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Welcome to Sleep with No Sleep, the chilling podcast with scary stories to help you sleep. In this episode Kim reads “The Phone Call” from the TrueScary subreddit. Dan then reads “If you’re armed at the Glenmount metro please shoot me”. The Phone Call. From the TrueScary Subreddit by Milyeyes So my friends and I like to share stories with each other during lunch. We usually tell funny stories and sometimes scary. Today we were telling our horror stories. My friend, we’ll call her Tammy, told about a particularly chilling memory. She told us about the time she had picked up the house phone when she was 8. She heard someone crying. “Who are you?” She asked. The crying person kept saying “It’s me, it’s me, it’s your mom!” Of course Tammy did not believe her because her mother was sitting in the living room and Tammy was watching her. Tammy then asked “What’s your name?” The person answered correctly. So Tammy again questioned the person on the phone “What’s my name and what’s my birthday?” The sobbing woman on the phone again answered correctly. As soon as Tammy was going to ask another question the mother in the living room turned to her and told her to hang up with out knowing who was calling or why. My friend believes that the woman she calls mother today is not her true mother but a doppelgänger. She believes this because there is much more evidence then the phone call. Before the phone call her mother was very outgoing, kind, and the perfect mother. But now it seems as if she does not care about her children. She does not kiss or hug them anymore. My friend also mentioned that a few months after the phone Tammy had noticed that her mother’s toe nails were falling off like completely. At first I thought it was somebody trying to scam her family but the person on the phone never asked for money only for help. My friend just wants some information so I wanted to know what people think about it and what might’ve happened. If you’re armed and at the Glenmont metro, please shoot me From the NoSleep Subreddit by Sarcasonomicon Make it a head shot. Shoot me in the temple, aiming slightly downwards. I need the bullet to travel the shortest possible distance through my brain before it hits my hippocampus. If I’m lucky, the sensation of the gunshot ripping through my skull will only last a few decades. As awful as this sounds, you’ll be doing me an enormous favor. Death by a headshot, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, is vastly better than the alternative. My ordeal started over ten thousand years ago, at 10:15 this morning. I earn extra money by participating in drug trials. I’m a so-called “healthy subject” who takes experimental drugs to help assess side effects. Once it was a kidney drug. A few times it’s been something for blood pressure or cholesterol. This morning they told me the drug I took was a psychoactive substance intended to accelerate brain function. None of the drugs I had tested so far have ever done anything for me, in the recreational sense. In other words, none of the drugs I’ve tested have given me a killer buzz, or mellowed me out, or anything. Maybe I’ve always ended up the placebo group, but nothing I’ve tested had affected me at all. Today’s drug was different. This shit worked. They gave me a pill at 10:15 and told me to hang out in the waiting room until they called me back for some tests. “Only about thirty minutes,” the research assistant told me. I flopped onto the waiting room couch and read a few articles from a copy of Psychology Today that was sitting on the coffee table. They hadn’t called me back when I finished the Psychology Today so I picked up a US News and read it cover-to-cover. Then I read an old Scientific American. What was taking them so damn long? I sluggishly turned my head to look at the wall clock. It was only 10:23 am. I had read all three magazines in eight minutes. I remember thinking this was going to be a long day. I was right. The waiting room had little bookshelf with some used hardcovers on it. When I stood up to walk to the bookshelf it felt like my legs barely worked. It’s not that they were weak. They were just slow. It took a full minute just to stand up off the couch, and another minute to take two steps to the bookcase. I scanned the old books on the shelf and picked out a copy of Moby Dick. My arms had the same problems as my legs. Just reaching one foot in front of me to grab the book took a long time. I actually got bored just waiting for my hand to reach the spine of the book. I slogged back to the couch and collapsed onto it in a slow-motion fall that reminded me of the low-gravity hops of astronauts on the moon. I opened Moby Dick (slowly) and began reading. I started with Call me Ishmael and got as far as Ahab throwing his pipe into the sea (which was all the way to friggin chapter thirty) before they called me back. “How are you feeling?” the research assistant asked me. “I feel slow,” I said. “Actually, it’s the other way around. Everything seems slow because you’re so fast.” “But my legs. My arms. They’re moving in slow motion.” “Your body seems like it’s moving slowly because your brain is fast. Your brain is running ten or twenty times faster than normal. You are thinking and perceiving reality at an accelerated pace. But your body is still constrained by the laws of biomechanics. Frankly, you’re moving much faster than a normal person,” she pantomimed a jogging motion. “But your brain is running so much faster right now, that even your fast walk seems very slow to you.” I thought about my slow-motion flop onto the waiting room couch. Even if my muscles had slowed down, my body would still react to gravity the same way. But in the waiting room, I even fell in slow motion. Slow muscles couldn’t explain why gravity seemed weaker. My brain was going at warp ten. That’s how I managed to read three magazines and the first thirty chapters of Moby Dick in fifteen minutes. They ran a series of tests on me. The physical tests were fun. They made me juggle three balls. Then four. Then six. I had no problem keeping six balls in the air because they seemed to be moving so slowly. It was boring, frankly, waiting for each ball to move through its arc so I could catch it (with my slow-motion hands) and toss it back into the air. They threw cheerios in the air and I caught them with chopsticks. They dropped a handful of coins and I counted the total value before they hit the ground. The cognitive tests were less fun, but very illuminating. Finish a fifty-word word search (three seconds). Solve an intricate maze drawn onto a poster-sized paper (two seconds). View a slide show projected at ten images per second and answer detailed questions about what I saw (95% correct). They told me I measured over 250 on the Knopf scale. Apparently, that’s deep into the superhuman range of thinking speeds. Then they sent me home. “It’ll wear off in a few hours,” they said. “Which will seem like days to you. Try to use the residual effects to get some work done. Catch up on work emails while you’re still in high-speed mode!” The ride home was horrible. It was only three metro stops, and in real-world time, it only took about thirty-five minutes. But in my drug-accelerated hyper-time, it felt like days. Days. Just walking out of the medical research suite to the elevator seemed like it took an hour. I sprinted out of the office, willing my legs to push me faster. But, the laws of biomechanics held me prisoner. As accelerated as my brain was, I couldn’t do anything to make my legs work faster. The huge disconnect between my body and mind made it extremely difficult to judge how and when to slow down, turn, or rotate my body. I had basically turned into giant, slow-motion spaz. I misjudged my speed and rammed into the wall by the elevator button at a pretty good speed. Even though I could see the wall coming at me, I couldn’t make my finger, outstretched to hit the elevator button, move away fast enough and I jammed it against the wall. Hard. The pain was intense. If my brain had been running at regular speed, it probably only would have hurt for thirty seconds or so. But in my accelerated state, the intense pain seemed to last for half an hour. Forty-five minutes maybe. The elevator ride was horrible. It felt like I spent four or five hours just descending seven floors, with nothing to look at but the interior of the elevator car. I sprinted to the metro station. I have to admit, this part was almost fun. Even though my body moved at, what seemed to me, super-slow speed, I could still carefully choose how and where to place my feet, swing my arms, and turn my torso. It only took a block or two to getting used to having a brain that ran two dozen times faster than my body. Then I basically sprint-danced the rest of the way, twisting and juking between people on the sidewalk and dodging moving cars with inches (a.k.a. minutes) of clearance. I spent an hour, in my time frame, descending into the subway and running to the platform. Endless tedium waiting the six minutes for the red-line train to arrive. Although there was more to look at on the metro platform than inside the elevator, it was still intensely boring. I should have stolen that copy of Moby Dick. The red-line train roared into the station in slow-motion. The normally high-pitched squeal of its brakes was frequency shifted by my high-speed mind to a long low tone, like a monotone Tuba solo. It wasn’t just the squealing subway train that was three octaves lower than normal. All sound was slowed to the point of near inaudibility. Voices were gone, shifted below the threshold frequency of my hearing. I did manage to hear a s

Facebook’s Libra Cryptocurrency Named LibraWill be a “Stable Coin” = Backed by “Stable Financial Assets”.“Bank deposits and government securities in currencies from stable and reputable central banks”.Apparently the Winklevoss Twins, after a 15 year feud, have “buried the hatchet” and are at the table with Facebook for Libra.“There’s so much pie to grow, imean, at this point we need to be frenemies” Cameron Winklevoss.Will be built into  messenger and WhatsApp (no instagram… for now).First half of 2020Facebook won’t manage it???Libra Association = Nonprofit headquartered in Switzerland28 founding members (PayPal, Visa, Uber, Coinbase…) 100 by 2020Each member invests $10m, maintaine a “node” (processes, powers & transfers Libra), have one vote.Will it be more PayPal or BitCoin?BitCoin is seen more as a financial asset (gold, silver).Libra wants to be a currency.Chinease WeChat uses credit cards to make purchases and send money.Facebook has 2.38 billion users and gives them a huge advantage.1.7b people reportedly don’t have access to a bank account but most do have access to mobile phones and facebook.Of course, it’s no secret that Facebook doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to protecting people’s privacy AMD Ryzen 64-Core Threaddripper 64 cores & 128 threads. Google Leaks Again! – 3 Cameras in a Square Google’s Pixel 3 was so full of Leaks, we were wondering if it was orchestrated by Google themselves.The Pixel 4 has taken leaks even further.  They have released a press image.The image shows a square “camera bump” with 3 cameras + LED.Why?Apple will have their square bump and Google doesn’t want to be accused of copying.Google is trying to keep its throne as the camera king. Is NVIDIA Working on a new Shield TV? Android Police spotted a Google Play Developer Console listing with the codename “mdarcy” (mr. darcy?Jane Austen Pride + Prejudice).The original Shield TV is codenamed “darcy”“Mdarcy” will apparently be Android 9 Pie (darcy is just oreo).Same Tegra X1 T210 system on the current system (and nintendo switch).Is some evidence that it will be built on the new t210B01 chipset.Already found evidence of new remote and controller.Minor refresh for the best Android TV around. Exposed database reveals personal information of 1.6 million job seekers Unsecured recruitment database in India – Talanton AIPersonal information on 1.6m job seekers from around the world (US, Australia, Japan).High Profile roles = Austrailian Gov, Tommy Hilfiger, FBI’s Domestic Security Alliance Council (ironic)Plain text – Anyone with a web browser can access it if they have the address. The internet Blame E3 for Game of Thrones Delay George RR Martin is busy at work on a new game “Elden Ring” instead of writting his books (which are already 2 books behind the TV series which wrapped up in May).RPG – “Vast fully fledged fantasy world”Twitter and Reddit are angry“Are the last two books hidden in this game?” Huawei Says US Ban Hurting More Than Expected, To Wipe $30 Billion Off Revenue China’s Huawei has taken a harder-than-expected hit from a U.S. ban, the company’s founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei said, and slashed revenue expectations for the year. Ren’s downbeat assessment that the ban will hit revenue by $30 billion, the first time Huawei has quantified the impact of the U.S. action, comes as a surprise after weeks of defiant comments from company executives who maintained Huawei was technologically self-sufficient. Huawei had not expected that U.S. determination to “crack” the company would be “so strong and so pervasive,” Ren said, speaking at the company’s Shenzhen headquarters on Monday. Two U.S. tech experts, George Gilder and Nicholas Negroponte, also joined the session. “We did not expect they would attack us on so many aspects,” Ren said, adding he expects a revival in business in 2021.I saw lots of Huawei ads in Mexico. New Deepfake Algorithm Allows You To Text-Edit the Words of a Speaker In a Video It is now possible to take a talking-head style video, and add, delete or edit the speaker’s words as simply as you’d edit text in a word processor. A new deepfake algorithm can process the audio and video into a new file in which the speaker says more or less whatever you want them to. It’s the work of a collaborative team from Stanford University, Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Princeton University and Adobe Research, who say that in a perfect world the technology would be used to cut down on expensive re-shoots when an actor gets something wrong, or a script needs to be changed. In order to learn the face movements of a speaker, the algorithm requires about 40 minutes of training video, and a transcript of what’s being said, so it’s not something that can be thrown onto a short video snippet and run if you want good results. That 40 minutes of video gives the algorithm the chance to work out exactly what face shapes the subject is making for each phonetic syllable in the original script. From there, once you edit the script, the algorithm can then create a 3D model of the face making the new shapes required. And from there, a machine learning technique called Neural Rendering can paint the 3D model over with photo-realistic textures to make it look basically indistinguishable from the real thing. Other software such as VoCo can be used if you wish to generate the speaker’s audio as well as video, and it takes the same approach, by breaking down a heap of training audio into phonemes and then using that dataset to generate new words in a familiar voice. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The post 43 – The Almighty Libra – Facebook’s World Dominating Cryptocurrency appeared first on BAPGO.

Google Stadia – Everything Announced and What does it mean? On Thursday, Google released more details on the previously announced Stadia.Beta “Founders Edition” in November.$130 – Chromcast Ultra (4k) and Night Blue Stadia Controller (WiFi to release latency).3 month Stadia Pro Subscription + 3 month Buddy Pass.First Chance to get your Stadia Name!!!Stadia Base if you buy the game through Stadia.1080p 60 FPS, Release sometime next year.Stadia Pro = $10 a month 4k 60 FPS 5.1 Surround Sound. Some Free Games and discounts.WiFi Controller (reduce Latency) $69.Any Playstation, XBox or Computer Controller will work.Games – Destiny 2 (free with Pro), Balders Gate 3, Borderlands 3.Ubisoft’s Uplay + Subscription $15 to Stadia in 2020. ($180 a year).Assasins Creed, Far Cry, Watch Dogs, Anno Sims.You never own the games and can only play while you are paying. Project Scarlett – Everything we know about Microsoft’s next Console Will debut in the holiday season of 2020 along with Halo Infinite. 8K (240 Hrz?), SSD and Ray-Tracing Graphics.Will need a new TV (60 Hrz and 4k).Backwards compatible with existing Xbox games and accessories.Will keep it’s optical drive. Rumors that Microsoft will release 2 Xboxes next christmas.Will focus on XCloud Game StreamingXbox Game Pass for the PC Beta = $5 month, $10 a month after10 games to start (Halo, gears 5). Plan to have over 100 games at launch. Play on console or computer (not streaming). Facebook Set To Reveal Own Cryptocurrency Later This Month, Report Says * According to a report from The Information this week, Facebook is poised to unveil its cryptocurrency to the public later in June, which is aimed to allow users to process transactions via the social media channel, and will be offered to Facebook employees who want to be paid in the form of the cryptocurrency. * The report added Facebook is also planning to have physical portals for users to purchase the cryptocurrency, which, according to previous reports, is called GlobalCoin. * In addition, Facebook is reportedly inviting external parties to participate in the network that will empower the cryptocurrency to act as “nodes” for a fee that could be as much as $10 million each. * The news comes amid recent reports that Facebook has begun conversations with global payments providers, crypto industry players, as well as global regulators regarding the opportunity and regulatory issues for its crypto project. * Basket of normal currencies. (won’t be as volitile) *Also gets rid of the point of XRP (ripple) AMD Announces a 16-core 7nm Gaming CPU Ryzen 9 3950X ($749 USD) and fits into an AM4 motherboard.“I don’t think there’s any reason people will buy an intel processor after this”Cheaper, faster at creater tasks (streaming) and tie on single core (gaming).Fits onto all AM4 motherboards (good till 2020). 3.5 GHz base clock, 4.7GHz boost Clock.40% of the speed boost is due to 7nm72 MB of cache and only 105W TDP for that many cores (AMD’s 16 core threadripper is 165w).All AMD CPUs come with high-end stock coolers (RGB LED Wriath Prism Coolers). AMD Releases two affordable Navi-based Radeon RX cards – Ray Tracing (later) AMD claimes these cards are the “best 1140p GPUs in their class, and most affordable.Radeon RX 5700 XT ($449 USD)40 Compute Units with 2,560 stream processors.8 GB of GDDR6 memory, 256-bit memory bus. Memory bandwitdth of 448GBps.9.75 TFLOPS of performance.Competes with the RTX 2070 ($?)Radeon RX 5700 ($379 USD)36 compute Units with 2,304 stream processors8 GB of GDDR6 memory, 256-bit bus 448Gps.7.95 TFLOPs of performance.Competes with the RTX 2060 ($?)Both cards are built on the RDNA 7nm platform and will be available on July 7.They will not support raytracing yet.  They will attempt it by using shader cores. “select lighting effects for real time gaming”.Full scene ray tracing will be done “in the cloud”? The internet Blame E3 for Game of Thrones Delay George RR Martin is busy at work on a new game “Elden Ring” instead of writting his books (which are already 2 books behind the TV serries which wrapped up in May).RPG – “Vast fully fledged fantasy world”Twitter and Reddit are angry“Are the last two books hidden in this game?” Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The post Google’s Stadia: Our take, Project Scarlett: Xbox’s new console, GlobalCoin: Facebook’s new cryptocurrency – Tech Time Podcast Episode 42 appeared first on BAPGO.

I’m excited for the Stadia announcement on Thursday 9AM Pacific time Took a Bird scooter yesterday.  Have $8.75.75 left on it. (saved me time) Tesla Model 3 Test Drive Apple’s WWDC19 Keynote Mac Pro –Max Specs = Intel Xeon Processor 28 Cores (300 watts),  1.5 terabytes of RAM, x2 Radeon Pro Vega II for 64 GB memory.Full specs can play 3 streams of 8k video or 12 streams of 4k video.Base Specs ($6k) = 8-core Xeon, 32gb RAM, Radeon Pro 580x (8gb), 256gb SSDclaim comparable specs $8k, I can build that for $1k.People calling it the most expensive cheese grater.Apple’s Top Spec Mac Pro and Pro Display Will Cost At Least $50,000 6k Retina Display ($5k)32” LCD, 6016×3384, 20m pixelsxSlide showing the stand = $999 (same as an iPhone XS?) does it make phone calls?$12k all in – saw an article with 10 cars that cost less iOS 13Dark Mode – for Apple Apps (notes, maps, messages)Swipe keyboardFace ID 30% Faster, Downloads 50% smaller, 100% faster launch.Sign in with apple – Authenticated without identification (new random email) that forwards to your real email.Memojie Stickers – Based on your memojie – We Chat, messages, editor.Apple WatchMore apps and no need to have a companion app on iphone, calculator, maps.App store for apple watch.  Does this allow you to go iPhone free?Women can have their cycles synced up.iPad OSCloser to OSX for functionality (pin widgets (like android has done for years), split screens, multi tasking).Plug in a thumb drive to iPad Pro.  Can connect to Network Servers. iPad can be a second screen to your MacBook (called sidecar). MacOS CatalinaiOS integration – Apps in OSX, Blur the line between Mobile and Desktop/Laptop.You actually have to recomplie iOS apps to OSX but easier. iTunes is dead – Now Music, iPhone Integration & Podcast app. Controllers (PS4, Xbox) now work on iOS, TVOS and MacOS.Just in time for Arcade Gaming Subscription. Watchdog Says FBI Has Access To About 640M Photographs A government watchdog says the FBI has access to about 640 million photographs — including from driver’s licenses, passports and mugshots — that can be searched using facial recognition technology. The figure reflects how the technology is becoming an increasingly powerful law enforcement tool, but is also stirring fears about the potential for authorities to intrude on the lives of Americans. It was reported by the Government Accountability Office at a congressional hearing in which both Democrats and Republicans raised questions about the use of the technology. The FBI maintains a database known as the Interstate Photo System of mugshots that can help federal, state and local law enforcement officials.the bureau has strict policies for using facial recognition. She said it is used only when there is an active FBI investigation or an assessment, which can precede a formal investigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The post 41- An Underwhelming WWDC 2019 appeared first on BAPGO.

AMD’s new Ryzen Processor has 12 cores and only costs $499 AMD’s 50th this year and announced new CPU’s and GPU’s both built on 7nm architecture. Zen 2 – Ryzen 7 3900X CPU features 12 cores and boost clock speed of 4.6GHz.  Only uses 105 Watts (9920X is 165 watts)Only costs $499 (9920X is $1,200 = $700 cheaper!)In most of the demos the Ryzen 7 3900X performed 18% better than 9920X.Ryzen 7 3800X ($399) for gamers, 8 cores, 3.8/4.5GHz 105 watts (comparable to $479, i9-9900K).Ryzen 7 3700X ($329).  8 Cores 3.6/4.4GHz and 65 watts (last years 2700X was 105 watts).Is 33% faster than i7-9700K (But that’s a generation apart).Overall CPUs are 15% faster for single core and 18% on multi core.Lisa Su (AMD CEO) pointed out that Playstation 5 will be powered with a custom setup of Navi GPU and Zen 2 CPUs.RX5000 line of Graphics Cards (7nm)Apparently Intel trademarked the 3000 naming (I don’t know why AMD didn’t buy that up years ago) but AMD says the 5000 name is to represent their 50th. Pricing hasn’t been announced (that will be announced at E3 in June.25% faster and 50% faster at the same wattage Both the CPUs and GPUs will be available on July 7 (7/7) for 7nm. Support PCI Express 4.0- 2GB per lane. Intel’s Keynote – Not nearly as impressive 14 new Xeon Processors for Servers and Desktops.WiFi 6, optane memory support (just a little faster than NvMe).X-Series of processors (x for Extreme) coming this fall. i9-9900KS Processor – 5Ghz on all 8 cores.  This fallOld i9 9900k is $1200, how much will this one cost?Intel Performance Maximizer – Overclocking tool.  Helps you find the perfect overclocking speed for each processor and cooler.Project Athena 1.0 specification – Mobile  Wake from sleep in less than a second.16 hours of video playback / 9 hours of battery life. Rappid Charging. 10th Gen Ice Lake Processors (10nm – used to be 14nm) Only lower powered laptops not desktops yet.Focus on AI (2.5x), Gen 11 graphics architecture x2 performance (supposed to be way better on board graphics than AMD). Good for laptops???Showed of new thin laptops using IceLake. AMD appears to be the mobile chip of the future – about 3 years. Asus ZenBook Pro Duo – Full of Keyboard Screens Has a virtual number pad to the right of the keyboard which doubles as touchpad.2nd 4k Touch Screen that is the width of the laptop just above the keyboard. Can expand the main screen down to the 2nd screen.Set frequently used tiles/appsMoves the keyboard down and there is no palm rest. Comes with Intel’s 9th Gen i9-9989HK and Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 GPU4K OLED panel (Not sure if it’s touch screen). Asus ZenBook Flip 15 Large touch pad is also a color screen.Just think of the trackpad on your laptop, now think of it as a 5.65” phone screen with apps. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The post 40 – Computex 2019 All the details! – Tech Time Podcast appeared first on BAPGO.

First Official Version of Tor Browser for Android Released on Play Store The Tor Project today made the first stable version of its privacy-focused browser available on the Google Play Store. This new mobile browser integrates the Tor protocol stack into a standalone browser and replaces Orfox as the main way to navigate the Tor network from an Android device. “We made it a priority to reach the rising number of users who only browse the web with a mobile device,” said Isabela Bagueros, Executive Director of the Tor Project. “These users often face heavy surveillance and censorship online, so it is critical for us to reach them. We made sure there are no proxy bypasses, that first-party isolation is enabled to protect you from cross-site tracking, and that most of the fingerprinting defenses are working,”There is no official Tor Browser version for iOS, but the Tor Project recommends that iOS users install Mike Tigas’ Onion Browser iOS app if they want to use Tor on iOS. BLOCK TRACKERS Tor Browser isolates each website you visit so third-party trackers and ads can’t follow you. Any cookies automatically clear when you’re done browsing. DEFEND AGAINST SURVEILLANCE Tor Browser prevents someone watching your connection from knowing what websites you visit. All anyone monitoring your browsing habits can see is that you’re using Tor. RESIST FINGERPRINTING Tor aims to make all users look the same, making it difficult for you to be fingerprinted based on your browser and device information. MULTI-LAYERED ENCRYPTION When you use Tor Browser for Android, your traffic is relayed and encrypted three times as it passes over the Tor network. The network is comprised of thousands of volunteer-run servers known as Tor relays. Watch this animation to learn more about how it works: BROWSE FREELY With Tor Browser for Android, you are free to access sites your local internet service provider may have blocked.  Access deep web.  (Smart to use NordVPN as well) Huawei Banned from Google – What does this mean?? President Trump issued a “Blacklist Order” last week.Google is reportedly  ceasing all business with Huawei entirely.Future Huawei phones will not have access to Google services.No Android, no play store, no apps (Gmail, Chrome, Docs…).Cannot use the AOSP (Android Open Source Project).No technical support or collaboration.On Sunday Google confirmed that the Play Store, Play Protect and other services will keep functioning on Huawei devices. Huawei has previously mentioned that it has an operating system in the works. The US Department of Justice has given Huawei a 90 day grace period before American companies must stop supporting or supplying components. There are a lot of companies that rely on Huawei equipment (specifically, Telecom, internet and WiFi).  States like Oregon and Wyoming have invested in Huawei and will need to swap it out in 90 days.Google will continue to support Huawei phones for the next 90 days. An article put out by the Chinese Government says the new OS will be ready this fall and Android Apps that are “re-compiled” to this OS will be 60 faster than on Android (Nice propaganda).Huawei isn’t even sure if American Citizens are allowed to continue to work at the company.   Sony Leaks PS5 Again This is becoming a weekly occurance.Last week, the loading times for the PS5 were leaked (10x faster).Earlier we heard the GPU will have Ray Tracing. Will be backwards compatible (VR too).May be pricing the PS5 at a loss when it gets released (relying on PS4 games to keep it profitable).All new CPU and GPU3rd Gen AMD Ryzen (8 cores).Custom GPU – AMD Radeon Navi (with Ray Tracing) & 8K.Provide console with 3d Audio.Will use SSds for storage instead of Hard drives. Will still have support for games on disk (nice for 2nd hand games).Streaming may be an option.Focusing on Playstation Now till Streaming improves.Streaming will come with the Microsoft Partnership it just inked last week.Definitely not coming out this yearSkipping E3 next month. Artificial Intelligence has been Weaponized in China (George Soros). At this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, George Soros (Billionaire and Philanthropist) warned that the Chinese Government’s use of AI presents an “Unprecedented danger” to its citizens and all open societies. Last month the New York Times confirmed that the Chinease Government is using AI facial recognition to monitor and target members of the Uigur (Muslim Minority).Human Rights Watch also released a report titled, “China’s Algorithms of Oppression” confirming the same thing.In the province of Xinjiang (where the majority of Uigurs live) have surveillance cameras everywhere (streets, mosques, schools, bus stops…)Everyone must use a transportation app that tracks religious practices, political affiliation, social media platforms and even blood type.The Social Credit SystemDeveloped by both private and state entities. Collects data on people (financial, social) and creates a “social score” to determine if they pose a threat to the Communist Party of China.People with low “credit worthiness” are publically shamed with their names and faces on Billboard displays.   TikTok Maker Set To Take on Spotify With Free New Music Streaming App Does the overcrowded and cut-throat music streaming business have room for an additional player? The world’s most valuable startup certainly thinks so. Chinese conglomerate ByteDance, valued at more than $75 billion, is working on a music streaming service, two sources familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. The company, which operates popular app TikTok, has held discussions with music labels in recent months to launch the app as soon as the end of this quarter, one of the sources said. The app will offer both a premium and an ad-supported free tier, one of the sources said. Bloomberg, which first wrote about the premium app, reported that ByteDance is targeting emerging markets with its new music app. Further reading: Chinese Video Sensation TikTok Surpassed Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube in Downloads in October 2018. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The post 39 – Playstation 5 Rumors and Tor for Android appeared first on BAPGO.

Bitcoin is on FIRE! Story about Tiffany wanting to buy a bitcoin.Bitcoin just surged past $8,000 on Tuesday, hitting its highest mark since last July. It tapered off slightly by mid-afternoon, but is still trading at its highest level in nearly a year.Story about XRP license plateBullish experts say the strong showing could signal that bitcoin has a future as a worthy investment opportunity. But the currency’s volatile and controversial history has prompted plenty of skepticism. After all, the currency skyrocketed in value Monday when the Dow plunged 617 points, perhaps suggesting that investors turned to bitcoin as a safe haven asset.“It’s bitcoin’s moment to shine when people momentarily give up on the government or the banking system,” Held added.t hit $20,000 in December 2017 before crashing the next year. Some experts called the downturn a correction after a period of “speculative mania.”Maybe get an ETF that invests in all cryptocurrencies.  (Explain what a bitcoin is)This could be going up and down due to market manipulation by the super rich.CE (ICE), the owner of the NYSE, launched a futures exchange for bitcoin and other cryptos. (Making this a much more stable bet) OnePlus 7 Pro – Best Bang for Buck! Announced today!According to Cnet, “Best Android Phone Value of 2019”Blazing fast (Snapdragon 855, upto 12GB of Ram!!!)90 Hz (90 frams a second), curved,1440-pixel OLED notchless display (A+ Displaymate)In display fingerprint reader (faster than 6T). Popup Selfie CameraFast, durable, will pop back in if dropped. Software bocca effect. Triple Rear Camera – Ultra wide-angle camera, standard camera, telephoto cameraOne test on a dark room with a bright window, lit up room better than pixel 3.Appears to do better than night site (we’ll see). 3x optical, 10x digitalAndroid Pie+ Screen recording (screen shot but a video), not work with Netflix.5G version coming to UK only.No wireless charging, no headphone jack, not waterproof$669 6GB RAM/128; $699 8GB RAM/256$80 less than budget iPhone XR and Samsung 10SE. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The post 38 – Bitcoin is on FIRE! Tech Time Podcast appeared first on BAPGO.

Everything announced today at Google I/O Pixel 3A & 3AXLSame rear camera and photo software (Best camera for the price!).  Cheapest pure android. Headphone Jack, available outside of Verizon, Active Edge (squeeze), no Wireless charging, not water resistant, no wide-angle selfie, no pixel buds, Snapdragon 670.3A – $399, 3AXL – $479Nest Hub Max (Comparing it to facebook portal that also tracks) The Portal can also do augmented reality (cowboy hats/glasses) and works with Whatsapp video.Combining Nest and Google Hub (brings a camera).Nest Hub $129 (no camera), Nuest Hub Max $229 – This Summer.Max has 10” HD screen.  Camera is a Nest Cam, bigger speakers with stereo sound.New gesture control for pause and videos (unique to Nest hub max)  Good for cooking with chicken hands etc….Camera will follow you as you move (like Facebook smart portal).  Google Duo only.Will display family photos (like the old picture frames) and adjust to lighting brightness and color.Face Match – can recognize you and put videos, updates and traffic information in for you.  Can also trigger personalized routines (dim lights, play news, turn on music). Will work with multiple people in the room at a time.  Merges Calendars.Amazon Echo Show, you can use the camera for video calls and you can drop in on the live feed, but that’s it missing security camera option etc… Android QImprove Privacy, Dark Theme!, Foldable Phone Support, Security updates without reboots,  Google maps gets incognito mode (sneaky) (Mine tracks me all the time! I get e-mails every month that remind me that I am in the car 60+ hours a day lol.Google Assistant 10x Smarter10x faster than old Assistant.Calls Uber to where you are staying.Automatically fills out web forms when you verbally request the reservation.“We see a future where verbally talking is faster than tapping a phone.” Manuel Bronstein VP Google Assistant. Duplex – Now does autofill on steroids (instead of human sounding robot)Live Caption now puts subtitles to any video or audio clip.Google Lens and ARPushing Lens and AR deeper into native search.Search will bring up 3d object links that can be dropped in the “real world” at proper scale (chairs for dining room)Many stores are AR ready with 3d assets (Wayfair, Lowe’s, Target, Volvo).Imagine AR glasses – conjuring objects into the real world for inspection, review… No app necessary.: Google Lens will soon be able to highlight top meals at a restaurant simply by pointing your camera at the menu Also coming soon: Split a bill or calculate a tip by after a meal by pointing your camera at your receiptread signs and other text for people who can’t read or don’t understand the native language.  (Tell story about the time you were in Beijing and couldn’t read the breakfast menu)AR browser (superimpose AR over things you see)AR will instantly translate signs and menus.Highlights popular dishes (or found in reviews).Has links for the dishes or pictures of the food on reviews.Will automatically recognise shapes (Furniture, art) where to buy it.Cooking instructions (with video) can pop up when reading a recipe.Google Lens is coming to low end Android phones that can’t handle AR.Streaming google translate (cheap AR on low-power AR headsets). Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The post 37 – Google Announcements this week – The Best of – Tech Time Podcast appeared first on BAPGO.

Sinemia, a Would-be Rival To MoviePass, Shuts Down US Movie-Ticket Subscription Service Sinemia, a would-be rival to MoviePass, is closing down its U.S. operations — telling customers it could not find “a path to sustainability” amid legal headaches, competitive pressures and the challenging economics of the business model. The company announced the shutdown in a notice on its website Thursday. “While we are proud to have created a best in market service, our efforts to cover the cost of unexpected legal proceedings and raise the funds required to continue operations have not been sufficient,” Sinemia said in the statement. “The competition in the U.S. market and the core economics of what it costs to deliver Sinemia’s end-to-end experience ultimately [led] us to the decision of discontinuing our U.S. operations.” From the notice, it’s not clear whether Sinemia will be extending refunds that may be due to subscribers.They aren’t releasing refunds.  ← Lots of friends are having difficulties. AMC Stubs A-List might be the best deal.20 bucks a month.  Tammy and the T-rex (denise richards and paul walker)Playboy mansion Facebook’s F8 2019 – All the Deets! Design Changes, New VR Headsets and a new Privacy MantraToday Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged Facebook’s “self-inflicted” issues, mostly caused by years of negligent behavior. “I know that we don’t exactly have the strongest reputation on privacy right now, to put it lightly” Big Grin on Face.He unveiled Facebook’s new Mantra, “The Future is Private”Digital Living Room (private).Promises to start with privacy in mind (Private Interactions with confidence it is private, encryption (even from FB), Reducing Permanence, Safety, Interoperability (various platforms), secure data storage (in secure countries).Messenger for Desktop (Mac & Windows). Friends Tab with all FB info (instagram, FB)Video Chat – Can co-watch videos together.Next Computing PlatformDigital Town Square – VR & ARAR Portal For developers.Portal in Canada this Fall.What’s Ap to PortaEncryption on all Video Chats.lOculus Quest and Rift S go on sale ($399 USD May 21).Rift S = Better Rift (Higher resolution, Inside Tracking, Better Optics)Quest = Independant and untethered, Full Freedom of movement.Oprah Moment, “everyone at F8 gets a free Oculus Quest” Google’s Wing Aviation gets Approval for Drone Deliveries in US Alphabets Wing Aviation got approval on Tuesday (April 23) to deliver goods by drone in Virginia.They had to get U.S. air carrier certification from the Federal Aviation Administration. Commercial service delivering goods (businesses or residential).Beyond line of sight and over people.Already has over 70,000 test flights and 3,000 deliveries in Australia. Currently on “trial” in Helsinki Finland.They plan on Food Delivery fist. Wing Claims benefits of faster food and medicine delivery (over car), reduce traffic and emissions. After $702M Loss, Tesla Stock Sinks To Lowest Price in Two Years Tesla stock price “slumped 5% on Friday to its lowest in two years,” reports Reuters, citing in part “a pitch by Chief Executive Elon Musk on autonomous cars that failed to win over investors.” Musk is still battling to convince investors that demand for the Model 3, the company’s first car aimed at the mass consumer market, is “insanely” high, and that it can be delivered efficiently to customers around the world….On Wednesday, Tesla posted a worse-than-expected loss of $702 million for the March quarter. Musk said Tesla would return to profit in the third quarter and that there was “some merit” to raising capital…. Tesla’s stock has now fallen 29 percent in 2019 and the company’s market capitalization has declined to $41 billion from $63 billion in mid-December. After overtaking the market capitalizations of General Motors and Ford Motor in 2017, Tesla slipped back below GM in January, and on Friday it dipped back below the market value of Ford, which saw its stock surge 10% after reporting a better-than-expected quarter. Analysts now expect Tesla’s revenue to expand 19% in 2019, compared with 83% growth in 2018 and 68% growth in 2017, according to Refinitiv. MarketWatch helpfully illustrated the -5.04% drop in Tesla’s stock price over three days by animating it over a picture of Elon Musk’s face in front of a bullseye. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The post 35 – The Playboy Episode – Tech Time Technology Podcast appeared first on BAPGO.

Samsung Galaxy Fold Screens are Breaking and Now the Launch is Postponed The early reviews of the Galaxy Fold were glowing (Revolutionary, Most Excited about a phone in a decade…)Some early reviewers of the Fold are reporting that screens are broken “unusable after only two days” Mark Gruman Bloomberg.There is a removable film that some are peeling off thinking it’s a shipping protector. Marques Brownlee (YouTuber) had a video showing the damage from removing the film.Some reviewers have also reported a “small bulge” in the crease that broke the phone.Now it looks like Samsung is delaying the public launch to sometime in MayWas originally to be April 23 in Hong Kong and April 26 US.Perhaps fix the screen issues.People are comparing this to 2016’s burning Note 7. OnePlus 7 Pro Rumours 5G (May not come to the US).Super Fast Screen (90Hz refresh rate, 33% faster than most phones)Curved display (like Galaxys 8-10)Pop-up Selfie Camera 16mp. Triple RearMay 14 confirmed today.Qualicom 8554,000 mAhmicroSDAndroid 9.0 Pie Tesla Autonomy Investor Day Elon Musk spent three hours displaying Tesla’s FSD (Fully Self Driving) capabilities.Tesla uses Radar & Cameras to read the road and identify objects in the way.Competitors (Waymo, Audi, Mobileye) use LIDAR (laser radar, 3D mapping).He believes the FSD will be “feature complete” by the end of 2019, Q2 2020 Drivers won’t need to pay attention, US Gov Approval end of 2020.Musk focused his presentation on his “in house AI Chipset” used to power the FSD tech.The AI Chipset is to use less than 100 watts to reduce the system’s impact on the range. The current FSD Hardware has been complete for 2 years. Next Gen in 2 more years (3x as powerful).Anjrey Karpathy (Head of AI) explained that LIDAR is a crutch and that FSD needs to be based on vision because the roads were made for vision (our eyes).  He claims that vision can give far more information than LIDAR “just points in space”. Musk, “Anyone relying on LIDAR is doomed”. DEBATEOther info New battery design good for 1m miles (current 300-500k).Robo Taxi Service – for areas where Tesla owners don’t “share”.  Lease backs. 1m FSD taxies on the road by 2020 (right…). Tesla Investigates After Parked Model S Appears To Explode In China “CNN reports on CCTV footage from China showing a parked Model S bursting violently into flames,” Tesla is investigating after one of its vehicles appeared to explode in China. A short video of surveillance footage posted on Chinese social media site Weibo (WB) showed white smoke emerging from what looks like a white Tesla car parked at a lot in Shanghai. After a few seconds, the electric vehicle bursts into flames and the clip ends soon afterward. The video, which was filmed just after 8:15 pm local time on April 21, appears to show a Tesla Model S sedan. It was posted on Chinese social media a couple of hours later and has since been shared widely. The clip attracted a mix of derision and outrage on Weibo. “Us car owners demand an explanation,” wrote user Miao Hongyang. “Jeopardizing our safety in a moment’s instant and the fact it ignited so quickly is something we will not tolerate.” “One thing I’ve learned from this incident: from now on, don’t ever park next to a Tesla.'” Anti-american redoric. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The post 35 – Tesla Unveils Its Full Self-Driving Computer appeared first on BAPGO.

Our thoughts on the “picture” of the Black HoleOur thoughts on Julian Assange Disney Plus Video Streaming Announced November 12 2019 (USA)$6.99 (USD) a month or $69.99 a year (Ad Free).Netflix is around $11.Less due to significantly less volume of shows.Devices = Roku & PS4 (Confirmed).  Most likely on Apple TV, Amazon Fire & Android (maybe Nintendo Switch).Programming = Traditional Disney, Star Wars, Marvel.Marvel – Loki, Hawkeye. What If (Heros and Villans in different realities). Live Action Star Wars (Mandalorian – Space Gun Slinger with Carl Weathers! LOL).Monsters At WorkSimpsonsTraditional Disney500 films, 7000 episodes of Disney TV.Hulu will continue with more “adult” content.  Maybe shows like Dare Devil, Jessica Jones… Netflix Stock dropped 5% or $8 billion in market capitalization after Disney Plus announcement. Disney Stocks jumped 12% or $25 billion.DiscussionHas Netflix become the “Basic Cable” of streaming with Disney Plus as an add on?Will Apple price their service as low as Disney?Is it worth it to subscribe?Rank? Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, YouTube TV, Crackle, HBO Now PlayStation 5 Details Announced Mark Cerny (Lead architect on the PS4 and PS5) was interviewed by Wired.Wouldn’t confirm it would be called the PlayStation 5.It will not release in 2019 – Maybe 2020???CPU Based on 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen processorGPU on AMD’s Radeon Navi.Perform Ray Tracing – Complex rendering used in Hollywood for high quality visuals8k output.Better Audio Experinces “more immersive” sound.SSD (Solid State Drive)Shrink lengthy load times, faster online play.  Higher bandwidth than anything currently on PC’s.Backwards compatible.Working prototype – showed Marvel’s Spider-ManFast Travel through New York on Subway 0.8 seconds (PS4 Pro 15 seconds). Disc-Free Xbox One S Could Land on May 7 “ALL DIGITAL” Microsoft is about to launch an even cheaper Xbox One S. In order to cut costs, the company is removing the Blu-ray disc drive altogether.THIS COULD BE THE END OF BLURAY/Physical discs. According to leaked marketing images spotted by WinFuture, the console could launch on May 7th for $258 in Germany. From a report: Given that the launch is just a few weeks away and that those marketing images line up perfectly with previous rumors, chances are this is the real deal. As you can see on WinFuture’s images, it looks exactly like an Xbox One S without the disc slot. The console is called Xbox One S All Digital and comes with a 1TB hard drive — most standard Xbox One S consoles currently also feature a 1TB hard drive. Microsoft states clearly that this console is only for digital games. If you already have physical Xbox One games, you wonâ(TM)t be able to insert them in the console.  Tesla Ends Online Sales of $35,000 Model 3 Tesla is changing up its retail strategy yet again, this time deciding to end online sales of the long-awaited $35,000 version of its Model 3 sedan The move comes just over a month after the company announced that the $35,000 version was finally coming to market. Tesla said customers wanting the $35,000 version of the Model 3 would have to make the purchase by phone or in person at one of its stores. The cheapest Model 3s ordered online will now include Tesla’s Autopilot driver-assistance system and a longer battery range, features that increase the price to $39,500. The blog post said Tesla was making the changes to “simplify vehicle choices and to make Autopilot more affordable.” Such a configuration would previously have cost $40,500, it said (it’s actually a thousand dollars cheaper) A Tesla spokesman said the change would allow the company to produce one version of the Model 3 and use software to limit the battery range and turn off features such as heated seats for customers who wanted the $35,000 model. A longer range and additional features will be switched on in the $39,500 car, known as the Standard Plus model.Tesla’s announcement also said it would begin leasing the Model 3, but would not offer customers the option to buy the cars after their leases expired, a departure from the typical industry practice and its own policy on other models. Tesla said it aimed to upgrade Model 3s returned after a lease to allow them to drive themselves, with no human at the wheel, and be deployed in a driverless taxi fleet. The company acknowledged that the technology for driverless taxis was still in development and would need to be approved by safety regulators before such a business could begin. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The post 34 – Playstation 5 Gets Raytracing! – Tech Time Podcast appeared first on BAPGO.

China Wants To Ban Bitcoin Mining China’s state planner wants to eliminate bitcoin mining in the country, according to a draft list of industrial activities the agency is seeking to stop in a sign of growing government pressure on the cryptocurrency sector. China is the world’s largest market for computer hardware designed to mine bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, even though such activities previously fell under a regulatory grey area. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on Monday it was seeking public opinions on a revised list of industries it wants to encourage, restrict or eliminate. The list was first published in 2011. The draft for a revised list added cryptocurrency mining, including that of bitcoin, to more than 450 activities the NDRC said should be phased out as they did not adhere to relevant laws and regulations, were unsafe, wasted resources or polluted the environment. It did not stipulate a target date or plan for how to eliminate bitcoin mining, meaning that such activities should be phased out immediately, the document said. The public has until May 7 to comment on the draft. Samsung’s Galaxy S10 Fingerprint Sensor Fooled By 3D Printer A Samsung Galaxy S10 user has managed to fool the in-display fingerprint reader on his smartphone using a 3D print of his fingerprint. In a post on Imgur, user darkshark outlined his project: he took a picture of his fingerprint on a wineglass, processed it in Photoshop, and made a model using 3ds Max that allowed him to extrude the lines in the picture into a 3D version. After a 13-minute print (and three attempts with some tweaks), he was able to print out a version of his fingerprint that fooled the phone’s sensor. The Galaxy S10’s fingerprint sensor doesn’t rely on a capacitive fingerprint scanner that’s been used in other versions of the phone, using instead an ultrasonic sensor that’s apparently more difficult to spoof. darkshark points out that it didn’t take much to spoof his own fingerprint. A concern, he notes, is that payment and banking apps are increasingly using the authentication from a fingerprint sensor to unlock, and all he needed to get into his phone was a photograph, some software, and access to a 3D printer. “I can do this entire process in less than 3 minutes and remotely start the 3d print so that it’s done by the time I get to it,” he writes. UBer plans to expand Booze delivery, e-Scooters in Canada Bikes, booze and e-scooters are part of Uber Canada’s plans for 2019. Uber – “We want the Uber app to provide you with access to each type of transit that is relevant for you”.“We are going to increasingly be providing you with access to different modes of transportation”E-Scooters in CanadaLime has pilot e-scooters in waterloo Ont, Bird is looking to expand into Canada.Jump, Lime and Bird have gotten in trouble for having “dockless” e-bikes and scooters.  Abandoned and littering cities. Social media is also showing people destroying e-scooters by throwing them off buildings, lighting them on fire, smashing them and dumping them in the ocean.Uber Booze = alcohol delivery.  Already in BC. Tied to Uber Eats Cloudflare Says Its New VPN Service Won’t Slow You Down Cloudflare has announced that it’s adding a VPN service to its 1.1.1.1 DNS resolver app. The 1.1.1.1 service, which first came to mobile back in November, currently attempts to speed up mobile data speeds by using Cloudflare’s network to resolve DNS queries faster than your existing mobile network. “We wanted to build a VPN service that my dad would install on his phone,” says Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince. “If you tell him that it will make his connection more private and secure, he’d never do it. But if you tell him it will make his connection faster, make his phone’s battery last longer, and make his connections more private, then it would be something he’d install.” Mobile phone users can begin signing up for the service, dubbed Warp, through Cloudflare’s mobile app 1.1.1.1 on Monday; The technology that Cloudflare uses is called Warp fast, a protocol invented by Google called QUIC, and it could one day make the rest of the internet faster and more reliable. QUIC is essentially a substitute for TCP, the venerable protocol now used for most internet connections. TCP, introduced in 1981, made reliable internet connections possible, says Jana Iyengar, who worked on QUIC for Google; \ ‘Fortnite’ May be a Virtual Game, But It’s Having Real-life, Dangerous Effects “They are not sleeping. They are not going to school. They are dropping out of social activities. A lot of kids have stopped playing sports so they can do this.” Michael Rich, a pediatrician and director of the Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders at Boston Children’s Hospital“Fortnite: Battle Royale” — a cartoonish multiplayer shooter game — is having on kids, mainly boys, some still in grade school. “We have one kid who destroyed the family car because he thought his parents had locked his device inside,” Rich said. “He took a hammer to the windshield.” A year and a half since the game’s release, Rich’s account is just one of many that describe an obsession so intense that kids are seeing doctors and therapists to break the game’s grip: in some cases losing so much weight — because they refuse to stop playing to eat — that doctors initially think they’re wasting away from a physical disease. The stress on families has become so severe that parents are going to couples’ counselors, fighting over who’s to blame for allowing “Fortnite” into the house in the first place and how to rein in a situation that’s grown out of control. Further reading: ‘Fortnite’ Creator Sees Epic Games Becoming as Big as Facebook, Google.Prince harry hates it too. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The post 33 – The Rise and Fall of Bitcoin – Tech Time Podcast appeared first on BAPGO.

Apple Arcade Is a New Game Subscription Service For iOS, Mac, and Apple TV Apple has unveiled a few different subscription services today at its “show time” event, including a new Apple Arcade game subscription service for titles that can be installed from the App Store. The company is aiming to curate some of the 300,000 games currently available from the App Store into this new ad-free subscription service. “There will be 100 new and exclusive games available on Apple Arcade, which will launch on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV,” reports The Verge.These games won’t be available on any other mobile platform or any subscription service other than Apple Arcade. Games will be downloaded and played straight from the App Store, and subscribers will be able to try games whenever they want and resume them across devices. All of the game features, content, and future updates will be included, and there will be no ads shown within the games. SimCity creator Will Wright is also making a game for the service. Apple is promising games from Annapurna Interactive, Bossa Studios, Cartoon Network, Finji, Giant Squid, Klei Entertainment, Konami, Lego, Mistwalker Corporation, SEGA, Snowman, ustwo games, and more. Apple isn’t just curating the games for Apple Arcade; it’s actually planning to contribute to the development costs of creating them. Apple might not have announced its own game studio today, but it’s certainly a big step toward that. Apple Arcade is launching this fall in more than 150 countries, but Apple is not yet revealing pricing for this subscription service. Apple does say that “access for up to six family members,” will be available, suggesting you’ll be able to share the subscription. While the full list of games isn’t available yet, some of the titles revealed on Apple Arcade’s website include: LEGO Brawls, HitchHiker, Kings of the Castle, Where Cards Fall, and Frogger in Toy Town. Apple TV+, With Shows From Spielberg, Oprah and J.J. Abrams, is Coming This Fall Apple TV+, a place for its new slate of original shows. The new service, billed as a place for the “highest-quality storytelling,” will be available in over 100 countries and released starting this fall through the Apple TV app.It will be ad-free, on-demand and available both streaming online and downloadable. Pricing will be announced this fall. Apple TV Plus is the company’s way of jumping into the streaming video game, where Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and others have already established themselves and brought in millions of cord-cutter customers fleeing cable subscriptions. The new service also works as a way for Apple to grow its thriving services business, helping it continue to grow despite lagging iPhone sales. The company in 2017 hired Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg from Sony Pictures Television to oversee “all aspects of video programming.” The two were responsible for shows such as Breaking Bad, The Crown and Rescue Me. And in the past year, Apple has continually announced original content it’s producing — including a multiyear partnership deal with Oprah and deals with Reese Witherspoon, J.J. Abrams and dozens of others. The company has reportedly gone well past its original $1 billion budget to bring in this list of movie and television A-listers, who are slated to create about 30 shows and a handful of movies. Apple Unveils $9.99 News Subscription Service Dubbed Apple News+ Apple today unveiled a news subscription service called Apple News+ at its services event in Cupertino, Calif. The $9.99 service gives paying subscribers access to over 300 magazines as well as select newspapers and premium digital news services. “We believe in the power of journalism and the impact it will have on your lives,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook. Some of the magazines part of the service are including GQ, Esquire, Popular Science, The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated, Fortune, New York Magazine and Vogue, as well as Variety and the Rolling Stone.Newspapers included in the package are the Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal. Digital publications include theSkimm, TechCrunch and The Highlight by Vox. For now, it is available just in the U.S., and come to three more markets — Canada, Australia, and the U.K., later this year. Apple Launches no-fee Apple Credit Card Apple announced they are getting into the Credit Card business.It will start out as a virtual card (on your phone or watch).It will work everywhere that accepts Apple Pay. (Uses faceID or touchID)It will have a “Titanium Card” (physical card?) for those places that don’t have apple pay.The sleek, minimalist titanium card just has the holder’s name etched onto it with lasers. It forgoes card numbers and other sensitive information.The card gives 2% cash back on Apple Pay transactions and 3 % on direct Apple purchases. Customers get 1% on purchases with the physical card and the company said rewards are dispensed daily.Cash back will be “Daily Cash”.Not sure if it has to be spent through the Apple Store, Account (Apply Music, TV+) or even on the balance of your statement.  Apple will charge a 1 percent fee to make an instantaneous transfer from an Apple Pay Cash balance to a debit card, maxing out at $10, although direct bank transfers are free. This means that while Apple Card doesn’t have fees, some of Apple’s associated services might have one.Apple will no longer let you send money to other people that use apple pay unless you have the apple credit card. HTC Debuts New ‘Vive Focus Plus’ VR Headset; Available To Developers April 15 For $799 HTC has debuted their new virtual-reality headset called the Vive Focus Plus. Starting at $799, the headset functions similarly to the Oculus Quest, which starts shipping this spring at half the cost, but has improved specifications and is geared towards the business market. HTC says the Vive Focus Plus would be available to developers on April 15. The Vive Focus Plus will ship in most markets with an enterprise license. The headset is said to launch with 250 Vive Wave applications while its Viveport Infinity subscription program claims to include “over 70 premium titles.” [Some of the specifications include a 3K AMOLED (2880×1600) display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, 75Hz frame rate, 110-degree field of view, and inside-out tracking.] HTC is a company that appears to be in technological transition — with the Vive Focus Plus the latest example. HTC’s first generation Vive headset debuted in 2016 for $$799, a full $200 more than the Rift with a wider feature set.HTC is trying to gear the headset to the business market but it is not clear how the headset or its business license will outperform Oculus Quest for business use cases. Meng Whanzhou was Carrying an iPhone when she was arrested. According to court released documents, Meng Whanzhou had many apple products on her.MacBook Air, iPad Pro, iPhone 7 Plus.She also had a Huawei Mate RS Porsche Design (hopefully her main phone).Just a few months ago, there was a New Years tweet from the Company’s Twitter account that came from an iPhone.  That person was apparently demoted and Huawei believes it hurt their brand.UpdateChina has banned all Canola from Canada (originally saying there were pests).It’s just more pressure to on Canada to release Meng Wanzauo. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The post Apple Arcade, Apple TV+, Apple Credit Card – Podcast 32 appeared first on BAPGO.

Apple Finally Updates the iMac With Significantly More Powerful CPU and GPU Options Today, Apple will finally begin taking orders for newly refreshed 21- and 27-inch iMacs. The new versions don’t change the basic design or add major new features, but they offer substantially faster configuration options for the CPU and GPU. The 21.5-inch iMac now has a 6-core, eighth-generation Intel CPU option — up from a maximum of four cores before. The 27-inch now has six cores as the standard configuration, with an optional upgrade to a 3.6GHz, 9th-gen, 8-core Intel Core i9 CPU that Apple claims will double performance over the previous 27-inch iMac. The base 27-inch model has a 3GHz 6-core Intel Core i5 CPU, with intermediate configurations at 3.1GHz and 3.7GHz (both Core i5). The big news is arguably that both sizes now offer high-end, workstation-class Vega-graphics options for the first time. (Apple added a similar upgrade option to the 15-inch MacBook Pro late last year). Apple claims the Vega 48 will net a 50-percent performance improvement over the Radeon Pro 580, the previous top configuration. The Most Powerful iMac Pro Now Costs $15,927 Apple recently updated the upgrade options for the iMac Pro, and getting the very best will cost you. A baseline model will cost you just under $5,000, and maxing out the hardware to absurd heights runs a whopping $15,927. The most expensive possible upgrade is a $5,200 charge for upgrading the RAM from 32GB to a startling 256GB. Other addons include an additional $700 for a 16GB Radeon video card and $2,400 for a 2.3 Ghz Intel processor with 18 cores. Almost $16,000 is a lot of money for a computer, especially one so overpowered that there are very few reasonable applications of its hardware. Most people will never need more than 16GB of RAM to play video games, and 32-64GB will take care of most video editing and 3D modeling tasks. With 256GB of RAM, you could run advanced AI processes or lease computing power to other people.But what about when they come out with touch screens?  You’ll be made you spent the money.THE HARD DRIVE SUCKS Sony VR looks like it will go Wireless Sony patent filings show a wireless headset for PlayStation VR headset 2.The patent shows a person untethered by a cord, able to walk around the room.This has been difficult to do in the past due to latency and the refresh rates needed to avoid motion sickness. Typical VR uses refresh rates of 75 to 120 updates per second across two screens. – way more than current Wi-Fi can handle.This patent is signifigant because it demonstrates that Sony has achieved a connection of at least 60 Gigahertz or WiGig.HTC already has achieved this with its TPCast but it doesn’t have a feedback loop.Sony’s patent shows a 5GHz backup signal maintain a stable VR connection. Google Debuts Video Games Streaming Service Stadia Google today launched its Stadia cloud gaming service at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco. Stadia is not a dedicated console or set-top box. The platform will be accessible on a variety of platforms: browsers, computers, TVs, and mobile devices. In an onstage demonstration of Stadia, Google showed someone playing a game on a Chromebook, then playing it on a phone, then immediately playing it on PC — a low-end PC, no less –, picking up where the game left off in real time. Stadia will be powered by Google’s worldwide data centers, which live in more than 200 countries and territories, streamed over hundreds of millions of miles of fiber optic cable, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said. Phil Harrison, previously at PlayStation and Xbox, now at Google, said the company will give developers access to its data centers to bring games to Stadia.Harrison said that players will be able to access and play Stadia games, like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, within seconds. Harrison showed a YouTube video of Odyssey featuring a “Play” button that would offer near-instant access to the game. Pichai announced the new platform at the Game Developers Conference, saying that Google want to build a gaming platform for everyone, and break down barriers to access for high-end games. Users will be able to move from YouTube directly into gameplay without any downloads. Google says this can be done in as little as 5 seconds. At launch, Stadia will stream games at 4k resolution, but Google claimed in the future it will be able to stream at a video quality of 8k. The company says it will launch the service later this year in the U.S. and UK. The Polestar 2 is more than just a pretty face The Polestar 2 was unveiled ahead of the Geneva motor show via a livestream from Sweden. The automaker wanted more time to chat about the electric vehicle than the typical 15 to 20 minutes allotted at auto shows while also sticking to its environmental ethics and not flying journalists from all over the world to an event.(parent brand) Volvo. This shouldn’t be too surprising considering that a focus on design is part of Polestar’s DNA. CEO Thomas Ingenlath started his career in the auto industry as a designer. That experience gives him a unique outlook. It’s not as sleek as the Polestar 1, but it does carry the design language of the brand with a bit of Volvo’s visual heritage thrown in for good measure.  the car itself has a beefier stance than its predecessor both in the front and back. Volvo’s influence is everywhere. From the headlights to the interior, it’s clear how closely the sub-brand relies on its automotive parent — but it’s more than just stylized headlamps and steering wheels that help Polestar. The Polestar 2 is the first production vehicle to use Google’s Android platform for its infotainment system. Unlike Android Auto (which requires a smartphone), the Android platform in the car is a native system. It brings with it immediate access to Google’s suite of services and something that Ingenlath recognizes is becoming more important in the automotive world: voice control. So, the Polestar 2 is full of tech, has an impressive expected range of 275 miles, uses dual motors that output 408 horsepower and 487-foot-pounds of torque, and can go from zero to 60 in about 4.7 seconds. That pits it directly against the Model 3. The Polestar’s $40,000 price tag helps cement that comparison. But Tesla still has the advantage: Its affordablish EV is available now, while we’ll have to wait for the Polestar 2.Production is supposed to start in early 2020 and even when that spins up, for the first 12 months, the “launch edition” will cost $63,000. A lot can happen in the nearly two years it’ll take for the $40,000 version of the Polestar 2 to hit the road. The EV market is heating up with more and more options appearing all the time. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The post New iMac 2019 Warning – Episode 31 appeared first on BAPGO.

Facebook Pressured Canada to Ease up on Data Rules Internal Documents leaked to UK journalists show Facebook’s global lobbying operations.Facebook promised to open a data center in Canada that was to create thousands of jobs.In exchange Canada was not to enforce its jurisdiction over the Facebook’s non Canadian data.Facebook could collect and share any data they wanted with non canadian accounts.They wanted Canada to turn a blind eye (in regards to privacy laws) to non Canadian accounts.This request was also done in the UK, USA, India & Brazil.The Canadian government expressed concern over the double standard of privacy.Facebook was firm and said, “If you don’t promise to turn a blind eye to non Canadian accounts, we will take this data center (and its jobs elsewhere).  Canada eventually sent a letter guaranteeing “Independence of non-Canadian data”.The data center was never built. The leaked documents also show Facebook complaining about a Minister’s aid that was blocking this request and Levine (FB VP) personally went to Canada to “cut this person out.”This shows a corporate interference in governmental organizations and independence. What to expect from the March 25 ‘It’s show time’ Apple News and streaming video eventApple has confirmed the long-rumored March 25 event but, of course, said nothing directly about what will be unveiled there. AppleInsider examines the evidence for Apple launching a more coherent Apple News service with magazines and other publications, plus the debut of Apple’s streaming video service — and what new hardware could appear. Apple News ServiceApple is working on a $9.99 per month subscription news service that would give Apple News users unlimited access to stories from paywalled sites like The New York Times and the Washington Post. This service is also expected to include a magazine elemen US Tells Germany To Stop Using Huawei Equipment Or Lose Some Intelligence AccessThe Wall Street Journal is reporting that the United States has told Germany to drop Huawei from its future plans or risk losing access to some U.S. intelligence. The U.S. says the Chinese company’s equipment could be used for espionage — a concern that Huawei says is unfounded. “The Trump administration has been pressing allies to end their relationships with Huawei, but Germany, moving ahead with its plans, has not moved to ban the company from its networks,” reports The Verge . From the report: According to the Journal, a letter sent from the U.S. Ambassador to Germany warns the country that the U.S. will stop sharing some secrets if it allows Huawei to work on its next-generation 5G infrastructure. The letter, according to the Journal, argues that network security can’t be effectively managed by audits of equipment or software. While the U.S. plans to continue sharing intelligence with Germany regardless, the Journal reports, officials plan to curtail the scope of that information if Huawei equipment is used in German infrastructure. Russia Wants to create an “Electronic Curtain” The Russian Government wants to create an “Electronic Curtain” or a Firewall similar to China’s “Great Firewall of China”.They are also passing laws that target social media apps that are used to criticize the current government.Kremlin critic Sergei Boiko got sent to jail for 30 days because of a tweet.  He tweeted that they were going to hold a protest without an address or a city.  They put him in jail for not properly registering a political rally.Boiko has been a vocal critic of Putin and his close allies by exposing their extravagant lifestyles.The new lawsA crime to spread “Fake News”The Russian Government perfected the art of Fake News (if not invented it).Crime to insult Russia’s government.Third – to allow Russia’s Telecoms to create a Stand-alone internet, independent of the outside world.The person behind these new laws?  Andrei Lugovoi – Former KGB.Accused by Britain for killing Alexander Litvinenko with a Radioactive pill.I guess his cover was blown so he went into politics and is supported by Putin as a hero of the nation.   Samsung Galaxy S10 Facial Recognition Fooled by a Video of the Phone Owner Experts have proven once again that facial recognition on modern devices remains hilariously insecure and can be bypassed using simple tricks such as showing an image or a video in front of a device’s camera. The latest device to fall victim to such attacks is Samsung Galaxy S10, Samsung’s latest top tier phone and considered one of the world’s most advanced smartphones to date. Unfortunately, the Galaxy S10’s facial recognition feature remains just as weak as the one supported in its previous versions or on the devices of its competitors, according to Lewis Hilsenteger, a smartphone reviewer better known as Unbox Therapy on YouTube. Hilsenteger showed in a demo video uploaded on his YouTube channel last week how putting up a video of the phone owner in front of the Galaxy S10 front camera would trick the facial recognition system into unlocking the device. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The post Apple to Host It’s Show Time Event March 25th – Tech Time Podcast appeared first on BAPGO.

Virgin Galactic Sends Its First Passenger to Space Feb 27, Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic sent its first “tourist” into space.Beth Moses, the company’s astronaut trainer.  Not really a tourist. Made history last month for the highest private flight 80km (defined as space).We are getting closer to Space Tourism.Many have booked with Virgin Galactic at a price of $250 USD.Space People Facts 560 people have gone to space (to orbit).2 dozen have gone farther.12 have walked the moon. Huawei P30, P30 Pro Leaked Photos reveal 7.8x-Zoom Camera Huaewei’s P30 and P30 Pro are scheduled to be released on March 26 in Paris.Leaked photos (probable marketing photos) reveal the P30 Pro’s triple camera will get a 7.8x zoom (P20 Pro 3x)P30 gets a third camera for 4.7x zoom (P20 had none)Leaked photo also shows a teardrop notch. Microsoft Will Launch Disc-Less, ‘All Digital’ Xbox One S Next Month, Report Says Microsoft’s next iteration of the Xbox One may not have a disc at all, and it might be coming sooner than you think. Windows Central, which says a disc-less Xbox One S “All-Digital Edition” will be offered for preorders in April. The new device, said to be code-named Maverick, will offer a “disc-to-digital” program, letting fans turn in physical game discs and convert them to digital downloads, Windows Central added. One benefit of this new Xbox, Windows Central said, would be that it could push the price of an Xbox down. The Xbox One S starts at $299 and is typically bundled with a game. A Microsoft spokesman declined to comment. The move could mark a turning point for the video game industry, which has sold video games on discs and cartridges for decades. What’s going to happen to gamestop? Canada Allows US Extradition of Huawei CFO To Proceed The Canadian government has allowed for the extradition proceedings against the CFO of Huawei to proceed. “Today, department of Justice Canada officials issued an authority to proceed, formally commencing an extradition process in the case of Ms. Meng Wanzhou,” the government said in a statement. Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada in December at the request of American authorities, who allege that she violated U.S. sanctions against Iran. From the report: China, whose relations with Canada have deteriorated badly over the affair, denounced the decision and repeated previous demands for Meng’s release. Legal experts had predicted Ottawa would give the go-ahead for extradition proceedings, given the close judicial relationship between Canada and the United StatesIt could be years though before Meng is ever sent to the United States, since Canada’s slow-moving justice system allows many decisions to be appealed. Meng’s lawyers said they were disappointed and described the U.S. charges as politically motivated.She’s now suing Canada China Bans 23 Million From Buying Travel Tickets as Part of ‘Social Credit’ System China blocked 23 million “discredited” travelers from buying plane or train tickets last year as part of the country’s controversial “social credit” system aimed at improving the behavior of citizens. From a report: According to the National Public Credit Information Centre’s 2018 report, 17.5 million people were banned from buying flights and 5.5 million barred from purchasing high-speed train tickets because of social credit offences. “Once discredited, limited everywhere.” The social credit system aims to incentivize “trustworthy” behavior through penalties as well as rewards. According to a government document about the system dating from 2014, the aim is to “allow the trustworthy to roam everywhere under heaven while making it hard for the discredited to take a single step.” Social credit offenses range from not paying individual taxes or fines to spreading false information (opposite of free speech) and taking drugs. Tesla Launches Base Model 3 For $35,000 With Shorter Range, New Interior finally launching the long-promised standard Model 3 with a base price of $35,000. “The automaker is now making several new versions of the Model 3 available with a shorter range and new interior options,” reports Electrek. From the report: Today, Tesla sent an email to its retail stores the details of the announcement of the new options being available to order in the U.S. today and available as soon as next month. All the details are expected to become available in the next hour, but here’s what we know so far: Customers are now able to order the $35,000 Model 3 with a standard interior and standard battery pack enabling 130mph top speed and 5.6s 0-60s acceleration. Tesla is also making a new “Partial Premium Interior” with better seats than the standard interior available with a different “standard range plus” battery pack for a $2,000 premium. The Model 3 Standard Range Plus results in 240 miles of range, a top speed of 140mph, 0-60mph acceleration of just 5.3 seconds. Tesla says that deliveries are starting within the next 2 to 4 weeks depending on the configuration in the U.S. glass roof and auto dimming, power folding, heated side mirrors — are now standard. To achieve cost savings, in addition to production optimizations and the recent layoffs, Tesla announced an unexpected strategy: they’re closing most of their stores. Sales will only be conducted online. Instead of test drives, cars can be returned within 7 days or 1,000 miles at no charge. “Quite literally, you could buy a Tesla, drive several hundred miles for a weekend road trip with friends and then return it for free,” Tesla said in their blog post. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The post 29 – Tesla comes out with a Ridiculous Cheap Model 3 and Meng Wanzhou will be Extradited from Canada appeared first on BAPGO.

Everything announced at Samsung’s Event Galaxy S10Infinity O screen.  Is it a notch?S10 one small hole, S10+ long hole for two selfie cameras.UltraSonic Fingerprint readerUses sound waves to measure depth of creases. Mixed reviews – 50% of time…Need an “airless” screen protector like White Stone (resin). No face unlock (iris scan???)Wireless Powershare (Qi).Yes, it charges iPhones.Galaxy BuddsWon’t go below 30% of galaxy battery.Bixby RoutinesAuto change phone settings. – Used to have hacks – Car mode, night…Highest Dx0Mark – Beats iPhone & Pixel. Rear = 114 (same as P20 Pro)Selfie = 96 (P20 Pro 75)Pixel still wins on Night Sight.Headphone Jack, Water resistant & lots of colors.S10e5.8”, same price as iPhone XR.3,100 mAh, 512GB, 6 or 8GB RAM, ExpandableFingerprint reader on power button.1 selfie (10mp), 2 back (16mp wide, 12 mp ultra wide)Flat screen$750 USDS106.1”3,400 mAh, 128gb or 512GB, 8 GB RAM. Expandable1 selfie (10 mp), 3 back (12 mp telephoto 2x zoom)Sonic Fingerprint reader$900 USDS10+6.4”4,100 mAh 256 – 1 TB, 8 & 12 gb RAM. Expandable2 selfie (8mp), 3 backSonic Fingerprint reader$1,000 USDS10 5G6.7”4500 mAh, 256mb storage, 8gb RAM, no external5G3 selfie (3d depth sensing), 4 back (3d depth sensing)$ ??? USDGalaxy BudsWireless chargingAlways on Bixby – Can switch it to Google Voice or Alexa.5-6 hours, 7 hours in case.AKG sound + outer and inner mike (for noisy backgrounds).BT5 & connects to multiple devices.Tap Controls (can use only one like AirPods)Black, white or yellow. $130 USD (cheaper than AirPods)Galaxy FoldOne small screen on outside 6.4” & one large screen on inside 7.3”Folds on the inside. Six cameras (2 selfie, 3 rear & 1 on cover.)  Selfie Notch4G & 5G variants. Fold Hinge won’t lay completely flat (when folded).$1,980 USD Huawei Mate X Summer 5G only – Networks won’t be ready in Summer.Folds on the outside into “three screens”Large outside screen 8”Small front 6.6”, small back 6.38”Lit-up screen turns on and off depending on how you hold it.Bezel-less, 4 cameras, no notch. Will lay flat when folded but has a “Wing” that the screen nests into.  To be used as a handle.  Bezel-less could be hard to hold.Polymer screens (plastic)$2,600 USD Xiaomi – Double folding Phone Xiaomi released a video last week with a double folding phone. HoloLens 2 Smaller, Sleeker, lighter.Intended for Enterprise Use.Fixing equipment – Guides how to build things. Slides over the head like a capCan flip the screen up.Bigger field of view than V1.  30 degrees vs 52 degrees (deck of cards vs paperback book). Eye tracking – be able to track your interest and emotion.  Glance at objects and use your voice on what you are looking at.Study engagement and focus.No physical controls but can detect more hand movements. Developed to be more collaborative – other hololens, phones Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The post 28 – Samsung has a Foldable Phone and it’s Awesome! Tech Time Podcast appeared first on BAPGO.

1. Chrome Can Tell You if Your Passwords Have Been Compromised Given the frequency of hacks and data leaks these days, chances are good at least one of your passwords has been released to the wild. A new Chrome extension released by Google today makes it a little easier to stay on top of that: Once installed, Password Checkup will simply sit in your Chrome browser and alert you if you enter a username / password combination that Google “knows to be unsafe.” The company says it has a database of 4 billion credentials that have been compromised in various data breaches that it can check against. When the extension detects an insecure password, it’ll prompt you with a big red dialog box to immediately update your info. It’s handy, but users might wonder exactly what Google can see — to that end, Google says that the extension “never reveal[s] this personal information.” 2. Use a VPN (but not chinese) 3. Use open DNS Depending upon distance between your place and DNS server, there will be speed improvementsIf your ISPs DNS servers are not that reliable, using an alternate DNS server will improve stabilityIf you are using an old Operating System with no security updates, using a third-party DNS will be protection from phishing attacksAnd, yes, you can get rid of geography-based content restrictions and web censorship 4. Don’t use internet explorer at work 5. Always use incognito mode on a public computer no matter what 6. Don’t do your banking on public Wifi (starbucks etc… there could be fishers) 7. Use two-step passwords for everything You can get a google app for it. 8. Encrypt your hard drive with a LONG password Murder podcast.  They still can’t crack his hard drive. 9. Encrypt your phone with a LONG password/faceID/finger print ID Funny story about classy cassie that stole Friend’s phone with Uber. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The post 27 – Special Security Episode – Tech Time Podcast appeared first on BAPGO.

$250m in Bitcoin Locked in a Virtual Vault after Director of CryptoBank Dies The BC – Based QudrigaCX Bank is in court today in Halifax seeking protection from its creditors under Canadian Bankruptcy law.According to QudrigaCX’s website, they are “Canada’s biggest cryptocurrency trader” and a “leading bitcoin exchange”.  Turns out it was just a guy with a computer. Gerald Cotten (Chief Executive Officer) of QuadrigaCX, died on Dec 9 in India (apparently doing humanitarian work) due to complications with Crohn’s disease.  He was 30 years old. According to court documents, Cotten (the only director of the Bank/Exchange) was the only one who knew the passwords and took them with him to the grave.QudrigaCX held around $250 million in bitcoin that is now inaccessible, locked in encrypted wallets.There is a Hot Wallet (like a cash register with a float).Cold Wallet (like a safety deposit box).  Usually completely offline and is required to be plugged in and a password to access.If this was a regular bank, the government of Canada would be doing something to recover the lost $250 million. Because this is Crypto-Currency and completely unregulated, the Government is doing nothing. On Reddit, many are claiming there is more going on.Some claim accounts are actually being drained.Others claim the accounts never had the money in it and it was a ponzi scheme. Many call into question the death certificate from India.Two weeks before his death, Cotten left a will with a plane, two houses and $100k for the care of his two Chihuahuas.  Why no conversation over the passwords if they talked about the dogs??? David Gerard (blockchain expert) states, “Crypto is amateur hour… People assume these are active institutions that operate under rules and regulations, and they operate under very few… It’s really hard to tell if a seemingly credible operator is just a guy in his basement”.Most active comment, (Alex Reti), They can’t have it both ways.  The whole point of “crypto” is to avoid the control of “Big Brother”.  So when things go south, they can’t expect “Big Brother” to come riding to the rescue. Apple Disables Group FaceTime due to Privacy Bug The Group FaceTime function has been removed after users claimed the microphone could be accessed without the person picking up.This was done by calling the individual and then immediately calling another person in.  The caller could then hear the first person called. This bug was discovered by a teen playing Fortnite. As of Feb 5, the bug has not been fixed. Lawyer Sues Apple Over FaceTime Eavesdrop Bug, Says It Let Someone Record a Sworn Testimony A lawyer in Houston has filed a lawsuit against Apple over a security vulnerability that let people eavesdrop on iPhones using FaceTime. alleges that Apple ‘failed to exercise reasonable care’ and that Apple ‘knew, or should have known, that its Product would cause unsolicited privacy breaches and eavesdropping,'” reports CNBC. It alleged Apple did not adequately test its software and that Apple was ‘aware there was a high probability at least some consumers would suffer harm.’From the report: The suit says that Williams was “undergoing a private deposition with a client when this defective product breached allowed for the recording” of the conversation. Williams claimed this caused “sustained permanent and continuous injuries, pain and suffering and emotional trauma that will continue into the future” and that Williams “lost ability to earn a living and will continued to be so in the future.” The lawsuit also says that iOS 12.1, the latest major release of the iPhone operating system, was defective and “unreasonable dangerous” and that Apple “failed to provide adequate warnings to avoid the substantial danger” posed by the security flaw. Williams is seeking compensatory and punitive damages as a result of the exploit. Samsung Leaks – Cryptocurrency wallet, Wi-Fi 6, Foldable Phone, Bezeless Tablet. Leak shows a Galaxy S10 running the rumored Samsung Blockchain KeyStore.Would you trust Samsung (or another phone maker) with crypto?  Hackers?Leak also shows Galaxy S10 phones will all support Wi-Fi 6Not much faster individual speed but increased speeds for all Wi-Fi 6 devices connected to a Wi-Fi 6 router (increased speed when many devices are connected).In a video uncovered by Slashleaks, Samsung shows two devices expected to be revealed at the Unpacked event at the end of the month.Samsung’s Foldable Phone.  A woman is holding a much sleeker looking version of the phone than we saw in October.A bezeless “all screen” tablet with a stylus. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The post 26 – Bitcoin Security Issues – Tech Time Podcast appeared first on BAPGO.

Canada & Meng Wanzhou – Update (Meng Minute) Meng Wanzhou, Hauwei and affiliates face 13 charges in the US.Acting US Attorney General Matthew Whitaker.13 counts of bank and wire fraud relates to Skycom operating in Iran.Huawei claims that Skycom is an unrelated company.Huawei was able to borrow money from US banks and use that money in Iran under the Skycom name. Violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act & to commit money laundering.Huawei is also charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice.To other executives are charged with stealing trade secrets.Tried to steal robotic technology form T-Mobile to test smartphones’ durability. Not rogue employees acting on their own.Way of doing business encouraged by Huawei. Whitaker stated Monday that the US will formally file for extradition by Tuesday (Deadline).John McCallum – Canada’s “former” Ambassador to ChinaTuesday Jan 22, He told Chinese journalists that Meng Wanzhou had a good cast to fight the extradition to the US and listed several arguments he thought would help her case. Wednesday, many were calling for his dismissal as he was making statements as Canada’s ambassador that would be considered political and not judicial. Thursday he said he misspoke those statements.Friday he told a Canadian reporter that it would be “great for Canada” if the US dropped their extradition request.  He also said that if the US and China made a deal, it should include releasing the two Canadians. This is also considered political interference and assumes that a political deal will be made, not the rule of law. Saturday – Justin Trudeau requested McCallum’s resignation. What is all the Hype/Concern about Huawei?1. Ties to the Chinese Government.Some argue US led efforts to convince partners to drop Huawei is less about national security and more aby stymying Chinese dominance.2. Chinese Tech companies could be compelled by the Chinese government to modify their technology for spying.The US Department this week, “the immense influence that the Chinese government holds over Chinese corporations” is a threat to America’s economic and national security.What Modifications?Attacking the supply chain = producer makes modifications to a piece of hardware or software before it reaches its final destination. 5G is a big target.  The interconnectivity of things (Cars, appliances, communication…).Could spy or shut it down (similar to GPS). Bloomberg Businessweek Magazine reported that computer components from a US firm called “SuperMicro” had been subtly modified during manufacturing in a Chinese factory.  Apple and Amazon use these chips. Not verified true.There are confirmed cases of Chinese companies doing this.  “CCCleaner” and File-sharing app “Transmission”. NotPetya was a Russia linked ransomware.  It pretended to be a legitimate update to accounting software M.E.Doc used in the Ukraine.  It shut down Maersk Shipping. China has been caught with their hands in the cookie jar (stealing technology) before.  It’s in their playbook. December – 2 chinese agents were caught stealing from 12 countries (Canada included).  “We are talking about State Sponsored actors engaged in illegal behaviour”.Trust but Verify?There are 3rd parties that can audit and inspect equipment but this may not catch everything (especially if the spy knows it will be checked). Both the US and UK security experts suggest this will not be enough.All technology has flaws and vulnerabilities (Huawei included) the hard part, is knowing if the flaw was put there on purpose.Comment of the week, “Canada follows through on our international Agreements.  China takes hostages.” 108 likes to 17 dislikes.“We extradite her to the US, refuse 5G software and be done with this whole mess.”  103 to 13. To Facebook, your privacy is worth a $20 gift card The latest backlash follows a TechCrunchreport that the company was secretly paying teenagers to access their data and basically monitor their every move on the web. Facebook was asking people to install a VPN app called “Facebook Research,” which gave it full access to a user’s phone and internet activity. That, according to security expert Will Strafach (who helped TechCrunch with the investigation), gave the company the ability to continuously collect “private messages in social media apps, chats from in instant messaging apps (including photos/videos sent to others), emails, web searches, web browsing activity and even ongoing location information.“And what did these teens get in exchange for giving up every last illusion of privacy? Twenty dollars in e-gift cards per month. For a company that’s been involved in countless data privacy scandals in recent months, Facebook has a lot of nerve. Rather than changing its approach to collecting people’s personal data, especially in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook continues to test the limits of what it can get away with.The Research VPN program seems to be a clone of Onavo Protect, a data-collecting app that was pulled from the iOS App Store last year after Apple said it would violate its privacy policy. According to TechCrunch, Facebook Research was created using the same code as Onavo Protect, but the social network found a way around Apple’s restrictions. Through a simple browser link, those who agreed to participate could give Facebook root access to their iPhone, essentially allowing the company to install anything it wanted on their device.By using its developer credentials to do this, Facebook bypassed Apple’s TestFlight beta-testing program and instead let users download it from three other services: BetaBound, uTest and Applause. One of the beta-testing services Facebook used, Applause, went as far as asking users to provide a screenshot of their Amazon purchase history. Which is just shameless. Facebook might argue that the people who signed up for the Research program (which reportedly targeted users between 13 and 35) consented to have their data harvested. But, it’s not as if the company was being explicit about its involvement, since it was essentially hiding behind BetaBound, uTest and Applause as a “social media study.” Per TechCrunch, it wasn’t until a minor tried to sign-up that a parent consent form revealed that the data being collected would be provided to Facebook.Since TechCrunch’s investigation came out Tuesday night, Facebook has said it is shutting down the program for iOS users, though it will still be available on Android. Google has not replied to our request for comment, but TechCrunch is now reporting that it, too, has a data-collecting application (called Screenwise Meter) that side-steps Apple’s App Store.Their rebuttal: “Despite early reports, there was nothing ‘secret’ about this; it was literally called the Facebook Research App,” Facebook said. “It wasn’t ‘spying’ as all of the people who signed up to participate went through a clear on-boarding process asking for their permission and were paid to participate. Finally, less than 5 percent of the people who chose to participate in this market research program were teens. All of them with signed parental consent forms.” Apple is Working on a Subscription for Games It would be like Netflix for games.Report from CheddarUsers will pay a subscription fee to access a bundled list of titles. Apple has been privately discussing this with game developers in second half of 2018. Apple is also considering partnering with developers to be a publisher (they would assume distribution & marketing).Subscriptions would bring in regular income that would offset the sales spikes and dips of hardware releases.“If Apple functioned like a publisher for games it sold through a subscription, it could entice developers to create exclusive games for the service by undercutting the fees they would normally pay to an outside firm for user acquisition, marketing, and other distribution-related costs. Apple currently takes a 30-percent cut of App Store purchases but lowers that fee to 15 percent after the first year of a subscription.”   Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The post 25 – Meng Wanzhou Update and Facebook Steals from Kids – Tech Time Podcast appeared first on BAPGO.