Monday, 28 November 2016

Tech News Flash

Tech News Flash: Monday -- November 28, 2016

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Headline Scan
How AI Could End Stupid Thanksgiving Arguments
Five Dollar PoisonTap Tool Easily Breaks Into Locked PCs
Cyber Grinches Could Disrupt Holidays' Biggest Shopping Weekend
Gadgets: Big Bendy Screens, Chatterbox Robots, and TV in the Cloud
One of the Best New VR Things: Buying a Car
Friend Finder Data Breach Exposes 400M Swingers

Today's Story Highlights

How AI Could End Stupid Thanksgiving Arguments

I'm writing this before Thanksgiving, which I used to hate and now don't
-- largely because I no longer spend the day arguing with family. I've
been listening to a lot of friends and relatives dread this year's event
because of political discussions that are likely to occur, and the
equally annoying comments and critiques from those who supported both
candidates.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84105.html

Five Dollar PoisonTap Tool Easily Breaks Into Locked PCs

Proving once again that you can do a lot of damage with a little
investment and a lot of ingenuity, security researcher Samy Kamkar
recently managed to take down a locked, password-protected computer
using a $5 Raspberry Pi. The low-tech cookie-siphoning intrusion is one
of Kamkar's simplest hacks ever. He previously has unlocked car doors,
garages, wireless remote cameras and other devices.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84108.html

Cyber Grinches Could Disrupt Holidays' Biggest Shopping Weekend

Recent high-profile distributed denial of service attacks on the
Internet's infrastructure and an investigative journalist's website have
spiked concerns over possible disruptions of traffic during the biggest
online shopping weekend of the year. Online spending last year exceeded
$5.8 billion on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, according to Adobe, and
that figure is expected to go up this year.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84109.html

Gadgets: Big Bendy Screens, Chatterbox Robots, and TV in the Cloud

I'm at long last about to start setting up my new home office. Goodbye,
Ikea dining table. Hello, fancy new desk. When I actually have my new
setup, I'd like to have a monitor at long last to complement my laptop.
AOC's latest is under serious consideration. The AG352QCX is a 35-inch,
curved behemoth with two USB 3.0 ports, one HDMI 2.0 input, VGA, DVI,
audio in and out ports, and DisplayPort 1.2.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84094.html

One of the Best New VR Things: Buying a Car

I had a fascinating experience last week. I got to see and experience
the new Jaguar I-Pace, the company's electric answer to the as-yet-
unannounced Tesla Y SUV. I didn't just get to see the car -- I got to
understand intimately why the car was created and what went into its
design. I got to experience aspects of the vehicle viscerally, without
actually getting into it.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84095.html

Friend Finder Data Breach Exposes 400M Swingers

Hackers have stolen information of more than 400 million users of Friend
Finder Networks, which runs several adult dating and pornography
websites, LeakedSource reported. This is Friend Finders' second breach
in two years. Last year, hackers accessed 4 million accounts, exposing
information on users' sexual preferences and extramarital affairs. More
than 412 million users were compromised.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84103.html

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The Morning After: Tesla's solar-powered island and VR drunk driving

It's Monday, November 28, 2016.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

The short holiday week is almost over, but first let’s take a look at a Tesla-powered island, Xbox One’s VR ambitions and the roundest star we’ve ever seen.

SolarIsland

Tesla’s solar cells and batteries are powering an entire island

Now that Tesla’s acquisition of SolarCity is complete, the two are showing off what they can achieve together. Enter the island of Ta’u in American Samoa, which is home to a microgrid of cells and battery packs that can supply “nearly 100%” of the island’s power needs. Looks like it’s time for a ~~vacation~~ research trip.

Cord cutting and cord keeping all at the same time

Sling TV is coming to Comcast

Yeah, you read that correctly. After Comcast opened up its X1 set-top boxes to Netflix, the next streaming service to join up is Dish Networks’ Sling TV. Sure, it’s usually pitched as a reason to ditch cable entirely, but the two are pitching it as a way for Comcast customers to access Sling TV’s hundreds of multicultural channels. There’s no word yet on when the service will be available on cable boxes.

Xbox One VR is almost here

Xbox One game streaming comes to Oculus December 12th

It’s not going to compete with PlayStation’s VR experiences, but we’re just a couple of weeks away from playing Xbox One in a headset. On December 12th, an Oculus Rift app will enable game streaming to your choice of three virtual environments: Citadel, Retreat or Dome.

Withings is offering up to 70% off their range of connected devices. Score Black Friday & Cyber Monday deals that are good for your wallet and good for your health.

It’s almost perfect

Kepler 11145123 is the “most spherical natural object ever measured”

As you probably already knew, our sun, and most stars, aren’t quite round. Now, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research and the University of Göttingen found this one that’s just 3 kilometers wider at its equator than its poles. You can check out (near) perfection for yourself, if you can just figure out how to make the 5,000 light-year trip.

Decisions, decisions

Using VR to simulate dangerous driving

Now that VR is a thing, everyone is trying to create an experience for it. Unfortunately, we found the drunk driving simulator produced by Johnny Walker wasn’t immersive enough to have much impact. That’s mostly because instead of putting us in the driver’s seat, you’re relegated to the position of observer, watching someone else’s bad decisions. Meanwhile AT&T’s “It Can Wait” experience is more interactive and more subtle, reminding us to keep our eyes on the road at all times.

How do you think we write this newsletter?

“Mechanical Turk” workers are churning out fake news articles

“Fake news” is the hot topic of the day, and if you were wondering where it comes from, one explanation is Amazon’s Mechanical Turk program. There, internet surfers pick up online odd jobs for a few cents or a few bucks at a time. Unfortunately, those odd jobs can include cranking out racist propaganda, and it’s hard to tell if Amazon is interested in doing anything to clean it up.

At least you don’t need NFC for this one?

Chase Pay launches with some major limitations

A year after it was originally announced, Chase has launched a mobile payments-focused app. Chase Pay eschews the NFC technology of Android Pay and Apple Pay, using QR codes to play the credit card middleman on your phone. That means it works on more phones and keeps retailers happy, but so far, only Best Buy and Starbucks are ready for it.

But wait, there's more...

1. This "proof of concept" graphene battery tech could charge in seconds and last in your phone for a week

2. Scientists' realistic lab-grown gut tissue thrives in mice

3. Steam Workshop support should bring crazy custom levels to "Rocket League"

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Wednesday, 23 November 2016

Editor's Pick: Cyber Grinches Could Disrupt Holidays' Biggest Shopping Weekend

Cyber Grinches Could Disrupt Holidays' Biggest Shopping Weekend

John P. Mello Jr.
Nov 23, 2016 10:08 AM PT

Recent high-profile distributed denial of service attacks on the Internet's infrastructure and an investigative journalist's website have spiked concerns over possible disruptions of traffic during the biggest online shopping weekend of the year. Online spending last year exceeded $5.8 billion on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, according to Adobe, and that figure is expected to go up this year. [More...]

More Picks:

Gadget Ogling: Big Bendy Screens, Chatterbox Robots, and TV in the Cloud
I'm at long last about to start setting up my new home office. Goodbye, Ikea dining table. Hello, fancy new desk. When I actually have my new setup, I'd like to have a monitor at long last to complement my laptop. AOC's latest is under serious consideration. The AG352QCX is a 35-inch, curved behemoth with two USB 3.0 ports, one HDMI 2.0 input, VGA, DVI, audio in and out ports, and DisplayPort 1.2. [More...]

Black Friday Shoppers Hungry for New Experiences, New Tech
Many consumers will rush to shopping malls and give their mobile devices a workout later this week. Fifty-nine percent of the U.S. population, or 137.4 million shoppers, is expected to hunt for bargains over Black Friday weekend, according to new survey from the National Retail Federation. The figures are up slightly from 58.7 percent, or 135.8 million shoppers, a year ago. [More...]

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