Security researchers just announced the discovery of major vulnerabilities in WhatsApp and Telegram, two popular messaging apps with end-to-end encryption, when used in an internet browser. In related news, you can use WhatsApp and Telegram in an internet browser. Read more…
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Some Hackers Figured Out How to Take Control of Any WhatsApp Account
The TRAPPIST-1 system has totally entranced Earthlings since NASA announced its discovery last month. For both astronomers and tinfoil hat believers (*raises hand*), TRAPPIST-1 is a sign of hope for finding alien life, since three of its planets are located in the habitable zone which supports liquid water. With… Read more…
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Alien Life Could Be Island Hopping Between TRAPPIST-1 Planets
I’m admittedly not the standard clientele for theme parks (long lines, rude kids and mediocre expensive food all give me hives), so getting me excited about a new attraction might or might not matter. But listen: if you let me sleep in a weird glass sea orb I will give you money. This week the Japanese mega amusement park Huis Ten Bosch announced just such a new perk for visitors. If you weren’t already pumped for the sprawling odd Dutch-themed attractions or robotic hotel , maybe sleeping in a space pod will do the trick. They plan to offer the floating boat-esque rooms for nightly rental, as a part of the hotel accommodations on the park’s newly acquired private island. They feature two floors and a very ah, intimate view of the harbor. Details are still slim, but the teased design looks almost wholly spherical and features a glassy observation ceiling above a sleeping deck. Pretty nice way to enjoy the waves. The estimated price will be $260-$350 (¥30, 000 – ¥40, 000) per night, which is pretty doggone reasonable for a voluntary stay in a private UFO. Until more info drops stay on the look out for your own Utsuro-bune and the spooky aquatic women that come with them. H/T Japan Times via ArchDaily
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How To Spice Up Your Amusement Park: Seafaring Sleep Orbs
Enlarge / Dmitry Dokuchaev, Igor Sushchin, Alexsey Belan, and Karim Baratov—the four indicted by the US in the Yahoo hacking case. SAN FRANCISCO—The indictment unsealed Wednesday by US authorities against two agents of the Russian Federal Security Service, or FSB, (Dmitry Dokuchaev and Igor Sushchin) and two hackers (Alexsey Belan and Karim Baratov) provides some details of how Yahoo was pillaged of user data and its own technology over a period of over two years. But at a follow-up briefing at the FBI office here today, officials gave fresh insight into how they think the hack began—with a “spear phishing” e-mail to a Yahoo employee early in 2014. Malcolm Palmore, the FBI special agent in charge of the bureau’s Silicon Valley office, told Ars in an interview that the initial breach that led to the exposure of half a million Yahoo accounts likely started with the targeting of a “semi-privileged” Yahoo employee and not top executives. He said social engineering or spear phishing “was the likely avenue of infiltration” used to gain the credentials of an “unsuspecting employee” at Yahoo. Palmore declined Ars’ request to elaborate during a brief interview inside the San Francisco FBI office, and he would not say whether the government or Yahoo discovered the breach. He also would not say how long the intrusion lasted before it was cut off. Read 11 remaining paragraphs | Comments
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How did Yahoo get breached? Employee got spear phished, FBI suggests
When someone invents a robot specifically made to drill into the skulls of unconscious, immobile humans, you’d be forgiven for feeling a natural reaction along the lines of “for the love of god, why?” But trust me, this particular robotic trepanation station is a good idea. Read More
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Seriously, this skull-drilling robot is good news for humanity
iPhones have a reputation for being user friendly, but ultimately, Android can do a lot of things iOS can’t. Aspects of Android could be useful to all phone users, but straying from the Apple ecosystem can be intimidating. Now, there’s a new way for iPhone users to easily access Android features like expandable storage and multiple SIM cards. Entrepreneur Joseph Savion and his company ESTI Inc. decided to (almost literally) strap an Android phone to the back of an iPhone. That sounds like a strange idea, but that’s basically what ESTI’s Eye phone case does. The case, which is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter , adds a 5-inch AMOLED display, a 2.3GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU, a 2800mAh battery, up to 256GB of microSD storage, dual SIM slots, a headphone jack and wireless charging, among other features. There are two versions of the case: one with cellular connectivity and one without. A comment from Savion on the Kickstarter page says that the Android device can make use of the iPhone’s internet connection. While there is some other integration between the devices — they share the iPhone’s speaker, microphone and cameras — they pretty much function as their own machines. The case runs Android 7.1 Nougat , and if Eye is starting to sound more like a standalone phone than an iPhone case, well, it’s priced like one too. It’s expected to retail for $189 (or $229 for the 4G version), although early Kickstarter backers can get theirs for $95 ($129 for 4G). That said, $95 for a phone is pretty cheap. The main question is, who this product is even for? Most iPhone users seem happy with their devices , and probably don’t need a product like this to “improve” it. Even for users wanting to test the Android waters, there are plenty of non-Apple devices available for under $100 that could satisfy their curiosity without adding bulk to their current phone. Ultimately, Eye seems a lot more interesting than it does practical. As of this writing, the case has raised over $84, 000 of its $95, 000 goal with 32 days to go. So, it might not be necessary, but it will probably come to market anyway. Via: The Verge , 9to5Google Source: Kickstarter
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This iPhone case is basically an Android phone
According to an exclusive report from Windows Central, Microsoft’s upcoming “Project Scorpio” gaming console will feature an internal power supply unit (PSU), similar to the Xbox One S, and 4K game DVR and streaming at 60 frames-per-second (FPS). From the report: In Microsoft’s efforts to make Project Scorpio a true 4K system, it will also feature HEVC and VP9 codecs for decoding 4K streams for things such Netflix, just like the Xbox One S. It will also leverage HEVC for encoding 2160p, 60 frame-per-second (FPS) video for Game DVR and streaming. Microsoft’s Beam streaming service has been running public 4K stream tests for some time, and it’s now fair to assume it will not only be PC streamers who will benefit. Project Scorpio’s Game DVR will allow you to stream and record clips in 4K resolution with 60FPS, according to our sources, which is a massive, massive step up from the 720p, 30FPS you get on the current Xbox One. With every bit of information we receive about Project Scorpio, the theme of native 4K keeps appearing — not only for games, but also console features. We now believe Scorpio will sport 4K Game DVR, 4K Blu-ray playback, and 4K streaming apps, but the real showstopper will be the 4K games Microsoft will likely flaunt at E3 2017. Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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Microsoft’s Project Scorpio Will Pack Internal PSU, 4K Game DVR Capture
Computers that run 100, 000 times faster than current ones can change life as we know it. They could help discover distant planets more quickly or diagnose illnesses much, much earlier than usual, among other things. A team of researchers, including engineers from the University of Michigan, believe they’ve found a way to achieve that goal using extremely short laser pulses. The researchers have demoed a method to control “femtosecond” (one quadrillionth of a second) pulses of light that can move electrons quickly and efficiently. U of Michigan says it’s a step toward “lightwave electronics, ” and eventually, quantum computing . In current computers, some of the electrons moving through semiconductors bump into each other and release energy in the form of heat. That’s not very efficient computing. The researchers used crystals called gallium selenide as semiconductors and shone short laser pulses into them. These pulses move electrons into one higher energy level to the next. When the electrons move back from the higher energy levels, they emit even shorter pulses. These extremely short pulses can be used to quickly read and write information to electrons, but to be able to do that, you need to be able to control the pulses. The team found that changing the orientation of the crystals allowed them to control where the electrons go and how they move. U of Michigan explained that “because femtosecond pulses are fast enough to intercept an electron between being put into an excited state and coming down from that state, they can potentially be used for quantum computations using electrons in excited states as qubits.” While a lot of work needs to be done before we see the method used in actual working lightwave or quantum computers, this is a big step towards that goal. As Rupert Huber, lead researchers and physics professor at the University of Regensburg, said: “In the past few years, we and other groups have found that the oscillating electric field of ultrashort laser pulses can actually move electrons back and forth in solids. Everybody was immediately excited because one may be able to exploit this principle to build future computers that work at unprecedented clock rates — 10 to a hundred thousand times faster than state-of-the-art electronics.” Source: Nature Photonics , University of Michigan
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Laser pulse study could lead to ultrafast computers
The march toward “automated everything” continues apace. Wendy’s is putting thousands of self-ordering machines in its restaurants, and now Ford is trying out a similar strategy, but, you know, for cars. The company announced it has partnered with Panasonic and GoMoto , which specializes in car dealership technologies, to create so-called Smart Service Kiosks. First, customers enter their contact information into the outdoor kiosk by using the touchscreen and scanning their driver’s license. Then they input certain key vehicle information and create a security PIN for key pick-up. Next, they can request basic maintenance tasks like alignment, oil changes and inspections, among other things. Users also have the option to enter more details about their service needs so technicians aren’t left guessing what they’re looking for. When that’s done, users drop off their keys and pick up keys for a loaner car. Once the dealership is finished with the vehicle, users will get an email alert. That email contains a QR code customers will need to scan at the kiosk in order to pick up their keys. After also entering the PIN they created earlier, car owners can pay for the service and pick up their keys any time of day. The service is beginning a 90-day trial at a dealership in Birch Run, Michigan. Tom Hodges, Dealer Connectivity Manager at Ford, says the kiosks could potentially “do for dealership service what ATMs did for the banking industry.” Indeed, that sounds like an apt comparison. The kiosks seem capable of handling basic needs, but ultimately, car owners will still need to talk to a real person for bigger or more complicated problems. Source: Ford
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Drop your Ford off for service 24/7 using these automated kiosks
Even the strongest artificial glues are completely useless when you try to apply them underwater, but somehow shellfish are able to hold fast to rocks to deter predators from trying to carry them away. Clearly, nature has already figured out how to make glues that work underwater , and now researchers may have… Read more…
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Scientists Made the Perfect Underwater Glue By Stealing an Idea From Shellfish