Friday, 27 January 2017

The Morning After: Pokémon cheaters get punished

It's Friday, January 27, 2017.

Hey, good morning!

Welcome to Friday! In the last 24 hours you might have missed even more Facebook security if you need it, Pokémon cheaters getting caught, and for some reason, the first ever viable human-pig embryo.

Why do I have to put in $5 to spend $1?

PlayStation is still getting away with 'minimum funding' charges

After Microsoft and even Nintendo have done away with consumer-hostile payment strategies, PlayStation Network is clinging to its wallet. To buy even a relatively cheap piece of DLC or a discounted game, there’s still a minimum $5 charge to face, which grinds Sean Buckley’s gears.

That’s awkward.

Trump signs executive order stripping non-citizens of privacy rights

Since taking office, Donald Trump has kept the executive orders flowing, but at least one of them has a teeny-tiny issue. Titled “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States,” it excludes non-US citizens from the protections of the Privacy Act. That’s in opposition to a recently implemented US-EU Data Shield agreement that means European customer data remains under EU rules, even if it’s on a server in the US. Invalidating that with the Executive Order could open the US up to sanctions, or cause the Europeans to suspend the agreement entirely, placing US companies that serve foreign customers in a tricky position.

Developers, assemble!

Square Enix is making an 'Avengers' game for Marvel

The two companies have revealed a multi-game partnership that will kick off with The Avengers Project. A teaser trailer shows a pair of cracked glasses, Thor's hammer and an Iron Man gauntlet lying in the dirt, discarded. A somber voiceover explains that "the world will always need heroes." The gaming company’s western studios, Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal, will work on the title, but no word yet on when we’ll eventually see it.

You can save $150 on a lifetime of Brain.fm's mind-enhancing audio.

You'll have to wait a bit.

Samsung's Galaxy S8 will likely appear on March 29th

Samsung won’t be attending the world’s biggest smartphone show with its Galaxy S8, but it’ll apparently have it ready for the following month. Reports suggest the big reveal will be on March 29. You can wait, right?

No more security codes

Now Facebook lets you use a physical key to log in

Setting up unique passwords for each account you have and using two-factor authentication is good, but managing the codes can be a pain. One way around that is by using a U2F (Universal 2nd Factor) compatible key that plugs into your USB port and logs into accounts with the press of a button. Google, Dropbox and others already support the encrypted keys, and now Facebook does too.

Cheaters never prosper

The Pokémon Company caught almost 6,000 'Sun' and 'Moon' cheaters

Cheating in online games is pretty shitty, creating an uneven playing field against those who do play by the rules and those who do not. The Pokémon Company is putting its foot down, pointing out 5,954 folks that are using modified save files, according to a translated post from the Company. As a result, their entries into online tournaments, rating battles and game sync in the Global Link multiplayer portion have been "limited."

Charter just acquired Time Warner Cable

Is Verizon going to try to buy a cable company?

A couple of weeks ago, the NY Post reported Verizon is eyeing an acquisition of Charter or Comcast, and now the Wall Street Journal reports Charter is the potential target. CNBC threw some water on the rumor by saying there are “no significant talks” under way, but the possibility of a megadeal combining all those wireless and cable customers is too big to ignore.

But wait, there's more...

1. D-Wave has its first customer for a $15 million quantum computer

2. MIT finds actual wisdom in the wisdom of crowds

3. Gmail will start blocking JavaScript attachments

4. The cloud and Office keep Microsoft afloat during PC slump

5. Genetically. Modified. Cyborg. Dragonflies.

6. Researchers create first viable hybrid human-pig embryo

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Thursday, 26 January 2017

E-Commerce Minute

E-Commerce Minute: Thursday -- January 26, 2017

The E-Commerce Times -- E-Business Means Business
http://www.ecommercetimes.com
Part of the ECT News Network

Headline Scan
Google Gets Rid of 1.7 Billion Bad Ads
New FCC Chair Ajit Pai Vows to Kill Net Neutrality Rules
Top CRM Blogs of 2016: Countdown, Part 2
Barra Leaves Post as Xiaomi's International Point Man
The Old Man and the Tsunami: A Security Story
Oracle's Important Little Acquisition
Samsung's Note7 Post Mortem Turns Up 2 Problems

Today's Story Highlights

Google Gets Rid of 1.7 Billion Bad Ads

Google removed 1.7 billion bad advertisements from its various sites in
2016, more than double the prior year's totals. Google took several
steps to crack down on the deceptive advertising, including updating its
policies to protect users from "misleading and predatory offers." It
also beefed up its technology to help identify misleading ads and remove
them.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84258.html

New FCC Chair Ajit Pai Vows to Kill Net Neutrality Rules

President Donald Trump on Monday named Ajit Pai chairman of the FCC.
Pai, who has been a Republican commissioner for the agency since 2012,
replaced Tom Wheeler, whom President Obama appointed to the top post in
late 2013. With the new administration, Republicans gain the expected
majority of the commission. Pai has been known to be a foe of former
President Barack Obama's Net neutrality rules.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84253.html

Top CRM Blogs of 2016: Countdown, Part 2

There's something to be said for consistency. Baseball Hall-of-Famer
Tony Gwynn hit over .300 19 years in a row. The swallows have returned
to Mission San Juan Capistrano every year since 1812. Richard Belzer
played Detective John Munch in nine different television series over 23
years. Doing things well for a long time should earn you some attention
for your efforts.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84254.html

Barra Leaves Post as Xiaomi's International Point Man

Almost four years after being poached from a critical post at Google to
join Chinese upstart Xiaomi, Hugo Barra on Monday announced he will
return to Silicon Valley in February. Barra, who led the Xiaomi's
overseas expansion as vice president, international, explained the move
largely as a desire to reconnect with his family and restore a sense of
normalcy to his life.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84252.html

The Old Man and the Tsunami: A Security Story

There's a folk-story that all Japanese schoolchildren learn about an old
man who lives in a village by the sea. One day, an earthquake hits. He's
the only person in the village to realize that a tsunami will soon
follow. He hurries to the nearby mountainside where the rice for the
village is grown and sets the entire harvest aflame. All of the
villagers race to the mountainside to deal with the conflagration --
their rice is their most precious resource.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84250.html

Oracle's Important Little Acquisition

Oracle last week announced the acquisition of Apiary, a small company
that tucks into its product line and will not make much of a splash in
the financial pages or possibly even in tech circles. Nonetheless, it's
important strategic news. The value of the deal wasn't publicized -- but
given the parameters, the dollars will get lost in the rounding of
Oracle's overall revenue and profit numbers.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84251.html

Samsung's Note7 Post Mortem Turns Up 2 Problems

Samsung is set to release the results of its Galaxy Note7 investigation
on Monday, explaining the underlying causes of the problems that led to
the phone's demise. The three independent quality control and supply
chain analysis firms Samsung engaged to conduct the investigation
concluded that the Note7 was affected by two separate issues. One was a
battery issue; the other was the rush to market.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84248.html

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Tech News Flash

Tech News Flash: Thursday -- January 26, 2017

TechNewsWorld -- All Tech - All The Time
http://www.TechNewsWorld.com
Part of the ECT News Network

Headline Scan
Customizing a Computer? Here's What You Need
China Aims to Wash VPNs Out of Its Hair
Asus Tinker Board Joins Raspberry Pi on the Bargain Table
Samsung Explains Note7 Failure, Promises to Do Better
The US Press Corps vs. Trump: A Teachable Moment

Today's Story Highlights

Customizing a Computer? Here's What You Need

There are plenty of reasons to build a custom computer. While custom
computers may initially be more expensive than prepackaged desktops or
laptops, they can provide you with nearly endless possibilities, whether
you're looking for a top-notch gaming machine, a system for mixing
music, or the ideal choice for developing Web applications. Custom is
the way to go for performance and flexibility.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84256.html

China Aims to Wash VPNs Out of Its Hair

China this week announced new measures to further restrict its citizens'
access to the Internet. The 14-month campaign appears designed to crack
down on the use of Web platforms and services unapproved by the
government, and on virtual private networks, which can used to access
those platforms and services covertly. There is an urgent need for
regulation, according to the government.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84255.html

Asus Tinker Board Joins Raspberry Pi on the Bargain Table

Just when you thought Raspberry Pi couldn't be knocked from its market-
leading perch, along comes Asus with a rival device that may give the Pi
a run for its relatively little money. Asus just launched its own low-
cost computer, the Tinker Board, which is being sold in the UK and
Europe for about $57. Its features could interest open source
enthusiasts in doing a little comparison shopping.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84257.html

Samsung Explains Note7 Failure, Promises to Do Better

Samsung has announced new quality assurance protocols to ensure that it
won't have a repeat of the catastrophic issues that plagued its Galaxy
Note7 handsets. The company last fall issued a universal recall after
several of the devices caught fire or exploded. In one incident, an
aircraft had to be evacuated after a Samsung Galaxy Note7 caught fire
and produced thick smoke.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84249.html

The US Press Corps vs. Trump: A Teachable Moment

Life is about negotiation. We negotiate our relationships -- including
marriage, which is a contract that many don't take seriously. We
negotiate our jobs, and we negotiate our interactions with our families.
Those who are good at this tend to have relatively happy lives. While
they don't get everything they might want, they get more than most. When
things degrade into wars, both sides lose.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84247.html

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