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Smart home devices are supposed to make life easier, but it's now apparent that their convenience carries unintended consequences for domestic abuse survivors. The New York Times has conducted interviews showing that abusers are exploiting smart speakers, security cameras , doorbells and other connected devices to con trol, harass and stalk their targets. The perpetrators will not only spy on their partners, but cause havoc with bursts of music, sudden changes in lighting or temperature and other attempts at intimidation. It's possible to disable or reset these devices, of course. The issue, as you might guess, is that there's usually one person in a relationship (typically the man, according to Intel researcher Melissa Gregg) who installs the smart home devices and has a full understanding of how they work. This gives the installer control over the...

VW may have been overly cautious when it hoped to beat Pikes Peak's electric vehicle record with its purpose-built racer . Official lap time data has confirmed that Romain Dumas' I.D. R Pikes Peak made it up the legendary hill in just over 7 minutes and 57 seconds, crushing not only the EV record (8 minutes and 57 seconds) but the overall record (just over 8 minutes and 13 seconds in the Unlimited class). It managed that with an average speed of 90.5MPH, clearly trouncing the 83.5MPH of its closest competitor, a Norma M20 SF PKP. There's not much mystery to why the I.D. R Pikes Peak came out in front: it made the most of its electric motor. It doesn't have the most raw horsepower at 680HP, but the combination of instant access to 479 pound-feet of torque, a relatively light weight for an EV (2,500lbs) and Porsche-derived aerodynamics make for a vehi...

Ever since Tesla started offering cellular data access in its cars, there's been the implication that it would eventually charge for service . In 2014, it indicated that would start charging in 2018. Four years later, that moment is at hand... although it's not playing out as you'd expect. Electrek has obtained a sales team email indicating that Tesla is launching a paid Premium Connectivity package for cars ordered on or after July 1st. There will still be no-extra-charge (Standard Connectivity) cell access, according to the email -- you'll just have to pay to get features that current owners take for granted. You'll still get navigation (with traffic-based routing) over cellular as well as live Supercharger usage info and safety-related car updates. Anything that's essential to the experience and doesn't consume too much data wil...

In this post we will discuss how to upgrade vCenter 5.5 with Embedded PSC to 6.5 in Enhanced Linked Mode (ELM). I will post the detail migration procedure soon… Environment: vCenter Server A – VMware vCenter 5.5 Windows with Embedded … Continue reading → via Latest imported feed items on VMware Blogs https://ift.tt/2K4Vi3U If New feed item from https://blogs.vmware.com/feed , then send me an email at kr

Every time VMware announces newer version of vSphere, we look for the upgrade options and upgrade path. I got so many questions on the upgrade path option where people asks for can i directly upgrade from this version to this version etc. So in this post we will discuss about how you can easily identify … via Latest imported feed items on VMware Blogs https://ift.tt/2Inadke If New feed item from https://blogs.vmware.com/feed , then send me an email at kr

The Steam Intergalactic Summer Sale continues! For the next eleven days, take advantage of huge savings throughout our store on over ten thousand games. You can also help unlock free games by playing our Summer Saliens Game . Today's Featured Deals include: The Elder Scrolls Franchise - Up to 50% off Tomb Raider Franchise - Up to 89% off Battletech - 20% off The Long Dark - 75% off Star Trek: Bridge Crew - 50% off Sid Meier's Civilization Franchise - Up to 75% off Mad Max - 75% off Portal 2 - 90% off and many more Along with the sale is the Summer Saliens Game . Team up with other Saliens to fight The Duldrumz on different planets and free the abducted games. Gain XP as you battle, level up, unlock new abilities, and win cosmetic items to deck out your Salien. Plus, get Summer Sale Trading Cards just for playing. Choose to battle on a planet that piques your interest and you'll automatically be entered for a chance to win one of its rewards when it's c...

By Lesley Stockton 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 . A thick and velvety smoothie is one of the most difficult things you can demand from a blender. You're expecting four tiny blades powered by a motor no bigger than a coffee mug to make frozen fruit, ice, fibrous greens, and gloppy peanut butter into soft serve in a minute. So rather than asking about the best blender for smoothies, the better question to ask is: What's the best blender? And that's because if a blender can turn out juice-bar-quality smoothies day after day, it will most likely liquefy almost anything else you'd want to with ease. Any good blender will deliver a sippable smoothie if you add enough...

Sphero, the maker of connected toys like BB-8 , announced this week that it's acquired Specdrums , a company that makes rings that produce music through taps on different colors. We don't know how much Sphero spent to acquire the company's technology, but Specdrums raised over $175,000 on Kickstarter last year and just finished shipping to all its backers. It's clear that Sphero plans on integrating the ring and color system into its proprietary toys. Sphero CEO Paul Berberian tells The Verge that the company wants to "get back to its roots," through toys that won't have as much branded, character-focused play. We can already get an idea of what these future toys could do because Specdrums integrated its technology with Sphero's open SDK... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts https://ift.tt/2lx4Wxs ...

For all of the advancements in genetic research , DNA synthesis hasn't changed much in over four decades. That could make it a serious obstacle to scientists who are otherwise racing to develop a new drug or understand the human body. It might finally catch up to modern technology, however. A group at the Berkeley-based BioEnergy Institute have devised a synthesis technique that promises to be faster, more accurate and affordable. If all goes smoothly, it could significantly accelerate the pace of medical and biochemical discoveries. The conventional technique attaches the chemical bases of DNA one at a time, and doesn't work for more than 200 chemical bases (a tiny amount in the world of genetics) without having to risk reactions or join these gene sequences together in tenuous, occasionally unpredictable ways. It can take weeks to get something that migh...

DIY Fixes for Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS. Don't put up with misbehaving software. If one of your apps keeps crashing, here's how to make the troublesome program run smoothly again. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2tuXKW8"

While the element14 Community is running a design challenge to help those with mental and physical impairments (which you can join in on), Sean and Connor Miller work with Ben, Felix and Karen to help a family member with multiple sclerosis. Watch them produce an Amazon Alexa-controlled crane using the Raspberry Pi, Matrix Creator and Sabertooth motor driver. Ben and Karen will be helping with the mechanics, while Felix assists in setting up the Linux side. Meanwhile, Sean and Connor design and build the Clock Crane. What would you do differently? Have you made something to support someone you know? Let the team know on the element14 Community . via Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2KgAJRn If New feed item from http://www.engadget.c...