Geek News

Today, the office of special counsel Robert Mueller announced that a federal jury has indicted 13 Russian nationals on charges of conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to defraud the US. The charges mean that these individuals are now officially wanted by the US government, though actual arrests may be hard to come by. "Defendant Internet Research Agency LLC is a Russian organization engaged in operations to interfere with elections and political processes," says the indictment . "Beginning as early as 2014, [it] began operations to interfere with the US political system, including the 2016 US presidential election." The indictment alleges that the named individuals were involved in illegal use of social media platforms all in an effort to encourage political division and promote the campaign of Donald Trump. "US law bans foreign nationals from making certain expenditures or financial disbursements for the pur...

Yesterday, Essential revealed three limited-edition colors of the Essential Phone — Ocean Depths, Stellar Gray, and Copper Black. And today the company has announced one final new version of its first smartphone: an Amazon-exclusive “Halo Gray” color that comes with the Alexa app preinstalled. In case three new Essential Phone colors weren't enough, today we're unveiling Halo Gray, the first Essential Phone to come with Alexa built-in. Halo Gray is available for pre-order exclusively from Amazon starting today. https://t.co/hkwkBKGypr pic.twitter.com/lDad2xngBq — Essential (@essential) February 16, 2018 The Halo Gray model is pretty similar to the Stellar Gray version announced yesterday, with the same exact matte black ceramic but... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2o9HXJG"

Machines are getting excellent at recognizing images, and they're even pretty good at rating them. So, why do you even need humans to take the photos in the first place? Designer and artist Peter Buczkowski took that question in a dark, amusing direction with a project called Prosthetic Photographer . He created an AI device that can recognize a well-composed scene and then force the photographer to press the shutter via a mild electrical shock to their hand. Engadget chatted with Buczkowski to find out what inspired a project that's macabre, but speaks to excessive Instagramming, AI and other controverisal areas of tech. First off, it's a real, fully functional device that can attach to any mirrorless or DSLR camera. Its AI was trained on the much-used CUHKPQ data set , which contains 17,000 internet photos rated by humans. The box has a built-in camera that can detect when you've composed a scene to its standards, then fire a jolt of electricity into your hand, f...

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Yesterday, Intel expanded its bug bounty program to catch more issues like the extensive Meltdown and Spectre CPU flaws, but that was too little, too late for some chip owners. We knew three class-action lawsuits were filed in early January days after the vulnerabilities were publicized, but according to an SEC filing , the total has grown to 30 multi-party suits by customers and two securities suits. Most argue that Intel violated securities laws when it assured its products were safe to use, which the Meltdown and Spectre flaws revealed to be untrue. The customer suits are seeking "monetary damages and equitable relief," though they're in such early stages that none have specified exact amounts. On top of that, the SEC filing revealed that the company faces two class-action suits from shareholders claiming Intel officials have failed to respond to alleged insider trading, likely referring to Intel CEO Brian Krzanich's questionably-timed stock sale late last ...

Science Some Olympians may be hard-wired to seek out daring stunts. Some people have a personality trait that helps them focus in highly chaotic environments like the Winter Olympics: a high sensation-seeking personality. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2F8aSGp"

Apple opened its new campus last year -- a stunning, glass wall-filled space meant to encourage collaboration and cooperation. But Bloomberg reports today that this achievement in design appears to have sacrificed some functionality -- a growing theme in Apple products -- because, apparently, Apple employees keep walking into the glass. Sources told Bloomberg that some individuals started sticking Post-It notes to the glass doors and walls in order to make them more noticeable, but they were ultimately taken down because they distracted from the space's design. Apple's design choices have come under fire quite a few times in recent years. Plenty of people were vocally disappointed in the MacBook's lack of ports while the iPhone X's notch has attracted a bit of ridicule . People are still mad about the removal of the headphone jack , and though I think my Apple mouse looks pretty sleek on my desk, it's a big pain that i have to switch it out when the battery ...

Last year, Ikea announced it was collaborating with Teenage Engineering to create a line of products called FREKVENS (which translates to “frequency”) “in order to throw a really good music party wherever you are.” Now, Ikea has just shared the first look on Instagram of some final prototypes for the collection, which is set to come out early next year. Inspired by the idea of having everything at your fingertips to spontaneously throw a party, Ikea says that when FREKVENS is released, it should include an electronic choir, vinyl player, party lighting and more. “When you are younger, you usually come up with the idea of a party the same day,” says Jesper Kouthoofd, head of design and CEO at Teenage Engineering. “For us, it is about... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2Expy0z"

Aaron Parsons is on a quest to discover the first stars that formed in our Universe around 13 billion years ago. But one thing is getting in the way of his primordial cosmic quest: cryptocurrency. The mining craze of cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Ripple is draining the supplies of graphics cards on the market. And that’s spiking the prices of so-called graphics processing units, or GPUs, super powerful chips that can process huge amounts of data. Without GPUs, astronomers like Parsons can’t do their job. Parsons, at UC Berkeley, works with radio telescopes. These are made of hundreds of antennas that pick up radio emissions permeating the cosmos. All that data needs to be processed in real time by a supercomputer to create a map of... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2EuhZI4"

By Kevin Purdy This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter . When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here . After 40 hours of research and weeks of real-world testing in century-old stone basements, we think the Frigidaire FFAD7033R1 is the best dehumidifier for most people. It's effective at drying air, it maintains an optimal level of humidity, and it's easier to operate than any other model we tested. Who needs a dehumidifier Dehumidifiers are most useful to anyone who cannot make permanent improvements to a problematically damp space in a house (generally a basement) that's exposed to the elements outside of the envelope of the HVAC system. In your indoor living spaces, the home's heat and air conditioning should keep the humidity down, but less extreme weather in fall and spring can be challenging. At those times, you can use a dehum...

It turns out that when a company loves glass buildings and also creates devices for hours of addictive personal use, sometimes it ends up with injured employees who are too distracted by the products to notice walls. A report from Bloomberg today details how the company has had to call emergency services to assist multiple employees who can’t help but accidentally walk into glass walls. None of the injured employees required hospitalizations, but some were treated for minor cuts to the head. Just heard that the first day Apple Park opened, seven people injured themselves by walking straight into the glass doors. And that's just the people who reported it...as they felt physically hurt... — Kenn Durrence (@lockedgrooves) January 20, 2018 ... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2Ex0wCO"

When you call 911 from a cellphone, your location is typically sent to the call taker by a wireless carrier. But that information isn't always so accurate. Well Google might have a better way of going about it and it tested its system across a few states in December and January, the Wall Street Journal reports. In the states where the tests took place, Google sent location data from a random selection of 911 callers using Android phones straight to the people taking those calls. The test included nearly 51,000 call centers that cover around 2.4 million people in Texas, Tennessee and Florida, and early reports of the results suggest the system is promising. One company involved in the test told the Wall Street Journal that for over 80 percent of the 911 calls where Google's system was used, the tech giant's location data were more accurate than what wireless carriers provided. The company, RapidSOS , also said that while carrier data location estimates had, on average...

Animals It’s reviled by city slickers, but revered by chefs. How the pigeon went from a regular meal to a reviled bird to a foodie's dream. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2obwzNs"

The Winter Olympics have officially kicked off in Pyeongchang, South Korea – where the best athletes from around the world showcase their talents and vie for Gold as they represent their countries on the world stage.Although sometimes overlooked, the Olympic Games – and other high-profile events – become ground zero for another global talent race: cybercrime. The Olympics are a massive undertaking – requiring additional help to be recruited to make sure the host-city is able to accommodate all of the athletes and attendees, under a tight timeline (i.e. building and maintaining the Olympic Village, stadiums, public transportation and lodging). Additional help is also required of the organizations who are broadcasting, sponsoring and advertising the Games. These professionals are not necessarily security experts, which attackers are both aware of and ready to take advantage of. With the threat landscape and complexity of attacks continually increasing, here are the top three ways to ...

Verizon has added a new prepaid plan to its lineup , a $30 per month option that includes a meager 500MB of data per month. It doesn’t look like a great deal, especially compared to Verizon’s other existing prepaid plans, which offer 3GB for $40, 7GB for $50, 10GB for $60, or unlimited data for $75. Each of Verizon’s prepaid plans — including the new 500MB one — comes with unlimited US talk and text, the option to carry over leftover data from one month, mobile hot spot, and unlimited texting over 200 countries. Also new is the option for 3G mobile hot spots on the unlimited plan, which previously hadn’t offered the feature. Verizon is also adding its $5 per day Travel Pass option to all of its prepaid lines, allowing users to make... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2GjcGM0"