Zuckerberg unveiled the plans as he addressed Facebook’s annual developers conference in San Jose, California — emphasizing that the focus would be on helping people find long-term partners.

“This is going to be for building real, long-term relationships, not just hook-ups,” Zuckerberg said in presenting the new feature, noting that one in three marriages in the United States start online — and that some 200 million Facebook users identify as being single.

Under the new feature, users will be able to create a separate “dating” profile not visible to their network of friends, with potential matches recommended based on dating preferences, points in common, and mutual acquaintances.

Zuckerberg did not specify whether the feature would be free of charge, in line with Facebook’s core offer — but the announcement was enough to send shares in the online dating giant Match.com tumbling by 17 percent.

The 33-year-old CEO also said the dating offer was built from the ground-up with privacy and safety in mind, as he underscored the firm’s commitment to boosting privacy protections.

Facebook’s closely-watched developer conference comes as the giant faces intense global scrutiny over the mass harvesting of personal data by Cambridge Analytica, a British political consultancy that worked for Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign.

Facebook has admitted up to 87 million users may have had their data hijacked in the scandal, which saw Zuckerberg grilled at length by the US Congress last month.

“We need to make sure that never happens again,” Zuckerberg told the audience.

‘Clear history’

In a related move, Facebook Tuesday announced an upcoming feature called “Clear History” that will allow users to see which apps and websites send the network information, delete the data from their account, and prevent Facebook from storing it.

The social network has already moved to limit the amount of data it shares with third-party applications and plans further steps to prevent a repeat of the Cambridge Analytica debacle, Zuckerberg said.

Facebook is also reviewing applications overall as well as auditing those that accessed large amounts of data to make sure access isn’t abused, he said.

“Security isn’t a problem than you ever fully solve,” Zuckerberg said, outlining the slew of efforts by Facebook to battle election interference, misinformation, spam among other challenges.

“This is an arms race; we are going to be working to stay ahead of our adversaries forever.”

Message translation

Facebook separately announced Tuesday that its popular Messenger app would soon be able to translate missives in real time, deploying artificial intelligence to enable text conversations between people using different languages.

The feature will launch in the United States with English and Spanish translations of conversations in the Marketplace section of Facebook, and will be extended to general Messenger use in coming weeks, the service said in a blog post.

Facebook joins internet giants Amazon, Microsoft and Google in offering artificial-intelligence based translation features — most prominently Google’s Pixel ear buds which promise real-time translation across dozens of languages.

The slew of announcements at the developer-centric “F8” conference also included the arrival of a stand-alone Oculus Go headset aimed to get more people using virtual reality.

HIGH Quality and long-form video content, combined with free service, are the key reasons for the success of Line TV, the three-year-old leading advertising-based online video platform, according to a senior executive. Line TV this year is increasing the number of partners able to provide a variety of quality content.

Kawin Tangudtaisak, content business director of Line Thailand attributes the TV success so far to an abundance of long-form content.

He contrasts his company’s approach to other online content platforms, such as YouTube and Facebook, which have a lot more short-form content than long-form content.

“People visit Line TV a bit less often, but once they visit Line TV, almost of them stay very long on the app,” said Kawin.

Line TV positions itself as a premium video service, offering high quality content under an advertising-based model, with two options – sponsorship and pre-roll ads that allow viewers to skip the ad after a few seconds. The approach puts them in a unique position and is a key driver for their success, said Kawin.

“The key to success is good quality content. We partner with content producers. We are not a user-generated content platform. We help promote all partners’ contents. We have a huge budget [which cannot be disclosed] for marketing and promoting content on Line TV. The marketing budget for 2018 is more than 100 per cent above the marketing budget in 2017,” said Kawin.

This year Line TV is continuing to partner with TV Channels, including Channel 3. This year, the company will be adding user-generated content to their mix. Line TV will partner with Ookbee’s studio to co-create quality user-generated content that will be launched into the Line TV stream in the third quarter of 2018.

“Partnering with Ookbee is to open an opportunity for new producers to have a platform for showing their [user-generated] content,” said Kawin.

He said Line TV is not an online content disrupter, but instead plays the role of partner to content producers who wish to go on the online platform. The online platform and TV are complementary to each other, he said.

The target audience of Line TV is 15- to 40-year-olds, with around 80 per cent living in urban areas and 20 per cent in rural areas.

There are four key focus area of content – TV re-runs, original content, music experience, and miscellaneous content including music videos, live concerts, artists’ original content, animation, sports, variety, and movies.

Kawin said that benefits for Line TV stakeholders include offering a platform for showing content for content producers; offering an advertising platform for a safe brand; and offering quality content for end-users free of charge.

“Line TV is not yet the largest online video platform, so we need to put more emphasis on awareness,” said Kawin. “This year, Line TV is set to be the number one online video platform in term of the largest amount of quality content watched by audiences.”

The brand is now trying to optimise data consumption to allow users to enjoy watching even on low-speed networks. Locally designed and developed in Thailand, the TV is now also available in Taiwan.

It is not right for a rollout to all countries, said Kawin, but is suitable for markets in which Line enjoys access to both content and a large number of users. “It is a hyper-location strategy,” he said.

Three years after launching, Line TV is now the leading advertising-based online video platform in Thailand and was voted the top re-run video platform in Thailand, according to Nielsen.

For 2018, the company has set its hopes on becoming Thailand’s No. 1 online video platform.

Being an app that is associated with the Line chat app is another success factor for the TV brand.

In Thailand, there are more than 42 million Line users, a number that is expected to reach 45 million by 2020.

Meanwhile, the Line TV app has been downloaded 20 million time and enjoys similar numbers for active monthly users. Time spent on Line TV is 176 minutes or around two-thirds of total time spent on TV.

“In Thailand, the subscription-based model can penetrate the market only to around 5 million people, according to market research. Line TV want to reach more than that, so the advertising-based model is the right one,” said Kawin.

Line Today

In addition to Line TV, Line Thailand has introduced Line Today, offering short-form content to over 42 million Line users.

Line Today has claimed the spot of number one news portal in Thailand, with 32 million monthly active users and over 1 billion page views per month.

Currently, Line Today has around 110 content partners, providing sufficient content to allow it to offer fully-personalised content, which it is planning to launch by the second half of this year. “Our strategy is to partner with traditional media and help facilitate them turning to the online platform easily and successfully,” said Kawin Tangudtaisak, content business director of Line Thailand.

Line Today, like Line TV, is an advertising-based model, with revenue coming from banner and native ads. It offers Line users free quality content from partners.

“The key focus of Line Today is to curate quality content, and to do personalised content for different users in order to create better engagement,” said Kawin.

All incoming calls went to the Apple Watch. And I could make a phone call directly from the watch, and found the sound and signal as strong as with the phone.

The watch shows how the strength of the cellular signal via the green buttons on its screen. When all four button are green, the signal is very good, while a solo green button denotes a poor signal.

The one thing the user needs to prepare for is the battery charge. The battery ran out much faster the day that I forgot the phone at home. Starting from a fully-charged battery on the watch in the morning, the juice had run out by the end of the day. So, that day’s lesson was that the watch can double as my mobile phone, as long as the iPhone I left at home was fully charged for my return from work. Also note that if the iPhone’s battery has run out, the connection between the watch and the phone will be lost.

Thanks to the Apple Watch 3 Cellular, my life ran as usual on the workday that I forgot my phone at home. When relaxing, like in the evening when I do fitness exercises or play badminton, I do not want to carry a phone with me. The Apple Watch is very helpful in keeping me always connected through incoming calls.

To experience a phone call without a phone, I first needed to pair the Apple Watch with the iPhone mobile phone. The setting is not too difficult. But the user needs to make sure their mobile phone package covers the e-sim for the Apple Watch. Currently, only one mobile phone provider in Thailand, True Move H, has offered the e-sim for the Apple Watch 3 Cellular. The other two carriers, Advanced Info Services (AIS) and Total Access Communication (DTAC) are committed to later rolling out the e-sim for Apple Watch 3 Cellular.

The additional convenience offered by having the watch means you might have to pay a little bit more. You will be charged for the e-sim service, but how much depends on the provider’s promotion and package.

It is not only the communication feature that I love about this watch. Another key feature of the Apple Watch allows me to actively know about my health and exercise activity. The GymKit lets me pair the watch directly to the treadmills when working out.

To use GymKit, users just tap the Apple Watch function with the near field communication (NFC) reader on the machine to get them connected, then the machine, and the watch communicates via Bluetooth. The machine and the watch will synchronise user’s data immediately. It works for all Apple Watches with Watch OS 4.2. During the exercise, all data shown on machine were the same on the watch, and users can control any data on the machine. I can view metrics during the workout, and the metrics on the machine match what I see on my wrist.

If the user at first forgets to connect the watch to the machine, they can be connected as the user continues to exercise by just tapping the watch with the NFC reader on the machine. Once the devices are connected, data is immediately updated and synced to the watch.

The data exchange is two-way data and in real time, resulting in the most accurate measurements possible with less device management. The work-out machine does not store any personal data, so once the connection is lost the data on the machine will disappear, but all data will be stored on the Apple Watch.

GymKit enables the user, with a simple tap, to pair their Apple Watch directly to their favourite cardio equipment, including treadmills, ellipticals, indoor bikes or stair steppers from global manufacturers such as Matrix, Technogym and Life Fitness. The Smartwatch and fitness machine will sync seamlessly, including calories, distance, speed, floors climbed, incline and pace.

Apple GymKit, was first announced in June 2017 at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple has since launched GymKit in a number of countries including the US, UK, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Thailand.

Currently, 80 per cent of the world’s cardio equipment manufacturers are onboard to enable GymKit to hook up with their equipment. Apple GymKit is included by default for new equipment as it rolls off the line.

Jetts fitness chain offers equipment

that links to Apple Watch

Jetts 24 Hour Fitness, a 24/7 gym chain, is the first facility to introduce Apple GymKit-enabled equipment in Thailand and Southeast Asia.

All seven Jetts clubs in Bangkok have been enabled to pair with the Apple GymKit.

Dane Cantwell, country manager of Jetts 24 Hour Fitness said that the GymKit would provide a great experience for members who wanted to better track their heart rate and fitness level in order to improve their fitness regime.

“We really feel that people are embracing technology and they want to find out more information about themselves, how do they improve their efficiency and everything,” he said. “We implemented around 25 to 80 pieces of cardio equipment in each branch. Feedback is quite good and positive,” said Cantwell.

I also remember looking at what technology did exist – the cars, televisions and phones surrounding us – and thinking, “Why can’t Thailand create these such things for itself?”

Those two questions inspired me to study telecommunications engineering. I completed an undergraduate degree from King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Lad Krabang. Then, I jumped into the AI world by pursuing a masters degree at Germany’s Ulm university followed by a doctorate at Caen University, in France, majoring in computer visions and data mining.

My first job was linked to the future of self-driven cars. Working at Stuttgart-based automotive company, Daimler AG, I researched ways for cars to detect pedestrians. To do that, we used what’s called artificial intelligence (AI).

AIs grant a machine the capacity to think a little bit more like a human – the ability to read complex situations, make a decision by itself, and even learn, all of which are critical skills for technological advances like self-driving cars.

AIs are created with the idea that the best way to learn is from experience. Humans remember from past experience the best and worst ways to accomplish a particular task. Every time we make a mistake, our brains add that feedback to the learning process in order to prevent those mistakes from happening again.

This auto-feedback system has long been studied by researchers. And we are now applying it to machine learning. We turn that feedback process into a piece of software, an algorithm, which imitates human brain functions.

One such piece of code is Google’s AlphaGo, an AI that recently beat the world’s best human go player. Conceptually, the programer lets two robots play each other a million times. Every time they failed, they learned from that, until their tactic becomes increasingly refined. Ultimately, they reached a point where they can beat the very best humans.

Data science is simply that same method of machine learning applied to business. DTAC, for example, analyses its customers’ data with hundred of variables that affect the decision factors behind the services they use, such as Internet speed, number of calls, price plan,

etc.

It allows DTAC to offer more relevant packages that match their customers’ usage, as opposed to letting the customer sift through thousands of offers in search of the one that best fits them.

Currently, I’m working on an AI-based chatbot (a computer program designed to simulate human conversation with human users) to relieve the call centre team of routine queries and allow them to focus on more complex cases.

They’re clearly doing a great job since DTAC just won The Consumer Protection Thailand Call Centre Award. As for the bot, it’s currently available for SMS queries and will be launched on Facebook next month.

During my free time, I also created “Botnoi,” an experiment I coded to allow users to talk with and befriend a robot. Botnoi has chalked up more than a million downloads through Line and Facebook. Botnoi also received the Line Bot Award last year, from Line Corporation.

Its impact is beyond what I could have imagined. It once helped a suicidal person by just being a good friend to them. Botnoi is still a far cry from Doraemon, but I am proud of the contribution it makes to society as a chatbot friend for all.

Winn Voravuthikunchai is group data scientist at the Telenor Group.

Scientists working on the Resource Prospector (RP) mission, a robotic rover that had been in development for about a decade to explore a polar region of the Moon, expressed astonishment at the decision.

“We now understand RP was cancelled on 23 April 2018 and the project has been asked to close down by the end of May,” said the letter dated April 26 by the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group, addressed to NASA chief Jim Bridenstine and posted on the website NASAWatch.com.

“This action is viewed with both incredulity and dismay by our community,” particularly because Trump’s space policy “directs NASA to go to the lunar surface,” the letter said.

The robotic rover was being built as the world’s only vehicle aimed at exploring the polar region of the Moon, and was expected to undergo a design review next year ahead of launching in 2022.

It would have been the first US lunar lander since Apollo 17 in 1972, and the first ever US robotic rover on the surface of the Moon.

RP was intended to be the first mission to mine the surface of the Moon, in search of volatile compounds like hydrogen, oxygen and water.

NASA responded with a statement posted online Friday which said some of the instruments aboard RP would be flown on future missions.

“NASA is developing an exploration strategy to meet the agency’s expanded lunar exploration goals,” said the statement.

“Consistent with this strategy, NASA is planning a series of progressive robotic missions to the lunar surface.”

It did not specifically refer to any plans to cancel RP, but said the space agency is seeking “to evolve progressively larger landers leading to an eventual human lander capability,” as part of a broader strategy to return people to the Moon for long-term exploration.

“As part of this expanded campaign, selected instruments from Resource Prospector will be landed and flown on the Moon,” it said.

Bridenstine, who was confirmed this week as the new head of NASA, insisted on Twitter that the US space agency is “committed to lunar exploration.”

“Resource Prospector instruments will go forward in an expanded lunar surface campaign. More landers. More science. More exploration. More prospectors. More commercial partners,” he wrote.

In December 2017, Trump formally directed NASA to focus its efforts on returning people to the Moon as a foundation for an eventual mission to Mars.

Michy Gustavia, Go-Jek’s vice president for acquisition and development, said the video content segment would be called “Go-Play”, noting that it would implement a subscription-based business model such as those of Netflix, Hulu and Hooq, according to a report by kompas.com.

Go-Play users will be able to subscribe daily, weekly or monthly. No information has yet been revealed on the details of the type of video content Go-Play will provide. However, the company said it would also produce original content through its services called “Go-Studio”, which would be based on data collected from its users’ habits.

“Go-Jek will make content to create a positive social impact,” Michy said. “The content that we produce and help produce will be exclusive for Go-Play. So the content will be 95 percent focused on Indonesia,” she added.

Read also: Google invests in ride-hailing app Go-Jek

Michy said one of the first projects would be made based on the high cancellation rate by Go-Ride users when obtaining a female motorcycle driver. From the data retrieved, Go-Jek worked together with Indonesian filmmakers to create a documentary.

“Users cancel the order because they perceive that women can’t drive motorcycles or are not that good at it. This cancellation directly affects the livelihood of female drivers, where they are the main breadwinners of the family,” Michy said.

“The result is very strong and good, we have submitted it to several international film festivals,” she added.

Michy expressed optimism that Go-Play would provide an original voice from Indonesia.

“We want to nurture and empower domestic talent and filmmakers and promote Indonesian content,” she said.

The ride-hailing app as of December last year had accumulated 9.7 million users through its wide range of services, among which are courier services Go-Send, shopping Go-Mart, house cleaning Go-Clean, as well as pampering services Go-Glam and Go-Massage.

The lamps shine brightly when visitors approach, causing other lamps nearby to illuminate with the same color. Titled “Forest of Resonating Lamps — One Stroke,” the exhibit is the work of teamLab Inc., a Tokyo-based group of about 400 artists and scientists.

Mori Building Co. and teamLab announced Thursday that they will open the museum on June 21 at the Odaiba Palette Town commercial complex in Koto Ward, Tokyo. Parts of its exhibitions were shown to the press on Thursday.

The museum’s roughly 10,000-square-meter floor space will be divided into five areas, with about 40 works on display. The glass lamp exhibit will be featured in the “Forest of Resonating Lamps,” one of the five areas. “We want to create a highly experimental venue in Tokyo, where we’re based, that looks groundbreaking to the rest of the world,” said teamLab head Toshiyuki Inoko.

Admission is ¥3,200 for adults, high school and university students and ¥1,000 for 4-year-olds to junior high school students.

The ministry’s move follows reports of a group of hackers with links to the North Korean government using servers in the Kingdom to carry out large-scale cyber-espionage and malware attacks, according to a news report.

According to McAfee Advanced Threat Research, it was discovered that a global data reconnaissance campaign called “Operation GhostSecret” had affected implants, tools and malware variants which it said are associated with a state-sponsored cyber group called Hidden Cobra.

Researchers say the campaigns were carried out to steal important information from critical infrastructure, telecommunications, finance, healthcare and entertainment organisations from all over the world.

“The campaign is extremely complicated, leveraging a number of implants to steal information from infected systems and is intricately designed to evade detection and deceive forensic investigators,” McAfee wrote in a post on Tuesday.

The cyberattack targeted multiple industries, including critical infrastructure, entertainment, finance, healthcare and telecommunications.

Citing monitoring by the Thailand Computer Emergency Response Team, Somsak Khaosuwan, deputy permanent secretary of the ministry, said the malware was first discovered around February this year.

Some computer servers in Thailand were used by hacker group Hidden Cobra to attack various targets in Thailand and other countries, he said.

According to ThaiCert, administrators are advised to disconnect infected computer systems immediately while updating the operating system and related software to close any loopholes. In addition, system access has to be reviewed regularly to boost internal security and prevent unauthorised access.

Prinya Hom-anek, a cybersecurity expert, said Thailand has long been a “soft target” used by hackers around the world due to the country’s inadequate cybersecurity mechanisms in both the public and private sectors.

As a result, he said, the latest discovery is no surprise, adding that the country needed to invest more in cyber-protection, covering the adoption of more sophisticated software and the hiring of more cybersecurity professionals, especially in the public sector whose systems are even more vulnerable than those in the private sector.

According to Prinya, state-sponsored hackers have the advantage of access to an “unlimited” budget.

He said it was unclear if the country’s new cybersecurity legislation, which will be shortly considered by the National Legislative Assembly, would be effective in helping to safeguard the country from cyberattackers.

At the regional level, Asean leaders during their summit today in Singapore would adopt a statement on cybersecurity cooperation.

In the statement, they agreed to reaffirm the need to build closer cooperation and coordination among members on cybersecurity development and capacity building initiatives.

The group previously had many programs such as the Asean Cyber Capacity Programme to promote cooperation and develop capacity.

Asean also needs to implement practical confidence-building measures and adopt a set of common, voluntary and non-binding norms of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace so as to enhance trust and confidence in the use of cyberspace to its full potential, the statement said.

It is the first time that a data center in Thailand won an award from the international premier conference for data centres and cloud technology in the region, the company announced in a press statement.

The awards recognize SUPERNAP Thailand as the leading Southeast Asia data center provider for its most efficient, high density and ultrascale capacity. Chonburi Province, where SUPERNAP Thailand is located, is recognized as the most attractive location for attracting operators and cloud services providers. Chonburi province is part of the EEC (Eastern Economic Corridor) zone and is strategicly positioned for the submarine cables and “one belt one road” project.  It is Thailand’s new flagship investment zone designed to accommodate next-generation industries and meet the Thailand 4.0 policy, according to the press statement.

The Datacloud Asia award recognizes genuine innovation and the continuing evolution in the flourishing Asia digital infrastructure market.

“Datacloud Asia goes from strength to strength and the award winners mirror the optimism, dynamism and entrepreneurism that is permeating throughout the region,” said Philip Low, Host of Datacloud Asia and President of BroadGroup. “The rapid development of the Asian data economy can lead global innovation and break down old mindsets from many aspects.”

“We are extremely honored to accept the awards, that are a testimonial to our efforts in providing the excellent and the most trusted data center service to our customers in Thailand and across the region, said Sunita Bottse, Managing Director of SUPERNAP Thailand. “Moving towards the transformation of the economy, we foresee that the demand for innovative, scalability, security, redundancy, and availability will tremendously increase.

We will remain steadfast in our commitment to continue to deliver excellent customer service, thus powering their ability to the greater success.”

SUPERNAP Thailand was one of five nominees for the Excellence in Data Center Service Award. The company won over its counterparts from South Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Singapore. Revolutionary innovations such as tri-redundant power systems, modular building design and 100% heat containment technologies allow SUPERNAP Thailand to efficiently facilitate client growth without current or future concerns over reliability of power supply, cooling, connectivity or space. The award reiterates SUPERNAP Thailand’s positioning as the most trusted world-class purpose-built data center for customers with a long-term vision to develop Thailand’s presence as a serious data center hub for Asia Pacific.

While the award for best “Data Center Location” recognizes Chonburi Province as a prime location for data centers in Asia,  it succeeded over three other locations nominated from China, India, and Malaysia. This strongly confirms that SUPERNAP Thailand has been cited as the best strategic location to provide support for growth for all investors in Asia. In addition, SUPERNAP Thailand is located outside Bangkok’s flood zone and 110 metres above sea level and able to access numerous national and international telecommunications carriers with proximity 27km to the international cable landing station.

Established in 2017, SUPERNAP Thailand targets customers from government bodies, the banking and finance sectors, insurance and healthcare providers, cloud solution providers, and e-commerce companies both in-country and across ASEAN countries.