Author: Robin Edgar

Organisational Structures | Technology and Science | Military, IT and Lifestyle consultancy | Social, Broadcast & Cross Media | Flying aircraft

Audi Will Make You Pay A Subscription For More Features You Already Bought Starting Next Year

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Over the summer, BMW finally backed down on its heated seat subscription program from sheer public outrage and bad press. This response apparently hasn’t deterred its rival Audi, however, as the German car company plans to make more new software features paid options on its next generation of vehicles. Pioneered on the E-Tron and E-Tron Read more about Audi Will Make You Pay A Subscription For More Features You Already Bought Starting Next Year[…]

‘Super Melanin’ Speeds Healing, Stops Sunburn, and More

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A team of scientists at Northwestern University has developed a synthetic version of melanin that could have a million and one uses. In new research, they showed that their melanin can prevent blistering and accelerate the healing process in tissue samples of freshly injured human skin. The team now plans to further develop their “super Read more about ‘Super Melanin’ Speeds Healing, Stops Sunburn, and More[…]

World’s First Commercial Spaceplane Faces Crucial Test at NASA

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Dream Chaser, built by Sierra Space, is being prepped for transport to a NASA facility in Ohio, where it will undergo a series of tests to make sure the spaceplane can survive its heated reentry through Earth’s atmosphere. Starting these tests is crucial, demonstrating Dream Chaser’s readiness for flights and potentially transforming commercial space travel. Read more about World’s First Commercial Spaceplane Faces Crucial Test at NASA[…]

Brave rivals Bing and ChatGPT with new privacy-focused AI chatbot

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Brave, the privacy-focused browser that automatically blocks unwanted ads and trackers, is rolling out Leo — a native AI assistant that the company claims provides “unparalleled privacy” compared to some other AI chatbot services. Following several months of testing, Leo is now available to use for free by all Brave desktop users running version 1.60 Read more about Brave rivals Bing and ChatGPT with new privacy-focused AI chatbot[…]

Latest Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch Nerfs Sex Speedruns because… Americans?

Posted on by Robin Edgar

For being a role-playing game based on 5e Dungeons & Dragons, Baldur’s Gate 3 is notoriously horny. Regardless of mythical race, gender, or social station, many of the game’s alluring party members are willing to at least spank you, and because of this, BG3 has a thriving and official sex speedrun category. For a time, Read more about Latest Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch Nerfs Sex Speedruns because… Americans?[…]

YouTube’s Crackdown Spurs Record Uninstalls And Reinstalls in new Browser of Ad Blockers… Time to Change Video Site?

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] Previously unreported figures from ad blocking companies indicate that YouTube’s crackdown is working, with hundreds of thousands of people uninstalling ad blockers in October. The available data suggests that last month saw a record number of ad blockers uninstalled—and also a record for new ad blocker installs as people sought alternatives that wouldn’t trigger Read more about YouTube’s Crackdown Spurs Record Uninstalls And Reinstalls in new Browser of Ad Blockers… Time to Change Video Site?[…]

EU Parliament Fails To Understand That The Right To Read Is The Right To Train. Understands the copyright lobby has money though.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Walled Culture recently wrote about an unrealistic French legislative proposal that would require the listing of all the authors of material used for training generative AI systems. Unfortunately, the European Parliament has inserted a similarly impossible idea in its text for the upcoming Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act. The DisCo blog explains that MEPs added new copyright requirements to the Commission’s Read more about EU Parliament Fails To Understand That The Right To Read Is The Right To Train. Understands the copyright lobby has money though.[…]

EU Trys to Implement Client-Side Scanning, death to encryption By Personalised Targeting of EU Residents With Misleading Ads

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The EU Commission has been pushing client-side scanning for well over a year. This new intrusion into private communications has been pitched as perhaps the only way to prevent the sharing of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Mandates proposed by the EU government would have forced communication services to engage in client-side scanning of content. Read more about EU Trys to Implement Client-Side Scanning, death to encryption By Personalised Targeting of EU Residents With Misleading Ads[…]

YouTube is cracking down on ad blockers globally. Time to go to the next video site. Vimeo, are you listening?

Posted on by Robin Edgar

YouTube is no longer preventing just a small subset of its userbase from accessing its videos if they have an ad blocker. The platform has gone all out in its fight against the use of add-ons, extensions and programs that prevent it from serving ads to viewers around the world, it confirmed to Engadget. “The Read more about YouTube is cracking down on ad blockers globally. Time to go to the next video site. Vimeo, are you listening?[…]

Mass lawsuit against Apple over throttled and broken iPhone batteries can go ahead, London tribunal rules

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Apple Inc (AAPL.O) on Wednesday lost a bid to block a mass London lawsuit worth up to $2 billion which accuses the tech giant of hiding defective batteries in millions of iPhones. The lawsuit was brought by British consumer champion Justin Gutmann on behalf of around 24 million iPhone users in the United Kingdom. Gutmann Read more about Mass lawsuit against Apple over throttled and broken iPhone batteries can go ahead, London tribunal rules[…]

Black 4.0 Is The New Ultrablack paint

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Vantablack is a special coating material, moreso than a paint. It’s well-known as one of the blackest possible coatings around, capable of absorbing almost all visible light in its nanotube complex structure. However, it’s complicated to apply, delicate, and not readily available, especially to those in the art world. It was these drawbacks that led Read more about Black 4.0 Is The New Ultrablack paint[…]

Posted in Art

Researchers devise method using mirrors to monitor nuclear stockpiles offsite

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Researchers say they have developed a method to remotely track the movement of objects in a room using mirrors and radio waves, in the hope it could one day help monitor nuclear weapons stockpiles. According to the non-profit org International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, nine countries, including Russia, the United States, China, France, the Read more about Researchers devise method using mirrors to monitor nuclear stockpiles offsite[…]

Judge dismisses most of artists’ AI copyright lawsuits against Midjourney, Stability AI

Posted on by Robin Edgar

judge in California federal court on Monday trimmed a lawsuit by visual artists who accuse Stability AI, Midjourney and DeviantArt of misusing their copyrighted work in connection with the companies’ generative artificial intelligence systems. U.S. District Judge William Orrick dismissed some claims from the proposed class action brought by Sarah Andersen, Kelly McKernan and Karla Read more about Judge dismisses most of artists’ AI copyright lawsuits against Midjourney, Stability AI[…]

Drugmakers Are Set To Pay 23andMe Millions To Access Your DNA – which is also your families DNA

Posted on by Robin Edgar

GSK will pay 23andMe $20 million for access to the genetic-testing company’s vast trove of consumer DNA data, extending a five-year collaboration that’s allowed the drugmaker to mine genetic data as it researches new medications. Under the new agreement, 23andMe will provide GSK with one year of access to anonymized DNA data from the approximately Read more about Drugmakers Are Set To Pay 23andMe Millions To Access Your DNA – which is also your families DNA[…]

Particle Accelerator can now be built on a Chip

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Particle accelerators range in size from a room to a city. However, now scientists are looking closer at chip-sized electron accelerators, a new study finds. Potential near-term applications for the technology include radiation therapy for zapping skin cancer and, longer-term, new kinds of laser and light sources. Particle accelerators generally propel particles within metal tubes Read more about Particle Accelerator can now be built on a Chip[…]

Google CEO Defends Paying $26b in 2021 to Remain Top Search Engine

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Google CEO Sundar Pichai upheld the company’s decision to pay out billions of dollars to remain the top global search engine at the U.S. anti-trust trial on Monday, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. Pichai claimed he tried to give users a “seamless and easy” experience, even if it meant paying Apple Read more about Google CEO Defends Paying $26b in 2021 to Remain Top Search Engine[…]

Apple says BMW wireless chargers really are messing with iPhone 15s

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Users have been reporting that their iPhone 15’s NFC chips were failing after using BMW’s in-car wireless charging, but until now, Apple hasn’t addressed the complaints. That seems to have changed as MacRumors reported this week that an Apple internal memo to third-party repair providers says a software update later this year should prevent a Read more about Apple says BMW wireless chargers really are messing with iPhone 15s[…]

iLeakage hack can force iOS and macOS browsers to divulge passwords and much more

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Researchers have devised an attack that forces Apple’s Safari browser to divulge passwords, Gmail message content, and other secrets by exploiting a side channel vulnerability in the A- and M-series CPUs running modern iOS and macOS devices.   Further Reading Intel SGX is vulnerable to an unfixable flaw that can steal crypto keys and more Read more about iLeakage hack can force iOS and macOS browsers to divulge passwords and much more[…]

Hackers Target European Government With Roundcube Webmail Bug

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Winter Vivern, believed to be a Belarus-aligned hacker, attacked European government entities and a think tank starting on Oct. 11, according to an Ars Technica report Wednesday. ESET Research discovered the hack that exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Roundcube, a webmail server with millions of users, and allowed the pro-Russian group to exfiltrate sensitive emails. Read more about Hackers Target European Government With Roundcube Webmail Bug[…]

Privacy advocate challenges YouTube’s ad blocking detection (which isn’t spyware)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Last week, privacy advocate (and very occasional Reg columnist) Alexander Hanff filed a complaint with the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) decrying YouTube’s deployment of JavaScript code to detect the use of ad blocking extensions by website visitors. On October 16, according to the Internet Archives’ Wayback Machine, Google published a support page declaring that Read more about Privacy advocate challenges YouTube’s ad blocking detection (which isn’t spyware)[…]

Airbus commissions three wind-powered ships

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The plane-maker on Thursday revealed it has “commissioned shipowner Louis Dreyfus Armateurs to build, own and operate these new, highly efficient vessels that will enter into service from 2026.” The ships will have conventional engines that run on maritime diesel oil and e-methanol, the latter fuel made with a process that produces less CO2 than Read more about Airbus commissions three wind-powered ships[…]

Apple’s MAC Address Privacy Feature Has Never Worked

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Ever since Apple re-branded as the “Privacy” company several years back, it’s been rolling out features designed to show its commitment to protecting users. Yet while customers might feel safer using an iPhone, there’s already plenty of evidence that Apple’s branding efforts don’t always match the reality of its products. In fact, a lot of Read more about Apple’s MAC Address Privacy Feature Has Never Worked[…]

Android 14 Storage Bug: Users with multiple profiles Locked Out of Devices

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Android 14, the latest operating system from Google, is facing a major storage bug that is causing users to be locked out of their devices. This issue is particularly affecting users who utilize the “multiple profiles” feature. Reports suggest that the bug is comparable to being hit with “ransomware,” as users are unable to access Read more about Android 14 Storage Bug: Users with multiple profiles Locked Out of Devices[…]

Google turned ANC earbuds into heart rate sensor

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Google today detailed its research into audioplethysmography (APG) that adds heart rate sensing capabilities to active noise canceling (ANC) headphones and earbuds “with a simple software upgrade.” Google says the “ear canal [is] an ideal location for health sensing” given that the deep ear artery “forms an intricate network of smaller vessels that extensively permeate Read more about Google turned ANC earbuds into heart rate sensor[…]