The Morning After: Cryptocurrency's security problem


Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Welcome back! Over the weekend, you may have missed the cost of Apple HomePod repairs (they're not cheap) and more shaky security around crytocurrencies. We've also got the best coffee equipment you should have in your life -- which is well-timed, as I've had two weeks off the stuff, and I'm very, very ready to reacquaint myself with a cortado or two.

Friends might not panic if your phone dies.
Google Maps may let you share your battery-life status

Want to know if someone made it home safely but didn't know if they had enough battery life to stay in touch all the way? You might not fret quite so much about it in the future. Code spotted in a Google Maps beta for Android hints at sharing your remaining battery life alongside your location. You'd only get a generic range but this could be helpful if a friend's phone is running low on their way home from a night out. The code also alludes to sharing your mass-transit trips with others, including the exact time you arrive at a given stop.

It's an excessive but intriguing exploration of digital consciousness.
'Altered Carbon' is more than just a 'Blade Runner' ripoff

Altered Carbon is the very definition of a guilty pleasure. The show, adapted by Laeta Kalogridis from Richard Morgan's novel, isn't exactly well written. And, like most Netflix joints, it goes on for way too long. But it's gorgeous, it's filled with charismatic actors and its cyberpunk aesthetic feels like a '90s anime brought to life. (That's a good thing -- to Devindra Hardawar, at least.) Altered Carbon is simply a lot of fun. And while it owes an obvious debt to Blade Runner, our senior editor was surprised that underneath the ultraviolence and gratuitous Cinemax-esque sex scenes, it's also an intriguing exploration of where digital consciousness could take us.

You'll want to get AppleCare if you think an accident might happen.
HomePod repairs cost nearly as much as a new speaker

If you're getting a HomePod, be sure to place it somewhere safe... depending on what you break, it might be expensive to get a fix. Apple has updated its support pages to reveal that an out-of-warranty HomePod repair will cost $279 (£269). Throw in the shipping fee ($20 US or £13) for a mail-in repair and you're not far off the price of a brand new smart speaker. This is one of those times where the AppleCare extended warranty ($78 (£68) if you include the incident fee) might be warranted if you're clumsy or have particularly speaker-curious kids. The HomePod, at least, is a static gadget where most control is done without touching the thing. Placing it out of reach sounds like the wisest option.

It's the second time a crypto exchange lost a massive amount this year -- and it's only February.
Italian cryptocurrency exchange BitGrail loses $170 million

One of the biggest problems with cryptocurrency exchanges is they're a juicy, enticing target for high-tech criminals. Case in point: Italian exchange BitGrail, which lost $170 million worth of Nano tokens, a little-known digital coin previously called RaiBlocks. BitGrail is the second exchange that lost a massive amount of money this year -- and it's only February -- following Tokyo-based Coincheck, which lost between $400 and $534 million worth of coins in a cyberattack on its internet-connected wallet back in January.

But wait, there's more...

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