Search Results for "september 21"

Michael Wolf joins us as the world downloads iOS8 and deletes all their pet photos to make room. Plus we’ll discuss whether the Apple Watch is too dependent on the iPhone.

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 and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Today’s guest:  Michael Wolf of the NextMarket podcast and the Smart Home Show

Headlines

Feel that? That’s the feeling of almost an entire week of factual coverage of Apple products coming to an end. As iOS 8 rolls out and the IPhone 6 reviews have all been posted, people familiar with the matter have wasted no time slipping out the latest Apple rumor. The Daily Dot is the vector stating Apple will announce two new iPads and launch OS X Yosemite on October 21st.

GigaOm reports BitTorrent opened up the alpha test of its secure messaging app Bleep Wednesday. Apps for OS X and Android were released as well as an update of the existing Windows client. Bleep offers end-to-end encryption for instant messages as well as a number of features that make it difficult to determine which users are communicating with each other.

The Verge reports Logitech announced the ‘Harmony Living Home’ line of remotes. The three new models and have more intuitive software to help you control certain brands of connected thermostats lightbulbs, blinds, smart locks and your home theater. The remotes start at $99 and range up to the $349 Ultimate Home remote that has a 2.4 inch display. It also allows you to customize ‘experiences’ to occur when you wake up, or when an in-law is yelling at you. Oh wait. They don’t have that last button– yet.

According to Reuters, the online review site Yelp, and mobile app developer TinyCo have both agreed to settle separate charges that they improperly collected children’s information online under the Children’s Online Protection Act. Yelp will pay a $450,000 civil penalty for collecting name, email and location information from children under 13 without parental consent; TinyCo will pay $300,000 for targeting young children with brightly colored characters in apps which also collected email addresses from children.

And The Verge reports that Chinese mobile phone company ZTE has a new phablet for sale in the US starting September 24th. The ZMax is exclusive to TMobile, runs on Android 4.4 KitKat and features a 5.7-inch display with 720p resolution, an 8-megapixel camera, quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and 16GB of internal storage. The ZMax sells for $252, or $10.50 per month for 24 months. Says the Verge, “The ZMax isn’t a striking phone” but hey, maybe we all need a break from those big fancy phablets with their fancy chamfered edges and cuved backs and whatnot.

News From You

KAPT_Kipper pointed out the NASA post that the US space agency have granted contracts to Boeing and SpaceEx to carry crew into space. Each contractor will conduct manned test mission to gain certification then carry out 2-6 crewed missions to the ISS. And it turns out Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin got in on a little of Boeing’s money. United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed will team up with Blue Origin with ULA building capsules and Blue Origin building BE-4 rockets to launch them. The goal of NASA’s program is to end reliance on Russia by 2017.

the_corley posted an R&D Mag story that researchers at the University of Missouri have created a long-lasting efficient nuclear battery that could be used in automobiles and space flight as described in a research published in Nature. Don’t let the nuclear scare you. associate professor if electrictal and computer engineering and nuclear engineering Jae W. Kwon says this is similar to technology already used in fire detectors and exit signs. The battery uses strontium-90 in a water-based solution with a titanium dioxide electrode. In other words, a liquid that doesn’t freeze easily that outs out efficient electricity.

matalfreak and diggsalot both noticed articles on the Cosmos Browser which transfers data over SMS. This is very useful for users who can’t afford a phone with a data plan. Developer Stefan Aleksic of ColdSauce developed the text-only browser which texts URLs to a Twilio number which forwards it to a Node.JS service that gets the HTML, strips it of everything but the text, compresses it and sends it along as as series of SMS messages. The browser receives the messages decompresses them and displays the text. The code is open soruce and targeted at Android devices. Look for the Cosmos Browser from ColdSauce on GitHub.

Discussion Links:

http://blog.nextmarket.co/post/97743589899/apple-watchs-biggest-problem-is-the-iphone

http://research.gigaom.com/report/flash-analysis-first-impressions-of-the-apple-watch/flash-survey-analysis/

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20140909204146-6139636-the-battle-for-the-phone-agnostic-smartwatch-is-still-wide-open-post-apple-watch?trk=prof-post

http://www.zdnet.com/apple-rolls-out-ios-8-to-iphone-ipad-users-heres-how-to-get-it-7000033693/

https://gigaom.com/2014/09/17/meta-review-iphone-6-iphone-6-plus/

Plug of the Day:  ‘Events of a Different Nature‘ by Tom Merritt

I want to let you know I have a new self-published book out called ‘Events of A Different Nature.’ It’s about two dogs who solve crimes. NOW WAIT. It’s not nearly as cute as it may sound. It’s more Raymond Chandler than Wind in the Willows and they never once admit that they’re dogs or in any way inferior to humans. So if you want to check it out you can find a free version as well as print and versions for various ebook platforms at tommerrittbooks.com

Pick of the Day: 

You where talking about prepaid sims and other international data options. I was doing some research the other day and found a 3G hotspot solution that cost $10 a day for unlimited data and supported in over 40 countries. The service is called skyroam at www.skyroam.com might be worth taking a look at for the data hog on the go.

Derrick writes: “I wanted to also throw out Tep Wireless as another option when travelling abroad. They offer 3G mobile hotspots and cover a good portion of the world. I always use it on my trips to Europe, paying about $6-7 for 150MB/day (unused data is rolled over). They can ship it or you can pick/drop off at airports so it’s really convenient. It’s a great option if you don’t need phone/SMS and only need data. Plus you can attach as many devices as you want to it.

Tomorrow’s guest: Peter Wells of Reckoner, Australia

Patrick Beja is with us today and we’ll discuss whether or not Microsoft buying Mojang is good for anyone– or everyone.

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 and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Today’s guest:  Patrick Beja, host of Le Rendez-vous Tech, and DTNS contributor

Headlines

Microsoft announced this morning that it is in fact acquiring the makers of Minecraft, Mojang for $2.5 billion. On Xbox.com, Microsoft’s Phil Spencer wrote that the company plans to continue to make Minecraft available across competing platforms. Mojang cofounders Notch aka Markus Persson Carl Manneh and Jakob Porser will not stay with the company. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year.

It’s the Monday after a new iPhone went on sale, which means it’s time for Apple to announce how the sales broke records and outran their supplies– causing delays in shipments. CNET reports Apple announced Monday that first day preorders of the new iPhones topped 4 million in the first 24 hours setting a record and outpacing initial supplies causing shipping delays until October.

GigaOm reports Google announced new manufacturers of entry-level Android One devices as the first round handsets go on sale in India. Android One devices are affordably priced and must minimum standards like a 4.5-inch screen and a 5-megapixel camera. Google helps source parts to keep costs down as well as striking deals with carriers for some free data for Android updates and app downloads. Monday saw the Micromax Canvas A1, the Spice Dream Uno and the Karbonn Sparkle V all around 6400 Rupees or $105. Acer, Alcatel, Asus, HTC, Intex, Lava, Lenovo, Panasonic and Xolo are all on board for future Android One devices. The next wave of rollouts will expand to Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka by the end of the year.

Remember the good old days of last week, when Apple gave everyone with an iTunes account a free album from one of the world’s biggest rock bands to promote the iPhone 6? Remember how much people complained because a free album was automatically downloaded to their devices without their permission? According to the BBC, Apple has now given users a special tool to remove U2’s ‘Songs of Innocence’ available at itunes.com/soi-remove. Also, this is why we can’t have nice things.

The Verge reminds us today, September 15th is the last day to file responses to comments regarding the US FCC’s proposed Open Internet Guidelines. The FCC press secretary announced that over 3 million comments have come in. The Sunlight Foundation analyzed 800,000 earlier comments and found that around two-thirds of them asked the FCC to reclassify broadband, while about 5 percent opposed tighter regulations. After comments close tonight, the FCC will use them to decide on a final proposal, which Wheeler hopes to pass by the end of 2014.

News From You

Cosmicvibes posted an Inquisitr story about Comcast threatening to disconnect Tor users, but an Ars Technica story quotes Comcast spokesperson Charlie Douglas saying “This story is wildly inaccurate. Customers are free to use their Xfinity Internet service to visit any website or use it however they wish otherwise.” Douglas added “”We have found no evidence that these conversations took place.” VP of Internet communications and engineering at Comcast Jason Livingood wrote in a blog post today “Our customers can use Tor at any time, as I have myself.” Not the usual Comcast apology and backtracking we’ve seen lately.

habichuelacondulce submitted a Time Magazine report about the Chinese city of Chongqing, which has come up with a way to remind its 28 million residents about the dangers of looking down at their phones while walking. The city used white paint to divide the sidewalks of its entertainment district into two lanes–one for people walking while using cell phones, and one for all the other people. A Chinese official said the markings were designed to protect elderly people and children from unnecessary collisions, but clarified that the initiative was designed to be satirical.

KAPT_Kipper submitted the TechCrunch article about Netflix finally launching in France. Patrick you can subscribe for €7.99 per month, €8.99 per month with HD streaming and 2 simultaneous streams, and €11.99 for 4K streaming and four simultaneous streams. The selection is thin at launch even missing House of Cards whose French rights are held by Canal+.

spsheridan posted the PC World story about research published in the journal Nature Materials on Sunday challenging the notion that slowly charging a battery and preventing fast discharges help prolong battery life. The researchers led by Stanford’s William Chueh, found the evenness of the charging, not the speed is the key factor and could increase the useful life of a battery from a couple years to a decade. They also could use their findings to allow faster discharging without damage. The researchers are engaging in further experiment to simulate typical use and are in talks with electronics companies.

KAPT_Kipper passes along an Ars Technica writeup of some fine original reporting by Vox Media’s Tim Lee analyzing the impact of the Supreme Court’s ruling on patents back in June. Since that decision, there have been eleven federal judicial rulings striking down patents as “abstract” which is a high number according to Ars Technica. The list only highlights patents that have lost under Section 101 of the US patent law, which governs when a patent is an “abstract idea” that can’t be patented.Many of the patents being knocked out are “do it on a computer” patents that take everyday activity and add computer jargon. Check out Tim Lee’s article for the full list of decisions.

Discussion Links: Microsoft and Mojang to marry

https://gigaom.com/2014/09/15/microsoft-pays-2-5b-for-minecraft-as-notch-makes-his-game-exit/

http://www.cnet.com/news/microsoft-to-buy-minecraft-maker-mojang/#ftag=CAD590a51e

http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/15/6151941/minecraft-mojang-notch-goodbye-letter

http://news.xbox.com/2014/09/games-minecraft-to-join-microsoft

https://mojang.com/2014/09/yes-were-being-bought-by-microsoft/

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/minecraft-to-join-microsoft-275112831.html

http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-buys-mojang-minecraft-five-reasons-it-makes-strategic-sense-7000033640/

Plug of the Day:  ‘Events of a Different Nature‘ by Tom Merritt

I want to let you know I have a new self-published book out called ‘Events of A Different Nature.’ It’s about two dogs who solve crimes. NOW WAIT. It’s not nearly as cute as it may sound. It’s more Raymond Chandler than Wind in the Willows and they never once admit that they’re dogs or in any way inferior to humans. So if you want to check it out you can find a free version as well as print and versions for various ebook platforms at tommerrittbooks.com

Pick of the Day: Digital offerings from the public library via DonkeyHotey

Your public library has audio books and ebooks for free. Just go in to the library and sign up. They give you credentials and voila you have access to countless books. My local library is part of the OverDrive lending system. It works great for me.

Tomorrow’s guest: Andrea Smith

Patrick Beja and Nicole Spagnuolo fill in for Tom and talk Yelp laws and disappearing Facebook posts.

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 and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

The Next Web reports that Facebook has begun testing a new feature for its iPhone app that allows users to set an expiration date on posts, anywhere from one hour to seven days. Facebook told The Next Web that this is a pilot program, and that expired posts could take 90 days to delete from Facebook’s servers. The Verge chimes in with what seems to be the most pressing question: What kind of information would you want to share with EVERYONE YOU KNOW, but only for one hour?

ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley reports that two German sites have posted 20 screenshots of what looks to be a leaked build of Windows Threshold. The pictures show off a new ‘mini’ Start Menu, and the ability to run Metro-Style/Modern apps in windows on the Desktop. ComputerWorld says the pix reveal an operating system that “could go a long way towards making desktop users happy with Windows again.”

The Next Web reports that Blackberry announced that is buying Movirtu (Mow-veer-too), a UK startup that allows multiple phone numbers to be active on a single device. Movirtu’s Virtual SIM platform allows separate billing for voice, data and messaging on each number, allowing employees to switch between business and personal profiles without carrying multiple devices or SIM cards, and allowing for separate charges to be billed to the company and the employee.  Said all employees everywhere…thanks ALOT, Movirtu.

Engadget reports LG has announced that its first two curved 4k OLED televisions will go on sale in the United States very soon. The 65-inch version will ship in October, with a retail price of $10,000 dollars. The 77-inch model will arrive in November at “select retailers” and cost $25,000 dollars. And while you’re catching your breath, LG announced that there’s a 105-inch Ultra HD TV coming in November for the low low price of $100,000 dollars. If you’re willing to sacrifice a few inches, there’s a 98-inch version for $40,000.

Recode reports that Apple has not yet set a release date for the new iPhone 6 in China, the world’s biggest smartphone market. When the iPhone 5s and 5c were released, China was a part of the first wave of countries that received the phone. Chinese media speculated that Apple had not yet received routine certification from Chinese regulators. Said Apple? “China is a key market for us and we will get there as soon as possible.”

The Next Web reports that the state of California has passed a law preventing businesses in the state from penalizing customers who write bad reviews about their properties. The law bans businesses from enforcing non-disparagement clauses in their customer contracts. California businesses could face fines up to $10,000 for violating the new law. We’ll talk more about this in our discussion section.

And this one goes out to all you Australian music fans out there. TorrentFreak reports on new research from Spotify that says music piracy via BitTorrents has decreased in that country by twenty percent since Spotify launched there in 2012. The drop was mostly driven by casual file-sharers; Spotify says the number of hard-core pirates remains stable.

Wondering whether yesterday’s Internet Slow Down Day had any effect? PC World reports that there were 286,000 calls made to US Congressional offices and the White House yesterday, and the US FCC registered more than 111,000 new comments regarding its proposed guidelines. Activist group Fight of the Future says that number might be even higher — claiming it received more than five hundred thousand FCC comments via its site. The numerical discrepancy may be due to the FCC’s overworked servers. And The Verge reports that comments on the US FCC’s proposed net neutrality rules have now surpassed comments on the infamous Janet Jackson ‘nip slip’ during 2004’s Superbowl Halftime Show. Good job internet!

News From You:

FranzGames submitted a report from Circa that a coalition of tech companies including Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Tumblr, and Yahoo sent a letter to the US Congress on September 9th, asking lawmakers to pass the Email Privacy Act. The Act would update the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 to require federal law enforcement agencies to get a a warrant if they want to read an email or force a service to disclose a user’s location. The process to update the bill has been delayed by lawmakers’ attempts to add other provisions to the legislation.

ccastro425 submitted this gigaom report that Google will extend its “Try Before You Buy” refund window from 15 minutes to two hours. So if you think you can read the Merck Veterinary Manual in two hours, you’ve just saved yourself $49 dollars and 95 cents! Think you can memorize the 5 Minute Sports Medicine App in 2 hours? Boom. You just saved 99 bucks.

MacBytes passes along a Verge Report that NASA will begin shooting laser pulses at earth from the International Space Station. Before you head to the bunker, it turns out the laser pulses are an attempt to determine the amount of carbon being stored by earth’s forests. Project GEDI, which stands for Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation, would send out up to 16 billion laser pulses a year to make a 3-D map of the forests. The laser light show is expected to launch to the ISS in 2018.

Plug of the day: It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for a great column by Molly Wood on nytimes.com. This week Molly writes about The Apple Watch, and how Apple has passed the burden of discovering the killer app for the watch to developers. And that, says Molly, is a good thing. Check it out!

Pick of the day: Asana project management platform via Elliott Kieff

Hello Jennie, and amazing guest hosts:

Asana.com is a project management online platform meant for companies to work through projects, collaborate, and organize. The creators of Asana are Dustin Moskovitz(Co founder of Facebook) and Justin Rosenstein. Now I do not use this for work but rather all the projects I have being a home owner and car enthusiast . When doing a full restoration on my Datsun I can keep track of progress, ordering of parts, and completed tasks. The best part about Asana is its free. Just login and start a project. Love the shows.

Your DTNS and Cordkillers Boss, Elliott

Tomorrow’s co-host: It’s hak5 takeover day! Shannon Morse and Darren Kitchen take over DTNS, and Len Peralta will be here to illustrate the headlines.

 

 

 

Scott Johnson, Veronica Belmont and Allison Sheridan  fill in for Tom on vacation and talk all about Apple’s  big day.

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 and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

As expected, Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the Apple Watch today. It’s a rounded rectangular smartwatch with a sapphire crystal display. The watch needs to pair with an iPhone. In addition to a touchscreen, the Apple Watch includes a “digital crown,” a small dial on the side of the watchface which is used to scroll through a list or zoom in on a map. Pressing the crown jumps you back to the home screen. The watch knows when you’re raising your wrist to look at it and activates the screen. The device measures force and provides haptic feedback through a “Taptic Engine”. A Digital Touch feature lets you ping friends, draw on the touch screen and share your heart beat. Sensors on the back of the watch track your pulse. There are six different interchangeable watch bands and three different ‘lines’: Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and an 18k gold Apple Watch Edition. The watch supports iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5C and iPhone 5. Apple Watch starts at $349 dollars and will go on sale in early 2015.

Apple also revealed two new smartphones with larger displays — the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. Both devices are also thinner–the iPhone 6 measures 6.9mm–the Plus is 7.1mm. The larger phones feature higher resolution, and a landscape mode for the home screen, similar to the ipad. Under the hood there’s a new A8 processor– a 64-bit chip that features 2 billion transistors and up to 25 percent faster CPU performance, with 50% faster graphics performance, according to Apple. The 16GB iPhone 6 will cost $199, 64GB will cost you $299, and there’s a new 128GB version at $399 — all with a two-year contract. The new phones are coming to US and 8 other countries September 19th, and are available for pre-order September 12.

Apple ALSO unveiled Apple Pay, an NFC payment feature for the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and the Apple Watch. It will launch in October as a free update to iOS 8, and it will be supported by 220,000 merchants that already support contactless payments. Apple Pay uses near field communication, along with a new chip called the Secure Element that stores payment information in an encrypted, secure fashion. All transactions will be conducted with a one-time code that doesn’t transfer personal shopping information to Apple (or credit card information to individual cashiers), and payments can also be immediately suspended by using Find My iPhone.

Home Depot confirmed that its payment security system was breached in a malware attack, similar to an attack on Target in 2013. Home Depot says the breach may have begun in April, and could affect purchases in all 2,200 US Home Depot stores. Home Depot says pin numbers were not stolen, but Brian Krebs of KrebsonSecurity reports that Home Depot customers credit and debit card numbers are for sale online, including the cardholder’s full name and the city, state and zip code of the Home Depot where they made a purchase.

Amazon announced it’s bringing its Prime Instant Video streaming service to all Android phones in the U.S., U.K. and Germany. Users will be able to shop from their phones and have access to the “tens of thousands” of TV shows and movies currently available on the Prime Instant Video service. It’s a little complicated to install though–users will have to download and install the main Amazon app, then go into the app and use in-app tools to download and install the Amazon Instant Video player app. You’ll also need to enable a setting on your phone that permits you to install apps from “unknown sources” – meaning locations beyond the official Google Play store. But hey, Amazon videos on Android!

News From You: 

anotherjmartin posted the top vote-getter in the subreddit today: Ars Technica reports that AT&T and Verizon have asked the US FCC *not* to change its definition of broadband from 4 megabits per second to 10 megabits per second. The FCC periodically raises its definition of what internet service can be considered broadband. In a recent filing, AT&T claimed 10 megabits per second “exceeds what many Americans need today to enable basic, high-quality transmissions.” The lobbying organization for US cable companies also filed in support of the “it’s good enough, please don’t make us upgrade our infrastructure” position. The FCC is also considering whether cellular service can qualify as a “functional equivalent for fixed broadband.”

lionelhaverford submitted this little gem about the perils of branding. The Verge reports that Microsoft made a $400 million dollar deal with the NFL so that the Surface could be “The Official Tablet of the NFL“, which is why you saw Drew Brees reviewing plays on the tablets this past Sunday. Just one problem: Fox’s announcers, who are not a part of the deal, kept calling the Microsoft tablets i-pads or “these iPad-like tools.” To which Mr. Spacely responded, “JETSON!!!!”

Discussion Links: Apple Day!

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/09/apple-reveals-long-rumored-apple-watch/

http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/09/apple-unveils-the-4-7-inch-iphone-6/?ncid=rss_truncated

http://gigaom.com/2014/09/09/apple-intros-a8-chip-because-bigger-iphones-need-more-horsepower/

http://gigaom.com/2014/09/09/apples-live-stream-stumbles-fails-amid-huge-demand/

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/09/with-apple-watch-a-naming-tradition-ends/

http://recode.net/2014/09/09/what-we-still-dont-know-about-the-apple-watch-and-apple-pay/

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/09/us-apple-launch-u2-album-idUSKBN0H42ED20140909?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologyNews

http://techcrunch.com/2014/09/09/the-iphone-6-and-apple-watch-keynote-video-is-now-available-for-replay/?ncid=rss

http://techcrunch.com/2014/09/09/apples-new-iphones-get-dslr-like-camera-features/?ncid=rss

 

Pick of the day: Tim’s Vermeer via Lisa Boban

Usually the pick of the day is a piece of tech,an app or website. But I’d like to suggest a documentary that appealed to me as a geek. “Tim’s Vermeer” follows inventor Tim Jenison as he attempts to discover and recreate the technology which may account for the ability of Johannes Vermeer to create paintings with stunning color accuracy. Art and Technology are shown as complementary disciplines, and not apposing forces. It’s a wonderful ride. It’s available on all the usual rental sites (iTunes, Google Play, Vudu).

 Plug of the day: The Sword and Laser Anthology

The Sword and Laser Anthology collects 20 amazing stories from new writers in the Sword and Laser book club audience. 10 SciFi and 10 fantasy stories with an introduction by Patrick Rothfuss. Get a copy at swordandlaser.com/store

Breaking News after the show: 

Microsoft is reportedly buying ‘Minecraft’ developer Mojang for $2 billion

http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/09/microsoft-buying-mojang-minecraft/?ncid=rss_truncated

 

Verizon offers free iPhone 6 in return for two-year contract, used phone

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/09/us-apple-launch-verizon-idUSKBN0H42CZ20140909?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologyNews

Tomorrow’s co-hosts: Patrick Beja and Jon Strickland!

 

 

Justin Robert Young, Darren Kitchen and Len Peralta fill in for Tom on vacation and talk about Apple Security.

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 and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Today’s guest hosts: Justin Robert Young, Darren Kitchen and Len Peralta!

Buy Len’s great artprov “The Jawcracker” as drawn live on DTNS!  http://lenperaltastore.com/products/jawcracker-print

Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke to the Wall Street Journal today, promising additional steps to keep hackers out of user accounts, but said that none of the Apple ID’s and passwords obtained in the recent celebrity iCloud leaks were taken from the company’s servers. Cook said hackers obtained the nude photos of more than 100 women by either correctly guessing security questions to obtain passwords, or by obtaining the data from a phishing scam. Apple will launch new security measures in two weeks, alerting users via email and push notifications when someone tries to change an account password, restore iCloud data to a new device, or when a device logs into an account for the first time. Apple will also begin encouragin users to turn on two-factor authentication, and overall pay more attention to account security. We talk about this and more in a few with Darren.

Gigaom has the roundup of Thursday’s Motorola event in Chicago, where the company unveiled updated versions of its Moto X and Moto G smartphones and revealed its new Android Wear smartwatch, the Moto 360. As expected, the round smart watch was the star of the party. The Moto 360 pairs with any smartphone running Google Android 4.3 or above using Bluetooth and features wireless charging. Motorola says the wireless radio is powerful enough to allow a user to leave their paired phone several rooms away and still access apps on the watch. The 360 has a heart-rate monitor and pedometer and responds to touchscreen and Google Now voice commands. The watch weighs 1.72 ounces, features interchangeable bands, and costs $250 dollars. Oh also? it’s all sold out. But I’m pretty sure they’ll make some more.

We should probably tell you about those phones, too. The Moto X’s AMOLED screen grew from 4.7 inches to 5.2 inches, featuring full HD resolution. Motorola has contracted with a Chicago tannery called Horween (yeah, you heard me now let’s all say it together WHORE-WEEN) to custom-design leather back plates. The X will cost $100 WITH a contract from US carriers or $500 for the unlocked unsubsidized version. The Moto G, also got an ungrade to speaker, processor, camera and screen and will only be sold as an unsubsidized, unlocked phone for $180.

And one more Moto nugget to jab in your ear. The Verge reports that the company also unveiled a wireless earbud called The Hint, which is about the size of a peanut, and is intented to sit in your ear all day long. The hint has 3.3 hours of talk time, costs $149.99 dollars and will be available in the fall.

Reuters reports that an unknown hacker or hacker group broke into a test server supporting the US healthcare.gov site and uploaded malicious files. The first intrusion occurred on July 8th, when malware designed to launch a DDOS attack was uploaded. Healthcare officials told Congress no personal data was stolen.

Hoping to find DOTA 2 sharing the same schedule as Monday Night Football and SportsCenter? Don’t hold your breath. At Code/Media Series: New York, ESPN President John Skipper offered his opinion on eSports. “It’s not a sport — it’s a competition. Chess is a competition. Checkers is a competition, mostly I am interested in doing real sports.” In November of last year, Riot games claimed it had 8.2 Million concurrent TWITCH viewers for it’s League of Legends championship. Not to compare chip stacks, but ESPN reported a record 1.23 million total viewers for it’s live broadcast of the 2013 World Series of Poker final table.

Reuters reports that lawmakers in New Orleans have voted to allow online for-hire car companies like Uber to operate in the city. Under the new ordinance, Uber will be allowed to provide its Uber Black service, which enables passengers to connect with drivers of luxury cars via a smartphone app. The council did not vote on whether to authorize popular and less expensive ridesharing services like UberX and Lyft, which have been the focal point of legal challenges from taxi cab firms and regulators around the globe.

It’s that magic time, when all coffee is pumpkin coffee and the Full Corn Moon hangs heavy in the sky. It’s the silliest of seasons for Apple rumors in advance of their official announcement next week. So here are a few of the best. Brian X. Chen of the New York Times reports the new larger iPhones will have a one-handed mode that can be toggled on or off to make their large screens easier to use and furthermore, the rumored iWatch will be ANNOUNCED Tuesday but not available until 2015. What? You like your rumors more specious? How about this from SlashFilm editor Peter Sciretta who passed along a nugget on Twitter saying U2 ALLEGEDLY shot a commercial for an unnamed new Apple product in Ireland with legendary video director Mark Romanek. Or we can be boring and tell you the official announcement will be streamed to Safari Browsers and AppleTV’s at 1 pm ET / 10 am PT this Thursday September 9th LIVE from the Flint Center for the Performing Arts where near 30 years ago, Steve Jobs announced the original Macintosh.

News From You: 

metalfreak passes along a PC World report on a Chinese man who is suing one of the country’s state telecommunication firms for disrupting access to Google after the government started blocking the company’s services in May. Wang Long, a legal practitioner, sued China Unicom, demanding that the company provide an explanation, and refund his Internet broadband and mobile charges from the past five months. One Chinese state-run publication said this is the first time a local resident has sued a company for failing to provide access to Google.

PTrevethan shares a TechCrunch report about a new Google indoor mapping backpack, which is not at all ominously named The Cartographer. The backpack uses a process called “simultaneous localization and mapping” (SLAM), which allows the user automatically generated a floor plan in real time, while using a tablet to map ‘points of interest’.

And ancrod2 has a Gizmodo report about the latest in wearable technology. Hint: It’s not a watch. Researchers at Hong Kong Polytechnic have created Fabric Circuit Boards--that’s fabric woven out of a mixture of copper and elastic threads using computerized knitting technologies. The stretchy fabric is bulletproof which has great potential for people who get shot; it can also carry a current and communicate, which means that someday your shirt can tell you that its dirty, and your yoga pants can inform you that they are, indeed, see-through.

Plug of the Day:  The Sword and Laser Anthology collects 20 amazing stories from new writers in the Sword and Laser book club audience. 10 SciFi and 10 fantasy stories with an introduction by Patrick Rothfuss. Get a copy at swordandlaser.com/store

 

Pick of the Day:  “What If” by Randall Munroe via Preston

Preston in only OK Silly-con Valley has our pick of the day: “I just wanted to throw in a pick of the day for Randall Munroe’s new book “What if?“. Although I haven’t read it yet I have read all his entries at his site what-if.xkcd.com and really enjoyed them all. Randall tackles absurd hypothetical questions such as “What if there was a robot apocalypse? How long would humanity last?” and “Has humanity produced enough paint to cover the entire land area of the Earth?” using science, logic and humor. Ever wonder if you could lift yourself in the air with guns Yosemite Sam style? The answer is in here. (The answer is yes, but don’t try it at home.)

Monday’s guest hosts: Scott Johnson, Brian Ibbott and Justin Robert Young!

 

 

Dan Patterson is on the show and we’ll talk about super fast subs, banning after work email, and Timothy B. Lee will join in to talk about this whole Uber-Lyft fight.

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 and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Today’s guest: Dan Patterson, technology journalist

Headlines

ReCode reports Apple plans to unveil a wearable device along with two iPhone at a yet-to-be-officially-announced September 9th event. The wearable will supposedly make us of HomeKit and HealthKit as one might expect. A rumored October event was rumored to announce a wearable but is still rumored to still be on.

Dropbox increased my storage to 1 TB today. As CNET reports Dropbox Pro users now have one tier that doublse the previous top tier of 500 GB and it costs $10 a month the previous price of the lowest tier of 100 GB. Dropbox also is rolling out the ability to password-protect shared links, share in edit or view only mode as well as add expiration dates. Finally users can remotely wipe folders on lost or stolen devices.

The Verge reports that Microsoft will begin selling the Kinect sensor as a standalone product on October 7th. The Kinect will sell for $149 dollars and come with a copy of Dance Central Spotlight. Back in May, Microsoft began selling the Xbox One without the Kinect for a reduced price of $399. Kinect for Windows is still expected later this year.

The Next Web reports Google will launch its first campus in Asia with a startup-focused location in Seoul. Google’s startup program currently has locations in London and Tel Aviv as well. Google hopes to launch the campus sometime next year.

The Next Web reports Twitter has opened up its Tweet activity dashboard to English, French, Japanese and Spanish users who have had an account for at least 14 days. Everybody else should get it soon. This is the dashboard previously only available to advertisers. Head to analytics.twitter.com if you have a few hours to get lost stats nerds.

Gigaom reports that Germany’s Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is exploring the idea of passing a law to ban after hours work and email calls. German firms such as BMW, Volkswagen and Deutsche Telecom have banned after-hours work communication on their own already. The labor minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, called for such a law earlier this month to combat burnout.  

News From You

KAPT_Kipper submitted the GeekWire story on Google’s domain registration service which is currently invite only. Google offers free WHOIS privacy protection, and up to 100 free email forwarding addresses for $12. Domains can be configured as usual though there is built-in integration with Wix, Shopify and Squarespace. The downside is Google doesn’t support all domain names, like dot-TV, yet. 

davidpolanco pointed out that Seagate is now shipping an 8 TB 3.5-inch hard drive with a SATA 6 gigabit-per-second interface. Select customers are getting the drives now with wider availability next quarter. 

KAPT_Kipper passes along the Consumerist report that Hewlett-Packard is recalling nearly six million power cords because they can overheat, creating a fire and burn hazard. HP received 29 reports of melting cords, including two that included claims of minor burns. The LS-15 AC cords were distributed with HP and Compaq notebook and mini-notebook computers and with accessories such as docking stations. The cords were sold in the US and Canada from September 2010 to June 2012 at electronics stores and hp.com We’ll have a link to the instructions on what to do in the show notes, but instruction number one is unplug that cord!

MacBytes sent in the Engadget story that researchers at Harbin Institute of Technology’s Complex Flow and Heat Lab have developed a way that could allow submarines to travel from Shanghai to San Francisco, 9,873 km, in as few as 100 minutes. Using a sort of a airbubble that takes advantage of supercavitation and reduces drag, vehicles COULD reach the speed of sound underwater about 5800 km/h. They just need to crack launching, steering and powering it and BOOM Superfast Submarines.

Discussion Links: 

http://www.theverge.com/2014/8/26/6067663/this-is-ubers-playbook-for-sabotaging-lyft

https://twitter.com/CaseyNewton/status/504379051050414081

http://gigaom.com/2014/08/26/those-canceled-lyft-rides-were-all-part-of-ubers-elaborate-master-plan-to-recruit-drivers/?

http://www.businessinsider.com/kalanick-defends-ubers-tactics-2014-8

http://www.vox.com/2014/8/27/6074919/the-uber-recruitment-scandal-isnt-scandalous

http://money.cnn.com/2014/08/11/technology/uber-fake-ride-requests-lyft/

http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/12/uber-lyft-slap-fight/

Plug of the Day:  Like tech history? I’ve teamed up with Scott Johnson to put out monthly looks at what happened in history this month. For 99 cents you get what happened on each day of the month that helped make the tech we sue today, plus illustrations from Scott Johnson. Check them out for 99 cents each at tommerrittbooks.com or just search Amazon.

Pick of the Day: Slice.com via Scott Odle

After hearing a while back about Luke Pohr’s pick Package Buddy I wanted to add my pick for tracking purchases, SLICE.COM. Slice builds on Package Buddy by automating tracking and putting all your purchase and tracking info in one app. It scrapes your email to give you a purchase history and can give you notifications for items shipping, out for delivery, and delivered. Slice also helps you track all your online purchasing habits. Once I signed up it gave me my entire online purchasing history since I first began ordering online, 8 years worth!

Thursday is a headlines only show, as Tom gets on his dragon and flies to the Con!

Peter Wells is on the show and we’ll talk about Soundcloud’s new advertising-supported rev share plan for artists. Is Soundcloud becoming TOO YouTube-like?

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 and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Today’s guest: Peter Wells, of Reckoner, Australia

Headlines

The Verge has been chatting with sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans who say September 30th is tentatively when a press announcement of the next version of Windows is scheduled. The OS, codenamed Threshold is expected to come out as a technical preview sometime in September or October. What is guessed by many to end up being called Windows 9, will have a new mini start menu, get rid of the charms bar, and have a few other UI tweaks. We might even get a version of the Cortana virtual assistant. It’s possible we’ll get detail son the unification of Windows RT and Windows Phone as well. 

Reuters, citing subscription tech news site The Information, reports that EBay told potential candidates for the job of Paypal CEO about a possible spinoff of Paypal. Whether that would mean part or all of Paypal would be spun off, we don’t know. Ebay recently resisted demands by activist shareholder Carl Icahn to separate PayPal from its parent company.

Engadget reports Comcast will officially launch its TV service over the Internet on several college campuses this year, including Bridgewater College, Drexel University, Emerson College, Lasell College and the University of Delaware. The service comes included with room and board and can only be used on campus, although among the 80 channels are ESPN and HBO which can be accessed off campus through the WatchESPN and HBO Go apps. Comcast hopes to add other universities soon. A company called Philo provides similar service to Harvard, Stanford and Yale. 

GigaOm reports the class action lawsuit put forth by Max Schrems Europe v Facebook campaign is going forward in Austria. The Vienna Regional Court gave Facebook Ireland four weeks to respond to the claimants’ accusations of widespread breaches of data protection law.

According to CNET, Google Chrome is now available for Cubans to download at google.co.cu. Google executives reportedly visited Cuba in June to push for greater Internet access. US sanctions make it difficult for US businesses to do anything in Cuba and Google hinted as much in their G+ post about the launch but hope to figure out how to make more tools available in sanctioned countries. This will surely be highly anticipated by the five percent of Cubans that US NGO Freedom House estimates have regular access to the Internet in Cuba.

The New York Times reports Soundcloud will begin to incorporate advertising in its audio streaming service, starting with Red Bull, Jaguar and Comedy Central. The revenue will mostly go to artists and labels. A new program called On Soundcloud Premier will let select organizations and indie artists join a revenue sharing plan. Big publishers like BMG all the way own to indies like rapper GoldLink are part of the first group in the Premier program. Soundcloud said they also plan to provide a subscription service that would allow listeners to pay to make the ads go away.

The Next Web reports iBeacon-based company Estimote is promoting something they call “nearables” as opposed to wearables. Estimote stickers have integrated accelerometer and temperature sensors and can work with more than just iBeacon. A developer kit is being unveiled today with 10 Estimote Stickers for $99. 

News From You

tm204 submitted the MIT News post about a paper describing how to take discarded car batteries and recycles materials from them into longer-lasting solar panels. The panels use a compound called perovskite which requires lead. Rather than produce the lead from raw ore, the researchers can take the lead from one car battery and make enough solar panels to power 30 households. The paper will appear in in Energy and Environemental Science by professors Angela M. Belcher and Paula T. Hammond, graduate student Po-Yen Chen, and three others.

bmbuffalo posted the imgur gallery showing how a fully fucntional 1 Kilobyte hard drive was made by a user called smelly string in Minecraft. A second, larger unit created by The0JJ can store 4KB of data. The devices use Redstone to power pistons that represent binary values by pushing a solid or clear block in front of the redstone signal. Solid blocks are used as ones and clear blocks as zeroes.

funkaround sends along a Wired.com article with the depressing news that Apple’s iMesssage is being taken over by spammers, specifically those hawking fake luxury goods. According to one security analyst, iMessage is a “spammers dream” because it spans the entire Apple ecosystem and Apple scripts can churn out masses of messages. You can report spam to Apple in a tedious process involving taking screenshots or just turn off iMessage until Apple gets the hint.

tekkyn00b pointed out the Android Central article that T-Mobile is heating up the US mobile wars offering a free year of unlimited LTE service if a customer can get someone to switch from Sprint, Verizon or AT&T to T-Mobile. That means the referrer and the new customer both get the free year. Sprint for its part has offered an unlimited talk, text and data plan for $60 a month. 

Discussion Links: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/21/business/media/popular-and-free-soundcloud-is-now-ready-for-ads.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/21/business/media/popular-and-free-soundcloud-is-now-ready-for-ads.html

http://blog.soundcloud.com/2014/08/21/introducing-on-soundcloud/

http://thisisadynasty.tumblr.com/post/87945465547/brb-deleting-soundcloud

http://thenextweb.com/apps/2014/08/21/soundcloud-introduces-ads-first-time-brings-revenue-sharing-creators/

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/aug/21/soundcloud-ads-musicians-major-labels

Plug of the Day:

Like tech history? I’ve teamed up with Scott Johnson to put out monthly looks at what happened in history this month. For 99 cents you get what happened on each day of the month that helped make the tech we sue today, plus illustrations from Scott Johnson. The latest book covering things that happened in September, JUST hit the store today! Check it out for 99 cents each at tommerrittbooks.com or just search Amazon.

Pick of the Day: You Need A Budget via Mike Reed

I would like to suggestion YNAB (You Need a Budget) as a pick. This is a great piece of software, and set of basic rules to assist you in managing your finances. Their software is not cheap at $60, but it is very much worth it. There is a Windows and Mac version for the desktop, and iOS, Android, and Kindle Fire for mobile. The killer feature is Dropbox synchronization. I can be at the grocery store, make my purchase and as I walk out of the store, input the transaction into my mobile device. It immediately updates through Dropbox to any other client, and shows me what the budget for that category was, and what it is now. The company is extremely supportive with numerous live classes to learn the process and software, and a great and helpful online community. I recommend this software to people who need help, and people who don’t. It is a great way to stay on top of your finances, and set great goals for the future.

Friday’s Guest: Darren Kitchen of hak5.org and Len Peralta of all the arts!