Search Results for "october 17"

DTNS 2390 – Cute Is the New Black

Logo by Mustafa Anabtawi thepolarcat.comDarren Kitchen is here and we’ll talk about the FBI’s identification of North Korea as responsible for the Sony attack. Should we believe them? Also the FCC gets sneaky and gets sneaked upon. Plus Len Peralta bravely illustrates the great leader.

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Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.

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A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the headlines music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Today’s guests:  Darren Kitchen,  founder of hak5.org and Len Peralta, author and artist

http://www.patreon.com/len

Headlines

The US FBI announced today that it has concluded that the North Korean government is responsible for the attacks on Sony Pictures Entertainment’s internal systems. The FBI cited similarities in code, infrastructure and tools used in previous attacks they have attributed to North Korea. Meanwhile Ars Technica reports on a public note claiming to be from Guardians of Peace saying Sony could released The Interview as long as it deleted the assassination scene. CNN reported a source from Sony told it that an email was sent asking for all trace of the movie to be eliminated. And the US President said he wish Sony had spoken to him first before bowing to pressure not to release the movie. Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton said his company “spoke to a senior advisor in the White House” and told CNN “We have not given in. And we have not backed down. We have always had every desire to have the American public see this movie,” shifting responsibility to the theater owners.

The Telegraph reports Apple is upset at allegations by the BBC’s Panorama program that workers at a Pegatron plant that makes Apple products are being mistreated. Undercover reporters for Panorama brought back video of sleeping workers and alleged denial of days off, refusal to surrender government IDs and coercion in filling out forms regarding voluntary work choices. Apple senior vice president of operations Jeff Williams said both himself and CEO Tim Cook were “deeply offended by the report. Williams claims suppliers have achieved an average of 93 per cent compliance with the 60-hour workweek limit this year. Pegatron said they were carefully investigating the BBC’s claims, and will take “all necessary actions”.

ReCode reports T-Mobile USA has settled a lawsuit with the US Federal Trade Commission that accused the company of profiting from unauthorized charges known as cramming. At least $90 million will be returned to subscribers who can show that they had to pay the unauthorized charges, which includes $22.5 million in fines that T-Mobile will pay to the states and Federal Communications Commission for the violations. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sued Sprint for a similar matter earlier this week. AT&T settled a similar FTC complaint in October for $105 million.

Tech Crunch reports that Facebook is releasing a new app today called “Stickered for Messenger”. The app allows users to select one their own images, resize it and paste a virtual sticker on top, then send it to their friends. The app was built by Facebook’s Creative Labs mobile design studio, and it is the first companion app for Messenger. Stickered For Messenger will be available later today on Android and is coming to iOS soon. The Messenger app itself is receiving a speed boost and new animated sending/sent/delivered/read receipts.

Google today filed a lawsuit in Mississippi district court against Mississippi attorney general Jim Hood for serving the search company a “burdensome retaliatory subpoena.” Hood has claimed that Google’s anti-piracy provisions violate a Mississippi consumer protection law. Google has also issued a document preservation notice to both the MPAA and the law firm Jenner & Block, asking them to retain documents related to a so-called Goliath campaign Umm, hello? I think you movie guys just woke a sleeping Goliath.

Reuters reports its sources say Google is working on a version of Android that would be embedded in cars. This would be different than Android Auto which transmits data from a phone to a car’s screen. The embedded version would always work whether a phone was in the car or not. It will supposedly come along with the Android M OS.

GigaOm reports BlackBerry is profitable! One cent a share but STILL! PROFITABLE! It also generated a positive cash flow of $43 million in the last quarter. And the good news pretty much ends there. Smartphone sales were down to 1.9 million from 2.4 million in the previous quarter. Service revenue was also down 12 percent from the previous quarter. But hey, PROFITABLE!

The Washington Post cites industry officials who say the US House of representatives will consider legislation in the new year to prevent ISPs from blocking or slowing down certain websites while also providing a new provision for regulation of broadband providers called Title X. That would make Title II classification unnecessary.

 

Meanwhile the FCC slipped out an official notice of proposed rulemaking to consider widening the definition of a Multichannel Video Programming Distributor to include Internet delivery alongside cable and satellite. The change would technically remove the requirement that an MVPD have transmission facilities thus allowing the use of the Internet as that facility. All that means broadcasters have to negotiate for carriage with anyone who wants to carry multiple channels of live TV.

News From You

Jaymz668 posted a TechDiret column by Timothy Geigner describing a fight in southwest Chicago over whether to add filters to Internet access in the Orland Park Public Library. After a complaint from a mother, the board decided not to install filters but instead ask for ID. However the mother and others have continued to press the board to install filters. Geigner states that open access to the unfiltered Internet for adults should be defended.

spsheridan sent us the Wired UK report that International Space Station commander Barry Wilmore needed a ratcheting socket wrench. Which was kind of a bummer, because he left his on EARTH. Normally, Wilmore would have had to wait months for the next ISS resupply. But the folks who made the 3D printer on the space station overheard th eproblem and whipped up a quick design for the wrench. Then NASA emailed Wilmore the design, he printed it out on the station’s 3-D printer and hey presto SPACE WRENCH!

jaymz668 passes along a Consumerist article about a US Department of Commerce report on broadband competition. At 10 Mbps 70% of US citizens have a choice between two companies and 28% have a choice between 3. Only 85% have 25 Mbps service or faster available. At that speed 37% have a choice between two providers and 9% can choose among three. 59% have access to 100 Mbps service and 8% have a choice between two providers at that speed the rest have one choice. 3% have access to gigabit fiber and only one choice in all those areas.

Discussion Links:

http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/update-on-sony-investigation

http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/12/fbi-claims-north-korean-involvement-in-sony-pictures-attack/

http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/12/hackers-tell-sony-the-interview-may-release-now-with-edits/

http://recode.net/2014/12/19/live-blog-president-obama-to-address-north-korean-role-in-sony-hack/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/white-house-says-sony-hack-is-a-serious-national-security-matter/2014/12/18/01eb8324-86ea-11e4-b9b7-b8632ae73d25_story.html

Pick of the Day: 

Tom,

When you were discussing the need for batch renaming tools you mentioned that you would sometimes need this for renaming digital camera files with a date or location instead of just having them named something like IMG_0001.JPG.

I use “geosetter” to read the EXIF header and automatically rename the files with the date the pictures were taken. There are options to choose the date format or embed some descriptive words in the filename.

http://www.geosetter.de/en/

Love the show,
John from Silicon Valley

=====

Thanks for fielding this question, and many thanks for the great feedback from the DTNS community, Alex Hana and Darren Kitchen

While researching this on my own, I stumbled on a web site that crowd sources alternative technology solutions. So, here’s a pick from me:

AlternativeTo
http://alternativeto.net/

(And here’s the one for Truecrypt)
http://alternativeto.net/software/truecrypt/

I haven’t used it a lot yet, but it let’s you ​vote on nominated alternatives, has a review and comments section for each solution.

​Thanks again! Mike​

Facebook Developer’s Conference alert link:

https://www.fbf8.com/portal/preForm.ww

DTNS 2372 – Blood eSport

Logo by Mustafa Anabtawi thepolarcat.comNicole Spag is on the show. We’ll explain what we know about the Regin spyware and how video game blood can help the Red Cross.

MP3

Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.

Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.

A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the headlines music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Today’s guest: Nicole Spagnuolo, podcaster, Ladies of Leet, Nerd Parents

Headlines:

Symantec released a whitepaper report detailing a sophisticated piece of spyware called Regin that was active from 2008-2011 and reappeared in 2013. Regin is a platform of unknown origin and not even all its pieces have been discovered. Its infection method is a mystery although one instance of using Yahoo Instant Messenger as a vector was documented. It allows for customization based on the targets and can employe Remote Access Trojans, keyloggers, screenshots and basically every bad thing you can think of. It has mostly been discovered in Russia and Saudi Arabia and mostly targets individuals, small businesses and telecoms. Kaspersky also released their findings on Regin including evidence that it may have been responsible for the attack on researcher Jean-Jacque Quisquater.

TechCrunch reports Samsung Galaxy S5 sales have underpeformed expectations by about 40% this year. The Wall Street Journal reports Samsung may demote Mobile Leader and Co-CEO JK Shin back to just head of the mobile unit. That would put Co-CEO and head of home appliance and TV, BK Soon supervising mobile as well. Samsung’s third co-CEO Kwon Oh-hyon would remain overseeing the semiconductor and display panel business. Markets like China have been seeing sales of Samsung mobile devices fall.

The Verge reports T-Mobile added new services to its zero-rating of music services. Google Play Music Xbox Music, Live365, and SoundCloud are among the 14 services added to T-Mobile’s Music Freedom feature. T-Mobile says its goal is to include every streaming music service in  the program. The plan exempts music services from counting against T-Mobile’s monthly data limits.

Apple Insider reports that downloads from Apple’s iOS App store reached an all time high of 7.8 million downloads per day in October. Mobile tracking firm Fisku crunched the numbers and found a 42 percent increase from the previous month among the top 200 free iOS apps tracked by the company. I think you all know why this happened in October. Apple released its iPhone 6, 6 Plus and a new operating system iOS 8.

Engadget points out the Torrent Freak article that watchmakers Omega, Panerai, Swatch and Tissot are sending takedown requests to sites hosting smartwatch faces that allegedly violate “trademark, copyright and design rights”. Fighting watch face piracy has just begun people. And remember one lost watch sale due to watch face piracy can mean thousands of dollars. If the one watch cost thousands of dollars.

 

 

 

News From You:

metalfreak passes along an announcement from Creative Commons.org that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will now require all of their grant-funded research to be made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY) This means that Gates Foundation materials must be discoverable and accessible online, immediately and without an embargo period and that the data underlying published research will also be immediately open. The goal, according to a Gates Foundation spokesperson, is to speed up the sharing of data that might help other scientists and health experts. The new policy takes effect January 1, 2015, but there will be a two year transition period for research which is in the process of being published in expensive medical journals with embargo restrictions.

johnsie776 posted the Engadget article that the same filings that revealed Ford, Bank of America and Visa were meeting with the FCC about net neutrality show some more expected companies meeting as well. Cisco CEO John Chambers called Wheeler to endorse proposed net neutrality rules earlier this year. Chief Comcast lobbyist Kathy Zachem, meanwhile, gave the FCC’s top lawyer advance notice of Republican objections to the proposal. Wheeler also spoke with current NCTA president and former FCC chair Michael Powell. The anit-Wheeler. as Wheeler is former NCTA president and NOW FCC Chair. Very cozy ain’t it?

spsheridan sent the Verge article in repeating a WSJ report that the FAA’s forthcoming rules on commercial use of drones would require all operators to have a pilot’s license and limit operations to daylight hours. Pilots would also have to operate the drones below 400 feet and within line of sight at all times. The rules would apply to commercial use of drones no matter what the size or weight.

starfuryzeta passes along a USA today report that Apple and Bono are collaborating again on RED,for a two-week charity campaign. Apple and RED have teamed up regularly since the red edition of the iPod Nano back in 2006. This time Apple approached the designers of some of its most popular app-store purchase to see if they would modify their apps to raise money for RED, Bono’s charity which fights the spread of HIV/AIDS. First time downloaders of the apps will see their money go directly to RED; those who’ve already purchased the app will be able to make in-game purchases to support RED.

F1Ben passes along a Wall Street Journal report that movie rental company Redbox is raising the rental price of a DVD by at least 25% as of December 2nd. A one night rental of a DVD will now cost $1.50. That’s right. THIRTY WHOLE CENTS! The price of a one night Blu-Ray rental will increase 33% to $2 a night. Redbox will also launch a recommendation engine similar to help customers pick a movie, and they plan on more efficient stocking of machines (aka fewer choices).

 

 

Discussion Section: Regin Spyware

https://gigaom.com/2014/11/24/groundbreaking-state-spyware-targeted-airlines-and-energy-firms/

http://recode.net/2014/11/23/symantec-uncovers-sophisticated-stealthy-computer-spying-tool/

https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/11/24/secret-regin-malware-belgacom-nsa-gchq/

http://www.symantec.com/content/en/us/enterprise/media/security_response/whitepapers/regin-analysis.pdf

https://securelist.com/files/2014/11/Kaspersky_Lab_whitepaper_Regin_platform_eng.pdf

Calendar: Dum-Dum. Dum-Dum. Dummmmm-Dum-Dum…

A trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens is coming to “a small number” of US theaters this Friday November 28th. Regal Cinemas was so excited they announced the trailer BEFORE JJ Abrams. Then there was a great disturbance in The Force, as if a million other theaters cried out in terror and Regal was suddenly silenced. but unlike Alderaan they’re not silent anymore. a list of thirty theaters has been announced by Lucasfilm.

Pick of the Day: Channel Frederator via Rob Jennings

Cartoon conspiracy theories, conspiracy theories from your favorite cartoons when you were a kid!

Like was sponge bob squarepants and friends created from a weapon bomb testing to did the flintstones and jetsons live at the same time period ? This series goes over the facts, to find out the truth, even from the writers / creators themselves

Tuesday’s guest: Patrick Le Beja

 

DTNS 2371 – Hackers gonna hack

Logo by Mustafa Anabtawi thepolarcat.comDarren Kitchen is on to talk about the Russian site that collects people’s unprotected baby monitor and cat cams. Should it be taken down? And Len Peralta is here to illustrate the show!

MP3

Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.

Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.

A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the headlines music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Today’s guest: Darren Kitchen of hak5.org and Len Peralta, author and illustrator

Today is the final day! It’s almost the one year anniversary of DTNS and Friday’s resident artprov artist Len Peralta is doing something special to mark the occasion. He’s drawing a poster called “In This Together” and you have a chance to be drawn into the print. There are only 26 slots left. If you want to get drawn into this piece of DTNS history, go to Len’s Patreon page: patreon.com/len and pledge at the $2.50 level or higher. Len will draw you into the print + you’ll also get a copy of it as well. Once again, that URL is patreon.com/len

Headlines:

ReCode passed on a Financial Times report that a draft motion for the European Parliament would call for Google to separate its search services from other businesses and become two companies. The motion says “Unbundling of search engines from other commercial services” should be considered. Google holds 93% of the search market in Europe compared to 67% in the US.

Aereo announced on its blog today that it will file for chapter 11 bankruptcy. CEO Chet Kanojia wrote that his teams had explored every path available to the company but cited legal and regulatory uncertainty as the main reason they chose to file for bankruptcy. Aereo appointed appointed Lawton Bloom of investment banker Argus to serve as Aereo’s Chief Restructuring Officer during this period.

The patent wars may be winding down. Reuters reports Google has agreed to settle litigation with patent consortium Rockstar which includes Apple as an investor. The consortium had sued Google and other handset makers in October 2013 over Nortel patents related to search engine technology. No details were announced about the settlement. Cisco took a $188 million charge related to settlement with Rockstar earlier this month.

Bloomberg Businessweek reports that a US federal appeals court blocked the US FCC from ordering Comcast to disclose its programming contracts. The FCC has the contracts, but wanted “interested parties” to be able to see them as part of the agency’s review of the proposed Comcast merger with Time Warner. Comcast argued revealing its fee structures would put them at a competitive disadvantage. The disclosure requirement also would apply to the FCC’s review of AT&T’s acquisition of DirecTV.

Gigaom reports that Google is offering 1 terabyte of Google Drive storage, free for two years with the purchase of a new Chromebook. The offer, valued at $240, accompanies the sale of Chromebooks priced as low as $199. Interested buyers must redeem the Drive offer by January 1, 2015 to quality for the increased capacity.

ReCode reports US FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is afraid of dogs. Wheeler told reporters Friday “Look, the big dogs are going to sue regardless of what comes out. We need to make sure we have sustainable rules.” He was trying to explain why no new proposals have come from the FCC regarding Open Internet Guidelines since President Obama suggested reclassifying ISPs under Title II of the Teleocmmunications Act of 1934.

 

News From You:

HobbitfromPA posted the CNET story about a plant-based polymer from Suneris that can help stop bleeding and act like lego bricks fro the body. The substance is called VetiGel and can be applied to skin or soft organs to stop bleeding in 20 seconds. So far the substance has been determined safe for animals. Vets interested in testing it out can sign up at suneris.co/contactus.

the_big_endian sends us an NDTV report that according to the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB International, the number of people online in India will reach 302 million by the end of this year, overtaking the US and its 279 million users as the second-largest Internet market in the world. As of the end of October, 278 million people are online in India with 159 million accessing the internet on mobile phones. China is still the largest Internet market with more than 600 million Internet users.

metalfreak posted the PC World article that Intel will join Samsung in shipping 3D NAND flash chips that stack transistors in a miniscule 32-layer cube. While Samsung’s chips have already been on the market, Intel claims they’re models can hold twice as many bits as their competitors, 256 billion bits on a single die. That means a TB of data could fit on a NAND chip that’s 2 millimeters thick. Intel plans to ship the 3D NAND chips next year.

ancrod2 sent in the Wired article that Utah representative Marc Roberts has introduced legislation int he Utah House of Representatives that, if approved, would direct municipalities in the US state to “refuse support to any federal agency which collects electronic data within this state.” The effect would be to prohibit the NSA from negotiating a new deal for cheap water service for its data center in Bluffdale, Utah. That water deal ends in 2021.

spsheridan sent us a CNET report that researchers at Princeton University have developed a 3D printer that can 3D-print quantum dot LED in layers. QLEDs shine brighter and with a great purity of color, at a lower power consumption rate, using cadmium selenide nanocrystals. They’re also ultrathin, flexible and transparent and could someday be used to create contact lenses with a heads up display, once they figure out a way to include an on-board power supply. So, not coming next year.

Discussion Section: 

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/20/webcam-hackers-watching-you-watchdog-warns

http://iconewsblog.wordpress.com/2014/11/20/is-someone-watching-you-right-now-a-warning-as-website-targets-insecure-webcams/

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/what-know-about-webcam-hackers

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/27/gchq-nsa-webcam-images-internet-yahoo

Pick of the Day: Legion: Skin Deep via Technosquid

Technosquid sent us this one: “My pick is the new Brandon Sanderson audiobook, Legion: Skin Deep, available free for pre-order on audible.com, set for release on November 24th. Legion: Skin Deep is the sequel to Legion, a novella which gained some popularity when it was available free to purchase from audible for a month or two back in 2012 (now $4.86 for audible subscribers, $6.95 for non subscribers, or $2.99 kindle + $1.99 whispersync for audio audible add-on.)

“Stephen Leeds, AKA ‘Legion,’ is a man whose unique mental condition allows him to generate a multitude of personae: hallucinatory entities with a wide variety of personal characteristics and a vast array of highly specialized skills.”

I really liked the original, although it was only a short two-hour reading of a 96 page story, but thankfully the sequel is more than twice as long.

In a blog post, the author noted that this is a limited-time promotion, and after one month it would no longer be available for free, but of course anyone who purchased it during the promotion would have it available in their audible libraries.”

Monday’s guest: Nicole Spagnuolo! 

 

DTNS 2367 – Riding in Cars with Noise

Logo by Mustafa Anabtawi thepolarcat.comJustin Young is on the show today and we’ll talk about Uber’s integration with Spotify. Will anyone use it? And if so will it become a nightmare for drivers?

MP3

Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.

Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.

A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the headlines music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Today’s guests: Justin Robert Young, DTNS correspondent

Headlines:

New York City is getting free gigabit WiFi. TechCrunch reports that a public-private consortium will begin building wifi enabled kiosks all around the five boroughs, beginning in 2015. The LinkNYC kiosks will have an encrypted network connection and offer free phone calls to anywhere in the U.S, as well as a touchscreen tablet interface to access city services, interactive maps, free emergency and information calls, charging stations and displays for advertising and public service announcements. They will also feature display advertising space which the city expects will generate $500 million in revenue over the next twelve years.

Good news for iOS 8 users with older devices. 9 to 5 mac reports that Apple has released iOS 8.1.1, which will improve performance for older A5-powered devices, including the iPad2 and iPhone 4s. Apple also release OS X 10.10.1, with wi-fi performance fixes, as well as a maintenance update for third-generation Apple TVs, also known as version 7.0.2. So far no reports of install issues with any of the updates.

GigaOm passes a long a Financial Times report that Facebook is testing a new product called Facebook for Work. Rather than be a clever way to hide your Facebook surfing while at work. the service would instead allow users to chat with colleague, make professional contacts and do boring job-enhancing things like collaborating on documents. Work accounts would be separated from personal accounts. TechCrunch previously uncovered info about the project back in June.

Spotify announced today it will launch a partnership with Uber in ten cities around the world on Nov. 21st that will let Spotify Premium users choose the music in their Uber rides. Users can link their Uber and Spotify accounts today. The feature is opt-in for the driver so not all cars will have it. Meanwhile TechCrunch reports developer Ethan Lee has uncovered code in Spotify’s app indicating it may add a special section for podcasts at some point. That was obvious because the entry in the code was called ‘Podcasts.’ Lee found another entry called ‘Magic’ that obviously means Spotify will be incorporating magic in its app at some point.

Engadget reports Sony just launched a stacked CMOS photo sensor for smartphones, the Exmor RS IMX230, that puts 21 megapixels into a 1/2.4-inch sized form factor. It has 192-point phase-detection autofocus and integrated HDR for high-res photos and 4K video. Pretty much its being called dSLR features in a smartphone sensor. The iPhone 6 and OnePlus One use current version of the Exmor sensor. This new Exmore RS sensor should appear in April.

The Next Web reports Apple announced Chinese customers can now use Union Pay cards with their iTunes accounts. Previously Chinese customers had to transfer money into their App Store account before making purchase. Now they can just make a purchase and be charged directly.

TechCrunch reports that a group of technology companies wrote a letter urging the US Senate to pass the USA Freedom Act, a bill that would prevent bulk collection of Internet metadata and increase transparency about government demands for user information from technology companies. The letetr was written on behalf of the Reform Government Surveillance Group which includes AOL, Apple, Dropbox, Evernote, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter, and Yahoo. The bill could come before the Senate this week.

The US State Department shut down its entire unclassified email system this weekend so engineers could repair possible damage from a suspected attack. A senior state department official said “activity of concern” was first detected around the same time as the October incident that targeted the White house unclassified computer network. No word yet on who was responsible for the State Department breach, but the official said no classified systems were affected.

Recode reports that Snapchat unveiled a new feature powered by Square, that allows you to send and receive money through the Snapchat app. Here’s how it works: Users type out the dollar amount they want to send as part of a private message. The app recognizes the dollar sign + number and presents a green payment button, which users tap to activate payment. We’re trying to confirm if the money stays or disappears after 12 seconds.

News From You:

metalfreak pointed out last Thursday’s Science Daily post about A3, a software suite that attempts to recognize and eliminate never-before-seen malware, repair any damage it caused and prevent against future infection. A team of computer scientists at the University of Utah led by research assistant professor Eric Eide and associate professor John Regehr developed the software. A3 detects unusual OS behavior and stops it. As a test it discovered and repaired a Shellshock attack in 4 minutes. The software is open source and is designed to protect servers running Linux.

starfuryzeta posted the Guardian story that Google’s Project Loon is coming to Australia in conjunction with Telstra. 20 balloons will fly in western Queensland in December as a test. The balloons beam Internet signals to homes and phones. Telstra will provide base stations and spectrum. Google tested the project in Christchurch, New Zealand last June. The goal of Project Loon it to eventual circle the whole Earth providing Internet connectivity to unwired areas.

jaymz668 let us know about the Ars Technica article about Martijn Wismeijer, a Dutch entrepreneur and Bitcoin enthusiast, who embedded an NFC chip in each hand. One encodes love and the other hate. I mean one hand he overwrites with things like contact details and the other contains the encrypted key to his private BitCoin wallet. He uses it to stock ATMs that are part of his company Mr. Bitcoin. He also would like to get NFC-enabled locks so he can unlock doors with his hand.

Discussion Section: Riding in Cars with Noise

http://thenextweb.com/opinion/2014/11/17/think-ubers-deal-spotify-awful-idea/

http://thenextweb.com/insider/2014/11/17/official-spotify-uber-team-let-control-music-ride/

http://techcrunch.com/2014/11/14/uber-music/

https://news.spotify.com/us/2014/11/17/uber/

http://techcrunch.com/2014/11/17/uber-spotify-bmw/?ncid=rss

Pick of the Day: Alien Blue via Andrew Hughes from epic Portland

Andrew from epic Portland here and I want to recommend the reddit app Alien Blue for iOS. It’s got a ton of different features but the things that make it stand out the most to me are how it manages your subreddits and how easy it is to share a post. I definitely think that any redditor that has an iOS device needs this app. Thank you to everyone at DTNS for a great podcast keep up the amazing work.

Tuesday’s guest: Patrick Beja, DTNS correspondent

DTNS 2354 – CurrentConundrum

Logo by Mustafa Anabtawi thepolarcat.comAndrew Mayne is on the show and we’ll talk about the CurrentC attack and all this Apple Pay, Google wallet hoopla. Does this mean mobile payments have finally arrived?

MP3

Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.

Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.

A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the headlines music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Today’s guest: Andrew Mayne, magician, illusion designer and filmmaker /co-host of the Weird Things podcast

Headlines

Ars Technica reports the Merchant Customer Exchange let customers know that attackers have obtained some email addresses of people who signed up for more information, or were participating in the pilot program for Current C. Current C is the mobile payment system that uses QR codes and connects directly to your bank. MCE said some of the addresses obtained were for dummy accounts and they do not believe any other data was taken.

Gigaom reports that Reddit has created a crowd funding platform called Redditmade that lets reddit moderators raise funds by selling t-shirts and other items. All the redditors need is the deisgn. There is a time limit of 30 days for a campaign to reach its goal. Good news, the reddit secret santa sticker pack is 6% funded!

Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet reports that Microsoft aims to release the next version of Office 16 client and server applications in the second half of 2015. Speaking at Tech Ed Barcelona, Microsoft’s Julia White confirmed that the company still plans to releasethe next Office client and server apps together. Mary Jo’s sources also say Microsoft is expected to release its Office for Android tablet offering soon, possibly in early November 2014. The company also is expected to disclose timing and possibly a public preview of its next Office for Mac release soon.

The Verge reports on HP’s new Sprout PC, a 23-inch all in one with built-in 3D camera that ‘sprouts’ from the top of the screen and projects images down onto an multi-touch capacitive mat which can control projected objects and applications with 20-point touch, a stylus or a projected keyboard. The camera includes Intel’s RealSense 3D camera, a 14.6-megapixel high-resolution camera, an HP DLP projector, and an LED desk lamp, meaning. It doesn’t just project either it can also scan 2D and 3D objects.The Windows PC comes with 1TB of storage and an Intel i7 processor. It goes on sale November 9th for $1,899.99 and will be demonstrated at select Best Buy and Microsoft Stores this weekend.

Once you scan in your 3D objects you can then print them into a new Multi-Jet Fusion HP 3D commercial and manufacturing printer. CNET reports HP claims the technology is ten times faster than what’s inside existing 3D printers, because it builds an entire surface area, instead of one point at a time. HP also plans to develop new 3D printing materials, using color, ceramic and metal. The product won’t be fully available until 2016, although early customers may get access sometime next year.

Ars Technica reports attackers entered the administrative network of the Executive Office of the President of the United States. An unnamed official told the Washington Post “we are still assessing the activity of concern,” which we think means they don’t know if any data was taken yet. According to the Post’s anonymous sources the attack was discovered in October after a foreign government told US officials.

Hey, It’s me! Good news for Nintendo! Listen to my words closely. Strong sales of Wii U and 3DS software generated quarterly profit of 24.2 billion yen (about $224 million) in net income forthe latest quarter a big raise compared to the loss of over eight billion yen (about $74.2 million)last year. Super Smash Bros. for 3DS sold 3.22 million copies worldwide in September alone. The Wii U sold 6000,000 units to reach a total of 7.29 million, about equal to the Xbox One, which is a year younger of course. 3DS sales lowered to about half of the previous year.

TechCrunch reports former Google Wallet and Paypal guy Osama Bedier showed off his new future-proofed payment terminal, Poynt. The android-based tablet in a dock supports magstripe, chip and pin, NFC, Bluetooth, QR codes and beacon, in one device sold at cost which will be about $299. Poynt is looking to partner with banks and has deals with two of the top five in the US so far.

Tech Crunch reports that internet.org will give free data access to basic web services and local resources to Tanzania via its internet.org app which will be distributed by carrier Tigo. Tanzanians can use Facebook, Messenger, BBC News, and Wikipedia, and get local news, health info, online education, classifieds, and sports coverage. Users can buy access through Tigo if they want to explore more of the web.

News From You

Galcyon pointed out the Verge article that the US FCC is in fact considering a proposal to change the rules regarding what entities are considered multichannel video programming distributors. This is the rule change we’ve mentioned before that would let companies like Verizon or Aereo get the same deals for carrying TV channels over the Internet as cable and satellite providers get. In a blog post, FCC Chair Tom Wheeler wrote “The definition of an MVPD should turn on the services that a provider offers, not on how those services reach viewers.”

h82or8 submitted the Boing Boing post about Daily Dot’s report that Verizon’s new news site ‘Sugar String’ is telling prospective reporters that they will not be allowed to write about US spying or net neutrality. Patrick Howell O’Neil of Daily Dot received messages from SugarString editor-in-chief Cole Stryker detailing the policies. Howell says several other reporters were also recruited under the same stipulations.

and irishtechguy let us know about a Yahoo news story that every county town in Ireland could have access to gigabit Internet within three years. Eircom announced it will begin installing fiber-to-the-home next month through December 2017 covering 66 regions. Eircome is also partnering with Belcarra to bring fiver to rural Ireland. Yesterday the European Commission approved a partnership between Vodafone and ESB to build a similar network which will reach 500,000 premises in 50 towns during the first stage. Both networks will offer open access to ISPs.

Discussion Links:  

http://arstechnica.com/business/2014/10/cvs-rite-aid-supported-alternative-to-apple-pay-already-hacked/

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/10/how-mobile-payments-really-work/

http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/29/week-apple-pay-google-wallet/?ncid=rss_truncated

http://www.mcx.com/blog/answers-to-your-questions/

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/29/technology/apple-pay-runs-afoul-of-a-rival.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share&_r=0

http://www.mcx.com/blog/1028-email-incident-report/

Pick of the Day: Alive Inside via Stephen Ewell

Love the show. I had the chance to see to see a screening of the documentary Alive Inside the other night and they mentioned that it is now available on Netflix, so I thought the DTNS community might find it interesting. It’s a film that highlights the power of technology and music to make a difference in our lives, by highlighting a nonprofit using mp3 players to connect with individuals with Alzheimer’s. Great story and great cause.
Keep up the great work. Let me know if you plan to attend International CES this year and I’d love to meet up.

Thursday’s guest: Christian Cantrell, science fiction author and tech writer

Cordkillers Ep. 41 – You would steal a policeman’s helmet

HBO will do some kind of Internet service next year. People say Yay! CBS will do one now. People say boo. Google unveils Nexus player. People sort of notice!

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CordKillers: Ep. 41 – You would steal a policeman’s helmet
Recorded: October 20, 2014
Guest: Kristi Kates

Intro Video 

Primary Target

Signal Intelligence

Gear Up

Front Lines

  • Aereo Asks FCC to Change Definition of Video Distributor
  • – Aereo Chief Executive Officer Chet Kanojia met with FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and other officials on Oct. 8 to advocate for online programming to be added to the definition of an MPVD.
    – This would be a big victory for any company attempting to create an online multichannel TV service
    9 Remeber Discovery refused to let Sky Angel carry its channel online. It could not flat out refuse in this scenario)
    – if a programmer has a stake in a distribution service, then it is required to sell its programming to MPVDs.
  • Good News, TV Guys: ComScore Found Your Missing TV Watchers
  • – Comscore survey says the younger a viewer is the less likely they watch on a TV
    – Millennials say they spend a third of their TV-watching time watching TV on computers, tablets and phones
    – 24 percent of 18-to-34-year-olds say they’re not subscribing to pay TV. — 13 percent say they’ve cut the cord, 11 percent never had a cord.
  • Amazon’s Instant Video app now shows your homemade movies
  • Upgraded Amazon Instant Video apps for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and certain TVs from LG and Samsung can show photos and videos stored in Amazon Cloud Drive for users in Germany the US and UK.

Under Surveillance

Dispatches from the Front

Tom and Brian,

Quick note: Quit watching The Walking Dead mid-season 2. Tried last season, quit. Brother tells me to watch current season’s premier. Holy crap! I think I’m in.

Fred in Pooler, GA 

 

Do you have an explanation for why movies take so long to be available to rent? It is so frustrating to see DVDs to buy but not to rent. I want to rent Catching Fire, which was released in 2013 and it is only available to buy. Grrrrrr!

Pam

 

Hi,
Thanks for your show, we cut the cord about 3 years ago and finding new shows has probably been the hardest part to get used to! Your show has helped me in this regard quite a few times. I wanted to pass along a show I stumbled upon in Netflix that I am in love with! It’s called An Idiot Abroad, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it because know one in my immediate circle seems to love it as much as I do, I want to see if I’m weird, if Brian likes it then I’m legit!

Take care,

Melanie

 

You guys have to give Manhattan (on WGN America, Hulu, iTunes) a try. Wife and I love this show. Fascinating drama about the time period and the science with the A bomb. Purchased the season on iTunes and look forward to it every Monday. Just got renewed for a second season.

Jon

 

Links

patreon.com/cordkillers
Dog House Systems Cordkiller box

DTNS 2347 – Tom Buys an Orange with Apple Pay

Logo by Mustafa Anabtawi thepolarcat.comIyaz Akhtar is back today and we’ll talk about the launch of Apple Pay, how it works in the real world, and what we bought with it.

MP3

Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.

Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.

A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the headlines music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Today’s guest: Iyaz Akhtar, senior associate editor CNET, podcasting on The GFQ Network

Headlines

iOS8.1 came out today which brings back the camera roll, enables handoffs of text and phone calls to OSX Yosemite and enables Apple Pay. The payment system is set up in the Passbook settings and does not store credit card info but creates tokens that are used to identify the phone’s owner. Near-field Communication is used to transfer the token to a credit card terminal that then conducts the transaction entirely with the bank. Personal information is not stored on the phone. 220,000 locations in the US can now accept Apple Pay as well as many apps.

Android Police reports that a forthcoming update for the Gmail app in Android 5.0 Lollipop, will be able to handle email accounts from other providers like Yahoo and Outlook. Users will be able to swipe the screen between accounts or choose them from a dropdown menu once setup. The accounts will still be separate from the user’s Google account so no forwarding or Pop access setup will be necessary.

The Verge’s sources confirm a Forbes report that Microsoft will launch its own wearable fitness band within the next few weeks. In fact sources say it will be stocked in time for sale during the holidays. While it will tell time the device will focus on fitness tracking things like steps, heart rate, and calories burned. It will also supposedly support Windows Phone iOS and Android.

Gigaom reports that Spotify has announced a family plan option, offering up to four extra accounts at a 50% discount. The accounts are under one billing statement, but each family member gets their own Spotify account, so no more confusing muddling of your listening history, recommendations and playlists. Existing accounts can be linked under the new plan. Spotify says the new feature will roll out globally over the coming weeks. “Family” could mean co-workers, roommates and/or chatrealmers, right? When you listen, you’re family!

The BBC reports 40,000 esports fans filled Seoul’s World Cup stadium to watch the 2014 League of Legends World Championship this weekend between the Star Horn Royal Club from China and Samsung White..Thousands more around the world filled up movie theaters to watch the match. For the record Samsung White beat the Star Horn Royal Club to win one million dollars.

 

 

 

News From You

KAPT_Kipper passed along the Gigaom report that IBM is reportedly paying a company Global Foundries 1.5 Billion dollars, but NOT to acquire them. Instead Global Foundries would take over IBM’s commercial chip-making unit, which had been losing up to $1.5 a year. IBM missed sales and profit expectations for the most recent quarter and earned a profit of $3.68 per share, which was 14 percent below the $4.32 that had been expected.

metalfreak submitted the slashdot posting that OS X Yosemite sends a lot of data back to Apple and there does not seem to be a way to shut it off. A GitHub repository says it “provides a corpus of network communications automatically sent to Apple by OSX Yosemite.” Among the info sent is when the user selects “About this Mac” and search terms entered in Safari, no matter what search engine is selected as default. It’s unclear if all privacy options were selected in the OS and what the network communication might be used for.

evilninja01 tipped us off to a stopthecap.com posting claiming South Korea is about to get 10 Gbps broadband. Digital Trends reports Sk Broadband was set to unveil the service at the 2014 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference today. The service could transfer 1 GB of data on0.8 seconds. Of course there’s no word when the service will actually be available to customers. Bell Labs showed off 10 Gbps over copper wire in July. South Korea has an average Internet connection speed of 24.6Mbps, ahead of No. 2 Hong Kong with 15.7 Mbps. No wonder they’re so good at esports.

Erniev23 flagged us to a Guardian report that The Twelfth Doctor has a new mission: teach children to code. A new “Doctor Who” online game debuts Wednesday October 22nd on the CBBC website, and includes voice narration by Peter Capaldi, who portrays the current incarnation on television. The free web game is aimed at children 6-12, using puzzles based on programming concepts to help The Doctor rebuild a Dalek.

And another quick note from Metalfreak. Looks like the ChromeOS devs have changed their mind on EXT2/3/4 file support. NetworkingWorld reports the team changed its mind and plans to re-enable ext2/3/4 support in Files.app immediately. They say “It will come back, just like it was before, and we’re working to get it into the next stable channel release.”

Discussion Links: Apple Pay in the Wild

http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/20/ios-8-1-with-apple-pay-now-available-heres-what-else-it-brings-to-your-iphone-and-ipad/?ncid=rss

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2014/10/20/apple-pay/17612285/

http://blogs.wsj.com/riskandcompliance/2014/10/20/why-apple-pay-faces-lighter-compliance-than-paypal-google/

http://9to5mac.com/2014/10/20/ios-8-1-apple-pay-icloud-photo-library-continuity/

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-10-20/apple-pay-is-too-anonymous-for-panera-starbucks-and-other-retailers

Pick of the Day: Raspberry Pi w/ XMBC

I know I’m a little late on this, but I’m just catching up on the podcasts this week. I wouldn’t normally dredge up stories mentioned six days ago. However, I’ve been in search of the best HTPC solution for almost a decade. I’ve tried and owned everything, Roku, Apple TV, Google TV, Chromecast, and of course simply hooking my PC up to my TV. The BEST solution though came in unlikely package, it was a Raspberry Pi with XMBC. Obviously a PC is the best solution, but computers are big, loud, hot, and expensive and when it comes to the UI it can be a bit clunky. The Raspberry Pi w/ XMBC (RaspBMC is the official name) gives you all the power and ports you need in an affordable package. I’ve got a Panasonic Viera smart TV’s in the house, so you simply hook the Pi to the TV via HDMI, and it automatically integrates with the TV remote. It’s a little long winded but this video goes into all the details:

This is my first time writing in, but I just had to share this solution because I never hear it mentioned and it’s so incredibly brilliant. You can run 1080p video, with all the features of XMBC, all from an affordable Raspberry Pi that has such a tiny footprint. Hope you find this as interesting as I did.

Plug of the week: Exterminite!

DTNS artist in residence Len Peralta has a new comic out that’s burning up the charts on Amazon. It’s called Exterminite about a company that can go into your dreams and exterminate your nightmares. Check it out!

Tuesday’s guest: Patrick Beja, podcasteur extraordinaire

Today in Tech History – Oct. 19, 2014

20140404-073853.jpgIn 1832 – Samuel Morse first conceived of the electric telegraph system. At least he said later this was the day he first thought of it.

In 1941 – The Smith-Putnam Wind Turbine first fed AC power to the electric grid on Grandpa’s Knob in Castleton, Vermont, becoming the first wind machine to do so. The 1.25 MW turbine operated for 1100 hours before a blade failed.

In 1973 – The Atanasoff-Berry Computer finally got its due. US Federal Judge Earl R. Larson signed his decision that the ENIAC patent was invalid and named Atanasoff the inventor of the electronic digital computer. But ENIAC still incorrectly gets the credit from many to this day.

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Subscribe to the podcast. Like Tech History? Get Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.

DTNS 2345 – 5K for $2.5K

Logo by Mustafa Anabtawi thepolarcat.comAndrea Smith joins us as we review what Apple announced today from Retina iMac to iPad Air 2 and more.

MP3

Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.

Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.

A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the headlines music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Apple took an hour and 20 minutes this morning to let the press and its fans know the following: iOS8.1 is coming Monday and Apple Pay will launch with it. OS X Yosemite is available today along with a new iWorks Suite. WatchKit for devs is coming in November. The iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 are available for preorders tomorrow, shipping next week. It’s 6.1 mm thin, adds TouchID an A8X processor, M* motion coprocessor, better cameras and silver, space grey and gold colors from $499 to $829. The iPad Mini 3 has TouchID and space grey, silver and gold as well. A new iMac ships today for $2499. It’s 27-inches with a 5120 x 2880 resolution display. And the Mac Mini got a spec bump and a price drop to $499.

One thing not announced in the 82 minutes of one-liners that were the Apple press conference today was a new multi-carrier SIM. TechCrunch notes the Apple website says LTE-equipped models of the iPad Air 2 have an Apple SIM that lets owners use short term plans across a variety of carriers in the US and UK. The list includes AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint in the US, and EE in the UK.

ReCode reports Facebook is adding a check-in feature for use during natural disasters, called Safety Check. The idea is to let friends and family know you are safe. If a diaster happens, Safety Check will send a push notification asking if a user is safe. Then the user can check a list of friends and family to see who else has checked in. The feature is active for all 1.3 billion users worldwide.

The Guardian reports anonymous messaging service Whisper is not as anonymous as they have claimed. The company continues to track location by IP address even if geolocation has been turned off. The Guardian claims all data since the launch of the service is stored, even though Whisper says it will only store data for a brief period. Whisper has shared user data with the US Department of Dense, FBI and MI5 and appears to have a lower legal threshold for doing so according to its terms of service. Whisper told the Guardian it “does not follow or track users.”

TechCrunch reports Osmo, an iPad game device not only raided $12 million in Series A funding but will be made available in 284 Apple stores in the US and Canada. The company was founded by Pramod Sharma, who helped build Google’s book-scanning machine, and Jérôme Scholler, who worked on Chrome for Android. The game includes a reflective cameras that attaches to the iPad, a stand, and game tiles in various shapes and letters. The game can recognize the tiles and incorporate them into the games.

The Verge reports Will. i. am unveiled a wrist device called the Puls. While it tells time it also can connect by 3G on its own to make calls and access online services. It mirrors an existing SIM card so you can use the same phone number as your cell phone. It can also pair with wearable batteries for extended life. It will be available in black, white, pink, blue, solid gold, and solid gold with diamonds. No pricing or release date was announced.

PC World reports Lenovo will create a new subsidiary company in order to attack the fast-growing consumer mobile device market in China. Lenovo didn’t use the word Xiaomi in its statement. Lenovo’s new company will focus on “close customer engagement” and have an “Internet-based business model.” But again. They did not use the word Xiaomi or anything that rhymed with it.

Remember how TwitPic was asked to change its name by Twitter, so it announced it was shutting down and then it said it found a buyer so it wouldn’t shut down? Well that was wrong. It couldn’t find a buyer and it is shutting down October 25th. Unless– I don’t know– You wanna buy it?

News From You:

gadgetvirtuoso and spheridan both submitted reports from Gizmodo and iMore that CBS launched an Internet-only service today called CBS All Access for $6 a month through CBS.com and the CBS mobile apps. Subscribers full seasons of 15 prime time series after they air as well as past seasons of 8 popular series. It also includes access to classic TV shows. Subscribers who are in one of 14 markets where CBS owns the local station can watch live streams. That includes New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis, Miami, Denver, Sacramento, Pittsburgh and Baltimore. One exception to the live stream is NFL games.

TheLazyOne pointed out a TorrentFreak report on a new study out of Australia that 74% of 12-7 year-olds do not download copyright-infringing materials online. That said, the ones doing the pirating are also spending more money. 69% pay to see movies at the cinema. Among the non-pirates, the figure is just 49%. And 46% of the scofflaws buy movies and TV shows from iTunes compared to 29% of the law-abiding crowd. Teens were the least likely to pirate with piracy rates increasing as Australians aged. Overall piracy rose from 25% of Australisn to 29%. The study was commissioned by the IP Awareness Foundation which counts the MPA, Foxtel and other key industry players among its members.

Discussion Links:

iOS 8.1 is coming on Monday, will bring Apple Pay and Continuity support

Apple releasing OS X Yosemite to the public today for free | Ars Technica

Apple’s iPad Air 2 Is Thinner, Faster, And Has Touch ID | TechCrunch

Apple reveals the 27-inch iMac with Retina Display starting at $2,499

Mac mini: Apple unveils an updated miniature Mac priced from $499 | The Verge

Microsoft’s next Build conference starts April 29th with Windows 10 on the agenda

AnandTech | An Introduction to Semiconductor Physics, Technology, and Industry

Mobile Technology Fact Sheet | Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project

Tomorrow’s guest: Mary-Jo Foley, Microsoft watcher at ZDNet

Cordkillers Ep. 40 – I love you for the conditions we are in

Nielsen is inaccurate but HOW inaccurate? Also whether Amazon should join Ultraviolet. 

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CordKillers: Ep. 40 – I love you for the conditions we are in
Recorded: October 13, 2014
Guest: Derrick Chen

Intro Video 

Primary Target

Signal Intelligence

Gear Up

Front Lines

Under Surveillance

On our Radar

  • Young Ones
  • -YOUNG ONES is set in a near future when water has become the most precious and dwindling resource on the planet, one that dictates everything from the macro of political policy to the detailed micro of interpersonal family and romantic relationships

Dispatches from the Front

Just listened and wanted to point out that in the conversation about Kevin Smith Brian called Tusk a bomb /flop /don’t remember. However since he’s obviously a Smith podcast listener he probably knows but didn’t think about it, but Kevin has really moved away from the traditional money making methods in favor of more musician styled.

I don’t know for sure about the financing of the movie, but if it’s anything like the Super Groovy Cartoon Movie it’s probably mostly self financed. I know he’s planning on touring it to theaters with live performances, so ticket sales will hopefully make up the “traditional rocket sales” loss.

For example Super Groovy cost $69,000 to make, and was never really released to theaters. But with the tour it was paid for in the first few shows, and while I don’t know exactly what it brought in from what he’s said in podcasts I believe it’s something on the order of five million. Think of the pure profit from that with none of the marketing overhead.

It’s work, yes, but almost his own version of crowd funding… Think of it as interactive Patreon. Possibly something like that could be a vehicle for other well known creators to pay for projects they want to do but can’t get a green light.

-Derek in Chattanooga

PS. Brian is completely right, Myst was the streaming pile that Seventh Guest stepped over on its way to level ‘Awesome’ 

 

 

Hey Brian and Tom,

I’m the science teacher in Taylor whose email yall read on the last episode about Netflix offering channels that streamed the same content to everyone at the same time. I was working my Saturday part time job with Austin Moonwalks (Brian: hit me up if you want a deal for one of the girl’s birthdays!) when I heard it and about flipped out. Thanks guys, it was awesome to hear yall talk about it. I don’t expect you to revisit it on the show, but just to clarify: I think I overstated how much I cared about the “communal” experience of watching what everyone else was watching. I didn’t mean for that to be the main focus. That was more of a side-effect. For me, its more about the giving-up of control that I need. For example:

My favorite TV show growing up was Star Trek The Next Generation. I watched it at 9pm every night on FOX 42. (Do you remember before it was KEYE, Brian?). I didn’t get to decide what episode I watched. I watched whatever came on: good or bad, whether I liked it or not. Because THAT was the one that was on, and there was nothing I could do about it. Now, I have every episode of the series at my disposal, but I can’t pick one out to watch. It’s impossible! I even devised a randomizing system to pick one out for me, but even that didn’t quite work because I could still stop and change it if there was a part I didn’t like.

It’s not just TV shows. Do you guys remember before DVRs, just going through the channels and happening on a movie that you liked? Maybe you even had it on DVD or VHS, but hadn’t watched it in years. You could have pulled it out anytime and watched it, but you hadn’t and probably wouldn’t for years to come. But there was something about it being ON TV that made you stop changing channels and watch the whole thing.

That’s the feeling I’m talking about. Watching and ENJOYING something by chance, because that’s what was on, and there was nothing you could do about it.

If Netflix had a Sci-Fi “channel”, it could play movies, TV shows, or even documentaries (all of which came from what Netflix already has), and you could just put it on and watch what was there (knowing that other people were watching it too). Maybe I’d come across a TV show I never would have watched or a good movie I hadn’t seen in a long time and never would have picked-out even if it were suggested. If I don’t like what’s one the Sci-Fi station, I can click on the comedy station and see what’s there.

I guess some might call this “vegging out,” but that’s exactly what I need to do sometimes.

Anyway, sorry to write so much. Just wanted to make sure you understood what I meant, whether you agree or not.

-Andy (better known by 11 year olds as Mr. Morris)

 

 

Hey Brian and Tom,

I was listening to this week’s show and I had an idea. When you discuss the number of “bosses” you have and how to support the show on Patreon, I think you should call the segment “The TPS Report” (Total Patreon Supporters). You could do it with or without a fancy bumper since Tom usually leads in with a factoid from the relevant year but what will he do when you pass 2014 bosses after all? 🙂 Maybe a running gag about new cover sheets would be in order? Just a thought and I am also one of your bosses!

Thanks,

Tony Sheler
Albany, OR

 

 

Brian said a few times in the last episode that the chromecast is ‘open’. I’ve looked into developing for the chromecast and I want to say it definitely is not. If you want to make your app chromecastable you need to have your application approved and your application signing key signed by google. And there’s no way around this. It’s not like Android where you can check the ‘unknown sources’ box and do whatever you want. It is totally controlled.

This may be why the firefox stick could be better. If it’s truly open you may see things available there that you will never see on chromecast. Particularly I’m thinking porn and piracy apps like popcorn time, or even legally grey apps like grooveshark (an app which google has just banned from chromecast see http://thenextweb.com/apps/2014/09/09/grooveshark-longer-supports-chromecast-following-riaa-claim-infringes-artists-copyright ). That freedom and real openness might be just enough to give the firefox dongle an edge.

Clint Armstrong

Links

patreon.com/cordkillers
Dog House Systems Cordkiller box