Hot off the presses we have the lines for Week 8
DTNS 2288 – EA Access Your Wallet
Scott Johnson joins me to talk about EA’s new all-you-can-eat-of-what-they’ll-serve-you gaming service as well as Microsoft’s rumored selfie phone.
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 and scottierowland on the subreddit
Show Notes
Today’s guest: Scott Johnson of the Frogpants Network
Headlines
TechCrunch reports Facebook is getting rid of messaging in the main Facebook app for iPhone and Android and will force users to download the separate “Messenger” app if they want to chat. This is nothing new to European users who were the guinea pigs for the requirement back in April. Mobile web, iPad, feature phone, Windows Phone, Paper, and desktop users can still message like before, for now. Facebook believes the move will make both the Facebook and Messenger apps better.
The Next Web reports EA announced a new subscription service for the Xbox One today. For $5 a month or $30 a year members of EA Access can play older titles from the EA vault and get free access to new titles up to 5 days before release. After the release you’ll still have to buy the game, but you get a 10% discount on all EA titles and DLC in the Xbox store. PLus if you played early and buy the game any progress you amde carries over. Selected users are participating in a beta, but EA promises to take everyone’s money soon.
Is this good news or bad news for those hopeful of new MacBook pros this autumn? The Next Web reports Apple has done a minor refresh of the MacBook Pros with retina displays. The 13-inch starter model comes with a 2.6 GHz Core i5 processor and 8GB of memory. The entry-level 15-inch MacBook Pro now starts with a 2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 chip and 16GB of memory.
ZDNet reports BlackBerry said Tuesday it will acquire German mobile security company Secusmart. The two companies have partnered since 2009. Secusmart makes popular anti-eavesdropping product. Or at least its become popular with Chanellor Merkel. The Secusmart Security Card contains the NXP SmartMX P5CT072 crypto-controller with a PKI coprocessor for authentication as well as a high-speed coprocessor that encrypts voice and data communication using 128 bit AES. All of that integrated into the micro-SD card.
Does the App boom smell like it’s ending? Bear with me. In 1999 what’s big Websites Along came DigiScents which made a device called iSmell, I KID YOU NOT, that would allow web pages to emit odor. Within two years, dot-coms were bust. In 2005 AJAX, XML Web 2.0 was all the reage. Everyone’s Rubies were starting to ride Rails. And researchers from the University of Huelva developed XML Smell, a protocol of XML that could transmit smells. Within two years smartphones had wiped Web 2.0 out of our minds. Today with the app universe going strong, Vapor Communications is promoting an Indiegogo campaign for the iPhone. A device to let people send and receive scented messages. Woe betide its funding and the decline of the appiverse.
TechCrunch reports Twitter reported revenue of $312 Million and earnings per share of two copper pennies. The street expected Twitter to lose the one pennie it did have on revenue of only 283.07 million Twitter allegedly said “TAKE THAT STREET WHAT DO YOU KNOW!” although that is unconfirmed. Twitter reported that it has 271 million monthly active users, up from its 255 million tally in the first quarter of 2014. That’s up 24%, year-over-year. Twitter’s monthly mobile user count was also up, to 211 million, a gain of 29%.
News From You
KAPT_Kipper submitted the Ars Technica report that researchers at Bluebox Security have discovered a hack that allows any malicious app to masquerade as an app with special privileges. The vulnerability has existed since Android 2.1 in early 2010. Apps like Google Wallet and Adobe Flash are allowed to act with other apps in ways the Android sandbox usually prevents. While Android checks the apps ID it does not verify the validity of cryptographic certificates that accompany it. Cleverly made forgeries can therefore get the same special access to private information and device settings. Bluebox calls the vulnerability “Fake ID”. Google has been informed of the vulnerability and say they’ve issued a patch. Bluebox CTO Jeff Forristal will present more details on the vulnerability at Black Hat next week.
metalfreak posted the PC World article noting the announcement over the weekend that Quantum Mechanix and Spark Plug Games will have the original cast of Firefly do the voicework for their upcoming Firefly game. Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk, Adam Baldwin, Sean Maher, and Ron Glass have already recorded their bits. Jewel Staite, Gina Torres, and Summer Glau will be in the studio soon. The game will come to iOS, Android, PC and Mac in Spring 2015.
spsheridan pointed us to a Wired UK article that researchers from the University of Michigan and New York University have been simulating wet information storage techniques which uses clusters of nanoparticles suspended in liquid. Working a bit like a rubik’s cube, clusters of particles can reconfigure to represent different storage states. A 12-particle cluster can have almost 8 million states. That means a teaspoon of the stuff could store a Terabyte! All you have to do is use your scanning tunnelling microscope to read the data!
Discussion Section:
http://thenextweb.com/insider/2014/07/29/ea-announces-5-gaming-subscription-xbox-one/
http://thenextweb.com/insider/2014/07/29/ea-announces-5-gaming-subscription-xbox-one/
http://www.theverge.com/2014/7/29/5947583/new-microsoft-windows-phones
http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/28/5660722/nokia-superman-windows-phone-features
http://www.theverge.com/2014/7/3/5867113/nokia-lumia-830-rumor-photos
http://www.wpcentral.com/verizon-htc-one-w8-windows-phone-august-21
Pick of the Day: ProClip via Kevin Klecker
Kevin Klecker has our pick of the day! My commute averages about an hour each way, and it would be much more torturous if I didn’t have The Daily Tech News Show to keep me informed and entertained. I always want my podcasts, music, and Waze at my fingertips, I never knew where to keep my phone until I stumbled onto ProClip.
ProClip offers vehicle mounting solutions for all of your tech and gadgetry. ProClip is a 2-piece solution. It consists of a custom base that is engineered to fit your specific vehicle (You can choose one of several mounting locations. This is paired with either a universal/adjustable mount or custom mount which is engineered for your device (phones, tablets, 2 way radios, GPS units, etc). They have mounts to fit a large variety of device (iPhones, iPads, Galaxy series, heck….even my Windows Phone 8 Device). Most have the option to include a hardwired charger, or a cigarette lighter adapters to automatically charge your device while docked. They are fairly easy to install (usually lock into vents or molding), and have always seemed sturdy. Since the system is 2 pieces, it is easy to replace the base if you get a new vehicle – or the mount if you get a new device. My wife and I will be customers for life!
Wednesday’s guest: Lamarr Wilson of all the funny. And also Mashable.
Today in Tech History – July 29, 2014
In 1947 – ENIAC was switched on after being transferred to the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. It operated continuously until October 2 1955.
In 1951 – A recording was made of Beethoven’s 9th by EMI that eventually became used to justify the diameter of the CD.
In 1958 – President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Subscribe to the podcast. Like Tech History? Get Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
DTNS 2287 – Spain enforces its right to be forgotten
Pelle Eklund is on the show to chat about Spain charging to link to things on the Internet and NHL Refs getting sent off for Twittering.
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: Eklund of hockeybuzz.com
Headlines
GigaOm compiles reports from Reuters and the South China Morning Post that Microsoft offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu have been visited by authorities. The State Administration for Industry and Commerce is investigating the company. Chinese authorities banned government institutions from using Windows 8 in late May. Microsoft said Monday the company is “happy to answer the government’s questions.”
TechCrunch reports the European Commission has given Apple permission to acquire Beats Electronics. The approval was predicated partly on the fact that beats has a very small marketshare in Europe for both headphones and digital music. Apple still needs approval in the SU which it is expected to get. Then it can take on Bose which is suing Beats for patent infringement. And come on, you know Apple lawyers love a good patent infringement case, amiright?
Mozilla chair Mitchell Baker announced Monday that interim CEO Chris Beard has been appointed permanently as CEO of Mozilla Corporation. Beard joined Mozilla in 2004, left for Greylock Partners in July 2013 and re-joined Mozilla in April of this year when CEO Brendan Eich was removed in controversy over his support of Proposition 8 in California.
The Verge reports OKCupid co-founder Christian Rudder has admitted that his site experimented on users as well. In one of three described experiments, users were told they were good matches for people they were bad matches for in order to measure the change int he rate of correspondence. Being told you were a good or bad match did have an impact but did not fully offset the calculated compatibility. Users were informed after the fact that they were part of the experiment.
The Verge reports that most Hilton-owned hotels worldwide plan to allow customers to use a smartphone to unlock their rooms by the end of 2016. Hilton also plans to allow guests to check themselves in and choose their own room locations.
News From You
ayserk56 posted the Engadget story that researchers at Stanford have developed a new lithium battery that uses a nanoscopic carbon shield to allow for denser more efficient lithium use in a batteries anode, the part that discharges electrons. The result is a battery that lasts considerably longer, won’t decay quickly and remains relatively safe. They estimate the battery could get 2-3 times the life of current cell phone batteries.
spsheridan sent along the ReCode report that Apple is close to buying Swell, an app that plays podcasts and other talk shows in a Pandora style, that surfaced shows adapted to the listeners tastes. Swell will apparently be shut down this week.
metalfreak pointed out the OS News story that Trend Micro’s report that Android is populated with many fake apps, half of which are malware, turns out to be an exaggeration. Techrepublic and Android Police both uncovered that Trend Micro’s promotion of their report didn’t work very hard to make clear that the fake apps in question did not exist in the Google Play store but had to be side-loaded, meaning a user had to ignore and disable security warnings to make the apps work.
KAPT_Kipper posted the Verge article that Amazon appears to be going after Square. 9to5 Mac showed off internal documents from Staples indicating an “Amazon Card Reader” will arrive on store shelves August 12 for $9.95 right next to Square and Staples’ own payments dongle.
geewhipped submitted the Vice article detailing disclosures that reveal 3 US FISA Court Judges own Verizon stock, two purchasing it within the last year. That includes Judge James Zagel who signed off on a government request to renew ongoing metadata collection in June.
And Ek sent us a report from Scouting the Refs.com detailing the rise and fall of NHL official Tim Peel’s Twitter account. Turned out Mr. Peel was excited to reach out to fans and put a human face on Referees, but he hadn’t read the rules closely. The NHL-NHLOA Collective Bargaining Agreement forbids officials from having have social media accounts. His time on Twitter was brief but burned brightly. We will miss you @TimTpeel
Discussion Section:
https://medium.com/@JulioAlonso/the-story-of-spains-google-tax-5434d746df48
http://coalicionprointernet.com/?page_id=7#APOYOS
http://qz.com/241005/nobody-seems-quite-sure-how-spains-new-google-tax-will-work/
Pick of the Day: canistream.it
Our pick of the day comes from Julio M. Romero a fellow cordcutter: “I don’t know if you have already heard about this app/website/service is called canistream.it and is just that, a service that let’s you find out if that movie or show episode is available for streaming legally in different services iTunes, Amazon, play store, Netflix and some others. It even tells you prices so you can check which one is better for your wallet. The site is available as an app in the Apple & Android stores as well as the Windows Marketplace AND as a chrome extension. JMR
Tuesday’s guest: Scott Johnson
Today in Tech History – July 28, 2014
In 1858 – The first use of fingerprints as identification took place in India. William James Herschel, magistrate of Nuddea, India requested local businessman Rajyadhar Konai make a handprint on the back of a contract. Herschel wanted to “frighten [Konai] out of all thought of repudiating his signature.”
In 1997 – Dell announced its entry into the workstation market with the Dell Workstation 400.
In 2000 – Ted Kekatos celebrated the First System Administrator Appreciation Day. He had been inspired by an HP ad showing people bringing gifts to their System Administrator. The day is celebrated annually on the last Friday of July.
Subscribe to the podcast. Like Tech History? Get Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
Cordkillers Ep. 30 – Let’s Speculate Irresponsibly
What the Nerdist thinks of YouTube these days, the best trailers from ComicCon and Google may still have bought Twitch.
CordKillers: Ep. 30 – Let’s Speculate Irresponsibly
Recorded: July 27, 2014
Guest: Kristi Kates
Intro Video
Primary Target
- All the trailers from Comic-Con
- Watch the first trailer for Halo: Nightfall, the live-action TV series by Ridley Scott
- Here’s the First Mad Max Trailer, and It Will Make You a Believer
- Humanity is running out of oxygen in the trailer for ‘Air’
- Legendary announced that it was developing a movie based around Skull Island, home of King Kong
- Sam Raimi announced that he and his brother Ivan are writing a show based on the franchise, and that it will star Bruce Campbell.
Secondary Target
- Nerdist Knocks YouTube’s Stickiness, Commenters at Comic-Con
- – Google’s video site is not a place where people “hang out,” Hardwick said.
– He also got an appreciative hoot from the crowd after dissing YouTube’s commenters as “toxic.”
– “YouTube is a bunch of 13-year-olds who are like, ‘Look at me, I am unattended!’” he joked. “The second comment is always ‘FIRST,’ because they never make it.”
– Rooster Teeth regularly puts videos on its website a few hours ahead of uploading them to YouTube, and sells paid subscriptions that provide access to exclusive content.
Signal Intelligence
- Google reportedly finalizes deal for live stream service Twitch
- -VentureBeat reported Google finalized a deal to buy Twitch for $1 billion
– Neither Google or Twitch are talking
– The average viewer watches 106 minutes of Twitch live streams per day. About 58% spend more than 20 hours a week watching videos on Twitch
Gear Up
- Chromecast turns one: why this small streaming stick became such a big deal
- – Chromecast turned one July 24
– Chromecast users have pressed a cast button 400 million times since the device was first released a year ago.
– more than 6,000 developers have signed up to add casting to their mobile or web apps.
– #1 selling electronics item on Amazon
– COMING SOON: Screen mirroring, personalized home screen
Under surveillance
- FXX will marathon the entire ‘Simpsons’ series next month before releasing it online
- – FXX will marathon all 25 seasons of the Simpson’s from August 21st to September 1st.
– FXX will launch the “Simpsons World” digital hub in October, which will allow cable subscribers to watch every episode on demand on their desktops at SimpsonsWorld.com, mobile devices via the FXNow app, and on compatible smart TVs and set-top boxes
Front Lines
- Netflix made 1.34 billion dollars last quarter doubling its profit from last year.
- -Netflix grew to 36.24 million US subscribers and 13.8 million international subs. That’s about 25% growth in the US and 77% elsewhere.
- Ultra Music is suing YouTube star Michelle Phan for $150,000 a song.
- –Ultra Music alleging she did not have the rights to use 50 tracks in her videos. Phan claims she had permission to use the tracks. DJ Kaskade defended her.
- Comcast added a Labs section to its X1 set-top box letting subscribers test drive new features.
- -One new feature that’s coming is a personalized “virtual video channel” made of shows and movies from a variety of sources that will appear in the regular programming grid.
- A new ‘Host Mode’ on Twitch lets streamers log off but keep live chat running while running video from another channel.
- Book 3 of The Legend of Korra will not air on Nickelodeon’s TV channel but will stream on the channel’s website.
- -Co-creator Bryan Konietzko told the ComicCon audience” “pulling it off the channel and moving it to digital exclusively is part of the huge sea change in the whole industry.” Thanks to Indi_de_Lis for the link on the cordkillers subreddit.
- Lions Gate will add special features to an app for people who buy certain movies through Comcast, starting with the film “Divergent”
2014 Summer Movie Draft
draft.diamondclub.tv/
- Amtrekker: $689,515,120
- TMS: $598,450,443
- DTNS: $595,014,272
- Night Attack: $443,836,166
- GodsMoneybags: $390,588,309
- /Film: $282,356,843
On Screen
- Brian: Das Experiment, World War Z, The Leftovers, Orphan Black (mostly)
- Tom: The Leftovers, The Shield (210)
- Kristi: Begin Again, Stargate Atlantis , Transcendence
Dispatches from the Front
Hi tom and Brian I am one of the reported 250,000 people in Australia who subscrbes to netflix, which as you know isn’t officially available here, so i have to use a VPN. I use unblockus.We never have any problems streaming at full quality even though we are yhe other side of the planet.
I hear that in the USA some people are having problems as their isp is slowing down their streams, i was wondering if they would still have the same problem if they used a vpn service, whats your thoughts? Plus it also gives you the advantage of chosing what Netflix region uou want.
Keep up the good work
Alan
In a recent show you talked about why Nielsen only counts 18-49. Psychologists in the 1960 and 70’s measured Brand Loyalty and found that people over a certain ago become inflexible in the their brand choices. Basically the younger people are then the more effective the advertising. Brand Loyalty is why markets don’t advertise to people over 49, these studies have been shown to be flawed. Also the disposable income difference by age has flipped in the last 40 years with college loans and a stagnant job market reducing youth spending power. But given that markets are still focused on broadcast viewership that has been decimated in the last twenty years they can be the brightest group of company executives.
Mark
Aereo’s next work around… Rent me a 1 square inch apartment in the city. Cram an antenna and slingback like device (and whatever additional tech is needed) in how ever many feet tall apartment. Then they are technically just renting a prefurnished apartment. Totally legal.
David
Hey guys,
I know that we are between Game of Thrones seasons but I wanted to pass on my experience as someone who watched the shows without reading the books first. I love the show and have watched it from the beginning. I have to admit, though, that I would get confused sometimes about who all of the characters are and where the story was going. After the first season I tried to read the first book. At the time I found myself getting bored because I knew what was going to happen. Fast forward to the present and I decided to pick up the books again. After a few years the details of season 1 are a bit fuzzy. I was instantly hooked on the book. Not only that, but I suddenly realized the relations between the characters and why some of them acted the way they do in future seasons. Having knowledge of future events is really making the books enjoyable and I can see the foreshadowing and the mistakes the characters make that lead to their downfall. Of course reading the beginning of book one and seeing the Starks as one big happy family was kind of depressing. My goal is to have all of the books read before the next season starts so I can see what it’s like to be on the other side of the experiment. One book down, 4 to go…
Thanks for the great podcast,
Scott from Houston
Living in South Africa, cord killing is near impossible, as we only have over priced satellite and free terrestrial shit, that is not even HD yet. However I managed to get a Fire TV, and now proudly use Netflix, Hulu plus and Amazon Prime, HBO Go and WatchEspn (via a friends Verizon account). Filling in the blanks with sickbeard, couchpotato and Plex. All this costs me less than $80 a month, including internet. Not bad, compared to what you have to deal with in the USA.
Long live the Cord Killers.
Thanks
John Mac
Links
Today in Tech History – July 27, 2014
In 1949 – The first jet-powered airliner, the de Havilland Comet, made its first flight. Previously jet engines had only been used to power small fighter aircraft.
In 1981 – Microsoft bought the rights for QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System) from Seattle Computer Products for $25,000.
In 1993 – Microsoft released Windows NT 3.1, completing its attempt to build an advanced 32-bit operating system from scratch.
Subscribe to the podcast. Like Tech History? Get Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
WGBH: Innovation Hub
I was interviewed by Kara Miller of WGBH in Boston for the Innovation Hub. We talked about podcasting and my adventures this year. Take a listen over here.
East Meets West 323 – No, No, They’re Lunatics
The misplaced priorities of corporate work, how to avoid getting distracted by the short-term, how to avoid getting swamped by technological change, how hard it is to take risks, what our goals for society actually should be.
Download the episode at this link.
FSL Tonight Week 7 – Hooves and Worms
Upsets abound in Week 7. Are the Senators ready to rule? Or is the Master Skaro’s own worst enemy?
Get the episode here.