TECHNOLOGY AIM

The project aims to push the limits of autonomous technology with the UK's challenging roads. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2nvWC1H

Amazon on Tuesday introduced new functionality that enables its Alexa virtual assistant to send and receive SMS messages on devices running Android 5.0 or higher. Carrier charges may apply. Alexa, the software that powers the Echo line of smart speakers, can play and send personalized messages from contacts for users who have set up voice profiles. Users will hear a chime when they have a new SMS message, and see a yellow light ring on their Echo device. They'll also be notified in the Alexa App. from TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2Fzb9km

Mycroft AI earlier this week announced that its Mark II smart speaker achieved full funding on Kickstarter in just 6.5 hours. As of Wednesday, pledges reached more than three times its $50K goal -- with 23 days remaining in the campaign. The Mark II is positioned as an open source alternative to the dominant Amazon Echo line of smart speakers and its main challenger, the Google Home device. One of the main draws of the Mark II is its emphasis on maintaining user privacy, an increasing concern as the market for smart home devices has exploded. from TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2Fy7Fim

The South Korean firm reveals it has begun making chips designed to be used to mine crypto-cash. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2DS0PrB

Protect yourself from dubious downloads with our handy guide to staying safe online.  The internet’s great, isn’t it? Infinite variety and everything you want is just a click away – what’s not to love?! Well, as many of us have experience first hand, sadly all that glitters is not necessarily gold on the World Wide Web, so it pays to be cautious – especially if you’re looking to download software or any other type of file that’s easily available. Free downloads are often used by cybercriminals as proverbial gingerbread houses to lure in unsuspecting internet users. However, once the files have been downloaded and executed, their insidious true nature as malware is revealed, and the security of the user’s computer is compromised . The ability to assess the legitimacy of a source before you download software is a crucial skill to possess in the modern IT landscape. Check and double check before you hit install. Dig a Little Deeper Many sites from which you can download soft...

Robert Godwin's family take legal action after footage of his death was broadcast on the site. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2Guo4p7

The technology company says it will present multiple viewpoints after claims it was spreading lies. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2E30rpa

Google backs an effort to make touch-screen styluses work across all devices. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2nuIt4L

Arizona-based company Alcor offers cryonic preservation in the hope of reviving you in the future. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2nob1h6

High prices and stock shortages prompt hospitals to make their own drugs. In the US, it costs big money to avoid dying, especially if you’re counting on help from the pharmaceutical industry to keep your body going. While this has been a long-time problem, things have only escalated in recent years when companies bought up patents to drugs and jacked the price to ridiculous levels. Take the case of “Pharma Bro” Martin Shrkeli’s company Turing Pharmaceuticals: the hedge fund manager turned convicted felon became notorious for his “slap that look off your face” smug expression when he bought the patent to a life-saving drug given then hiked the price per pill by more than 5,000%. Shortly after Turing’s poor decision-making skills went on display, a compounding pharmacy named Imprimis made a welcome announcement: they can legally produce the pill for $1.50 each, and would willingly ship it to anyone with a valid prescription. To the rescue This isn’t the first time a compounding pha...

The Nintendo Switch games console outsells its predecessor, just 10 months after its launch. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2DRCiD7

Mansplaining, ransomware and Mumsnet acronyms are among the latest words to be included. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2DVyjod

Additionally the employee who sent the warning, who had a record of poor performance, is fired. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2GwFtNV

Study suggests children are seeking edgier content on YouTube, their favourite online site. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2rYNfNF

Alphabet has launched Chronicle, a new cybersecurity venture, following two years of development at the Alphabet X research lab. Chronicle will include VirusTotal, a Google-owned cybersecurity and intelligence platform and malware intelligence service. The idea behind Chronicle stems from the fact that many companies receive tens of thousands of security alerts per day, said the new firm's CEO Stephen Gillett. Typically, security teams can filter those alerts to a few thousand, and at best, review several hundred at a time. from TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2nneZ9V

Around 260,000 CoinCheck customers, mostly based in Japan, are said to have been affected by one of the largest cryptocurrency thefts in history. CoinCheck, a prominent Japan-based cryptocurrency exchange has promised to use its own funds to reimburse more than 46bn yen (almost $500 million) to customers who lost their NEM cryptocurrency coins on Friday. The CoinCheck exchange said it would use its cash reserves to reimburse the 46.3 billion Yen to the 260,000 people who lost their NEM holdings. NEM is the the world’s 10th-biggest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, and in a sign of just how much of a major hub of digital currency Japan is, nearly one-third of global bitcoin transactions were denominated in yen last month, according to the specialist website   jpbitcoin.com . CoinCheck also often refers to itself as “the leading bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchange in Asia”. The NEM cryptocurrency that was stolen from CoinCheck was one of the largest digital thefts of...

Google’s $30 million Moon race ends with no winner. There’s an important deadline looming, one that not even the best and brightest from a well-established space program like NASA could hope to meet. Google’s 10-plus year Lunar X Prize project has come to a halt according to an announcement made this week. Google’s project pitted some of the best technical minds against each other in an effort to form a startup, raise the necessary capital, and launch a rocket to the moon. Yes, the actual moon. The rocket would carry a robotic payload that had to survive to land on the surface, actually travel a pre-determined distance, then send back images from the surface. After more than a decade of activity, the Google Lunar XPRIZE is ending. End of the road The competition has been fierce, but has also been fraught with delay. The original deadline passed more than five years ago, and was finally pushed back to March 31, 2018. As no plausible attempt at meeting that deadline is even possi...

More than 100 child health experts are urging Facebook to withdraw an app aimed at under-13s. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2rMqWdI

An update for Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 disables a flawed patch issued by Intel. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2no9Ez3

MIT is making a new kind of 3D printer that can change the colour of the objects you print. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2DOb2Fs

After a fitness app "heatmap" revealed military information, what are your devices saying about you? from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2nni2yE

The company says an update allowing users to select community news will encourage civic engagement. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2rQMFRF

I am not remotely religious, but recently it has become harder and harder to ignore that things have become incredibly ironic of late -- as if a divine being with control over the world decided to prank us. For example, take President Trump. During the campaign, everything he made fun of others for doing -- including drinking water badly, playing too much golf, slacking off and slurring words -- he has done himself, in glorious living color. Also, he appears to be on a path that eventually will get him locked up. Given his "lock her up" theatrics at rallies, that would be incredibly ironic. from TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2GqvR7k

Firms are buying insurance ‘in mad panic’ as cyber-attacks soar. Companies of every size have standard expenses. It might be payroll, office supplies, the lease on their location, a fleet of vehicles, or any of a hundred other considerations depending on the type of industry they’re in. But one current craze is a smart bet for any kind of business: cybersecurity insurance. It’s not just a matter of protecting your network and your stored data from a virus. Instead, “hacking insurance” protects a company from the legal and punitive fallout of being a victim of a cybercrime. In an era of record-setting numbers of data breaches according to the Identity Theft Resource Center , this is an expense that businesses cannot afford to skimp on. Single ransomware attacks like WannaCry can leave billions of dollars in damages in their wake. Depending on the information that was accessed by the hacker–such as complete identity profiles–the costs associated with cleaning up the mess can cause a b...

Areas with a lot of retail, administration and warehouse jobs will be most affected, a report says. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2DHSfYl

Companies in the UK that fail to protect themselves effectively from hackers could be fined up to £17m. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2BB2Geg

Customers are told their sat-navs, including some bought in recent months, will no longer get updates. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2nnCtMb

The ads used visitors' computers to generate valuable crypto-coins for a cyber-scam. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2BCPRjI

A doctor has designed a video game about treating patients with severe injuries. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2FpYxvQ

Existing technology can be used to flag grooming behaviour to children and moderators, the NSPCC says. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2EfUH9j

Satya Nadella warns world is quickly “running our of computing capacity”. In a key note speech at the  World Economic Forum  in Davos, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella issued a stark warning that the world is quickly running out of the computing capacity it needs t o tackle the advanced problems humanity is facing, and power ever more sophisticated technology. Put simply, Nadella says the world doesn’t just need more super computers , but super-fast quantum computers, but more research was urgently needed to make that a reality. As an example, Nadella claimed that quantum computing could tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues, like designing and creating the blueprint for a carbon-absorbing catalyst to help tackle climate change. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says the world is running out of computing power and needs urgently needs more.   Moore is less “Moore’s Law is kinda running out of steam,” Nadella told the assembled delegates, referring to ...

Deployed soldiers have been publicly sharing location information as they log their daily runs. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2DSm4sm

It comes after a report traces links between a company, millions of bots and various celebrities. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2DGnOle

Tokyo-based digital currency exchange Coincheck says it will reimburse some 260,000 victims of theft. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2FoDZnv

Researchers claim malware that exploits security bugs has been traced back to a Lebanese government building. The malware, responsible for infecting thousands of smartphones across the world , was uncovered by campaign group the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) in conjunction with security firm, LookOut. The malware mainly affected Android smartphones across some 21 countries including North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. In a statement, the also EFF said that “People in the U.S., Canada, Germany, Lebanon, and France have been hit by Dark Caracal.” Whether ‘Dark Caracal’ is State sponsored malware or not, the Lebanese flag is really cool. Does this Malware have a name? Most worryingly, the ‘Dark Caracal’ malware, as it has been named by the EFF appears to have emanated from a Nation State, and may have shared characteristics and even allegiances with other nation-state hackers, EFF’s report suggested. While Dark Caracal was spread to smartphones world-wide, it’s...

In the data science field today, "the big problem is that the industry does not have official data science training," observed Vivian Zhang, CTO of the NYC Data Science Academy. "Their majors don't teach them anything in the industry. We've become a natural transition funnel to bring those people in. Companies know that data science is important, but they don't know how to do it. So we help to train and select and qualify the candidates. The field changes so fast, and there are changes happening every day." from TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2BwgbvN

Toy-makers respond to the popularity of slime videos on YouTube with their own slime kits. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2EbiGGE

A Canadian man accused of spamming the popular streaming site ‘Twitch’ with a torrent of racist and homophobic messages has found himself in court facing criminal charges. The suspect, Brandan Lukas Apple, is facing ‘Unprecedented’ Mischief Charges, and if convicted, could end up in prison.  Mr Apple is accused of having spammed thousands of Twitch channels last year with thousands of racist and homophobic comments. Canadian court documents state that Apple used a variety of different spambots to flood Twitch’s chat service and even went into great detail explaining how others could do the same on his own website.  Mr Apple has been charged with “mischief in relation to computer data”. Twitch is one of the world’s most popular streaming sites for Gamers. Mischief Maker Court reports state that between February and March 201 7 , the 20-year-old Brandan Apple allegedly used the specailised Twitch spam service ChatSurge to send multiple offensive messages to Twitch ChatSu...

YouTube stars are calling for more focus on the positive messages shared by vloggers after the Logan Paul controversy. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2rE09QR

The fall ends eight years' growth in the world's largest mobile phone market. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2DNL6bZ

Customers will be able to switch off a feature that deliberately slows down some older handsets. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2Fjs3U4

People will be able to hide ads that encourage them to buy products from sites they have previously visited. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2nejq60

Get your groceries and go: Amazon debuts “Go” store with no cashiers or checkout lines. In a move that could revolutionize the way we buy our groceries in the future, Amazon has this week opened a supermarket that has no checkout operators or tills of any sort.  After a year of trialling its new store exclusively with Amazon employees, the company has finally opened its AI powered Amazon Go store in the bottom floor of its downtown Seattle Headquarters. Amazon GO: Now you can have 100s of cameras watch your every move while you shop, but at least you don’t have to queue. No cash register? Sounds like a delight for shop-lifters You would think so, but it isn’t. There are apparently cameras everywhere , however. There are, according to Amazon, hundreds of ceiling-mounted cameras and electronic sensors to identify each customer and track the items they select. While at the moment, shoppers have to choose from a somewhat limited selection of goods, ranging from milk, po...

The billionaire investor says the tech giants' monopolies are a threat to democracy. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2DNeQWA

SolydXK is a Debian-based Linux distribution that comes with a choice of the Xfce or KDE desktop. The latest edition of SolydXK, released this month, provides a state-of-the-art Linux platform. Since I first reviewed the SoldXK distro back in 2013, it has grown into a reputable Linux offering built around two popular computing options. Those two desktop options drew me to the Linux OS years ago. Both have their strong points. Xfce is one of the older workhorse desktops and is a choice I often make when looking at new distro releases. from TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2DHTavS

Citizens Advice wants the government to appoint an advocate for broadband customers to tackle poor service. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2FkqxRH

Apple has unveiled new features that will become available when iOS 11.3 is released this spring. The company released the developer preview to members of the iOS Developer Program, and a public beta of the update is expected shortly. The update will provide new ways to experience augmented reality on the iPhone and iPad, offer new Animoji on the iPhone X, and give users a consolidated view of their health records in the Health app. A beta version of ARKit -- Apple's AR dev platform for iOS mobile devices -- also has been released to devs. from TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2ndiT4d

Processor maker tells users to stop installing patches following Meltdown and Spectre security flaws. Earlier this month, news broke that Intel microchips contained a serious flaw or two , ones that potentially left the door wide open to hackers. Everything from smartphones to laptops to servers were vulnerable, and researchers scrambled to figure out just what the flaws were capable of doing while manufacturers and developers worked to create a patch. Meltdown and Spectre, as it turns out, were only one part of the problem. The rest of the issue now seems to rest with the patch that Intel released; it led to an increase in shutdowns and slow booting, along with “unpredictable” behavior from the device. Some sources experienced as much as 20% slowdown for servers with a high volume of data. Intel says software patches issued to fix serious security flaws on Intel chips should no longer be used. Bad timing Essentially, Intel began investigating the cause for the lack of efficien...

An app aimed at children with a chilling voiceover has been banned by Google. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2GfCJ7w

Intel appears to have encountered some daylight in its struggle to fix performance issues related to the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities. The company has identified the root cause on its older Broadwell and Haswell platforms, according to Navin Shenoy, general manager of Intel's data center group. Intel has begun rolling out a solution to its industry partners for testing, Shenoy said, but the company urged OEMs, cloud providers, software vendors, end users and others to stop deployment of existing versions. from TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2DEpz6z

Toy-maker Bandai is hoping its miniature Tamagotchi virtual pet will be a hit in the UK. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2DzM6xc

It was downloaded millions of times when it launched but struggled to maintain a large audience. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2Gce2sG

Bill introduced following security concerns around Chinese companies’ possible links with government. Texas Representative Mike Conaway has introduced the  Defending U.S. Government Communications Act ,  following fears around potential security risks posed by the alleged ties between Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE and their government. Following some very severe cybersecurity crises in the past couple of years, the US government has decided to take action by blocking certain tech manufacturers. Akin to its ban on Kaspersky Lab products on government computers, now Huawei and ZTE are in their cross hairs.  As a result, Mike Conway introduced the bill that would bar government employees from using phones or other mobile devices made by either of the two Chinese manufacturers in a work-related capacity. That presumably includes things like loading your work email account in your phone’s email app, or syncing your Dropbox or WhatsApp apps if you also use them for work. ...

Pay TV broadcaster will offer all its channels and content online as it seeks to enter new markets. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2n9bEdu

Thousands of water stations are being installed to tackle plastic use - with users able to find them via an app. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2E7uLgk

Theresa May will say she wants the UK to lead efforts to make AI safe in a speech at Davos. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2n9nhRC

HomePod, Apple's long-awaited entry into the torrid smart speaker market, will be available Feb. 9, the company announced Tuesday. The HomePod, which is not quite 7 inches tall, will be offered in white and space gray. It can be pre-ordered at Apple's website for $349 starting Friday. Unlike other smart speakers, which support a variety of music services out of the gate, HomePod will support the Apple Music subscription service exclusively. Although it has a catalog of 45 million songs, that limitation could curb initial sales of the product. from TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2BrNzUf

Doctors unable to access patient records as IT systems hit by technical problems, causing "chaos". from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2BsAsT6

A survey used to determine which publishers to favour amounts to two brief questions. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2E60E8W

Apple CEO Tim Cook and Microsoft founder Bill Gates raise concerns on youngters’ use of tech and social media It’s not hard to imagine the rosy picture of having an ultra-wealthy tech innovator for a parent, but a new report says that life as the offspring of a top technology CEO might not be as glamorous as you might think. In fact, parents like Bill and Melinda Gates or Steve Jobs have displayed some pretty strict rules concerning their own kids’ use of their own products, rules that might seem counter intuitive when it comes to the vision of a landmark technology giant. Apple CEO Tim Cook has recently caused a stir by admitting that he doesn’t like the idea of children using social media, and that he places ‘boundaries’ on his nephew’s use of it. While according to an article from Business Insider , Bill Gates’ kids couldn’t have cellphones until they were 14, and the family places limits on how much screen time the kids can have per day. Interestingly, the limit also extends to ...

We review Movavi Photo Editor 5.1.0 –  get creative with this fun, smart, and simple image editing program, that offers a stack of great features. By next year, market forecasts predict there will be about 2.5 billion daily smartphone users on the planet, which means 2.5 billion people carrying a camera everywhere they go. At the same time, the rate of photo and video upload to storage and sharing sites continues to climb, demonstrating just how much visual content means to even the most casual user. But what do users do with their visual content? Just snapping a picture for posterity is reason enough to be armed with a camera at all times, but a lot of users are in it for the sharing of their images. That’s where photo editing software comes in. Whether it’s just a quick snapshot for social media of your first try baking a new recipe or a full-fledged photo shoot of a special landmark event, there’s an editing suite to meet your needs. One of the more all-encompassing op...

A Tesla Model S and a GM Chevy Bolt are involved in separate collisions on California's roads. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2GcLYFu

The world's biggest mobile phone chipmaker was found to have 'illegally shut out rivals". from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2n8tiPk

Former head of Google self-drive car project Sebastian Thrun is the brains behind the unusual degree. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2BqlpJi

K'Nex creates a toy rollercoaster kit that children build and then "ride" in virtual reality. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2rweNtt

Quest Software on Monday announced a series of updates to its Toad open source database software applications, including new versions of its Toad Edge, Toad Data Point and Toad Intelligence Central products. After launching the first version of Toad Edge last summer, the company began seeing an uptick in downloads of freeware that supported MySQL on its Toad World community site. It also received requests to support MariaDB and Postgres, according to Julie Hyman, senior product manager at Quest. The company began supporting MariaDB last month. from TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2DA1b5W

The head of tech giant Microsoft says faster machines are needed to solve difficult computing problems. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2n8x5eW

There was some bad news for owners of the latest iPhone models on Monday. Batteries in the iPhone 8 and X may have shorter life spans than those in prior models. Typically, phone batteries begin losing their effectiveness after 500 recharges. Up to that point, they can hold up to 80 percent of their charge. After that, it's usually downhill for the battery. After only four months, iPhone 8 Plus owner Adrian Kingsley-Hughes found that his phone was racking up recharge cycles at an alarming rate. from TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2F6xTZ9

DJI releases a drone that it says is about half the size and weight of its bestselling Mavic Pro. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2E5iysx

Each camp provokes fierce loyalty and arguements in equal measure. We weigh up the pros and cons of each to help you decide which tribe you are. It’s a debate that’s been raging for years. But the answer to which is better out of Apple’s Mac computers or Microsoft’s Windows PCs is a bit more complex than the zealots on either side would have you believe. Research has shown that the brain activity of people who are defending their favourite brands is similar to those having religious experiences. It’s no wonder, then, that one doesn’t have to search for very long to find a heated online debate raging about which is better between PlayStation and Xbox (or, more broadly, consoles and PCs), Android and iPhone, Star Wars and Star Trek , and Windows and Mac. People feel passionately about their favourite brands and will often do anything they can to justify their choices. The brain activity of people defending their favourite brands is similar to those having religious experiences. (...

The Amazon-owned games streaming service wins a court battle versus a service selling fake views. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2rxEg5G

The company's chief operating officer, Anthony Noto, joins social lender SoFi as chief executive. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2DAg08I

The flick is the smallest unit of time larger than a nanosecond. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2DsQiyM

Elon Musk's Boring Company has presented its LA transport tunnel plans for Culver City. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2Dt7BzC

Healthcare providers can choose to store patient data overseas in Europe and the US. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2n4OlBB

The chip maker tells customers to stop installing patches for two serious flaws that expose key data. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2Bml9eq

Graphics-card makers seek to limit sales of hardware as crypto-coin miners snap up supplies. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2BnYm1Y

Hawaii's governor says a failure to remember his Twitter details delayed a corrective message. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2n33ELT

The move is aimed at preventing cryptocurrencies being used for crimes such as money laundering from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2DzTqMu

Car maker to boost investment in electric cars to $11bn by 2022. Some high-profile names have committed to venturing in to the electric vehicle space, everyone from Google to Apple to GM and more. Now, Ford Motor Company, arguably one of the grandfathers of the transportation industry, has announced a multi-billion-dollar investment in its own EVs . Of course, this isn’t Ford’s first mention of an EV initiative, but it is the largest dollar amount the company has committed to electric vehicles to date, more than $11 billion over just the next five years. Ford to boost investment in electric cars by 2022 Old favorites The announcement was made from the same stage of the Detroit Auto Show where Ford was unveiling the latest model of one of its gas-guzzling heavy pickup trucks, the Ford Ranger. While the company’s chairman stated there would be as many as forty vehicles in its lineup–a family of all-electric and hybrid vehicles–he was less clear on what those vehicles may be. Howev...

The streaming service adds more than 8 million members in the last three months of 2017. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2DvG98t

Gender equality is high on the Davos agenda this year, but does the elite gathering have its own issue? from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2rqWNjY

Rupert Murdoch says newspapers are not being properly paid by the social network for their content. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2rwZGzJ

The automated freight train can travel 100km without driver intervention. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2Du3GTj

Sometimes I wonder if boards think CEO is a throwaway job. Considering that boards used to have a ton of ex-CEOs on them, and given the historic bad choices that have badly hurt or destroyed companies, you'd think someone would have developed a decent process to pick a good CEO. You'd think that firms at least would learn from their mistakes. Intel now seems to have the second bad CEO since founder Andy Grove left the company, and I can't imagine what the heck Intel Chairman Andy Bryant was thinking in putting Brian Krzanich at the helm. from TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2n2G8P1

Malware displaying pornographic ads discovered in game apps on Google Play. Be careful what you download, especially if you’re planning to hand it off to an impressionable young user. A new finding of content in the Google Play Store includes around 60 children’s apps that are filled with malware. This malware, though, has a very specific goal, namely putting porn advertisements in front of users. The apps–which have now been removed by Google–were predominantly Disney-themed apps and add-ons for Minecraft’s pocket edition, all of which are geared towards younger users. Called AdultSwine malware and discovered by security experts at Checkpoint , the harmful code worked in one of three different ways: it displayed pornographic ads for adult websites, posed as security fixes that convinced users to download and install them, or caused users to sign up for at-cost premium services. Malware populated children’s apps with porn adverts. Click-bait Like another recently discovered ser...

Felix Lengyel has been suspended by the Overwatch league and Dallas Fuel, and fined $2,000. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2Bl6pfH

Hijab model Amena Khan says she's pulling out of a L'Oreal campaign because of a backlash. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2G4pzdH

The live quiz app is popular in the US, but analysts have questions about its business model. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2G3JM37

Tim Cook criticises social media as providers face demands for tougher regulation. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2G59GDy

The pornographic magazine wants damages for linking to an alleged pirated gallery of centrefolds. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2F2V4DA

Kim Dotcom says New Zealand is liable for destruction to his business and property. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2DWJESg

Two-thirds of Britons think platforms like Facebook and Twitter should be more tightly regulated, according to a survey. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2mZsZpn

Two teenage boys were dramatically rescued by a brand new lifesaving drone in Australia this week… while lifeguards were still training to use the device. The “ The Little Ripper” d rone, part of a experimental government backed project, was able to dramatically prove its worth when it helped save the lives of two teenagers on Thursday. The two boys, aged 16 and 17, found themselves in trouble in the surf off the coast of Lennox Head, near Byron Bay in northern New South Wales. The Little Ripper Drone seen here without the emergency flotation device it normally carries. A member of the public reported seeing the boys struggling to get back to shore, and within two minutes the new drone located the boys and dropped an inflatable flotation device to them, that they they used to swim back to shore. Training exercise got real-real, real fast The real highlight of the story is the fact that the lifeguards in charge of the drone, were only training to familiarize themselves with L...

Amazon opens its first grocery store without cashiers to shoppers in Seattle on Monday. from BBC News - Technology http://ift.tt/2DvTRHP

Nintendo, riding high off of record-shattering sales of its Switch gaming console, on Wednesday announced an out-of-the-box addition to the family, Nintendo Labo. With its Toy-Con creations, Labo could rewrite the script on the way gaming companies expand their audience to the children's market. Nintendo Labo, a do-it-yourself cardboard kit, offers five different Toy-Con projects kids can use to learn and interact with the Switch. The Nintendo Labo Variety Kit includes a Toy-Con Piano, Toy-Con Fishing Rod, Toy-Con House, Toy-Con Motorbike and two Toy-Con RC Cars. from TechNewsWorld http://ift.tt/2rlBXTb