Geek News

- A random hero challenge will be selected for you if one is not selected before the game. - Fixed a visual bug with Storm Spirit's Static Remnant. - Fixed a visual bug with Dark Willow's ambient particles. - Fixed the text alignment of chat between players with badges and players without. via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2tXeau9"

Science The sounds of science It’s an explosion that starts within the earth, a release of pressurized gases and bits of rock, either sharp shards or molten fragments or both. A volcanic eruption is… via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2GBrszc"

L’Oreal announced today that it has acquired Modiface , a company that’s had a hand in the creation of many custom augmented reality beauty apps, including those from Sephora and Estée Lauder. L’Oreal didn’t disclose the amount spent, but it did tell Reuters that it now owns Modiface’s numerous patents that help users visualize makeup and hairstyles on themselves. The partnership makes sense in that Modiface has already worked with L’Oreal multiple times, including on the launch of its Style My Hair mobile app, which lets users try on different hairstyles. For that app, Modiface manually annotated 22,000 facial images to create the experience. AR has become an important part of the beauty industry. Meitu, a China-based company with an AR... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2FHF52z"

Technology This week, Google pushed out its multi-step smart home actions you can start with a simple voice command. Whether your smart home is based on the Google, Apple, or Amazon platform, you can cut down on the number of commands you have to shout. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2FHz8Cu"

If you blink during Apple’s latest iPhone ad, you might miss a weird little animation bug. It’s right at the end of a slickly produced commercial, where the text from an iMessage escapes the animated bubble it’s supposed to stay inside. It’s a minor issue and easy to brush off, but the fact it’s captured in such a high profile ad just further highlights Apple’s many bugs in iOS 11. 9to5Mac writer Benjamin Mayo spotted the bug in Apple’s latest ad, and he’s clearly surprised “that this was signed off for the commercial,” especially as he highlighted it months ago and has filed a bug report with Apple. It’s just one of many quirks in iOS 11, including strange UI problems in the Music app, regularly misaligned text in the App Store , v... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2pkhvOj"

The final Infinity War trailer presents a terrifying, monumental threat to earth. Armies clash. Dead bodies are strewn about the screen. Music blares. Impressive percussion stirs up emotions. Lightning cracks. And at the center of it all is… Thanos! The terrifying universe-destroyer! Who, unfortunately, looks like a bald purple plastic mannequin with weird grooves in his chin to make up for the fact that he can’t grow a beard. There’s no kind way to put it: Thanos isn’t impressive; he’s ridiculous. A villain named after death should look frightening, maybe with some sort of visual reference to death. Instead, Thanos comes across as an over-inflated cousin of Grimace from McDonald’s marketing. Except Grimace is actually kind of scary. W... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2G34F1k"

Hacker Adrian Lamo has died at age 37, according to ZDNet and a Facebook post from his father. The circumstances of Lamo’s death are unknown, but a coroner in Sedgwick County, Kansas, reportedly confirmed the news. Lamo was known in the early 2000s for hacking a number of company networks, including that of The New York Times Company. Sometimes dubbed the “homeless hacker” for his nomadic life, he pled guilty in 2004 to breaching the Times ’ internal network and running up tens of thousands of dollars in search fees on its Lexis-Nexis account. Before that, he warned several other companies of security flaws, including WorldCom and Microsoft. More recently, however, Lamo was known for alerting the Army after whistleblower Chelsea Manning... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2tWLvFz"

Arriving roughly one hour into a full-day blockchain-themed event called “Initial Taco Offering,” I’m greeted by a sight familiar to many attendees of Austin’s South By Southwest Interactive Festival. There is a throng of badge-wearing, mostly male conference goers — and there are free tacos. The event, a play on the initial coin offerings that have turned digital currencies into some of the buzziest and most fraught investment opportunities on the planet, is being held at a steakhouse on Lavaca Avenue in downtown Austin. The organizers, a group called the Founders Organization, lured attendees away from more traditional sessions in the city’s convention center and nearby hotels with the promise of complimentary food and spirited... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2HGjKmL"

Newer yacht models nowadays might include IoT devices with routers and switches, which also means they can be hackable, just like any other device with an internet connection. As Stephan Gerling of the Rosen Group demonstrated during a security summit last week, modern yachts still have a lot of openings for bad actors to potentially exploit, such as the onboard router having an unsecure FTP protocol. A yacht’s onboard network could have a vessel traffic service device, automatic identification system, autopilot, GPS receivers, radar, cameras, depth sounders, engine control and monitoring, and more. Since these features are connected to a network that can be controlled by an external device like a smartphone or tablet, a bad actor... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2FGIT3Z"

Nexus Media News The battle over America’s space program shows how to turn science into a winning issue. President Trump's hostility toward research is, in many ways, a boon to pro-science lawmakers. History suggests an adversary in the White House is exactly what they… via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2tQxEjU"

Alcatel unveiled five new phones last month, and today, it’s announcing that two of them are headed to the United States: the Alcatel 1X and the Alcatel 3V. Of the two, the 1X is the more exciting — it’s one of the very first phones to run Android Go, Google’s new streamlined version of Android designed to perform better on low-end hardware. The 1X will sell for under $100 (I’m going to go ahead and guess that means $99.99, but Alcatel isn’t giving specifics), which puts it squarely in the budget phone arena. But for as cheap as the price is, the phone itself isn’t missing that many modern accommodations. It runs Oreo, it has a fingerprint sensor on the back, and it has a tall, 18:9 screen. It’s not a beautiful screen (it’s 5.3 inches,... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2DzbLFg"

Microsoft is testing a new change to its future version of Windows 10 which will probably annoy anyone using the operating system. The software giant revealed today that “we will begin testing a change where links clicked on within the Windows Mail app will open in Microsoft Edge.” The change means if you have Chrome or Firefox set as your default browser in Windows 10, Microsoft will simply ignore that and force you into Edge when you click a link within the Mail app. It’s a ridiculous change, that’s similar to Microsoft forcing Cortana users to use Bing search and open results in the Microsoft Edge browser instead of other browsers that are set as default. “As always, we look forward to feedback from our WIP community,” says... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2FFwpcU"

Science Because it sure isn't here. Scientists at SETI send out signals in hopes of hailing alien life—and put out all sorts of telescopes and sensors in case one of them tries to flag us down. Here's… via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2pn675d"

Gadgets The end-of-week dispatch from PopSci's commerce editor. Vol. 42. Throughout the week I spend hours scouring the web for things that are ingenious or clever or ridiculously cheap. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2FEUws4"

Today's Deal: Save 70% on Poly Bridge !* Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are! *Offer ends Sunday at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2G1R8XW"

A couple months after Strava unintentionally exposed military base locations, another app named Ritual is exposing government agencies’ locations and workers’ restaurant routines. Ritual promises to streamline takeout by letting co-workers piggyback off each others’ orders. Users get a notification when their colleagues are ordering from somewhere, and they can then tack their own order onto that one. The app doesn't use location tracking to determine where users work. Instead, users can type the name of a business and then choose an address from those listed or manually add an address. I typed in the US Department of Homeland Security, for example, and saw a list of the agency’s locations around the country. I picked one at random and... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2HDQ2P0"

Dell finally redesigns its flagship laptop and makes some unfortunate changes along the way Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2pgyvFW"

The Trump administration has blamed the Russian government for carrying out a series of cyberattacks targeted at US and European nuclear power plants and other utility infrastructure since at least March 2016. A security memo issued by authorities states that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and FBI characterize the cyberattacks as a “multi-stage intrusion campaign by Russian government cyber actors who targeted small commercial facilities’ networks where they staged malware, conducted spear phishing, and gained remote access into energy sector networks.” The alert didn’t specifically name the companies or facilities but said they appeared to be deliberately targeted. The memo also contains screenshots, which The New York Times... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2FGlUGh"

Today, Facebook issued an apology after users discovered that the platform’s search box was suggesting searches for child abuse videos and underaged girls performing sex acts. On Thursday night, Twitter user @BennettJonah noticed that typing in “video of...” in the search bar would autocomplete to “video of sexuals” or “video of little girl giving oral.” The explicit autocomplete search terms have seemingly since been removed from Facebook, as observed by several The Verge ’s staff. The Verge has reached out to Facebook for comment. In a statement to T he Guardian , Facebook said, “As soon as we became aware of these offensive predictions we removed them. Facebook search predictions are representative of what people may be searching for on... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2HHj3JH"

The Galaxy S9 has arrived in the United States and around the world. After unboxing Samsung’s latest flagship phone and fawning over its sleek design (and the inclusion of an actual headphone jack), it probably won’t be long before you find yourself hitting the dedicated Bixby button. If you’re a fan of the assistant and its powerful ability to control apps and change settings, maybe you’ll be doing so intentionally. But a lot of you will inevitably bring up Bixby when you mean to change the volume; the buttons are a little too close together to avoid the occasional mistake. If you find it happening often, you’ve got the option of disabling Bixby entirely. That way, accidental presses of the button will have no effect. Bixby won’t... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2IuDnPV"

Health Our stool is a window into the health of our guts. It turns out, stool has a lot more power than we tend to think—and not just in terms of its pungent smell. Our poops can say a lot about our health, and that’s true from… via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2Ix1gGo"

DIY This single-serving dessert takes 60 seconds—and some chemistry. A microwave can transform a mug of batter into a single-serving dessert in 60 seconds. Here's how that magical humming box turns a liquid into a fluffy treat. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2ItpUI0"

Google Pay can now be used with Wear OS devices (the new name for Android Wear as of yesterday) in Canada, Spain, and Australia, as spotted by Android Police . Previously, the payment service was only officially available on Wear OS devices in the US and UK. As Android Police points out, enforcement for use strictly within the US and UK had been somewhat lax, with people in other countries using the service without issue. However, those who installed the Oreo update on the Huawei Watch 2 found that their ability to use Google Pay on the device was then disabled outside of the US and UK . Now that Google has confirmed the additional support in Canada, Spain, and Australia, users in those countries can use their Wear OS smartwatches to make... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2phZJLv"

Cyber security technology solutions continue to advance, as do cyber-attack methods. Cisco is tracking this phenomenon in malware development by measuring Time To Evolve  (TTE) — essentially the time that lapses between distinct changes in evasive file and delivery tactics. Malicious hackers’ inventiveness and sophistication has allowed six malware families to continue creating havoc over an extended period of time.  These strategies only partially explain why we see the same vulnerabilities being exploited year after year. If we worry too much about sophisticated zero-day attacks or become distracted by the overblown promises of the latest software package, we continue to neglect the elements that are proven to protect or expose us. Verizon’s 2017 Data Breach Investigations Report  highlighted that, yet again, it’s the fundamentals that will be our undoing —but they could also be our saving grace. A vast majority of breaches (88%) fall into one of nine attack patterns – the same ni

Dear Andy, Congratulations to you and the entire Amazon team on your latest quarterly results. Your team’s contribution continues to be impressive. I was particularly excited to hear that AWS’ expanding partner base continues to be an important driver of your growth. From where I sit, your commitment and focus on fueling the ecosystem has never wavered. It once took a few hours to walk the partner expo at re:Invent and the AWS Summits; now it takes a day or more. So, every time I read a media report that says you have partners in the crosshairs, I ask myself the same question: Did I miss the memo advising all small, innovative startups that it’s time to close their doors because you’re investing in technology and companies to make AWS better and more secure? The focus of late has been on cloud security and rightfully so. Organizations of all sizes are migrating to the cloud to take advantage of cost savings, efficiency gains, and the flexibility to scale. Of course, fraud, hacking

Chasing malware developers through their cyber rabbit holes might be a fun challenge for security researchers, but for the rest of us, the effectiveness of modern attack methods is frustrating and alarming. Incidents that involved evasive malware, and in particular fileless techniques for bypassing endpoint security measures, were prevalent in 2017. They are set to be even more damaging, costly, and exasperating in 2018. It’s an old story by now — the more security pros learn about protecting their organizations against malware, the more wily and sophisticated the adversaries get. The adversaries will always have the incentive and the ability to bypass detection-based technologies. In order to protect their nefarious creations (and their investments), attackers will try everything they can in order to evade detection. The ability for attackers to avoid being detected isn’t as simple as it sounds when an entire world’s worth of security experts, artificial intelligence systems, and

Plattsburgh, New York, has become the first city in the US to ban cryptocurrency mining in the city for the next 18 months . The city council unanimously voted to impose the ban at a council meeting last night, and the mayor’s office states that the purpose of the law is to consider “regulations before commercial cryptocurrency mining operations results in irreversible change to the character and direction of the city.” Plattsburgh mayor Colin Read told Motherboard that the city has the cheapest rates of electricity in the world. Residents pay about 4.5 cents per kilowatt-hour, compared to 10 cents the rest of the country pays on average. Plattsburgh also has an incentive for industrial enterprises, which only pay 2 cents per... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2tRNQkZ"

Apple has announced an event on March 27th that will focus on “creative new ideas for teachers and students,” according to an invitation that just went out. Developing ... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2G0jG3V"

Animals The tiny, venomous mammal outlived the dinosaurs, but might go extinct due to extreme clumsiness. If any animal were going to outlive the dinosaurs, you probably wouldn’t guess it’d be this lil shrew-lookin’ dude. Look at it, with its little eyes and… via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2pgISJL"

Dell finally redesigns its flagship laptop and makes some unfortunate changes along the way Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2FEDGJY"

Microsoft made its Edge browser for iOS available to all iPhone users back in November , promising at the time that tablet support would arrive in the future. The software maker is now updating its Edge iOS preview app to include iPad support today. I’ve had a chance to briefly test Edge on iPad, and it’s largely what you’d expect. Microsoft has scaled up the interface for the larger screen on the iPad, and features like “continue on PC” remain, alongside options to change from a light to a dark theme. It’s a rather basic iPad app, though. Microsoft hasn’t included iOS 11 split screen support, so you can’t run the browser alongside another app. That’s disappointing, but it’s still in preview so that support may arrive before the browser... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2phpLhP"

Google is officially rolling out its Lens feature to Apple iOS devices over the next few weeks. Lens is an on-demand object recognition tool, accessible through the Google Photos app. When users take a photo of a book or painting, for example, Lens recognizes it and spits out information telling you more details about the object. Lens works on photos of business cards, books, landmarks and buildings, paintings in a museum, plants or animals, and flyers and event billboards. When you use Lens on a photo that has phone numbers or an address, you can automatically save this information as a contact on your phone, while events will be added to your calendar. Starting today and rolling out over the next week, those of you on iOS can try... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2ItnIAf"