Further advice to stay safe when dealing with apps: Never download apps from third party sites or from links in emails, social media, text messages or websites. Use legitimate app stores such as Google Play for Android (for Android phones) or Apple’s App Store (for ipads and iphones) Don’t click on app adverts as they may contain malicious software – and consider installing a reputable ad blocker from a legitimate app store that will stop you seeing most ads. Keep your devices and apps updated with the latest software whenever updates are available – and set updates to install automatically wherever possible. More information Learn more about safely downloading online apps. Read more about malicious advertising. Copyright: © 2019 Australian Government. All rights reserved. With a few notes from Cyberkite.

Originally posted 20 Aug 2019 Problem: Last year Australians paid scammers over $6 million in cryptocurrency to supposedly invest in cryptocurrency ventures. Cryptocurrency is a digital currency in which encryption techniques are used to regulate the generation of units of currency and verify the transfer of funds, operating independently of a central bank. In other words its "decentralized cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin now provide an outlet for personal wealth that is beyond restriction and confiscation". Cryptocurrency in itself is not a bad thing but it's a pain in the backside of banks and governments. Australian Taxation Office is planning to link to all major cryptocurrency exchanges in 2019/2020 financial year to cross reference citizens that haven't been paying tax. It’s becoming more common for cybercriminals to request payment in cryptocurrency – particularly in investment scams. Advice: So, be wary of investment schemes that ask you to pay using unusual methods like cryptocurrency or iTunes cards. Cyberkite recommends staying away from cryptocurrencies as they are volatile (value can drop overnight). Riskiest form of gambling in a way. But if you have some for example Bitcoins, please make sure you let your accountant know and pay the fair share of tax to whatever government you live in. Cryptocurrency explained: https://www.staysmartonline.gov.au/news/cryptocurrency-explained Source: Stay Smart Online https://www.staysmartonline.gov.au