Peruvian ex-president Humala imprisoned for plotting Odebrecht

The former president and his wife are charged with money laundering. Humala will go to the same prison as Alberto Fujimori

The Lava Jato operation, the huge corruption plot born in Brazil's Petrobras, which has crippled all of Latin America through bribery by the construction company Odebrecht, has brought to jail the first foreign political leader. And it has not been the former Brazilian president Lula da Silva, sentenced to nine years in prison for corruption, but has avoided the prison pending the appeal. Those imprisoned for 18 months in pre-trial detention by a Peruvian judge in the night from Thursday to Friday are former president Ollanta Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia.

Two days after the prosecutor asked for it, Judge Richard Concepcion Carhuancho of the First National Preparatory Investigation Court issued 18 months in pre-trial detention against whoever was president of Peru from 2011 to 2016 and against his wife and successor at the head of the Party Nationalist Peruvian, Nadine Heredia. Both are accused of money laundering for the funds that their party allegedly received from the Government of Venezuela and the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht for the campaigns of 2006 and 2011. "Here we have a president who came to power and ruled through an election campaign based In illicit money. That is serious because it hurts society morally, "prosecutor Germán Juárez was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Once the resolution was known, the couple - who were in their residence following the details of the hearing for which the prosecutor requested their admission to prison - went in their private car to the Justice Palace in the center of Lima to surrender. They spent the first night in the dungeon of the building. On the way, both had time to post their reactions on Twitter. Humala wrote: "This is the confirmation of the abuse of power, which we will face, in defense of our rights and the rights of all." Shortly before, Heredia had launched: "Despite the arbitrariness we are here, we are confident that this decision will be reversed as justice. We trust in our country! "

On Friday, the judge ordered Humala to be sent to Barbadillo prison, where his predecessor, Alberto Fujimori, is being held. His wife will go to the only women's prison in Lima. The situation of both will be reviewed in the coming weeks by the National Criminal Appeals Chamber, which will confirm or revoke the measure.

Confession

The prison petition was filed Tuesday by provincial prosecutor Germán Juárez, who relied on recently incorporated elements of the investigation, such as statements by Jorge Barata, former Odebrecht representative in Peru. According to Barata told a group of Peruvian prosecutors, in mid-2010 he received a call in which the owner of the construction company, Marcelo Odebrecht, ordered him to make donations for the campaign of the Nationalist Party, which nominated Humala.

These were requested, always according to his testimony, by the Workers' Party of former President Lula da Silva. Marcelo Odebrecht himself later told the Brazilian court: "The Odebrecht Group (...) would have sent, through the Department of Structured Operations [the negotiated one that made opaque payments], three million dollars to the candidate for the presidency of Peru Ollanta Humala ". Something this and his wife deny.

The actions of justice have not been without criticism, such as the fact that the prosecutor has three years of investigation without having made an accusation so far. At the moment, the investigation has led the judge to the conviction that there are elements of crime, which can be presumed a manipulation of the evidence of the case, and that there is danger that Humala and Heredia try to leave the country, so that imprisonment Is a proportional measure.

Machines and robots take our jobs, but they improve our lives

Measures such as the inclusion of a universal basic income, the collection of taxes 'by robot' and the payment of unpaid activities can restore the technological impact on employment.

In 1948, Norbert Wiener, considered the father of the cybernetics, already warned of the conflict between technology and employment, suggesting to indemnify the citizens. Recently, Paul Mason said that in 30 years "between 40 and 50% of the work will disappear and will be automated, especially in commerce and office work." Other reports reflect similar figures. Throughout the world today the work is being automated and much of which can not be automated leads to countries with less demanding labor or environmental regulation or where labor and taxes are cheaper.

Machines in general increase productivity in all sectors, and inevitably, jobs are lost. If we continue like this, we will live in a society in which we have to work little, but in which misery and unemployment will undermine the quality of life and peaceful coexistence. Will we be able to adapt to achieve the advantages and avoid the inconveniences of automation?

Computing applies to everything, but it destroys more jobs than it creates

The agricultural mechanization ended many jobs in the field, but created many others in the cities. However, currently it is assumed that only robots will destroy 3.5 jobs for each that they create.

Hundreds of professionals see every day how their work is done by robots or Internet companies with very few computers and employees. Examples of this are travel agencies or publishers replaced by simple webs or apps, bank employees or machine operators replaced by programs (bots), or industrial workers replaced in all sectors, such as masonry robots (which put more than twice the number of bricks for Hour than the best mason). Jobs are also lost due to programmed obsolescence and lower prices, due in part to automation (such as watchmakers, shoemakers or appliance repairers).


Another example: if teachers publish videos of their classes on the Internet, students can take the subjects from their homes, repeating the video as many times as they want. Thus, they could go to the study center only for practical classes (or just to socialize and play, in the case of the smallest). Until the doubts could be solved by chat or videoconference. In addition to a simple video, other computer devices can be used to better capture student's attention (programs with animations, documentaries, exercises or games). On the other hand, these changes would mean that with fewer teachers a larger number of students could be served.

The most extreme advance is not in the machines (hardware), but in the software, using techniques of artificial intelligence: expert systems, facial or voice recognition, or self-driven cars


The most extreme advance, in fact, is not in the machines (hardware), but in the software, using artificial intelligence techniques: expert systems, facial or voice recognition, auto-driven cars ... The "Artificial Intelligence" oxymoron includes a Set of techniques that mimic human behavior. It is not properly intelligence, but it seems so and in many cases works better than human intelligence. This is due, among other factors, to the great memory and speed of calculation of electronic processors and also to an objectivity that humans sometimes lack. There are even techniques in which the goal is not to tell the machine what to do, but to let it find out and learn by itself (machine learning). Although there is much to be done, the advances in this matter are spectacular (decision making in medicine or economics, understanding of texts ... and many more).

Options to avoid the worst

If we do nothing, automation can benefit society, but even so, many will lose their jobs, with all that implies. If we agree that an unequal society does not benefit the majority and is a source of injustice, then something has to be done. Authors like Keynes, McAfee or Meyer have made proposals in this sense:

1. Encourage part-time work to better allocate existing employment.

2. Reduce the working day, for example, to four days a week to compensate for the reduction in available work.

3. Establish a Universal Basic Income (even very basic) that complements the wages (low for working few hours or null). Soon it will be tried in Barcelona and other European cities.

4. Treating computers and robots as employees of companies and paying taxes (ie, it is not so profitable to use machines at the cost of laying off employees).

5. Make the State "employer of last resort" to avoid long-term unemployed.

6. Give value to now unpaid tasks, such as volunteering, childcare or elder care, etc. These activities could be paid with some kind of benefit.

7. Avoid relocation and abuse of multinationals in rich countries by demanding the same legal and ethical behavior in all the countries in which they act (respecting environmental and occupational safety laws as if they were in their own country).


8. Evaluate the impact of each technology, because it is clear that we will not give up all technological advances, but we should not assume all, since some have very considerable impacts.

The value of the human being

That technology destroys jobs, he remembered even Pope Francisco. Perhaps, if we reduce the number of hours that a human can work, then human labor would be more valuable, as Bertrand De Jouvenel suggested.

No one should complain that machines work, if they do better, cheaper, without tiring and available at any time, but we have to establish mechanisms for these benefits to generate benefits for all and allow us a more equitable society.


Technology puts a lot of power in our hands, and that means a lot of responsibility, but ... are we being responsible enough? Are we even responsible for ethically getting the materials with which we build our machines? (Think of the coltan, for example).

Hyperloop One: the first test of the "complete system" is conclusive

Hyperloop One goes ahead, and well. The company passed its first "complete" test on a 500 meter long track. A first milestone for the project.

Hyperloop One began building its first tube last October in the Nevada Desert, the work went well, and in May the firm completed its first test of the complete system used for the means of transport. She only communicated recently on the subject, through a video - which is a bit in the pathos - published yesterday on her YouTube channel.

We are talking here only of the system, that is to say that the train used is not definitive, it was in fact to turn all the technologies together: start, braking, magnetic levitation, but also And especially the evacuation of the tube. This is the sine qua non condition for the proper functioning of Hyperloop since the vacuum makes it possible to limit the frictions in order ultimately to reach about 1000 km / h.

The teams made a no-fault by creating their own "sky in a tube" in the words of the team. They simulate in the tube an atmosphere similar to that found at more than 60 km of altitude (by convention, it is considered that the space is 100 km). In other words, there is not much air left. Everything went well, but we are still far from the expected performances.

People, especially merchandise

The train, which is in fact only a kind of sled levitating above the rails, has traveled 500 meters at a speed of about 110 km / h, for a journey of a little less than 5 seconds. Congratulations to the mathematicians who deducted the duration of the journey. The next step is to gain speed, the firm will try to propel the machine at about 400 km / h, which would make it go faster than a TGV in normal operation. The French train was able to reach 574.8 km / h, it is the world record on rail.


At the same time, the company presented a first concept of the Hyperloop One train (image of "one"). The latter could be suitable for both passengers and freight, an aspect that is so important to society. It is this last activity that should be launched by the company before opening the trains for the transport of persons. If people can communicate via the Internet, goods can not yet teleport and bear much better accelerations than human beings.

Android: The AI to flush out dangerous apps on the Play Store

Google explains how the company uses artificial intelligence to more effectively detect dangerous or curious apps on the Android Play Store.

The Android app store, the Play Store, has several million applications. Sorting the bad guys' bad guys in terms of safety or privacy is no easy task. In a blog post published Wednesday, July 12, 2017, Google explains its methodology to flush out what it calls PHA, for Potentially Harmful Apps (potentially harmful applications).

Today, Google is among the leaders in artificial intelligence. You can find it in many of its products: from its search engine to its application Photos for Android, via Gmail and Google Translation. Not surprisingly, the company also uses this technology, deep learning to be precise, to help it detect these PHAs.

Concretely, Google compares automated applications of the same kind to each other to see if they do not require too many permissions over others. The company gives the example of a digital coloring book that would require access to the GPS of the user. As most coloring applications do not require this kind of permissions, this behavior will be judged as suspicious. It will then be up to a Google team to determine the sequence of events for that application.

AI to the rescue

Except that this procedure requires the creation of categories of applications rather fine and especially dynamic. Indeed, programs evolve rapidly today and the categories can not therefore remain fixed. This is where deep learning takes place. Google uses an algorithm that will analyze millions of Play Store applications, as well as their metadata such as text descriptions, requested permissions, metrics provided by users ... By learning from this mass of information, Algorithm can be very precise groups.

Thus, Google claims a rate of infection of users by malware via the Play Store at only 0.05% in 2016, a decrease of 0.15% compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, the system is far from perfect. Lookout mobile antivirus alone released 260 withdrawals of malware from the Play Store in 2016, a sign that some still manage to get through the cracks.

Technological giants unite against US government to avoid net neutrality

Google, Netflix and Facebook, among dozens of companies, protest against the limitations to the online world

Dozens of technology companies allied Wednesday to protest against the proposal of the government of Donald Trump aimed at limiting net neutrality. Through their respective websites, Facebook, Google, Netflix or Twitter - among others - advocated in defense of a Network open and free, and regulation to Internet providers in the United States, principles with which the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wants to end.

More than 80,000 online spaces participated in the initiative, dubbed the "Day of Action to Save the Net Neutrality", displaying ads, alerts and information on the importance of an Open Network. The reaction comes almost two months after the FCC began the process of reviewing the rules governing the activities of companies providing Internet access, such as Verizon, Comcast or AT & T.

These rules, imposed by the Obama administration in 2015, prevent such companies from prioritizing, increasing access or blocking websites against others depending on their contracts. They maintain a level playing field for everyone, from the smallest websites to the most crowded virtual spaces without the suppliers being able to discriminate according to their interests.

Prior to these standards, some suppliers blocked competitors' products on the Internet. In a specific case, in 2013, Verizon, AT & T and T-Mobile blocked Google Wallet by competing for its online money-sending services.

Since Ajit Pai, the president of the FCC appointed by Trump, announced the review process in late May, citizens have three months to make comments and suggestions on the entity's website. The FCC will vote if it changes these standards by mid-August. Meanwhile, with initiatives like today, large technology companies as well as Democratic Party figures try to prevent large supplier corporations from having more control over Internet content.

Twitter, in addition to promoting the hashtag #NetNeutrality, defended in his blog: "Net neutrality is fundamental for a competitive, free and enterprising market that can reach global users. It is not required to be a great company to compete. Anyone with a great idea, a unique perspective to share and a compelling vision can get into the game. " The Internet Association, a group that includes Google and Facebook, said that the current rules work and that eliminating them "would result in a worse Internet for consumers and online innovation."

Senator and presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, Bernie Sanders, said on Twitter that "Net neutrality means that everyone has access to the same information - that the Internet remains free of any corporate control." On the contrary the Republicans applaud the elimination of the regulations.

Space Robot

The first to lose their job because of robotics have been the astronauts

The first humans to suffer the competition of the automatons have not been the taxi drivers nor the stevedores, but the astronauts. The first space robot was sent to the Moon just 50 years ago, in the North American Surveyor 3 mission, and was dedicated to take samples of our satellite. The Soviets soon launched the missions Luna 16 and Moon 17, which used the first robotic arm and the first lunar rover. Since then, space robots have grown in autonomy and importance until, in many cases, expensive and risky manned missions become unnecessary. In fact, most of what we know about the Moon and Mars is the result of robot exploration. So you see, the first to lose their jobs because of robotics have been the astronauts, perhaps the most skilled workers that exist on the planet, and off the planet.

An extended criticism of space science argues that we should be concerned before the problems of the Earth, and particularly those afflicting their human inhabitants, than to embark on high-tech missions to obtain a useless knowledge of our suburb of the cosmos. This is a very respectable opinion, but unfair and misleading in the case of space robotics. The amazing advances of these technologies in the last years are of direct application to the most diverse earthly problems.

For example, robots initially designed for planetary exploration will be extremely useful whenever a nuclear power plant needs to be shut down, cleaned of its waste and demolished, and this will happen many times over the next few years, starting with France. Another example are robot surgeons and artificial intelligence applied to diagnosis and therapy, who are also benefiting from advances in space robotics. And emergency services, where there are now people who play life, as in the deactivation of explosives and the extinction of fires.

Engineers Yang Gao and Steve Chien cite more applications in an exhaustive review for Science Robotics. One is deep-sea mining, where robots will be crucial for exploration, excavation, inspection and maintenance; This will not only save lives, but also greatly improve the efficiency of the process. Another increasingly important industrial activity is the exploration of the ocean floor, from which an increasing amount of natural gas and mineral resources are extracted. And also inspection and maintenance of water distribution networks and aid for agriculture.

Windows Phone 8.1 is really dead

Windows Phone is dead. Three years after the launch of Windows Phone 8.1, Microsoft announces the end of its support. In other words, it will no longer be entitled to any updates, but the system still works.

As usual palliative care, we saw it with Windows XP, Microsoft prefers to put an end to the therapeutic fury on Windows Phone 8.1. The end of support for its mobile OS has been effective since yesterday. That is, it will simply not be updated anymore, even for security patches. In other words, the OS is obsolete, but that does not mean it will stop working.

The - rare - people still using the OS can always use it. However, Microsoft strongly encourages users to change mobile phones, preferably for a Windows 10 terminal, although there are now no recent Windows 10 terminals. So we probably need to turn to an Android smartphone ... unless Microsoft releases us a "Surface Phone" in the coming months.

This is in any case the end of a chaotic story for Windows Phone that despite good ideas never managed to convince, especially the fault of an application park far too restricted to really fight Android and iOS. Except for major changes, Windows 10 Mobile may well experience the same fate in the coming years.

IPhone 8: a launch in time, but "in panic" some functions would be disabled

If the iPhone 8 should indeed be launched in September, some disclosures evoke a "feeling of panic" in Apple that would be forced to deactivated some features the time to fine-tune the software.

Expected in September, the iPhone 8 should not be delayed, however according to our colleagues of the site "Fast Company" Apple could deactivate certain functions the time to fine-tune the software. The source indicates delays in wireless recharging. The system would be based on the Qi standard. The hardware part would be ready, but the software would not be finalized.

"A feeling of panic"

The month of June was particularly intense with a "feeling of panic hovering in the air". Another problematic element is the integration of the 3D sensor which allows to unlock its phone via facial recognition. Here too the software would be involved. Well implemented, it is a very effective technology able to replace the fingerprint sensor. Apple had decided to remove it.

For the rest, we have no more details. The iPhone 8 should be equipped with an OLED edge-to-edge display with TrueTone technology and a refresh of the image in 120 Hz, a dual photo sensor.

Patch Tuesday: July updates for Windows 10, 8.1 and 7

Microsoft is currently releasing updates for its still supported operating systems with many fixes, users can also download them for a manual installation.

As every second Tuesday of the month Microsoft makes available to its users its corrective updates, whether to improve the stability of the systems or to propose security patches. All supported versions of Windows are affected: Windows 10, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7.

Of the four versions of Windows 10 existing, the first alias Windows 10 1507, is theoretically no longer supported had announced Microsoft last April. The official support was due to end in May 2017. However, patches are proposed, as the recent news on malware attacks probably prompted Microsoft to be cautious.

For Windows 7 the update is numbered KB4025341 and contains a stability patch for Internet Explorer as well as security patches for various system features. The one for Windows 8 is stamped KB4025336 and also fixes a problem with rendering the .jpx and .jbig2 image formats in PDF files. Finally, for Windows 10, the list of fixes is published on the page dedicated to the history of the updates.

Windows users receive all updates via Windows Update automatically when they choose to let the service install them as is the default on Microsoft systems. Companies or users who manually install updates can retrieve them through the Microsoft Update Catalog site.

Facebook Messenger: advertising arrives at homepage

After testing in Australia and Thailand for advertising on the homepage of its email service, Facebook extends its program to the rest of the world.

Expect more ads on Messenger. In a statement released on Tuesday (July 11th), Facebook announced that the display of advertisements on the home page of its courier service, tested in Australia and Thailand since the beginning of 2017, is now accessible to advertisers everywhere the world.

So far on Messenger, they had to content themselves with broadcasting sponsored content to the users with whom they have a conversation. The messaging service, which has 1.2 billion monthly users according to Facebook, will therefore allow advertisers to reach a much wider audience.

They will be able to buy auction spaces, target their audiences with tools similar to those of Facebook and Instagram, and redirect users who click on the ads to the site of their choice or to a Messenger conversation.

However, the program is still in beta. Facebook is waiting to see the reaction of users to put an end to this trial period. According to the company, these advertisements are expected to become widespread by the end of the year. So here is what your homepage will look like on Messenger.

Galaxy Note 7 FE: Samsung to consider launching internationally

Samsung could extend the commercialization of the Galaxy Note 7 FE outside the South Korean borders. According to a source close to The Investor newspaper.

While it has just been marketed in South Korea, the Galaxy Note 7 Fan Edition could be offered in other countries. That is what the The Investor newspaper says. The source said that following the success of this reconditioned version of Note 7, Samsung plans to offer it in other countries by the end of July. It remains to establish the list of countries eligible for the "recycling" operation and to fix the price of the machine which will not be able to cannibalize the sales of the S8 or the next Note 8, more "premium", expected end August.

The Galaxy Note 7 FE has the same specifications as the Galaxy Note 7. It features a 5.7-inch Super Amoled display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels, or 518 dpi. Under its cover hides an Exynos processor clocked at 2.3 GHz supported by 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. On the photo side, we find a sensor of 12 megapixels and a front camera of 5 megapixels.