Tag: mendeley brainstorm

Mendeley Brainstorm – Climate Change – We Have a Winner!

Christian DeFeo1 Comment
Climate change is altering our landscape...potentially forever.
Climate change is altering our landscape…potentially forever.

Many thanks to all those who entered the Mendeley Brainstorm related to Climate Change; picking a winner given all the well thought out answers was not a straightforward matter, however in the end, we selected Vinisha Varghese’s (of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore) response:

The answer is slightly more complex than a simple yes or no. On one hand, the Paris Agreement is celebrated as the documentation of the human race’s first collective effort to combat the biggest threat in our (relatively young) species’ narrative – climate change. On the other hand, this hot-air balloon is constantly shot down as nothing but a mere ‘green-washing’ of white paper. The bottom-line is that the assessed carbon budget is not sufficient to limit warming to 2°C nor does it help the SIDS – who have conveniently been handed a raw deal. While we have put our faith in negative emissions by means of CCS – scalable technology that we are yet to invent, there have been paradigm shifts to more sustainable practices. Personally, I look optimistically at this deal to restrict warming to below 4°C. To sum up, it all depends on our actions in the next 10 years.

We asked her what inspired her. She responded:

I believe what really inspired me to be more vocal is the idea that researchers can influence positive behavioral changes in the masses. We have to make known to the world that there is still hope and that there are ways of reaching that envisioned future if we only act on them. We can no longer sit back and expect our governments and policy-makers to take care of things though – the need of the hour is collective effort. As an optimist and someone closely involved in the environmental field, expressing my opinion on a platform like the Mendeley Brainstorm was a subtle way of giving a ‘nudge’.

Hopefully others will take the hint. Vinisha also told us:

Once again, I would like to express heartfelt thanks for choosing me from amongst so many well-informed experts! It was challenging to keep my opinion within the word limit.This recognition is incentive to keep a researcher like me (so early on in her career) well motivated.

Thank you, Vinisha!

Those who didn’t win this time are encouraged to respond to the latest Mendeley Brainstorm, regarding Hacking and Online Security. Thanks again to all our participants.

Mendeley Brainstorm: Hacking – How Secure Are We?

Christian DeFeo15 Comments
Our lives are more networked than ever before; does that make them more vulnerable?
Our lives are more networked than ever before; how vulnerable are we?

Recently, a nuclear power plant was hacked. According to Reuters, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency said the attack “caused some problems” and the plant had to “take some precautionary measures.”  Given the increased prevalence of internet-enabled applications, how vulnerable are we to cyber-attacks and what can be done to prevent them? We are looking for the most well thought out answer to this question in up to 150 words: use the comment feature below the blog and please feel free to promote your research!  The winner will receive an Amazon gift certificate worth £50 and a bag full of Mendeley items; competition closes November 23.

Hacking – Not Just for PCs Anymore

The arrival of the Internet of Things has meant that our lives are more networked than ever before; the internet isn’t merely on a computer stuck in the corner, it’s connected to our phones (which track our every movement), it’s embedded into our appliances and vehicles, it’s wired up to security cameras and to life support machines.  However, this widespread connectivity also is indicative of a just as widespread vulnerability: our personal data, our public services, and even our cars could be hacked.

New Dangers

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said a nuclear plant had been hacked. While he didn’t fully spell out the risks, he noted that the security breach had “caused some problems” and “some precautionary measures” were required.

And Continuing Vulnerabilities

On October 11, Symantec revealed that hackers had attacked users of the SWIFT financial transfer network.  The goal was to use “malware to hide customers’ own records of Swift messages relating to fraudulent transactions”.

What Can Be Done?

It’s been projected that “$1 trillion will be spent globally on cybersecurity from 2017 to 2021”; but is this expenditure in vain?  Can our data, our banks, and our public services be truly protected? What can be done enhance security?  Tell us!

About Mendeley Brainstorms

Our Brainstorms are challenges so we can engage with you, our users, on the hottest topics in the world of research.  We look for the most in-depth and well thought through responses; the best response as judged by the Mendeley team will earn a prize.

References

Cybersecurity Ventures. (2016). The Cybersecurity Market Report covers the business of cybersecurity, including market sizing and industry forecasts, spending, notable M&A and IPO activity, and more. [online] Available at: http://cybersecurityventures.com/cybersecurity-market-report/ [Accessed 11 Oct. 2016].

PEYTON, A. (2016). Symantec reveals more hack attempts on Swift network.  Banking Technology. [online] Available at: http://www.bankingtech.com/606802/symantec-reveals-more-hack-attempts-on-swift-network/ [Accessed 13 Oct. 2016].

SHARWOOD, S. (2016). Nuke plant has been hacked, says Atomic Energy Agency director The Register. [online] Available at: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/10/11/nuke_plant_has_been_hacked_says_atomic_energy_agency_director/ [Accessed 11 Oct. 2016].

Mendeley Brainstorm – Augmented Reality – We Have a Winner!

Christian DeFeo3 Comments
Augmented Reality helps us see the world and each other in new ways.
Augmented Reality helps us see the world and each other in new ways.

Many thanks to all those who entered the Mendeley Brainstorm related to Augmented Reality; picking a winner given all the well thought out answers was not a straightforward matter, however in the end, we selected Carol from the University of Manitoba’s response:

I think a really obvious app for AR would be an emotion recognition app. There are already emotion recognition apps that allow people to look at photos and select which emotion the person is expressing and there is software that analyzes the emotion in video content. Augmented reality would be the next logical step. For those individuals with Social Anxiety, Autism Spectrum Disorders or certain types of Traumatic Brain injury and others who have a difficult time recognizing social cues and/or emotions. They could simply check a “message” and learn if the person is stressed/calm/indifferent. It wouldn’t hurt for single people doing the dating thing either!

We asked her what inspired her. She responded:

…I know several people with difficulty recognizing emotions/social cues for a variety of reasons and it seemed to me to be a natural fit for an augmented reality app. Could you imagine the sheer processing power that it would require to do real-time emotional recognition?

That sounds like a challenge. Carol also told us:

By the way love the Mendeley product and am having a blast teaching it to my library clients at the University of Manitoba. It makes me look like a guru. 😉 Thanks for making it easy.

You’re welcome, Carol!

Those who didn’t win this time are encouraged to respond to the latest Mendeley Brainstorm, regarding Assistive Technology. Thanks again to all our participants.

Mendeley Brainstorm: Augmented Reality — Here and Now

Christian DeFeo32 Comments

 

IT expert touching a hexagon grid with the letters AR for augmented reality and surrounding fields of usage
IT expert touching a hexagon grid with the letters AR for augmented reality and surrounding fields of usage

 

“Pokemon Go” has made Augmented Reality wildly popular; this month, we’re asking in our latest Brainstorm competition – what Augmented Reality innovation do you think will be the next “killer app”? We are looking for the most well thought out answer to this question in up to 150 words: use the comment feature below the blog and please feel free to promote your research! The winner will receive an Amazon gift certificate worth $50 and a bag full of Mendeley items; competition closes September 6th.

It’s usual to see people constantly staring at their mobile phones; it used to be that they were just texting friends or awaiting the latest post on social media. However, there is now a burgeoning tribe of gamers who squint, peer, then shift their phone around; they’re hunting for virtual creatures which are visible only to the eye of augmented reality. This craze has become so widespread that even the leader of the UK Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, spent part of his time on a Sunday political programme hunting for virtual creatures rather than expounding on his policies. (Jeremy Corbyn learns to play Pokemon Go, 2016)

AR is nothing new; in 2012, Google launched “Google Glass”, a headset which integrated Google information with what users could see in front of them. In turn, users could take photographs and video. It wasn’t a commercial success; it broke the First Rule of Wearable Technology as described by the inventor of the NFC Ring (www.nfcring.com), John McClear: “Wearable technology shouldn’t be ugly!” Furthermore, users were also concerned that they were in effect sharing their lives with Google. Finally, there were safety concerns: a person paying attention to a virtual object may not take sufficient notice of real ones.

Despite the setbacks, augmented reality is becoming increasingly prevalent in the fields of medicine, architecture, education, and tourism. For example, AR is rapidly becoming a valuable tool for surgeons: while minimally invasive procedures have made patients’ lives easier, nevertheless, these “techniques bring up new difficulties for surgeons by greatly reducing their usual abilities” such as touch and depth perception. (Nicolau et al., 2011 p. 190) Though utilizing AR in this scenario has limitations (such as the fact that living beings aren’t rigid in their positioning), it was concluded “interactive augmented reality is a relevant approach to provide intra-operatively additional information to surgeons. This information usually can help for port positioning and give them confidence by showing them hidden structures at some steps with an accuracy which seems sufficient to them.” (Nicolau et al., 2011 p. 196)

Mobile Augmented Reality applications are also being tested in Greece to enhance the tourist experience; an application called “CorfuAR” “supports personalized content provision and navigation features to tourists on the move”. (Kourouthanassis et al, 2015, p. 72) The user journey can be personalized on the phone app according to interest: business, culture, religion, shopping, nightlife, gastronomy, nature study, tripping and water sports. (Kourouthanassis et al, 2015, p. 77).

With these and other applications, it seems that AR is here to stay; but where else will it show up? Tell us!

About Mendeley Brainstorms

Our Brainstorms are challenges so we can engage with you, our users, on the hottest topics in the world of research. We look for the most in-depth and well thought through responses; the best response as judged by the Mendeley team will earn a prize.

References

Jeremy Corbyn learns to play Pokemon Go (2016), BBC News. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-36820874 [Accessed July 18, 2016]

KOUROUTHANASSIS, P., BOLETSIS, C., BARDAKI, C. and CHASANIDOU, D. (2015). Tourists responses to mobile augmented reality travel guides: The role of emotions on adoption behavior. Pervasive and Mobile Computing, 18, pp.71-87.

NICOLAU, S., SOLER, L., MUTTER, D. and MARESCAUX, J. (2011). Augmented reality in laparoscopic surgical oncology. Surgical Oncology, 20(3), pp.189-201.