Automatic lovers -- conference explores the sex lives of robots
Robots and technology are invading more and more areas of our lives, but there are some places they have yet to... ahem, penetrate.
A conference in Salford, UK this week organized by the TC9 group of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) is set to explore issues of technology and intimacy.
Email Sourcer collects web contact details as you browse
Whether you’re looking for a job, a government contact, maybe researching a company, there are times you’ll want to build a list of potential contacts.
Usually this means checking the top and bottom of a page for contact details, maybe an "About" or "Contact us" page, then copying and pasting the details elsewhere.
It's college football season time and you can catch the games on TuneIn
While we anxiously await the start of the NFL season, we have college football getting underway. Games have begun and fans are hanging on every moment waiting to see who the next national champion will be. While there are the obvious favorites that we won't name because if you follow the sport then you know.
Now TuneIn, who last season brought us radio broadcasts of NFL games, is doing the same for the collegiate level of the game. The company has partnered with a number of media outlets to carry the play-by-play call.
Microsoft Office rival OpenOffice could be squeezed out of the market due to lack of volunteers
Not everyone is in a position to pay for their office software and this led to a market for free Microsoft Office competitors. One of the best known and most popular is OpenOffice, but the open source project is in trouble.
Volunteer vice president Dennis E. Hamilton has warned that retirement of the project "is a serious possibility". The problem is a combination of a lack of volunteers willingness to work on the project, and the increasing popularity of LibreOffice. The lack of developers means that important security updates are at risk.
Ireland to appeal against Apple's $14.5 billion EU tax bill
When the European Commission said it believed Apple should pay €13 billion (around $14.5 billion) after enjoying "illegal tax benefits", it wasn't just Tim Cook who was unhappy. The Commission said that the Irish Government had "artificially lowered" Apple's tax bill, and ministers are not happy with the accusation.
After meeting to discuss the matter, ministers are now ready to appeal against the ruling. After Apple said it planned to appeal against the decision, Finance minister Michael Noonan said Ireland planned to do the same.
43 million Last.fm account details leaked after 2012 hack
It seems that serious data breaches are all but an everyday occurrence at the moment. At the same time, there have also been instances of historical hacks suddenly coming to light such as the 2012 breach of Dropbox.
But Dropbox was not the only company to suffer an attack in 2012 -- so did music site Last.fm. Now, four years after the hack, details of 43 million accounts have been leaked.
OurMine hacks Variety, spams subscribers
OurMine is a hacking collective that gets its jollies by causing havoc in the name of security. For instance, the group often takes over Twitter accounts, causing distress to the handle owner. Heck, just last month it hacked TechCrunch. Ultimately, OurMine never seems to cause real damage -- its antics are an inconvenience more than anything.
Today, OurMine hacks Variety.com and takes its mischief to a new level. You see, the hackers not only infiltrated the company's newsletter database, but OurMine sent spam to the contained subscriber email addresses too. Apparently it was not just one spam email, but many.
MAINGEAR R1 RAZER Edition -- gaming PC excellence bred from collaboration
PC gamers have two routes to take nowadays when wanting a new gaming rig. They can build a PC or buy one. While building a machine definitely is deserving of geek credibility, not everyone has the time or know-how to do it. Quite frankly, buying a pre-built system can often provide a more convenient warranty -- giving the consumer a central point of contact if something goes wrong.
One of the lesser-known system building companies, at least from a household-name perspective, is MAINGEAR. With that said, in-the-know gamers will recognize -- and respect -- the brand. Today, it announces a collaboration with accessory-maker RAZER. The fruit of the partnership is a gaming PC called MAINGEAR R1 RAZER Edition.
YouTube tells Philip DeFranco it hasn't changed its policy on demonetizing videos
There has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth from YouTubers in recent days as rumors started to circulate that YouTube was demonetizing videos deemed not "advertiser friendly". Seasoned 'Tuber Philip DeFranco was one of the more high-profile to speak out, likening YouTube's actions to "censoring" people by hitting them in the wallet.
But YouTube has responded to these claims by saying that its policy on video monetization has not changed at all. While YouTubers have just started to complain that video about depression, videos with swearing, videos with controversial subject matter, and so on are being denied the opportunity to make money from ads, YouTube says the only thing that has changed is the way users are notified. DeFranco says this is "very concerning" and reveals that YouTube has clearly been secretly demonetizing videos for a while.
Apple is cleaning up the App Store by clearing out abandoned apps and limiting name length
Starting next week -- September 7 specifically -- Apple is starting to clear the crap out of the App Store. What does this mean? It means removing what Apple describes as "problematic and abandoned apps", as well as changing the way apps can be named to prevent developers using SEO'd titles for their creations.
Moving forward, app titles will be limited to just 50 characters, reducing the chance of naming them in a deceptive way. Apple appears to have quite a task ahead of it as it plans to review every app currently featured in the App Store, before contacting developers about those with problems.
Google ditches modular Project Ara smartphone
Google's Project Ara -- a modular smartphone that let users customize their handsets with a range of plugin modules -- has been killed before it even got off the ground. Having started life as a Motorola venture, the first Project Ara smartphone was expected to launch later this year.
As recently as May, Google was talking about shipping a developer version of the phone this autumn, but now it seems that this is not going to happen.
Consumer Reports criticizes the Samsung Galaxy Note7 recall as deficient
The mobile technology market was rocked by the news of Samsung's recall of the explosion-prone Note7. While some people applauded the company for its focus on consumer safety, more cynical people viewed it as nothing more than a way to avoid lawsuits. Quite frankly, the company was likely motivated by both. Regardless of motivation, the recall was the right move.
Consumer Reports, however, is not satisfied with Samsung's recall efforts. The respected consumer-focused publication is calling it deficient, criticizing the failure to make it an "official" recall. In other words, Samsung should have worked with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. This is important, apparently, as it would block the Note 7 from being sold entirely. Shockingly, as of today, the dangerous Note7 can still be sold legally in the USA. This is not theoretical -- Consumer Reports found retailers still selling it yesterday!
Three's mobile ad blocking plan blocked by Europe
Mobile operator Three had hoped to roll out a network-wide ad blocking system that would prevent the appearance of up to 95 percent of adverts has been shot down by a European regulator.
Citing net neutrality, the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (Berec) says that Three's plans were incompatible with providing an internet access service. The decision comes despite the fact that Three's ad blocker would have been optional for customers.
Microsoft gains support from Mozilla, EFF, Google and Apple in fight against US gagging orders
Microsoft is fighting the US Justice Department in an attempt to quash a law that prevents companies informing customers that the government is requesting their data. The technology giant has the backing of other tech companies as well as media outlets.
Amazon, Apple, Google, Fox News, Electronic Frontier Foundation and Mozilla are among those offering their support to Microsoft. The lawsuit says that blocking companies from keeping their customers informed is unconstitutional, and it comes at a time when tech companies in particular are keen to be as open and transparent as possible about government requests for data.
Save $39.95! Paragon Backup and Recovery 16 free until November
Paragon Backup and Recovery 16 is a reliable PC backup tool which comes packed with enterprise-level features and functionality, so it’s a little surprising to find Paragon Software are giving it away for free until November 1st.
It’s true, though. Download, install, create a free MyParagon account (which means giving your email address, no phone number or physical address beyond a country) and you’ll be emailed a free license within seconds.
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