Feb 11
The late-night host shows how Fox News is bringing back an old obsession: Trump’s cognitive test.
Feb 11
Wordle is a pretty popular game these days and it’s a great way to have fun and challenge your vocabulary and also your friends in the process. But it turns out that Wordle is also pretty good at saving yourself from a kidnapping (kind of).
According to a report from CBS Chicago, it seems that Wordle played a role in an 80-year old woman going by the name of Denyse Holt being saved from a kidnapping. The report says that Holt was asleep on the 5th of February when a naked man covered in blood slipped into her bed.
He then forced Holt to take a bath with him, he then dragged her into the basement bathroom and locked her inside. So how did she manage to get rescued? Turns out that Holt and her family are quite avid fans of Wordle and they play the game everyday, so when Holt’s daughter, Meredith Holt-Caldwell, discovered that her mom had not posted the daily puzzle, she found it a bit odd.
Her daughter then tried to reach Holt but was unable to and decided to call the police the next day to do a wellness check. That’s when they discovered the man, who was still in her house, who was eventually arrested after a long stand-off with police and local SWAT. Holt was eventually rescued where she was physically unharmed where she noted that she was very lucky.
Wordle Helped Save A Woman After Being Kidnapped
, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Feb 11
If you’re thinking of buying flash memory like SSDs for your computer or as an external drive, you might not want to take too long to decide. This is because according to an announcement by Western Digital, it appears that the company has experienced a factory contamination.
This has affected the company’s operations at Yokkaichi and Kitakami where the flash memories are being fabricated. According to Western Digital, “Western Digital’s current assessment of the impact is a reduction of its flash availability of at least 6.5 exabytes. The company is working closely with its joint venture partner, Kioxia, to implement necessary measures that will restore the facilities to normal operational status as quickly as possible.”
For those wondering, 6.5 exabytes is about 6.5 billion gigabytes and it is estimated by TrendForce that this contamination of the memory could result in the price of NAND flash to increase by about 5-10% in Q2 2022. This is because presumably Western Digital will no longer be able to use the contaminated components, which could result in temporary shortages and a spike in price due to there being less supply than demand.
We’re not sure how badly this will affect average consumers, but as Western Digital is one of the bigger players in the memory industry, 6.5 exabytes is certainly not a small amount to sneeze at, but hopefully they will be able to resolve this and get production back on track ASAP.
Factory Contamination Could Result In Flash Memory Shortage
, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Feb 11
If you happen to own an iPhone or iPad, then you’ll want to make sure that you update to the latest version of iOS or iPadOS ASAP. Apple recently released iOS 15.3.1 and while it comes with various bug fixes, one of the more notable changes in the update is that it fixes a security flaw.
For those wondering what this security flaw is, it seems that this is a vulnerability in WebKit where it would let hackers create a website that could then execute code that users are unaware of. According to Apple, “Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.”
As Apple’s comment seems to suggest, it seems that there might have already been some attacks that take advantage of this vulnerability already out there in the wild, meaning that this isn’t something that was brought to Apple’s attention that hadn’t been exploited yet, so it’s probably a good idea for you to update your devices ASAP if you don’t want to fall prey to such attacks.
The update should already be live so if you don’t want to wait to be prompted on your iPhone or iPad, simply head on over to the iPhone or iPad’s Settings app, tap on General, then go to Software Update and it should list iOS 15.3.1 or iPadOS 15.3.1 as being available for download.
iPhone And iPad Owners Need To Update Their Devices ASAP
, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Feb 11
Elon Musk has given SpaceX’s first huge Starship update in years, and during his presentation, the company showed off what a launch with the massive launch system would look like. The Starship system is composed of the Starship spacecraft itself on top of a Super Heavy booster. SpaceX is working towards making it rapidly and fully reusable so as to make launches to the Moon and to Mars feasible. After making its way outside our planet, the booster will break off and return to its launch tower, where it will ideally be caught by the tower arms. As for the spacecraft, it will proceed to its destination before making its way back to Earth.
Musk said the booster will spend six minutes in the air over all, two upon ascent and four for its return trip. In the future, the system could be reused every six to eight hours for three launches a day. SpaceX says achieving a fully and rapidly reusable system is “key to a future in which humanity is out exploring the stars.” Musk also talked about how in-orbit refilling — not “refueling,” since the vehicle’s Raptor engines use more liquid oxygen than fuel — is essential for long-duration flights.
The Super Heavy booster, Musk said, has more than twice the thrust of a Saturn V, the largest rocket to ever head to space so far. In its current iteration, it has 29 Raptor engines, but it could eventually have 33. Speaking of those engines, Raptor version 2 is a complete redesign of the first, costs half as much and needs fewer parts. The company is capable of manufacturing five to six a week at the moment, but it could apparently be capable of producing as many as seven by next month.
Aside from being able to carry hundreds of tons, the Starship could revolutionize space travel if SpaceX can truly make launches as affordable as Musk said it could. He revealed during the event that a Starship launch could cost les than $10 million per flight, all in, within two to three years. That’s significantly less than a Falcon 9 launch that costs around $60 million.
SpaceX wants to launch the Starship from its Boca Chica, Texas facility called Starbase, where it’s been building the rocket’s prototype. It has yet to secure approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to do so, and Musk said the company doesn’t know where things stand with the agency exactly. However, there’s apparently a rough indication that the FAA will be come with its environmental assessment in March. SpaceX also expects the rocket to be ready by then, which means Starship’s first orbital test flight could be on the horizon.
Feb 11
Catherine Graham was hoping to win a trip to a tropical locale. It didn’t work out that way.
Feb 11
In the months since Apple’s AirTags went on sale last spring, there have been stories of bad actors using the lost item tracker to stalk people. One of the most publicized incidents occured at the start of the year when model Brooks Nader said someone had placed an AirTag in her coat to track her movements for several hours. In an update published today, Apple said it would take additional steps to prevent incidents like that from happening.
In the immediate future, the company will update the device to add a new warning that every user will see when they set up their AirTag for the first time. The notification will remind you that tracking someone without their consent is a crime in many places and that police can request your information from Apple if you misuse the device. To that point, the company notes it has worked with law enforcement on multiple occasions in the past to trace misused AirTags back to their original owners.
At the same time, the company will update its AirPods Pro, AirPods Max and third-generation AirPods, as well as third-party devices that can connect to its Find My network, so that you don’t get an “Unknown Accessory Detected” alert on your iPhone. Instead, iOS will more clearly indicate you’re traveling with a pair of someone else’s AirPods to reduce confusion.
Apple has also updated a support document on its website dedicated to unwanted tracking to include additional on what to do if you believe someone is using its devices to stalk you. The company has additionally added links to organizations like the National Center for Victims of Crime to help those who believe their safety may be at risk.
Later in the year, the company will update the iPhone 11, iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 to add a precision finding feature that will allow individuals with those devices to find their way to an unknown AirTag. The tool will display the direction of and distance to an unwanted AirTag. Apple says it also plans to update its unwanted tracking alerts to notify people earlier that someone may be stalking. Lastly, the company will tweak the sound an AirTag emits to ensure it’s as loud as possible and add a backup visual alert you’ll see on your iPhone.
“AirTag was designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people or another person’s property, and we condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products,” the company said. “We design our products to provide a great experience, but also with safety and privacy in mind. Across Apple’s hardware, software, and services teams, we’re committed to listening to feedback.”
Feb 11
“Koalas have gone from no-listing to vulnerable to endangered within a decade,” one scientist said. “That is a shockingly fast decline.”
Feb 11
The CIA Has a Secret Data Collection Program That Includes Some Records on Americans, Senators Say
Posted in: Today's Chili
The Central Intelligence Agency has a secret data collection program that includes some information about Americans, according to two U.S. Senators with knowledge of the program. The nature of the collection, how it is conducted, and the extent to which it has occurred isn’t at all clear, though the senators have…
Feb 11
Another bill has been introduced in the Senate that takes aim at the spread of misinformation on social media platforms. The proposed legislation seeks to direct the Federal Trade Commission to look into ways of reducing “the harm of algorithmic amplification and social media addiction on covered platforms.”
The full text of the bipartisan bill, which was co-authored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) hasn’t been published on the Senate website as yet. According to The Verge, were the Social Media NUDGE Act to become law, the National Science Foundation and the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine would look into content-neutral ways to add “friction” to sharing things on social media platforms. The legislation would prompt the FTC to codify the findings and possibly require social media platforms to implement them.
The overarching goal is to impede the spread of misinformation and other harmful material. Some measures along these lines are already in place. Twitter, for instance, asks users if they want to read the contents of a link before retweeting it. The idea is that people will be more informed about what they’re sharing with their followers.
The Social Media NUDGE Act has been referred to the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Unlike similar proposals, it wouldn’t require any changes to Section 230, a provision of the Communications Decency Act 1996 that shields online platforms from accountability for their users’ activity.
A bill that House Democrats introduced in October aims to limit Section 230 protections for “malicious” algorithms by making platforms liable when algorithms are “knowingly or recklessly” used to recommend content that results in physical or “severe emotional” harm. Another bill that was introduced in November would direct platforms to offer users an option to view content without being impacted by recommendation algorithms.
In the Senate, Klobuchar co-sponsored a bill that was submitted last February, which seeks to limit the protections social media platforms have under Section 230. None of these bills have passed their respective committees as yet.
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