Day: February 6, 2020

Apple’s Independent Repair Program Is Invasive to Shops and Their Customers, Contract Shows

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Last August, in what was widely hailed a victory for the right-to-repair movement, Apple announced it would begin selling parts, tools, and diagnostic services to independent repair shops in addition to its “authorized” repair partners. Apple’s so-called Independent Repair Provider (IRP) program had its limitations, but was still seen as a step forward for a Read more about Apple’s Independent Repair Program Is Invasive to Shops and Their Customers, Contract Shows[…]

Wacom tablet drivers phone home with names, times of every app opened on your computer

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Wacom’s official tablet drivers leak to the manufacturer the names of every application opened, and when, on the computers they are connected to. Software engineer Robert Heaton made this discovery after noticing his drawing board’s fine-print included a privacy policy that gave Wacom permission to, effectively, snoop on him. Looking deeper, he found that the Read more about Wacom tablet drivers phone home with names, times of every app opened on your computer[…]

Japanese robot could call last orders on human bartenders

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The repurposed industrial robot serves drinks in is own corner of a Japanese pub operated by restaurant chain Yoronotaki. An attached tablet computer face smiles as it chats about the weather while preparing orders. The robot, made by the company QBIT Robotics, can pour a beer in 40 seconds and mix a cocktail in a Read more about Japanese robot could call last orders on human bartenders[…]

Neural Networks Upscale Film from 1896 to 4K, Make It Look Like It Was Shot on a Modern Smartphone

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Denis Shiryaev wondered if it could be made more compelling by using neural network powered algorithms (including Topaz Labs’ Gigapixel AI and DAIN) to not only upscale the footage to 4K, but also increase the frame rate to 60 frames per second. You might yell at your parents for using the motion smoothing setting on Read more about Neural Networks Upscale Film from 1896 to 4K, Make It Look Like It Was Shot on a Modern Smartphone[…]

Google’s Takeout App Leaked Videos To Unrelated Users

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In a new privacy-related fuckup, Google told users today that it might’ve accidentally imported your personal photos into another Google user’s account. Whoopsie! First flagged by Duo Security CTO Jon Oberheide, Google seems to be emailing users who plugged into the company’s native Takeout app to backup their videos, warning that a bug resulted in Read more about Google’s Takeout App Leaked Videos To Unrelated Users[…]

Google Says Developers Can Now Purchase Latest Smart Glasses, still look stupid

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Google is making it easier for developers to purchase the latest version of its smart glasses, with the company saying on Tuesday that the Glass Enterprise Edition 2 is now available from some hardware resellers. “We’ve seen strong demand from developers and businesses who are interested in building new, helpful enterprise solutions for Glass,“ Google Read more about Google Says Developers Can Now Purchase Latest Smart Glasses, still look stupid[…]

Iowa has already won the worst IT rollout award of 2020: Rap for crap caucus app chaps in vote zap flap

Posted on by Robin Edgar

It’s all so painfully familiar: with a crunch date of February 3, the Democratic Party in Iowa decided to charge ahead with an IT rollout that comprised an entirely new software system spread out across thousands of sites to record the result of the Democratic caucus for its presidential nominee. It was, inevitably, a complete Read more about Iowa has already won the worst IT rollout award of 2020: Rap for crap caucus app chaps in vote zap flap[…]