Winamp returns in 2019 to whip the llama’s ass harder than ever

For those who don’t remember: Winamp was the MP3 player of choice around the turn of the century, but went through a rocky period during Aol ownership (our former parent company) and failed to counter the likes of iTunes and the onslaught of streaming services, and more or less crumbled over the years. The original Read more about Winamp returns in 2019 to whip the llama’s ass harder than ever[…]

Posted in Art

Alexa heard what you did last summer – and she knows what that was, too: AI recognizes activities from sound

Boffins have devised a way to make eavesdropping smartwatches, computers, mobile devices, and speakers with endearing names like Alexa better aware of what’s going on around them. In a paper to be presented today at the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST) in Berlin, Germany, computer scientists Gierad Laput, Karan Ahuja, Mayank Read more about Alexa heard what you did last summer – and she knows what that was, too: AI recognizes activities from sound[…]

Printer Makers Are Crippling Cheap Ink Cartridges Via Bogus ‘Security Updates’ – endangering networks because people stop updating

Printer maker Epson is under fire this month from activist groups after a software update prevented customers from using cheaper, third party ink cartridges. It’s just the latest salvo in a decades-long effort by printer manufacturers to block consumer choice, often by disguising printer downgrades as essential product improvements. For several decades now printer manufacturers Read more about Printer Makers Are Crippling Cheap Ink Cartridges Via Bogus ‘Security Updates’ – endangering networks because people stop updating[…]

Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras in that AirBnB you’re staying in

There have been a few too many stories lately of AirBnB hosts caught spying on their guests with WiFi cameras, using DropCam cameras in particular. Here’s a quick script that will detect two popular brands of WiFi cameras during your stay and disconnect them in turn. It’s based on glasshole.sh. It should do away with Read more about Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras in that AirBnB you’re staying in[…]

Researcher finds simple way of elevating user privileges on Windows PCs and nobody notices for ten months

A security researcher from Colombia has found a way of assigning admin rights and gaining boot persistence on Windows PCs that’s simple to execute and hard to stop –all the features that hackers and malware authors are looking for from an exploitation technique. What’s more surprising, is that the technique was first detailed way back Read more about Researcher finds simple way of elevating user privileges on Windows PCs and nobody notices for ten months[…]

Pando, One of the world’s largest organisms is shrinking

The Pando aspen grove, located in central Utah, is the largest organism on the planet by weight. From the surface, it may look like a forest that spans more than 100 U.S. football fields, but each tree shares the exact same DNA and is connected to its clonal brethren through an elaborate underground root system. Read more about Pando, One of the world’s largest organisms is shrinking[…]

Twitter releases all foreign election campaign influencing tweets and media for you to study

n line with our principles of transparency and to improve public understanding of alleged foreign influence campaigns, Twitter is making publicly available archives of Tweets and media that we believe resulted from potentially state-backed information operations on our service. Examples of the content include:   While this dataset is of a size that a degree Read more about Twitter releases all foreign election campaign influencing tweets and media for you to study[…]

NASA and Google using AI to hunt down potentially habitable planets

Astrobiologists are mostly interested in rocky exoplanets that lie in the habitable zone around their parent stars, where liquid water may exist on its surface. NASA’s Kepler spacecraft has spotted a handful of these in the so-called Goldilocks Zone – where it’s not too cold or too hot for life. As such, a second team Read more about NASA and Google using AI to hunt down potentially habitable planets[…]

Microplastics found in 90 percent of table salt

Microplastics were found in sea salt several years ago. But how extensively plastic bits are spread throughout the most commonly used seasoning remained unclear. Now, new research shows microplastics in 90 percent of the table salt brands sampled worldwide. Of 39 salt brands tested, 36 had microplastics in them, according to a new analysis by Read more about Microplastics found in 90 percent of table salt[…]

Wide-eyed glare scares raptors: From laboratory evidence to applied management

Raptors are one of the most important causes of fatalities due to their collisions with aircrafts as well as being the main victims of collisions with constructions. They are difficult to deter because they are not influenced by other airspace users or ground predators. Because vision is the primary sensory mode of many diurnal raptors, Read more about Wide-eyed glare scares raptors: From laboratory evidence to applied management[…]

Branch.io bug left ‘685 million’ netizens open to website hacks

Bug-hunters have told how they uncovered a significant security flaw that affected the likes of Tinder, Yelp, Shopify, and Western Union – and potentially hundreds of millions of folks using these sites and apps. The software sniffers said they first came across the exploitable programming blunder while digging into webpage code on dating websites. After Read more about Branch.io bug left ‘685 million’ netizens open to website hacks[…]

Star Wars: KOTOR Fan Remake Shutting Down After Cease And Desist From Lucasfilm

Back in 2016, an ambitious group of fans began work on an Unreal Engine 4 “reboot” of role-playing, light-sabering classic Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic called Apeiron. The project has made impressive progress since then, but it emitted a tragic Wilhelm scream this week when Lucasfilm lawyers zapped it out of existence. As Read more about Star Wars: KOTOR Fan Remake Shutting Down After Cease And Desist From Lucasfilm[…]