Tech Talk Vol. 1 by abreuboom

tECH talk INSIDE Changing Social Media Innovative Solutions

nexus 6

How to start cODE

iPhone killer

FLAGSHIP

HOVERBOARDS

ARE REAL Smartwatches wHAT IS hEARTBLEED?

hOMES OF THE FUTURE

Teens in Tech

Engineer

Coder

Thinker

1 1.15

Tech Talk

Contents In our

World

Bioshock infinite

Into the Nexus

HeartBleed

Ballistic Capture

Smart Homes

By John Abreu

By Lambert Song

By Jeffrey Weiner

By Luca Koval

Hoverboards

Smartwatches

By our

teens

By Andrew Gill

By Timothy Hoang

Wearable Sensors

Web Development

Rethinking Social Media

By Kenneth Shinozuka

By Cavan Klinsky

By Trisha Prabhu

HOVER Page 16

<krqe.com>

April 2015

staff Editor in Chief Jeffrey Weiner Lambert Song Amit Chowdhury Managing Editor Stephen Phillips Director of Graphic DESIGN John Abreu

Page 18

Faculty Advisor < www.tecmundo.com.br>

Jason Torres

Letter from the editor Hello Readers, Thank you for picking up a copy of our publication! Tech Talk is Horace Mannâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s publication focusing on technology and its applications in science and computing. Our goal is to engender a passion for science and technology through a clear and precise writing style as well as a streamlined design. We also seek to highlight student achievements in the our local community in our Teens in Tech segment. We hope to make information accessible and understandable to our readers. This issue of Tech Talk focuses on new discoveries, student accomplishments, and futuristic technology with the potential to revolutionize daily life. By featuring topics that are exciting and related to our own lives, Tech Talk aims to display the relevance of innovative discoveries to our world. Looking ahead, we are redesigning Tech Talkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website where we will frequently upload articles. We hope that students at Horace Mann turn to Tech Talk and our affiliated club HM Tech to aid in STEM-related activities, events, and projects. Innovation is a fundamental part of our everyday lives, and I hope Tech Talk helps you enjoy the beauty of discoveries being made.

Jeffrey Weiner editor IN chIEF class of 2016 3

Tech Talk

bioshock Infinite review

< www.wallpaperswide.com>

by john abreu

“

fall in love with this game whether you are new to the BioShock franchise or a hardcore first-person shooter (FPS) fanatic. BioShock Infinite tells the tale of Booker Dewitt, an older man looking for a clean slate. He is deeply troubled by his past, and especially his time in the military, when he

to become a private detective; however, by this point in his life, Booker was in an immense amount of debt. He finds redemption in the Lutece Twins, who task him with retrieving a girl, Elizabeth, from a city in the sky, Columbia, in exchange for their wiping away his debt. Primarily taking place in 1912, the story follows Booker and Elizabeth’s relationship as it evolves from a sense of antipathy between the two to an inseparable bond as they struggle to leave Columbia. Throughout was considered a hero for his the story there are themes of racextreme use of violence. His violent ism, religion, and the flawed Amermannerisms continued when he ican Dream. These themes manifest finished his service and became an throughout the game with antagoemployee of the National Detective nists like The Prophet (main antagoAgency. Booker’s reputation led him nist and founder of Colombia) and

“

ioShock Infinite truly set the standard for storytelling in video games in 2013 with its amazing story and addictive gameplay. The carefully crafted story features compelling characters that you really care about and a sense of mystery that leaves the player wanting to continue for the sake of

It is very easy to fall in love with this game uncovering the secrets of the game. The gameplay blends a surprisingly helpful companion with new ways to traverse the environment, making the combat sequences seem vast in scale. Basically, it is very easy to 4

April 2015 the Patriot (machine gun-wielding enemy with the likeness of George Washington), characters like these seemingly make fun of the founding fathers and the supposed “equality” Americans strive for. The steampunk style of Columbia is less gloomy than previous BioShock games, with a much warmer palette and sunshine, a luxury absent from the other entries in the franchise. The streets are filled with life, except during combat when the

standard FPS weapon types. (rifle, shotgun, pistol, etc.) You can only carry two weapons at a time, so you may find yourself sticking with the same one or two weapons throughout the whole game because there is no real reason to change your weapon if you have found one that suits your needs. Each weapon fits certain play styles, whether you like charging into battle or picking out hostiles from afar, and most players will not find themselves trying

which gives you the ability to lift and catapult enemies, vigors. Vigors mix up the gameplay, setting BioShock Infinite apart from the competition because most games in the FPS genre only feature weapons like guns or knives. You are allowed to have all of the vigors and equip whichever pair you would like, but it is the same story as with the weapons in the sense that there is not a compelling reason to swap out vigors when you have found two

“one of the most incredible uses of fantasy graphics in gaming at the time of release”

<playstation.com>

civilians flee, and the game poses many choices throughout the story; an example being whether to save an interracial couple or doom them to the racism of Colombian society. However, the choices you make do not affect the story or the outcome of the game. However, this should not dissuade players from purchasing the game, because the sole conclusion the developers included is one of the best in all of video game history. The game boasts a diverse set of weapons, with at least two of the

weapons outside of their comfort zone more than once. The game makes up for this lack of weapons interest with vigors, Infinite’s version of powers or magic, which are the equivalent of the plasmids found in BioShock 1 and Bioshock 2. Most of these vigors have two or more abilities, generally a projectile and a trap mode. There is a wide array of vigors, ranging from the standard fire and water vigors to the interesting Murder of Crows, which sends out a flurry of menacing crows, and Bucking Bronco,

that match your playing style, since many are simply carbon copies of one another and others simply are not as effective in combat. There are two major elements that set BioShock Infinite apart from other FPS games: the Sky Hook and your companion Elizabeth. The Sky Hook is a magnetic latch that acts as a mode of transport (on the Sky Lines) and as a weapon. These Sky Lines can most easily be described as aerial train tracks that are found all throughout the environment and can be used 5

Tech Talk to traverse Colombia or quickly move around in tense combat situations. The traveling function of the Sky Hook makes combat sequences more interesting because you can jump and escape to other areas, but they feel very limited as a mode of transport because they are usually

norm with companions in video games, I never found that Elizabeth got in my way or slowed me down during the game. In fact, BioShock Infinite would be a much worse game without Elizabeth: as she is not only the main supporting character, but also Irrational Studios has

style throughout the visual experience. On the other hand, BioShock Infinite excellently employs these graphics, creating an immersive experience in the fantasy world of Colombia. I played the PlayStation 3 version of BioShock Infinite so the graphics were a bit underwhelming

just result in a loop around the same few portions of the world. The Sky Hook also acts as the primary melee weapon and can be enhanced with pieces of gear found throughout the game. The other game-changing feature is Elizabeth, a girl with the ability to create “tears” to other dimensions and she is the key to Booker’s quest for redemption. She gives you ammo, health, or salts (which replenish vigors) whenever you need them and can also open tears, which are portals to other dimensions. Tears can be used to create cover, ammo, and even nonplayer characters (NPCs) that fight for you in combat. Contrary to the

brilliantly incorporated her into the story and created a need for her in order to complete the game. In terms of graphics, the game does not aim for hyper-realistic visuals since it prefers to go for a steam-punk, cartoony style, but besides that the visual experience is amazing. This excellence is due to how complete the environments feels, because of the inclusion of NPC’s and a vast city, and one of the most incredible uses of fantasy graphics in gaming at the time of release. Often times, games that intentionally employ unrealistic graphics fall short visually as they do not enforce a consistent art

compared to its PC counterpart, but nonetheless, they were breathtaking for a console title. I never found myself seeing blurry or pixelated textures and all of the effects (such as lens flares, reflections, etc.) were well incorporated. The sound design and music for the game is also incredible: every noise and orchestration seemed to be built just for each scene. Another highlight of the sound design is the voice acting. Troy Baker, one of the most prominent voice actors in recent years with roles including Joel from The Last of Us and The Joker from Arkham Origins, voices the lead role of Booker and < www.wallpapersofflowers.com>

Gameplay

9.5

Graphics

Sound Design

Story Replay Value 6

10 7

8.7

April 2015

Into the

x Nexus by John Abreu <extremetech.com>

6 13 4 14

Nexus 6

n early October 2014, Google debuted a tablet and smartphone optimized for its upcoming version of Android, called 5.0 Lollipop. The announcement of new devices is a fairly regular trend with new Android releases; Google has been doing so since Android version 1. These two new devices are known as the Nexus 9 and Nexus 6, with the numbers representing the diagonal display size of each device. Both devices will run pure Android 5.0 Lollipop, with none of the bloatware or skins that phone manufacturers often include to differentiate their devices from other smartphones. The extra software ultimately ends up slowing down these devices and is often incomplete (Samsung’s Touchwiz, HTC’s Sense, etc.) The Nexus 9 is the newest tablet in the Nexus line, designed by HTC and equipped with an 8.9” display. This tablet has a high-resolution display, equivalent to that of the iPad Air 2, at 2048x1536 pixels. It is 7.95mm thin, just 1.85mm shy of the iPad Air 2’s 6.1mm depth; however, it weighs 425g, which is very light compared to other tablets on the market. The Nexus 9 features dual front-facing speakers, a feature that has become standard among HTC devices. With 2 gigabytes (GB) of RAM and the new Nvidia Tegra K1 processor, this will undoubtedly be one of the zippiest tablets on the market. The Nexus 9 retails at $399 for the 16GB model, which is actually quite cheap given the blazing-fast hardware of this device.

inch display 1440x250 Amoled

Megapixel BACK 4k video, 2MP front

Core cpu 3gb ram, up to 64gb storage

Days standby 3220 MAH BATTERY

Tech Talk 6 to 7 hours. This phone also has dual front-facing speakers, albeit designed by Motorola, and sports a Snapdragon 805 accompanied by 3GB of RAM. This makes the Nexus 6 one of the most powerful phones on the market, at least on paper. The Nexus 6 features a fairly high-resolution 13-megapixel camera; however, this does not mean that this device takes decent pictures. As previous Nexus devices have shown us with their subpar image quality, image processing is

Nexus 9

The Nexus 6 is Google’s latest smartphone and also the company’s largest, with a 5.9” Quad HD AMOLED display and a 10.6mm depth. The display is also a gorgeous 1440x2560, which could potentially cause issues given that a display of that resolution would tax the battery substantially. Nonetheless, Google packed a 3220 mAh battery into the Nexus 6, meaning that the display will be supplied with more than enough power to last the category-average

<pcadvisor.co.uk>

9 8 2 30 8

inch display 1536x2048 ips LEd

Megapixel BACK 1080p video, 1.6MP front

Core cpu 2gb ram, up to 32gb storage

Days standy 6700 MAH BATTERY

just as important as the resolution of your pictures. Hopefully, Google will take the Nexus 6 as an opportunity to improve their unsatisfactory image processing. The Nexus 6 is undeniably a blown up Moto X, but this does not detract from the fact that, thanks to its curved back, the Nexus 6 is very comfortable to hold in the hand, despite its large footprint. The Nexus 6’s closest competitor in terms of sheer size is the iPhone 6 Plus, and it will be interesting to see how the two devices compare side by side: which of the two is easier to use with a single hand? How do they compare in terms of performance? Has Google finally made a camera that can stack up against other smartphones on the market? Both devices are already out on the market, with high expectations and labels like “iPad Killer” and “iPhone Killer.” The Nexus 6 delivers a premium package, retailing at $649 for the 32GB model, a departure from the budget prices of previous Nexus devices. Notably, this will be the first Nexus device to be sold at carriers rather than just the Google Play store. The Nexus 9 will also come in a 4G model (as opposed to Wi-Fi only), adopting the trend in premium tablets that Apple first displayed with the iPad 2. Both the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 are affordable yet maintain a premium feel, which may be just what Android needs to maintain its lead in popularity over iOS.

April 2015

d e e l b t r hea

by Lambert Song

ou’ve seen the headlines and that ominous cartoonish picture of a heart pasted all over the Internet. You’ve read about this thing called “Heartbleed” that has been sending the IT world, and even the largest of technology companies into a sudden crisis mode. But what is Heartbleed anyway? What does Heartbleed even mean for me? What is Heartbleed? It was Monday, April 7th, 2014. A seemingly normal day was soon about to give way to a terribly nasty wakeup call. By the afternoon, IT

living up to its rather dramatic, grim name. At its very heart, Heartbleed is simply a bug, or a flaw, in certain versions of a program called OpenSSL. OpenSSL is a command line tool that is used for various cryptography functions of OpenSSL’s cryptography library. This program provides and handles the security of websites, mainly encrypting and protecting sensitive data, such as passwords, to keep this data from being accessed by outsiders and hackers. So data, such as passwords and PIN num-

eleven people. The Heartbleed bug is a flaw in the code of one of the features provided by OpenSSL, a function known as a “heartbeat.” The heartbeat function is designed to keep connections between a server (the system that responds to requests made by the client) and a client (software that accesses a server such as web browsers) alive even while no data is being transmitted between the two so that this connection can be used later. Under normal conditions in a heartbeat, a client will send a certain amount

The heartbleed bug is a flaw in the code of one of the features provided by openssl professionals were notified about a serious vulnerability found in something known as OpenSSL, and within minutes, tech companies and the Internet succumbed to a flurry of panicked activity. Google researcher Neel Mentha, along with a security company called Codenomicon, discovered and reported the bug independently to the OpenSSL team. Dubbed “Heartbleed,” this bug quickly rose to become one of most notorious, large-scale bugs discovered recently,

bers, submitted over the Internet are protected from hackers by OpenSSL. OpenSSL is highly popular and has become the standard encryption tool for over two-thirds of all websites. However, despite its mass popularity and significance to the Internet, OpenSSL is not backed or developed by a large tech corporation. Rather, OpenSSL is an open source project (any coder or programmer can contribute to it) started in 1998 and is currently being worked on by a team of

of data (up to 64 kilobytes of randomly chosen data) to the server and the server will send that exact same data back. However, due to a coding error, the server doesn’t check if the data sent by the client is actually how much the client says it is. For example if a client sends the server only 1 kilobyte (kB) of data but tells the server it sent 64 kB of data, the server will send back 64 kB of data. But so what? Why does returning more data to the client make this bug so serious? Well, the 9

Tech Talk

answer to that lies in where the extra data is coming from. Not only is the original 1 kB of data being sent back, but the server will continue to send data back to the client from the next 64 kB of memory stored on the server. Depending on where the initial data the client sent is stored, the server could send back usernames, passwords, useless information, HTML webpages, credit card numbers, and other things. Most importantly, the server might send the client the server’s private key, the information that the server uses to encrypt and decrypt sensitive data. By knowing the private key, a person is capable of decrypting the protected data on the server. This would allow outsiders to obtain other people’s sensitive data that have been sent to the server; for example, someone could obtain credit card numbers by exploiting a shopping site affected by Heartbleed. Generally speaking, repetition of this attack will yield a different part of the server’s data each time. The actual error in OpenSSL’s code that caused the Heartbleed bug is a relatively simple one. On December 2011, while Robin Seggelmann was fixing some bugs and adding new features to OpenSSL, he accidentally introduced the Heartbleed bug by forgetting to validate a single variable that stored a length (so the server never checks how much data was actually sent by the client). The error was subsequently not noticed in a review of the code and so the error wound up in the main release code to become known as the Heartbleed bug. The Heartbleed bug has already been

patched by the OpenSSL team and the fix has been released in OpenSSL version 1.0.1g (the affected versions were versions 1.0.1 through 1.0.1f) or newer. These new versions add in a validation for the variable storing the length through a bounds check. Many websites have already updated to this p atche d ve rsion, and those who didn’t probably have already patched the bug themselves. However, simply fixing this bug may no longer be enough to ensure the security of these servers. What effect has Heartbleed had? Besides the fact that Heartbleed allowed anyone to access strictly private data stored on servers, the Heartbleed bug has some lasting implications. The Heartbleed bug essentially could have rendered encryption moot. Even when the affected servers may be patched and fixed, the security and privacy of sessions over a website may still be compromised. Since the attacks are completely anonymous, as the attack occurs before the webpage is actually served and thus

April 2015

the IP address of the client isn’t logged, there is currently no way to find out if a server has actually been attacked. So for all we know, someone may have already obtained the keys for decryption and thus the encryption is no longer protecting the data; a third party might be decrypting all the data that you send. Owners of servers will have to be forced to assume that their keys are no longer effective. The only way to fix that is by generating new keys and certificates while revoking the old ones by contacting something called a Certificate Authority, the entity that issues digital certificates. This process is time consuming because many people are rushing to do so at the same time. In the meantime, servers might be left vulnerable to other attacks. The massive popularity of OpenSSL (over 66% of sites use it) made many websites vulnerable to Heartbleed. A number of major websites that have been confirmed to be vulnerable to the Heartbleed bug include Yahoo, Dropbox, Box, SoundCloud, GitHub, Minecraft, Tumblr, Instagram, Facebook, Flickr, Netflix, as well as a number of Google services. All of these sites listed here have

already patched this vulnerability and now recommend that users change their passwords to be safe. On the mobile side, only Google’s Android Jelly Bean (4.1.1) had been affected by Heartbleed. Google has already released an update to fix this. As Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon all do not use OpenSSL, these companies’ services remained unaffected by Heartbleed. Bloomberg News has also recently reported that the NSA already knew about the Heartbleed vulnerability and had been actively exploiting it for two years now to gather private data. Reportedly, the NSA has been keeping the bug secret in order to continue using it for national security purposes. After initially declining to comment, the NSA denies any allegations that it ever knew about Heartbleed prior to its reveal. Heartbleed gave the Internet quite the rude awakening, demonstrating the massive repercussions a single bug can have. Luckily the bug was patched relatively quickly upon its announcement, but even still, there are steps needed to ensure the security of affected servers. On the bright side, Heartbleed has provided an extra reason and opportunity for companies and programmers to further tighten security on their servers, but at quite the cost. Heartbleed has taught the entire IT world and Internet users many things to remember as the Internet continues to mature and develop into the future.

“Even when the affected servers may be patched and fixed, the security and privacy of sessions over a website may still be compromiised” 11

Tech Talk

Ballistic Capture By Jeffrey Weiner

new approach to travel to Mars offers flexibility and cost savings. Developed by mathematicians Edward Belbruno and Francesco Topputo, this novel and less expensive way to get to Mars relies on the motion of Mars itself. Instead of analyzing when Mars will be at a certain location in its orbit and shooting a spacecraft to precisely meet it, Belbruno and Topputo propose sending a spacecraft into a Mars-like orbit ahead of Mars and allowing the planet to reach the spacecraft. This new method is referred to as ballistic capture, as Mars gravitationally

mars draws in the spacecraft to its orbit. The traditional method known as the Hohmann transfer involves propelling a spacecraft toward Mars at full speed and then braking the spacecraft once it is close enough to slow down and enter Marsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; orbit. While the Hohmann method works reliably, it is costly and can only be performed at specific optimal times. The ballistic capture strategy greatly cuts down on fuel costs. Because it does not require retrorockets to slow down the spacecraft, travel to Mars via ballistic capture uses less fuel and becomes less bulky. Additionally, there is no

“

April 2015 <waitbutwhy.com>

“

The Ballistic Capture method can send off a spacecraft at any time need to wait for a launch window or particular time when Mars and the Earth are nearest to each other. If an ideal opportunity to launch via the Hohmann transfer is missed, then often a two year waiting period ensues for the next launch time. The ballistic capture method can send off a spacecraft at any time to travel slowly ahead of Mars. Belbruno first suggested the concept of ballistic travel when he worked at Jet Propulsion Laboratories. It was successfully utilized in 1991 to get the Hiten spacecraft to the Moon. Ballistic capture was also used in the SMART-1 lunar mission in 2004 and NASA’s GRAIL lunar mission in 2011. Belbruno thought that ballistic capture would not work because of the

long travel distance to Mars and the planet’s high orbital velocity about the sun, but together with Topputo they have calculated a feasible approach. A negative aspect to the ballistic capture approach is that the trip to Mars would take longer, possibly as much as several months. It would not be ideal for human travel. However, because lighter spacecraft can be send more frequently, these new missions can be effective in data gathering and carrying supplies and equipment for future human use. NASA is considering using the ballistic capture method to Mars in the 2020s. We are at the brink of a new age in space exploration.

<bomblabs.com>

sMART hOMEs THE WORLD OF TONY STARK

Tech Talk

August Smart Lock

By Luca Koval

<design-milk.com>

hen you hear “smart home,” you might be thinking, “Like in the Iron Man movies, right? Too bad my home can’t be like that.” I am here to clear up that misconception. First of all, you might not know what a smart home is. A smart home is a home that has been integrated with some sort of intelligent system. This means that it can talk to you and you can talk to it. For example, a door lock in a smart home might send an alert to your phone if your house is broken into. You could also remotely lock your door from a device like your phone. Other smart appliances in a smart home might include security cameras, thermostats, lights bulbs that can be turned on remotely, light switches, and electrical socket-like devices. These devices have a slot that your lamp or other appliance plugs into. Once the appliance has been plugged into the device, the device plugs into the wall. Now that you know what a smart home is, we can talk about how realistic it is: very. There are many different companies and products that provide easy-toset-up smart home appliances. Generally, appliances start at $49.99, but some are cheaper, such as a Wi-Fi socket made by Bayit Home Automation that is being sold for $39.99 on Amazon. Some appliances come even cheaper on websites such <techhive.com>

Roost Smart Battery

April 2015 as eBay, which is selling five wireless remote control sockets for only $26.85, a great buy, especially when compared with the prices on Amazon. However, with sites like eBay, be careful that the appliances are in good condition and that you are not getting ripped off. Some appliances, like the Belkin light switch, are sold at various Apple stores. Some appliances work differently than others, or require more setup, or come with extra features, such as an app for your phone. Some of the oldest smart home appliances are the x10 appliances, an industry standard. The x10 standard is versatile in the sense that it includes many different types of

than, say, a Philips Hue Light Bulb, which you simply screw into a light fixture. The programming language that x10 appliances use is called Heyu. Heyu uses a computer interface called CM11A (it can also use CM17A) to send and receive signals from the x10 appliances and controllers. Certain programs, such as AppleScript Editor on Macs, can integrate Heyu into its programs, thus allowing the devices connected to the x10 appliances and the Apple computer to communicate. This computer-and-device communication allows for something more like the Iron Man movies: JARVIS. For those of you who do not know what JARVIS is, it is a

Light Bulb, are built for an app that allows you to control the appliances remotely. This functionality is nice if you are coming home and want to have the lights on to welcome you when you walk in. This principle does not just apply to light bulbs. Other appliances, even air conditioners, can be set up so you can activate them remotely. Some appliances, like the Roost small battery, are even simpler. The Roost battery is Wi-Fi enabled and turns any smoke detector with a 9-volt battery into a smart smoke detector. All you have to do is swap out the old batteries with the Roost batteries. If that is still too much work for you, there is the

appliances, including remote controls, and in that you can program them to do whatever you want. The downside is that programming x10 appliances requires more effort

computer program that can speak with Tony Stark and do all sorts of tasks for him. Although this software is in a movie, it is possible. I myself have been developing a system similar to JARVIS on my laptop. I can speak to him, ask him to give me stock reports, tell me the weather, tell me how many unread emails I have, etc. You do not even have to make any software. There are software programs out there already that allow you to control your computer using your voice: MAKO, Jarvis, and Links, the last of which is made by MVC and is free. Integrate this with automated devices throughout your house and you have achieved an early version of Tony Stark’s house. Some people, however, are not willing to go through all this work. If you are one of those people, there is still hope for you. There are dozens of appliances that, as described above, only require you to screw in a light bulb and follow a simple set of instructions to set up a wireless bridge. Some appliances, like the Philips

Leeo smart night light, which functions as a night light and as a device which sends you an alert when your old carbon monoxide or smoke detector goes off. So next time you hear “smart home,” don’t think impossible. In fact, use it as a reminder to begin your journey to your own smart home.

Nest Thermostat

<bits.blogs.nytimes.com>

Tech Talk

Future OF Transportation:

hoverb W

hat levitates and looks like a skateboard without wheels? HOVERBOARDS!!!! That’s right, it has been a long-time fantasy of the human race to have hoverboards and Hendo has finally done it. Hendo’s founders Greg and Jill Henderson have created a hoverboard that is sleekly designed and glides seamlessly.

How does it work? Hendo made the hoverboard by using opposing magnetic forces between the floor and hoverboard, which seems pretty simple. However, it is harder than expected because of the principal known as Earnshaw’s Theorem, which states that charges (magnets) cannot be maintained in a stable stationary equilibrium configuration based solely on the electrostatic interaction of the charges. Due to this 16

annoying tendency, Hendo had to come up with a method to stabilize the magnets. They invented Magnetic Field Architecture to overcome the issue. Magnetic Field Architecture directs the energy that comes about under the property known as Lenz’s law, which is how an induced electromotive force will always give rise to a current whose magnetic field opposes the original change in magnetic flux. The focusing of the opposing forces allows the hoverboard to levitate and keep still.

Design

may lead to unwanted collisions. In order to guard against this, there is a safety switch at the bottom that turns off the hoverboard, which would stop it in case of an impeding collision. The hoverboard currently only works on non-ferrous metal surfaces like copper and aluminum, and floats one inch above the metal sheet. These metals are used because the hoverboard needs something to repel its magnets and these are the most practical options. Of course, this system has its limitations: you will not be able to hoverboard anywhere but on these special surfaces.

The hoverboard is equipped Price and with four engines, batteries, and a safety switch. The four engines availability keep the hoverboard afloat and the batteries power the engines and Currently, no hoverboards magnets. Some health hazards are are available because Hendo has apparent in the use of hoverboards sold its initial stock of 10 (for due to the lack of friction, which $10,000 each). Hendo has set up

April 2015

By Andy Gill

boards <digitaltrends.com>

a Kickstarter page on which you can back its research in the hoverboard field, including the creation of a more practical hoverboard that will not need the copper surface in order to float. In efforts to raise money for the research, they are offering several products, like the Whitebox Developer Kit, a Hoverboard replica, and the Betaboard. The Whitebox Developer Kit is a device that uses the same technology as the hoverboard, but it is modeled after a box instead of a skateboard; it has the capability to hold up to five pounds. An upgraded version of the Whitebox called the The Whitebox+ can be controlled through an app, available for both Android and iOS devices. The Whitebox Developer Kit starts at $299 and The Whitebox+ starts at $799. The Hoverboard replica is a full-sized hoverboard without the engines and starts at $449. Hendo

is also selling a line of mini-hoverboards they call the Betaboard. Betaboards float on top of a magnetic platform, but use a different technology than what is used for the regular hoverboard. Nevertheless, the Betaboard is a fun desktop toy. The price of the Betaboard set, which includes the Betaboard itself and the platform, starts at $149.

motion. Another use of the hover technology is in the foundations of buildings where, if an earthquake were to occur, the hover engines would levitate the building and prevent it from being damaged. Hopefully, people will be able to use hoverboards in the future as a method of recreation and transportation.

Application in the world Hendo plans to use the hover technology for warehouses, transportation, and building foundations. In warehouses they plan to use the levitation power of the hover technology to easily move large objects. For transportation, Hendo would apply the hover technology to trains. Due to the lack of friction, less energy would have to be used to keep the vehicle in

Tony Hawk approves!

Tech Talk

Apple Watch VS

Samsung Gear S By Timothy hoang

he Apple Watch, often unofficially called the iWatch, was unveiled on September 9, 2014, marking Apple’s longawaited entrance into the developing smartwatch sector. Meant to be compatible with the iPhone 6 and iOS 8 operating system, the Apple Watch is capable of adapting to anyone’s personal needs. As Apple software continues to improve, the Apple Watch will most certainly follow, adapting with the times.

Apple’s primary focus, both for the Apple Watch and in general, is convenience, and thus it has gone to extensive measures to maximize ease of use. Apple’s newest piece of technology has revolutionized convenience through a variety of features, ranging from simply telling the time to keeping in touch with friends while in a hurry. Imagine the essential features of a phone, including customization, messaging, and apps, and then compress

them into a wrist-sized device: you have the Apple Watch. Among some of the watch’s features are the ability to connect with friends via messages and calls that can be initialized with a simple phrase or press of a button. Speaking of buttons, Apple has implemented an interesting new hardware component to their smartwatch: the digital crown. This small yet useful feature will allow the user to easily zoom in and out within applications; it also

gear s

curved display 360 x 480 Amoled COMES IN BLACK AND WHITE Phone not required <sammobile.com>

sAMSUNG

Starts at $350

April 2015

serves as the home button. But nowadays what’s a watch without a workout feature? Apple has answered the call with an app that personalizes workout regiments to your nutritional needs and personal goals. This is not the only application available on the Apple Watch; a variety of other apps with useful functions are condensed into a screen that can accompany you wherever you go. Not only can you customize the interface of the watch, but you can also customize it cosmetically. Apple allows you to choose the material and styling of the watch’s strap, among other things. The device even serves as an electronic wallet, employing Apple Pay to provide a convenient, secure payment system that can be accessed with a lift of the wrist. What is there not to love about the Apple Watch? Be sure to look out for it in the spring of 2015. Samsung’s latest addition to their line of smartwatches is the Galaxy Gear S, released on

November 7 of 2014. The company’s long history in the smartwatch market goes back to when it released its first model in 1999. Since then it has only continued to improve the software, upgrading

Apple, customization was not a top priority for Samsung, and as such the Gear S has noticeably fewer customizable options. Watchband, watch material, and other aesthetic features are dictated by Samsung.

Apple’s primary focus, both for the aPPLE WATCH AND IN GENERAL, IS

coNVENIENCE the utility and visual appeal of the watch. Samsung’s take on the new smartwatch is similar to Apple’s, but simpler in that it has fewer apps and customizable options. The battery capacity of the Gear S, a key specification in a device designed to be used constantly, is around 300 mAh, equivalent to approximately two days of consistent usage. Among some of the features of the much-anticipated Gear S is the ability to talk, message, and use apps while on the go without having to take out your phone. Unlike

Nevertheless, the Gear S has many of the same capabilities as the Apple Watch, including convenient communication with friends and family that can be activated either via voice control or touch. The Gear S is not Samsung’s only attempt at building a smartwatch. Other versions have already been released and have been available to the public for a little over a year. Samsung’s experience in this specific field of technology surpasses that of Apple, but there is no doubt that both will work towards revolutionizing

Watch

aPPLE

Starts at $350 pRESSURE sENSITIVE available in 2 sizes COMES IN 3 editions (Each with colors) Requires iPhone <wired.co.uk>

Tech Talk

smartwatches as they are known today. When placed side-by-side and compared on the basis of specs, features, and ease of use, it is a close struggle between these two corporate giants and their respective products. Samsung’s experience in the smartwatch industry will certainly give it some leverage over its rival, Apple, which has only recently revealed its first such device. From the get-go we can definitely see that the Gear S has the upper hand when it comes to user-friendliness on the go. The Apple Watch runs an operating system termed Watch OS while the Gear S runs Tizen, Samsung’s own smartwatch software. While Watch OS is a slightly piece of software with more features, it requires the user to almost always have his or her phone handy in order to access the majority of the apps featured on the watch. On the

Sport

other hand, the Gear S can operate at almost 100% functionality without a Samsung Galaxy phone, establishing the watch as independent of a smartphone of any kind. However, both the Gear S and the Apple Watch are only compatible with certain phones; the Apple Watch is only compatible with the iPhone 5 or later, while the Gear S functions with the newer versions of the Galaxy S and Note smartphones Always a fan of “the bigger, the better,” Samsung has kept up with the trend by boasting a 2 inch display, while Apple’s measures to about 1.53 inch, considerably smaller than its counterpart. A core variable, if not the most important, that consumers looking for a device consider is the price. However, Samsung and Apple are on even ground, with the prices ranging from around $350 to $400. However, upgraded versions of the

Apple Watch, with custom features and such, will cost more than the base prices. When compared to one another, the Samsung Gear S and the Apple Watch are close competitors, with no clearly decisive victor. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses that their respective companies will continue to work on over the coming years. It will surely be a close race, as it always has been, but all we can do is wait until both models are available for a more realistic view on where these two revolutionary watches stand relative to each other.

WATCH

EDITION

<forbes.com>

April 2015

Teens In tech 21

Tech Talk

Wearable by kenneth Shinozuka

rowing up in a family with three living generations, I have always been very close to my grandfather. When I was four years old, my grandfather and I were walking in a park in Japan when he suddenly got lost. It was one of the scariest moments I ever experienced, and it was also the first incident that pointed to the fact that my grandfather had Alzheimer’s disease. Over the years, his condition has gotten worse, and his wandering in particular caused numerous accidents and tremendous stress to my family. About two years ago, his wandering out of bed at night

U.S., more than 65% of whom wander. Caring for them cost the nation $220 billion in 2013 alone, a number that is expected to multiply five times by the year 2050. This overwhelming societal challenge, coupled with my concern for my family’s struggles, motivated me to find a solution. But how? One night, I was looking after my grandfather as I saw him stepping out of the bed. The moment his foot landed on the floor, a light bulb flashed in my head. I thought: Why don’t I put a pressure sensor on the heel of his foot? Once he steps onto the floor, the sensor would wirelessly send an audible alert to my

floors to detect the falls of elderly patients and alert caregivers wirelessly at their wristwatches. Since I had not even graduated from kindergarten at the time, I did not have the tools to translate my idea into reality. Nonetheless, my conceptualization of the device implanted in me a strong passion for building sensor systems to help our aging population. I felt that with proper guidance and the right resources, I could successfully employ sensors to improve the quality of life of the elderly. My seemingly simple idea later proved to be very challenging for me to realize. When I laid out my

“There are

5.2 million Alzheimer’s patients in the u.s., of whom more than

65%

wander”

became much more frequent, and my aunt, his primary caregiver, struggled to stay awake at night to keep an eye on him and even then often failed to catch his leaving the bed. I became concerned about my aunt’s wellbeing as well as my grandfather’s safety. I searched extensively for but could not find a solution to my family’s problems. Later, I found out that the struggles faced by my family were just a snapshot of a much larger societal burden. There are 5.2 million Alzheimer’s patients in the 22

aunt’s smartphone, waking her up. That way, she could sleep much better at night. My desire to create a sensor-based system perhaps stemmed from my lifelong interest in technology. It started when I was six years old: an elderly family friend fell down in the bathroom and suffered severe injuries when nobody was home to rescue him. I became concerned about my own grandparents and decided to create a “Smart Bathroom.” Motion sensors would be installed in the tiles of bathroom

plan, I found out that I faced three main challenges: creating a sensor, designing a circuit, and coding a smartphone app that would alert the caregiver. First, I had to create a sensor that was thin and flexible enough not to affect the comfort of walking. After extensive research and testing of multiple materials such as rubber, which I realized was too thick to be worn snugly on the bottom of the foot, I decided to print a film sensor with pressure-sensitive, conductive ink. Once pressure

April 2015

Sensors is applied, the conductivity between the ink particles increases. Therefore, I could design a circuit that would measure pressure by measuring electrical resistance. Next, I had to design a wearable, wireless circuit. However, wireless signal transmission consumes lots of power and requires heavy, bulky batteries. Fortunately, I found out about the cutting-edge Bluetooth low energy technology, which consumes very little power and can be driven by a coin-sized battery. I also had to code a smartphone app that would transform the caregiver’s smartphone into a remote

an alert to my aunt’s smartphone every time that my grandfather wandered out of bed). Encouraged by these results, I decided to form my own start-up, SensaRx, to commercialize my technology, which I named SafeWander, and deliver it to those in need. Over the summer, I beta tested my device at several residential care facilities, and I am incorporating the feedback to further improve the technology into a marketable product. Through the beta test, I learned that the usage of Bluetooth low energy in my circuit limited the signal transmission range. Therefore,

time and frequency of a patient’s wandering and examine correlations with the patient’s daily activities and diet. That’s just the beginning. With wearable technology, we can pave the way for a healthier life in which self-monitoring will enable early diagnosis and prevention of diseases. For example, researchers at Google are developing a contact lens that can monitor levels of tear glucose and alert diabetic patients when they need to self-administer insulin. I will never forget the time when my device first caught my grandfather’s wandering out of bed

Kenneth Working on his SafeWander

monitor. For this, I had to expand upon my knowledge of Java and XCode, and also had to learn a lot about how to code for Bluetooth low energy devices. Integrating these components, I was able to create two prototypes: a sensor sock and a re-attachable sensor assembly. I have tested the prototypes on my grandfather for over ten months now, and they have had a 100% success rate in detecting the known cases of his wandering (there is no way that I can know for sure that the sensor sent

I am working on another solution that uses WiFi to transmit longer-range signals between the sensor and the caregiver’s smartphone. A WiFi signal can generally be detected from anywhere in the home, and its strength is typically independent of the number of walls between the caregiver’s room and the patient’s bed. I am also hoping to incorporate cloud software into my system to enable better service and analytics using big data. For example, the system could collect data about the

at night. At that moment, I was struck by the power of technology to change lives. My research has inspired me to unlock the mysteries of the brain and find treatments for those who are suffering from mental conditions. I may not be able to cure my grandfather of Alzheimer’s disease, but I hope that I can prevent future generations from suffering from this tragic illness.

Tech Talk

Web Developme by cavan klinsky

vividly remember the day in sixth grade, where, while watching music videos on YouTube, I began to wonder how a website worked. What followed was a flurry of googling, copying and pasting, and confusion until after two hours I finally made one small black word appear on a blank white page. To many, this would have been an insignificant novelty, but not to me. To me, this was the parting of the Red Sea, a new path leading to a land of seemingly unlimited potential. As hours turned into days, I added more and more things to that blank white page until it was no longer blank, but covered in colors, pictures, and videos. This was the start of my relationship with web development. I continued to make websites for anyone who wanted one. In eighth grade, I got my

first paying job building a website for an antiques dealer. Having no idea how to handle the business end, I dove into a world filled with invoices, deadlines, and demanding clients. After the first job, I was hooked. What could be more fun than getting paid for doing something I would have done for free? After this point, I realized I had to look more legitimate in order to continue getting work. To accomplish this, I created CJK Web Design, an outward-facing presence for all my web development work. I got a logo, bought a domain name, and created a website, which did not mention that the owner was fourteen years old. In the following years, I have continued my freelance web development and, through each project, gained more knowledge and experience. Each

Cavanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Website

April 2015

ent project starts in a similar way but quickly diverges. The first step is to understand a clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs and requests and form a practical technical plan around them. This plan contains choices about the structure, programming languages, and features of the site. Once the client and I come to an agreement, I get to work. I program and host the site while constantly keeping the client updated and tracking my work hours. Once I finish building the first version, I proceed to show it to the client, who then requests revisions. After the revision process is completed, I move the site to the clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s server and get paid. I am motivated to do web design by a variety of factors: first, coding is cathartic after a long day of school, and it is fun to solve the problems that websites pose; second, getting paid is nice; third,

web development allows me to carve out a piece of the world for myself and provide value for the client. The websites I create can be accessed anywhere in the world and provide a service for the client and the websiteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s users. My favorite story is the job I completed for a reddit user who needed someone to bugfix and set up a web application. The project perfectly matched my skillset and I accepted the job without a second thought. To my chagrin, I opened up the files to find the entire site was in Portuguese. The language barrier made fixing the website difficult, seeing as though I could not understand any of the error messages, but thankfully, through a mix of Google Translate, perseverance, and trial and error, I was able to fix the bugs and complete the project.

Cavan and Gevva

Tech Talk

Rethiinking So ial media by Trisha prabhu

About the author

risha Prabhu is a 14-year-old student at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, Illinois. From a young age, she has been fascinated with the inner workings of the brain. In 2013, Trisha heard about a young girl’s suicide due to bullying on the Internet and set out to find a long-term solution to cyberbullying. Her research led her to create the product Rethink, which won her a spot as a Google Science Fair 2014 Global Finalist. Rethink gives adolescents who are trying to post an offensive message on social media a second chance to consider their decision. Her product idea also won first prize at the PowerPitch Competition at 1871, Chicago’s technology and entrepreneurial hub. Rethink has been covered in Business Insider, The International Business Times,

The Huffington Post, and several other media outlets. She currently holds a Provisional Patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for Rethink. Prior to her Rethink project, Trisha researched the brain’s role in the cognitive distraction that causes distracted driving. She won a Gold Medal Award from the Illinois Junior Academy of Science for her work. She is an advocate of STEM in education and believes that technology is the future. She has spoken at education and technology conferences in the Chicago area. Aside from her love of science and technology, Trisha is a published author of four books. The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago also named her Chicago’s Financial Literacy Ambassador.

<lifeinahouseoftestosterone.com>

April 2015

help stop cyberbullying. From a young age, I have always had thick skin. I have received offensive messages online about my wardrobe and other aspects of my life, but I have always brushed them off and moved on. But after reading about how cyberbullying had so terribly affected Rebecca, I decided that enough

offensive messages were first posted. Current solutions aimed at stopping cyberbullying are short-term and ineffective. Many popular social media sites today offer a STOP, BLOCK, TELL solution to try to stop cyberbullying. But why, I wondered, were we placing the burden on the victim to

“

n the fall of 2013, I came home from school to read the story of a young girl named Rebecca Sedwick. She was 11 years old and lived in Florida. Over the last few years, she had been extensively cyberbullied by classmates. After contacting administrators and switching schools, the cyberbullying

Current Solutions aimed at stopping cyberbullying are short-term and ineffective <ucrtoday.ucr.edu>

persisted. Rebecca jumped off of her town’s water tower to her death. I was shocked, heartbroken, and angry when I learned of the news of this young girl’s suicide. How could a girl younger than myself be pushed to take her own life? How could this have happened? I did not even want to imagine what her life must have been like during the last few weeks before her suicide, and what her family was going through now. I knew immediately I had to do something to stop this hurting from ever happening again – I started a passionate quest to

was enough. Statistics show that a large number of adolescents in the United States alone have been cyberbullied, and that many of them show signs of suicidal tendencies. As I researched more, I was stunned – one quarter of the people in the world are adolescents. That’s about 1.8 billion teens. Cyberbullying victims suffer silently from low self-esteem and depression. They drop out of school and suffer from suicidal tendencies. Some of the recent studies show that the negative effects of cyberbullying last decades after the

block the cyberbullying, after the damage was done? Many other sites recommend immediately alerting a parent or guardian about the cyberbullying – but nine out of ten times, adolescents do not tell anyone that they are being cyberbullied and suffer in silence. I truly could not believe that adolescents could be so cruel on social media. What was the root cause of this problem? What was the science behind this awful behavior? Why do kids cyberbully? Research shows that adolescents’ brains are like a car with

Tech Talk

This could be the long-term, effective method to stop cyberbullying at the source, before the damage was done!

“

no brakes. There is an area of the brain called the prefrontal cortex that controls decision-making. It is not fully developed until the early-to-mid twenties, which is why we often see adolescents making quirky, rash choices. Research has already linked this behavior to early drug and substance abuse, decisions that students can later regret, but no one had ever drawn a correlation between this research and social media abuse. But what if that correlation actually existed? I wondered – what if adolescents were given a chance to reconsider their decision to post an offensive

message on social media – would they change their minds and decide not to post that message? I decided to use my science and technology skills to come up with a way to test this idea, and created two software systems, Baseline and Rethink. The Baseline System would present test subjects with a series of hurtful messages and measure the adolescents’ willingness to post them on social media. The Rethink Software System would also measure the test subject’s willingness, but if they agreed to post anything hurtful, it would alert them, saying, “Hold on – that

“

message that you are about to send, that may be hurtful to others. Are you sure you want to post it?” After a total of 1500 well-controlled and fair trials, I was faced with some stunning results. An incredible 93% of the time, when adolescents were posed with a Rethink alert, they changed their mind, and decided not to post the offensive message! Overall willingness dropped from an initial 71.4% to 4.6%. That was a huge success. I could not believe it – but this could be the long-term, effective method to stop cyberbullying at the source, before the damage

<youtube.com>

April 2015

was done! More than ever, I felt like Rebecca, Tyler Clementi, and so many others around the world that had ended their lives because of cyberbullying had finally gotten the justice they deserved. Cyberbullying is a silent pandemic that has already affected so many in this social media revolution. It has been an amazing journey to come one step closer to conquering cyberbullying. I am working tirelessly on making this a reality so that Rethink works with any social media site (old, new, and ones to come) on

both web and mobile platforms. I am hoping to get Rethink up and running in the next few months. My high school is already working on adopting Rethink as their new anti-cyberbullying slogan. It is amazing to know I have been able to give back to my community. Whenever I receive an email saying, “Trisha, thank you so much. I feel safer for my kids to be going on social media now that I know Rethink is going to be implemented,” it really brings joy to my heart. Recently, someone asked me, “What do you want to be when you

grow up?” I remember smiling and saying, “If I have made this world a better place in the next 10 years, then I think I’m on the right track.” For now, stopping cyberbullying is my goal for making the world a better place – and Rethink has brought me even closer to that reality.

Rethink Trisha Speaking about her project at TED X TEEN

She went on to be a finalist in the 2014 Google science fair 29

Innovation

] ] future

the

isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t only in

Corporations and Startups.

is in our hands and these teens are

<Changing/> <the/> <world/> one line of code at a time_

THANK YOU FOR READING If you would like to write for tech talk Email: jeffrey_weiner@horacemann.org Stephen_Phillips@Horacemann.org john_abreu@horacemann.org

abreu

boom

May 8

fad

hm tech hoRACE mANN sCHOOL