The G7 Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) is an initiative introduced in the "Charlevoix Commitment on Defending Democracy from Foreign Threats", issued by the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries—United States, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy—on June 9, 2018, during their summit in Charlevoix, Quebec. The RRM's mandate is to strengthen the coordination of G7 member countries, as well as "to identify and respond to diverse and evolving threats to our democracies, including through sharing information and analysis, and identifying opportunities for coordinated response" The G7 is an informal international intergovernmental economic organization that meets annually, whose members represent the seven wealthiest advanced economies in the world, as measured by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). == Constituents == The following countries and organisations are members and observers (associate members) of the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism: Australia Canada France Germany Italy Japan Netherlands New Zealand Poland Sweden United Kingdom United States European Union North Atlantic Treaty Organization == Mandate == The RRM was mandated to "strengthen coordination to prevent, thwart and respond to malign and evolving threats to G7 democracies." It "will share information and threat analysis related to various threats to democracy, and is an established mechanism to identify opportunities for coordinated response." According to the Institute for Research on Public Policy's Policy Options magazine, the "RRM initiative seeks to strengthen the leading democracies' coordination to identify and respond to diverse and evolving threats…including through sharing information and analysis, and identifying opportunities for a coordinated response." == Administration == The RRM initiative is led by Canada through Global Affairs Canada's Centre for International Digital Policy. Tara Denham, Director of the Centre for International Digital Policy at Global Affairs Canada, directed the team responsible for setting up the RRM Coordination Unit. Global Affairs Canada—the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development—is the federal Canadian ministry responsible for diplomatic and consular relations, international trade, and international development and humanitarian assistance. The Centre for International Digital Policy includes the Digital Inclusion Lab and the RRM. Denham is also the RRM's Canadian Focal Point. At a briefing on "the security and intelligence threats to elections" of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, the chair Bob Zimmer (CPC), said that the 2019 general election "may be different" from past elections in Canada. as the "tools that were used to strengthen civic engagement are being used to undermine, disrupt and destabilize democracy." "Democracies around the world have entered a new era—an era of heightened threat and heightened vigilance—and 2019 will see a number of countries brace for volleys of attempted disruption: India, Australia, Ukraine, Switzerland, Belgium, the EU and, of course, Canada. Evidence has confirmed that the most recent Canadian general election, in 2015, was unencumbered by interference, although there were some relatively primitive attempts to disrupt, misinform and divide. These efforts were few in number and uncoordinated, and had no visible impact on the voter, either online or in line." Zimmer described the initiative's three pillars. "enhancing citizen preparedness" through the "digital citizen initiative" "improving organizational readiness" with national security and intelligence agencies supporting Elections Canada "ensure a comprehensive understanding of and response to any threats to Canada's democratic process." by establishing the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force (SITE) which works as a team with the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), as well as Global Affairs Canada Zimmer said that as part of the third pillar, "We have activated the G7 rapid response mechanism, announced at the G7 leaders' summit in Charlevoix, to strengthen coordination among our G7 allies and to ensure that there is international collaboration and coordination in responding to foreign threats to democracy." == Background == === Charlevoix summit === The G7 met from June 8 to 9, 2018 during their summit at the Manoir Richelieu in Charlevoix, in La Malbaie, Quebec. The Charlevoix Summit was the 44th G7 summit. The group issued eight "Commitments" at the summit. They included: Commitment on Defending Democracy from Foreign Threats Commitment on Equality and Economic Growth Commitment to End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, Abuse and Harassment in Digital Contexts Declaration on Quality Education for Girls, Adolescent Girls and Women in Developing Countries Commitment on Innovative Financing for Development. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced five themes for Canada's G7 presidency which began in January 2018. === Defending Democracy from Foreign Threats === "We commit to take concerted action in responding to foreign actors who seek to undermine our democratic societies and institutions, our electoral processes, our sovereignty and our security as outlined in the Charlevoix Commitment on Defending Democracy from Foreign Threats. We recognize that such threats, particularly those originating from state actors, are not just threats to G7 nations, but to international peace and security and the rules-based international order. We call on others to join us in addressing these growing threats by increasing the resilience and security of our institutions, economies and societies, and by taking concerted action to identify and hold to account those who would do us harm." They committed to "cooperate in defending democracies from foreign threats and establish a response mechanism for that purpose". "Democracy and the rules-based international order are increasingly being challenged by authoritarianism and the defiance of international norms. In particular, foreign actors seek to undermine our democratic societies and institutions, our electoral processes, our sovereignty and our security. These malicious, multi-faceted and ever-evolving tactics constitute a serious strategic threat which we commit to confront together, working with other governments that share our democratic values." The Charlevoix Commitment states that "foreign actors seek to undermine our democratic societies and institutions, our electoral processes, our sovereignty and our security. These malicious, multi-faceted and ever-evolving tactics constitute a serious strategic threat which we commit to confront together, working together with other governments that share our democratic values." The Charlevoix Summit resolved to "establish a G7 Rapid Response Mechanism to strengthen our coordination to identify and respond to diverse and evolving threats to our democracies, including through sharing information and analysis, and identifying opportunities for coordinated response." == Monitored elections == === 2019 European Parliament election === RRM Canada's comprehensive report on the 2019 European Parliament election analyzed open data "related to foreign interference during and leading up to the 2019 European Union Parliamentary Elections, May 23–26, 2019". RRM Canada did not find "significant evidence of state-based foreign interference, or any large-scale, organized and coordinated efforts by non-state actors". They did find that "national or international non-state actors" used tactics based on those used by the Russian sponsored Internet Research Agency (IRA) in previous elections, "such as the 2016 U.S. Elections". For example, blogs, webpages, and social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Reddit "were used to spread divisive and false information to damage and negatively impact social cohesion and trust in democratic processes and institutions" in coordinated networks of Facebook groups. === 2019 Alberta general election === RRM Canada's analyz report on the 2019 Alberta general election was intended to "identify any emerging tactics in foreign interference and draw lessons learned for the Canadian general elections scheduled to take place in October 2019." No foreign activity was detected, although the data revealed ""suspicious account creation pattern that is indicative of troll or bot activity". They found "automated inauthentic behaviour and trolling activities" but concluded that they were "very likely domestic". The data showed "suspicious account creation pattern that is indicative of troll or bot activity", and "spikes in account creation" which suggested the "presence of accounts developed for a specific purpose." The accounts were very likely domestic and were "mainly comprised of supporters of the United Conservative Party (UCP)." A seco
Charge-coupled device
A charge-coupled device (CCD) is an integrated circuit containing an array of linked, or coupled, capacitors. Under the control of an external circuit, each capacitor can transfer its electric charge to a neighboring capacitor. CCD sensors are a major technology used in digital imaging. In a CCD image sensor, pixels are represented by p-doped metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) capacitors. These MOS capacitors, the basic building blocks of a CCD, are biased above the threshold for inversion when image acquisition begins, allowing the conversion of incoming photons into electron charges at the semiconductor-oxide interface; the CCD is then used to read out these charges. Although CCDs are not the only technology to allow for light detection, CCD image sensors are widely used in professional, medical, and scientific applications where high-quality image data are required. In applications with less exacting quality demands, such as consumer and professional digital cameras, active pixel sensors, also known as CMOS sensors (complementary MOS sensors), are generally used. However, the large quality advantage CCDs enjoyed early on has narrowed over time and since the late 2010s CMOS sensors are the dominant technology, having largely if not completely replaced CCD image sensors. == History == The basis for the CCD is the metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) structure, with MOS capacitors being the basic building blocks of a CCD, and a depleted MOS structure used as the photodetector in early CCD devices. In the late 1960s, Willard Boyle and George E. Smith at Bell Labs were researching MOS technology while working on semiconductor bubble memory. They realized that an electric charge was the analog of the magnetic bubble and that it could be stored on a tiny MOS capacitor. As it was fairly straightforward to fabricate a series of MOS capacitors in a row, they connected a suitable voltage to them so that the charge could be stepped along from one to the next. This led to the invention of the charge-coupled device by Boyle and Smith in 1969. They conceived of the design of what they termed, in their notebook, "Charge 'Bubble' Devices". The initial paper describing the concept in April 1970 listed possible uses as memory, a delay line, and an imaging device. The device could also be used as a shift register. The essence of the design was the ability to transfer charge along the surface of a semiconductor from one storage capacitor to the next. The first experimental device demonstrating the principle was a row of closely spaced metal squares on an oxidized silicon surface electrically accessed by wire bonds. It was demonstrated by Gil Amelio, Michael Francis Tompsett and George Smith in April 1970. This was the first experimental application of the CCD in image sensor technology, and used a depleted MOS structure as the photodetector. The first patent (U.S. patent 4,085,456) on the application of CCDs to imaging was assigned to Tompsett, who filed the application in 1971. The first working CCD made with integrated circuit technology was a simple 8-bit shift register, reported by Tompsett, Amelio and Smith in August 1970. This device had input and output circuits and was used to demonstrate its use as a shift register and as a crude eight pixel linear imaging device. Development of the device progressed at a rapid rate. By 1971, Bell researchers led by Michael Tompsett were able to capture images with simple linear devices. Several companies, including Fairchild Semiconductor, RCA and Texas Instruments, picked up on the invention and began development programs. Fairchild's effort, led by ex-Bell researcher Gil Amelio, was the first with commercial devices, and by 1974 had a linear 500-element device and a 2D 100 × 100 pixel device. Peter L. P. Dillon, a scientist at Kodak Research Labs, invented the first color CCD image sensor by overlaying a color filter array on this Fairchild 100 x 100 pixel Interline CCD starting in 1974. Steven Sasson, an electrical engineer working for the Kodak Apparatus Division, invented a digital still camera using this same Fairchild 100 × 100 CCD in 1975. The interline transfer (ILT) CCD device was proposed by L. Walsh and R. Dyck at Fairchild in 1973 to reduce smear and eliminate a mechanical shutter. To further reduce smear from bright light sources, the frame-interline-transfer (FIT) CCD architecture was developed by K. Horii, T. Kuroda and T. Kunii at Matsushita (now Panasonic) in 1981. The first KH-11 KENNEN reconnaissance satellite equipped with charge-coupled device array (800 × 800 pixels) technology for imaging was launched in December 1976. Under the leadership of Kazuo Iwama, Sony started a large development effort on CCDs involving a significant investment. Eventually, Sony managed to mass-produce CCDs for their camcorders. Before this happened, Iwama died in August 1982. Subsequently, a CCD chip was placed on his tombstone to acknowledge his contribution. The first mass-produced consumer CCD video camera, the CCD-G5, was released by Sony in 1983, based on a prototype developed by Yoshiaki Hagiwara in 1981. Early CCD sensors suffered from shutter lag. This was largely resolved with the invention of the pinned photodiode (PPD). It was invented by Nobukazu Teranishi, Hiromitsu Shiraki and Yasuo Ishihara at NEC in 1980. They recognized that lag can be eliminated if the signal carriers could be transferred from the photodiode to the CCD. This led to their invention of the pinned photodiode, a photodetector structure with low lag, low noise, high quantum efficiency and low dark current. It was first publicly reported by Teranishi and Ishihara with A. Kohono, E. Oda and K. Arai in 1982, with the addition of an anti-blooming structure. The new photodetector structure invented at NEC was given the name "pinned photodiode" (PPD) by B.C. Burkey at Kodak in 1984. In 1987, the PPD began to be incorporated into most CCD devices, becoming a fixture in consumer electronic video cameras and then digital still cameras. Since then, the PPD has been used in nearly all CCD sensors and then CMOS sensors. In January 2006, Boyle and Smith were awarded the National Academy of Engineering Charles Stark Draper Prize, and in 2009 they were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics for their invention of the CCD concept. Michael Tompsett was awarded the 2010 National Medal of Technology and Innovation, for pioneering work and electronic technologies including the design and development of the first CCD imagers. He was also awarded the 2012 IEEE Edison Medal for "pioneering contributions to imaging devices including CCD Imagers, cameras and thermal imagers". == Basics of operation == In a CCD for capturing images, there is a photoactive region (an epitaxial layer of silicon), and a transmission region made out of a shift register (the CCD, properly speaking). An image is projected through a lens onto the capacitor array (the photoactive region), causing each capacitor to accumulate an electric charge proportional to the light intensity at that location. A one-dimensional array, used in line-scan cameras, captures a single slice of the image, whereas a two-dimensional array, used in video and still cameras, captures a two-dimensional picture corresponding to the scene projected onto the focal plane of the sensor. Once the array has been exposed to the image, a control circuit causes each capacitor to transfer its contents to its neighbor (operating as a shift register). The last capacitor in the array dumps its charge into a charge amplifier, which converts the charge into a voltage. By repeating this process, the controlling circuit converts the entire contents of the array in the semiconductor to a sequence of voltages. In a digital device, these voltages are then sampled, digitized, and usually stored in memory; in an analog device (such as an analog video camera), they are processed into a continuous analog signal (e.g. by feeding the output of the charge amplifier into a low-pass filter), which is then processed and fed out to other circuits for transmission, recording, or other processing. == Detailed physics of operation == === Charge generation === Before the MOS capacitors are exposed to light, they are biased into the depletion region; in n-channel CCDs, the silicon under the bias gate is slightly p-doped or intrinsic. The gate is then biased at a positive potential, above the threshold for strong inversion, which will eventually result in the creation of an n channel below the gate as in a MOSFET. However, it takes time to reach this thermal equilibrium: up to hours in high-end scientific cameras cooled at low temperature. Initially after biasing, the holes are pushed far into the substrate, and no mobile electrons are at or near the surface; the CCD thus operates in a non-equilibrium state called deep depletion. Then, when electron–hole pairs are generated in the depletion region, they are separated by the electric field, the elec
Cybernetic Serendipity
Cybernetic Serendipity was an exhibition of cybernetic art curated by Jasia Reichardt, shown at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, England, from 2 August to 20 October 1968, and then toured across the United States. Two stops in the United States were the Corcoran Annex (Corcoran Gallery of Art), Washington, D.C., from 16 July to 31 August 1969, and the newly opened Exploratorium in San Francisco, from 1 November to 18 December 1969. == Content == One part of the exhibition was concerned with algorithms and devices for generating music. Some exhibits were pamphlets describing the algorithms, whilst others showed musical notation produced by computers. Devices made musical effects and played tapes of sounds made by computers. Peter Zinovieff lent part of his studio equipment - visitors could sing or whistle a tune into a microphone and his equipment would improvise a piece of music based on the tune. Another part described computer projects such as Gustav Metzger's self-destructive Five Screens With Computer, a design for a new hospital, a computer programmed structure, and dance choreography. The machines and installations were a very noticeable part of the exhibition. Gordon Pask produced a collection of large mobiles (Colloquy of Mobiles (1968)) with interacting parts that let the viewers join in the conversation. Many machines formed kinetic environments or displayed moving images. Bruce Lacey contributed his radio-controlled robots and a light-sensitive owl. Nam June Paik was represented by Robot K-456 and televisions with distorted images. Jean Tinguely provided two of his painting machines. Edward Ihnatowicz's biomorphic hydraulic ear (Sound Activated Mobile (SAM, 1968)) turned toward sounds and John Billingsley's Albert 1967 turned to face light. Wen-Ying Tsai presented his interactive cybernetic sculptures of vibrating stainless-steel rods, stroboscopic light, and audio feedback control. Several artists exhibited machines that drew patterns that the visitor could take away, or involved visitors in games. Cartoonist Rowland Emett designed the mechanical computer Forget-me-not, which was commissioned by Honeywell. Another section explored the computer's ability to produce text - both essays and poetry. Different programs produced Haiku, children's stories, and essays. One of the first computer-generated poems, by Alison Knowles and James Tenney, was included in the exhibition and catalogue. Computer-generated movies were represented by John Whitney's Permutations and a Bell Labs movie on their technology for producing movies. Some samples included images of tesseracts rotating in four dimensions, a satellite orbiting the Earth, and an animated data structure. Computer graphics were also represented, including pictures produced on cathode ray oscilloscopes and digital plotters. There was a variety of posters and graphics demonstrating the power of computers to do complex (and apparently random) calculations. Other graphics showed a simulated Mondrian and the iconic decreasing squares spiral that appeared on the exhibition's poster and book. The Boeing Company exhibited their use of wireframe graphics. The innovative computer-generated sculpture, Quad 1, was displayed at the Cybernetic Serendipity exhibit. Created by the American abstract expressionist sculptor, Robert Mallary, in 1968, Quad 1 is widely believed to be the world's first Computer Aided Design sculpture. Keith Albarn & Partners contributed to the design of the exhibition. Reflecting the prominence of music in the show, a ten-track album Cybernetic Serendipity Music was released by the ICA to accompany the show. Artists featured included Iannis Xenakis, John Cage, and Peter Zinovieff, a detail of whose graphic score for 'Four Sacred April Rounds’ (1968) was used as the cover artwork. == Attendance == Time magazine noted that there had been 40,000 visitors to the London exhibition. Other reports suggested visitor numbers were as high as 44,000 to 60,000. However, the ICA did not accurately count visitors. == After-effects == The exhibition provided the energy for the formation of British Computer Arts Society which continued to explore the interaction between science, technology and art, and put on exhibitions (for example Event One at the Royal College of Art). Several pieces were purchased by the Exploratorium in 1971, some of which are on display to this day. In 2014 the ICA held a retrospective exhibition Cybernetic Serendipity: A Documentation which included documents, installation photographs, press reviews and publications and a series of discussions in one of which Peter Zinovieff took part. To coincide with the exhibition, Cybernetic Serendipity Music was re-released as a limited-edition vinyl LP by The Vinyl Factory. The Victoria and Albert Museum marked the 50th anniversary with an exhibition in 2018 entitled "Chance and Control: Art in the Age of Computers". The V&A exhibition included many works by artists who featured in the original ICA show, plus related ephemera. "Chance and Control" subsequently toured to Chester Visual Arts and Firstsite, Colchester. In 2020, The Centre Pompidou exhibited the replica of Gordon Pask's 1968 Colloquy of Mobiles, reproduced by Paul Pangaro and TJ McLeish in 2018. In 2022 the Australian National University's School of Cybernetics launched the school by presenting an exhibition Australian Cybernetic: a point through time. The exhibition included works from Cybernetic Serendipity (1968), Australia ‘75: Festival of Creative Arts and Science (1975), and contemporary pieces curated by the School of Cybernetics. In describing Reichardt's Cybernetic Serendipity exhibition the school stated that it "represented points of expanding the cybernetic imagination" and was a "ground-breaking" "glimpse of a future in which computers were entangled with people and cultures, and through this she fashioned a blueprint for the future of computing that has since inspired generations".
Metadata repository
A metadata repository is a database created to store metadata. Metadata is information about the structures that contain the actual data. Metadata is often said to be "data about data", but this is misleading. Data profiles are an example of actual "data about data". Metadata adds one layer of abstraction to this definition– it is data about the structures that contain data. Metadata may describe the structure of any data, of any subject, stored in any format. A well-designed metadata repository typically contains data far beyond simple definitions of the various data structures. Typical repositories store dozens to hundreds of separate pieces of information about each data structure. Comparing the metadata of a couple data items - one digital and one physical - clarify what metadata is: First, digital: For data stored in a database one may have a table called "Patient" with many columns, each containing data which describes a different attribute of each patient. One of these columns may be named "Patient_Last_Name". What is some of the metadata about the column that contains the actual surnames of patients in the database? We have already used two items: the name of the column that contains the data (Patient_Last_Name) and the name of the table that contains the column (Patient). Other metadata might include the maximum length of last name that may be entered, whether or not last name is required (can we have a patient without Patient_Last_Name?), and whether the database converts any surnames entered in lower case to upper case. Metadata of a security nature may show the restrictions which limit who may view these names. Second, physical: For data stored in a brick and mortar library, one have many volumes and may have various media, including books. Metadata about books would include ISBN, Binding_Type, Page_Count, Author, etc. Within Binding_Type, metadata would include possible bindings, material, etc. This contextual information of business data include meaning and content, policies that govern, technical attributes, specifications that transform, and programs that manipulate. == Definition == The metadata repository is responsible for physically storing and cataloging metadata. Data in a metadata repository should be generic, integrated, current, and historical: Generic Meta model should store the metadata by generic terms instead of storing it by an applications-specific defined way, so that if your data base standard changes from one product to another the physical meta model of the metadata repository would not need to change. Integration of the metadata repository allows all business areas' metadata to be in an integrated fashion: Covering all domains and subject areas of the organization. current and historical The metadata repository should have accessible current and historical metadata. Metadata repositories used to be referred to as a data dictionary. With the transition of needs for the metadata usage for business intelligence has increased so is the scope of the metadata repository increased. Earlier data dictionaries are the closest place to interact technology with business. Data dictionaries are the universe of metadata repository in the initial stages but as the scope increased Business glossary and their tags to variety of status flags emerged in the business side while consumption of the technology metadata, their lineage and linkages made the repository, the source for valuable reports to bring business and technology together and helped data management decisions easier as well as assess the cost of the changes. Metadata repository explores the enterprise wide data governance, data quality and master data management (includes master data and reference data) and integrates this wealth of information with integrated metadata across the organization to provide decision support system for data structures, even though it only reflects the structures consumed from various systems. == Repository vs. registry == Repository has additional functionalities compared with registry. Metadata repository not only stores metadata like Metadata registry but also adds relationships with related metadata types. Metadata when related in a flow from its point of entry into organization up to the deliverables is considered as the lineage of that data point. Metadata when related across other related metadata types is called linkages. By providing the relationships to all the metadata points across the organization and maintaining its integrity with an architecture to handle the changes, metadata repository provides the basic material for understanding the complete data flow and their definitions and their impact. Also the important feature is to maintain the version control though this statement for contrasting is open for discussion. These definitions are still evolving, so the accuracy of the definitions needs refinement. The purpose of registry is to define the metadata element and maintained across the organization. And data models and other data management teams refer to the registry for any changes to follow. While Metadata repository sources metadata from various metadata systems in the organizations and reflects what is in the upstream. Repository never acts as an upstream while registry is used as an upstream for metadata changes. == Reason for use == Metadata repository enables all the structure of the organizations data containers to one integrated place. This opens plethora of resourceful information for making calculated business decisions. This tool uses one generic form of data model to integrate all the models thus brings all the applications and programs of the organization into one format. And on top of it applying the business definitions and business processes brings the business and technology closer that will help organizations make reliable roadmaps with definite goals. With one stop information, business will have more control on the changes, and can do impact analysis of the tool. Usually business spends much time and money to make decisions based on discovery and research on impacts to make changes or to add new data structures or remove structures in data management of the organization. With a structured and well maintained repository, moving the product from ideation to delivery takes the least amount of time (considering other variables are constant). To sum it up: Integration of the metadata across the organization Build relationship between various metadata types Build relationship between various disparate systems Define business golden copy of definitions Version control of the changes at structure level Interaction with Reference data Link view to master data Automatic synchronization with various authorized metadata source systems More control to business decisions Validate the structures by overlapping the models Discovering discrepancies, gaps, lineage, metrics at data structure level Each database management system (DBMS) and database tools have their own language for the metadata components within. Database applications already have their own repositories or registries that are expected to provide all of the necessary functionality to access the data stored within. Vendors do not want other companies to be capable of easily migrating data away from their products and into competitors products, so they are proprietary with the way they handle metadata. CASE tools, DBMS dictionaries, ETL tools, data cleansing tools, OLAP tools, and data mining tools all handle and store metadata differently. Only a metadata repository can be designed to store the metadata components from all of these tools. == Design == Metadata repositories should store metadata in four classifications: ownership, descriptive characteristics, rules and policies, and physical characteristics. Ownership, showing the data owner and the application owner. The descriptive characteristics, define the names, types and lengths, and definitions describing business data or business processes. Rules and policies, will define security, data cleanliness, timelines for data, and relationships. Physical characteristics define the origin or source, and physical location. Like building a logical data model for creating a database, a logical meta model can help identify the metadata requirements for business data. The metadata repository will be centralized, decentralized, or distributed. A centralized design means that there is one database for the metadata repository that stores metadata for all applications business wide. A centralized metadata repository has the same advantages and disadvantages of a centralized database. Easier to manage because all the data is in one database, but the disadvantage is that bottlenecks may occur. A decentralized metadata repository stores metadata in multiple databases, either separated by location and or departments of the business. This makes management of the repository more involved than a centraliz
Path tracing
Path tracing is a rendering algorithm in computer graphics that simulates how light interacts with objects and participating media to generate realistic (physically plausible) images. It is based on earlier, more limited, ray tracing algorithms. Path tracing is used to create photorealistic images for artistic purposes, and for applications such as architectural rendering and product design. It is also used to render frames for animated films, and visual effects for film and television. Because it can be very accurate and unbiased, it is commonly used to generate reference images when testing the quality of other rendering algorithms. The technique uses the Monte Carlo method to compute estimates of global illumination and simulate the ways different materials reflect (or scatter), transmit, absorb, and emit light. It can incorporate simple modeling of the effects of aperture and lens (depth of field, and bokeh) and shutter speed (motion blur), or more realistic simulation of the optical components in a camera. The algorithm works by describing illumination in a scene using the rendering equation, or light transport equation, and finding an approximate solution using Monte Carlo integration. An inefficient (but accurate) version of the algorithm can be very simple, and involves tracing a ray from the camera, allowing this ray to bounce in random directions as it hits different objects in the scene, and computing the amount of light transmitted along the path to the camera whenever the path encounters a light source. This process is repeated many times for each pixel (each repetition, with generated path and transmitted light, is called a sample), and the results are averaged. One main difference between this algorithm and standard ray tracing is that a single unbranching path is traced each time, while "Whitted-style" or "Cook-style" ray tracing recursively samples branching paths (e.g. when light is both reflected and refracted by a glass object). More practical versions incorporate improvements such as quasi-Monte Carlo methods (techniques that distribute samples more evenly), importance sampling (take more samples of paths that are likely to transport more light), and next event estimation (allow a very limited form of branching, and sample additional paths that connect to the lights more directly). Because path tracing uses random samples there is noise in the final image, which decreases as more samples are taken. Images commonly require many thousands of samples per pixel (spp) to reduce noise to an acceptable level, and denoising techniques (e.g. based on neural networks) are often used. Denoising is usually necessary when path tracing is used for real-time rendering in video games, because relatively few samples can be taken. Many alternative algorithms for path tracing have been developed, although they do not always outperform more straightforward implementations. These include bidirectional path tracing (which traces paths forwards from the light source as well as backwards from the camera), Metropolis light transport, and ways of combining path tracing with photon mapping. Video games often use biased versions of path tracing to improve performance (e.g. limiting the number of bounces in each path). A family of techniques called ReSTIR has been developed that can help real-time path tracing by sharing data between nearby pixels and consecutive frames. == History == Like all ray tracing methods, path tracing is based on ray casting, which Arthur Appel used for computer graphics rendering in the late 1960s. In 1980, John Turner Whitted published a recursive ray tracing algorithm that allows rendering images of scenes containing mirrored surfaces and refractive transparent objects. In 1984, Cook et al. described a form of ray tracing called distributed ray tracing, which uses Monte Carlo integration to render effects such as depth of field, motion blur, reflection from rough surfaces, and area lights. The same year, the radiosity method (not a ray tracing method) was published, which was the first physically based method for rendering diffuse global illumination. In 1986, Jim Kajiya published a paper exploring how to use distributed ray tracing to render physically-based global illumination, and this paper also introduced and named the method called "path tracing". Path tracing and other distributed ray tracing techniques were further refined in the late 1980s and early 1990s by researchers such as James Arvo and Peter Shirley, and by Greg Ward in the open source Radiance software. Despite being theoretically able to render any lighting, the original form of path tracing can sometimes be very inefficient (or noisy) for rendering light that is reflected or refracted before illuminating a visible surface, including diffuse global illumination where light enters an area through narrow gaps, because it traces paths only from the camera. To address this, variations of path tracing that trace paths from both the camera and from light sources, called bidirectional path tracing, were published in 1993 by Eric Lafortune and Yves Willems, and in 1997 by Eric Veach and Leonidas Guibas. In 1997 Veach and Guibas also published an alternative method called Metropolis light transport, which combines bidirectional path tracing with the Metropolis method. Veach's lengthy Ph.D. dissertation described both techniques, along with the theoretical background of path tracing; later, the book Physically Based Rendering (which won an Academy Award for Technical Achievement in 2014) helped to make information about path tracing more widely available. Path tracing requires tracing a large number of paths of light in order to produce an image with a visually acceptable amount of noise. This made path tracing very slow on computers available in the 1980s and 1990s, and noise remained a problem when trying to reproduce the style of earlier computer graphics animated films. Most animated films produced until around 2010, by studios such as Pixar, used rasterization-based rendering, with ray tracing used selectively for reflections (and later for precomputed or cached global illumination). However the speed of computers rapidly increased during the 1990s. Blue Sky Studios pioneered using Monte Carlo ray tracing for global illumination in animation, including in the 1998 short film "Bunny", but they did not disclose the precise techniques used. Path tracing gradually become more practical for film production in the early 2000s. The Arnold renderer, developed by Marcos Fajardo, was used by Sony Pictures Imageworks to produce the feature-length film Monster House, released in 2006. Pixar rewrote their RenderMan software to use path tracing, and released their first feature-length path-traced film Finding Dory in 2016. Although path tracing still had a large computational cost, animation studios discovered that less human labor was required when using it, for example because global illumination no longer needed to be faked by manually placing lights. The amount of noise present in path traced images still caused difficulties, particularly when rendering motion blur (which was used extensively by earlier animated films) but denoising techniques were developed to address this. New techniques were also needed for rendering hair and fur, and to handle the extremely large scenes sometimes required by films. Renderers such as Arnold, and Disney's Hyperion, originally only used CPUs for rendering, but as GPUs became more capable (and APIs such as CUDA, OpenCL, and OptiX were released) researchers and developers began adapting algorithms and implementations to use GPUs. GPUs can dramatically reduce rendering time: for example using a high-end GPU to accelerate portions of the rendering code can make it over 30 times faster than using only a high-end CPU. == Description == Kajiya's 1986 paper defined a recursive integral equation called the rendering equation, which describes a simplified form of light transport. Using Monte Carlo integration for the integral on the right side of the equation leads fairly directly to the path tracing algorithm: I ( x , x ′ ) = g ( x , x ′ ) [ ϵ ( x , x ′ ) + ∫ S ρ ( x , x ′ , x ″ ) I ( x ′ , x ″ ) d x ″ ] {\displaystyle I(x,x')=g(x,x')\left[\epsilon (x,x')+\int _{S}\rho (x,x',x'')I(x',x'')dx''\right]} This expresses I(x,x'), the light arriving at point x from point x', as the product of a geometry term, g(x,x'), which is 0 if there is something blocking the light between the two points and 1 otherwise, and the amount of light leaving point x' and traveling towards x. The light leaving point x' is the sum of the light emitted by the surface at x', and the integral of the light arriving at x' from all other points in the scene (the integration domain S) and being reflected towards x. The factor ρ(x,x',x''), which calculates how much light is reflected, must take into account the angles at which the light is arriving and leaving, and
Gamma (app)
Gamma is a web-based software platform that uses artificial intelligence to generate presentations, documents, webpages, and other visual content. The platform allow users to create structured layouts and draft text based on prompts or uploaded material. It operates as an online application and provides tools for editing, organizing, and sharing content. == History == Gamma was established in the early 2020s by Grant Lee, James Fox, and Jon Noronha during a period of increased development in artificial intelligence–based productivity software. The platform was introduced as a web-based format designed to present information through structured visual layouts rather than traditional slide-based presentations. Its interface was developed to adapt content to different screen sizes and devices. In later updates, Gamma expanded its functionality to support additional formats, including documents and simple webpages. By November 2025, the company reported that the platform had reached approximately 70 million users. Gamma has raised venture capital funding from a number of technology-focused investors since its founding. == Features == Gamma allows users to create presentations, documents, and webpages by entering prompts, pasting text, or uploading source files. The platform uses artificial intelligence to generate draft text, organize information, and apply structured layouts. Users can edit generated material manually and adjust formatting, structure, and visual elements. The software also supports collaborative editing, allowing multiple users to contribute to and revise the same project. Instead of relying only on fixed slide-based formats, Gamma presents content in scrollable layouts designed for web viewing across different screen sizes. Projects created on the platform can be shared through web links or exported to formats compatible with other software. Gamma also provides integration options and developer access through an application programming interface (API). == Technology == Gamma uses generative artificial intelligence models to interpret user input and generate structured content. The software automates elements of layout selection, formatting, and visual presentation. As with other AI-assisted tools, output produced by the system may require human review and revision to ensure accuracy and appropriate context. == Funding == Gamma has raised venture capital funding from a number of technology-focused investors since its founding. In November 2025, the company announced a Series B funding round that raised $68 million at a reported valuation of approximately $2.1 billion. Investors in the round included Andreessen Horowitz, Accel, and Uncork Capital, among others. == Controversy == In 2025, cybersecurity researchers reported that Gamma had been used in a phishing campaign targeting Microsoft accounts. Attackers shared links to presentations hosted on the platform that redirected users to a spoofed Microsoft SharePoint login page intended to collect credentials. Researchers noted that the incident reflected the broader misuse of legitimate online services in phishing schemes.
MSpy
mSpy is a brand of mobile and computer parental control monitoring software for iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS. The app monitors and logs user activity on the client device and sends the data to a personalized dashboard. Data the users can monitor includes text messages, calls, GPS locations, social media chats, and more. It is owned by Virtuoso Holding. == History == mSpy was launched as a product for mobile monitoring by Altercon Group in 2010. In 2012, the application allowed parents to monitor not only smartphones but also computers running Windows and macOS. In 2013, mSpy became TopTenReviews cell phone monitoring software award winner. By 2014, the business grew nearly 400%, and the app's user numbers exceeded 1 million. In 2015, mSpy received the Parents Tested Parents Approved (PTPA) Winner’s Seal of Approval in the United States. In 2015 and 2018, mSpy was the victim of data breaches which released user data. In 2016, mLite, a light version of mSpy, became available from Google Play. The same year, it was awarded the kidSAFE Certified Seal in the United States. In 2017, mSpy collaborated with YouTuber and journalist Coby Persin to conduct a social experiment on the dangers of social media and online predators. A social experiment, conducted with parental consent, involved Coby Persin to befriend three children—aged 12, 13, and 14—via Snapchat and then invite them to meet personally. Each of the participants agreed to the meeting and arrived at the designated location. The video of the experiment received widespread attention and helped to raise awareness about the importance of online security and parental controls. In early 2021, mSpy released a new feature - Screenrecorder. The feature allows parents to take screenshots of the kid's screen when they are browsing certain apps. In 2024, mSpy's Zendesk was compromised by an unknown threat actor, revealing their customer list. As of 2025, mSpy is compatible with Android, iPhone, and iPad devices. It provides access to various types of data stored on the device, including contact information, calendar entries, emails, SMS messages, browser history, photos, videos, and installed applications. Functions also include GPS tracking, geofencing, keyword alerts etc. == Reception == It was noted that since MSpy runs inconspicuously, there is risk of the software being used illegally. mSpy was called "terrifying" by The Next Web and was featured in NPR coverage of spyware used against victims of stalking and other domestic violence. In response mSpy released security updates aimed at reducing the risk of misuse and stated that it "uses encryption protocols to protect user data and that access is restricted to the account holder". In May 2015, Brian Krebs reported that mSpy was hacked, leaking personal data for hundreds of thousands of users of devices with mSpy installed. mSpy claimed that there was no data leak, but that instead, it was the victim of blackmailers. In September 2018, Krebs claimed and demonstrated that anyone could easily gain access to the mSpy database containing data for millions of users. The company responded by stating that the exposed data consisted primarily of error logs and incorrect login attempts. Following the incident, mSpy implemented new security measures, changed encryption keys, and reset passwords for affected accounts. A 2024 Sky News story characterised mSpy as "stalkerware". Leaked customer support messages from mSpy reveal misuse of its app for illegally monitoring partners and children.