Archive for the 'Technology' Category
GCSB ‘Had No Idea’ Spy Gear Was Still Targeting Kim Dotcom
August 2nd, 2017Oh sure. Via: New Zealand Herald: THE GCSB lost control of its surveillance technology and wasn’t aware its systems continued spying on Kim Dotcom, according to new documents from the spy bureau. It claimed that it turned off all surveillance systems targeting Dotcom and others but found out more than a year later that surveillance […]
Putin Bans VPNs to Stop Russians Accessing Prohibited Websites
August 1st, 2017Via: BBC: Vladimir Putin has banned virtual private networks (VPNs) and Tor in a crackdown on apps that allow access to websites prohibited in Russia. The law, signed by President Putin, was passed by Russia’s parliament last week and will come into force on 1 November. A second law to ban anonymous use of online […]
‘Microsoft Won’t Patch SMB Flaw That Only an Idiot Would Expose’
July 31st, 2017Cryptogon, 23 April 2017: “People who do this on purpose are idiots.” By all means, though, companies should keep eliminating and outsourcing IT staff. haha That’s clearly working out great! (As the former IT people flee to the hills…) Via: Register: A Windows SMB vulnerability revealed late last week at DEF CON won’t be patched […]
‘Apple’s Silence in China Sets a Dangerous Precedent’
July 31st, 2017Dangerous precedent? I think it’s more of a dangerous precedent du jour. Apple blocks apps for the Chinese regime. Yes, that’s bad. But Cisco built China’s god damned Great Firewall in the first place! In mentioning Apple’s, “Dangerous Precedent,” this New York Times article doesn’t mention Cisco at all. I’m definitely not defending Apple—their manufacturing […]
Small Alphabet Team Researching Energy Storage
July 31st, 2017Via: Bloomberg: The research lab, which hatched Google’s driverless car almost a decade ago, is developing a system for storing renewable energy that would otherwise be wasted. It can be located almost anywhere, has the potential to last longer than lithium-ion batteries and compete on price with new hydroelectric plants and other existing clean energy […]
Facebook Lobbies to Prevent State Limits on Facial Recognition
July 31st, 2017Via: The Center for Public Integrity: When Chicago resident Carlo Licata joined Facebook in 2009, he did what the 390 million other users of the world’s largest social network had already done: He posted photos of himself and friends, tagging the images with names. But what Licata, now 34, didn’t know was that every time […]
Your Banker Is Always In: Sweden Rolls Out the Robots
July 31st, 2017Via: Bloomberg: Aida is the perfect employee: always courteous, always learning and, as she says, “always at work, 24/7, 365 days a year.” Aida, of course, is not a person but a virtual customer-service representative that SEB AB, one of Sweden’s biggest banks, is rolling out. The goal is to give the actual humans more […]
‘Smartphone Zombies’
July 30th, 2017Via: Reuters: A ban on pedestrians looking at mobile phones or texting while crossing the street will take effect in Hawaii’s largest city in late October, as Honolulu becomes the first major U.S. city to pass legislation aimed at reducing injuries and deaths from “distracted walking.” The ban comes as cities around the world grapple […]
Motor Trend: The Tesla Model 3 “Is the Most Important Vehicle of the Century”
July 29th, 2017Via: Motor Trend: The Tesla Model 3 is here, and it is the most important vehicle of the century. Yes, the hyperbole is necessary. The original Tesla Model S was a proof of concept—it was possible to make a long-range electric vehicle. The Model X showed that you could make an electric SUV. But neither […]
Bollinger Unveils New Minimalist All-Electric Truck with Up to 200 Miles of Range
July 27th, 2017No pricing was revealed, which is good, since it would probably melt our faces off. Via: Electrek: Today, Bollinger Motors unveiled what it calls a “no nonsense back-to-basics all-electric sport utility truck (SUT).” The minimalist-looking vehicle with sharp edges and bare interior will not be for everyone, but with a promised range of up to […]
