Daily Archives: June 1, 2020

The coming of widespread 5G technology promises more than just faster everything, enhanced capacity and greater reliability. Leading proponents of the wonders of 5G, such as the theoretical physicist and author Michio Kaku, paint a picture of a true technological paradigm shift, a game-changer.

The self-described futurist invites us to imagine a lightning-fast global communications network that will fuel dramatic advancements in societys productivity and ultimately enrich and empower our lives.

Every once in a while there is this technology which changes the entire landscape, he says in a video produced by wireless network operator T-Mobile. Much like the arrival of the Gutenberg printing press in the mid-1400s triggered a Renaissance of knowledge, he explains that 5G hold the promise to bring connectedness to the rest of the world for millions of people who currently lack easy access to broadband technology.

Lets hope he is correct. Because there is also no shortage of bright minds waving red flags about potential risks to health and online security. Many are warning that 5G also holds the power to enrich and empower high-speed malicious hackers, supercharging their ability to wreak untold havoc in the global cybercrime epidemic.

One of the fundamental challenges of 5G involves balancing its far-reaching potential for human progress against the significant new security risks presented by this extraordinary technological breakthrough, said cybersecurity expert Chuck Bane, academic director for the University of San Diegos online Master of Science in Cyber Security Engineering program and retired naval officer whose experience includes collaboration on cybersecurity projects with the Department of Homeland Security, the NSA and the DoD.

Remember when 4G promised to revolutionize data-based communication across the globe? That was so 2010. The G, of course, stands for generation meaning that 5G is the next generation of wireless mobile communications technology after 4G.

And generations, in this case, move much more quickly than in human terms. A quick review of the evolution of wireless communication reveals that the advent of 1G in the late 1970s marked the beginning of cellphone technology; so people born prior to that have gone from a 0G world to 4G, and now 5G. Each generation has been marked by technological advancements that allow greater data transmission speeds.

But, as technology website CNET explains, 5G networks will bring usmuch more than a simple bandwidth or speed improvementon phones: Critical improvements likelow latency, intelligent power consumption, high device density and network slicing make it a breakthrough.

Like other cellular networks, 5G networks use a system of cell sites that divide their territory into sectors and send encoded data through radio waves, according to PCmag.com.

The fifth generation of wireless internet technology will rely on hundreds of thousands of these small cell transmitters, which consume less power but cover smaller areas than 4G towers.

The size and number of the small cells which power 5G also means that they will be placed anywhere in streets and buildings, according to Forbes.com, marking the biggest shift in telecommunications since the invention of the cellphone.

For more details on how it all works, HackerNoon.com offers helpful explanations in 5 quick things to know about 5G.

5G is sometimes described as 100 times faster than 4G. Or, depending upon what type of application youre talking about, 10 times faster. Or 1,000 times faster.

Why is enhanced speed such a game-changer?

Faster data transmission and greater bandwidth obviously has far more important applications than consuming media, playing online games and exchanging work documents and files online.

In the medical world, for example, it can accelerate caregivers ability to deliver services like physician-to-physician consultations, at-home monitoring and video-based telemedicine, according to ModernHealthcare.com.

Another example involves self-driving cars, which rely on a continuous stream of data to operate. The quicker that information is delivered to autonomous vehicles, the better and safer they can run, according to a CNBC video.

The CNBC report forecasts 5G becoming the essential the connective tissue for the Internet of Things enabling the worldwide network of internet-connected devices to grow three-fold by 2025, linking and controlling not just robots, but medical devices, industrial equipment and agricultural machinery.

Along with the many positive benefits of 5G technology detailed above comes a lengthy list of concerns, from the individual and personal to the national and global.

Such concerns are closely examined in media reports with headlines like the following:

Concerns about potential health risks presented by electromagnetic radiation produced by higher-frequency radio waves emitted by the 5G small cells have been front and center (Wired.com offers some reassurance in an article titles Worried About 5Gs Health Effects? Dont Be), but this report will focus on the cybersecurity implications of 5G.

The future of wireless technology holds the promise of total connectivity.

But it will also be especially susceptible to cyberattacks and surveillance.

Thats the premise of an in-depth review of the terrifying potential of 5G published in The New Yorker.

The article cites estimates that 5G will pump $12 trillion into the global economy by 2035, and add 22 million new jobs in the United States alone, while ushering in a fourth industrial revolution.

However, A totally connected world will also be especially susceptible to cyberattacks. Even before the introduction of 5G networks, hackers have breached the control center of a municipal dam system, stopped an Internet-connected car as it travelled down an interstate, and sabotaged home appliances. Ransomware, malware, crypto-jacking, identity theft, and data breaches have become so common that more Americans are afraid of cybercrime than they are of becoming a victim of violent crime.

Industry watchdogs warn that 5G has the potential to worsen existing threats and introduce new ones. For example, the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy organization, has identified five ways in which 5G networks are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than their predecessors in a report titled: Why 5G Requires New Approaches to Cybersecurity.

Since one of the chief benefits envisioned for 5G is the ability to connect more and more devices to the IoT, this also increases the threat vectors for hackers, according to HackerNoon.com.

Another potential worst-case scenario outlined by HackerNoon: Faster networks can also mean faster ways for viruses and malware to spread. If more users are on the network, then you also have the potential for more infected devices and systems than ever before.

Commenting on the concern that a greatly expanded IoT multiplies the potential points of entry for cyberattacks in an article titled 5G Dangers: What are the Cybersecurity Implications? Heimdal Security notes that, 5G technology could also lead to botnet attacks, which will spread at a much higher speed than the current networks allow it.

Of particular relevance to the cybersecurity community, the dawn of the 5G era demands that new and improved defenses and cybersecurity protocols be developed and put in place to counter the potential risks.

This means the current and future work of many cybersecurity professionals will be inextricably connected to understanding and defending against the new security risks, both known and unknown, posed by this rapidly emerging technological breakthrough.

Because, in the final analysis, a world with vastly improved speed and bandwidth, as well as greatly expanded threat vectors, creates new possibilities for humans to do both wonderful things and horrible things faster than you can say 5G.

About the Author:

Dr. Michelle Moore is academic director and professor of practice for the University of San Diegos innovative online Master of Science in Cyber Security Operations and Leadership degree program. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy Administration with a concentration in Homeland Security and a masters degree in the Management of Information Systems. Her research topics are dedicated to the ongoing progression of cybersecurity, cyber law, cybercrime, national and international cyber policy, and disaster recovery efforts.

Editors Note:The opinions expressed in this guest author article are solely those of the contributor, and do not necessarily reflect those of Tripwire, Inc.

Excerpt from:
5G Technology - The Cybersecurity Implications of Widespread - tripwire.com

Search Party

Ever since scientists first calculated how much matter is in the universe, theyve been unable to find half of it.

Baryonic matter, sometimes called luminous matter to distinguish it from dark matter, has been estimated to make up about five percent of the stuff in the universe. But half of it has never been found, CNET reports until now.

Astronomers increasing ability to track fast radio bursts as they pass Earth gave them a new clue. These signals get distorted as they pass through objects, according to research published Wednesday in the journal Nature, and the extent of that distortion seems to account for the entirety of the universes missing matter, the team told CNET.

We all expected to detect it, eventually, University of California, Santa Cruz astronomer Xavier Prochaska told CNET, but until we did, it was an embarrassment.

Over the past few years, other scientists also claimed to have found the missing baryonic matter. They used techniques like scanning for clouds of gas surrounding black holes or cosmic strands of matter linking galaxies.

But they all relied on incomplete data sets and their papers made large extrapolations, Macquart told CNET. He compared it to guessing how big a dog is by looking at the size of its tail.

READ MORE: The universes missing matter problem has finally been solved [CNET]

More on baryonic matter: Scientists May Have Finally Found the Universes Missing Matter

Read more:
Half the Visible Universe Was Missing. Scientists Just Found It. - Futurism

From air travel to restaurants and mom-and-pop shops, businesses relying heavily on the in-person customer connection have been hit hard by the novel coronavirus pandemic. Shopping malls are no exception.

Retail futurist Doug Stephens ends an interview trying to sound positive about the retail industry. But he acknowledges its not easy to be upbeat.

We could be facing a retail refugee crisis, said Stephens, who founded and runs the consulting firm Retail Prophet. He describes monumental changes ahead for Canadas retailers and their employees, especially those located in large and medium-size shopping malls across the country.

Problems lie ahead for workers and the companies that own historically-profitable shopping properties occupied by retail brands that are struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are going to have a crisis in the commercial real estate market, Stephens makes clear.

Theres no way to get around or candy-coat it.

READ MORE: What shopping will look like as retail stores open across Canada

Retailers couldnt open their stores for weeks as a result of the global pandemic. In many parts of Canada, including Ontario, shopping malls still are not permitted to reopen to the public.

Many stores and shopping malls that have reopened have found an unenthusiastic consumer base reluctant to come back.

If they had no great reason to go four months ago, they are going to have much less reason to go in (the next) four months, said Marina Strauss, who spent 40 years as a Canadian journalist, mostly with the Globe and Mail.

Strauss spent the last 20 years at the newspaper reporting on the retail industry until her retirement in 2019.

To get people back at the malls they will need to really convince people theyre safe and theyre something to go for, she told Global News in an interview.

It wont be easy.

READ MORE: Can I try on clothes now that stores are reopening?

I dont predict the death of the shopping centre, I think the question is: what will it become?' said Lisa Hutcheson, managing partner of J.C. Williams Group, a Toronto-based retail industry consultancy.

Hutcheson says mall owners and retailers are wrestling to figure out how to open and operate businesses safely, knowing they must limit the number of customers in stores to ensure physical distancing.

The COVID-19 crisis has driven consumers to shop differently out of necessity. Online shopping for everything from groceries to clothing to electronics has become mainstream.

The internet is the biggest big box store in the world, said Stephens.

Anything I want is in that store 24 hours a day.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated change in retail, which was already in the midst of upheaval. For example, J.C. Penney, a 118-year-old retailer, filed for bankruptcy in May.

What COVID-19 is really doing is pushing the retail industry out of the industrial age of retail and into the digital age of retail. This is going to be really painful, not just for brands, it will be painful for consumers as well, said Stephens.

Almost inevitably, the shift to digital will have an effect on traditional stores.

READ MORE: B.C. retail stores are reopening mid-May. Heres what they need to do

We are going to see stores close, we are going to see more dark spaces in malls, thats not going to attract people either, said Strauss.

Rather than occupying a huge footprint, retailers may favour smaller stores designed to give consumers a taste of what theyre about.

It might be a showroom where people come in and the product is shipped to them at a separate time, said Hutcheson.

2020Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Link:
The New Reality: Future of shopping malls in jeopardy as COVID-19 pandemic pushes shoppers online - cjoy.com

Virtual Hugs

NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are officially on their way to Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center.

Their journey could become the first time astronauts have returned to the International Space Station from American soil since 2011. Their ride is a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft thats lifting off at 4:33 pm Eastern time if everything goes according to plan and the weather plays along.

But thanks to the ongoing pandemic, their goodbyes to their loved ones were bittersweet: Behnken and Hurley had to resort to giving their families a virtual hug from six feet away, thanks to social distancing rules and to ensure that the coronavirus wont make it into space.

It was an emotional scene. Well, Im crying, Axios Space editor Miriam Kramer wrote on Twitter.

Both astronauts have been under quarantine since May 13. Contact with others has been kept to a minimum.

SpaceX has already completed more than twenty trips to the space station to date, albeit without passengers on board. Heres to hoping Behnken and Hurely make it to the space station safe and sound as well.

More on the launch: Stormy Weather May Delay SpaceXs Historic Launch

See the article here:
Watch the Astronauts Give Their Kids Virtual Hugs Before Launch - Futurism

Even when a vaccine for COVID-19 becomes available, many in the U.S. may decide not to take it.

At least, thats the result of a new poll of 1,056 Americans conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.Its alarming conclusion: only 49 percent of American adults plan on getting vaccinated against the coronavirus, AP News reports.

The results were divided by political party. 26 percent of Republican respondents said they definitely wouldnt get the vaccine compared to 14 percent of Democrats.

Respondents seemed to be mostly concerned about the safety of the vaccine, according to the researchers.

Some of those concerns stemfrom a misunderstanding of how vaccines work. AP News reports that 40 percent of people who dont plan on getting a vaccine whenever it becomes available are concerned that they may catch the coronavirus from the injection.

But all the most promising vaccine candidates dont actually contain SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, meaning its impossible for the vaccine to transmit the disease.

Others said they were concerned about the potential side effects of vaccines that are being developed and tested under an accelerated timeline. Thats more understandable for instance, STAT News reports that a man who took the vaccine being developed by Moderna Therapeutics suffered side effects including a 103-degree Fahrenheit fever and needed to go to urgent care.

I would not want people to think that were cutting corners because that would be a big mistake. I think this is an effort to try to achieve efficiencies, but not to sacrifice rigor, National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins told AP News. Definitely the worst thing that could happen is if we rush through a vaccine that turns out to have significant side effects.

Original post:
Only One in Two Americans Say They'd Take a COVID-19 Vaccine - Futurism

Liverpool has always been a great city but over the years it has changed dramatically.

As trends change and time moves on, it can be hard to remember what the city centre used to look like.

From the closure of Littlewoods and Woolworths, to more recent changes, like the development of Liverpool ONE and the demolition of the Futurist Cinema, parts of the city are unrecognisable today.

To see just how much it has changed, we took a look back in our archive at different sections of the city and some of the stores which have now sadly closed their doors.

Liverpool ONE opened in 2008 and completely changed the city centre.

Paradise Street, North and South John Street and sections of Church Street were all transformed by what was called the "Paradise project".

Photos from our archive show just how much the area has changed since the early 2000's, including the car park, bus station and Moat House which aren't around today.

Coopers is remembered by many shoppers for the distinct smell of coffee running through the air.

The butchers and bakers come green grocers, was a popular spot with shoppers and had a second home on Bold Street.

It remained on Church Street until the early 1970s, when it was replaced by the former WH Smith's site which is now home to River Island.

It's hard to remember a time without Primark on Church Street - but before the fast fashion retailer opened its doors in 2005 the site was home to Littlewoods.

Littlewoods is one of the biggest names in Liverpool business history, with owner John Moores starting the company in 1932, when he launched a mail order shopping business.

The first Littlewoods store officially opened in 1937 but it wasnt until after WWII that the company came to Church street.

Today, Littlewoods is known by shoppers as an online shopping catalogue, based in Speke.

The buildings in St George's Place were once home to a range of different shops and a popular Chinese restaurant.

Illuminated with colourful signs, the Victorian buildings advertised everything from Manns and Double Diamond beers, to Schweppes, Martell and even the Co-op.

Today, they have been replaced by St Johns Shopping Centre and the Holiday Inn.

The original St John's Market opened in 1822 and soon became a landmark for visitors to the city.

The vast building between Great Charlotte Street and Market Street, designed by John Foster junior, was divided into five huge shopping avenues.

However, it could sadly not survive Liverpools 1960s building boom.

The building, along with many streets around it, was cleared and its site eventually became the St Johns Shopping Centre.

While that centre was being built, the market moved to a temporary new home on Great Charlotte Street, opposite Blacklers store.

Eventually the market moved to its current home in the St Johns Shopping Centre which was reopened by the Queen in 1971.

The iconic market underwent another transformation in summer 2016 when it closed for a 2.5m revamp. This renovation saw the market grow by a third from 90 stalls to approximately 120.

Dating back to 1921, The Futurist cinema was demolished in 2016 to make way for a 39m redevelopment.

The cinema had stood derelict for decades after it showed its last film on Saturday, July 17, 1982.

The redevelopment of the block saw the cinema and surrounding buildings replaced by a hotel, student accommodation and a Lidl store.

Designed by artist Anthony Brown, the facade of the building tells the story of the history of the street, from the Futurist to the Yankee Bar, the National Milk Bar and even Marks & Spencer.

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Before 2008 the front of Lime Street station featured an arcade of shops and an office tower block.

In July 2008, the shops and tower block were demolished and work began on creating the new station frontage and redeveloping the area.

The Lime Street Gateway project, cost 35m and was completed in October 2010.

The station front looked completely different back in the early 2000's, with shops blocking the entrance to the historic station.

Bold Street has a thriving independent scene, with restaurants selling food from around the world.

But just over a decade ago, the street was dramatically different from what it is today.

As photos taken from our archive show, at one time the street had more retail shops than restaurants.

Stores including Argos, HMV and the Rex Liverpool department store which were based in Radiant House have now sadly closed their doors.

In April 2017, LIV Organic and Natural Food Market opened in Radiant House after the building underwent a 1m restoration.

However, in January, the food market closed suddenly after nearly three years in business, when a bailiff notice was left in the window.

Today businesses situated at the bottom of Bold Street include Taco Bell, The Cat Cafe and The Sweets and Gift Company.

Where John Lewis in Liverpool ONE now stands a Sailors' Home stood in Canning Place for nearly 120 years.

From 1852 to 1969, the building provided board and lodgings, as well as a range of other services, to thousands of merchant seamen before it was demolished in 1974.

The home offered educational and recreational opportunities and was built not only to provide safe board and lodging but also a bank, medical facilities and a register of good character which allowed ship owners to find suitable crewman.

It was the end of an era when Woolworths closed over 800 stores between December 2008 and January 2009, including one in St John's Shopping Centre.

Known to many as Woolies, the iconic store sold everything from clothing and books to games, pick 'n' mix and chocolate fountains.

The St Johns site remained vacant for a number of years after the closure, before it was transformed into a huge Aldi store.

Today the supermarket is popular with students thanks to its location near to Grand Central student accommodation at the side of Lime Street.

The former BHS store on Lord Street closed its doors in August 2016, leaving a big hole in the citys most important shopping street.

After months of speculation and waiting, H&M opened for business in the building in November 2018.

Spread over two floors, the store has clothing, kidswear, homeware and beauty departments.

Prior to the move in 2018, H&M closed its Liverpool ONE branch which was based on Paradise Street to make way for this huge new store.

McDonald's opened its doors in Clayton Square shopping centre on the corner of Church Street and Ranelagh Street, in October 2017.

The site was formerly home to a My Local store, as part of Morrisons bid to create a chain of smaller shops to rival Tesco Express.

The unit, which had previously been a Disney Store, became a convenience store in 2014.

Morrisons sold its M Local stores in 2015 to private investors, who renamed them My Local. But the chain struggled and went into administration in June 2016.

The world's biggest Lush store opened its doors in Liverpool city centre in March 2019.

Spread over three floors, the store is five times bigger than Liverpool's previous Lush store and includes a whole wall dedicated to famous bath bombs.

The store which opened in the former Dorothy Perkins and Burton building on Church Street, also boasts a hair salon, a florist and a perfume library.

Read more here:
Changing face of Liverpool city centre and the shops we've lost along the way - Liverpool Echo