May 24, 2021 | algo
The outfit behind the Colonial Pipeline attack had a blog, a user-friendly interface, and a sliding fee scale for helping hackers cash in on stolen information.
Source: How Hacking Became a Professional Service in Russia
May 23, 2021 | algo
In 2011, Chinese spies stole the crown jewels of cybersecurity—stripping protections from firms and government agencies worldwide. Here’s how it happened.
Source: The Full Story of the Stunning RSA Hack Can Finally Be Told
May 22, 2021 | algo, trends
Demand for the likes of Bitcoin and Ether is unlikely to crash simply because of environmental concerns, but fintechs should add access to other cryptos with smaller carbon footprints to attract environmentally-minded customers. Cardano, for example, uses the less energy-intensive “proof of stake” verification protocol and was recently added by Revolut. In addition, firms like Tesla may one day pick Cardano or other green cryptos as more sustainable alternatives to Bitcoin, enhancing their recognition among investors.
Source: How fintechs can keep riding crypto trading hype while addressing environmental concerns
May 22, 2021 | games & graphics
Twitch published a blog post on Friday in response to a trend of users streaming from hot tubs while wearing bikinis. The company admitted that advertisements had been pulled from some accounts at brands’ requests. Twitch said “being found to be sexy by others is not against our rules,” and said it was creating a new category for users.
Source: Twitch, in response to action against hot tub streamers, promises not to discriminate against ‘sexy’ people
May 21, 2021 | mobile, networking
From making solidarity videos on TikTok to using Twitter to organize international protests to posting videos to Instagram showing Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, Palestinians and those around the world sympathetic to their plight have made social media a central weapon in the narrative fight against Israel. Those weapons are deployed on many fronts: using different platforms to target multiple audiences — in the region and around the world — while also using apps to coordinate actions among themselves.
Source: The “TikTok intifada”
May 21, 2021 | audio, mobile, networking, trends, video
We’ve just lived through the most online period in history. What comes next?
Source: America Offline
May 20, 2021 | networking, trends
It occurs to me that the Clubhouse management actually cares very little about the long-term fates of these kids. After all, there’s a fungible supply of well-complected youngsters constantly streaming into Los Angeles. Only a very small percentage of these kids will actually make it in the industry; the rest of them, Amir tells me, will eventually just “cycle through.”
Source: [Letter from Los Angeles] The Anxiety of Influencers, By Barrett Swanson | Harper’s Magazine
May 20, 2021 | algo, networking, trends
Erick Ponce works in a government communications department in northern Ecuador. The 26-year-old happens to be deaf — a disability he has had since childhood. Communicating fluidly with his non-signing colleagues at work, and in public spaces like the supermarket, has been a lifelong challenge.
Source: Tech for disabled people is booming. So where’s the funding?
May 20, 2021 | algo, networking, trends
Apps lie at the heart of one of the most enduring conflicts in the trans community.
Source: Imperfect offerings: inside the complex new world of trans tech
May 20, 2021 | algo, games & graphics, video
Dan Harmon, the creator behind Rick and Morty, is launching an all-new animated series for Fox titled Krapopolis , which is the first animated series curated on the blockchain.
Source: Rick and Morty Creator Launches First Crypto Blockchain Series, Krapopolis
May 18, 2021 | algo, games & graphics
Augmented reality ( AR ) mixes up the digital content into a person’s actual environment and makes it interesting. Businesses are benefiting from this …
Source: How AR VR Apps Are Gamifying Exercise And Workout?
May 18, 2021 | video
Monday’s news that AT&T is spinning out WarnerMedia to merge it with Discovery has been hailed as a response to cord cutting , and an attempt to take on Netflix . Both may be true, but the deal also shows why it is so hard to take on Netflix in the first place, and why the newly-merged media giant may still struggle to keep up.
Source: AT&T’s discovery: Beating Netflix is hard
May 18, 2021 | mobile, networking, trends
The billionaire’s space internet project could connect millions of remote American homes. If it actually works.
Source: The FCC’s big bet on Elon Musk
May 17, 2021 | video
Two weeks before the unofficial start of summer, the cinema advertising industry is preparing for a strong — if not blockbuster — Memorial Day weekend, following last week’s guidance from the CDC that fully vaccinated Americans can return to indoor public places without their masks.
Source: Let’s All Go To The Movies, Again: CDC Guidance Boosts Cinema Outlook
May 17, 2021 | audio, trends
Recording advertisements and product endorsements can be lucrative work for celebrities and influencers. But is it too much like hard work? That’s what US firm Veritone is betting. Today, the company is launching a new platform called Marvel.AI that will let creators, media figures, and others generate deepfake clones of their voice to license as they wish.
Source: Veritone launches new platform to let celebrities and influencers clone their voice with AI
May 17, 2021 | networking
Stomachs churned and food service workers broke out in a cold sweat when a photo of a long, complicated custom Starbucks order went viral on Twitter. “On today’s episode of why I wanna quit my job,” a barista named Josie jokingly tweeted about Edward’s order, a caramel crunch Frappuccino with 13 customizations, including banana syrup, cinnamon dolce topping, and seven pumps of caramel sauce. (After the story went viral, the barista was fired from his job for violating store policy, even though the real Edward found the whole thing amusing.) There was a time when the idea of a mere soy latte or mocha Frappuccino was the punchline of dad jokes, an eyeroll about people not drinking “real” coffee.
Source: Appuccino, Please: How TikTok Is Permanently Changing Starbucks
May 17, 2021 | algo, trends
Now a team of Google researchers has published a proposal for a radical redesign that throws out the ranking approach and replaces it with a single large AI language model, such as BERT or GPT-3 —or a future version of them. The idea is that instead of searching for information in a vast list of web pages, users would ask questions and have a language model trained on those pages answer them directly.
Source: Language models like GPT-3 could herald a new type of search engine
May 16, 2021 | video
AT&T intends to break off its media arm and merge the assets with Discovery, in what could be a bid to strengthen the organization against streaming rivals such as Netflix, Disney, and Apple. AT&T is believed to be preparing to make a deal with Discovery that could create a new media behemoth, one that could be announced within the next week.
Source: AT&T in talks to spin off WarnerMedia for merger with Discovery
May 16, 2021 | audio, justice & equality
Music-filled — and Spotify-exclusive — shows like “Black Girl Songbook” and “60 Songs That Explain the ’90s” dance around copyright constraints.
Source: On Spotify, an Arranged Marriage Between Music and Podcasts
May 14, 2021 | games & graphics, trends
Top players have left pro leagues to pursue streaming full-time as the industry veers more toward content creators.
Source: Gaming Influencers Are the Future of Esports
