Tag Archives: New Technology

Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Technology Advances With Speech-Recognition Via AI Technology

If you haven’t heard of the UK startup Speechmatics, it may come as a surprise to learn that the company may be on its way to becoming a globally recognized brand.

The company’s ambitious goal is to leapfrog over the progress made by America’s tech giants in speech recognition by using AI and machine learning.

If you own a Google Home device or have ever worked with Siri or Alexa, you are already familiar with the challenges associated with speech recognition.  The technology only works well for a tiny slice of the consuming public, with the tech giants focused firmly on their most valuable customers, naturally.

For everyone else, using speech recognition devices is a lesson in frustration. It can even be a problem  for some of the speakers for whom the tech has been optimized around, and it can still be frustrating.  If you doubt that, try sending a text message using just your voice.  It’s an uphill battle, even under ideal conditions.

Speechmatics raised eyebrows worldwide when they released a report which contained the following bit of information:

“Based on datasets used in Stanford’s ‘Racial Disparities in Speech Recognition’ study, Speechmatics recorded an overall accuracy of 82.8 percent for African American voices compared to Google (68.6 percent) and Amazon (68.6 percent). This level of accuracy equates to a 45 percent reduction in speech recognition errors – the equivalent of three words in an average sentence.”

That’s huge and game changing. That fact was one of the keys that enabled the tiny start up to secure more than sixty million USD in Series B funding.

So far, Speechmatic’s AI engine only understands 34 languages, which is a tiny slice of the more than 7,000 languages in use around the world. The company is absolutely determined though, and they’re aiming for the moon.

Their goal is functional speech recognition for everyone who speaks, planet wide, regardless of the language they’re using.  It’s a lofty goal, and we can hardly wait to chart their progress.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Windows 11 Apps Are Being Tested For Kiosk Mode

There’s interesting news in the world of Windows 11 development.  Microsoft recently began testing a new Kiosk feature that will enable IT administrators to limit which applications users can use while logged into their user profiles, blocking all other functionalities.

Even better is that the kiosk approach allows you to create multiple different apps and access configurations for different user classifications on a single device.

This approach also unlocks the door to use Windows 11 machines in a variety of ways, including but not limited to:

  • Selective blocking of pop-ups and toasts that lead to a cluttered UI and diminish the overall user experience
  • Locking down the Start Menu such that it only shows allowed applications
  • And limiting access to the Windows Settings menu to selected pages defined by the Admin

If the new feature piques your interest, you can start playing around with it right now by joining the Windows Insiders team and joining the Dev channel.

Once you do, you’ll have access to the detailed instructions on how to toggle the feature on and configure it.  All you’ll need to do is to install the latest build, which is Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25169.

Whatever your opinion is after testing it out, you can leave feedback by pressing WIN +F to access the Feedback Hub under Security and Privacy, then Device Lockdown.

Although this is the latest intriguing addition to Microsoft’s new and improved operating system, there have been a whole raft of additions like this in recent months. So if you decide you want in on the action, you’ll have all sorts of new features and capabilities to explore and play with, most of which will add value to your whole business.

The bottom line is Microsoft really seems to be trying to pull out all the stops here.  We think you’ll be impressed.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Nvidia Leads Quantum Computing Innovation With New Platform

Quantum computing is on the horizon.  Unfortunately, it’s been on the horizon for at least two decades.  It’s one of those technologies that’s always “just around the corner.”

In recent years, however, several important strides have been made. Although quantum computing isn’t exactly mainstream, great strides have been made where the technology is concerned.

There’s a missing link, however.  It’s not as though the entire world will wake up one day and just start migrating to quantum computers.  There will be a step in between where people are using hybridized systems that can take advantage of the new technology while still using highly optimized conventional computer architecture.

That missing link is currently being developed by Nvidia.

The company has been quietly developing a new platform that it’s calling QODA, which stands for Quantum Optimized Device Architecture.  The new platform will create a unified, open environment that can be used to bridge the gap between conventional computer technology and quantum processors.

The hope is that with such a standard in place, it will be a critical step in making quantum computing easier to embrace, which will help to speed mainstream acceptance.

Nvidia hopes to have an open beta available by the end of the year, and once the platform is complete, it will be available for free.

Nvidia initially pitched the idea to the largest quantum computing hardware producers and got a warm reception. So the platform is being designed specifically to allow the equipment produced by those manufacturers to work seamlessly with conventional computing hardware.

That’s big news indeed, as it will allow existing applications to leverage the new technology and give developers plenty of time to work out how best to take advantage of quantum architecture.  Kudos to the folks at Nvidia.  We can hardly wait to see the fruits of their labor.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

New Tools Available With Kali Linux 2022.3

Do you have the Kali Linux distribution running on one of the machines you own?  If you’re not sure what that is, then you almost certainly don’t.  Kali is a Linux distro used mostly by “ethical hackers” who use it mainly to perform security audits, cybersecurity research, penetration testing and the like.

Offensive Security has recently released an update to the distribution, 2022.3, which adds a raft of improvements including but not limited to:

  • Kali NetHunter Updates
  • Kali ARM updates
  • Improved virtual machine support
  • And several wholly new tools

The new tools include BruteShark for network analysis, DefectDojo, which is an open-source application vulnerability correlation and security orchestration tool, phpsploit which is a stealth post-exploitation framework, shellfire, a tool for exploiting LFI/RFI and command injection vulnerabilities and Spraying Toolkit, which replicates password spraying attacks against Lync/S4B, OWA and O365.

If you get your distribution from Kali-Linux-Labs, it will include two additional tools:  The Damn Vulnerable Web Application (DVWA) and OWASP Juice Shop.

In terms of ARM support, you’ll find new versions for Raspberry Pi, Pinebook, and USArmory MKII.

The particulars are as follows:

  • All Raspberry Pi devices have had their kernel upgraded to 5.15.
  • Created arm.kali.org to include an overview and statistics for kali-arm.
  • Every Kali ARM device has had their default size for the boot partition set to 256 MB.
  • Pinebook has had the broken sleep modes removed, so it should no longer go to sleep and be unable to wake up.
  • And USBArmory MKII moved to the 2022.04 u-boot release.

Of interest, Offensive Security made the strategic decision to release this version in tandem with the Black Hat, BSides LV and DefCon security conference. As they put it, it provided a “nice surprise for everyone to enjoy.”

If you use Kali, grab the latest today.  If you’ve been looking for a top of line security testing distro, this is the one you want.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Microsoft Office And Google Docs Sync For Offline Use

Recently, Google announced a small but significant change to Google Docs.  Now, if you have enabled offline access for files you have stored on your Google Drive, the system will auto-sync any Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, or Word files if you have opened them with Google Slides, Sheets, or Docs.

This is a tremendously handy change.

It allows you to switch freely between Google Docs and Microsoft Word, for example, giving you the best of both worlds and a fantastic amount of added convenience.

Since the update, there are a few lingering misconceptions about the capabilities of the new feature.

Here’s the scoop:

  • It only works if you’re using Chrome or Microsoft Edge as your desktop browser
  • You can create, open, and edit Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides offline
  • You can edit Microsoft Word files (.docx), Excel files (.xlsx), and PowerPoint files (.pptx) directly within Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides respectively with no need to convert the files you’re working on

Naturally, you must be signed into your Google account to make any offline syncing possible. Note that your Google Workspace administrator may choose to implement a policy that prevents access to Workspace data offline as a security protocol.

It’s hard to understate just how handy this feature is if you’re in the habit of moving between document editing and creation ecosystems.  Once you give it a try though, you’re probably going to wonder how you ever got along without it.

Kudos to Google for working with their tech rival and going the extra mile to create an even better user experience.  Though it’s certainly true that the company has made its share of missteps, it is improvements like these that demonstrate why Google is among the best of the best.

Give the new feature a try.  We think you’ll love it.

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