GM testing Cruise’s self-driving tech with Bolt EVs on Arizona roads

GM is putting its Cruise acquisition to good use in Arizona: The self-driving car startup acquired by the automaker in March is trialling its tech on public roads in Scottsdale. Cruise tweeted about the autonomous testing expansion, which uses Chevrolet Bolt all-electric vehicles, and which adds to the core fleet of testing vehicles already operating in San Francisco.

We’re testing @Cruiseautonomous tech on @ChevroletBolt EVs on roads in Scottsdale, AZ, in addition to San Fran.
pic.twitter.com/FjxduIfLKD

— Cruise Automation (@Cruise)
August 8, 2016

Cruise’s self-driving Bolt hit San Francisco streets in May, but provided few details beyond acknowledging that it was doing testing. GM has aggressive goals in terms of productizing its Cruise acquisition, however: The Wall Street Journal reported that GM hopes to put self-driving taxis into usage tests in partnership with Lyft “within a year.”

Scottsdale makes sense for a field test, since the area already plays host to Google self-driving cars, and the state has strong regulatory support for self-driving vehicle tests in general. GM’s Innovation Center is also based in nearby Chandler.

GM confirmed the Arizona tests but isn’t providing any more information about this time.

Patoranking Launches Album Titled "GEO".

Nigerian fast rising reggae-dancehall singer and songwriter, Patoranking launched his latest album, God Over Everything (GEO) in the city of Accra, Ghana on Saturday, 6th of August 2016.

The Nigerian superstar who was once a student of the University of Cape Coast during the album launch took the press through the journey of his life. He talked more about the 2016 album that features some of the big names on the African continent.

Patoranking’s ‘God Over Everything’ features musicians like Sarkodie, Elephant Man, Wizkid, Olamide, Phyno amongst others.

The first on the list of this 16-track album starts with a song titled “Patoranking” produced by Ghana’s very own Ball J. The show hosted by YFM’s drive time host, Joel had some renowned entertainers attending to show their support.

Present in the city of Accra at the album launch as captured by zionflexi.net are star actors like Eddie Watson, Reggae/dancehall artiste Jupita, music producer JMJ, and many others.

The Media Ruined My Relationship With DJ Cuppy- Sean Tizzle.

Sean Tizzle is finally putting speculations to rest and coming clean about his relationship with popular female Dj, Dj Cuppy.

The singer blamed the media for ruining his 'relationship' with the daughter of billionaire tycoon Femi Otedola.

Tizzle made the disclosure during a recent interview with The Nation, also explaining what his post from last August, which insinuated a romantic relationship between the pair, really meant



Sharing a photo of his crush on his wall, he wrote
“God bless my Cupcake Ifeoluwa aka Cuppy. Like Jay Z and Beyonce, it’s just me and my future Abiamo. #Kisses.”

The post which gave rise to wild speculations of a relationship between the pair, wasn't taken too lightly by Cuppy, a situation which may have further estranged the pair.

Now, Tizzle explains to the publication that he simply had a crush on the talented disc jockey.

“No, we were not dating. She’s just my friend and we are cool like that. People just took it wrong, although I like her for so many things.”

When asked if he ever had a crush on her, he replied honestly:

“Yes, I was. I told her before but she was in school then and she was trying to focus on her education.

"When the media put that out she didn’t take it too lightly and that kind of affected the relationship.

"But me I go go work that work to come tell her back say what’s up girl, can we do it again?”

Dj Cuppy has since been rumoured to be in a relationship with footballer, Victor Anichebe.

Which Nigeria City Will Host AFRIMA? Check It Out.

As preparations for All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) season 3 enters top gear, there is a likelihood of shift in venue from Lagos which hosted the past two editions.

The 2016 edition of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA)-the third in the series is likely to be the last time Nigeria will have the honour of hosting the Pan-African reward event for the creative industry; having hosted it for the maximum number of three times allowed in any African country. From its maiden show in 2014 at the Oriental Hotel in Lagos to the 2015 edition at Eko Hotel in Lagos, the organizers have set a standard of excellence that can only grow in the coming years.

Scheduled for November, hosting of Season 3 of AFRIMA will be a keen contest among four Nigerian cities. According to a disclosure at the recent Africa Union Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, the African Union Commission (AUC) and the International Committee of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA). These four cities are;
* Calabar (Cross River State),
* Lagos (Lagos State),
* Port Harcourt (Rivers State) and
* Uyo (Akwa Ibom State).

The Commissioner for Social Affairs, African Union Commission, Dr. Mustapha Sidiki Kaloko said, "The main purpose of the host city partnership is to showcase the tourism and economic potential of one of the great cities in Africa and promote its strengths to global audience which in turn adds to the GDP of the state and the continent at large."

While urging the considered cities to passionately vie for hosting privileges, the AUC official pointed out the immense advantages for the host city which include 'long term investment and job creation; adoption of new benchmarks for city development; increased civic pride and community empowerment; increased tourism and publicity'.

"Ultimately, there is an opportunity to tap into the millions of participants and followers of the booming African music," said Kaloko.

Also, AFRIMA Director of Sponsorship/Communication, Ms. Matlou Tsotetsi, explained that these four states are capable of creating global brand equity for Africa.

She said, "The host city will be one that is willing to create value and deep brand equity not only for Nigerians but Africans. It must have the most motivation to host AFRIMA in line with its values; have the strongest vision in tourism, culture and entertainment; have the most adequate facilities, surrounding infrastructure, security and tourist attraction to host the event and should have hosted successful events in the past that attracted both national and or global audiences."

Another significant development which Dada said would further the course of AFRIMA is the recent launch of a single, common electronic passport (e-Passport) for all Africans.

It also applauded the ultimate goal of the single passport which is set to realize the dream of visa-free travel for African citizens within the African continent by 2020.

Reacting to this development, President/ Executive Producer, AFRIMA, Mike Dada, said, "The African Union's plan to allowing free movement of citizens within the African continent is a stepping stone towards building."

Meanwhile, submission of entries for this year's edition of the continental awards which opened on Monday, May 30 has closed on July 30.

During the period, the AFRIMA secretariat was flooded with a deluge of entries, suggesting a huge increase in awareness and anticipation for the award in the past couple of years. This was confirmed by the enthusiastic response of African music artistes, music professionals and journalists who have flooded the AFRIMA website with entries from across the continent and from Africans in the Diaspora for the 2016 All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA tagged "AFRIMA 3.0".

Explaining further, The Regional Director, Central Africa, Ernest Ewanee, said: "I must say we are impressed with the level of participation by African artistes especially the big artistes. This is an encouraging success marker for us considering the fact that we have surpassed the number of last editions."

Speaking further on what to expect, the President and Executive Producer, AFRIMA, Mike Dada said, "We would not want to distort the calendar for this year's edition."

The 13-person AFRIMA jury which represents the five regions of Africa, the Diaspora and the African Union Commission will use one week in August for the adjudication process for the crucial responsibility of screening, categorising, assessing, adjudication and selecting nominees from the body of works submitted for award consideration. Concluding the adjudication process, on August 22 will be an announcement of the nominees.

Will Lagos still host this year Edition??? Let's gear your comment.

BlackBerry Launches World Most Secured Phone; Check Reviews and Specification.

World most secured phone, The BlackBerry DTEK50 has been launched in Toronto on July 26, 2016, Its comes with an OS of 6.0(Marshmallow) and a 5.2 led screen inches with a 3gb RAM. Dual camera with 13mega pixel rear and 8mega pixel front. Below are the full specification and reviews of this wonderful mobile device though still having its negative part.

PHONE REVIEW AND SPECIFICATION

Name: BlackBerry DTEK50 

Price (unlocked): $429

Operating system: Android 6.0

Screen: 5.2-inch LCD screen with 1080x1920 pixels resolution

Features: CPU: Snapdragon 617 octa-core 1.5GHz, 3GB RAM, DTEK 50 security app, BB10 features such as hub and messenger, Android apps, 16GB storage with microSD slot that is expandable up to 2TB.

Camera: 13-megapixel rear camera, 8 MP on the front.

Weight: 135 grams

Battery life: 2610 Mah, which is almost good for day, but any multimedia use can sap it quickly.

Competition: OnePlus X, Moto G4 Plus

What’s good: The DTEK50’s best selling point is its price. At $429, this is a mid-range phone the company is selling as a fleet device for businesses, but it could also help increase BlackBerry’s market share in emerging markets, where the company is still a sought-after brand. The phone is named after an app that premiered on last year’s higher-end Priv phone. That app looks at your phone’s security and privacy features and lets you know how to improve them. It checks and confirms privileges to various apps well, but that is basically preventative maintenance and many other apps do similar things. The password keeper can be handy, but there are also third-party offerings for that. BlackBerry is basically trying to expand on its security reputation, but that’s hard to turn into a product. The company is calling this the world’s most secure Android phone, which is a bold claim that even they had to back down from a bit — as it is as secure as their previous phone, the higher end Priv — and still less secure than the company’s BB10-based phones.

Beyond the security, this is a decent, all-around phone that runs well, without a lot of bells and whistles. I appreciate the move to Android, so people can get popular apps. Design-wise, it feels good to hold and is the thinnest phone the company has ever put out.

What’s bad: The power button’s location on the upper left side is confusing when compared to other phones. There is also a round button on right side, a programmable convenience key, that you can assign some functions too, and turning the power on is an available option here. The screen doesn’t really compete with the Samsungs and iPhones of the world, but at this price you shouldn’t expect it too. There isn’t a finger print scanner. The camera is not great in lowlight situations.

What’s interesting: It’s probably wishful thinking that the Finnish people resort to the same sort of hand-wringing over the failures of Nokia that Canadians have when it comes to BlackBerry, but ... what makes something a BlackBerry now? It is the physical keyboard? Is it BB10? Is it BBM? This phone has access to the last one, but at this point, the company’s hardware division admits to mostly being about software and design. As such, the DTEK50 is what is referred to as a “re-badged” phone, meaning it is built on a reference design from an Alcatel phone. BlackBerry execs have said that the company made some changes, like making it easier to grip and adding the convenience key, but is that enough to distinguish it?

The bottom line: The problem with BlackBerry trying to sell a device on its security is that really the company is trying to sell the promise of bad things not happening. The other problem: most people are either unaware of or don’t really care about their security, even if they should. The DTEK50 is a solid phone at a good price, but is not spectacular in any way. BlackBerry says is has another two phones in the pipeline, including another one based on a physical keyboard. Here’s hoping this phone does well enough to secure the possibility of seeing those ones released.

Your thought on this.

2016 Shell Scholarship Scheme For Nigerian Undergraduates; Apply Now.

Applications are on for the 2016 Shell scholarship scheme for Nigerian undergraduate. Shell’s aim is to promote and encourage academic excellence which would aid to improve the skills of Nigerians. The Scholarship scheme provides yearly grant to the successful applicants.

Courses Applicable For the 2016 Shell Scholarship Scheme

Candidates applying for the 2016 Shell Scholarship Scheme should be studying any of the following courses;

Petroleum engineering
Mining Engineering
Material/ Corrosion Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Civil Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Instrumentation Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Geophysics
Mathematics/Applied Mathematics
Physics/Applied physics
Economics
Geology/Geo-science
Medicine
Agricultural Science
Banking and Finance
Medical Laboratory Technology
Medicine
Pharmacy


Entry Requirements For 2016 Shell Scholarship Scheme

Here are the entry requirements for the 2016 shell scholarship scheme for Nigerian undergraduates;

1. Applicants must be Nigerians

2. Applicants should currently be in their second year of full-time study in a Nigerian University accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

3. Applicants must have a minimum CGPA of 3.0 in a 5-grade system

4. Applicants must not be beneficiary of any other scholarship.

How To Apply

To apply for the 2016 shell scholarship scheme for Nigerian undergraduates;

1. Applicants should visit www.nnpc-snepco-scholarship.shell.com, then register.

2. Applicants are to follow the instructions carefully.

Application Closing Date

The application closing date for the 2016 shell scholarship scheme for Nigerian undergraduates is August 10th, 2016.

Examination Date

The examination date for the 2016 shell scholarship scheme for Nigerian undergraduates is August 20th, 2016.

For more information or clarification on the NNPC/SNEPCo National University Scholarship, please send an email to SNEPCO Social Performance SNEPCO-UIO/G/NRS (SNEPCO-Social-Performance@shell.com)

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Nokia is coming with 2 New Android phones, 22.6MP Camera spotted

Finnish telecommunications giant Nokia is about to make a hit back into the mobile market with two devices which are expected to come late 2016 or early 2017.

The two smartphones from Nokia appeared in a leak and are expected to come in different sizes featuring 5.2 and 5.5-inch QHD screens with a massive 2k display resolution, along with fingerprint scanner and "innovations" in the camera. 

Both phones are also said to be pre-loaded with Z-Launcher System UI, a custom operating system which is based on the latest Android 7.0 Nougat (Android N).

According to speculations also, a 22.6MP camera would be seen but no idea if it would be on one of them or both but we think its gonna be on the bigger device.
A premium Metal body will be seen on the devices. 
More enticing feature that would be seen in the devices will be the fact that the two smartphones will be powered by Snapdragon 820 chipset, also the IP68 Waterproof and dustproof protection which are currently available in Samsung Galaxy S7 and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge will be seen on the devices.

As per when the devices will be released, like we said earlier, we expect them in late 2016 or 2017. This maybe because of Android N OS which is likely to be launch by October. Therefore the phones may come after then. Till then, Stalk on us for more details.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Officially Announced

Korean Mobile Phone Company, Samsung today officially announced her latest talked about device which have made waves for a long time now, The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 in an event in New york.

Several details have been leaked about this device for long now and most of them are true, including the Iris scanner feature.

The smartphone which was announced today features a 5.7-inch Quad HD (2560×1440 pixels) Super AMOLED curved edge display with always-on feature. 

It is powered by a Exynos 8 Octa 8890 processor, runs on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow), has a 12-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, OIS and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

Importantly, the just announced Note 7 have almost the same specs with the Samsung Galaxy S7 EDGE. Both having the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor (in the US; other markets will have Samsung’s own Exynos processor), same 4GB of RAM, same quick charging and quick wireless charging, and same 12-megapixel camera with f/1.7 lens and optical stabilization as the S7 series. 

The Note 7 also sport similar water resistant (rated to IP68 specifications) and has support for microSD cards. 

Other similarities to the S7 Edge include a dual-curved Super AMOLED display with quad HD (2560 x 1440 pixel) resolution (albeit at a slightly larger, 5.7-inch size). 

In terms of availability, The Galaxy Note 7 device will be available from August 19th 2016, with preorders starting today, August 3rd 2016. 

Samsung also noted that pricing will be commensurate with prior Note devices and will be higher than the S7 Edge, which is about $770 to $800.

The Samsung Galaxy Note7 comes in Blue Coral, Gold Platinum, Silver Titanium and Black Onyx.

Samsung Galaxy Note7 specifications

*.5.7-inch Quad HD (2560×1440 pixels) (518ppi) Super AMOLED curved dual edge display
*.Octa-Core Exynos 8890 (2.3GHz Quad + 1.6GHz Quad), 64 bit, 14 nm processor
*.4GB LPDDR4 RAM, 64GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD
*.Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow)
*.12MP rear camera with LED Flash, dual-pixel PDAF, Smart OIS, f/1.7 aperture
*.5MP front-facing camera, f/1.7 aperture
*.IP68 ratings water and dust resistance
*.S Pen stylus
*.Dimensions: 153.5 x 73.9 x 7.9mm; Weight: 169g
*.Heart rate sensor, Fingerprint sensor, Iris scanner, Barometer
*.4G LTE Cat.12, Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2X2 MIMO), Bluetooth 4.2 LE, NFC, USB Type-C
*.3500mAh battery with fast charging (wired and wireless)

Samsung will be offering customers their choice of a free 256GB MicroSD card or Gear Fit 2 when they purchase a Note 7.

Health Tips Of The Day.

HEADACHE
The most frequent single complaint of a modern day youth is headache. It is sometimes reoccurring. For example yesterday when I woke up,I developed this severe headache, I couldn't eat my whole body was hot. The most common causes of headache are tension, sleepless nights, fear etc.
At times it could be migraines. It feels as if there is a large studio in your head. Migraine headaches are caused by constriction and the relaxation of blood vessels in the head. Migraine headaches are usually caused by tension and at times it could lead to vomiting.

How do I know I have?
Migraine headaches affects one side of the head during any particular attack.
I could remember when I was awaiting my WASSCE results. Throughout the period I didn't get myself until the result was out. Isn't that the way you also feel? Hmmmmmmmm.
If headache is worse in the morning it could be blood pressure. Some might have nightmares and eventually when they are awake they begin to feel the ache.

PREVENTION
1. Take away tension
2. Say No to fear
3. Have enough time to rest mostly at night. The night is majorly for rest because the brain has worked throughout the day.

I was weak and struggled to stand up to have my bath though it was cold. After that, I used drugs, then I stroll around the compound. Before the evening i was totally alright.

4.You can use drugs if you have a need to.
If you have tried all this means and it still persist, visit your Doctor.

Thanks for reading
Stay healthy🌡🌡

By:
Enoch Michael
Co-Admin Brainitiative
Michaelenoch21@gmail.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/mybrainitiative
Twitter: @brainitiative
Instagram:Brainitiative

BITCOIN EXCHANGE HACKED: Bitcoin Price Drops 20% After $72 Million in Bitcoin Stolen from Bitfinex

Yet another blow to Bitcoin: One of the world's most popular exchanges of the cryptocurrency has suffered a major hack, leading to a loss of around $72 Million worth of Bitcoins.

Hong Kong-based Bitcoin exchange 'Bitfinex' has posted a note on their website announcing the shutdown of its operation after discovering a security breach that allowed an attacker to steal some user funds.

While the company did not mention a total amount lost in the breach, one of their employees — Bitfinex community director Zane Tackett — confirmed on Reddit that the total amount stolen was 119,756 bitcoins — worth up to $72 Million in cash.

The cause of the security breach and the hacker behind the incident is still unclear, but the attackers appear to have mysteriously bypassed Bitfinex’s mandated limits on withdrawals.

"The theft is being reported to — and we are co-operating with — law enforcement," Bitfinex statement reads.

"We will look at various options to address customer losses later in the investigation" and "ask for the community’s patience as we unravel the causes and consequences of this breach."

Bitcoin Price Drops 20% After the Hack

Bitfinex is the third-largest Bitcoin exchange in the world. After the news of the Bitfinex hack had broken on August 2, the price of Bitcoin dropped almost 20%, from $602.78 to $541 per Bitcoin, within the day after the announcement.

The sudden dropout could be the result of the latest hack that likely made Bitcoin investors sell off their Bitcoin holdings, leading to a rapid decrease in Bitcoin price.

Bitfinex's security firm Bitgo — a Palo Alto-based Bitcoin security company that allows bitcoin exchanges to provide separate, multi-signature wallets for each user's funds — tweeted earlier today, saying it has not found any "evidence of a breach on any BitGo servers" during its investigation.

Although it’s unclear whether Bitfinex can sustain a loss of that magnitude, the company will address any customer losses following the result of their ongoing investigation.

"As we account for individualized customer losses, we may need to settle open margin positions, associated financing, and/or collateral affected by the breach," the company says. "Any settlements will be at the current market prices as of 18:00 UTC."

The bottom line:

The best way to secure yourself is to go OFFLINE.

The safest place to store your Bitcoins or any other cryptocurrency is on your own (if possible, offline) wallet; instead on any website or cryptocurrency exchange.

Get ready — here's when the iPhone 7 will probably come out

Apple hasn't yet announced when the latest version of the iPhone - let's call it the iPhone 7 - will come out.

But the company follows a predictable pattern on its iPhone launches, so it's possible to make an informed guess.

The short answer?

Expect the iPhone 7 launch date to be Wednesday, September 7, with the actual device shipping to people two weeks after that, according to an estimate by longtime Apple watcher John Gruber.

If Gruber's guess is correct, that means that you'll be able to buy a new iPhone on Friday, September 16, which lines up with a previous suggestion from leaker Evan Blass.

The long answer is that date is still a guess - and will be until Apple announces its dates.

Here are some facts about Apple's iPhone launches:

Since 2012, Apple has released its latest iPhone in September.The iPhone usually goes on preorder a few days after Apple's keynote announcement.Apple likes its announcements to take place on a Tuesday or Wednesday.Preorders typically last about a week but have lasted longer.

Let's look at when the last four iPhones came out, compiled by 9to5Mac:

2012: iPhone 5 was announced on Wednesday, September 12, and started shipping on Friday, September 21.

2013: iPhone 5S was announced on Wednesday, September 10, and started shipping on Friday, September 20.

2014: iPhone 6 was announced on Tuesday, September 9, and started shipping on Friday, September 19.

2015: iPhone 6S was announced on Wednesday, September 9, and started shipping on Friday, September 25.

Based on this somewhat limited pattern, Apple likes to announce its phones on a Tuesday or Wednesday and release them on a Friday.

So let's take another look at September this year:

Based on previous patterns, those are the four dates that Apple is likely to announce the iPhone 7, and the two dates it's likely to hit stores. So even if Gruber's estimate is off, it's likely to be wrong only by a week.

Or Apple could be totally breaking with tradition, in which case all bets are off.

We're expecting the iPhone 7 to have an improved camera, a waterproof casing, and possibly a better battery. Here's the best purported leaked photo we've seen yet: