Archive for May 12, 2021

TikTok Introduces Green Screen Duet

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 12, 2021 by itnerd

On TikTok, our portfolio of video tools and effects power creativity and imaginative storytelling. Tools like Duet inspire chains of co-created content while creative effects like Green Screen make for immersive viewing experiences.

We’re combining the best of both worlds with the release of Green Screen Duet, a mashup of two TikTok favorites designed to inspire imaginative new formats for creativity and expression.

Existing Duet layouts include Left & Right, React, and Up & Down. Green Screen Duet is the latest layout addition to our lineup, giving users a new way to collaborate with existing content from across TikTok.

With Green Screen Duet, users will be able to use another video from TikTok as the background of a new video. As with all Duets, the creator of the Duetted video is credited in the new video’s caption with a link that directs to the original.

To use the feature, users Duet the video they’d like to use as their Green Screen background and select Green Screen from the Duet layout options. The Duetted video will play in the background of your new video as you record.

Green Screen Duet expands on both our creative effects and collaboration tools, bringing new content formats and expanded creativity to our community on TikTok.

Here are some examples of Green Screen Duet in action:

@trashcaulin

#duet with @4ocean HAD TO JUMP IN THE WATER & HELP MY FRIENDS PICK UP SOME TRASH ♻️🤙🏼 #trash #ocean

♬ ya nasty – aniah💕
@joshua_cubed

#duet with @mariothemakermagician check out this #RubiksMagic @rubiksofficial #BrandAmbassador

♬ original sound – mariothemagician

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Upgrade Your Home With Hisense Via A Contest Where You Can Win A 65″ TV Or A Fridge

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 12, 2021 by itnerd

Hisense Canada is giving away a chance to upgrade your home, just in time for Euro 2020. 

As a proud sponsor of the quadrennial European Football Championship, Hisense is looking to help fans of footie put together the ultimate fan experience in time for the tournament with a chance to win a big screen TV or a full-size refrigerator.  

  • National Online Contest — Enter at hisense-canada.com for a chance to win a 65-inch QLED TV. Contest closes June 6th. 
  • National Retail Contest — To be staged until June 6th, everybody who buys a Hisense product will have a ballot entered in a draw to win the grand prize of a 65-inch QLED TV or a full-size fridge.

For more information, please visit hisense-canada.com. Join the conversation and connect with Hisense on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @HisenseCA, using the hashtag #LifeReimagined. Watch product reviews and support on YouTube. 

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Kokoon Launching In Canada

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 12, 2021 by itnerd

Kokoon, the creators behind the innovative smart sleep improvement solution, announced today that they will be launching in Canada through their distributor partner T&H Distribution Inc., marking an important milestone in the company’s 8 year history.

Kokoon was founded on the idea of unlocking better health, happiness and performance through a better sleep experience. Developed with the help of Europe’s largest sleep laboratory, Kokoon combines bio-sensing headphones with smart algorithms to deliver a personalised audio experience that helps customers switch off and relax.

‘Always-on’ technology is driving chronic problems with sleep. Insomnia is now classified as “a public health epidemic” by the CDC in the US and in Canada up to 25% of the population are unhappy with their sleep. Each of us will, at some point in our lives, will experience struggles with sleep, be it that long uncomfortable flight or struggling to switch off after a busy, stressful day.

Kokoon’s sleep solution brings together software and hardware that work seamlessly to help you switch off and calm your mind. The key enabler of the solution, Kokoon’s mobile app, features audio techniques, music and coaching developed with sleep professionals. Many of these techniques feature a form of therapy known as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT is an evidence-based therapy generally regarded as the gold standard treatment for insomnia with a proven success rate in clinical literature.

Kokoon uses these audio techniques and delivers a customized content experience for the individual by using sensor data gathered from the headphones. For example, as a wearer falls asleep with the headphones in bed, the sensors detect this and working with the mobile app can change the audio response, fading out the content and introducing white noise to mask out disturbances. Over time the platform understands you better, and can personalize your app experience, through audio programmes and tips, empowering you to improve your sleep and relaxation.

Kokoon’s first hardware product, the Relax Headphone, raised close to $2m on Kickstarter. It features the world’s-first innovations in sensing and comfort. The FlexmouldTM Comfort patented design helps the headphones mould to the shape of your head and are comfortable wherever they are worn. Also, thanks to the high quality natural fibre fabric, air flows easily through the ear cups as well to keep your ears cool and comfortable while wearing the headphones for long periods of time. The ear cushions can also be detached and washed to be kept fresh and clean. Kokoon’s noise masking technology is able to block noises such as snoring and outside traffic to make sure your sleep and relaxation is not disturbed.

Also usable as regular Bluetooth headphones, the Relax headphone features premium acoustics from a 40mm electro dynamic driver making them ideal for listening to music or watching movies whilst travelling or simply relaxing at home. At just 350g/12.03oz they also make the perfect travel companion with an included carry case.

The Kokoon Relax headphone is now available in Canada from Kokoon.io for $399.00

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Gas Stations Running Out Of Supply Due To The Ransomware Attack On A Pipeline Company

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 12, 2021 by itnerd

The ransomware attack on a pipeline company that was perpetrated by a criminal gang which I told you about over the weekend is really starting to cause problems now. Reports are surfacing that gas stations along the east coast of the US are running out of fuel. And while Canada isn’t affected as I type this, that could change. The bottom line is that this is likely the most disruptive ransomware attack that I’ve ever heard of.

I reached out to cybersecurity company Keyfactor (https://www.keyfactor.com/) for there thoughts on this hack and I got two responses back. Chris Hickman, chief security officer for Keyfactor had this to say:

“There is a side narrative around this story regarding security and critical infrastructure and the need to secure all elements of infrastructure – security cannot be an afterthought but rather needs to be designed and planned at every step. Good security is rarely retrofitted (retrofittable), especially when it comes to IoT devices. It needs to be built in as a core fundamental and planned for to exceed the anticipated lifetime of the product it is securing.”

Mark Thompson, VP of product management for Keyfactor had this to say:

“Even as use cases evolve, applying best practices and avoiding common pitfalls will go a long way in ensuring security is established at design, and sustained through the device lifecycle. Here are three common pitfalls and the actions manufacturers can take to avoid them:

  1. Hardcoding credentials on to the device: A number of IoT devices are inherently limited due to hardcoded credentials – a common outcome when manufacturers embed passwords or shared keys into firmware to help simplify development or deployment at scale. If accidentally leaked, threat actors or individuals without proper authority can access an entire fleet of devices. Ensuring strong mutual authentication between any connected devices or applications within the overall deployment is key.
  2. Unsigned Firmware: A larger number of IoT devices go to market with unsigned firmware. As more devices connect, the need for firmware signing grows. It’s strongly recommended that device makers sign firmware with a tightly controlled code signing certificate that only permits access to authorized individuals; another critical step is to keep an internal audit trail of all code signing activities. Utilizing a trusted public-private key pair is the most effective means to secure device firmware and have the ability to check and verify the device’s signature before booting the device or installing firmware updates.
  3. Weak authentication and encryption: Implementing strong cryptographic keys and algorithms that match the device’s use case applications are critical to hardening its long-term security. Equally important is ensuring sufficient entropy to produce an encryption key; randomness in key generation is priority through this process.

The bottom line is that we have now seen how wrong things can go when your IT security isn’t on point. Hopefully companies do what is required to keep their IT infrastructure safe.

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Zoho Marks 25 Years With Commitment To Opening 100 New Global Offices Including One In Canada

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 12, 2021 by itnerd

Zoho Corporation is marking its 25th anniversary with a commitment to open 100 new offices around the world in the next three years, bringing opportunity to talent regardless of location. Privately-owned and bootstrapped, Zoho has grown into a multinational technology corporation with more than 9,000 employees serving more than 62 million users worldwide. 

Recently, the pandemic has proven Zoho’s business model and platform offerings are ideal for organizations that need to scale and lean on cloud-based collaboration to succeed. Some of the company’s major milestones to-date include: 

  • Zoho registrations increased 22% between 2019-2020 from 51 to 62 million users. The company’s communication, collaboration, and other remote-work tools have proven highly valuable for customers, especially during the pandemic.
  • Zoho has remained profitable since its inception, growing on average 30% year-over-year for the past five years, all while providing powerful yet affordable software to customers.
  • In 2018, Zoho removed all third-party trackers from its properties as part of the company’s commitment to customer data privacy. Zoho is leading the data-protection charge so that others will do the same.
  • Created in 2005, the Zoho Schools program has graduated more than 900 students from disadvantaged areas throughout India. Today, Zoho Schools graduates make up more than 10% of Zoho’s total workforce.
  • The company’s commitment to fostering innovation and empowering ideas has created a ripple effect of opportunities: 57 start-up companies have been founded by former Zoho employees, raising $1.5B in capital to-date.
  • With a portfolio of more than 50 applications in the areas of financial management, digital workplace, low-code app development, customer experience, employee experience, and many others, Zoho has guided the industry away from stand-alone apps toward platforms with its Zoho One suite. It has likewise challenged complex, enterprise pricing language with its groundbreaking, transparent, per-employee pricing model.

To support its vision of uplifting local economies and empowering local communities, Zoho has expanded its transnational localism efforts by adding two new offices in the rural Texas towns of New Braunfels and Bastrop; an office in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada; as well as two in San Juan Del Rio and Tequisquiapan, Mexico. As I am a Canadian, I am most interested in the fact that Zoho picked Cornwall to put their Canadian office in. It was chosen by Zoho because of the level of affordability and location.

In South India alone, Zoho has 15 functional offices with six more currently under construction. The company will continue to expand in various locations throughout Europe and Asia Pacific. As Zoho embarks on its next 25 years, it remains steadfast in its commitment to sustainable growth. Zoho plans to run its US headquarters in Austin, Texas, and its adjoining farm, entirely on solar power by the end of 2021.

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