Apple fading out Beats streaming music brand

Apple is ending the Beats streaming music service on November 30 as it seeks to bring users to its newly launched Apple Music.

The move, which had been widely expected, comes a little more than a year after Apple completed its $3 billion acquisition of Beats, known for its high-end headphones and other audio equipment in addition to its streaming service.

Apple’s biggest-ever acquisition also brought onboard the talents of Beats brains Dr. Dre, a rap musician and entrepreneur, and Jimmy Iovine, a music producer seen by some as a visionary for recognizing the trend toward online streaming.

A statement posted late Thursday said that “Beats Music ends on November 30” and that all subscriptions will be canceled.

The statement added that users can migrate their profiles and preferences to Apple Music, which began on June 30 as a subscription rival to services such as Spotify and Pandora.
“All the pros that curated music for you are still crafting more amazing experiences,” the statement said.

“Plus, on Apple Music, you’ll get even better recommendations based on music you already listen to and love, 24/7 global radio with Beats 1, exciting material from your favorite artist and more.”

The centerpiece of Apple Music is Beats 1, which bills itself as the first global radio station, and will include guest hosts such as pop legend Elton John and Dr. Dre.

The radio station will remain free, even for users who do not pay the $9.99 a month to stream artists, and Apple has made the service integral to its latest operating system on iPhones.
Apple chief executive Tim Cook said in October that its new music service had some 6.5 million subscribers, as it ended free trials.

Source: The Guardian

Nigeria loses N78 billion to cyber attacks yearly

ACTIVITIES of cyber criminals, which has sustained a rising profile globally, is projected to be costing the Nigerian economy a yearly loss of about N78 billion.

According to DataGroupIT, most hit group has been the financial institutions, followed by associations and government’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and regulatory authorities.

In a paper titled: Unified Intelligence:Authentication and Fraud, presented at the Advanced Threat Mitigation Strategy Seminar in Lagos, by the Product Manager, DataGroupIT, Dapo Salami, the statistics when interpreted, showed that financial institutions are loosing about N50 billion; associations N11 billion; Govt MDAs N10 billion; telecommunications firms N4.5 billion; ePayment companies N3 billion and on the overall, Nigeria loses N78 billion yearly.

The presentation listed top three cyber attacks methods used in Nigeria to include social engineering, which is about 83 per cent; malware 42 per cent; pharming, SQL injection, spoofing 23 per cent.

Other methods included brute force attacks, weak passwords; website defacement; use of unpatched software; organized crime syndicates, physical disconnection; hacking, email hacking; internal security breaches among others.

He said about 200 million strains of malware continue to look at business loopholes to wreck havoc, adding that 87 per cent customers from interaction feel upset, frustrated or betrayed when an online transactions is declined.

Salami, who said about two billion breaches were recorded in 2014, noted that data breaches and identity compromises continue to reduce the predictive value of traditional identity element validation and verification.

He posited that clients must interact remotely with customers at multiple phases throughout the customer journey from acquisition through mature account management.

But to stem this growing trend and electronic fraud, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has called for improved collaboration and industry engagement among stakeholders.

Speaking on Next Generation Authentication and Strategy: Secure Payment Challenges, CBN Director, Banking and Payments System Department, Dipo Fatokun, said developments in the electronic payment technologies are reshaping financial activity in several ways.

These ways, according to Fatokun, who was represented by an Assistant Director in the department, Sola Agboola, included automating complex transactions; broadening access to finance; increasing consumption in emerging markets; improving cash flow management among others.

While admitting that no business thrives without effective deployment of ICT to gain efficiency and competitive edge, he said yet many businesses are on the edge tackling electronic frauds on their electronic business platforms.
According to the CBN Director, the challenge to many bankers has been the ability to manage funds for customers using cutting edge technology to deliver services and ensuring the safety of customer funds in spite of growing cyber crime.

Fatokun said the CBN recognizes the need to harness expertise and consult broadly across the banking industry, payments services organisations, ICT sector, law enforcement to effectively combat electronic frauds and other vices, which was part of the reason for the establishment of the Nigeria Electronic Fraud Forum (NeFF) IN 2011.

According to the Regional Director, DataGroupIT, Victor Ajua, while IT spends around security is still growing, there have been series of attacks on companies. He said this took a greater dimension in Nigeria because attention shifted to it because of the country’s emergence as the largest economy in Africa.

Ajua said cyber crimes and other vices continued on an upward swing because of the commercial benefits; unemployment and adventures.

Source: the Guardian

Military Repel Attack On Gwoza, Kill Seven Terrorists

TROOPS of 26 Task Force Battalion of the Nigerian Army in the early hours of yesterday repelled an attack on Gwoza town of Borno State, killing seven Boko Haram terrorists.

Gwoza was attacked and captured on August 7, 2014, by Boko Haram, but the military reclaimed it early this year. Yesterday’s repulsion and killings were disclosed in Maiduguri by the Media Coordinator of Operation Lafiya Dole, Col. Tukur Gusau, while briefing newsmen on the successes recorded in the ongoing fight against Boko Haram insurgency in the North East of the country.

His words: “Gentlemen of the press, in the early morning of Friday that is today, troops of the task force battalion and that of 112 Task Force Battalion in Mafa of Borno State have recorded tremendous successes against Boko Haram. The attack on Gwoza was repelled this morning with the killing of seven terrorists’ suspects.

“The troops were also able to recover arms and ammunitions, including 11 AK 47 rifles, a Toyota Hilux vehicle and six hand-held grenades and many rounds of live ammunition.”

Source: The Guardian

NCC boost JAMB’s computer examination with CBT centres

IN order to augment facilities for smooth conduct of Computer Based Tests (CBT) by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has built and donated four of such centres to the examination board.

Acting Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, disclosed this recently when JAMB officials paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja. The four centers are located in Kano, Niger, Bayelsa and Oyo states. The centres are equipped with computers, printers, other accessories and Internet connectivity.

Danbatta told the JAMB officials led by its Registrar, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde that NCC does every of its activities and projects in line with international best practices and “we have a minimum standard that we maintain for all our projects and there is no exception.”

“Standards are necessary for projects to be appreciated,” Danbatta said adding that NCC is intervening not only in the provision of CBT for JAMB “but provision of equipment for tertiary institutions through Advance Digital Appreciation Programme for Tertiary Institutions (ADAPTI).”

NCC in a statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs, Tony Ojobo, ADAPTI is aimed at bridging Digital divide in tertiary institutions through the provision of computers and other ICT facilities to equip the lecturers and other experts in order to improve their ICT skills.

Earlier in his remarks, Ojerinde said JAMB appreciates, NCC gesture in this direction and “we ask for more.” So far, he said JAMB is also deploying its, CBT centres in Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), facilities in Abuja, Kano and Oshodi, Lagos state and this is in addition to the over 500 of CBT centres across the country.

Source: The Guardian

World’s first fly-by-wire helicopter provides passengers’ comfort

With a luxurious 88-square-foot cabin and space to fit 20 passengers in boardroom-style comfort, the Bell 525 Relentless makes some high-flyers happy in the sky.

Fly-by-wire (FBW) is a system that replaces the conventional manual flight controls of an aircraft with an electronic interface that provides a level of control previously unseen in a commercial helicopter.

The craft is aimed to be a limo in the sky for offshore oil and operations and also expects to be used for difficult search-and-rescue and firefighting missions due to its huge capacity and improved control in tough conditions.
Depending on the configuration of the interior, the 525 holds 16 or 20 passengers along with the two flight crew with what the builders say is best in class passenger cabin height (137cm) and floor area (8.2 square metres).

The 525 is the first commercial helicopter to incorporate fly-by-wire flight controls, which delivers ‘superior handling qualities and increased level of safety’ with features that, among other things, stabilise the aircraft without the need of input from the pilot.

For the technically savvy, it is also the first commercial craft if its kind to include the Garmin G5000H, a glass touchscreen avionics suite for the flight deck that replaces knobs and switches with what they say are simpler controls and information, such as weather, charts, traffic, terrain and Global connectivity options, for the pilot. For the 525 it’s been rebranded as the ARC Horizon system.

The Senior Vice President of Commercial Programme, Bell 525 Helicopter, Matt Hasik said: “When we started designing the Bell 525, our customer advisory panel really stressed the need for a flying experience that’s safer, easier and more repeatable”.

“We can design a product with class-leading speed, range, and a host of product features, but the real focus of the Bell 525 was to make a step-function improvement in capability for the pilot, enabling him/her to manage every aspect of flight in the cockpit with a new level of awareness and control.”

The Bell 525 Relentless leverages a triply redundant flight control system to maximize safety and control. Pilot inputs are electronically transmitted and processed by the flight control computers. With three flight control computers and triplex electro-hydraulic actuators, the digital FBW control system provides full-authority stability, control and guidance; offering reduced pilot workload in pitch, roll, yaw and lateral and vertical motion.

Fly-by-wire also makes the overall flying experience easier for operators. The open, clutter-free cockpit features two tower-mounted cyclic and collective side sticks and unique trim pedals that greatly improve control throughout the flight envelope. The flight control system and flight director interface can automatically fly the helicopter in a variety of modes. The flight director can also be coupled to an autopilot system to provide hands-off navigation. However, if preferred, the pilot can also choose to decouple the flight director from autopilot and manually fly the Bell 525.

In case of a double engine failure, the controls give the pilot a head start. The autorotation procedure in a conventional helicopter begins with the pilot lowering the collective pitch to keep the rotor turning fast enough. If the pilot fails to do so within a handful of seconds, rotor rpm may drop dangerously to 80 percent. At this point, the pilot may never get the required 100 percent back, meaning the engine failure will translate into a serious accident. The 525’s flight controls automatically lower the collective pitch after a double engine failure. It does so immediately, ensuring rotor rpm will remain at or above 100 percent.

How to Apply for NNPC/TOTAL Scholarship Award 2015

NNPC/TOTAL national merit scholarship award application form for the 2015/2016 academic session is out. Application is FREE!

This is to inform the general public and most especially Nigerian Students in Tertiary institutions that the NNPC/TOTAL hereby invites applications from suitably qualified candidates for its 2015/2016 National Merit Scholarship Awards.

Who Is Qualified To Apply for NNPC/TOTAL Scholarship?
To qualify for consideration applicants MUST be/Show:

-Registered FULL TIME undergraduates in recognized Nigerian Universities.

-Certified 100/200 level students at the time of application

-Proof of SSCE or equivalent certificate

-Proof of UME scores, Admission letters & Matriculation numbers

Note: The following categories of students should not apply:

-300 level students and above

-Current beneficiaries of similar awards from other companies and agencies

Application Closing Date
November 22, 2015.

Method of Application
Application forms must be completed on-line using the link (https://scholarships.totalcsredu.com/scholarship-application-form/ ).

Selection Tests
Selection tests will be held on the 5th December, 2015 at designated centres nationwide which will be communicated to the short-listed Candidates. Candidates are to fully bear the cost of transportation to and fro the venue of the selection tests.
Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted for the tests.

#GoodLuck

Buhari Must Pay 5k To Unemployed Nigerians- 1st Lady

Mrs Aisha Buhari, wife of Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, has said that her husband must pay the N5,000 he promised unemployed Nigerians during their campaign ahead of the 2015 presidential election.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the First Lady made the appeal to her husband’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in a statement signed by the her special assistant on media, Mrs Adebisi Ajayi, on Tuesday in Abuja.
Hajia Aisha Buhari insists that her husband must pay the N5,000 he promised electorates prior to the election.

In the statement which she issued after the Senate voted against the motion on the N5,000 allowance, Mrs Buhari also urged the party to fulfill its promise of giving school children one free meal a day.

“The APC is a party of integrity and has assured Nigerians during the campaign that it will pay N5,000 each month to 25 million most vulnerable citizens.

“Nigerians should be patient with the APC government as the change they had been yearning for has come to stay,’’ she said,” the statement read.

The president’s wife has been quite vocal in recent weeks as she has been speaking on several government policies, the most recent being her statement on her husband’s administration, where she assured Nigerians that he would deliver on his pre-election campaign promises.

Source: Naij

ESUT Admission List (2nd Batch) is Out

Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT second batch admission list for the 2015/2016 academic session is out.

This is to inform all the prospective students of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) that don’t have their names listed on ESUT 1 st admission list that the second batch admission list is out for good.

ESUT second batch admission list is now available on the university admission status checking portal.

Go to http://www.portal.esut.edu.ng/Modules/Admission/ConfirmAdmissionStatus.aspx
to access your ESUT admission status.

You would be required to supply your JAMB registration number and Post UTME result checker PIN in order to access your admission status.

#Congratulations

Alcohol intake affects risk of Parkinson’s disease

For many years, researchers have been investigating whether there are any associations between Parkinson’s disease (PD) and lifestyle choices such as smoking and coffee and alcohol consumption.
I
n a review published in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, the literature concerning alcohol consumption presents conflicting information.
A systematic review of the relevant literature from 2000-2014, from observational studies, found little evidence for either a positive or negative effect on PD risk from alcohol consumption. When weak associations were observed in some reports, the authors found that the studies were at greater risk of selection and recall bias, which could compromise the effects found.

Sixteen articles that met the criteria for inclusion were identified. All were primary research articles, published in English in peer-reviewed journals. These studies had to include a comparison or control group consisting of individuals without PD, report a measure of association between quantity and frequency of alcohol intake and PD risk, and adjust at least for the potential confounding factors of smoking and age.

Research that measured alcohol exposure only as drinker versus non-drinker were excluded.
This review determined several possible methodological weaknesses that could explain the varying and often conflicting results of studies reporting lifestyle exposures such as smoking, coffee/tea and alcohol consumption contributing to PD risk,” explained lead investigator Silvana Bettiol, PhD, MPH, School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia. “These included selection or self-selection of controls, difficulties in retrospective assessment of alcohol consumption, differences in the lengths of follow-up periods, and inconsistent definitions of drinkers and non-drinkers.”

In addition, in studies in which alcohol consumption and PD incidence were accurately measured over time, only non-significant associations were found, further supporting the argument that various limitations and biases affected many of the studies.

“This study highlights the need for more prospective studies investigating the relationship between alcohol and PD of adequate sample size. Improvements to reporting of studies by investigators particularly with respect to sample size and power would help others interpret the epidemiological significance of any findings,” concluded Dr. Bettiol. In summary, “most of the studies proved to be preliminary and improving statistical power to detect joint effects was encouraged.”

Source: The Guardian

Prophet Predicts President Mugabe’s death

Controversial Malawian prophet, Austin Liabunya, has predicted the death of Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe.

According to Malawi24, the prophet said that the Mugabe, who has been president for over 30 years has until December 31. He also predicetd that the first lady, Grace Mugabe, ‘ will never win in Zimbabwean politics ’.

The controversial Malawian prophet has had predictions in the past that did not come to pass, but no one knows if Mugabe should worry or not. Liabunya said: “Mugabe’s biological clock will not tick beyond this year ” after which Zimbabwe will be
“restored” to be one of the richest countries in Africa.

The prophet also reportedly said first lady “will never win in Zimbabwean politics”.
However, quite a lot of people have dismissed Liabunya’s prophecies, citing a prediction he made in January, telling his followers that Zambian opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema would win the presidential elections. Sadly, the prediction didn’t see the light of the day.
Just recently, President Mugabe revealed he did not marry his wife, Grace, because of love , and revealed the real reasons. Robert Mugabe, who is often in the centre of controversy publicly proposed marriage to the US President Barrack Obama to make mockery of the legalization of gay marriage in the USA.

Source:Naij

Road To Yesterday for Africa International Film Festival

Road to Yesterday, an epic love story starring Genevieve Nnaji and Oris Erhuerho has been selected as this year’s closing night film at the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF).

Announcing this in statement, The Entertainment Network (T.E.N.), producers of the feature film, stated that Road to Yesterday will be in the cinemas nationwide on Friday November 27, 2015. Road to Yesterday is an epic love story which trails a couple desperate to mend a broken marriage on a road trip to a relative’s funeral. However, the journey itself throws up secrets from a distant past, imperilling a lot more than just the marriage.

“The Africa International Film Festival will also screen titles including Bazzi Gete’s Red Leaves; Jonas Carpignano’s Meditteranea; Akin Omotoso’s Tell Me Something Sweet and Desmond Elliot’s Reflections amongst many,” it stated. Earlier in October, the festival announced plans for its Best Feature Film, Documentary, Short and Animation Competition Screenings.

Selected Entries will compete to win more than $5,000 in cash and prizes. “Road to Yesterday” was written and directed by Ishaya Bako, a London Film School Alumni, and creator of a series of highly acclaimed festival favourites, including the award winning “Braids on a Bald Head” (Best Short Film at the 2012 AMAA Awards). Road to Yesterday is Bako’s feature directorial debut.

Nnaji, Erhuero, Michel, Omeruah will attend the glamorous Closing Night Gala, which marks the film’s Worldwide Premiere, on Friday 13th November at the Genesis Deluxe Cinemas, Lekki, Lagos. The ongoing 5th Africa International Film Festival which began on Sunday November 8, will end on Sunday November 15, in Lagos, Nigeria. The full programme for the Festival will be announced soon.

Source: The Telegraph

Celebrity Profile- Leonardo da Vinci

    Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most celebrated artists of all time. The Italian Renaissance artist was a master painter, engineer, architect, anatomist, inventor and sculptor. Leonardo is considered to be a genius, creating some of the most famous paintings ever painted (Including the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper) and his notebooks filled with drawings of many inventions that were to become the machines and technology that we now use (flying machines, submarines and war machines).

Leonardo da Vinc was borni on the 15th of April in 1452, in Anchiano, Vinci, not far from Florence in Italy. Hi father was a notary "ser Piero Fruosino di Antonio da Vinci" and mother Caterina was a peasant woman. Leonardo was born an illegitimate child and raised in his father's home in Florence.

Leonardo impressed his father with his early drawings, prompting him to introduce the young Leonardo to the painter Andrea del Verrocchio. At just 14 Leonardo da Vinci became an apprentice of Verrochio and quickly became his most talented worker. In the painting "Baptism of Christ", Leonardo was assigned to paint one angel, while Verrocchio painted the other. Da Vinci chose to paint his angel in the relatively new medium of oil, while Verrocchio painted his in the usual tempera medium. The young Leonardo clearly upstaged his master, and left the studio of Verrocchio in 1477 to work in his own.

Da Vinci was employed by the Duke of Milan (Ludovico Sforza) in 1482, allowing him to work in his own workshop until after the Duke's fall to the French in 1498. Leonardo stayed until 1499, but moved on to Mantua, then to Venice where he was employed as a military engineer. He then worked for Cesare Borgia as a military architect in Florence until 1506, before returning to Milan. Leonardo worked in Rome between 1513 and 1516 where his contemporaries included great Renaissance painters like Michelangelo and Raphael. He then moved to France where he worked for the French King until his death in Clos Lucé, 1519.

Facts about LEONARDO

• Leonardo was raised by his single father.

• Leonardo was one of the first Italians to use oil paint .

• He was left-handed

• Leonardo da Vinci left many paintings unfinished and destroyed most of his work.

• Two of his works, the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper , are the most famous, most reproduced and most parodied portrait and religious painting of all time.

• Leonardo was a vegetarian who loved animals and despised war, yet he worked as a military engineer to invent advanced and deadly weapons.

• Leonardo drew the plans for the first armored car in 1485!

• He invented the bicycle 300 years before it appeared on the road.

• Leonardo di Vinci created an inflatable tube so people could float in the water.

• Leonardo da Vinci had dyslexia, when he made notes on his inventions it was all written in reverse, which made it hard for others to dig through his notes and steal his ideas.

• Leonardo da Vinci dug into graveyards at night to steal corpses and study human anatomy (and find out where the soul was).

• He produced aeriel maps for Cesare Borgia which are still accurate today.

• Leonardo is considered by many as the father of modern science.

• He was one of the most acclaimed artists of the Renaissance.

• He was the illegitimate child of Messer Piero Fruosino di Antonio da Vinci, a Florentine notary, and Caterina, a peasant.

• Leonardo sketched the first parachute, first helicopter, first aeroplane, first tank, first repeating rifle, swinging bridge, paddleboat and the first motorcar.

• Leonardo was very much interested in the possibility of human flight. He produced many studies of the flight of birds and plans for several flying machines.

• He was also a sculptor, designer of costumes, mathematician and botanist.

• He made maps of Europe.

• He invented hydraulic pumps.

• He designed a movable bridge for the Duke of Milan.

• He drew the plans of the first armored car in 1485.

• The Mona Lisa is perhaps his most famous work. The subject of this portrait is still debated to this day, the most popular current view being that it is of Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo. One of the most unusual hypotheses is that it is a self-portrait of Leonardo as a woman.

• It took da Vinci about ten years to paint Mona Lisa's lips.

• Leonardo was famous for the way he used light in his portraits.

• He painted The Last Supper at Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan; a dramatic depiction of the moment Jesus announced that he would be betrayed.

• He established modern techniques of scientific illustration with highly accurate renderings such as ‘Embryo in the Womb’.

• Leonardo would wear pink to make his complexion look fresh.

• Leonardo da Vinci never married or had children.