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Showing posts from April 4, 2018

Spotify claims it actually had a better Weeknd than Apple Music

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Yesterday, The Verge reported that The Weeknd’s latest album, My Dear Melancholy, had a very strong debut on Apple Music, pulling in 26 million streams in the first 24 hours. The lead single, “Call Out My Name” pulled in an additional 6 million streams, surpassing the 3.5 million streams the single pulled in on Spotify during the same period, according to The Weeknd’s label, Republic Records. Obviously that would be a huge win for Apple Music given that it has around 120 million less users than Spotify, didn’t have two exclusive music videos from the project, and didn’t have The Weeknd promoting its service. But there’s a twist! Spotify says the numbers it initially gave Republic Records were in fact wrong. “Call Out My Name” was... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2q4p6lc"

Mark Zuckerberg says he is a ‘power user of the internet’

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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg held a call with reporters today to answer questions about the sweeping changes the company made to its third-party app developer platform, as well as the revelation that as many as 87 million users — not 50 million as previously thought — may have had their personal data misused by Cambridge Analytica . Slate’s Will Oremus asked whether the chief executive himself would have used apps like the one designed by Cambridge psychology professor Aleksandr Kogan, called “thisisyourdigitallife,” that siphoned the data of around 270,000 users and all of their friends, which Kogan then packaged and sold. The CEO’s answer was candid and will likely enter the pantheon of iconic Zuck quotes, which also includes his... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2GXADMI"

Facebook will release more data about election interference, but only after the election

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Amid growing pressure to remove bad actors from Facebook, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Wednesday that the company would likely release more information about problematic content posted to the service during elections. But to ensure the accuracy of the data, Zuckerberg said, the reports will likely come after the elections are over. The move could help government officials, academic researchers, and concerned citizens understand whether Facebook’s increased attention to abuse is working — but the timing could make it harder for grasp what’s happening when it arguably matters most. During a conference call with reporters on Wednesday, Zuckerberg took questions on a range of subjects surrounding the Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal and... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2Iu3ohd"

Your old computer could be a better source of metals than a mine

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Environment A ray of hope in our losing battle against electronic waste. From your water-logged smartphone to your smashed smart TV, your electronics are a potential goldmine. Or a copper mine. Or—some day—a lithium mine. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2JhdvqO"

JVC’s first DLP 4K projector is $2,499

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JVC has a number of 4K projectors, but the cheapest model is $3,999, and all of them use JVC’s own special-blend D-ILA technology. But JVC is finally stooping down to serve the masses with a more traditional DLP-based 4K HDR projector at a (relatively) affordable $2,499 price point. JVC’s new LX-UH1 is a 2,000 lumen projector with a 100,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and support for HDR10. JVC has kindly included a wide range of vertical and horizontal lens-shifting angles, and a touch of zoom, so it should be relatively easy to install this projector and get the image aimed at the correct spot on your wall. Without some in-depth reviews, it’s hard to tell what makes JVC’s new projector $1,000 better than the Optoma or BenQ 4K... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2HbqZUy"

Electric aircraft could soon become an industry standard

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Aviation The aviation industry is on the verge of a major shift in propulsion, experts say. Siemens Innovation Day offered the U.S. a first look at the company's electric GA aircraft, a Magnus LSA fitted with a 55-kW Siemens electric motor. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2uPjfoA"

Google employees demand the company pull out of Pentagon AI project

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Earlier this month, it was announced that Google was offering its resources to the US Department of Defense for Project Maven, a research initiative to develop computer vision algorithms that can analyze drone footage. In response, more than 3,100 Google employees have signed a letter urging Google CEO Sundar Pichai to reevaluate the company’s involvement, as “Google should not be in the business of war,” as reported by The New York Times . Work on Project Maven began last April , and while details on what Google is actually providing to the DOD are not clear, it is understood that it’s a Pentagon research initiative for improved analysis of drone footage. In a press statement, a Google spokesperson confirmed that the company was giving... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2HbjLQy"

Trolls and conspiracy theorists are making the YouTube shooter a free speech martyr

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Earlier today, San Bruno police said that a woman who shot three people at YouTube’s headquarters yesterday was probably motivated by anger at the platform. The family of 39-year-old Nasim Aghdam, who died of an allegedly self-inflicted gunshot wound, said she complained that YouTube “ruined her life.” On a personal webpage, she wrote that there was “no free speech in [the] real world,” and that YouTube intentionally suppressed her videos on veganism and animal rights. Aghdam’s evidence for this claim of individual censorship was limited: YouTube had pulled ads from some of her videos and put one behind an age-restricted filter. But amid a larger debate over how YouTube should treat its users, some people are all but blaming YouTube for... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2Iufqay"

All of Facebook’s privacy fixes have broken Tinder

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Facebook has broken Tinder and users who were booted off the dating app have taken to Twitter to complain about it, as spotted first by Select All . Ever since the Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal , in which as many as 87 million users had data improperly shared with the UK data mining firm, Facebook has been rolling out more security and data privacy updates . Today, however, the company announced sweeping changes to many of its most prominent APIs , restricting developer access in a number of crucial ways. Soon after, Tinder users started noting on Twitter that they had been kicked off the dating app and couldn’t log back on, as those who used Facebook Login were caught in an infinite loop that appears to be related to an unknown... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2H8ClbS"

This hard drive offers 1TB of storage for photos and an app that lets you edit on the go

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For anyone who suffers from a long wait while attempting to upload large video and photo files onto their computer, there’s a new Kickstarter for a portable hard drive that says it can back up your files and offer faster on-the-go file uploading services you can use right after taking photos. The company suggests you can do away with bringing your laptop to outdoor photo shoots and instead use its mobile app for editing files and uploading to Dropbox. The Kickstarter is for a device called the Gnarbox 2.0, which lets you insert your SD card into the hard drive and use it as an additional backup tool. It’s an upgrade to its predecessor, the Gnarbox 1.0, which already offered a mobile large file storage and uploading solution also through... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2GzcQn9"

The YouTube shooting makes hard community management questions even harder

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Yesterday, YouTube experienced its first workplace shooting . Four days after leaving her home in San Diego, a 39-year-old woman named Nasim Aghdam snuck into YouTube’s headquarters in San Bruno, California, with a handgun, shooting three people before taking her own life. We don’t know what drove Aghdam to commit her crime — whether she was mentally unstable, had previous violent episodes, or was triggered to commit her crime by a tangential event — but it’s clear she had strong feelings about YouTube. According to her family, she hated the service after her channel was demonetized and police are listing her grudge as a primary motivation for the shooting. A day after the incident, most of what we know about Aghdam comes from her YouTube... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2qbiiCz"

There's one magic substance that will help with America's gut problems

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Health Because you're almost certainly not getting enough of it. Despite a broad-spectrum recommendation for roughage, researchers can’t say for certain why it’s so good for us, what diseases it actually helps prevent, or how exactly… via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2GxDGvL"

The first 4K Chromebook might be in the works

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How many pixels does a Chromebook need? Google’s Pixelbook seems to have plenty, with a 2400 x 1600 resolution stretched across a mere 12.3 inches of LCD. But what if you want more pixels? Since Google defines the high-end of the Chromebook market right now, you’re out of luck unless you want to try to install an open source flavor of Chrome OS on a regular machine. Well, a 4K hope is now on the horizon. The Chromium OS source code (which underpins Google’s Chrome OS) just got updated with reference to a machine with a codename of “atlas” and a 3840 x 2160 screen resolution — as seen on XDA Developers . The actual file that mentions this 4K mystery machine is called “ boards.yaml ,” and it lists different hardware configurations Chromium OS... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2ItEkHi"

A realistic guide to the current crop of tech rumors

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Gadgets Catch up on all the technology gossip without all the hype. Keep it real with your tech rumors. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2Jkrgp0"

Facebook is reducing its Android call history and SMS data collection

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It was revealed last month that Facebook has been collecting call records and SMS data from Android devices for years. Facebook has been using what it calls an “opt-in feature” to improve its friend recommendation algorithm by requesting access to contacts, SMS data, and call history on Android phones. Facebook users, spooked by the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal , started downloading their data and were alarmed to find the call history records and SMS data. Facebook now says it has examined the feature and is making changes to it. “We’ve reviewed this feature to confirm that Facebook does not collect the content of messages — and will delete all logs older than one year,” says Facebook’s chief technology officer Mike Schroepfer. It’s... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2GwrsmZ"

Facebook says Cambridge Analytica data collection affected nearly twice as many users as previously thought

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Facebook today revealed that as many as 87 million users, most of them in the US, may have had their information improperly obtained and used by the data mining firm Cambridge Analytica. The revelation indicates that nearly twice as many Facebook users may have been directly affected by the ongoing data privacy scandal resulting from the unauthorized sale of the social network’s user data to third-party company, which was contracted by the Trump campaign to help with election ad targeting. Initial reports from The New York Times and The Guardian put the figure at as many as 50 million users. Facebook revealed the information at the bottom of a blog post penned by Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroepfer, among the highest ranking... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2q4vsQT"

Facebook shares clearer, simpler terms of service and data policy

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As it continues to climb out of the Cambridge Analytica scandal and overcome another round of privacy concerns, Facebook today proposed clearer versions of both its terms of service and data policy . “It’s important to show people in black and white how our products work,” the company said by way of a blog post co-authored by Erin Egan (VP and chief privacy officer) and Ashlie Beringer (VP and deputy general counsel). “These updates are about making things clearer. We’re not asking for new rights to collect, use or share your data on Facebook. We’re also not changing any of the privacy choices you’ve made in the past.” For now these remain proposals, because Facebook is giving members on the social network seven days to provide feedback... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2q5CXYy"

Google now purchases more renewable energy than it consumes as a company

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Google announced in a blog post that it now purchases more renewable energy than it consumes as a company. Google began these efforts in 2017 , with the goal of purchasing as much renewable energy as it uses across its 13 data centers and all of its office complexes. To be clear, Google is not powering all of its energy consumption with renewable energy. It’s matching what it consumes with equal amounts of purchased renewable energy. For every kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed, it buys a kilowatt-hour from a wind or solar farm built specifically for Google. The company says that its total purchase of energy from sources like wind and solar now exceeds the amount of electricity used by its operations. Google says it currently has... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2GBsq1y"

I'm creating a song using cool music tech. We tackled drums, now it's time for guitar.

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Gadgets Somnium's guitars allow you to swap out guitar pickups in seconds. Over the next few months, I’m going to explore some new pieces of music tech that embrace change, but also preserve what I love about music making: the human performance… via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2JkMSBh"

Daily Deal - Finding Paradise, 33% Off

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Today's Deal: Save 33% on Finding Paradise !* 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 Friday at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "https://ift.tt/2GAPhpI"

Intel says it won’t patch decade-old chips for Spectre

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Intel updated its patching guidance for Spectre this week, continuing the months-long process of fixing the critical security flaw. Although the company had previously said it planned to patch all affected chips, today it clarified that some product lines won’t receive updates. Most are older and, presumably, not as widely used. They include: the Bloomfield line, Clarksfield, Gulftown, Harpertown, Jasper Forest, Penryn, SoFIA 3GR, the Wolfdale line, and the Yorkfield line. Intel says it’s stopped production of these fixes for three reasons, in its words: -Micro-architectural characteristics that preclude a practical implementation of features mitigating Variant 2 (CVE-2017-5715) -Limited Commercially Available System Software support -... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2GygA8a"

This tough, $700 phone is meant for first responders, but you can buy it if you want

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I have a soft spot for ultra-rugged devices. Sure, they may not always be the best phones out there when it comes to things like cameras or razor-sharp displays, but they’re a fascinating example of what happens when you take a multipurpose device like a smartphone and turn it into a gadget that’s designed for just one thing. In this case, that’s sheer and almost ridiculously overengineered ruggedness. Joining the ring as a new contender for the toughest phone yet is the Sonim XP8 , which recently went on sale at AT&T, via Android Police . As an Android phone, there’s not much to see here. It still runs Android Nougat, instead of the newer Oreo, and internally, there’s a Snapdragon 630 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage (which can be... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2GUE72E"

I’m a scientist who's suing the EPA. Here's why.

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Environment The EPA is broken, but we still have a chance to fix it. From where I sit as both a scientist and former EPA adviser, the motivation behind Scott Pruitt’s actions is as clear as day: He isn’t reforming the agency; he’s trying… via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2IpsFcr"

Amazon’s Fire 7 and HD 8 tablets can now double as hands-free Alexa speakers

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Amazon’s Fire 7 and Fire HD 8 tablets can now pull double duty as hands-free Alexa speakers. This feature is already available on the Fire HD 10, and the company is now expanding it to other recent tablets. Both compatible models were released last year. Once the latest software update rolls out to the devices, you’ll be able to use Alexa’s full array of voice commands whenever the tablet’s display is turned on. To use this functionality from across the room when the tablet is asleep, though, your Fire tablet must be plugged into a power source. And Amazon warns that even some low-power USB ports won’t be enough. That seems like an odd restriction considering the lengthy battery life that these devices offer. You definitely shouldn’t... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2uLFJa7"

Tinder is testing looping video profile pictures

Everything we know so far about the shooting at YouTube’s headquarters

Leading AI researchers boycott Korean university over its work on ‘killer robots’

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More than 50 leading AI and robotics researchers have joined a boycott of South Korea’s KAIST university over the institute’s plans to help develop AI-powered weapons. The boycott was announced ahead of a UN meeting set in Geneva next week to discuss international restrictions on so-called “killer robots.” It marks an escalation in tactics from the part of the scientific community actively fighting for stronger controls on AI-controlled weaponry. The boycott was organized by Professor Toby Walsh of the University of New South Wales, who warned in a press statement that the race to build autonomous weapons had already begun. “We can see prototypes of autonomous weapons under development today by many nations including the US, China,... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2IrKZl8"

You don't need to be a pro to sell your photos online

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DIY Earn a little cash from stock photography websites. If you have a passion for photography, you don't have to wait for your big break. You can earn a little money by selling your pictures on stock photo sites. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2GROPqG"

BlackBerry accuses Snapchat of infringing its messaging patents

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BlackBerry has filed a complaint against Snap accusing the company of infringing its patented messaging technology in the Snapchat app. The complaint, which runs a hefty 71 pages, accuses Snap of infringing six patents including map improvements for mobile devices, advertising techniques, and UI improvements for mobile devices. It also cites Snap Maps and the display count of unread messages on a notification dot as “infringing activities.” The complaint was first reported by Bloomberg . BlackBerry previously filed a lawsuit in March against Facebook, alleging that the social media platform, WhatsApp, and Instagram also infringed on BlackBerry’s messaging app patents. The Snap complaint includes two patents (‘634 and ‘713) that also... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2uO9bwc"

Developers can now make games for the Echo Button

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify before Congress next week

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The House Energy and Commerce Committee announced today that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify before the committee on April 11th at 10AM ET. He’ll answer questions about his company’s use and protection of user data. CNN and Bloomberg previously reported that he’d testify, but the appearance hadn’t been officially scheduled. There’s bipartisan support for his testimony. Zuckerberg turned down a similar request from European regulators last week, in which they asked him to appear before a UK Parliamentary committee undertaking a similar investigation. Both the US and UK interest in Facebook’s treatment of data was spurred by the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which former research director Christopher Wylie exposed... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2q73a8b"

Future iPhones may have curved screens and touchless gesture controls

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A new report out of Bloomberg this morning suggests that Apple is developing two new pieces of technology for future iPhone models: one is touchless gesture control and the other is a curved display. Both projects are said to be at the early stages of research and development, at least two years away from potentially making it into consumer devices. Apple’s closest rival, Samsung, has already offered versions of both technologies in its prior models. Air Gestures on the Galaxy S4 allowed users to browse between photos or scroll a webpage just by swiping in the air above the phone, while Air View would function much like Apple’s 3D Touch, exposing additional information when you hover your finger over a trigger area. Flagship Samsung... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2EiSMzl"