Author: Robin Edgar

Organisational Structures | Technology and Science | Military, IT and Lifestyle consultancy | Social, Broadcast & Cross Media | Flying aircraft

Nanodevice uses sound to sculpt light, paving the way for better displays and imaging

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] The findings could have broad implications in fields ranging from computer and virtual reality displays to 3D holographic imagery, optical communications, and even new ultrafast, light-based neural networks. […] The new device is deceptively simple. A thin gold mirror is coated with an ultrathin layer of a rubbery silicone‑based polymer only a few nanometers Read more about Nanodevice uses sound to sculpt light, paving the way for better displays and imaging[…]

Visa and Mastercard Fielding A Ton Of Complaints Over “NSFW” Games Disappearing On Platforms, acting as censors

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A week or so ago, Karl Bode wrote about Vice Media’s idiotic decision to disappear several articles that had been written by its Waypoint property concerning Collective Shout. Collective Shout is an Australian group that pretends to be a feminist organization, when, in reality, it operates much more like any number of largely evangelical groups Read more about Visa and Mastercard Fielding A Ton Of Complaints Over “NSFW” Games Disappearing On Platforms, acting as censors[…]

Google Is Rolling Out Its AI Age Verification to More Services, and I’m Skeptical

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Yesterday, I wrote about how YouTube is now using AI to guess your age. The idea is this: Rather than rely on the age attached to your account, YouTube analyzes your activity on its platform, and makes a determination based on how your activity corresponds to others users. If the AI thinks you’re an adult, Read more about Google Is Rolling Out Its AI Age Verification to More Services, and I’m Skeptical[…]

Apple throws usual tissy fit at law and now sells iPad Repair Parts for Astronomical Prices

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In late May, Apple announced what seemed on its face to be a big, positive development for iPad owners: It was going to begin selling repair parts for iPads to the general public, which is a requirement of a series of new right-to-repair laws. “With today’s announcement, we’re excited to expand our repair services to Read more about Apple throws usual tissy fit at law and now sells iPad Repair Parts for Astronomical Prices[…]

After the UK, online age verification is landing in the EU

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Denmark, Greece, Spain, France, and Italy are the first to test the technical solution unveiled by the European Commission on July 14, 2025. The announcement came less than two weeks before the UK enforced mandatory age verification checks on July 25. These have so far sparked concerns about the privacy and security of British users, Read more about After the UK, online age verification is landing in the EU[…]

Technique to print microscopic colour pixels for tiny microsensors developed

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Half a billion years ago, nature evolved a remarkable trick: generating vibrant, shimmering colors via intricate, microscopic structures in feathers, wings and shells that reflect light in precise ways. Now, researchers from Trinity have taken a major step forward in harnessing it for advanced materials science. A team led by Professor Colm Delaney from Trinity’s Read more about Technique to print microscopic colour pixels for tiny microsensors developed[…]

Palo Alto Networks inks $25b deal to buy human and machine identity manager CyberArk

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Palo Alto Networks will buy Israeli security biz CyberArk in a $25 billion cash-and-stock deal confirmed today. It’s Palo Alto Networks’ largest purchase to date, and one of the most expensive acquisitions this year coming in behind Google paying $32 billion for cloud security upstart Wiz in March. CyberArk provides identity security and privileged access Read more about Palo Alto Networks inks $25b deal to buy human and machine identity manager CyberArk[…]

Google Home Is So Bad That a Lawsuit Could Be on Its Way

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There’s been some trouble at home lately. Not your home, hopefully, but if you live in Google HQ, then maybe. Last week, people using the Google Home app flooded Reddit with complaints over smart home products that mysteriously stopped working—lights, cameras, smart plugs, you name it. Those complaints were so numerous, in fact, that Google Read more about Google Home Is So Bad That a Lawsuit Could Be on Its Way[…]

Gamers Flood Credit Card Hotlines Demanding End To Censorship in games – this won’t just blow over

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] Martinez is part of a growing backlash to Steam and Itch.io purging thousands of games from their databases at the behest of payment processing companies. Australia-based anti-porn group Collective Shout claimed credit for the new wave of censorship after inciting a write-in campaign against Visa and Mastercard, which it accused of profiting off “rape, Read more about Gamers Flood Credit Card Hotlines Demanding End To Censorship in games – this won’t just blow over[…]

Echolon Exercise Bikes Lose Features, must phone home to work at all after Firmware Update

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[…] It seems like a simple concept that everyone should be able to agree to: if I buy a product from you that does x, y, and z, you don’t get to remove x, y, or z remotely after I’ve made that purchase. How we’ve gotten to a place where companies can simply remove, or Read more about Echolon Exercise Bikes Lose Features, must phone home to work at all after Firmware Update[…]

Visa and Mastercard are getting overwhelmed by censorship gamer fury

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In the wake of storefronts like Steam and itch.io curbing the sale of adult games, irate fans have started an organized campaign against the payment processors that they believe are responsible for the crackdown. While the movement is still in its early stages, people are mobilizing with an eye toward overwhelming communication lines at companies Read more about Visa and Mastercard are getting overwhelmed by censorship gamer fury[…]

Automata Dev Warns That Letting Credit Card Companies Censor Internet is an attack on Democracy

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As a fight with credit card companies over adult games leads to renewed concerns about censorship on Steam and even on indie platforms like itch.io, a recent warning by Nier: Automata director Yoko Taro calling censorship a “security hole that endangers democracy itself” has become relevant again. The comments came last November when the Manga Read more about Automata Dev Warns That Letting Credit Card Companies Censor Internet is an attack on Democracy[…]

UK’s Stupid and Dangerous New Age Verification Requirement Thwarted in the Simplest Ways Imaginable

Posted on by Robin Edgar

TL;DR – use a VPN or take a picture of yourself in Death Stranding Earlier this week, the United Kingdom’s age assurance requirement for sites that publish pornographic material went into effect, which has resulted in everything from Pornhub to Reddit and Discord displaying an age verification panel when users attempt to visit. There’s just Read more about UK’s Stupid and Dangerous New Age Verification Requirement Thwarted in the Simplest Ways Imaginable[…]

The Viral ‘Tea’ App Just Had a Second Data Breach, and It’s Even Worse

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Last week, the two-year-old social media app Tea, which functions as a Yelp-style platform where women can anonymously rate and review real men who cannot access the app nor respond, experienced an intense moment of virality that rocketed it to the top of the most-downloaded list on Apple’s App Store. But within days, it faced Read more about The Viral ‘Tea’ App Just Had a Second Data Breach, and It’s Even Worse[…]

Cyberattack on Russian airline Aeroflot causes the cancellation of more than 100 flights

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A cyberattack on Russian state-owned flagship carrier Aeroflot caused a mass outage to the company’s computer systems on Monday, Russia’s prosecutor’s office said, forcing the airline to cancel more than 100 flights and delay others. Ukrainian hacker group Silent Crow and Belarusian hacker activist group the Belarus Cyber-Partisans, which opposes the rule of Belarusian President Read more about Cyberattack on Russian airline Aeroflot causes the cancellation of more than 100 flights[…]

Samsung adds to digital waste problem as it disables custom ROM (OS) support in One UI 8

Posted on by Robin Edgar

While the vast majority of Samsung Galaxy device owners don’t tinker with the software on their phones, there’s a community of Android enthusiasts that love rooting devices, unlocking the bootloader to run custom ROMs and kernels. That has so far been possible on Samsung devices outside the United States. However, new evidence has surfaced that Read more about Samsung adds to digital waste problem as it disables custom ROM (OS) support in One UI 8[…]

‘Boiling frog’ effect makes people oblivious to threat of climate crisis, shows study

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Surveys show that the increasing number of extreme climate events, including floods, wildfires and hurricanes, has not raised awareness of the threats posed by climate change. Instead, people change their idea of what they see as normal. This so-called “boiling frog effect” makes gradual change difficult to spot. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania Read more about ‘Boiling frog’ effect makes people oblivious to threat of climate crisis, shows study[…]

Starlink down LIVE: Elon Musk red-faced amid satellite internet’s global blackout

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Elon Musk’s satellite internet Starlink was last night hit with a global outage preventing tens of thousands of users from accessing the web. According to DownDetector, reports of issues began to surge around 8pm GMT, with tens of thousands of worldwide users reporting issues at the peak of the outage. The difficulties persisted for several Read more about Starlink down LIVE: Elon Musk red-faced amid satellite internet’s global blackout[…]

Congress introduces bill to ban AI surveillance pricing

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Two Democratic members of Congress, Greg Casar (D-TX) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI,) have introduced legislation in the US House of Representatives to ban the use of AI surveillance to set prices and wages. During Delta’s Q2 earnings call last week, Delta’s president Glen Hauenstein said that the airline has already rolled out AI-controlled dynamic pricing Read more about Congress introduces bill to ban AI surveillance pricing[…]

US clouds crush EU clouds in the EU and that won’t change soon

Posted on by Robin Edgar

European cloud infrastructure companies make up just 15 percent of their own market, and the huge investment the US giants can wield makes their dominance “an impossible hill to climb” for any would-be challengers. Details shared by Synergy Research on regional markets show that Euro cloud operators continue to grow, but none comes remotely close Read more about US clouds crush EU clouds in the EU and that won’t change soon[…]

Majority of 1.4M customers caught in Allianz Life data heist

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Financial services biz Allianz says the majority of customers of one of its North American subsidiaries had their data stolen in a cyberattack. Lawyers acting on behalf of US-based Allianz Life filed a breach notification with Maine’s attorney general on Saturday, saying the intrusion began on July 16 and was detected a day later. Official Read more about Majority of 1.4M customers caught in Allianz Life data heist[…]

Google Assistant Is Basically on Life Support and Things Just Got Worse

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[…] Google Home is at the center of what I would describe as a reputation shitstorm. According to way too many people on Reddit, Google Home is so broken that some people are actually unable to even turn their smart lights on and off properly. And it’s not just lights; if Reddit complaints are anything Read more about Google Assistant Is Basically on Life Support and Things Just Got Worse[…]

Internet Archive is now an official US government document library

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The US Senate has granted the Internet Archive federal depository status, making it officially part of an 1,100-library network that gives the public access to government documents, KQED reported. The designation was made official in a letter from California Senator Alex Padilla to the Government Publishing Office that oversees the network. “The Archive’s digital-first approach Read more about Internet Archive is now an official US government document library[…]