December 2016 Summaries

The article introduces the Falkonry AI block, a new addition to the PubNub BLOCKS Catalog designed for time series AI, which enables users to analyze large-scale real-time data streams and build predictive models using machine learning. It provides a practical example of integrating real-time IoT data, simulated through an AngularJS web application, into a Falkonry IoT AI pipeline using a concise 27-line PubNub JavaScript block and 77 lines of HTML and JavaScript. Falkonry offers a platform that provides advanced analytics for time series applications, enabling automated condition detection in various sectors like industrial and transportation operations, reducing the need for extensive human intervention. The article also explains the setup process for the Falkonry API and the integration of PubNub BLOCKS, as well as the development of a user interface using AngularJS, providing a direct channel for data ingestion from a web UI into the Falkonry Event Buffer.

Librato is a cloud monitoring platform designed for developers and operations professionals to monitor and analyze metrics across various levels of the technology stack, providing tools for real-time data stream analysis and visualization on dynamic dashboards. The platform's new feature, the Librato block, enables users to gather, process, and visualize metrics, such as tracking user activity in large-scale applications, which can alert relevant teams when certain error thresholds are met. The article explains how to implement custom metrics tracking in a real-time AngularJS web application using Librato's API and PubNub's JavaScript SDK, highlighting the importance of technical and business metrics for maintaining service continuity and rapid issue resolution. The article also provides a step-by-step guide on setting up a serverless code block using PubNub and integrating it with Librato for efficient metrics collection and visualization, emphasizing the ease of use and minimal code requirements for building a real-time monitoring UI.

Matthew Young, a Boston-based freelance writer, explores the growing concern of hacking in the connected car industry, highlighting the vulnerabilities of these vehicles due to their integration with high-speed mobile data and the presence of numerous miniature computers. The text outlines three types of potential hacks: indirect physical attacks through ports like the OBD-II, short-range wireless hacks via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and long-range wireless signal breaches using satellite or GPS data. Despite the risk, actual instances of hacking remain rare, thanks to preventative measures by automakers, such as encryption, system separation, stringent app controls, and data verification. Such measures are crucial to safeguarding against potential threats, ensuring the safety and security of connected cars, which, while potentially vulnerable, have yet to face widespread hacking incidents in real-world scenarios.

Transactional email, a vital component in business communication, is sent based on user actions and is essential in various contexts like customer service and e-commerce. The article discusses implementing transactional emails in a real-time AngularJS web application using the SendGrid Web API and PubNub, with a focus on enabling seamless email integration through a 30-line PubNub block and 80 lines of HTML and JavaScript. SendGrid provides robust services for sending, tracking, and managing emails, ensuring high deliverability and performance, while PubNub facilitates real-time data streaming, making it suitable for applications like ride-hailing and IoT. The article guides setting up a SendGrid account, configuring PubNub blocks, and coding the application interface and logic using AngularJS, demonstrating how to send individual emails via the SendGrid REST API while considering factors like content encoding and deliverability.

Salvatore Cordiano, a full stack web developer with over six years of experience, recently gave an innovative presentation at the Chatbots Milano Conference using reveal.js and PubNub to create an interactive experience. By developing a plugin for the popular HTML presentation framework reveal.js, he enabled audience interaction through a Telegram bot, allowing control of the slides in real time. His approach leverages the PubNub publish-subscribe API to remotely control presentations, which can be initiated from a webpage, Telegram bot, or mobile app. Salvatore shared insights into setting up reveal.js with Node.js and Grunt, installing the plugin, and configuring it with PubNub keys to enhance presentations with dynamic and engaging features.

Voice technology is becoming increasingly integrated into a wide range of devices, from smart TVs to smartphones and even headphones, as both local and cloud-based functionalities expand in capability and adoption. A blog series delves into the voice technology ecosystem and provides hands-on examples with emerging browser-based web speech, voice activation, and speech recognition APIs. The series covers prominent voice platforms such as Amazon Echo, Apple Siri, Microsoft Cortana, and Google Now, as well as the Web Speech API, which includes tools for speech synthesis and recognition. It guides readers through building practical applications using Angular JS, such as a speech interface for speaking text aloud, a real-time dictation app converting speech-to-text, and a voice command system using the Ohm JS parsing library, demonstrating the potential of these technologies for creating adaptable and interactive user experiences.