1
Facebook Challenges Zoom with Messenger Rooms
In the wake of exponential demand for video conferencing apps during the ongoing pandemic lockdown, Facebook on Friday launched a video conferencing tool and also expanded its live streaming features. With this, Facebook has now become the most high profile challenger to Zoom app, which over the last month has emerged as the world’s most preferred video conferencing app. Facebook’s new video conferencing tool is called the Messenger Rooms. The tool enables as many as 50 people to participate in the video conferencing call. It is, however, not known whether Messenger Rooms will be available globally or in only the selected countries.
2
Because of Facebook & Twitter, ByteDance earns ire of Chinese govt
All because of Facebook and Twitter, TikTok’s parent company ByteDance has earned the wrath of the Chinese government. China has actually told ByteDance to remove its popular workplace messaging app (Feishu), since it gives users’ access to Facebook and Twitter. And Facebook and Twitter, as is well known, is banned in China. ByteDance had launched Feishu app last year and has been pretty well received across China.
3
China’s first Mars exploration mission will be called Tianwen-1
China’s first major scientific exploration of Red Planet will be called be Tianwen-1, according to a statement issued by Chinese space agency on Friday. This is an unmanned exploration and is expected to be launched later this year. The name Tianwen, in Mandarin language, simply means “Questions to Heaven.” This is actually a popular Chinese poem written almost two millennium ago. By the way, if China does succeed in this ambitious Mars mission then this will be yet another stepping stone in establishing itself as a major space superpower.
4
This Israeli AI Startup Unmasks Quarantine Dodgers and has just raised $5 million
Israeli facial recognition startup Corsight AI has raised $5 MN in a seed funding round. The two year old company claims to have developed a technology that flawlessly recognizes faces even if they are hidden by face masks, protective goggles and plastic face shields; a sight that is pretty common during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. And by the way Corsight’s AI technology can become a major boon in the ongoing war against coronavirus. That’s because it can instantly issue face recognition of people who have violated quarantine.
5
US scientist turns coronavirus into musical melody to aid research
This may sound bizarre but a group of US scientists have turned coronavirus into musical melody, all because to aid the research. According to reports, these scientists have leveraged the power of AI to transform a model of the protein structure of COVID-19 into interwoven musical melody. These American scientists believe that these musical notes will help to better understand the protein structure and aid in making path-breaking research on coronavirus.
