Tag: script

Aphex Twin is making music software based on mutation

Aphex Twin (aka Richard James) is known for creating original, complex sounds whenever he can, but his next creation might just take the cake. He tells Groove that he hired a programmer to develop music software based on mutation. Once you give the app an audio sample, it automatically generates six variants on that and asks you to pick your favorite before going on to create more variations — think of it as natural selection for sweet beats. The software still “needs to be tweeked, ” and there’s no mention of a public launch, but the early output reportedly sounds “totally awesome.” Don’t be shocked if one of James’ post- Syro albums uses this software to create some truly one-of-a-kind tunes. Filed under: Software Comments Via: FACT Source: Groove

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Aphex Twin is making music software based on mutation

Xiaomi passes Uber as the world’s most valuable startup

As if we needed another sign of Xiaomi’s skyrocketing growth, the Chinese smartphone maker says it’s now the most highly valued technology startup in the world. Yes, it’s even worth more than wunderkind Uber. Xiaomi announced that it raised a whopping $1.1 billion from investors, which pegged its valuation at $45 billion, slightly higher than Uber’s $40 billion-plus value. For a company that didn’t even exist before 2010, Xiaomi is on a roll: It was named the third-largest smartphone maker in the world earlier this year (which honestly makes it hard to think of it as a startup). And it’s now focused on expansion efforts in India and Indonesia (scaling back plans to reach 10 more countries this year). It’s no wonder why Xiaomi is popular in emerging markets — its phones offer high-end specs and looks for a fraction of the price of other smartphones. While it has no plans to tackle the US or Europe yet (its next stop is Brazil next year), Xiaomi’s unique strategy and massive funding could end up driving down smartphone prices everywhere. Filed under: Mobile Comments Via: Bloomberg

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Xiaomi passes Uber as the world’s most valuable startup

The Bank of England is using Facebook and Twitter to help set interest rates

When you’re the central bank in charge of determining interest rates for millions of UK inhabitants, being able to predict economic trends is of paramount importance. To do this, the Bank of England has numerous tools at its disposal, but research often depends on assessing trends from the past. In an attempt to become a little more timely, the Bank has set up a special taskforce that will begin scraping internet searches and social networks like Facebook and Twitter for clues about the state of Britain’s economy at any given time. According to Sky News , the world’s eighth oldest bank will now assess the frequency of job searches and monitor prices online to understand potential unemployment rates and monitor inflation. It will also gauge language used on social networks to better understand the state of some financial markets. It’s another example of the shift towards “big data, ” where companies collect and analyse huge sets of digital data rather than use traditional database techniques to detect patterns as they happen. The Bank of England says it used these techniques to help impose new controls on the housing market earlier in the year, and hopes this “big shift from the past” will help it better judge Britain’s financial status in the future. [Image credit: Bank of England, Flickr ] Filed under: Internet Comments Via: Sky News

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The Bank of England is using Facebook and Twitter to help set interest rates

Russia wants to collect the DNA of every creature

Institutions have already been amassing huge DNA collections to catalog the world’s creatures, but Moscow State University might just top them all. It’s planning to build “Noah’s Ark, ” a repository for the genes of every creature, living or extinct — as long as the genes are readable, they’ll either be cryogenically frozen or stored as pure data. Not surprisingly, it’s going to be a massive undertaking in more ways than one. The Russian government is spending the equivalent of $194 million on the facility, which should occupy an enormous 166 square miles when it’s finished in 2018. The collection won’t just be about bragging rights. The university hopes to spur on a younger generation of scientists, and the Ark will connect to other genetic facilities both across Russia and (hopefully) the world. If all goes smoothly, researchers will always have a way to compare genes and even clone animals that are difficult or impossible to find in the wild. [Image credit: Alamy] Filed under: Science Comments Via: Gizmodo Source: RT News

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Russia wants to collect the DNA of every creature

Toyota reportedly working on a flagship, hydrogen-fueled Lexus limousine

Toyota’s first hydrogen car hasn’t even gone on sale yet here in the US, and already we’re hearing rumors about a follow-up vehicle. According to the Australian website Motoring , the Japanese auto giant is planning on taking the same fuel cell system it used in its mid-range Mirai sedan, and putting it into a higher-end Lexus LS limousine. For the most part, then, the new vehicle will make use of the same technology, though Toyota will apparently have to do some retro-fitting in order to make it work inside the current Lexus LS. (Unlike the LS, the Mirai was built from scratch as a hydrogen car.) If Motoring ‘s report is correct, the new Lexus will have a fuel cell under the front seat, with the hydrogen tanks located behind the rear seat. Also, despite the fact that the LS wasn’t originally designed as a hydrogen vehicle, it will reportedly offer nearly the same range as Toyota’s existing FCEV: 239 miles, versus 300 on the Mirai. No word yet on price or whether this report is even true. And we suspect it could be a while before anyone sets the record straight — the hydrogen-fueled Lexus LS is rumored to launch “by 2017, ” up to two years from now. Filed under: Transportation Comments Via: Autoblog Source: Motoring

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Toyota reportedly working on a flagship, hydrogen-fueled Lexus limousine

Facebook facing class-action lawsuit over unauthorized message scanning

We know: Despite its best attempts at proving otherwise , Facebook and privacy have an oil/water reputation — the latest legal news regarding the company won’t help that any, either. A California judge recently ruled that The Social Network will face a class-action lawsuit following accusations that it peeked at users’ private messages without consent to deliver targeted advertising. Facebook tried to dismiss the claims, saying that it didn’t break any laws and that the alleged message scans were protected under an exception in the Electronic Communications Privacy Act , according to Reuters . Which one specifically? That these “interceptions” are lawful if they occur over the “ordinary course” of a service provider’s business. The presiding judge countered, saying that Zuckerberg and Co. failed to offer explanation of how the scans fell under the website’s ordinary course of business. As the lawsuit stands, it’d benefit any Facebook user that’d sent or received links via the site’s private message system in the past two years, as reported by Bloomberg . We’d be remiss if we left out the possible pay-out, though: “as much as” $10, 000 in damages for each user . Multiply that by Facebook’s billion-plus users, carry the one and you come out to a whole lot of money . In less exciting news, the plaintiffs also want the social giant to stop scanning messages moving forward. Sound familiar? Hopefully so, because Google is under similar ( but not class-action ) legal scrutiny for message scanning of its own. The results of both of these cases will almost assuredly have big effects for how we communicate on the web moving forward, and you can bet we’ll be following them closely in the coming year. Update : A Facebook spokesperson declined to comment on the suit. Filed under: Internet , Facebook Comments Source: Reuters , Bloomberg

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Facebook facing class-action lawsuit over unauthorized message scanning

You can now chat on Skype inside Office Online apps

Want to get advice while you’re plugging away at that big report in Office Online? You won’t have to fire up a separate app (or website) any longer. As hinted at by recent leaks , Skype chat is now built into the web productivity suite’s versions of PowerPoint and Word. If you want to share ideas with a colleague, you can keep the conversation running alongside your docs without having to juggle windows or browser tabs. Yes, Google Drive has had a similar option for a while, but this collaboration upgrade is definitely handy if you frequently work in Microsoft’s world. Filed under: Internet , Microsoft Comments Source: Skype

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You can now chat on Skype inside Office Online apps

Google and Microsoft fight hotels’ attempts to block personal WiFi

The battle between hotels and hotspot-toting travelers isn’t over just because Marriott settled a complaint that it blocked personal WiFi — far from it. Google, Microsoft and a US carrier lobbying group (the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association) are opposing a hotel industry petition asking the FCC to let them block guests’ hotspots while they’re on the premises. Google and its allies contend that the hospitality business is not only trying to make customers pay for expensive WiFi, but to effectively take control of unlicensed wireless frequencies. Everyone has “equal rights” to use those airwaves, the carriers say. Hoteliers are mostly repeating Marriott’s arguments. They claim they need blocking to provide a “secure and reliable” connection for guests, and that they’re using FCC-approved gear designed to fight interference and intruders. The FCC hasn’t yet weighed in on this latest battle, but the hotels may have a tough fight ahead of them given the reasoning that led to the recent settlement. Officials didn’t believe that Marriott’s security claims held water, and they argued that the company was trying to charge customers for internet access they already had. Unless the federal agency has a change of heart, there’s a greater chance that you’ll get to use your own hotspot in the future. [Image credit: AP Photo/Mark Humphrey] Filed under: Wireless , Networking , Mobile , Microsoft , Google Comments Via: Recode , NetworkWorld Source: FCC (1) , (2)

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Google and Microsoft fight hotels’ attempts to block personal WiFi

NYT: JPMorgan Chase was hacked due to two-factor authentication blunder

The hackers that stole millions of depositors’ contact info from JPMorgan Chase earlier this year didn’t use any kind of sophisticated malware like the one that took down Sony Pictures’ computers. No, they managed to steal people’s info, because the bank failed to upgrade one of its servers with two-factor authentication, according to The New York Times . Due to the lack of two-factor, the hackers gained access to sensitive info using just log-in credentials stolen from an employee. NYT says people within the company are (understandably) embarrassed about what happened, since the bank typically spends $250 million to make sure its networks are secure. Also, the other banks targeted by the same hackers weren’t as affected, presumably because all their security measures were working properly. A group of internal investigators, comprised of cybersecurity experts and even NSA agents, are now trying to get to the bottom of the oversight and to discover who launched the attack. Authorities used to think the Russian government was behind the breach due to the US economic sanctions against Russia, but the FBI dropped that idea way back in October. The bank maintains that the attackers didn’t get away with any money, though it admits that they harvested passwords, phone numbers and home addresses. [Image credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images] Filed under: Misc Comments Source: The New York Times

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NYT: JPMorgan Chase was hacked due to two-factor authentication blunder

Lens-free microscope lets almost anyone spot cancer

High-powered microscopes are useful for spotting cancer and other diseases in cells, but they’re expensive and complicated. Your local physicians probably won’t have a microscope on hand, and you’ll probably need at least some skill to use one. However, UCLA scientists have developed a lens-free microscope that could put this tissue scanning power in the hands of many more people. The device creates a holograph-like image of your sample using a CCD or CMOS sensor (like that from your camera) to detect shadow patterns cast by a light source, and reconstructs them in software to present what you’d actually see. The result is a microscope that’s just as effective as its conventional optical brethren, but should also be much cheaper and simpler. The tech won’t be truly ready for a while. As senior author Aydogan Ozcan tells the LA Times , there’s a lot of spit-and-polish necessary before the software is truly easy to use. Should everything go according to plan, though, it could do a lot to make cancer detection more accessible. At a minimum, it would let medical staff in small or remote offices get a snapshot of your cells, rather than having to send you to specialists. And ideally, the lensless telescope will help both in education and “citizen-science” activities — you might not diagnose yourself, but you could contribute data to a large research project without leaving home. [Image credit: Aydogan Ozcan] Filed under: Cameras , Science Comments Via: LA Times Source: UCLA , Science

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Lens-free microscope lets almost anyone spot cancer