Govt Unveils The First Set of High-Risk Locations Detected By HIDE COVID-19 Early Warning System

(UPDATE – 10:46 PM): The government has since directed HIDE locations to be shut down for three days immediately. More details here.

ORIGINAL STORY (12:30 PM):

The government has released the first list of high-risk locations that could potentially turn into COVID-19 hotspots. Originally scheduled for release yesterday, these locations were determined using the newly introduced Hotspot Identification for Dynamic Engagement (HIDE) system which is developed and managed by a unit under the Ministry of Health called CPRC Analytics.

Here is the list in full as provided by the National Security Council (MKN) Telegram channel this morning:

According to the general FAQ that was also listed in the channel, HIDE is an early warning system that utilises big data analytics and artificial intelligence to perform predictions on locations that have the potential to become COVID-19 hotspots within seven days.

The FAQ further pointed out that these predictions are done using the check-in data from MySejahtera and the existing medical database. However, locations that are listed by the HIDE system are not yet deemed as COVID-19 clusters and they will not be asked to temporarily shut down their operations.

That being said, authorities do recommend the owners under the locations listed by HIDE to increase their awareness, perform COVID-19 tests on their staff, and impose a more stringent crowd control method at their premises. Premises will be taken off from the HIDE  list once the system deemed them as safe enough after seven days.

If you have visited any of the locations listed by HIDE, you are advised by the authorities to minimise your contact with other people in the next seven days. Additionally, you also should perform a COVID-19 test if you develop any related symptoms within 14 days of your visit to the locations.

The authorities have also advised the general public to avoid visiting the locations listed by HIDE for the time being. If you still have to go there, do follow the guidelines provided by the premise owners and continue to perform social distancing as well as wear your face mask properly, and wash your hands often.

Facebook Announces Clubhouse Clone Live Audio Rooms, Set To Launch Mid-Year

Facebook announced a new feature called Live Audio Rooms that mimics much of what popular audio-based app Clubhouse does. It is expected to launch by summer – that’s mid-2021 for the rest of us who don’t live in the Northern Hemisphere.

Rumours have swirled around the development of Facebook’s Clubhouse clone. Facebook has already been beta testing Hotline, a Q&A-based app that’s quite similar to Clubhouse, but Live Audio Rooms seems to be a separate feature that’s fully integrated within the existing Facebook ecosystem.

Before launch, Facebook said it intends to test Live Audio Rooms in Groups, making it available globally for Group users and their communities. Public figures will also have access to the feature, allowing them to host conversations with other public figures, experts, and fans.

Live Audio Rooms will also be available on Messenger at launch – which comports with rumours last month that the social media giant was working to build a broadcasting feature into Messenger. Unlike Clubhouse though, content creators have the options of turning a live conversation into a podcast for later listening, and sharing audio excerpts from a session in the form of Soundbites (also a new feature). In contrast, Clubhouse’s philosophy emphasises privacy and the app generally doesn’t allow recordings – an attribute that made it initially popular in China before it was banned there.

Facebook is taking a different route probably based on commercial considerations – it wants to make things easier for creators, attracting a large pool of them. While unveiling Live Audio Rooms, the social media giant also pointed to creator monetisation opportunities through its Star feature, and announced an upcoming ability to charge access to a Live Audio Room through a single purchase or a subscription.

Earlier this month, Clubhouse itself announced its first monetisation feature called “Payments”, which enables direct payments to creators.

Facebook Announces Clubhouse Clone Live Audio Rooms, Set To Launch Mid-Year

Facebook announced a new feature called Live Audio Rooms that mimics much of what popular audio-based app Clubhouse does. It is expected to launch by summer – that’s mid-2021 for the rest of us who don’t live in the Northern Hemisphere.

Rumours have swirled around the development of Facebook’s Clubhouse clone. Facebook has already been beta testing Hotline, a Q&A-based app that’s quite similar to Clubhouse, but Live Audio Rooms seems to be a separate feature that’s fully integrated within the existing Facebook ecosystem.

Before launch, Facebook said it intends to test Live Audio Rooms in Groups, making it available globally for Group users and their communities. Public figures will also have access to the feature, allowing them to host conversations with other public figures, experts, and fans.

Live Audio Rooms will also be available on Messenger at launch – which comports with rumours last month that the social media giant was working to build a broadcasting feature into Messenger. Unlike Clubhouse though, content creators have the options of turning a live conversation into a podcast for later listening, and sharing audio excerpts from a session in the form of Soundbites (also a new feature). In contrast, Clubhouse’s philosophy emphasises privacy and the app generally doesn’t allow recordings – an attribute that made it initially popular in China before it was banned there.

Facebook is taking a different route probably based on commercial considerations – it wants to make things easier for creators, attracting a large pool of them. While unveiling Live Audio Rooms, the social media giant also pointed to creator monetisation opportunities through its Star feature, and announced an upcoming ability to charge access to a Live Audio Room through a single purchase or a subscription.

Earlier this month, Clubhouse itself announced its first monetisation feature called “Payments”, which enables direct payments to creators.

Huawei Is Set To Launch Five New MateBook Models In Malaysia

It was only back in February that Huawei had released a new MateBook model into our market. As it turns out, more are on their way to Malaysia real soon as the company has recently revealed the list of 2021 MateBook laptops that it will launch next week.

One of them is the 2021 MateBook D 14 which looked exactly like the MateBook D 14 Intel Edition that Huawei has just launched in Malaysia less than two months ago. In fact, the 2021 variant is still powered by the same Intel Core i5-10210U processor.

However, the variant that is coming to Malaysia will no longer carry the NVIDIA MX250 GPU though. Instead, it will rely on the integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 GPU.

The 2021 MateBook D 14 continues to feature a 14-inch Full HD IPS display, and 512GB solid state drive but the laptop does have more RAM than its 2020’s counterpart at 16GB and it also supports Wi-Fi 6 too. Additionally, the 2021 model also features a dual thermal heatsink if the picture on Huawei’s site is to be believed.

In a rather curious decision, Huawei has also decided to bring two versions of the 2021 MateBook D 15 into Malaysia. One is being powered by an Intel Core i5-10210U processor while another is equipped with an Intel Core i5-1135G7 although both laptops still feature 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD.

On paper, the 11th Gen version of the laptop has a slight advantage in terms of having newer hardware and the support for Wi-Fi 6. Other than that, another major difference is likely their respective price tags although this will only be known next week.

Moving on, another new model on the list is the 2021 MateBook 14 which also carries the Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor. Equipped with a QHD touch display, Wi-Fi 6 support alongside 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD are once again standards on this 1.5kg laptop.

The fifth new 2021 MateBook model that Huawei will launch in Malaysia next week is its flagship MateBook X Pro. Launched in China earlier this year, Huawei has decided to let go of NVIDIA GeForce MX graphics from this year’s model and has opted to use the integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics within the Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor in the laptop.

Aside from the new 11th Gen Intel Core processor and Wi-Fi 6 support, the 2021 model is generally identical to its 2020’s predecessor. This includes the 13.9-inch 3:2 aspect ratio touch display with 3000 x 2000 resolution together with its sleek metal chassis.

As stated earlier, Huawei has promised to unveil more information regarding these new 2021 MateBook laptops next week. If you are interested, do stay tuned for their launch day on 19 April for further details.

MCMC and PDRM Set Their Sights On The Viral Online Casino Raya Advert

Even though we have just entered the fourth day of Ramadan today, you may have begun to hear or see Hari Raya Aidilfitri promotions and advertisement on various platforms. Somehow, an online casino company decided to join in as well by coming out with a full-blown video advert for Hari Raya.

Produced by GDBet333 which primarily targets users from Malaysia and Singapore, the 2-minutes advert not only featured local actors and actresses but also has its own Raya song in Bahasa Malaysia. Apart from disregarding the fact that online gambling is technically illegal in Malaysia, the advert is also rather insensitive in nature.

This is because it positions gambling as a method to gain extra money for Hari Raya. As gambling is prohibited in Islam and Aidilfitri is a religious holiday celebrated by Muslims, the advert has certainly gone out of the line.

Not long after the advert made its way online earlier this week,  hundreds of netizens have since expressed their dissatisfaction with it. This eventually caught the attention of Malaysian authorities who have now sprung into action.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) today stated that it has requested Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to take down the advert. The request is being done on the basis that the video does not meet the terms and conditions as well as the community standards of respective platforms.

It is not known whether any of the three platforms have responded to MCMC’s request, the original video that was posted on YouTube has since been set to private although it has been re-uploaded and shared by netizens. On a related note, Gbet333’s website can still be accessed from Malaysia for the time being despite the actions by MCMC.

Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector General of Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani has also revealed that a police report has been made in regards to the advert. He further stated that PDRM will be taking statements from the producers, actors, and actresses that were involved in the production of the advert.

With the assistance of MCMC, the case will be investigated under Section 504 of the Penal Code which covers intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace. Additionally, the investigation will also include Section 4(1)(g) Common Gaming Houses Act that revolves around promoting a gambling venue.

It is going to be interesting to see how Malaysian authorities will be addressing this matter. Despite being illegal, the current provision in our laws have been seen as outdated and unable to handle online gambling. The insensitive nature of the advert may also lead to even bigger consequences to the people behind it.

AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution Reportedly Set To Debut Later This Year

AMD’s RDNA2 GPU architecture has been around for exactly half a year now, with its Radeon RX 6000 series lineup very recently welcoming the RX 6700XT to the fold. But for all its real-tracing capabilities, its FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) supersampling technology – basically, AMD’s answer to NVIDIA’s DLSS – is still nowhere to be seen.

Well, it seems that we not have to wait much longer, if the words of Scott Herkelman, vice president of AMD’s Graphics Business Unit, are to be believed. During an interview with PC World, Herkelman said that internal development of FSR is progressing very well and that he and his team were currently evaluating its upscaling algorithm. More to the point, Herkelman also hints at the possibility that FSR should be out and about for Radeon enthusiasts by this year. Although, when exactly was left ambiguous.

Real-time ray-tracing first came on to the scene when NVIDIA introduced RTX with its Turing GPU architecture back in 2018. While it makes games that support the feature look far prettier visually, it still puts a considerable amount of strain on the graphics card. In order to alleviate this, the GPU maker launched its Deep Learning Super Sampling, or DLSS, along with RTX. For the uninitiated, DLSS is an anti-aliasing technology that utilises NVIDIA’s Deep Neural Network (DNN), which upscales games from lower to higher resolutions. All while preserving details that would normally appear in the latter with the help of AI.

As we said at the start of this article, AMD finally jumped on to the ray-tracing bandwagon with its Radeon RX 6000 series, but unlike NVIDIA, the feature was not escorted with its own upscaling technology at the time.

One other interesting point Herkelman made during the virtual meeting was that, unlike NVIDIA’s Turing and Ampere cards, AMD’s FSR would necessarily be based on machine learning. In other words, FSR has the potential of working with 1st generation RDNA cards, as well as RDNA2 cards. To that end, we’ll just have to wait until we get to test out the feature.