WebStresser, a DDoS-for-hire service with 136K users and linked to 4M+ cyberattacks is shut down; UK's NCA says service could be rented for as little as $14.99

The administrators of the DDoS marketplace webstresser.org were arrested on 24 April 2018 as a result of Operation Power Off, a complex investigation led by the Dutch Police and the UK’s National Crime Agency with the support of Europol and a dozen law enforcement agencies from around the world. The administrators were located in the United Kingdom, Croatia, Canada and Serbia. Further measures were taken against the top users of this marketplace in the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Croatia, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Hong Kong. The illegal service was shut down and its infrastructure seized in the Netherlands, the US and Germany.

Webstresser.org was considered the world’s biggest marketplace to hire Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) services, with over 136 000 registered users and 4 million attacks measured by April 2018. The orchestrated attacks targeted critical online services offered by banks, government institutions and police forces, as well as victims in the gaming industry.

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SOPHiA GENETICS, global leader in Data-Driven Medicine, announced today that its technology for clinical genomics, SOPHiA artificial intelligence, has reached a key milestone in helping better diagnose 200,000 patients.


Adopted by over 430 hospitals across 60 countries, SOPHiA AI has proven to be a robust and standardized decision support technology for clinicians. SOPHiA is the first AI to analyze over 200,000 patients' genomic profiles around the world. This illustrates the rapid adoption of this technology which is trusted by clinicians to support their clinical decisions.

The recent use of digital technology in healthcare is creating a new world of opportunity to help better diagnose and treat patients. The development of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), in particular, promises to enhance patient care for patients suffering from hereditary diseases and cancer. Six percent of the global population is affected by a hereditary disease and it is expected that one in two people will be diagnosed with cancer in the coming years. In both cases, clinical genomic analysis through NGS help to pinpoint the molecular origin driving the disease and to tackle the cause of such disease rather than act on its consequences.

Genomic data analysis and interpretation are extremely complex and presents significant challenges to be implemented in clinical practice. SOPHiA AI handles this complexity making data relevant and helping clinicians to quickly adopt clinical genomics.

The company and its technology are recognized for its innovative approach and impact on people's lives. SOPHiA GENETICS was listed by the MIT Technology Review among the 50 Smartest Companies worldwide and more recently in Fast Company's Top 10 Most Innovative Biotech Companies.

"When we launched SOPHiA GENETICS, we had a simple but ambitious objective, to build something that would help better diagnose and treat the maximum number of patients. We are thrilled by how rapidly SOPHiA is being adopted around the world. This illustrates the trust the healthcare industry has in our technology, and the need for a standardized approach in clinical genomics."

- Jurgi Camblong (CEO & CO-Founder of SOPHiA GENETICS)

About SOPHiA GENETICS

SOPHiA GENETICS: global leader in Data-Driven Medicine, SOPHiA GENETICS is a health tech company which has developed SOPHiA AI, the most advanced technology for clinical genomics, helping healthcare professionals better diagnose and treat patients. The global network of 430 institutions from 60 countries that use the SOPHiA DDM® analytical platform powered by SOPHiA form the world's largest clinical genomics community. By enabling the rapid adoption of genomic testing worldwide, turning data into actionable clinical insights, and sharing knowledge through its community, SOPHiA GENETICS is democratizing Data-Driven Medicine to save lives equally. The company's achievements were recognized by MIT Technology Review who ranked it amongst the 50 Smartest Companies in 2017. More info: http://www.sophiagenetics.com

SOPHiA GENETICS is on Twitter, follow @SOPHiAGENETICS

SOURCE SOPHiA GENETICS

Jinbi Token (https://jinbitoken.io/), a UK and Switzerland-based gold-backed blockchain business, today announces its crowdsale will commence on Friday June 1 2018. There will be 8.75 million tokens available to the public, with 1.25 million tokens allocated to a pre-sale starting Tuesday May 29 2018.

Jinbi (https://jinbitoken.io/) will be the first token to be partnered with a gold mining company. Each token will be assigned gold via smart contracts, meaning that every piece of gold will be accounted for, allowing partners to know where the gold is located and how much each token holds.

This provides an easy, safe and simple way to transact in an efficient, anonymous and high frequency manner. Jinbi is revolutionizing the security of gold assets - by using blockchain technology and implementing smart contracts - to increase the secure structure of the company.

The business holds a legal offtake agreement with the mining partner for the production of gold. Once the gold is produced, it will be refined by Produits Artistiques Metaux Precieux (PAMP) (http://www.pamp.com/) in Switzerland and Kaloti (http://www.kalotipm.com/). The Kaloti Refinery, which is based in Dubai, UAE is situated within the Free Trade Zone, has a strong track record in the gold refinery business. The gold will then be stored by an accredited and recognised Jinbi partner and inspected by Bureau Veritas, once per quarter.

Finally, once approved and verified, the gold will be linked to a smart contract and will be permanently registered on the blockchain.

Jinbi Token has a working relationship with International Precious Metals Limited, (IPM). IPM aims to achieve five bullion vaults globally and a total of 25,000 safe deposit boxes and one high grade precious metals refinery.

The token will be the first one, other than Pillar, to utilise the new Pillar wallet. The Pillar wallet is set to be the most secure ethereum token wallet which will be launched in early Quarter 3 2018. The Jinbi Token Co-Founder Andre Rafnsson is part of Twenty-Thirty AG, the team that created the Pillar Project.

Andre Rafnsson, Co-Founder of Jinbi said "Our expectations are to have 150,000 ounces of gold, linked to smart contracts by 2019.

"All bars produced are 24 carat gold with a fineness of 999.5. They are delivered brand new and the bars will be available in various sizes from 5g to 12.5kg. Once the gold is allocated it can then be delivered or stored."

What is an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered classroom like? On April 23, NetDragon introduced the world's first AI teaching assistant at the Launch Event for Digital Maritime Silk Road AI Educational Achievements held during the 1st Digital China Summit, showcasing an intelligent classroom hosted by one teacher and a thousand teaching assistants.

The teacher controls the classroom through intelligent voice technology, while facial recognition software allows students to register online. 101 Education PPT – The AI Teaching Assistant provides customized homework assignments and correction of the assignments once they are turned in. Voice detection and smart Q&A handled by a virtual character, in tandem with other highly-advanced new and emerging technologies, often referred to in Chinese as the "black technologies", were developed by the company and are making industry watchers more enthusiastic about the future of intelligent education.

AI as a teaching assistant

The voice control-enabled intelligent classroom

"Attention, please! Teacher Chen will be here within three seconds. Remain quiet and get ready for the class to begin!" As the bell rang, Qiqi, the character's name for 101 Education PPT – The AI Teaching Assistant, appeared instantly on the white board installed in the classroom. Soon afterwards, the teacher walked into the classroom.

"Teacher Chen, based on the results of face matching, every student is present and accounted for today." Before Qiqi's voice had completed the statement, the white board had displayed the attendance sheet. During the class, Teacher Chen, with Qiqi helping in the background, held a poetry appreciation and reading class for the second-grade students.

The teacher delivers a "live" lesson on the classical poem A Tranquil Night

"Girls and boys, today let's study the poem A Tranquil Night." Soon after the voice finished speaking, a virtual depiction of the scenery described in the poem appeared on the white board.

"Do you want to see the Fairy Poet Li Bai?" Teacher Chen pointed out Li Bai amid cheers. Qiqi had been transformed into the avatar of Li Bai on the white board, walking slowly towards the students. The famous poet not only spoke and engaged in a discussion with the teacher and the students, but also gave an on-the-spot evaluation of the performance of the young pupils.

To further test the students' mastery of the poem, Teacher Chen arranged exercises and the students answered via their tablet. Through real-time data capture, an analysis of the students' answers appeared on the screen.

"A concept such as this classical piece of poetry is distant from children's lives. 101 Education PPT – The AI Teaching Assistant created an immersive atmosphere in the classroom, giving the students an opportunity to engage with Li Baiand get a feel for the persona of the famous poet, which is very helpful for their expansive learning," Teacher Chen said. She believes that AI and other intelligent approaches will bring positive changes to education.

According to Fang Zhenhua, development director at NetDragon, 101 Education PPT – The AI Teaching Assistant not only enables real-time feedback on classroom data, but also tracks the data after the class has concluded in a timely manner. The teaching assistant will arrange exercises customized for each student based on their classroom data, and follow up with suggested corrections online to help improve their performance after class.

Give every AI a body

NetDragon makes one teacher and a thousand teaching assistants a reality

The rich array of functions that has been built into the world's first AI teaching assistant demonstrates the infinite possibilities that lie in store for the future of intelligent education.

The seemingly complicated "black technologies", including the facial recognition and voice evaluation functionalities, are easy to operate. 101 Education PPT is at the core of the AI teaching assistant. At its most basic, it is a professional lesson preparation and teaching software ensemble for instructors.

"AI, which is ever-evolving, can fully assist the instructor in creating a unique two-teacher classroom, making the concept of one teacher and a thousand teaching assistants a reality," Fang Zhenhua said. AI allows 101 Education PPT to create personalized lessons, the material to be taught and the homework assignment as well as provide automated correction of the homework assignment, voice evaluation and advice about the teaching process itself.

Without seeking to change the instructor's pedagogical style, 101 Education PPT creates a world-class education resource platform, based on an extensive trove of teaching resources covering multiple stages in the educational cycle, including preschool, K12 as well as middle, high and vocational school through cooperation with top content producers, among them Oxford University Press, Pearson Education, Tokyo Shoseki and Disney. The platform now has nearly 50,000 resources and is being added to at a rate of thousands of new resources each month.

With an extensive materials base and a strong human model base, 101 Education PPT helps instructors create high-quality content for each course quickly, allowing for easy lesson preparation and efficient teaching while deploying AI technology to meet the needs of teachers before, in and after class.

The AI technology that is at the core of 101 Education PPT gives every AI-created persona a body through the concretization of IP characters such as Li Bai and Han Meimei. Teachers can feature any AI teaching assistant they want in different classrooms and environments, turning the classroom into something with unlimited possibilities and making all the more interesting by the wide array of available personalities.

The use of AI makes it possible for a classroom to fully meet personalized needs. Big data collection helps provide more intuitive and targeted feedback and advice for teachers, giving them the information they need to fully up their game without losing the personalized touch that they bring to the classroom.

101 Education PPT – The AI Teaching Assistant will become available this June

Available to more than 5 million users across China within the year

NetDragon, an established player with many years of experience in the field of education, has successfully applied AI into this most needed of areas, in line with the company's original plan to leverage AI for the benefit of its customers.

Liu Dejian, the founder of NetDragon and one of the earliest internet entrepreneurs in China, saw, as soon as he started NetDragon, how the internet and AI, among other technologies would bring disruptive changes to human society, and, with that foresight in mind, aggressively developed NetDragon's AI business.

Since entering the education market in 2010, NetDragon has established a big data and AI laboratory and directed the R&D team from very early on to develop products that leveraged AI for the benefit of education, referring to the initiative and the products that were created as a result as "AI + Education". The company launched the first intelligent teaching robot in 2014, causing a huge stir across the educational sector.

In 2017, NetDragon, in concert with Beijing Normal University, Tsinghua University and other centers of higher learning, established the National Engineering Laboratory for Cyberlearning and Intelligent Technology, in a move to advance cyberlearning intelligent technology and provide technical support for the development of the industry.

NetDragon CEO Dr. Xiong Li said that 101 Education PPT – The AI Teaching Assistant is another milestone in the company's "AI + Education" product family. Still under development, the product suite is scheduled to launch in June of this year and will initially be available to existing 101 Education PPT users across China. It is expected to serve more than 5 million users by the end of this year.

NetDragon sees no end in sight for its expansion into the educational sector. Its "AI + Education" roadmap calls for the creation of the world's largest, most advanced and most intelligent lesson preparation and teaching software and education content distribution platform, with the aim of serving more than 10 million teachers, 100 million students and 100 million sets of parents worldwide, diversifying the world's education ecosystem.

Following the acquisition of Cherrypicks, Promethean and JumpStart, NetDragon announced on April 8 the 100% acquisition of Edmodo, a leading global learning community with over 90 million users in 400,000 schools across 192 countries. The announcement marked a further step in NetDragon's global expansion and AI education strategy.

(The 101 Education PPT can be downloaded at http://ppt.101.com/)

SOURCE NetDragon Websoft Inc

Exciting technology advances continue to emerge, seemingly nonstop, enabled both by those at the cutting edge of high-tech, and by those who are adapting those developments to make them useful in our everyday world. The list below, compiled by Sri Peruvemba, Chair of Marketing for the Society for Information Display (SID), reflects 10 overall tech trends, including the role of displays in making them viable and accessible for consumers.

(1) Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning
With the advent of home-control gizmos such as Google Nest, the public is becoming increasingly reliant on their artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. This has triggered development efforts for a slew of competitive products – companies in the hunt for a share of this lucrative market include Apple, Lenovo, Alibaba, Amazon, Google, LG and Samsung. This will be an ongoing battle, particularly as the interaction and connectedness with various home security, entertainment and control systems continues to tighten and become more intuitive. Displays are now entering the equation – as evidenced by Amazon's newest Echo incarnation, the Echo Show. Just as phones evolved into full communication hubs, the Show now enables Echo to be a digital photo frame, a small TV, a video-calling hub, and more. In China, Alibaba offers the Tmall Genie that addresses this application. People want to connect and interact visually, and this is something we're going to see more of in the display development arena.

(2) Robotics
This trend will explode within the next few years. Currently, two types of robots are in use: those that look like machines, and those that more resemble a person. The latter type includes displays that facilitate interface with humans – often, as with Robotelf Technologies' Robelf, they show facial expressions. While all robots include some means of interface, people want visual confirmation of their interaction. In some environments, people may prefer to deal with a machine rather than a potentially rude or judgmental "service person." Self-service kiosks and ATMs at airports and banks have already proven our preference for working with machines. Having personal robots in a hotel room can automate requests such as asking for towels, ordering room service, etc. Soon you might be waited on by a robot in a restaurant. In human-interface applications, the display plays a significant role: large, aesthetically pleasing, interactive displays are desired; they have to be able to pass rigorous mechanical bump and vibration tests; and their specs are likely to be similar to those of automotive displays.

(3) Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality
The market for these technologies is growing quickly as new applications emerge. For VR to be fully immersive, the visual presentation must be exceptional, allowing users to truly "believe their eyes." To this end, high-resolution displays (the more pixels, the better) are being created to address users' needs. Haptic actuators and sensors are also being integrated into VR gloves to enhance the realism of the experience – broadening the technology's application beyond gaming. Some wide-ranging examples include car sales (test driving in different environments); real estate purchases (virtual property tours); travel opportunities for those with physical or other limitations; and virtual amusement park rides. In AR, Vuzix is one company already shipping product into different applications. Its AR smart glasses allow the user to see what's in front of him or her while providing a notification about a potential problem. This is helping transform the work environment for those in manufacturing, mining, construction, mechanical maintenance, and firefighting, to name a few.

(4) Electronic Schoolbooks
Educators, parents and governments want children to have access to knowledge from anywhere, at any time. While traditional books are great for learning math, they don't give the ability to view or learn from, say, a groundbreaking TED talk. China is taking a leading role in satisfying this thirst for education by enabling widespread use of eSchoolbooks – more than 100 companies are pursuing this vision in the region. An eSchoolbook is essential to keep up with reading and learning, by maintaining access to the latest and best information. What is the ultimate display for an eSchoolbook? Medical professionals have expressed concern about young children using devices with emissive displays, as it may harm their eyesight. Several device manufacturers already offer filters for blue light, and in Canada, some insurers are already offering free prescription glasses that filter blue light. Reflective ePaper is a potential choice for eSchoolbooks. The new ePaper 2.0 has all the advantages of traditional ePaper, including low cost and power consumption, as well as outdoor usability – with the addition of video and color, which are must-haves for eSchoolbook applications.

(5) Automotive
We are seeing many, many developments aimed at improving technology in both human-driven and autonomous cars. This market is providing significant opportunity for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) – they can be used to create better, more vivid displays, heads-up displays, and curved displays, which, thanks to OLEDs' flexibility, can be placed in unique ways to avoid destroying the design/appearance of the dashboard area. In autonomous cars, the front dash won't need displays, as no one will be sitting there – even Tesla's Model 3 has no displays directly in front of the driver; the only display is in the center console. Thus, the inside of the car will more resemble an office or sitting room, with displays that can create a conference room atmosphere, others that can be used for writing surfaces, etc. The type of display will change because the needs will be different – they will likely also be adapted to respond to verbal commands and gestures, and they'll use AI to anticipate users' needs. While autonomous cars have received negative attention of late, they are still happening, and displays will evolve to meet the new needs in this space.

(6) Writing Surfaces
The world of eWriting surfaces has continued to evolve, with new products integrating established technologies in unique ways. For example, reMarkable's Paper Tablet touts a lag-free reading, writing and sketching experience for those who love paper, using an ePaper display unencumbered by an OS or apps. Another example is QuirkLogic's Quilla, a digital alternative to flip charts and white boards. While fully equipped with displays, cameras, conference phones, etc., most modern conference rooms still use traditional white boards. Quilla facilitates team collaboration and interaction, regardless of members' location. Others jumping on board the move to digitize the white board experience include Google, Cisco and Microsoft – all using LCD technology.

(7) Smart Surfaces
The Internet of Things (IoT) concept is not new, and now that it is becoming truly ingrained into everyday life, efforts are ramping up to employ connectivity in new ways – both large and small. One example, the Amazon Dash, allows the user to simply press a button when it's time to reorder a staple household product. However, the Dash offers no visual confirmation of the order – and adding a display would do just that. For these kinds of products, a display would need to be small, inexpensive, easy to read, and able to last a long time on the same battery. The kind of ePaper currently being used on shelf labels, made by companies such as Visionect, would be useful for this type of application, as well as for home appliances.
On a larger scale, ePaper for outdoor displays is a growing trend. It can be used in myriad ways – for building signage, bus shelters, advertising on public transportation, and more. These smart surfaces are easily visible, regardless of weather, and their solar-enabled low power and wireless connectivity enable them to provide tremendous value to the user.

(8) Electronic Signage
Indoor signs have traditionally been made of paper, plastic or metal, but LCD has been rapidly replacing them. An exciting trend in this market is flat-panel MicroLED technology. First developed in 2000, MicroLEDs offer bright, beautiful images while omitting the pixelation that occurs with standard LED displays. Samsung provided a glimpse of a MicroLED future at CES 2018 with "The Wall," its striking 146-inch display that enabled the display to virtually disappear against its background. Although not yet in mass production, MicroLED has the potential to compete with LCD and OLED for both indoor and outdoor signage, such as signs inside shopping malls and retail outlets, and other areas not previously targeted by LED technology. For low-power indoor signage, ePaper also offers many advantages, delivering images that are clear and readable, but not so bright as to be distracting.

(9) Wearables
No longer a fad, wearable technology is here to stay. Sensors play an important role in the wearable space, and are beginning to be designed into gloves, exercise wear, outerwear, and other garments by innovators like BeBop Sensors that offer fabric-based sensor technology. Of the wearable devices such as fitness bands and smartwatches currently available, most do one or two key things users want – typically, counting steps or monitoring heart rate -but they're increasingly incorporating more complex functionality. With a device that touches the skin, these can include tracking skin temperature, monitoring hydration by measuring skin salt levels, providing blood oxygen level via pulse-oximetry, etc. Because many readings still need to be confirmed by looking at one's smartphone, the argument to move all functionality to a smartwatch is becoming increasingly compelling, requiring a robust, flexible display that adapts well to a variety of temperatures and environments. China seems to have taken over the lead in this emerging market, with Xiaomi taking the leadership position in this space. Sunlight readability, low power and video capability are all desired in these applications, creating opportunities for existing and emerging display technologies.

(10) Ultimate TV
In the ever-evolving television realm, the two key types of technologies competing for dominance are OLED and liquid crystal display (LCD). OLEDs offer flexibility, vivid colors and lifelike images, while LCDs – still the market leader – are less costly and render a decent image. In addition, some TV makers are using quantum dots (QD) in tandem with LCD to better compete with OLEDs' color and image quality. Quantum dots are semiconductor nanocrystal particles used to enhance LCD color gamut, rendering as much as a 30-percent increase in the visible spectrum. The easiest way to implement the QD is to coat them to a sheet of film inserted into the material stack. QD can also replace other elements, e.g., the LCD color filter and perhaps even the backlight itself at some point. The battle between these technologies will continue to inform the "ultimate TV" debate for at least the next three years – the industry remains divided as to which will prevail, particularly since LCD keeps finding new ways to maintain its position as the dominant display technology.
One area where OLEDs have gained a foothold is smartphones. As they continue to grow in size and are used increasingly to view both live and streaming video content – becoming their own kind of ultimate TV – phones require the improved flexibility and battery life that OLED delivers. Tablets could also emerge as the ultimate TV: they are mobile, a lot less expensive and yet render a great experience in a single-user setting.



The above list represents a dynamic combination of existing/evolving and new/emerging technologies, with a broad range of marketable applications. At the 55th annual Display Week Conference, May 20-25, at the Los AngelesConvention Center, demonstrations of many of these fascinating technologies and applications will be provided by the industry experts and innovators who are bringing them to life.

Plan now to attend so you can keep up on these trends – and spot new ones in the making.

About Display Week 2018
The 55th SID International Symposium, Seminar and Exhibition, or Display Week 2018, will take place May 20-25 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, Calif. Display Week is the premier gathering of system integrators, designers, consumers, scientists, engineers and manufacturers in the field of electronic information displays. For more information on Display Week 2018, visit www.displayweek.org or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter @DisplayWeek (hashtag #DisplayWeek18), Instagram @siddisplayweek or the Display Week YouTube Channel.
About SID
The Society for Information Display (SID) is the only professional organization focused on the display industry. In fact, by exclusively focusing on the advancement of electronic display technology, SID provides a unique platform for industry collaboration, communication and training in all related technologies while showcasing the industry's best new products. The organization's members are professionals in the technical and business disciplines that relate to display research, design, manufacturing, applications, marketing and sales. To promote industry and academic technology development, while also educating consumers on the importance of displays, SID hosts more than 10 conferences a year, including Display Week, which brings industry and academia all under one roof to showcase technology that will shape the future. SID's global headquarters are located at 1475 S. Bascom Ave., Ste. 114, Campbell, CA 95008. For more information, visit www.sid.org.

SOURCE Society for Information Display

Today, to launch day 10 of the countdown, uniphi space agency, a division of uniphi good LLC, is proud to announce programming, events and additional information about the third annual National Astronaut Day, featuring Astronaut inspired STEAM and Space related activities, events and partners, to take place on, and around, Saturday, May 5th, 2018.

In keeping with the tradition of other Astronaut and Space related celebrations, May 5th was selected for this significant date in history in 1961 when Astronaut Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. became the First American in Space, aboard the Freedom 7 Space capsule. The brief suborbital flight, which lasted approximately 15 minutes and reached a height of 116 miles into the atmosphere, was a milestone achievement. This trailblazing example of heroic bravery and adventurous spirit is this essence of what National Astronaut Day is all about. 

NASA will host a media briefing at 1 p.m. EDT Monday, April 30, to discuss the upcoming launch of a mission that will provide unique insights into our planet's changing climate and Earth system processes, and have far-reaching benefits to society, such as improving water resource management.


The briefing will be held at NASA Headquarters at 300 E St. SW in Washington, and air live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission will measure and monitor monthly changes in how mass is redistributed within and among Earth's atmosphere, oceans, land and ice sheets, as well as within Earth itself.


The briefing participants are:


David Jarrett, GRACE-FO program executive in the Earth Science Division at NASA Headquarters
Michael Watkins, GRACE-FO science lead and director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
Frank Webb, GRACE-FO project scientist at JPL
Phil Morton, NASA GRACE-FO project manager at JPL
Frank Flechtner, GRACE-FO project manager for the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), in Potsdam, Germany

Media wishing to participate by phone must send an email with their name, affiliation and phone number to Dwayne Brown at dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov by noon April 30.

Media with U.S. citizenship may register to attend the briefing in person by emailing Steve Cole at stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov by 5 p.m. Friday, April 27.

Media and the public also may ask questions during the briefing on Twitter using the hashtag #askNASA.

GRACE-FO is scheduled to launch May 19 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California as a "rideshare" on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying five Iridium communications satellites. GRACE-FO is a partnership between NASA and GFZ.

For more information about the mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/gracefo

SOURCE NASA
Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov

Tristan Chaudhry, a 20-year-old CEO, has successfully launched his first company, which has already seen significant success in the cryptocurrency market today. His unique brand, Fry Egg, provides a health and wellness platform that connects clients to fitness coaches and health programs around the globe. Clients are able to connect with their own personal coach at any time from any place.

On the Fry Egg platform, clients can compare different programs and coaches and read reviews from other program users. Not only are health programs tailored for individual health and wellness needs and offered at affordable budgets, but Fry Egg pays clients EGG tokens for tracking things like their food intake, weight loss and workouts. Program goals can range from fat loss and muscle building to body detox and stress reduction.

Coaches that sign up can customize their price and health programs they offer while connecting with clients from around the globe who need and want their services. The Fry Egg platform provides all the necessary tools for coaches and clients to communicate effectively and securely. The company offers proprietary video chat, encrypted messaging, file sharing, notification, calendar and fitness device syncing technology.

"Fry Egg is an exciting business venture that has exploded onto the cryptocurrency market," says Chaudhry. "We have been seeing increasing interest in this business in a short period of time. In one week alone, we added 1,000 telegraph users and even our tweets have gone from two to three likes and retweets to over 300. This platform provides a unique, incentivized way for clients to get healthy, stay on track and earn while they meet their health goals."

At the end of March, Chaudhry presented at the Crypto Business Forum at NASDAQ in New York City. He's also built an exceptional team of employees, advisers and partners. Chaudhry is a software engineer with extensive experience creating mobile and web-based applications using state-of-the-art technologies and platforms. He enjoys learning and researching new ways the Blockchain will influence the world. Chaudhry bet big on his new company, dropping out of Penn State in his freshman year to start the company, and the decision has been paying off.

To learn more about the company, including more about the Fry Egg team, visit FryEgg.com.

About Fry Egg

Fry Egg is the world's largest decentralized online marketplace connecting fitness coaches with clients around the world. For more information, visit FryEgg.com.

In a move that is set to bring cinema-inspired viewing to more homes, Toshiba TVs has announced that Dolby Vision™ HDR is to feature on all its 2018 UHD ranges for Europe.

Transferring cutting-edge motion picture technology from movie theatres to TV, Dolby Vision powerfully connects viewers to the on-screen action. Its precise use of expanded colour and contrast ranges means Dolby Vision captures every on-screen detail, texture and pattern, allowing movies, programmes and documentaries to be seen and experienced through the eyes of the original story tellers and directors. The display of deeper blacks further enhances the viewing experience, offering a richness and precision that makes every scene look more real.

Complementing Toshiba's OLED and HDR 4K TV viewing experience, Dolby Vision adds a 3-dimensional feel to the on-screen action, allowing more realistic shadows and crisp, well-defined forms to be displayed.

Utilizing metadata, Dolby Vision offers exceptional scene-by-scene picture accuracy, ensuring exactly the right level of brightness for every TV frame.

Bringing TV to life with a cutting-edge visual experience, the Toshiba range of OLED and HDR 4K TVs ensure an equally powerful audio performance, with features, such as speakers from leading hi-fi and home cinema brand, Onkyo.

Of the partnership, European Sales and Marketing Director, Bart Kuijten, comments "Enabling viewers to take home the movie theatre experience, this collaboration not only raises the bar for general TV viewing standards, but also for access to high quality content. Maximizing the value of our TVs as all-round home entertainment hubs, it ensures compatibility with a world-leading portfolio of Dolby Vision mastered content, which not only encompasses films, but also Blu-ray titles, TV series and video games."

"We are delighted to bring Dolby Vision to Toshiba's 2018 ranges of UHD TVs," said Javier Foncillas, VP, Commercial Partnerships - Europe, Dolby Laboratories. "As the content available in Dolby Vision continues to expand, from blockbuster movies to the latest series on the most popular streaming services, we look forward to working with Toshiba to bring the Dolby Vision experience to more consumers across Europe."

www.toshiba-tv.com/press_releases

SOURCE Toshiba TVs, Europe

Transforming every living room into an enthralling movie theatre, the X98 OLED HDR 4K Series is set to bring viewers to the edge of their seats with a sensational TV performance. Defined by incredible image precision, vibrant colour and spectacular on-screen contrasts, the X98 TV viewing experience is larger-than-life. Bringing the thrill of the big screen home, the 55" and 65" X98 TV models offer more immersive cinema style viewing, thanks to their contemporary, ultra-sleek bezel frames.


OLED

Designed without a backlight, both OLED HDR 4K TVs are capable of dimming or switching off their TV pixels entirely to display deeper, more authentic blacks as well as striking colour contrasts. By regulating the light and colour of each individual TV pixel, they also safeguard the purity of every on-screen colour.


HDR

Thanks to their HDR technology, they draw on a more expansive scale of brightness, creating incredible on-screen contrasts to set the mood. Reflecting the finest differences, they capture unprecedented image detail in both sunlit and shadowy scenes.


Dolby Vision [™] HDR

The TVs also feature Dolby Vision[™] HDR to ensure exceptional scene-by-scene picture accuracy. Transferring cutting-edge motion picture technology from movie theatres to TV, Dolby utilizes metadata to offer exactly the right level of brightness for every TV frame. As Dolby Vision capable models, both TVs promise more access to high quality content in HDR, offering compatibility with a world-leading portfolio of Dolby mastered content.


Sound by Onkyo

To ensure superior audio quality for on-screen dialogue, movie soundtracks and music, Toshiba has collaborated on the design of its speakers and subwoofers with leading hi-fi and home cinema brand, Onkyo. Engineered to deliver a more uniform audio performance, the integrated Onkyo speakers capture a wider spectrum of sound, faithfully reproducing every acoustic effect, from the rumbling of thunder to the higher tones of bells ringing.


Wide Colour Gamut

Displaying up to 1024 shades per colour, they reflect hues that are usually lost on the TV screen. Faithfully reproducing 99% of the DCI-P3 colour space, they animate the on-screen action, powerfully conveying even the most subtle colour symbolism.

To access 4K content through Neflix® and YouTube™, viewers have the option of wirelessly connecting to the Toshiba Smart portal.


HDR10 and HLG

Offering even greater access to compatible HDR content, the X98 TVs not only support HDR10, but also the newly developed standard, Hybrid Log Gamma or HLG. Future-proofing the X98 models, this HLG compatibility means that they will one day enable viewers to watch free HDR over-the-air broadcasts.

Of the new launch, European Sales and Marketing Director, Bart Kuijten, comments, "With this range, we are closing the gap between cinema and TV, working with world-leading visual and audio partners to deliver a more deeply immersive viewing experience. Featuring an array of cinema-inspired technologies, our X98 models push the boundaries of current TV design, not only in terms of picture and sound quality, but also in terms of future-proofing TV as a go-to home entertainment hub."

http://www.toshiba-tv.com/press_releases


SOURCE Toshiba TVs, Europe

Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) today announced financial results for its first quarter 2018.

"The first quarter was a strong start to the year," said Jack Dorsey, Twitter CEO. "We grew our audience and engagement, marking another quarter of double digit year-over-year DAU growth, and continued our work to make it easier to follow topics, interests, and events on Twitter. We also introduced a new framework to think more cohesively about the issues affecting our service, including information quality and safety. This holistic approach will help us more effectively address these challenges by viewing them through the broader lens of the health of the public conversation, and we're encouraged by our initial progress in this area."

"We're pleased to report growth across all major products and geographies in the first quarter," said Ned Segal, Twitter CFO. "We grew total revenue 21% year-over-year and owned-and-operated advertising revenue 28% year-over-year, driven by continued audience growth, differentiated ad product features, improved ROI, and better sales execution. Our strong revenue performance drove better than expected profits and GAAP net margins of 9%, reflecting our continued prioritization and disciplined execution across our strategic priorities."

First Quarter 2018 Operational and Financial Highlights

The company reported first quarter revenue of $665 million, an increase of 21% year-over-year. Quarterly GAAP net income was $61 million, representing a GAAP net margin of 9% and GAAP diluted EPS of $0.08. This compares with a quarterly GAAP net loss of $62 million, a GAAP net margin of (11%) and GAAP diluted EPS of ($0.09) for the same period last year.

Quarterly non-GAAP net income was $123 million, representing a non-GAAP diluted EPS of $0.16. This compares with a quarterly non-GAAP net income of $53 million, representing a non-GAAP diluted EPS of $0.07 for the same period last year. As a result of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the blended US federal and state statutory tax rate used to calculate the company's reported non-GAAP provisions for income taxes decreased from 37% to 24% beginning in Q1 2018. Approximately $21 million of the $70 million year-over-year increase in non-GAAP net income resulted from this change.

Adjusted EBITDA was $244 million or 37% of total revenue, compared to $170 million or 31% of total revenue for the same period last year.

Average monthly active users (MAUs) were 336 million for the quarter, an increase of 3% year-over-year and an increase of 6 million compared to 330 million in the previous quarter. Average daily active users (DAU) grew 10% year-over-year, marking another quarter of double-digit growth.

Outlook

For Q2, we expect:
Adjusted EBITDA to be between $245 million and $265 million
Adjusted EBITDA margin to be between 37% and 38%
Stock-based compensation expense to be in the range of $85 million to $95 million

For FY 2018, we expect:
Stock-based compensation expense to be in the range of $350 million to $450 million
Capital expenditures to be between $375 million and $450 million

Note that our outlook for Q2 and the full year 2018 reflects foreign exchange rates as of April 16, 2018.

For more information regarding the non-GAAP financial measures discussed in this letter, please see "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and "Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below. Guidance for adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin excludes stock-based compensation expense, depreciation and amortization expense, interest and other expense, net, provision (benefit) for income taxes, restructuring charges, and one-time nonrecurring gain. We have not reconciled adjusted EBITDA guidance to projected GAAP net income (loss) because we do not provide guidance on GAAP net income (loss) or the reconciling items between adjusted EBITDA and GAAP net income (loss), other than stock-based compensation expense, as a result of the uncertainty regarding, and the potential variability of, certain of these items. Accordingly, a reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measure guidance to the corresponding GAAP measure is not available without unreasonable effort.

Twitter's complete first quarter 2018 financial results can be found by accessing the company's Shareholder Letter at: https://investor.twitterinc.com/releases.cfm.

Webcast and Conference Call Details
Twitter will host a conference call today, Wednesday, April 25, 2018, at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time (8:00 a.m. Eastern Time) to discuss financial results for the first quarter of 2018. The company will be following the conversation about the earnings announcement on Twitter. To have your questions considered during the Q&A, Tweet your question to @TwitterIR using #TWTR. To listen to a live audio webcast, please visit the company's Investor Relations page at investor.twitterinc.com. Twitter has used, and intends to continue to use, its Investor Relations website and the Twitter accounts of @jack, @Twitter, and @TwitterIR as means of disclosing material nonpublic information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD.

Twitter will release financial results for the second quarter of 2018 on July 27, 2018, before the market opens at approximately 4:00 a.m. Pacific Time (7:00 a.m. Eastern Time). On the same day, Twitter will host a conference call to discuss those financial results at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time (8:00 a.m. Eastern Time).

About Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR)
Twitter is what's happening in the world and what people are talking about right now. From breaking news and entertainment to sports, politics, and everyday interests, see every side of the story. Join the open conversation. Watch live streaming events. Available in more than 40 languages around the world, the service can be accessed via twitter.com, an array of mobile devices, and SMS. For more information, please visit about.twitter.com, follow @Twitter, and download both the Twitter and Periscope apps at twitter.com/download and periscope.tv.

A federal tax id number, or Tax ID Number, also known as an EIN, or Employer Identification Number, is an identifying number that is assigned by the IRS, or Internal Revenue Service. As a new business owner, there are numerous reasons why you would need to apply for an EIN. In addition to identifying your business as an operating entity, some situations where an EIN is required is when you hire employees, apply for a business loan, open a business bank account, or file taxes. Furthermore, an EIN is required for a trust, executor of an estate, church organization, and non-profit organization. 

Spotify launches a redesigned mobile app for its free users that lets them listen on-demand to any song on one of 15 personalized discovery playlists


Music is the great connector. It unites us across markets, ages, backgrounds, languages, preferences, political leanings and income levels. At Spotify, we believe in music for everyone—and today, we are one step closer to making that a reality as we unveil a new, improved, and more personalized way to discover music and listen to what you love on Spotify, for free.

The new ad-supported Spotify is a natural next step as Spotify continues to innovate and evolve for the needs of our users, and will be rolling out globally to all users of Spotify on iOS and Android. With a new design on mobile, Free on Spotify includes a number of new features to make the listening experience more tailored to what you need to hear, now.

“Our customers always tell us that music discovery and listening is a personal experience, and we are enhancing the free experience with this in mind,” said Babar Zafar, VP of Product Development at Spotify. “This is the beginning of an evolution for Spotify and we will continue to make improvements that mirror our customers’ needs. This is not only about giving users a more customized free experience from the day they sign up, but giving them more control over their listening experience so they can easily find and stream their favorites anytime, from anywhere.”

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