Dec 27
Carla Faith, 58, is accused of hiding 26 children behind a false wall at her daycare center in Colorado.
Dec 27
Audiophiles often talk about the nuances one needs to consider in the perfect audio setup but not everyone has the patience, time, or knowledge to make the tweaks needed for that kind of experience. For all but the most meticulous audio buff, speakers tend to be left at their default settings. LG’s promise for its next generation of soundbars is … Continue reading
Dec 27
Chinese Hackers Have Reportedly Managed To Bypass Two-Factor Authentication
Posted in: Today's Chili
Two-factor authentication is something that many companies are recommending that users use. This is because it is a lot more secure compared to the traditional username and login combo, where an additional one-time password/code is generated to authenticate the user, meaning that even if your password is compromised, hackers still can’t get into your account.
This is because usually the one-time generated password is sent to the owner’s phone or a special dongle. However, according to a report from ZDNet, it appears that a hacking group from China known as APT20 has apparently managed to bypass two-factor authentication where they have managed to hack various systems spanning as many as 10 countries.
According to security company, Fox-IT, “We have identified victims of this actor in 10 countries, in government entities, managed service providers and across a wide variety of industries, including Energy, Health Care and High-Tech.” The affected countries include Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
That being said, it is unclear how the hacking group managed to bypass 2FA. Bypassing 2FA is not completely unheard of, but it is a rather sophisticated attack, which Fox-IT believes could have been done through “legitimate” channels such as VPNs.
Chinese Hackers Have Reportedly Managed To Bypass Two-Factor Authentication , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Dec 27
The quest to find a new battery type beyond lithium-ion has been going on for years. This is because while li-ion batteries are commonly used in our electronics, they do come with their own set of problems. One of which is that they can be volatile and can explode when damaged. They also lose their charge over time.
Then there is also an environmental issue where they use precious heavy metals found in our earth that are finite, meaning that there will eventually come a time when they are no longer available. However, the folks at IBM might have come up with a new alternative, where they have developed a battery that relies on ingredients extracted from seawater.
This means that this battery, should it ever be mass produced, will be more environmentally-friendly to manufacture. It will also be safer to use due to IBM Research replacing the cobalt and nickel in the cathode of the battery with a new liquid electrolyte. The liquid electrolyte also has a higher flash point, ultimately reducing the potential of the battery short circuiting, which could also lead to it catching on fire or exploding.
However, the research is still in the somewhat early stages and IBM Research plans on working with Mercedes-Benz Research to further its development. This means that it will probably be a while before we ever see it commercialized, if at all.
IBM Created A New Battery That Does Not Use Heavy Metals , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Dec 27
35,000 Mazda3 Cars Recalled Over Emergency Brake Bug That Automatically Activates It
Posted in: Today's Chili
Cars back in the day used to be largely mechanical, but these days, thanks to computers being embedded into our cars, our vehicles have gotten smarter as well through the use of software. While this is a good thing, in turn it creates its own problems, such as software bugs that can sometimes result in unintended consequences.
This is why Mazada has announced that they will be recalling certain 2019-2020 Mazda3 vehicles due to a bug which causes the car’s automatic emergency brake system to deploy. According to Mazda, “Incorrect programming of the SBS control software may cause the vehicle to falsely detect an obstacle in front of the vehicle while driving.”
“In certain cases, the SBS control software may automatically apply the vehicle brakes to prevent or reduce damage from a collision, even though no collision is imminent. If the SBS automatic emergency braking system unexpectedly activates while driving, the risk of a rear-end crash from a following vehicle may increase.”
Mazda has estimated that this recall will affect 35,390 Mazda3 units sold in the US and US territories. The company also notes that to date, there have been no reported injuries or deaths as a result of this issue, which is good news.
35,000 Mazda3 Cars Recalled Over Emergency Brake Bug That Automatically Activates It , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Dec 27
The internet is designed to be an open space for all, not controlled by any particular nation or government. However, despite that, many governments around the world have attempted to censor it in some form or the other, by restricting what kind of content is allowed to be shown in their country.
It doesn’t always work as changing the DNS or using a VPN can easily bypass restrictions put into place, but Russia thinks that they might have found the solution – by creating its own internet. According to a report from the BBC, Russia has apparently successfully tested its own internet.
What does this mean? Basically by creating its own internet, it will restrict the points at which it will connect to the rest of the internet around the world, where it will give the government more control over what kind of content its citizens can access. According to Russia’s Ministry of Communications, ordinary users part of the test did not notice any changes.
However, according to Justin Sherman, a cyber-security policy fellow at the New America think tank, he told the BBC. “The Russian government has run into technical challenges in the past when trying to increase online control, such as its largely unsuccessful efforts to block Russians from accessing encrypted messaging app Telegram. Without more information about this test though, it’s hard to assess exactly how far Russia has progressed in the path towards an isolatable domestic internet.”
Russia Claims To Have Successfully Tested Their Own Internet , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Dec 27
Image credit – Ethan Brossard
If you grew up playing with LEGO bricks, you know how fun it can be where you can mix and match parts to create all kinds of things. We’ve seen countless ideas on the internet, and you can add this to the list in the form of a LEGO Nikon F3 SLR camera. This was created by Ethan Brossard where it has been submitted to LEGO in a bid to make it a reality.
According to Brossard, “The model has almost all the levers on the F3, only excluding the very small ones that are too small to show in lego, all the main dials on top are present, as is a representation of the mirror that would flip up on the actual camera when taking a photo.” He also notes that this design took 549 pieces to make, which apparently is one of his smaller creations.
It is also pretty close in size to the actual Nikon F3, where it measures 165x109x77mm, versus the F3 which measures 149x97x66mm. However, it does not just look like the F3, the back of the camera also opens up where it reveals some of its innards like the shutter, film rails, and the film receiving spool
Unfortunately, it does not actually take any photos, but we think it’s still a pretty awesome creation that we imagine many photographers wouldn’t mind owning as part of their collection. If you think that LEGO should turn Brossard’s idea into a reality, head on over to the LEGO IDEAS website to vote for it.
This LEGO Nikon F3 SLR Is All Kinds Of Awesome , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Dec 27
With the flop that was the iPhone 5c, many understandably were not optimistic about the launch of the iPhone XR, which seemed to follow the same blueprint as the iPhone 5c. However, many were proven wrong when it was discovered that the iPhone XR actually accounted for the bulk of iPhone sales back in 2018.
It continued to dominate iPhone sales in 2019 and now according to Counterpoint Research’s latest data, it seems that even in 2018, the iPhone XR is maintaining its lead. The report claims that the iPhone XR was the best-selling smartphone in Q3 2019 globally, where it made up 3% of all smartphones sold.
Interestingly enough, coming in second place is also a non-flagship smartphone in the form of the Samsung Galaxy A10, hinting that maybe consumers are no longer seeing the need to own expensive smartphones anymore. What’s interesting is that despite the iPhone 11 offering upgrades over the iPhone XR, it only accounts for 1.6% of all smartphones sold.
It is possible that given more time, the iPhone 11 could eventually surpass the iPhone XR. Apple is expected to continue this trend of offerings in 2020. They are also rumored to be launching a potentially cheaper model in the form of the iPhone SE 2 that could be announced in the early part of the year.
The iPhone XR Was The Best-Selling Smartphone Last Quarter , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Dec 27
There are many malls and apartment complexes that come with electric vehicle (EV) chargers and parking bays. The only problem is that you need to go look for them, and given that they aren’t exactly many around, this can be an issue. However, Volkswagen might have solved that problem with EV charging robots.
The company has taken the wraps off a mobile charging robot that can actually seek out EVs that are parked and then charge the car. This means that you could, in theory, park anywhere you want, and then summon the robot to your location instead of you seeking it out. The fact that it is autonomous means that it can move from car to car as and when needed, instead of EV owners hogging parking bays and EV chargers.
According to Mark Möller, Head of Development at Volkswagen Group Components, “The mobile charging robot will spark a revolution when it comes to charging in different parking facilities, such as multistorey car parks, parking spaces and underground car parks because we bring the charging infrastructure to the car and not the other way around. With this, we are making almost every car park electric, without any complex individual infrastructural measures.”
However, as it stands, Volkswagen’s EV charging robot exists as a prototype/concept. This means that it is unclear if the company plans on releasing it in the future, so we’ll have to wait and see, but in the meantime, it does sound rather promising.
Volkswagen Shows Off EV Charging Robots That Can Come To Your car , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Dec 27
If the rumors are true, Apple could be launching a 5G iPhone model next year. This is a huge upgrade over this year’s model as 5G is expected to be the new standard of connectivity for the foreseeable future. This is why according to analysts at Wedbush, it is believed that more than a third of iPhone owners could be making the upgrade next year.
As it stands, there are roughly 900 million iPhone users around the world, and a third of them upgrading to 2020’s 5G model means that it could translate to as many as 350 million units sold. “We believe iPhone 11 is just the front end of this current ‘supercycle’ for Cupertino with a slate of 5G smartphones set to be unveiled in September that will open up the floodgates on iPhone upgrades across the board that the Street continues to underestimate.”
This report from Wedbush sounds more optimistic compared to a previous report from analyst Gene Munster, who believes that maybe investors should brace themselves as the 5G iPhone might not be the runaway hit they think it could be. This is because according to Munster, 5G rollout is still in the early stages, and as such, not all iPhone customers might see the need to make the upgrade.
That being said, all of this is just based on predictions and speculation and we’ll have to wait until 2020 to find out how well the 5G iPhone will do.
At Least 350 Million iPhone Users Could Upgrade To 2020’s 5G Model , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
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