We start the show off today, with Brad explaining his new fascination with new mobile game, Pokemon Go. While many of us have not actually played Pokemon before, he makes a good case for downloading the new game.
Tesla has been in the news a lot in the last couple of months, regarding the Autopilot feature on their vehicles. With accidents involving both their Model S and the Model X, there have been questions regarding the safety of the feature. An update is on the way for Model S. The bigger questions surrounding Autopilot, are how it is going to effect our driving habits and all around lifestyles as it becomes more ingrained in vehicles. Statistically it's safer, but do you trust it enough to use regularly? Also, how will it effect our economy? There is a great article on Digital Trends about just this and we dig into some of these questions.
Researchers at BAE Systems and the University of Glasgow are currently at work on a novel way to create and manipulate drones. While it sounds like something out of a Sci-Fi movie, they believe they'll some day be able to "grow" drones using digitally controlled chemistry and 3D printing. It sounds a little ridiculous, but the implications are pretty incredible. We highly suggest you check out their video here.
In what had to be inevitable, a VR porn festival popped up in Japan recently. The festival was shut down pretty quickly by authorities, for exceeding capacity! Obviously the porn industry will have a big presence in Virtual Reality going forward. However, would you want to stand in a sweaty, crowded room, bumping into other people waiting for their turn to "try" it out?
VR is also going to be used in the upcoming Olympics in Brazil. While the country itself is appearing to be woefully unprepared for the start, the idea of VR in sports is rapidly advancing. NBC has announced it will have up to 85 hours of VR content available for the Samsung Gear VR. What kind of events would you be interested in watching, in VR?
Security Guards may soon be joined by robot assistants, if the company Knightscope has it's way. Their K5 security robot comes in at 300 pounds and they are currently patrolling the Stanford Shopping Center. It's equipped with thermal imaging; two way audio; license plate recognition and even people detection. Clearly, this is the start of the robot revolution. Don't trust Brad, when it happens.
DoublePulsar, one of the hacking tools the Shadow Brokers supposedly stole from the National Security Agency (NSA)-linked Equation Group, can now run on Windows Embedded devices.
The backdoor was released publicly in April last year along with a variety of Windows exploits that Microsoft had patched the month before. It is a sophisticated, multi-architecture SMB (Server Message Block) backdoor that can stay well hidden on infected machines.
In addition to SMB, it is also used as the primary payload in RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) exploits in the NSA’s FuzzBunch software (an exploitation framework that resembles Rapid7’s Metasploit).
As it turns out, although it would work on a wide range of Windows releases, DoublePulsar wouldn’t work on devices running a Windows Embedded operating system, even if the platform itself is vulnerable to the NSA-linked exploits, a security researcher who uses the online handler of Capt. Meelo says.
Fresh mixed greens tossed with roasted garlic ranch and topped with in house roasted turkey breast, egg, bacon, avocado, cherry tomato, cucumber and blue cheese crumble…11.9
½ pound patty of fresh ground chuck, melted sharp cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, mustard, mayo, leaf lettuce, tomato and pickles on toasted brioche bun…10.9
Thick hand cut Applewood smoked bacon, arugula, heirloom tomato and bacon aioli on toasted house made brioche…10.9
Thinly shaved slow roasted beef with caramelized onions, melted provolone and mayo on toasted hoagie roll…11.9
Cuban marinated and roasted pork porchetta, grilled ham, pickled veggies, Swiss cheese and whole grain Dijon aioli on toasted ciabatta roll…12.5
***All Sandwiches served with choice of hand cut house fries, quinoa salad or fresh vegetables - ADD A SOUP, HOUSE OR CAESAR SALAD
Crispy breaded chicken with house made marinara, melted mozzarella cheese and fettuccine in a tomato ragu pan sauce…16.5
Seasoned and seared Atlantic salmon with farro, wilted kale, dried cherries, almonds, grilled asparagus and lemon aioli…21.9
Cajun seasoned shrimp with roasted red peppers, roasted mixed mushrooms, red onions and andouille sausage with penne pasta in a spicy Cajun cream sauce…16.5
Grilled vegetable kabob with mushrooms, red onion, red peppers and tomatoes served with farro risotto, grilled asparagus, haricot verts, roasted zucchini & yellow squash, and drizzled with house recipe hummus…14.5
Two petite beef filet medallions seared and served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus and a rich roasted mushroom and brandy cream sauce…18.5
Our fall off the bone recipe, grilled and basted with house recipe barbecue sauce. Served with hand cut house fries…16.5
House brined and thick cut. Grilled and served with roasted corn & potato hash, roasted zucchini & yellow squash and an apricot bourbon barbecue sauce…17.5
June 4, 2016 COMMENTARYalix schoelcher idrache, americana, blogs by college of dupage alumni, blogs by naperville north alumni, blogs by northern illinois university alumni, commentary, haiti, inspiration, op-ed, opinion, personal strength, us military academy, west pointChris Warren	
The American military is full of incredible people. There are so many real life heroes, so many success stories, so many tales of selfless bravery, that what is superlative to us civilians is actually kind of baseline average to those in uniform. When there are so many outstanding people collected together, it’s hard to find that one who rises even higher than what they consider ordinary. Lieutenant Alix Schoelcher Idrache has achieved the envious goal of distinguishing himself among those who already meet an impressive standard, and his military career has barely even begun. His story is almost too amazing to believe, but it’s all true and it’s something that every American needs to hear.
Lt. Idrache is an immigrant from Haiti who started off life with very little going for him. Haiti is not the kind of place where kids realistically think they might someday be in command of a multi-million dollar, high tech helicopter like the ones Alix saw the US Army flying during humanitarian missions around Port-Au-Prince. Most Haitian kids live a day by day existence and feel lucky to have a safe place to sleep at night.
The Idrach family came to the United States, legally, for the same reason millions of immigrants before him did: To build a better life in a land where the opportunities are infinite and anyone can become a huge success if they only have grit and work ethic.
Almost immediately upon arrival, Alix enlisted in the Maryland National Guard in part because it would fast-track him for US citizenship. His path fortunately crossed with a Lieutenant and a Sergeant who saw his potential and shepherded him through the complex process of applying to the US Military Academy at West Point.
Their mentoring paid off in a very large way. Idrache met every challenge, passed every test, and made it all the way through to become a West Point graduate, class of 2016, with a degree in physics. He was awarded the Brigadier General Gerald Counts award for the top physics student and was also named regimental commander of 950 cadets.
“I am humbled and shocked at the same time. Thank you for giving me a shot at the American Dream, and may God bless America, the greatest nation on earth.”
A moving graduation day photo of Lt. Idrache standing at attention with tears of pride running down his face raced around the internet. More meaningful is the hard work, studying, dedication, patriotism, and faith that drove those tears. A few years ago he was a poor kid in Haiti who could barely speak English. Now he’s an officer in the United States Army and a top graduate of one of the most respected military institutions in the world.
Lt. Alix Schoelcher Idrache speaks in humble words about his thanks to God and the United States for the opportunities he’s been offered. It is We The People who should be thanking him. Besides having a brilliant mind and a pure heart, Idrache’s story is a reminder how blessed the rest of us are to be citizens of this great nation.
Idrache did not have the benefit of being lucky enough to be born in the right place. He had to sweat and work very hard for what most of us were given by birthright. How many of us would rise up to the challenge the way Idrache did? By living his life the way he does, he’s almost daring the rest of us to keep up with him.
That kind of challenging leadership is what America needs. The next stop for Lt. Alix Schoelcher Idrache is helicopter flight training school in Fort Rucker, Alabama. It’s very symbolic, being that he has already lifted himself –and the United States– to a place of honor. We should all be grateful and proud that he chose to come here and dedicate his life to defending our freedom.
Lt. Idrache, the scrappy poor kid who once thought he had no future beyond the dirty streets of a third world country, is living a reality unimaginably above that far-fetched Haitian childhood yearning. I am certain his life and career will go a lot higher than what any helicopter can do.